Month: July 2017

In this episode, we’re talking about the legitimate comedy classic, Mel Brooks’s 1974 western satire, Blazing Saddles! Largely agreed upon to be the funniest western ever made, it tells the story of a black sheriff appointed to a small town full of racists to better facilitate a land grab. But the narrative is very much secondary to the comedy set pieces, the incredible, career-defining performances, the flat out gigantic BALLS this movie displays every step of the way. We’re talking about Richard Pryor, John Wayne, farting, the frequently-used N-word, the inspiration for Governor William J LePetomane, Harvey Korman’s mastery of the ball-and-paddle game, the Mel Brooks filmography (with special attention paid to the Hey Abbott! joke in Robin Hood: Men Tights), the bravery of racial charged genitalia comedy, Hedy Lamarr’s lawsuit, the inexplicable chaos of the film’s final half hour, and the less than stellar other entries in the Western Comedy subgenre. There’s also more impersonations than usual, lots of Harvey Korman.

Briefly discussed at the end are the Mariners and their doomed season Dad is somehow optimistic about, and David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. You can find us online at westernswithdad.com, where back episodes not available on the iTunes feed can be downloaded (such as Shane, The Magnificent Seven, and if you’re looking for more talk about America’s problems with race, The Hateful Eight). You can also email us at westernswithdad@gmail.com, where you can ask us questions or suggest titles for future episodes. And please rate and review us on iTunes to help increase the visibility of the show! How about that!

On the next episode, an late, elegiac John Wayne film about the turning of generations, The Cowboys. Blazing Saddles was directed by Mel Brooks, and stars Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Harvey Korman, Madeleine Kahn, Slim Pickens and Mel Brooks.

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In this episode, we discuss the largely uncommented-on Thunderheart, a 1992 police-on-a-reservation film inspired by the tumultuous events that took place during the 1970s. It stars Val Kilmer as a Federal Agent investigating a murder occurring amidst deep civil unrest. Featuring terrific supporting performances by Sam Shepard and Graham Greene, this movie offers a glimpse into a world very rarely seen in movies, either classic era westerns or in modern times! Topics of conversation include one of our favorites, whether or not this is a proper western, similar reservation-themed stories in popular culture (Tony Hillerman and Longmire), a cursory discussion of the Leonard Peltier story that inspired the film, vacation memories of visiting South Daktoa’s Badlands, wild speculation about Sam Shepard’s lovelife, the process of receiving a rabies shot, Johnny Depp’s Tonto, a theoretical peyote sequence cut from the film, and an extended ramble about the differences between how mainstream and offshoot faiths are represented in film. Also, and this is important to note, the film’s talented director, Michael Apted is indeed still alive and his Up documentary series is in fact still ongoing! Sorry about the confusion there. Michael Apted is great. He made Coal Miner’s Daughter.

Other films discussed at the end of the female-focused recent releases Hidden Figures and The Beguiled, both receiving mild recommends! If you’d like to hear back episodes not listed on the iTunes feed, you can find them on our website, westernswithdad.com. Also, please leave us ratings and reviews on itunes! Also, if you would like us to answer any western-related questions you might have, or would perhaps like to hear us talk about a specific film, please email us at westernswithdad@gmail.com! Hey, why not?

Thunderheart is a 1992 release, starring Val Kilmer, Graham Greene and Sam Shepard. It was directed by the very much alive Michael Apted.

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