Pryor’s Encouragement
While Richard Pryor wasn’t actually cast for the role of the Black Sherriff, he did offer some words of encouragement and advice behind the scenes. When Mel was writing the screenplay, he wanted it to be controversial and highlight racial prejudices in a comedic way, so he included the ‘N-Word’ for added affect. However he began to have some doubts that the use of the word was a little bit excessive. Still, it was actually Richard Pryor who encouraged Mel not to hold back at all, as it would highlight the issue of racial prejudice more accurately if there was no filter. He told Brooks how, “It’s profound, it’s real” and Mel listened…
Pryors Encouragement
Cultural References
When Mel was writing the script, he tried his best to weave some cultural references into the movie in a unique way. While some of these quirky references were immediately obvious to the audience, there were others that were a little more subtle. Others may have also been lost in translation or interpreted differently. Brooks later said in an interview that he “always thought the audience was as smart as the filmmakers.” He hoped they would get all of the references, and while they did get some, there were a few, this wasn’t always the case.
Cultural References
