Getting Some Help From A Comedic Genius
While Brooks was screenwriting for Blazing Saddles, he was also in the process of creating a television show titled Your Show of Shows. Brooks came up with the idea for the movie after he watched Richard Pryor performing at the Vanguard nightclub one evening when he was in New York. After Brooks met Pryor, they hit it off and Brooks offered the comedian a role. Pryor was key to the success of the film and was responsible for writing most of Mongo’s lines.
Getting Some Help From A Comedic Genius
The Gang
Harvey Korman’s Hedley Lamar may not have succeeded in removing Sheriff Bart from his post even with the dispatch of Mongo, but Alex Karras was quite a successful football player during his heyday. Karras actually played in the NFL for an astonishing 12 seasons. In addition, he was a nine-time All-pro team member and in the 60s, even became part of the All-Decade team of the NFL. He was also a four-time Pro Bowler and after he left the Detroit Lions, he pursued an acting career and initially became a member of the cast of Webster.
The Gang
