Although John Wayne was impressed with the script of the 1974 Western comedy,Blazing Saddles, he ultimately decided not to accept the opportunity to appear in the movie. Legendary actor John Wayne established himself as a leading man throughout the western and war genres in the Golden Age of Hollywood in the twentieth century. With over 170 movies in a filmography spanning more than 50 years,some of John Wayne’s career-defining moviesincludeShe Wore a Yellow Ribbon(1949),The Searchers(1956), andTrue Grit(1969), for which he won his only Oscar for Best Actor.
While he tackled multiple genres across his career,John Wayne starred in over 80 Western moviesand found the most success playing the rugged and charismatic leading man. Throughout his 53-year-long career,John Wayne frequently collaborated with director John Fordand starred in different Westerns that ranged from adventures, includingThe Fighting Kentuckian(1949), to historical dramas such asHow The West Was Won(1962).In the later stages of his career, Wayne was offered the chance to star in another Western, but, despite loving the script, he decided to pass on the opportunity.
Why John Wayne Turned Down Blazing Saddles
Wayne Felt That The Script Was “Too Dirty” For Him
In 1974, Mel Brooks released the Western comedy,Blazing Saddles, starring Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder. Set in the fictional town of Rock Ridge, the movie follows a railroad worker named Bart (Little), who is unexpectedly named the town’s sheriff by a corrupt governor. With the help of an alcoholic gunslinger, Jim (Wilder), Bart strives to fight back against the governor and prove his worth as a sheriff. In an interview withIndieWireto commemorate the movie’s 50th anniversary,Mel Brooks revealed that he originally approached John Wayne to play the role of Jim the Waco Kid.
“I wanted authenticity. I wanted the Waco Kid to actually have been a Western movie actor, so that he would lend a kind of authentic character to the movie. So I was at the Warner Bros. café and sitting four tables away was John Wayne. So I walked over and I said, ‘Mr. Wayne.’ I made a movie called ‘Blazing Saddles.’ It’s a comedy, but it has a lot of heart. There’s a great part in it that I wish you would play.” - Mel Brooks
In his interview, Brooks revealed that he approached John Wayne in a café and spoke with him about the role inBlazing Saddles. Wayne expressed interest in the movie, having recognized Brooks from his work inThe Producers,and asked to read the movie’s script before making a decision. Brooks managed to provide Wayne with a script, but after reading it over for 24 hours, Wayne decided not to accept the offer, stating that he felt it was “too dirty” for his fans. However, Wayne assured Brooks he’d be the first to watchBlazing Saddles(viaMetro Philadelphia).
John Wayne Was Right To Turn Down Blazing Saddles
Wayne Wouldn’t Have Brought The Same Energy Levels As Gene Wilder
While it received a mixed reception during its original release,Blazing Saddleshas since been ranked asone of the greatest Western comedies ever made, in large part due to its self-referential humor, screenplay, soundtrack, and on-screen chemistry between Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder in their roles of Bart and Jim the Waco Kid, respectively. Following Wayne’s refusal of the role, Brooks cast Gig Young as Jim, before replacing him with Gene Wilder due to Young’s alcohol issues (viaThe Mercury News). While John Wayne certainly had the skills forBlazing Saddles,he made the right choice to turn down the movie.
InBlazing Saddles, Jim the Waco Kid is portrayed as a drifter who turned to alcohol after he was humiliated during a run-in with a child, but later finds new motivation in life, as Bart’s sidekick, helping him prove himself as sheriff. Gene Wilder received high praise for his performance due to the over-the-top delivery of his character’s lines and his ability to invoke genuine humor in his role, which helped rankBlazing Saddlesasone of Gene Wilder’s best movies. While John Wayne certainly had the acting skills,he wouldn’t have been able to match the energy that made Wilder’s performance so great.
John Wayne was largely known throughout his career for playing the no-nonsense, gun-wielding outlaw in serious Westerns, but he was given the chance to prove his comedy and romance skills in various movies. Although Wayne enjoyed acting in Westerns, in an interview withRoger Ebert,he admitted that he was aware of the criticism he received for typecasting. Thankfully, through successful movies such asThe Quiet Man(1952) andMcLintock!(1962), whereJohn Wayne worked with frequent co-star Maureen O’Hara, he showed audiences that he was capable of playing the charming and romantic hero. Both Wayne and O’Hara were praised for their chemistry together.
Arguably,John Wayne’s funniest, if underrated, movieis the 1960 western comedy, North to Alaska, where he starred alongside Stewart Granger. Wayne played the lead of “Big” Sam McCord and was praised for his overly dramatic and self-referential performance. While he didn’t appear in movies with the same level of humor asBlazingSaddles,John Wayne did successfully prove that he was skilled at comedy and romance as well as drama throughout his illustrious movie career.
Sources:IndieWire,Metro Philadelphia,The Mercury News,Roger Ebert
Blazing Saddles
Written and directed by Mel Brooks, Blazing Saddles stars Cleavon Little as Bart, a black sheriff appointed in a small frontier town by Hedley Lamarr, a railroad man who believes Bart’s appointment will destabilize the town enough to drive everyone out and allow him to build a new railroad line through it. Instead, with the help of gunslinger Jim the Waco Kid, Bart works to thwart Lamarr’s schemes. Gene Wilder and Harvey Korman star alongside Little.
