BLAZING SADDLES (R)(1974) Drive-In 10:10 pm (Thu. Apr. 8)

14948 Crenshaw Boulevard,Gardena CA 90249

08 April, 2021

Description

BLAZING SADDLES (R)(1974) Running time of 1 hour and 35 minutes. Rated R for crude & sexual humor, some racial epithets, and comic violence. Blazing Saddles is a 1974 American satirical Western black comedy film directed by Mel Brooks. Starring Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder, the film was written by Brooks, Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Norman Steinberg, and Alan Uger, and was based on Bergman's story and draft. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and audiences, was nominated for three Academy Awards and is ranked No. 6 on the American Film Institute's 100 Years...100 Laughs list. Brooks appears in three supporting roles, Governor William J. Le Petomane, a Yiddish-speaking Native American chief and "a director" in line to help invade Rock Ridge (a nod to Hitchcock); he also dubs lines for one of Lili Von Shtupp's backing troupe. The supporting cast includes Slim Pickens, Alex Karras, and David Huddleston, as well as Brooks regulars Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, and Harvey Korman. Bandleader Count Basie has a cameo as himself, appearing with his orchestra. The film is full of deliberate anachronisms, from the Count Basie Orchestra playing "April in Paris" in the Wild West, to Slim Pickens referring to the Wide World of Sports. In 2006, Blazing Saddles was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. While the film is now considered a classic comedy, critical reaction was mixed when the film was released. Vincent Canby wrote: "Blazing Saddles has no dominant personality, and it looks as if it includes every gag thought up in every story conference. Whether good, bad or mild, nothing was thrown out. Woody Allen's comedy, though very much a product of our Age of Analysis, recalls the wonder and discipline of people like Keaton and Laurel and Hardy. Mr. Brooks's sights are lower. His brashness is rare, but his use of anachronism and anarchy recalls not the great film comedies of the past, but the middling ones like the Hope-Crosby "Road" pictures. With his talent he should do much better than that." Roger Ebert gave the film four stars (out of four) and called it a "crazed grab bag of a movie that does everything to keep us laughing except hit us over the head with a rubber chicken. Mostly, it succeeds. It's an audience picture; it doesn't have a lot of classy polish and its structure is a total mess. But of course! What does that matter while Alex Karras is knocking a horse cold with a right cross to the jaw?" Gene Siskel awarded three stars out of four and called it "bound to rank with the funniest of the year," adding, "Whenever the laughs begin to run dry, Brooks and his quartet of gag writers splash about in a pool of obscenities that score belly laughs if your ears aren't sensitive and if you're hip to western movie conventions being parodied." Variety wrote, "If comedies are measured solely by the number of yocks they generate from audiences, then 'Blazing Saddles' must be counted a success ... Few viewers will have time between laughs to complain that pic is essentially a raunchy, protracted version of a television comedy skit." Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times called the film "irreverent, outrageous, improbable, often as blithely tasteless as a stag night at the Friar's Club and almost continuously funny." Gary Arnold of The Washington Post was negative, writing that "Mel Brooks squanders a snappy title on a stockpile of stale jokes. To say that this slapdash Western spoof lacks freshness and spontaneity and originality is putting it mildly. 'Blazing Saddles' is at once a messy and antiquated gag machine." Jan Dawson of The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote, "Perhaps it is pedantic to complain that the whole is not up to the sum of its parts when, for the curate's egg that it is, Blazing Saddles contains so many good parts and memorable performances." John Simon wrote a negative review of Blazing Saddles, saying, "All kinds of gags—chiefly anachronisms, irrelevancies, reverse ethnic jokes, and out and out vulgarities—are thrown together pell-mell, batted about insanely in all directions, and usually beaten into the ground." On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an 88% approval rating based on 59 reviews, with a weighted average of 8.1/10. The site's consensus reads: "Daring, provocative, and laugh-out-loud funny, Blazing Saddles is a gleefully vulgar spoof of Westerns that marks a high point in Mel Brooks' storied career." During production for the film, retired longtime film star Hedy Lamarr sued Warner Bros. for $100,000, charging that the film's running parody of her name infringed on her right to privacy. Brooks said that he was flattered and chose to not fight it in court; the studio settled out of court for a small sum and an apology for "almost using her name." Brooks said that Lamarr "never got the joke." This lawsuit would be referenced by an in-film joke where Brooks' character, the Governor, tells Hedley Lamarr that, "This is 1874; you'll be able to sue HER." Ishmael Reed's 1969 novel Yellow Back Radio Broke-Down has been cited as an important precursor or influence for Blazing Saddles, a connection that Reed himself has made. The film earned theatrical rentals of $26.7 million in its initial release in the United States and Canada. In its 1976 reissue, it earned a further $10.5 million and another $8 million in 1979. Its total rentals in the United States and Canada totalled $47.8 million from a gross of $119.5 million, becoming only the tenth film up to that time to pass the $100 million mark. While addressing his group of bad guys, Harvey Korman's character reminds them that, although they are risking their lives, he is "risking an almost certain Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor!" Korman did not receive an Oscar bid, but the film did get three nominations in 1974: Best Supporting Actress (Madeline Kahn, who lost to Ingrid Bergman in Murder on the Orient Express), Best Film Editing (losing out to The Towering Inferno), and Best Music, Original Song (the title song, which lost to "We May Never Love Like This Again", also from The Towering Inferno). The film also earned two BAFTA awards nominations, for Best Newcomer (Cleavon Little) and Best Screenplay. The film won the Writers Guild of America Award for "Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen" for writers Mel Brooks, Norman Steinberg, Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, and Alan Uger. In 2006, Blazing Saddles was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. PLEASE PURCHASE ONE (1) TICKET PER VEHICLE. ONE (1) vehicle admission ticket COVERS EVERYONE IN YOUR VEHICLE! FAQ's WHAT TIME DOES THE MOVIE START? Movie starts at 10:10 PM. WHAT TIME CAN I ARRIVE? Gates will open at 9:40 PM. HOW DO THE NEW LA COUNTY COVID RESTRICTIONS AFFECT OUTDOOR CINEMA? Gardena Cinema hopes to provide a safe and fun environment for all of our patrons. Sit back, relax, and enjoy a safe night out, with us. Please wear a mask when not inside your vehicle. WHERE DO I PARK? Cars will be placed on a first-come, first-served basis, one car at a time, and in sections based on size of car and desired style of viewing. We have mapped out the back-lot to allow for sedans in front rows and tall cars/SUV's/Trucks in the middle to back rows. An attendant will be available to direct you on where to park. We have accommodated so that every guest has a great viewing experience. WHERE IS GARDENA CINEMA? Gardena Cinema is located at 14948 Crenshaw Blvd, Gardena, CA 90249. HOW DO I REDEEM MY TICKET? Upon purchase, ticket will be emailed to you as a PDF attachment from Eventbrite. When you arrive to the event, please show the entrance attendant the bar code on your ticket through your car window, either by holding up your printed version, or by displaying it on your phone or smart device. Attendant will scan it to check you in, and you'll be good to go! DO I NEED FM RADIO IN MY CAR? YES! This is a outdoor Drive-In event, with no outdoor speakers. In fact, our drive-in cinema city permit expressly disallows outdoor speakers, so if you bring your own speakers, please have them at a low level so as not to disturb our neighbors. There are homes next to our parking lot and we would like to keep our drive-in cinema permit going by being good neighbors. The film’s soundtrack will be accessible exclusively through your car’s FM Radio, for maximum social-distance safety. We will provide you with the FM station upon arrival. Make sure your car has an FM radio so you can hear the film! If you do not have a radio, we lend portable radios for the duration of the movie for $5 and your ID Card. PRO-TIP: Some personal speakers also have FM radio built in, and are allowable as long as volume remains reasonable. Such a cool experience! CAN I BRING FOOD / SNACKS? YES! Your car is your screening room -- so bring all your favorite screening room snacks and munchies! Gardena Cinema's lobby will also be open, with FRESHLY popped popcorn, drinks, nachos, hot dogs, candies, and more! Please be sure to pay the lobby a visit and remember to wear your protective face mask. We don't imagine any of you would, but we have to ask that you don't discard your trash out the window. (It's happened...) We want to keep these fun events going, so please help us keep the grounds tidy! There will be trash and recycle stations if needed. WILL YOU HAVE RESTROOMS? YES! Gardena Cinema's lobby and restrooms will be open. As our approval of this event is based on our assurance of safety, we ask that folks wear protective masks when leaving your cars for any reason, including to use the restroom. Attendants will be on hand to keep those restrooms sanitized. Social Distancing is a must, at all times. MAY I BRING MY PET WITH ME? Bringing your best friend only enhances the experience for you and we aim to keep you as comfy as possible. We ask that you keep your pet inside your vehicle during the movie. As long as you ensure your pet is properly trained and does not disturb neighboring guests while in the Drive-In. Please remember to keep the pets away from other guests. PETS ARE NOT ALLOWED INSIDE THE ACTUAL CINEMA BUILDING, (where restrooms and snack bar are located). CAN WE BRING LAWN CHAIRS AND SIT OUTSIDE IN FRONT OF MY VEHICLE? Unfortunately, safety COVID guidelines prevent us from further allowing any guests to sit outside the boundary of their vehicle. Besides, you get such a better view sitting up top a little higher, rather than sitting low to the floor. Please plan accordingly, as we will be politely enforcing this rule, for everyone's safety. CAN I SIT IN MY TRUCK BED?- OR -CAN I THROW THE HATCH OF MY HATCHBACK UP AND SIT IN THE BACK TO WATCH THE SHOW? - Guests are allowed to sit in their truck beds, so long as they keep their protective masks on. - Raised hatches proved quite obstructive to rows of cars behind them in viewing the screen. You will be asked to park either to the sides of our car staging area, or along the back rows. And -- like truck-beds and convertibles -- if your hatch is open, we ask that you keep your masks on. WILL YOU BE HOSTING MORE OF THESE? YES! We intend to continue curating and programming some of the BEST cinema in Los Angeles County! We provide an intimate Drive-In style setting. Please support by following us on Instagram and Facebook -- we'll keep you posted on our screenings and events! @GardenaCinema Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @GARDENACINEMA.