I got to see Blazing Saddles in a movie theater tonight!

I didn't see it during its original run in 1974 as I was all of 12 years old or so, and my parents weren't huge movie goers, but I have managed to see it on big screens on a couple of occasions. And tonight was great. They were showing a double-feature of BS and Willy Wonka, so clearly some sort of Gene Wilder tribute. This particular theater chain, Harkins, is a reliable source of foreign and art house films. I remember seeing Akira Kurosawa's Dreams at it when it was first released. I also got to see The Big Lebowski a few years ago at one of their theaters, that was quite a treat.

Blazing Saddles is such an amazing movie with so many wonderful stories behind it, it was a genuine treat to see it again on a big screen. It was sad that the house wasn't packed, but I guess that's to be expected for a 40 year old movie that isn't something like Casablanca. It did an amazing job of ridiculing many forms of racism, and there is no way a film like this could ever be made today.

But we don't need a film like this to be made today: we have Blazing Saddles, and its message is perfectly clear.