Filmmaker and stage producer Mel Brooks says his western parody "Blazing Saddles" could not be made in today's fraught political climate, warning "stupidly politically correct" sensibilities will lead to the "death of comedy."
In an interview with BBC's Radio 4's Today, posted Thursday, the acclaimed producer and director declared political correctness is "not good for comedy."
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Asked if he could get a film like his 1974 "Blazing Saddles" made today, he declared: "Never . . . because we have become stupidly politically correct, which is the death of comedy."
"Comedy has to walk a thin line, take risks," he added. "Comedy is the lecherous little elf whispering into the king's ear . . . always telling the truth about human behavior."
Brooks said prejudice was behind the culture impact of "Blazing Saddles," starring Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder, about a black sheriff in a racist town.
"Without that, the movie would not have had nearly the significance, the force, the dynamism and the stakes that were contained in it," he said.
Still, he said, there are subjects he just will not touch.
"I personally would never touch gas chambers or the death of children or Jews at the hands of the Nazis," he said. "Everything else is ok. Naked people, fine. I like naked people. They're usually the most polite."
Brooks, who took home an Oscar for best original screenplay for "The Producers," is turning another of his films, "Young Frankenstein," into a stage show in London's West End.
He added he hopes to recreate "Blazing Saddles" for the stage in the future.
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