A stunning part of this story is that Gene Wilder was not the original Waco Kid - he joined production *after* shooting had started as a favor to Brooks, whose original Waco Kid (Gig Young) quickly (in his first scene) proved to not be up to the task. Brooks quickly called Wilder, who hoped on a plane to join the production in progress and take over the role. It is hard to imagine the movie without Wilder’s sincere and empathetic Waco Kid.
Why Blazing Saddles is not just one of the funniest movies of all time, but still works as a film
A stunning part of this story is that Gene Wilder was not the original Waco Kid - he joined production *after* shooting had started as a favor to Brooks, whose original Waco Kid (Gig Young) quickly (in his first scene) proved to not be up to the task. Brooks quickly called Wilder, who hoped on a plane to join the production in progress and take over the role. It is hard to imagine the movie without Wilder’s sincere and empathetic Waco Kid.