Mel Brooks is a man who needs no introduction. One of Hollywood’s legends, Brooks has bucked the system for decades and created some of the most memorable movies (and characters) of all time. Not only is he one of the kindest, smartest, and most influential directors of all time, but he also knows how to tell a great story. Parade sat down with Brooks to let him tell a few of those great stories, this time about the 40th anniversary of Blazing Saddles (which hits Blu-ray on May 6), the possibility of Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money, and why he never made a military spoof.

Blazing Saddles has had tremendous staying power for nearly half a century now. Did you know you were making something special when you were filming?

I never thought we’d get it released. Really. As a matter of fact, when we were writing it I said, “Let’s go for broke.” My credo was, “Let’s say everything they would not let us ever say in a movie. Let’s do it. Let’s make the un-showable, un-releasable movie of the century.” Obviously, we used the “N” word mercilessly. Of course, I checked with Richard Pryor and very rarely would he say, “No, not there. ‘N’ word here, perfect.” I said to him, “What about that neh— thing I do with the black sheriff?” He said, “Good. Neh— is in.” He was great. There were so many crazy things that we put in.

I’ve got to tell you one story. Okay, okay. I’ll tell you two stories. Leo Greenfield, who was the domestic distribution chief for Warner Bros. in 1975, screened it with all the executives at Warner Bros. and me and my producer. The lights came up and Leo Greenfield said, “You know, I’ve never asked a studio to eat a movie. Just bury it. It’s the most embarrassing movie I’ve ever seen and I really don’t want the Warner Bros. shield at the beginning. I think we should just say, ‘Look, we made a two-million dollar mistake and let’s deduct it from some of our hits.’” And John Calley, who was there, I used to go to him and say, “Can I really beat up an old lady?” He told me, “Look, Mel, if you’re going to go up to the bell, ring it.” So I did ring the bell. Too many times, I think. [Laughs] So Calley and Dick Sheppard said, “We’re voting for the movie.” All the other ones, fourteen or fifteen executives, said, “We agree with Leo. This is so salacious and so crazy, let’s just bury it.” So Calley and Sheppard said, “Let’s just try it in one theater each in three cities—LA, Chicago, and New York. Just one theater and see if anybody comes. Let’s see what kind of reviews we get. If it’s really horrible, then we won’t open it.” So Leo Greenfield bowed to that and, meanwhile as you know, it worked out. People did come.

Listen to me. Scott, are you listening to me?

Blazing Saddles: 40th Anniversary Edition arrives on Blu-ray May 6! (Courtesy of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment)

Enter for a chance to win Blazing Saddles on Blu-ray, signed by Mel Brooks himself! (Sweeps begins Friday, May 9th at midnight ET)

Yes! [Laughs]

[Laughs] Okay. So, listen. We had kind of a polished rough screening of Blazing Saddles just to test it here at the Embassy on Wilshire, which is a very big theater that they’re redoing here. The president of Warner Bros. had never seen the movie, so when it was over he grabbed me by the collar and pulled me into the manager’s office and threw a legal pad and a pencil at me and said, “Okay, take these notes: No punching an animal. No punching the horse. No beating up an old lady. No farting! You can’t do the farting scene. It’s disgusting.” I dutifully wrote it all down. He said, “No ‘N’ word! The most you can say is ‘negro’ but you can’t use your ‘n’ word.” There were like 26 notes that he gave me. Calley was there listening and watching. So when the head of Warner Bros. left, I crumpled all my notes up and tossed them way across the room into a wastepaper basket and made two points and Calley said, “Great filing!” And that was the end of it. We never changed a thing, because the minute it opened in the three cities and began making money, Warner Bros. was in business and they had stockholders. The hierarchy at Warner Bros. didn’t want to get in the way of that. Later, when I got all kinds of awards, they said, “Well, we commissioned this movie. It was our baby right from the start. We break ground.” Et cetera, et cetera. So that’s the story of Blazing Saddles and to this day it’s been rather successful. It’s 40 years today and if they released it as a movie now in 500 or 1,000 theaters, I have a hunch it would do very well. It’s been out on all kinds of media—DVD, Blu-ray, and streaming—but even if they released as a major motion picture on a big screen, I think they’d make a lot of money with it.

Do you think there’s anybody out there who could get away with releasing this movie today?

Never. Never. We’re too politically correct. At least in the public. Privately, we are all devils and we’re terrible. But publicly we’re angels. We’re not sinners and we stick to the rules and we’re good. This movie was really a kind of private thing. It’s what we do in the dark. Yes, that’s what we do in the dark! It’s true! They reveled in it. They really enjoy it.

Mel Brooks & Cleavon Little on the set of Blazing Saddles (Courtesy of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment)

In the new documentary that comes on the Blu-ray disc, you talk about Richard Pryor’s involvement with the film. He almost played Black Bart.

I really actually quit and Richard said, “Come back and finish the film.” If I couldn’t get Richard, I wasn’t going to do it. And Richard said, “Well, first of all, you’re taking away my salary if you quit, so don’t do that. And, secondly, this guy that we both like, Cleavon Little, is classy, he’s a great actor, and the truth is that I am not black. He is black. And he’s a lot better looking than me or anybody who ever lived. That’s our hero.” And I said, “Okay.” I was so glad to get Cleavon. I preferred Richard just for flat-out comedy, but I’m glad with the way it turned out. It all came together because Gene Wilder was not my first choice. I had Gig Young, who had done They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? He was an alcoholic and a great actor and I wanted him to play The Waco Kid because he’d really nail it, but when we hired him, he got the DTs and was sick as a dog. I called Gene and said, “What do I do?” Gene said, “Just get a horse for me to try out and a costume that fits and I’ll do it.” And he flew out and he did it. Saved my life.

Cleavon Little & Madeline Kahn in Blazing Saddles (Courtesy of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment)

You also talk a little bit in the documentary about Madeline Kahn, and you even get emotional talking about her. What do you think she brought to that role that nobody else could have and do you think that’s her best performance?

I think, by far, it’s her best performance. And she’s done some great performances in film. It’s hard to describe. She was so casually alarming. You never saw her sweat. She never pushed. It just kind of oozed out of her. You believed that was Marlene Dietrich. She was so natural. She was the sexiest thing that was ever on the screen and she did it so casually. I told her that she was probably the most attractive woman (including Garbo) that ever walked on the screen. I wrote this little song for her and I never thought it was that good, and she made it immortal. She was so great. She’s one of the few people in the world that I really think of every day, ever since she passed. I think about her every day. She was such a great, great gal and such a talented person.

Unmatched in talent, I think.

Unmatched. Unmatched.

Rick Moranis said, at one point, that Spaceballs 2 almost happened. Do you think you can get Rick to come back and get Spaceballs 2 to happen?

Without Rick, I wouldn’t do it. I’ve got the helmet in storage, just waiting for him. [Laughs] It’ll fit nobody else. Rick is five-five-and-a-half. It’s a perfect fit for the big helmet. He was such a genius. And God bless John Candy who’s gone. Tom [Meehan], who wrote it with me, has great ideas and I would love to do Spaceballs 2. We even have the title because in Spaceballs I said, “Maybe we’ll do Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money.” [Laughs] That’s what I would call it. It’s the perfect title.

I think it would take somebody like you to get Rick out of retirement.

I’ve asked him plenty of times and he’s been really strict about it.

Cleavon Little & Mel Brooks on the set of Blazing Saddles (Courtesy of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment)

You served in the military during World War II, but I think the closest thing you’ve ever made to a “military movie” is History of the World: Part I. Did you ever want to make a straight military parody?

I thought of one or two, but it’s too confining. There are too many rules, too many laws, and besides, you’re wearing only one suit every day. The same suit and the same hat. Well, the hat changes a little. It could be a soft hat with a peak or it could be a helmet, but it’s always the same brown suit. It seemed a little boring. I never had an idea that really pleased me enough to dive into it. But now that you gave me the idea… I’m not going to give you any credit if I do it, but I’ll call you and let you know I’m doing it. [Laughs]

[Laughs] I’ll know in my heart that it was me who pushed it along.

Yeah, Scott, you’ll know in your heart, but not in your wallet. [Laughs] Only in your heart. I like that so much better. [Laughs]

Blazing Saddles: 40th Anniversary Edition arrives on Blu-ray on May 6.