In honor of Mel Brooks’ 100th birthday on Sunday, June 28, the American Film Institute has proclaimed the 1974 hit comedy “Blazing Saddles” the funniest film of all time.
This is an honorary reorganization of the Institute’s signature AFI’s 100 YEARS…100 LAUGHS list, advancing “Blazing Saddles” from its long-held place at No. 6 to the No. 1 spot – all in respect for the gifts given the world by Brooks, the AFI Life Achievement Award honoree who has long “kvetched” that his film is far funnier than the 1959 release “Some Like It Hot.”
“He’s right!,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO. “We’re happy to right this wrong as Mel celebrates his centennial. It’s good to be the king, and may he live to be a 2,000 year old man. Happy birthday, Mel!”.
Brooks is the only filmmaker with three films in the top 15 – “Blazing Saddles,” “The Producers” at No. 11 and “Young Frankenstein” at No. 13 on the list.
The American Film Institute is a nonprofit organization with a mandate to champion the moving image as an art form. Established in 1967, AFI launched the first comprehensive history of American film and sparked the movement for film preservation in the United States.
In 1969, AFI opened the doors of the AFI Conservatory, a graduate-level program to train narrative filmmakers. The Conservatory, which counts Deniese Davis, Affonso Gonçalves, Susannah Grant, Matthew Libatique, David Lynch, Melina Matsoukas and Rachel Morrison as alumni, is ranked as one of the top film schools in America.
AFI’s traditions include the AFI Life Achievement Award, which honors the masters for work that has stood the test of time; AFI AWARDS, which celebrates the creative ensembles of the most outstanding screen stories of the year; and scholarly efforts such as the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and the AFI Archive that preserve film history for future generations.
AFI exhibition programs include AFI FEST Presented by Canva and year-round exhibition at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Md.
AFI Movie Club is a destination for movie lovers from around the world to celebrate and engage with the art form every day. Other pioneering programs include workshops aimed at elevating emerging storytellers and technology, including AFI DWW+ and the AFI Cinematography Intensive Workshop.
Read about all of these programs and more at AFI.com.