Mel Brooks turns 100 years old today, and the American Film Institute marked the occasion by reshuffling its signature comedy list. The AFI officially moved Brooks' 1974 western spoof Blazing Saddles from sixth place to first on its "100 Years…100 Laughs" list, proclaiming it the funniest film of all time. The move displaced Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot, which had previously held the top spot.
According to Deadline, the AFI described the reorganization as "honorary." The institute noted that Brooks "has long kvetched that his film is far funnier than Some Like It Hot."
AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale backed the change directly. "He's right!" Gazzale said. "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 on the list. The Producers from 1968 sits at No. 11, and Young Frankenstein, also from 1974, is at No. 13. Wikipedia updated its entry on the list the same day to reflect the change.
The original "100 Years…100 Laughs" list was released in 2000. It is one of several AFI genre lists, separate from the institute's broader "100 Years…100 Movies" ranking, which first came out in 1998 and was updated in 2007. No Brooks film has appeared on that all-genre list in either version. Some Like It Hot currently sits at No. 22 on the 2007 version of that list.
Blazing Saddles was written by Brooks and four co-writers, including Richard Pryor. The screenplay did not receive an Oscar nomination that year. Brooks and co-writer Gene Wilder did receive a nomination that same year, but for Young Frankenstein. Brooks' only competitive Oscar win came for Best Original Screenplay for The Producers.
Brooks himself has said publicly that Blazing Saddles could not be made today in the same way it was made in 1974. He has also said his personal favorite among his own films is the 1970 comedy The Twelve Chairs, which did not make the "100 Years…100 Laughs" list at all.
