Although John Wayne was impressed with the script of the 1974 Western comedy, Blazing Saddles, he ultimately decided not to accept the opportunity to appear in the movie. Legendary actor John Wayne established himself as a leading man throughout the western and war genres in the Golden Age of Hollywood in the twentieth century. With over 170 movies in a filmography spanning more than 50 years, some of John Wayne’s career-defining movies include She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), The Searchers (1956), and True Grit (1969), for which he won his only Oscar for Best Actor.

While he tackled multiple genres across his career, John Wayne starred in over 80 Western movies and found the most success playing the rugged and charismatic leading man. Throughout his 53-year-long career, John Wayne frequently collaborated with director John Ford and starred in different Westerns that ranged from adventures, including The Fighting Kentuckian (1949), to historical dramas such as How The West Was Won (1962). In the later stages of his career, Wayne was offered the chance to star in another Western, but, despite loving the script, he decided to pᴀss on the opportunity.

Why John Wayne Turned Down Blazing Saddles

Wayne Felt That The Script Was “Too Dirty” For Him

In 1974, Mel Brooks released the Western comedy, Blazing Saddles, starring Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder. Set in the fictional town of Rock Ridge, the movie follows a railroad worker named Bart (Little), who is unexpectedly named the town’s sheriff by a corrupt governor. With the help of an alcoholic gunslinger, Jim (Wilder), Bart strives to fight back against the governor and prove his worth as a sheriff. In an interview with IndieWire to commemorate the movie’s 50th anniversary, Mel Brooks revealed that he originally approached John Wayne to play the role of Jim the Waco Kid.

“I wanted authenticity. I wanted the Waco Kid to actually have been a Western movie actor, so that he would lend a kind of authentic character to the movie. So I was at the Warner Bros. café and sitting four tables away was John Wayne. So I walked over and I said, ‘Mr. Wayne.’ I made a movie called ‘Blazing Saddles.’ It’s a comedy, but it has a lot of heart. There’s a great part in it that I wish you would play.” – Mel Brooks

In his interview, Brooks revealed that he approached John Wayne in a café and spoke with him about the role in Blazing Saddles. Wayne expressed interest in the movie, having recognized Brooks from his work in The Producers, and asked to read the movie’s script before making a decision. Brooks managed to provide Wayne with a script, but after reading it over for 24 hours, Wayne decided not to accept the offer, stating that he felt it was “too dirty” for his fans. However, Wayne ᴀssured Brooks he’d be the first to watch Blazing Saddles (via Metro Philadelphia).

John Wayne Was Right To Turn Down Blazing Saddles

Wayne Wouldn’t Have Brought The Same Energy Levels As Gene Wilder

While it received a mixed reception during its original release, Blazing Saddles has since been ranked as one of the greatest Western comedies ever made, in large part due to its self-referential humor, screenplay, soundtrack, and on-screen chemistry between Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder in their roles of Bart and Jim the Waco Kid, respectively. Following Wayne’s refusal of the role, Brooks cast Gig Young as Jim, before replacing him with Gene Wilder due to Young’s alcohol issues (via The Mercury News). While John Wayne certainly had the skills for Blazing Saddles, he made the right choice to turn down the movie.

In Blazing Saddles, Jim the Waco Kid is portrayed as a drifter who turned to alcohol after he was humiliated during a run-in with a child, but later finds new motivation in life, as Bart’s sidekick, helping him prove himself as sheriff. Gene Wilder received high praise for his performance due to the over-the-top delivery of his character’s lines and his ability to invoke genuine humor in his role, which helped rank Blazing Saddles as one of Gene Wilder’s best movies. While John Wayne certainly had the acting skills, he wouldn’t have been able to match the energy that made Wilder’s performance so great.

John Wayne Had Previously Proved He Could Be Funny In Movies

He Had Success In Comedies, Including North To Alaska & McLintock!

John Wayne was largely known throughout his career for playing the no-nonsense, gun-wielding outlaw in serious Westerns, but he was given the chance to prove his comedy and romance skills in various movies. Although Wayne enjoyed acting in Westerns, in an interview with Roger Ebert, he admitted that he was aware of the criticism he received for typecasting. Thankfully, through successful movies such as The Quiet Man (1952) and McLintock! (1962), where John Wayne worked with frequent co-star Maureen O’Hara, he showed audiences that he was capable of playing the charming and romantic hero. Both Wayne and O’Hara were praised for their chemistry together.

Arguably, John Wayne’s funniest, if underrated, movie is the 1960 western comedy, North to Alaska, where he starred alongside Stewart Granger. Wayne played the lead of “Big” Sam McCord and was praised for his overly dramatic and self-referential performance. While he didn’t appear in movies with the same level of humor as Blazing Saddles, John Wayne did successfully prove that he was skilled at comedy and romance as well as drama throughout his illustrious movie career.

Sources: IndieWire, Metro Philadelphia, The Mercury News, Roger Ebert