AFI Names Mel Brooks' BLAZING SADDLES as 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 #6 to the #1 spot.
In honor of Mel Brooks’ 100th birthday, the American Film Institute (AFI) has proclaimed Blazing Saddles, his 1974 Western comedy, the funniest film of all time on Sunday, June 28, 2026. 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 #6 to the #1 spot.
The movie takes the place of 1959's Some Like It Hot; Brooks has long kvetched that his film is far funnier than the Billy Wilder comedy. “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 (#11) and Young Frankenstein (#13). Released in 1974, Mel Brooks directed, co-wrote, and starred in Blazing Saddles, appearing alongside Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, Dom DeLuise, Slim Pickens, and more. It was nominated for three Academy Awards.
Ahead of his birthday, the prolific Tony-winning comedy writer and performer recently placed his career archives for reservation at the National Comedy Center. The material from the Mel Brooks collection will be catalogued and curated before ultimately being displayed within the National Comedy Center exhibits in Lucille Ball’s hometown of Jamestown, NY.
Mel Brooks is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, songwriter, and playwright. With a career spanning seven decades, Brooks has reached the rare accomplishment of winning an Emmy, GRAMMY, Tony Award, and Academy Award®. In addition, he has received a Kennedy Center Honor, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, AFI Life Achievement Award, and an Academy Honorary Award® in 2024. His film and TV work span decades, including “The Twelve Chairs,’ “Blazing Saddles,” “Young Frankenstein,” “Silent Movie,” “History of the World Part 1,” “To Be or Not to Be,” “High Anxiety,” “Spaceballs,” “Mad About You,” “Get Smart,” and much more. He is also the author of the New York Times bestseller “All About Me!: My Remarkable Life in Show Business."
The American Film Institute (AFI) 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.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of HBO
