Editing Blazing Saddles (section)

=== Development ===
The idea came from a story outline written by Andrew Bergman that he originally intended to develop and produce himself. "I wrote a first draft called ''Tex-X''" (a play on [[Malcolm X]]'s name), he said. "[[Alan Arkin]] was hired to direct and [[James Earl Jones]] was going to play the sheriff. That fell apart, as things often do."<ref name="bergman">{{cite news|url=https://creativescreenwriting.com/andrew-bergman/|title='It's a Good-Natured Insanity.' Andrew Bergman on Screenwriting|last=Swinson|first=Brock|date=June 24, 2016|newspaper=Creative Screenwriting|access-date=June 24, 2016|archive-date=June 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160627014105/http://creativescreenwriting.com/andrew-bergman/|url-status=live}}</ref> Brooks was taken with the story, which he described as "hip talk{{snd}}1974 talk and expressions{{snd}}happening in 1874 in the Old West", and purchased the film rights from Bergman. Though he had not worked with a writing team since ''[[Your Show of Shows]]'', he hired a group of writers (including Bergman) to expand the outline, and posted a large sign: "Please do not write a polite script."<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/blogs/movie-news/mel-brooks-on-blazing-new-comedic-trails-in--blazing-saddles-215405381.html | title = Mel Brooks on Blazing New Comedic Trails in 'Blazing Saddles' | first = Andrew | last = Pockross | date = May 9, 2014 | access-date = May 9, 2014 | publisher = [[Yahoo! Movies]] | archive-date = September 29, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170929233420/https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/blogs/movie-news/mel-brooks-on-blazing-new-comedic-trails-in--blazing-saddles-215405381.html | url-status = live }}</ref>

Brooks described the writing process as chaotic: {{blockquote|''Blazing Saddles'' was more or less written in the middle of a drunken fistfight. There were five of us all yelling loudly for our ideas to be put into the movie. Not only was I the loudest, but luckily I also had the right as director to decide what was in or out.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://creativescreenwriting.com/mel-brooks-on-screenwriting/|title=Mel Brooks on Screenwriting|last=Swinson|first=Brock|date=January 14, 2016|newspaper=Creative Screenwriting|access-date=January 21, 2016|archive-date=January 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160121235340/http://creativescreenwriting.com/mel-brooks-on-screenwriting/|url-status=live}}</ref>}} Bergman remembers the room being just as chaotic, telling ''Creative Screenwriting'', {{blockquote|In the beginning, we had five people. One guy left after a couple of weeks. Then, it was basically me, Mel, [[Richard Pryor|Richie Pryor]] and Norman Steinberg. Richie left after the first draft and then Norman, Mel and I wrote the next three or four drafts. It was a riot. It was a rioter's room!<ref name="bergman" />}}