Not too long ago I made the observation that TCM omitted "Blazing Saddles" from their movie selections which were supposed to pay tribute to the late Gene Wilder. Political correctness was the most obvious reason. However, the movie did show up on the small screen some time later, but no one could have convinced me that the tide had turned. Now, I don't know.
Stephen Cobert's angry, unfunny, political diatribes have probably hurt the profession as much as anything. However, his audience must eat it up. But many prominent comedians have publicly decried political correctness and how it has worked to destroy their professions -- Jerry Seinfeld, for example. So maybe there is a backlash brewing.
Mel Brooks is currently the topic of a Dailymail article, to wit: Our PC world is the death of comedy, says Mel Brooks: Veteran comedian claims society is 'stupidly politically correct' and that many of his films could not be made today. Here's an excerpt:
The producer and director said many of his films – including 1974 comedy western Blazing Saddles, which satirised racism – could not be made today.
But try to reconcile that with this one:
Brooks said he thought his 1974 comedy musical Young Frankenstein was among the few of his films that could be made now. He has turned it into a West End show, starring Ross Noble and Lesley Joseph, and said he hopes to do the same with Blazing Saddles.
Has the corner been turned? Blazing Saddles returns as a play? We can hope.
Meanwhile, they may not have killed comedy, but comedians like Jimmy Kimmel certainly seem to be trying. David Letterman lost a lot of fans when he went full bore political, and Kimmel is headed down that same road with his very personal attacks on conservatives. Kimmel helped get Adam Carolla into the biz, so there's one thing which should earn him our gratitude. But otherwise, Kimmel is just another typical Democrat.
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9:15 AM 9/23/2017
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