Daily Dialogue — May 19, 2015

Buddy’s Singers: [singing] Throw up your hands / Stick out your tush / Hands on your hips / Give ’em a push / You’ll be surprised, you’re doing the French Mistake / Voila!
Buddy Bizarre: Alright, CUT. [yells into the ear of a dancer] WRONG! [hits the dancer on the head] Ok, Just watch me! It’s so simple! You sissy-marys. Give me the playback! And, watch me, faggots! [does dance but falls into water at end] Shit. Have you got it?

The actors answer with a heavily lisping “yethhhh”.

Buddy Bizarre: Sounds like steam escaping. Action! Oh, wait till I get out! Wait till I get out! Ok, playback.

The dancers start the routine again but are interrupted by the fight breaking through the wall.

Buddy Bizarre: CUT! What in the hell do you think you’re doing here? This is a closed set.
Taggert: Piss on you, I’m working for Mel Brooks.

He’s ready to punch Buddy in the face.

Buddy Bizarre: Not in the face.

Taggert punches him in the stomach.

Buddy Bizarre: Thank-you.
Dancer: They hit Buddy! Come on, girls!

— Blazing Saddles (1974), screenplay by Mel Brooks & Norman Steinberg & Andrew Bergman & Richard Pryor & Alan Uger, story by Andrew Bergman

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Breaking the 4th Wall. Today’s suggestion by James Schramm.

Trivia: The name of Dom DeLuise’s character “Buddy Bizarre” is a reference to the famed dance choreographer Busby Berkeley, who was renowned for staging highly elaborate and precisely-timed song and dance numbers, of which “The French Mistake” is a clear parody.

Dialogue On Dialogue: Commentary by James: “One of the more entertaining and literal breaking of the fourth wall from the master of breaking that barrier — Mel Brooks.”