In order to ruin a western town, a corrupt politician appoints a black Sheriff, who promptly becomes his most formidable adversary.
Director: Mel Brooks
Stars: Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Slim Pickens
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Storyline
It’s 1874 in the American frontier of the wild west. Because of geological problems, a railroad under construction needs to be rerouted through the town of Rock Ridge, where general lawlessness prevails, that lawlessness which led to the town sheriff being murdered. Upon learning this information from Taggart – the railroad construction boss and secretly his right hand man – Hedley Lamarr, the state attorney and assistant to hapless Governor William J. Le Petomane, senses an opportunity to make millions by acquiring as much property in Rock Ridge as possible before the news of the railroad gets to residents of the town which would encourage them to stay despite the lawlessness. Hedley’s ultimate plan, which he has to devise upon learning that the residents have decided to stay and which he is able to enact, is to get the Governor to appoint a new sheriff – the town elders having asked him to do so – so offensive to the townsfolk that they will voluntarily leave town without any prompting. Hedley’s choice of that new sheriff is a man named Bart, who was part of the railroad construction gang, and who Hedley was going to hang on Taggart’s initiative solely because of an antagonistic encounter between the two. The reason why Bart would be so offensive to the townsfolk?: he’s black. Unlike most of the white men on the construction crew who are uncouth and backward, Bart is an urbane intellectual. With the help of Jim, one of the town’s drunks whose drinking hides his much different past, Bart is able to win over most of the townsfolk by using his intellect. As such, Hedley, with Taggart by his side, uses one tactic after another either to discredit or kill Bart, who eventually is able to figure out Hedley’s scheme for the town. What eventually happens in the standoff is affected by some twentieth century Hollywood mentality and goings-on.
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