Mel Brooks brings 'Blazing Saddles' to Tampa

A lot of people rate "Blazing Saddles" as the funniest movie ever made. A lot of people who disagree probably rank "Young Frankenstein" or "The Producers" at the top of the list.

The comic genius behind all those films, and many more, will be in Tampa on Wednesday, screening one of his most famous films and chatting with the audience.

The event's called "Mel Brooks Back in the Saddle Again!" Brooks will be there, live and in person. He'll show the 1974 classic "Blazing Saddles," which he co-wrote (with Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor and others) and directed. He also played a couple of small roles in the film, which starred Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Slim Pickens, Harvey Korman and Madeline Kahn.

After the film, he'll offer observations about his career and the making of the film through a conversation and a question-and-answer session with the audience.

If you're a super Brooks or "Blazing Saddles" fan, you might consider shelling out some major money for a VIP ticket. You'll get a great seat and you can have your picture taken with Brooks.

Details: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 14, Morsani Hall at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, 1010 N. MacInnes Place, Tampa. Tickets: $49-$99, plus service charge and up; VIP tickets $300 plus service charge. Information: 813-229-7827, strazcenter.org.

-- Marty Clear

This story was originally published October 7, 2015 at 5:54 PM with the headline "Mel Brooks brings 'Blazing Saddles' to Tampa ."