Bart is just one man who's been sent to protect a town that hates him from an army of outlaws who hate him even more. So yes, it's going to take some cunning and cleverness if he's going to pull off the whole sheriff gig.
Luckily, Bart is by far the smartest character in Blazing Saddles, and he comes up with all kinds of ways to keep the people of Rock Ridge safe and even get them to accept him as their sheriff. His clever antics include everything from building a replica of Rock Ridge to sending an explosive box of candy to a dude named Mongo.
Questions about Cunning and Cleverness
- What's the cleverest thing Bart does in this movie? Why?
- Why are Hedley Lamarr's clever schemes always destined to fail?
- Do the people of Rock Ridge appreciate Bart's cleverness right away? If not, when do they start to?
- Who's the least clever character in this movie and why? Is the lack of cleverness good or bad?
Chew on This
In Blazing Saddles, we learn that cleverness will always triumph over all other strengths.
Blazing Saddles reminds us that cleverness isn't worth much in the Old West… unless you have some friends with guns.