The Waco (Casting) Disaster
You can’t picture anyone else playing the renowned Waco Kid after watching Gene Wilder portray him in the comedy. Brooks, however, initially made the role available to other performers, such as Johnny Carson. The role was next offered to Gig Young after the late-night television host turned it down. Although he was supposed to portray the inebriated Waco Kid in the film, it appears that his drinking issues off-screen negatively influenced his performance on filming, leading to his replacement by Wilder.
The Waco (Casting) Disaster
Fart Art
Brooks knew exactly what he was doing when he incorporated more than one fart reference in the movie, just as he gave each word and allusion in his writing great thought. His persona, Governor Le Petomane, was based on Joseph Pujol, a “flatulence artist” better known by his stage name Le Petomane. The French entertainer’s powerful abdominal muscles gave him the remarkable ability to expel gas on demand. Regarding his name, ‘Peter’ in French means fart and a’mane’ suffix indicates lunatic, making him a fart maniac.
Fart Art
