Blazing Saddles, ethnic humor
1) I used to parse Bart taking himself hostage as merely a clever trick, the sort of thing you'd hear about in a campfire story; now I think it's actually a take on whites wanting to see Blacks as criminals or victims, but never proficient equals.
2) similarly I used to think the Yiddish speaking Oglala was a pretty superficial joke possibly from Mel Brooks' childhood, but I actually think it's a nuanced dig at anti-semitism in the USA.
Blazing Saddles, ethnic humor
@kelseyhusky Right, it's exactly the sort of thing that'd show up in a coyote story! I now think it's layered though, so it's also a dig at the townspeoples' prejudices, and I'd bet you're literally right that it's *specifically* a callback to late 40s WB (like the candygram).
Blazing Saddles, ethnic humor
@Leucrotta personally, I always thought Bart taking himself hostage was a clever use of some Bugs Bunny trickster shit, kinda like wabbit season/duck season.