Adiós Amigo

Adiós Amigo (1976) is an American comedy-Western starring Fred Williamson and Richard Pryor. The film was also written, produced and directed by Williamson, his second directorial outing after Mean Johnny Barrows. The idea for the project came from Pryor's initial frustration of being rejected from starring in Mel Brooks's Blazing Saddles after collaborating with him on the screenplay, and Williamson's dislike of the finished film, which he considered silly. The goal was to make a comedy that would still be realistic to its Western setting, and which would allow Pryor to work without restraint. The initial script was only 12 pages, with Williamson encouraging Pryor to ad-lib scenarios in a suggested scene. Principal photography took only nine days. Ultimately, both Williamson and Pryor were disappointed with the results. "I wanted to give him an idea, a concept, and then just turn the light on him and let him do whatever he wanted. You know what they say about comedians - that you can just open the refrigerator door and the light comes on, the jokes roll on out. Well, Richard's light didn't come on," said Williamson. Pryor, in an interview with Ebony magazine shortly after the movie came out, said "Tell them I apologize. Tell them I needed some money. Tell them I promise not to do it again. Despite the negative opinions of its stars, the film was able to obtain a positive review from Gene Siskel. During a Sneak Previews "Dog of the Week" segment, often devoted to low-budget films cashing in on name star appearances, Siskel mentioned approaching Adios Amigo as a potential "dog" but instead cited it "not a dog" and praised the comic performances of both leads.