It’s difficult to imagine John Wayne and Gene Wilder being considered for the same role, but that’s exactly what happened with the Waco Kid, an ex-gunfighter turned alcoholic in Mel Brooks’ 1974 cowboy comedy Blazing Saddles. On the DVD commentary for Blazing Saddles, Brooks talks about how Wilder came to play this atypical role. The director had originally wanted Wayne for the part, but the Stagecoach star turned it down, saying the script was just too dirty. Wilder, who had appeared as high-strung accountant Leo Bloom in Brooks’ The Producers, lobbied for the role, but Brooks opted for Gig Young instead. When Young’s real-life drinking problem became an issue during filming, Wilder replaced him and managed to bring a dreamy, wistful quality to this broken, pathetic character. In the wake of Wilder’s death on Monday at the age of 83, it’s a good time to revisit “Waco Kid,” a musical tribute to the actor’s Blazing Saddles character from a Brooklyn band called Colburn Sound Express.