April 4, 1975
A television pilot, Black Bart, based on Andrew Bergman’s original story for Blazing Saddles, starring Lou Gossett, Jr. as Bart and Steve Landesberg as his drunkard sidekick, aired on CBS TV on this date.
Many more episodes were filmed after this pilot, apparently four seasons worth, but never aired because, while the studio was contractually obligated to make them in order to keep the rights to Blazing Saddles, due to a contractual loophole, they never actually had to show them.
