The Producers (1968)

Producers Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom make money by producing a sure-fire flop.

Director:

Mel Brooks

Writer:

Mel Brooks

Stars:

Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder, Dick Shawn

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Zero Mostel	...	Max Bialystock (as Zero)
Gene Wilder	...	Leo Bloom
Dick Shawn	...	'L.S.D.' - Lorenzo St. DuBois
Kenneth Mars	...	Franz Liebkind
Lee Meredith	...	Ulla
Christopher Hewett	...	Roger De Bris
Andréas Voutsinas	...	Carmen Ghia (as Andreas Voutsinas)
Estelle Winwood	...	'Hold Me Touch Me'
Renée Taylor	...	Eva Braun (as Renee Taylor)
David Patch	...	Goebbels
William Hickey	...	The Drunk (as Bill Hickey)
Barney Martin	...	Göring
Shimen Ruskin	...	The Landlord
Frank Campanella	...	The Bartender
Josip Elic	...	Violinist

Storyline

Down-on-his-luck theatrical producer Max Bialystock is forced to romance rich old ladies to finance his efforts. When timid accountant Leo Bloom reviews Max's accounting books, the two hit upon a way to make a fortune by producing a sure-fire flop. The play which is to be their gold mine? "Springtime for Hitler."

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Plot Keywords:

accountant | broadway | hitler | theatrical producer | scam | 

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Taglines:

Hollywood Never Faced a Zanier Zero Hour!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

10 November 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Springtime for Hitler

Filming Locations:

Broadway Theatre - 1681 Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$941,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$6,091 (USA) (7 June 2002)

Gross:

$111,866 (USA) (10 January 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Embassy Pictures Corporation, Springtime Productions, U-M Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The "Springtime for Hitler" sequences were filmed at Broadway's Playhouse Theater (torn down in 1969), whose marquee can be glimpsed momentarily. However, in the scene where the theater blows up, we see the marquee of the Cort Theater, which stood (and still stands) across 48th Street from the Playhouse.

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Goofs

The way Leo touches his lead when he walks in on Max and the blue lady changes between shots.

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Quotes

Max Bialystock: [on "Springtime For Hitler"] ... It's practically a love-letter to Hitler!
Leo Bloom: Wow. This play wouldn't run a NIGHT!
Max Bialystock: A night? Are you kidding? This play's guaranteed to close on PAGE FOUR!

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Crazy Credits

Zero Mostel is listed in the closing credits simply as "Zero".

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Elves (2011)

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Soundtracks

"LOVE POWER"
Music by Norman Blagman
Lyrics by Herbert Hartig (as Herb Hartig)
Performed by Dick Shawn.

User Reviews

The Producers: 9/10

When you see a movie once and think it's hilarious, that's a good sign. When you see a movie about a half-dozen times and think it's still hilarious, that's more than a good sign. That means that not only can you put up with seeing it multiple times, but you also find new things that you didn't see before. Plus, there are some scenes that are too hilarious not to laugh at! The chemistry between stars doesn't hurt, either. What movie am I talking about? Mel Brooks' The Producers, his most sustained and inspired piece of lunacy!

Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel have amazing chemistry as meek accountant Leo Bloom and scheming Broadway producer Max Bialystock. Max seduces little old ladies for checks, and when Leo comes into his office one day, he finds that a producer can make more money with a flop instead of a hit. They decide to do his ploy, and create the world's worst play, Springtime for Hitler (a gay romp with Adolf and Eva), and meet interesting characters, including author Franz Liebkind (Kenneth Mars), director Roger DeBris (Christopher Hewett), and their Hitler, Lorenzo St.DuBois, aka L.S.D. (Dick Shawn).

What makes this comedy such a gem is its mixture of types of comedy. There is slapstick, there's satire, there's bad taste, and everything but the kitchen sink! The scenes I have seen so many times, but what makes me love them is how they, mainly Wilder, play their roles. Wilder is somewhat crazy, and relies on his blanket to calm himself down. Not only does he have comic perfection, he's a darned good actor to boot! Mostel is great as the would-be sleazy loser-producer, with eye movements that put Silent Bob to shame and a great voice.

The songs in it are great, also. Two of them were written by Brooks himself, `Springtime for Hitler' (with which I have auditioned for a role in a musical with) and `Prisoners of Love'. They're both very funny (real Brooks-ian) (note to Merriam-Webster: include that word right next to `bling-bling'). It's not exactly a musical, but The Producers is in a class of its own. Long live The Producers!

My rating: 9/10

Rated PG for bad taste and homosexual themes.