The Producers (1968)

Director:

Mel Brooks

Writer:

Mel Brooks (written by)

Release Date:

10 November 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Once upon a time there was a Broadway producer...who met a "creative" but timid accountant. Together they concocted the most outrageous $1,000,000 scheme in the annals of Show Biz.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Accountant | Broadway | Hitler | Theatrical Producer | Scam

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Zero Mostel	...	Max Bialystock (also 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
Madelyn Cates	...	Concierge (as Madlyn Cates)
John Zoller	...	Drama Critic
Brutus Peck	...	Hot Dog Vendor
Anne Ives	...	Lady
Amelie Barleon	...	Lady
Lisa Kirk	...	Lady (as Elsie Kirk)
Nell Harrison	...	Lady
Mary Love	...	Lady
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bernie Allen	...	Auditioning Hitler (uncredited)
Rusty Blitz	...	Auditioning Hitler (uncredited)
John Braden	...	Bar Patron (uncredited)
Mel Brooks	...	Singer in 'Springtime for Hitler' (voice) (uncredited)
Ron Charles	...	Auditioning Hitler (uncredited)
Mae Crane	...	Showgirl (uncredited)
Robert Dahdah	...	Theatre Audience Member (uncredited)
Michael Davis	...	Production Tenor (uncredited)
Diana Eden	...	Showgirl (uncredited)
David Evans	...	Lead Dancer (uncredited)
Anthony Gardell	...	Auditioning Hitler (uncredited)
Hank Garrett	...	Stagehand (uncredited)
Linda Gillen	...	Sax Player (uncredited)
Trent Gough	...	Auditioning Hitler (uncredited)
Zale Kessler	...	Jason Green (uncredited)
Mary Loane	...	Women in Theatre; investor (uncredited)
Bill Macy	...	Jury Foreman (uncredited)
Lore Noto	...	Audience Member (uncredited)
Patrick Owens	...	Theatre Orchestra Pit Conductor (uncredited)
Robert Paget	...	Auditioning Hitler (uncredited)
Arthur Rubin	...	Auditioning Hitler (uncredited)
Tucker Smith	...	Lead Dancer (uncredited)
Clifton Steere	...	Nazi in Play (uncredited)
Bud Truland	...	Whiskey Sours Orderer (uncredited)

Directed by
Mel Brooks

Writing credits
Mel Brooks		(written by)

Produced by
Sidney Glazier	....	producer
Jack Grossberg	....	associate producer
Joseph E. Levine	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
John Morris

Cinematography by
Joseph F. Coffey		(director of photography) (as Joseph Coffey)

Film Editing by
Ralph Rosenblum

Casting by
Alfa-Betty Olsen

Production Design by
Charles Rosen

Set Decoration by
James Dalton

Costume Design by
Gene Coffin

Makeup Department
Irving Buchman	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Robert Porter	....	production supervisor: Embassy Pictures & Universal Marion Corp.
Louis A. Stroller	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Martin Danzig	....	second assistant director
Michael Hertzberg	....	assistant director

Art Department
Eli Aharoni	....	carpenter
Shelly Bartolini	....	scenic artist
Joe Williams Sr.	....	construction (as Joseph Williams)

Sound Department
Willard W. Goodman	....	production sound (as Willard Goodman)
Alan Heim	....	sound editor

Camera and Electrical Department
Edward R. Brown	....	camera operator (as Edward Brown)
Edward Engels	....	set grip
Morton Novak	....	gaffer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Celia Bryant	....	wardrober

Editorial Department
Michael Breddan	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Felix Giglio	....	music supervisor
John Morris	....	conductor
Frank Kulaga	....	music recording engineer (uncredited)

Other crew
Robert Buchman	....	assistant to producer
Elinor Bunin	....	title designer
Alan Johnson	....	choreographer
Joseph E. Levine	....	presenter
Connie Schoenberg	....	production secretary
Betty Todd	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Embassy Pictures Corporation (presents)
• Springtime Productions
• U-M Productions
• Crossbow Productions

Distributors

• AVCO Embassy Pictures (1968) (USA) (theatrical)
• Jugendfilm-Verleih (1976) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1971) (France) (theatrical)
• Oy Fox Films (1976) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (USA) (laserdisc)
• DEG Sale Company B.V.
• Embassy Pictures Corporation
• Flashstar Home Vídeo (Brazil) (DVD)
• Globo Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2002) (Canada) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Magnetic Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1981) (Finland) (TV) (MTV2)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1971) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Nordic Video (????) (Finland) (video)
• Rialto Pictures (2002) (theatrical re-release)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2005) (Finland) (DVD)
• Shout! Factory (2013) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray) (collector's edition)
• Shout! Factory (2013) (USA) (DVD) (collector's edition)
• StudioCanal
• Universal Home Video (2004) (Brazil) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Creative Opticals Inc.

Other Companies

• Creative Opticals Inc.  opticals
• National Recording Studios  music recording
• Pathé  prints by

Also Known As:

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:G (DVD rating) | Australia:PG (original rating) | Brazil:16 | Canada:14A | France:U | Ireland:G | New Zealand:PG | Norway:12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | Iceland:L | Finland:K-12 | South Korea:15 | West Germany:12 (nf) | Netherlands:6

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Embassy Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Gene Wilder wrote half of Leo's courtroom monologue at the end. Mel Brooks wrote the other half.

Goofs:

Continuity: Max hands Leo a cigar. Leo has the cigar in one shot, and then the next shot of him, it's gone.

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!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Episode #7.39" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Das Lied der Deutschen

Zany Mel Brooks comedy is over-the-top laugh riot...

There are so many laughs in THE PRODUCERS (long before Mel Brooks lost his magic touch), that you'll be in tears by the time Brooks gets to his "Springtime for Hitler" routine. ZERO MOSTEL's early scenes with ESTELLE WINWOOD are hilarious enough, but he and GENE WILDER top themselves by the time you get to the frantic ending.

LEE MEREDITH is the curvy Ulla who can shake a mean hip and DICK SHAWN is the hilariously daffy Lorenzo St. DuBois (LSD for short), and everyone in the cast has a fine time delivering over-the-top performances in the spirit in which this sort of satire requires.

The story is simply that of a producer running short on cash who devises a scheme whereby if he produces the worst musical in the world, he can actually get his investment back and then some. He convinces his mild-mannered bookkeeper GENE WILDER to join him in the scheme and then the fun gets off to a great start.

The climactic "Springtime for Hitler" is just one of the delirious highlights (if politically incorrect by today's standards), and is probably the reason so many of the comments here resent the film and everything it stands for. But there's no getting away from it--the script is downright brilliant and original--winning an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and numerous other writing awards including an award from The Writer's Guild of America.

Summing up: Mel Brooks at his wittiest.