The Producers (1967)

A stage-play producer devises a plan to 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
Estelle Winwood	...	Hold Me Touch Me
Christopher Hewett	...	Roger De Bris
Andréas Voutsinas	...	Carmen Ghia (as Andreas Voutsinas)
Lee Meredith	...	Ulla
Renée Taylor	...	Eva Braun (as Renee Taylor)
Michael Davis	...	Production Tenor
John Zoller	...	Drama Critic
Madelyn Cates	...	Concierge (as Madlyn Cates)
Frank Campanella	...	The Bartender
Arthur Rubin	...	Auditioning Hitler
Zale Kessler	...	Jason Green

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:

joseph goebbels character | national film registry | hermann goring character | neo screwball comedy | has been | 

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Taglines:

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.

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Genres:

Comedy | Music

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Certificate:

14A

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character played by Gene Wilder is named Leo Bloom. Zero Mostel became famous for his portrayal of James Joyce's character Leopold Bloom in an Off-Broadway production of "Ulysses In Nighttown".

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Goofs

In the elevator in Roger De Bris' home, one shot shows Max and Leo facing each other from above, however one of them is facing Carmen in another shot

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Quotes

Leo Bloom: Do you think he'll take the job?
Max Bialystock: ONLY if we ask him.

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Crazy Credits

The closing credits show each actor's full name and their picture, but it only says "Zero" for Zero Mostel.

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Alternate Versions

The 4-Front UK video release omits a couple of lines from Leo Bloom's hysterical attack in Bialystock's office (with a very noticeable edit), considerably shortens the scene with Leo and Max in the bar with the drunk (most of the 'Light of the Silvery Moon' number is missing) and deletes about half of the scene where Franz attempts to blow up the theatre. All these scenes are intact on the print regularly screened by BBC-TV.

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Connections

Referenced in Hitler: The Comedy Years (2007)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

One of the Funniest Films of the Last 35 Years

The Producers(1968) has three things that make it a pleasurably funny film. One, the humorous interreactions between Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel. Two, the film's memorable and unforgettable "Springtime for Hitler" musical number. Three, the energetic and fresh style of the filmmaker, Mel Brooks.

Mel Brooks does a fantastic job in his masterful film debut as film director. Blends the crude humor of Blazing Saddles(1974) with the subtleness of Young Frankenstein(1974). Brooks's direction is daring and isn't afraid to use material that might be a little risque. I believe Mel Brooks direction in The Producers(1968) is excellent and surpassed only by his more mature direction for Young Frankenstein(1974).

The screenplay is terrificly good for a comedy of this kind. Perhaps the best written film by Mel Brooks in his directorial career. Boasts some original lines of dialogue and strange situations. The film's screenplay received an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay(too bad The Producers[1968] wasn't considered for Best Picture or Best Director).

Gene Wilder was the best alter ego as actor to Mel Brooks as director. He was in the director's three top films and that is no accident because Gene Wilder always added more laughs to the films of Mel Brooks in which he was in. The Mel Brooks pictures where Gene Wilder wasn't in lose a lot with the lack of his presence. In my opinion Gene Wilder worked with Mel Brooks in a way the director has not worked with anyone before or since.

The characters of Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder are opposites in personalities yet they make a perfect duo. The two leads give brilliant performances in their roles of Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom. Two is a number that plays an important role in many of the Mel Brooks films. In his films there is a leader and an assistent whose plans never work as originally envisioned.

A satire on planned failure and unintentional success that was daring for its time. Deals with how a bad or below average product can be popular due to good fortune. In the film, Max and Leo attempt to produce a failure on Boardway to collect the insurance. To their chargin the play becomes a big time success.

The main idea of the story was eeriely prophetic because today there are many lousy films that are big box office successes. The Producers(1968) message was that people will go to see anything even if the product isn't very good or excellent. Its funny to see how truthful The Producers(1968) was in portraying a certain element of human nature. To see films like Blair Witch Project(1999) or other lousy big hit films become successes shows that The Producers(1968) in one way was ahead of its time.

I have no intention of watching the Boardway play based on the film for several reasons. One, the actors in the play do not bring the same type of humor or style of Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder. Two, the story worked much better when written during the late 1960s. Three, anything that has been inspired from film into Boardway usually turns out to be not very good at all.

Kenneth Mars rounds out the main cast in a hilarious turn as Franz Liebkind. One of the best sequences is when Max flirts with old women to get their money. The final scene is another brilliant moment in The Producers(1968). The set designs are beautifully constructed and visually depicted.

William Hickly makes an obscure appearence in a film before his breakthrough role in Prizzi's Honor(1985). The Producers(1968) is Mel Brooks at his best and most enthusiastic. I can tell the film was made in the late 1960s because of the manners and style of the characters. A classic comedy made at a time when the cinema took chances and weren't afraid to use its artistic freedom to the fullest extent.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

10 November 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Producers

Filming Locations:

100 East 7th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$941,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,091, 9 June 2002

Gross USA:

$328,673

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$375,143

Company Credits

Production Co:

Crossbow Productions, Springtime Productions, U-M Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Pathécolor) (uncredited)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1