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 | neo screwball comedy | has been | cult classic | 

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Taglines:

Hollywood Never Faced a Zanier Zero Hour!

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Genres:

Comedy | Music

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Included among the American Film Institute's 2000 list of the Top 100 Funniest American Movies.

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Goofs

During the Springtime for Hitler dance number, the woman in the kick chorus line at the far left misses both initial and last kicks.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Max Bialystock: Come on.
Old Lady: Ta-ta.
Max Bialystock: Ta-ta. Don't forget the checkie. Can't produce plays without checkie.
Old Lady: You can count on me, you dirty young man.

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Crazy Credits

The closing credits are in reverse order, acting like curtain calls, which lead up to the star actor.

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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 House: Kids (2005)

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Soundtracks

Das Lied der Deutschen
(uncredited)
Music by Joseph Haydn (1791)
Lyrics by August Heinrich Hoffman von Fallersleben (1841)
Sung by Kenneth Mars

User Reviews

Before Broadway, There Was The Movie

A down-on-his-luck Broadway producer, Max Biolystock (Zero Mostel), is reduced to funding his shows by romancing old ladies for cash. Enter neurotic accountant Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder), arriving at Biolystock's apartment to do his books. Upon discovering that Biolystock had extorted $2000.00 from his last Broadway flop, Bloom, simply on a whim, mentions to Biolystock that he could've made a fortune on the flop if he'd only gotten more money from the old ladies. Needless to say, this revelation gets Max's mind working---get the old ladies to invest $1,000,000 on what Biolystock knows will be a surefire flop, then run off with the excess cash! Max convinces the gullible Leo to join him on the scheme, and off the two men go, on a crusade to produce the biggest disaster Broadway has ever seen. They come across a god-awful work written by a former Nazi (Kenneth Mars) called "Springtime For Hitler," and decide to produce it. If it's a flop, Max & Leo will become rich. But if it's a hit, they'll go to jail....

If you're one of the infinite many who've been unable to secure any of those scorching-hot tickets to Mel Brooks' current Broadway phenomenon, "The Producers," there's always this, the original 1968 movie version to watch & enjoy. This Oscar-winner for Best Screenplay is a comedy classic, and easily Mel Brooks' masterpiece, a brilliantly funny film that hasn't aged a bit. Zero Mostel & Gene Wilder are hilarious & perfectly cast as the con-artist producers, with terrific chemistry between them (just their opening scene together, including the great bits about Leo's blue blanket, and Leo terrified of being jumped on by Max, is already one of the great filmed moments of comic acting). Kudos all around to the rest of the cast, too: Kenneth Mars as the deranged Nazi playwright of "Springtime For Hitler," Christopher Hewett as the no-talent gay director who only makes "Springtime" even more misguided than it already is, Dick Shawn in an outrageous performance as L.S.D., the hippie ham who lands the coveted role of Hitler (his audition song, "Love Power," is a major highlight), and the gorgeous Lee Meredith as Ulla, Max & Leo's dimwitted secretary. And then there's the "Springtime For Hitler" production number itself---yes, it's everything you've ever heard about it, a wonderfully hysterical "you gotta see it to believe it" moment in film comedy.

Mel Brooks' direction is spot on, and his hysterical screen writing here has never been better (though his co-writing with Gene Wilder on "Young Frankenstein" comes close). His Oscar win for the screenplay was very well deserved, indeed. "The Producers" is a timeless comedy classic, and the defining moment of Mel Brooks' long illustrious film career.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

10 November 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Springtime for Hitler

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:

$375,524

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