The Producers (1967)

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, Estelle Winwood

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

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 | broadway | 

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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:

PG

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, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$111,866, 12 January 2003

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was initially a box-office failure. It didn't gain popularity until 16mm prints circulated in colleges throughout the 1970s.

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Goofs

In two separate occasions, the way Max grabs/holds the blue lady's hand changes between shots.

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Quotes

Max Bialystock: Listen. Every night people are laughing at your beloved Fuhrer. Why?
Franz Liebkind: It's that L.S.D., und his verdampter "babies"!

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Crazy Credits

The closing credits shows the actors full name and their picture. It only says "Zero" for Zero Mostel.

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Alternate Versions

The original, network television broadcasts added some outtakes (more fuse bumbling by Franz Liebkin) near the end, between "The quick fuse?!" and the eventual explosion. The padding was probably to balance some censorship cuts in the running time.

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Connections

References Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

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Soundtracks

Yankee Doodle Dandy
Written by George M. Cohan

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.