The Producers (1968)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Mel Brooks

Writer:

Mel Brooks (written by)

Release Date:

10 November 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Hollywood Never Faced a Zanier Zero Hour!

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Hitler | Theatrical Producer | Accountant | Empire State Building New York City | Hot Dog Stand

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

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
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)
Michael Davis	...	Production Tenor (uncredited)
Diana Eden	...	Showgirl (uncredited)
David Evans	...	Lead Dancer (uncredited)
Anthony Gardell	...	Auditioning Hitler (uncredited)
Hank Garrett	...	Stagehand (uncredited)
Trent Gough	...	Auditioning Hitler (uncredited)
Zale Kessler	...	Jason Green (uncredited)
Bill Macy	...	Jury Foreman (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

• Crossbow Productions
• Embassy Pictures Corporation
• Springtime Productions

Distributors

• AVCO Embassy Pictures (1968) (USA) (theatrical)
• Jugendfilm-Verleih (1976) (West Germany) (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 (USA) (DVD)
• 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)
• Studio Canal
• 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:

Springtime for Hitler (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

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

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Crossbow Productions

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.

Goofs:

Continuity: The way Leo holds the blue blanket after Max gives is back to him changes between shots.

Quotes:

Leo Bloom: I'm in pain and I'm wet and I'm still hysterical!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Remington Steele: Springtime for Steele (#3.15)" (1985)

Soundtrack:

The Producers

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.