The Producers (1968)

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 original screenplay had Franz Liebkind having Max and Leo swearing on The Siegfried Oath, accompanied by "The Ride of the Valkyries" and promising fealty to Siegfried, Wagner, Nietzche, Hindenburg, The Graf Spee, The Blue Max, and Adolph "You know who." This explains Franz's outraged cry when entering Max's office, "You have broken the Siegfried Oath - you must die!" The Oath was restored in the musical version.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The scam that is at the center of this story's plot wouldn't work. The idea was to create a play that would be a failure, and produce no profit, so that they could sell more than 100% stake in the profits. Profit is revenue minus expenses. The investors already paid the expenses; what they would expect in return is not a share of the profit, but of the revenue. The share of the revenue that they received, minus the share of the expenses that they paid, would amount to their share of the profit. Even if the play is unprofitable (that is, fails to bring in enough revenue to cover the expenses), if so much as one ticket is sold to that play, then there is revenue, and each investor would expect his share of that revenue.

Quotes:

Ulla: [Sees Max and Leo and takes off dress] We make love?
Max Bialystock: No, we don't make love. Go to work.
[Ulla starts dancing to music on record player]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Back in the Saddle (2001) (V)

Soundtrack:

LOVE POWER

"Hitler could paint an entire apartment in one afternoon, two coats!"

Peter Sellers considered The Producers to be the ultimate film, and he may very well have a point. Mel Brooks's dazzling debut is a classic piece of spiralling insanity that just gets funnier and funnier every time you watch it - there's just so much to enjoy! Much of the non-verbal humour revolves around Zero Mostel - watch in amazement as this great comic genius effortlessly twists his features into configurations you never even knew existed! Gene Wilder is a perfect match for Mostel's booming delivery, turning in a beautifully underplayed study of meek neurosis that makes his occasional lapses into hysteria all the more funny and surprising, in particular his "blue blanket" tantrum. If Mostel is larger than life, then Kenneth Mars as the Hitler-fixated author of "the worst play ever written" is uglier still, a breathtaking depiction of eye-rolling Nazi lunacy complete with tin helmet and the craziest accent this side of FAWLTY TOWERS! Then, just when you think it can't get any more outrageous, that underused and underrated actor Dick Shawn turns up as a spaced-out flower child called (wait for it) LSD and practically steals the film. If you've never seen THE PRODUCERS, do yourself one huge favour and buy a copy today. Then prepare to watch it again and again, laughing louder and louder every time. Altogether now - "Don't be stupid, be a smartie, come and join the Nazi party"!