The Producers (1967)

A wonderfully amusing Mel Brooks film!

Like my last post, this is not my normal review of a film noir or golden Hollywood movie. This is a total riot of a Mel Brooks flick! I’m a huge fan of Mel and his movies—he’s a professor of rapid-fire wit and has an uncanny ability to make you laugh so hard, you'll lose track of your own sense of humor. Truly a genius of his craft. I came to The Producers a bit late in the game, having first seen it live on stage before eventually catching the movie on VHS (yes, VHS—because I’m that vintage). Now, I’m just patiently waiting for the chance to experience it in all its glory on the big screen. Seriously, anyone know where that’s happening? So, let’s get into this masterpiece of a film...The Producers!

Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) was once Broadway's golden boy, the man who could turn any show into a success with a snap of his fingers. Not anymore - now he's a washed-up conman who has become less of a Broadway producer and more of a professional sweet-talker, gently coaxing pensions out of sweet and wealthy old ladies.

Enter Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder), an accountant so neurotic he could give a full-on panic attack a run for its money. When Max’s latest disaster gets audited, Leo stumbles on a tiny discrepancy in the books, and his mind explodes with a thought. A wild, crazy thought. What if—what if—a flop could be worth more than a hit? After all, a show that’s guaranteed to fail? That’s the ultimate money maker! Sell a ton of shares, collect a fortune, and when the curtain drops after opening night, the investors are out of luck—but Max and Leo? They’re swimming in cash like Scrooge McDuck (remember Disney’s Scrooge McDuck & His Money 1967?). Max’s eyes start flashing dollar signs. Leo’s heart is beating so fast he could pass for a jazz drummer. They’re in. In big.

But what should they produce? A disaster of mythical proportions. Something so unbelievably bad that it would make the audience question their sanity. They comb through hundreds of terrible scripts-melodramas about cats with broken hearts, the entire works of Shakespeare… performed underwater. But none of them fit the bill.

Then, like a bolt of lightning, they find the perfect show: Springtime for Hitler. A musical comedy about Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun frolicking through Berchtesgaden, singing about peace, love, and the wonders of fascism. It’s absurd, offensive, and borderline criminal. But most importantly—it’s awful.

Enter Franz Liebkind (Kenneth Mars), a deranged ex-Nazi who swears Hitler was “a swell guy with a song in his heart.” He lives in an ugly roof-top flat with a dozen pigeons that he affectionately calls “the führer’s little helpers.” He’s crazy and that’s exactly the kind of lunatic they need to make this theatrical dumpster fire sing.

But they can’t just have a bad show. No, no, they need worse. So, they set their sights on the worst director in Broadway history: Roger De Bris (Christopher Hewitt). A man so gaudy that he’d make Liberace look boring. His last “masterpiece” was a production of Hamlet where all the characters were played by clowns, and the set looked like it was designed by a drunken raccoon. He’s perfect!

Now for the cherry on top: they need the worst lead actor to play the world’s most controversial dictator. And who better than Lorenzo St. Du Bois (Dick Shawn) or “LSD” as he’s known in the acting world? A far-out hippie whose idea of acting is getting “in touch with his inner Führer” while deep in a cloud of incense smoke. He’s everything you don’t want in a lead actor.

With everything in place, Max and Leo begin their sales pitch by convincing investors to hand over their life savings with promises of grand failure. They oversell the show by a humungous 25,000%, using absurd projections, and plenty of lies and promises. They practically hypnotized everyone into throwing their cash into the pit of doom.

Opening night arrives, and they’re ready for the show to fail in the most spectacular way imaginable. The audience, packed with high-society folks, sees the spectacle unfold: a dancing Hitler, an awkward Eva Braun twirling, and Roger De Bris’ set that looks like he designed it after having been on a three-day bender.

The worst show in the history of Broadway has turned into a masterpiece of absurdity. The audience can’t tell if they’re in on the joke or if the joke is on them—and so they applaud, they cheer, they even give it a standing ovation. A standing ovation! For a show about Hitler – unbelievable!

Max and Leo are terrified. Their grand scheme has backfired. They’ve created a smash hit and no matter how hard they try to sabotage it, they’re stuck with it. In the end, Max and Leo, along with their Nazi scriptwriter Franz, end up in court, where they’re sentenced to jail for their role in the most ridiculous theatrical fraud in history. But of course, not even prison can contain their entrepreneurial spirit. They quickly set up a new show in their cell which they call Prisoners of Love again selling shares way beyond what’s possible and entices a new batch of unsuspecting investors.

It’s the perfect crime...again.

Release Date: January 1968
Premiere Information: Pittsburgh opening: November 22, 1967

Production Company: Crossbow Productions; Sidney Glazier; Springtime Productions
Distribution Company: Embassy Pictures

Directed by: Mel Brooks

Cast:

• Zero Mostel as Max Bialystock

• Gene Wilder as Leopold "Leo" Bloom

• Dick Shawn as Lorenzo St. DuBois (L.S.D.)

• Estelle Winwood as "Hold Me! Touch Me!"

• Christopher Hewett as Roger De Bris

• Kenneth Mars as Franz Liebkind

• Lee Meredith as Ulla

• Renée Taylor as actress playing Eva Braun

• Andreas Voutsinas as Carmen Ghia

• William Hickey as the drunk in bar (credited as Bill Hickey)

• David Patch as actor playing Joseph Goebbels

• Barney Martin as actor playing Hermann Göring

• Madelyn Cates as Concierge ("I'm not a madam!")

• Shimen Ruskin as The Landlord

• Frank Campanella as The Bartender

• Josip Elic as Violinist

• John Zoller as Drama Critic

• Brutus Peck as Hot Dog Vendor

• Arthur Rubin, Zale Kessler, Bernie Allen, Rusty Blitz and Tony Gardell as Auditioning Hitlers (uncredited)

• Michael Davis as Lead Stormtrooper/Production Tenor (uncredited)

• David Evans and Tucker Smith as Lead Dancers (uncredited)

• Bill Macy as Foreman of the jury (uncredited)

• Mel Brooks as Singer in "Springtime for Hitler" (voiceover cameo, uncredited)

Award Wins: Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay 1969 Mel Brooks
Award Nominations: Oscar for Best Supporting Actor 1968 Gene Wilder

Interesting Notes:

• Location scenes filmed in New York City.

• Writer-director Mel Brooks reworked The Producers as a theatrical musical, which opened on Broadway on April 19, 2001. The hit show featured music and lyrics by Brooks, with the book by Brooks and Thomas Meehan.

• In 2005, Universal released a film version of the musical play, also entitled The Producers. Directed by Susan Stroman, the 2005 film featured Nathan Lane as "Max Bialystock" and Matthew Broderick as "Leo Bloom," the roles they played in the original Broadway run.

Photo credits: IMBd; TCM; wikimedia commons
Interesting Notes credit: Turner Classic Movies; Links credit: wikipedia

Enjoy!
...Jill

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The Forks Part…

Get ready to meet the star of your next movie night gathering: my mom’s classic Sauerbraten Meatballs! This recipe was a showstopper at every one of my parents' gatherings, always leaving guests asking for more. Whether you serve them as a tasty appetizer or dish them out over noodles as an entrée, these meatballs are guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser. Trust me, they’re absolutely delicious and will have everyone singing “Springtime For Hitler” between bites!

Sauerbraten Meatballs

What You Need:

• 2 pounds ground beef

• 1 small onion, minced

• 1 egg

• 1/3 cup bread crumbs

• 1 teaspoon salt

• pepper to taste

• 2 tablespoons chicken fat or shortening (chicken fat gives added flavour)

• 1 small can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

• 1 small can (8 ounces) water

• 1/4 cup vinegar

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 10 whole cloves

• 1 bay leaf

• 10 Gingersnaps broken into bite-size pieces (important to have small bite-size pieces)

What To Do:

1. Combine ground beef, minced onion, egg, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper to taste. Form into small meatballs.

2. Fry the meat balls in the chicken fat in a heavy skillet until brown on one side. Turn the meat balls and add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let the meatballs simmer in the sauce until it thickens. About 45 minutes.

Servings: The amount this will serve depends on the size of the meatballs. This recipe can serve as an entrée or as an appetizer. For a cocktail party make the meatballs small and serve with toothpicks. For an entrée make the meatballs larger and serve over buttered noodles. Any way you serve them they are delicious!

Note: Can be frozen.

Enjoy and Bon Appetit!