Trivia for Producers, The (1968)
Mel Brooks' voice is dubbed in for a singer in "Springtime
for Hitler".
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.
The character played by Gene Wilder is named Leo Bloom. His
co-star Zero Mostel became famous for his portrayal of James Joyce's
character Leopold Bloom in an off-broadway production of "Ulysses
In Nighttown."
Because of the "Springtime For Hitler" musical number,
the film was banned in Germany. It wasn't shown in that country
until it was included in a film festival featuring the works of
Jewish filmmakers.
Mel Brooks wrote the libretto of a real-life Broadway musical
flop, "All American", which starred Ray Bolger and ran
for 80 performances in 1962
Adapted as a stage musical by Mel Brooks, which opened in March
2001 with Nathan Lane as Bialystock and Matthew Broderick as Bloom.
It won a record-breaking 12 Tony awards in 2001.
"Max: "Gregor Samsa awoke one morning to discover
that he had been transformed into a giant cockroach." Nah,
it's too good." This is a reference to Franz Kafka's "Metamorphosis".
In another Mel Brooks film, Spaceballs (1987), he makes another
obscure reference to this story during the "Mega-Maid"
scene.
Mel Brooks has a "vocal cameo appearance" on the movie
soundtrack during "Springtime for Hitler"; he re-recorded
the same line for a cameo (as "Stormtrooper Mel") on
the new Broadway Cast Recording and in the Broadway show, where
the actor playing the Nazi soldier mouths the words).
The name "Bialystock" is taken from a Polish village
from which Mel Brooks' ancestors come.
May contain the first use of the term "creative accounting."
Dustin Hoffman was set to play Franz Liepkin, but declined when
he got the part of Benjamin in Graduate, The (1967).
Mel Brooks based the character of Max Bialystock on a real Broadway
producer he knew who used to seduce little old ladies in exchange
for checks that were supposedly to produce his latest play, which
would usually be called "Cash."
Mel Brooks cannot read music. All the songs in this film (indeed,
all the songs he writes for his films) were hummed into a tape
recorder and transcribed by an expert.
The reason the film got released at all was due to the intervention
of Peter Sellers. After Brooks completed the picture, he was told
by Executive Producer Joseph E. Levine that the film, which was
then called "Springtime for Hitler," would not be released;
Levine thought it was in poor taste and not very funny. While
Sellers was in Hollywood making I Love You, Alice B. Toklas! (1968),
he liked to have films screened for he and his friends for entertainment.
One night this film was screened and Sellers loved it. When he
heard it would not be released he began calling Levine and eventually
convinced him to release it, the only compromise being the title
of the film be changed to "The Producers".
Next to Max Bialystok's office is a door with "Hertzberg
Dance School" printed on the glass. Michael Hertzberg was
the film's First Assistant Director.
The name the "hold me, touch me" lady gives to Bialystock
when they are playing "The Contessa and the Chauffer"
at the beginning of the film, Rudolfo, is also the name of Bialystock's
actual chauffer after he and Bloom raise the money for the play.
"God dag, på dig" is Swedish for "Good
day to you".
According to an interview with director and Blue Underground
owner William Lustig, the original negative was destroyed because
the then-owner decided it wasn't necessary to pay for the storage
of its negative library from The Producers.
Monday, 4 June, 2001, 04:40 GMT 05:40 UK
Musical makes Broadway history
Satirical musical The Producers has high-kicked its way to a
record 12 Tony Awards, including best musical.
Based on Mel Brooks' classic 1968 comedy movie, the show has been
one of the most successful productions on Broadway in many years
"I'm going to have to do the hardest thing I've ever done
in my life - act humble," said Brooks, who picked up three
awards for production, score and co-authoring the book of the
show.
Mel Brooks: Tony honours are a personal triumph
The best play honour went to Proof, which took three gongs at
the glittering New York ceremony.
The Producers is about a bumbling producer and accountant who
deliberately set out to create a musical that will flop so they
can defraud investors
Their outrageous creation aims to shock by taking a Nazi theme
and featuring songs such as Springtime for Hitler - but the money-spinning
plan backfires.
The show stars Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, who were both
nominated for the best actor in a musical award.
When Lane won he dragged Broderick up on stage and accepted the
award on behalf of them both.
Honours
The Producers' string of awards shattered the previous record
of 10 Tonys set by Hello Dolly! in 1964.
Two of the show's awards went to Susan Stroman, honoured for
the musical's direction and choreography, a prize she has taken
on three previous occasions.
Daniel Sullivan took the direction of a play award for Proof
and joked: "There must be some mistake. I had nothing to
do with The Producers."
His leading lady, Mary-Louise Parker, picked up the best actress
in a play award.
The best musical revival award went to 42nd Street and its star,
Christine Ebersole got the top female musical prize.
The play revival award went to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
Richard Easton, who plays poet A.E. Housman in Tom Stoppard's
The Invention of Love, took the best actor in a play prize.
Here
are some great Producers Resources:
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