The Producers: Mel Brooks' First, Last, and Best Movie

You don’t need to be a fan of Mel Brook’s first movie, “The Producers,” ¹ which debuted in 1968 to love the newly-released version of the film. Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) and Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder) conspire to carry off the perfect crime—to produce the worst play ever. 

After Leo Bloom, an introverted accountant, realizes while auditing Max’s records that a $2,000 “profit” had been made on the production of a play that flopped (opened and closed in the same night), he mulls to himself—within earshot of Max—that if a producer was dishonest, he could become a millionaire—by producing a flop. 

His theory? Swindle contributors out of millions by selling them a percentage of ownership of the production. 

The catch? If the show flops, the producer keeps whatever money is left over because, as he says, “After all, the IRS isn’t interested in a show that flops.” But, if it’s a success, the producer would go to prison, because he would never earn enough to pay off all the contributors—who would own in excess of 100% of the play. 

The 1968 movie was very risky for the time. While all fans remember the song, Springtime for Hitler, World War II—let alone, Hitler, was just not the subject of comedy. In addition, the cast of the play was dated—the lead was played by Dick Shawn, an LSD-taking flower child who decided Hitler should be “groovy, baby.” 

The movie wasn’t considered a musical, even though it ended with the performance of two songs—one of which is Springtime for Hitler. People who hadn’t even seen the movie were familiar, at least in reference, to the song. 

When the Broadway production was produced with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, fans of the movie were skeptical, to say the least. With all the remakes of old movies and revivals of old plays, how was this going to match against the wit and humor of Wilder and Mostel?