The cleverness of Mel, the genius of Zero and the humor of Gene turn this into Springtime for Everybody!

Rating: 9/10 (29 December 2014)

An underrated sleeper at the time of its original release, "The Producers" has since gone onto cult status thanks to the excellent screenplay and brilliant casting which was definitely not appreciated at the time. The mid-late 60's saw a barrage of flop musicals on Broadway, and in the book "Not Since Carrie", the reasons are obvious. Too much confidence in the golden age of the Broadway musical had created many egos, star producers like David Merrick and tons of missed opportunities. There were also some major fiascoes, which this spoofs to the max. Only an ego the size of a Max Bielestock (Zero Mostel) could dare to present a musical based upon the life of Adolph Hitler, and the musical sequence, "Springtime For Hitler", has obviously influenced later Mel Brooks films (just look at "The Inquisition" from "History of the World Part I") and other film producers. ("Songbird!", a musical spoof of "Sweet Bird of Youth" and "Elephant!", a scathing look at the RSC in "The Tall Guy", spoofing "The Elephant Man", are just a few examples.) Here, Max and exhausted bookkeeper Leo Bloom (an excellent Gene Wilder) aren't out to make a buck. They are out to loose it, that is for the other investors, so they finance their show with way more than 100% of what they need. Their intentions are to "Grab That Dough!" and sneak off to Brazil on the opening night closing. As fate would have it, the show is a big hit, and eventually, the accountants close in. So what do you do? Put on a musical in prison, of course, with the intention of transferring it to Broadway upon your release.
It's ironic that Brooks chooses Hitler to spoof here, especially since he looked so much like David Merrick, "the abominable showman", whose fascinating life behind the scenes of Broadway's golden age could be a mini-series in itself. As Mel explained, "What better way to get vengeance on a master criminal like Hitler than to make him look like a fool?" A dangerous fool, to be certain, but by making him look at a buffoon, he's reminding future villains of history that they too are ripe for spoofing. Just look at Saturday Night Live and its scathing images of recent world villains. Mel Brooks knew exactly what he was talking about, and his initial failure has brought him the last laugh thanks to a Broadway musical that revitalized the Broadway musical when it really needed it, and has definitely influenced the next wave of movie comedy men. Without "The Producers", many of the great spoofers of cinema (Woody Allen, Carl Reiner, Neil Simon among them) might have had a tougher time expressing their distaste towards the world through comedy, showing that not only is laughter the best medicine, but perhaps the true way to educate the world to its foibles and follies.
So the next time you refer to something as "bad taste", take a look at the non-P.C. genius of these men who teach that the world which can laugh at itself is the type of the world which will truly survive. Horny old ladies anxious to pass over "the checkie", sexy Swedes who believe "When you got it, flaunt it", nerdy accountants who don't think they can ever break out of the florescent lights of a miserable and boring career, and Broadway producers who are determined to become immortally infamous will keep you in stitches.