Hitler for Hire

Rating: 5/10 (2 September 2016)

Can you imagine if this was made today, but the play was about ____? And they get upset about cartoons made about ____!
(You fill in the blanks. I'm no prude, but some people are wacko about their beliefs. I choose to live!)
But, I am trying to bring up a good point. While most of this movie does work today, and I did find myself laughing a couple of times – once really loud, I'd much rather see this in 1967 or 1968 when it rolled out. Though decades had passed by that point, WWII and Hitler, especially, were still fresher in people's minds than almost half a century later.
The producers of the title are trying to get rich quick by producing a "guaranteed" flop of a Broadway play/musicalonly, it's painfully obvious where it's headed.
Although I liked the movie, it was a tad short – I definitely feel seeing more the creation of the play would've been more interesting. Plus, it's just not my type of humor. But, that's Mel Brooks. Never been a fan, even though he does get one or two really hearty laughs out of me in each of the movies of his I've seen.
While I mentioned it could've been longer, it's quick enough for fans of Gene Wilder to see if they haven't already. That said, and I've only seen a VERY small selection of Wilder movies, it's probably one of my least favorite films and performances of his.
***
Final thoughts: And speaking of Wilder, a big R.I.P. to the comedic master. He just passed away earlier this week and I finally got a chance to sit down and explore some of his works I've missed, including this one. Next up: Young Frankenstein. I don't believe I've ever seen it, though I recall hearing the Ritz song many times