The Producers

The Producers is the 2005 film version of Mel Brooks' stage musical about an attempt to pull a scam of engineering a deliberate flop of a stage musical that improbably backfires, itself based on Brooks' earlier film starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder.
Jim Henson's Creature Shop provided "creature effects," namely Tom the cat and a troupe of trained pigeons kept by playwright Franz Liebkind. Though real pigeons were used for some shots, puppet pigeons were used for a sequence wherein the pigeons danced and performed the "Sieg heil!" movements. 
Victor Yerrid served as lead puppeteer for the animals. Individual pigeon puppeteers included Drew Massey, Joey Mazzarino, Fran Brill, Tyler Bunch, Tim Lagasse, Peter Linz, Matt Vogel, Martin P. Robinson, and Jim Kroupa, with Brooks himself voicing Hilda the pigeon.
One of the pigeons, Adolf, is distinguished by the unique markings on his wing, particularly visible when he snaps the Nazi salute. In a deleted blooper, included on the DVD release, Adolf (performed by Yerrid) talks directly to the camera and asserts his status as the leader of the pigeons, speaking in a faux-German accent.
==Cast==
:Nathan Lane as Max Bialystock
:Matthew Broderick as Leo Bloom
:Uma Thurman as Ulla
:Will Ferrell as Franz Liebkind
:Roger Bart as Carmen Ghia
:Kathy Fitzgerald as Shirley Markowitz
:Michael McKean as Prison Trustee
:Andrea Martin as Kiss Me-Feel Me
:Jon Lovitz as Mr. Marks
:Marilyn Sokol as Bag Lady
:Jai Rodriguez as Sabu the Houseboy
:John Barrowman as Lead Tenor
:Mel Brooks as Hilda the Pigeon, Tom the Cat, Himself
:Richard Kind as the Jury Foreman
:Madeleine Doherty played a little old Lady
:Brad Oscar played a cab driver
==References==
*In a 2002 commercial for MasterCard, the Muppets tour New York City and its environs. In one scene, Kermit the Frog stands in front of the marquee for the Broadway musical of The Producers.
==Connections==
*Jason Alexander played Max Bialystock in the 2003 US national tour
*Justin Bohon joined the show's ensemble during the original Broadway run
*Tony Danza played Max Bialystock on Broadway
*Madeleine Doherty played Hold-me Touch-me in the original Broadway company
*Kathy Fitzgerald originated the roles of Shirley Markowitz, Kiss-me Feel-me, and others in the original Broadway production
*Jonathan Freeman played Roger DeBris on Broadway
*David Hasselhoff played Roger DeBris in the 2007 Las Vegas production
*Richard Kind played Max Bialystock on Broadway
*Brad Oscar originated the role of Franz Liebkind on Broadway, before playing various other roles in multiple productions
*Martin Short played Leo in the 2003 US national tour
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Category:Creature Shop Movies
Category:Stage References