Editing The Producers (1967 film) (section)

== Production ==
{{rquote|right|I was never crazy about Hitler&nbsp;... If you stand on a soapbox and trade rhetoric with a dictator you never win&nbsp;... That's what they do so well: they seduce people. But if you ridicule them, bring them down with laughter, they can't win. You show how crazy they are.|Mel Brooks, in an August 2001 interview<ref>{{cite news| last=Shute | first=Nancy | url= https://www.usnews.com/usnews/culture/articles/010820/archive_038235.htm | title=Mel Brooks: His humor brings down Hitler, and the house | work=[[U.S. News & World Report]] | date=August 12, 2001 | access-date= May 4, 2007}}</ref>}}

===Early publicity===
A substantive early ''[[New York Times]]'' account of the property's genesis dates to December 1961: "Edward Padula has acquired a new comedy by Mel Brooks tentatively called 'Springtime for Hitler'. The producer said yesterday that actually 'Hitler is not in the comedy.' 'It's a sort of play-within-a-play. The setting is contemporary England.' Kenneth Williams, rated by Mr. Padula as 'England's new comic discovery' is under consideration for the leading role....Work on the new Brooks comedy will start immediately after the local presentation of 'All American'."<ref>Calta, Louis, "Capitol Records to Issue Album as Partner of Richard Rodgers." New York Times, 27 December 1961, 18</ref>

=== Writing and development ===
The title ''Springtime for Hitler'' was first coined by Brooks as a joke during the press conference for ''[[All American (musical)|All American]]'' in 1962. Shortly afterwards, he also decided to relate this title to a character named Leo Bloom, an homage to [[Leopold Bloom]], protagonist of [[James Joyce]]'s ''[[Ulysses (novel)|Ulysses]].''<ref name=vf>{{cite web|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2004/01/making-the-producers|title=The Making of ''The Producers''|work=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]|date=January 2004|first=Sam|last=Kashner|access-date=February 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216024853/http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2004/01/making-the-producers|archive-date=February 16, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> It was reused by him years later once he had an idea about "two schnooks on Broadway who set out to produce a flop and swindle the backers".<ref name=pb75 /> The inspiration was some people Brooks met during his early show business days: Benjamin Kutcher, a New York producer who financed his plays by sleeping with elderly women, became the basis for Max Bialystock,<ref>{{cite book|title=It's Good to Be the King: The Seriously Funny Life of Mel Brooks|page=52|first=James Robert|last=Parish|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|year=2008|isbn=9780470225264|location=Hoboken}}</ref> and the scheme had origins in two theater producers who had a lavish lifestyle while making various unsuccessful plays. In her 1943 novel ''[[The Fountainhead]]'', [[Ayn Rand]] in fact anticipates Mel Brooks's premise by having a consortium of unscrupulous businessmen sell 200 percent of a planned vacation resort which they intend to be a disaster, to that end hiring the controversial modernist architect Howard Roark, but his buildings are a great success, and the backers are prosecuted.<ref>[[Ayn Rand]], ''[[The Fountainhead]]'', [[Penguin Books|Penguin]] ed., pp.534-5</ref> When imagining what play "would have people packing up and leaving the theatre even before the first act is over", Brooks decided to combine Adolf Hitler and a musical.<ref name=guardian /> Brooks, in a 2001 episode of ''[[60 Minutes]]'', stated that, while serving in the army, he was called "Jew boy", and he lightheartedly admitted that he made ''The Producers'' to "get even" with antisemites, particularly [[Hitler]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Shales|first=Tom|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2001/04/14/on-60-minutes-springtime-for-mel-brooks/3f3f4d56-ff9c-4fdc-aca8-93197f7bd1e8/|title=On '60 Minutes,' Springtime for Mel Brooks|date=2001-04-14|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=2020-04-06|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> In another interview, he further explained his reasoning, stating,

{{blockquote|More than anything the great Holocaust by the Nazis is probably the great outrage of the 20th century. There is nothing to compare with it. And&nbsp;... so what can I do about it? If I get on the soapbox and wax eloquently, it'll be blown away in the wind, but if I do Springtime for Hitler it'll never be forgotten. I think you can bring down totalitarian governments faster by using ridicule than you can with invective.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1978/4/17/interview|title=Interview |date=April 17, 1978|last=Brooks|first=Mel|website=Maclean's |language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-06}}</ref>}}

Brooks first envisioned his story as a novel, and changed it to a play when publishers told him it had "too much dialogue. Not enough narrative".{{citation needed|reason=IMDb is [[WP:RS/P|not a reliable source]]|date=March 2022}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brooks |first=Mel |date=September 14, 2017 |title=The Comedy Writer: Mel Brooks |url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/podcast/comedy-writer-mel-brooks/ |access-date=March 7, 2023 |website=PBS}}</ref><!--<ref name="makingof">{{IMDb title|0425221|The Making of ''The Producers''}}</ref>--> He wrote the script in nine months, with the help of secretary Alfa-Betty Olsen.<ref name=pb75>{{cite news|title=The Playboy Interview: Mel Brooks|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/16/mel-brooks-is-always-funny-and-often-wise-in-this-1975-playboy-interview.html|publisher=[[Playboy]]|access-date=July 11, 2018|last=Belth|first=Alex|date=February 1975|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161205184916/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/16/mel-brooks-is-always-funny-and-often-wise-in-this-1975-playboy-interview.html|archive-date=December 5, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> During the process, he mentioned in an October 1966 interview with ''[[Playboy]]'' that he was working on ''Springtime for Hitler,'' "a play within a play, or a play within a film – I haven't decided yet".<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Playboy Interview: Mel Brooks|url=http://www.brookslyn.com/print/PlayboyOct1966/PlayboyOct1966.php|magazine=[[Playboy]]|last=Siegel |first=Larry|date=October 1966|access-date=July 11, 2018}}</ref> Then, it evolved into a screenplay to take advantage of various settings, as "it could go places, it wouldn't have to stay in the office".<ref name=vf />

As Brooks sought backers for his 30-page [[film treatment]], both [[major film studios]] and independent filmmakers rejected ''Springtime for Hitler,'' finding the idea of using Hitler for comedy outrageous and tasteless (with some even stating that they would consider the script if Brooks changed it to ''Springtime for [[Mussolini]]'').<ref name=vf /> This changed as Brooks's agent arranged for him to have a meeting with a friend of his, New York producer [[Sidney Glazier]]. Glazier laughed so much at Brooks's performance of the script, he accepted the project by saying, "We're gonna make it! I don't know how, but we're gonna make this movie!"<ref name=billboard>{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DA8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA87 |title= 'Producers' Producer: The Man Behind a Classic|newspaper= [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|last=White |first=Timothy|date= April 26, 1997|access-date=January 9, 2010|page=87}}</ref>

Glazier budgeted the film at $1 million, and sought financiers. Half the money came from philanthropist [[Louis Wolfson]], who liked the idea of laughing at a dictator,<ref name=guardian /> and the remainder, along with the distribution, was arranged by [[Joseph E. Levine]] of [[Embassy Pictures]]. Levine's only condition was to change the title, as he felt many distributors would not carry a picture named ''Springtime for Hitler.''<ref name=billboard /> Brooks renamed it ''The Producers,'' considering it [[ironic]] as "these guys are anything but producers".<ref name="makingof">{{IMDb title|0425221|The Making of ''The Producers''<nowiki/>}}</ref> As Brooks "couldn't think of anybody to direct it", eventually he decided to take the task for himself, even though he himself had only directed one play before.<ref name=pb75 /> While Levine was insecure in having an inexperienced director, Brooks convinced him by saying it would be cost-effective, and he knew how to do physical comedy after being a [[stage manager]] in ''[[Your Show of Shows]].''<ref name=makingof /><ref name=billboard />

=== Casting ===
Brooks wanted [[Zero Mostel]] as Max Bialystock, feeling he was an energetic actor who could convey such an egotistical character.<ref name=makingof /> Glazier sent the script to Mostel's lawyer, but the attorney hated it and never showed it to the actor. Eventually, Brooks had to send the script through Mostel's wife [[Kathryn Harkin]]. While Mostel did not like the prospect of playing "a Jewish producer going to bed with old women on the brink of the grave", his wife liked the script so much, she eventually convinced him to accept the role.<ref name=vf /><ref name=billboard />

[[Gene Wilder]] met Brooks in 1963, as Wilder performed with Brooks's then-girlfriend [[Anne Bancroft]] in a stage adaptation of ''[[Mother Courage and Her Children|Mother Courage]].'' Wilder complained that the audience was laughing at his serious performance, and Brooks replied that Wilder was "a natural comic, you look like [[Harpo Marx]]", and said he would cast him as Leo Bloom once he finished the then-titled ''Springtime for Hitler.''<ref name=billboard /> When production arrived, [[Peter Sellers]] accepted an invitation to play Leo Bloom, but he never contacted again, so Brooks remembered Wilder, who was about to make his film debut in ''[[Bonnie and Clyde (film)|Bonnie and Clyde]].''<ref name=makingof /> Wilder received the script to ''The Producers'' as Brooks visited him backstage during a performance of ''[[Luv (play)|Luv]]'', and his co-star [[Renée Taylor]] was brought for a brief appearance as the actress playing [[Eva Braun]].<ref name=vf />

[[Dustin Hoffman]] was originally cast as Liebkind. According to Brooks, late on the night before shooting began, Hoffman begged Brooks to let him out of his commitment to do the role so he could audition for the starring role in ''[[The Graduate]].'' Brooks was aware of the film, which co-starred his now-wife Bancroft, and, skeptical that Hoffman would get the role, agreed to let him audition. When Hoffman did win the role of Ben Braddock, Brooks called in Kenneth Mars as Liebkind.<ref name=makingof /> Mars was originally invited because Brooks envisioned him as Roger De Bris, given he played a gay psychiatrist on Broadway. Instead, Mars was interested in the Liebkind role, which became his film debut. He remained in character while not filming as a strategy of [[method acting]].<ref name=vf /> De Bris was instead portrayed by [[Christopher Hewett]], the first actor who read for the role.<ref name=makingof />

Recent [[American Academy of Dramatic Arts]] graduate [[Lee Meredith]] was invited to audition as Ulla on condition of being able to do a Swedish accent. She borrowed a book from the AADA library to learn the accent, and won the role with a screen test of the scene in which Ulla dances. Bancroft suggested her friend [[Andréas Voutsinas]] for the role of Carmen Ghia, feeling his thick Greek accent would fit. Brooks thought of [[Dick Shawn]] to play Lorenzo "L.S.D." Saint DuBois, and Shawn accepted because he liked the part and had no other work at the time. Brooks is heard briefly in the film, his voice dubbed over a dancer singing, "Don't be stupid, be a smarty / Come and join the Nazi Party", in the song "[[Springtime for Hitler (song)|Springtime for Hitler]]". His version of the line is also dubbed into each performance of the musical, as well as the 2005 movie version.

=== Filming ===
Principal photography for ''The Producers'' began on May 22, 1967. Filming had to be done in 40 days on a $941,000 budget, and Brooks managed to fit both requests.<ref name=guardian /> The primary location was the [[Chelsea Studios]] in New York City, where the musical version (2005) was also shot.<ref>{{cite book| chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=wDpSaPkSt-8C&pg=PA231 |chapter=Union Square/Gramercy Park/Chelsea |page=231 |title= New York: The Movie Lover's Guide: The Ultimate Insider Tour of Movie New York| first= Richard |last=Alleman | year= 2005 |publisher= Broadway Books | isbn= 9780767916349 |location=New York}}</ref> The now-demolished [[Playhouse Theatre (New York City)|Playhouse Theatre]] hosted the ''Springtime for Hitler'' play, and various actors who heard the film was seeking an actor for Hitler were cast in the musical number. The crew tried to film on location whenever possible, filming at such midtown Manhattan locales as [[Central Park]], the [[Empire State Building]], and [[Lincoln Center]].<ref name=vf />

Brooks's lack of knowledge of filmmaking had him committing many mistakes during production, requiring the help of assistant director [[Michael Hertzberg]].<ref name=pb75 /> Being both inexperienced and insecure, Brooks started to have tantrums and behave angrily. He got impatient with the slow development compared to how quick television production was, temporarily banned Glazier from the set, berated a visiting reporter from ''[[The New York Times]]'', and had clashes with cinematographer Joseph Coffey and main actor Zero Mostel.<ref name=vf /> Mostel also had a troublesome behavior caused by a leg injury received in a 1960 bus accident, which made his contract feature a clause dismissing Mostel from any work after 5:30 pm. Given the fact that the leg injury got worse in humid weather,<ref name=makingof /> the last scene, filmed at the [[Revson Fountain]] in Lincoln Center, had Mostel throwing a fit and giving up on production. Glazier had to leave a dentist's appointment and rush to the set where Mostel and Brooks were arguing, and once the producer managed to calm them down, the resulting scene had to be shot all night long.<ref name=vf />

Despite being described as a lavish production number, "[[Springtime for Hitler (song)|Springtime for Hitler]]" was not ready until the first rehearsals. Brooks sat with Olsen and first-time composer [[John Morris (composer)|John Morris]] at the piano, and improvised some lyrics. Morris then developed the stage performance with choreographer Alan Johnson, instructed to do the number "big, wonderful, flashy, but terrible". As Brooks kept suggesting bizarre costume ideas to enhance the [[burlesque]] nature of "Springtime for Hitler", such as women with clothes inspired by beer mugs and pretzels, Johnson decided to showcase them all in a parade.

Few scenes had to be altered from the original script. Leo and Max were to visit the [[Parachute Jump]] in [[Coney Island]], but the attraction was closed by the time filming began. Brooks filmed Liebkind making Max and Leo swear the Siegfried Oath, where they promised fealty to ''[[Siegfried (opera)|Siegfried]]'', accompanied by ''[[The Ride of the Valkyries]]'' and wearing [[horned helmet]]s. But feeling that it "went overboard", Brooks cut the scene, which was restored in the stage adaptation.<ref name="makingof" />

The art direction and costumes emphasized the color yellow, which Brooks considered a funny color. For the posters in Bialystock's office, production designer [[Charles Rosen]] found a collector in the [[Theater District, Manhattan|Theater District]] and doctored a few posters to include the character's name. Rosen also incorporated an anecdote of his life, as he had to share a small elevator with a flamboyant Broadway director, to design the lift at Roger De Bris's house.<ref name=makingof /> Principal photography ended on July 15, 1967. Post-production extended for months, as Brooks had gotten [[final cut privilege]], but still had complaints with [[Ralph Rosenblum]] regarding his editing.