*THE PRODUCERS* was shocking and hilarious (First time watching reaction)

[@Rihnoswirl]

When released in Sweden, the title of this was changed to simply "Springtime for Hitler" (translated into Swedish, of course), and all following Mel Brooks films then also got their titles changed to "Springtime for [blank]" (Springtime for the Sheriff, Springtime for Space, Springtime for World History, etcetera)

[@GhoulRUSva]

That is actually absolutely brilliant.

[@Anonsloth26]

That’s hilarious, but also sort of strange. Mel Brooks at his best.

[@ThreadBomb]

Springtime for Frankenstein?

[@Rihnoswirl]

@@ThreadBomb Yep. Was released as "Det våras för Frankenstein" rather than any sort of translation of the original title.

[@Dan_Geer_]

“Don’t be stupid, be a smarty! Come and joint the nazi party!” The guy who said that was a young Mel Brooks.

[@inhumanmusic1411]

Actualy, the actor wasn't Mel but was voiced over by Mel.

[@eileendesandre8316]

actor's name was david patch.

[@roarinfireball]

I still think it’s funny how that one Nazi has the thickest New York/Jewish accent. That’s actually quite meta.

[@gauntman9636]

Kenneth Mars, the actor who plays Nazi playwright Franz Liebkind, also played Inspector Kemp (with the useful artifical hand) in Young Frankenstein.

[@raynavarro7997]

I love how Mel Brooks uses the same actors over and over again like Andréas Voutsinas who played Carmen Ghia (Damn, I love that name!), De Bris assistant in this one and Bernaise in History of the World: Part 1.

[@jakemetzgar]

He’s always fantastic

[@smakedoctor]

He was also the voice of King Triton in The Little Mermaid. 😧

[@AtomicMama42]

And then was the guy at the farm Francis worked at in Malcolm in the Middle 😂

[@AtomicMama42]

​@@smakedoctorwhat?!

[@SeanRI]

The shot where they pan across the audience with their jaws dropped in shock while Franz is grinning like an idiot is one of my favorite shots in the history of cinema. No matter how many times I see it I laugh every time.

[@alexsullo9855]

This movie made was just 22 years after WWII, it is insane this was even able to get produced

[@davidstenow5055]

Yes! It almost feels anachronistic with the thick layers of irony

[@knowledge-girl]

Mel Brooks served in World War II and was at the Battle of the Bulge. He would taunt Nazis by singing songs by Jewish performers over a bullhorn.

[@peacemaster8117]

We're so much more sensitive about this stuff *now* than we were when it was still well within living memory. It's bizarre.

[@garylee3685]

The play about transforming into a giant cockroach is real- Metamorphosis by Kafka.

[@melenatorr]

Most cool: I stopped the vid to make this mention. Also, when Max asks Leo, early on, "Yes, Prince Myshkin, what we do for you?", it's a reference to Dostoyevsky's "The Idiot.

[@Nite37]

Mel brought Kafka back in Spaceballs during the maid metamorphosis.

[@ThreadBomb]

Kafka's piece was a short story, not a play.

[@garylee3685]

@@ThreadBomb I stand corrected, thanks.

[@diogenesagogo]

Also, look up Bialystock. This is the best revenge movie ever made, Brooks' masterpiece.

[@sumelar]

Mel Brooks' goal in life was to reduce nazism to such ridiculous parody that no one could possibly take it seriously anymore. This is the ultimate expression of that.

[@DarkKnight52365]

sadly we still got too many braindead morons that they were the good guys

[@betsyduane3461]

Hitler wanted to become a professional artist, but his dreams were ruined because he failed the entrance exam of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Hitler was rejected twice by the institute, once in 1907 and again in 1908. Hence the joke of painting rooms.

[@jasonhoagland8444]

A few years before this movie was made Mel Brooks did a magazine interview, I think for Playboy, where they asked him what his first movie would be. He said it would be a musical about Hitler called Springtime for Hitler. Everyone thought he was joking. He was not.

[@alexandercate8552]

The "Don't be stupid, be a smarty" lyric was dubbed by Mel, FYI

[@anthonyleecollins9319]

I believe they used that audio clip for the stage version as well.

[@Yngvarfo]

Yup. I watched the musical in Norwegian in Oslo, but that line was still Mel Brooks' original voice. There was also some lines by John Cleese when I watched Spamalot in London, even though he was not actually in the musical.

[@vincentsaia6545]

The Campbell soup can Dick Shaw wears is a reference to Andy Warhol's painting of one which (believe it or not) caused a senation in the avant garde art community.

[@melenatorr]

I had hoped you'd include a family favorite exchange (we do write plays): "You shut up. You are the audience. I am the author. I outRANK you."

[@randallphobia8698]

My HS theater teacher showed us this in 1991, & it’s been one of my favorite comedies ever since. It really is strange having “Springtime for Hitler” stuck in your head.

[@Rmlohner]

Dick Shawn, who played LSD, was basically a proto-Robin Williams whose stage act was more about his sheer unpredictability than the jokes. Besides this movie, he's well known as the Snow Miser in The Year Without a Santa Claus.

[@Talius10]

He was also the son of Ethel Merman in "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World".

[@melenatorr]

@@Talius10 And stole it just as effortlessly as he does here!

[@davidkulmaczewski4911]

He died from a massive heart attack on stage while performing a standup routine at a comedy club. People in the audience thought it was part of the act, until a stage hand came out, checked his pulse, and called for a doctor.

[@OneThousandHomoDJs]

@@davidkulmaczewski4911 You beat me to it. Yep, he collapsed onstage, and it was several minutes before people started to suspect something was wrong. One of the more famous "dying on stage" stories,. Mark Sandman of the band Morphine being another.

[@melenatorr]

@@davidkulmaczewski4911 Yes, I didn't want to bring it up, but yes, this is what happened to him. Our very Spanish father adored the character of LSD, and every once in a while, out of the clear blue sky, he would intone: "My name, my name, I know my name."

[@betsyduane3461]

Zero Mostel was a famous comedian and song and dance man. Most famous for his Broadway turn in "Fiddler on the Roof". He was blacklisted during the 1950s; his testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee was well publicized. Mostel later starred in the Hollywood Blacklist drama film The Front (1976) alongside Woody Allen. A great movie.

[@betsyduane3461]

The Campbells soup can necklace is a reference to pop artist Andy Warhol's Soup Can art from 1962 where he used the images of everyday items and logos as poster art. Very famous.

[@betsyduane3461]

The cockroach transformation script he's reading (not sure why he has a script of it) is "The Metamorphosis" (1915), a novella by Franz Kafka. It has been adapted several times on film.

[@darastarscream]

Fun Fact-- this movie coined the phrase "creative accounting."

[@philiprice7875]

nah it has been used by banks and bankers for centuries

[@Darthpathfinder]

I have not seen this version of the film. I have only seen the latest one. So it’s good to see you guys covering the original first.

[@Phlogiston2312]

If you think the original this movie was good try to watch the original Ocean's 11 from the 60s and 70s

[@sunshine_tidings6983]

The very flamboyant directors assistant, in the remake he's played by Roger Bart, who was also the main torturer in hostel part 2. Now THAT is range.

[@JonazDrumBrain]

He was also the singing voice of young Hercules in the Disney movie

[@linthal03]

You also need to see Zero Mostel in: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum! He is a magnificent actor!

[@PrincessBunhead]

Yes! I was about to post this very suggestion.

[@seantlewis376]

This was Mel Brooks' first movie, and he got the Oscar for best screenplay.

[@Talius10]

"Everything below the waist is Kaput".

[@dazzmarshall]

I was surprised how good the 2005 version was. A little different from the original, but still had all the parts you remembered. The cast will amaze you

[@bluesdog645]

I own one of the prop Playbills for “Springtime For Hitler”. They used real programs from a defunct all Yiddish play and put a new cover on it. Obviously an inside joke from Mel.

[@VilleHalonen]

It took a while for this movie to click for me. Then its outrageousness won me over. I don't think anyone's ever portrayed anxiety with such hilarity as Gene Wilder.

[@Eggman2285]

I hope you guys watch the musical remake eventually. As much as I like the original, it's a rare case where I enjoy the remake more. And while Mel didn't direct it, he did write and produce it.

[@ink-cow]

So much talent in one movie. The actor who played Roger de Bris went on to become the beloved butler Mr. Belvedere on a sitcom of the same name that ran for five years in the late 1980's. In Sweden, The Producers is actually called Det våras för Hitler (Springtime for Hitler), and I understand they followed this pattern for the rest of Mel Brooks' films. Springtime for Sheriff, Springtime for Frankenstein, etc. Unless someone's pulling my leg.

[@CathleenMJennings80]

NO WAY! i KNEW he looked familiar! I love Mr. Belvedere :)

[@chrispittman8854]

FANTASTIC!!! The musical was great, but the SOURCE material 🤣🤣🤣 "Turn turn KICK turn! Turn turn KICK turn!"

[@AtomicMama42]

Keep it gay, keep it gay, KEEP IT GAAAAAAYYYYYY

[@chrispittman8854]

@@AtomicMama42 🤣🤣🤣 OMG the "private" elevator scene was so "out there, " for the time and now it so "Will Ferrell."

[@SeanCRinaldo]

This movie has one of my favorite story concepts for a comedy. As soon as you hear the name of that damn play your mind is racing with numerous ideas of what the hell you're about to see on that stage. This, the stage musical, and the 2005 film based on the stage musical never fail to deliver laughs whenever I watch them.

[@rogermorris9696]

"No way this play would be produced. A "sit-com" called "Heil Huney I'm Home " was greenlit and broadcast onceo in the UK..

[@hackerx7329]

The only show I know of to get canceled DURING the first episode and get pulled off the air because one of the head honchos called up from home and screamed at them to pull it right then.

[@AtomicMama42]

I've heard of that 😂😂

[@Rmlohner]

Anyone who says you couldn't make this today hasn't seen It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

[@WhatAboutZoidberg]

My wife and I do sing these songs while doing dishes and cleaning lol..thats how I knew she was a keeper. Mel is too talented and Gene Wilder hysterical is always a good time.

[@stephanniemorin]

Yeah baby! Its always a treat with you two!

[@vincentsaia6545]

The play Max reads about a man turning into a cockaroach is based on METEMORPHOSIS, a classic story by Franz Kafka.

[@carlevans8825]

The live Broadway stage rendition with Nathan lane and Matthew Broderick was HILARIOUS. The film adaptation of the musical wad horrendous lol

[@pacldawson]

Note that Franz in this movie was Inspector Kemp (the police official with the monicle over his eyepatch and a wooden arm) in "Young Frankenstein".

[@christhornycroft3686]

The 2005 version is worth your time, too. It's an adaptation of the stage version, so it's a bit different. Similar plot line with a few additions, but it's a musical and the jokes are more 2000s.

[@jakemetzgar]

That’s what makes it inferior in almost every way. Matthew Broderick was abysmal

[@arimyrback]

@@jakemetzgarI respectfully disagree. Broaderick kicked up the hysteria scene to the next level. I actually prefer the 2006 version because it is sheer insanity and I loved every minute of it.

[@AtomicMama42]

It's more like actual Broadway performance of it, especially since both Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane actually performed it on Broadway. The songs OMFG the songs. And John Barrowman ❤

[@AtomicMama42]

​@@jakemetzgarMatthew Broderick is who played Bloom on Broadway. Just stop whinging

[@christhornycroft3686]

@@AtomicMama42 Exactly. People watching the movie expected a cinematic performance instead of a theatrical performance. Broderick tends to lean more theatrical and over the top anyway, so I thought he was fine. For me, it was Nathan Lane's performance that was really good. The "standing ovation" line was perfectly delivered.

[@jeremyo3596]

@20:32 I think is the best moment of this reaction video! The thing I love most about this movie is watching the reactions of people who've never seen this before. When my Mom saw the dancing swastika for the first time, she had the EXACT same reaction (almost, we don't swear in our family, but still).

[@edwardtoyebo9690]

The elevator scene with Carmen Gia always makes me laugh. Mel was not getting the reaction he needed from the actor portraying Carmen. So, Zero, very carefully, reached over and grabbed the actor by the nuts and squeezed. That did it and Mel got his scene. It kills me every time they BURST out of the elevator door.

[@sunshine_tidings6983]

Matthew Broderick does a surprisingly serviceable job playing Gene's character in the 2005 one.

[@qq_02]

Uma Thurman isn't a bad change either.

[@sunshine_tidings6983]

and Nathan lane genuinely might be an upgrade

[@foljs5858]

@@sunshine_tidings6983 Nathan Lane an upgrade compared to the GIANT Zero Mostel? LOL... That's like Justin Bieber being an upgrade to Elvis

[@sunshine_tidings6983]

@@foljs5858 I think that’s a slight exaggeration but I concede to your point

[@explody7836]

The 2005 one is pretty excellent overall, I think -- the cast are all perfect in a musical production of the source material. Broderick definitely sticks closest to the original performance, and I think he even said in an interview that Leo as a character was so tied into Gene Wilder's performance that it felt impossible to play the role without imitating him to some degree.

[@rg3388]

I thought of this film when I heard the story about studio executives wanting Taika Waititi to star in “Jojo Rabbit” as well as direct it. “That’s our Hitler!” The ending also seems to be echoed at the end of “The Blues Brothers.”

[@WaitingForAMistspren]

They should definitely react to Jojo Rabbit if they haven't seen it yet.

[@jeremytung1632]

That “two coats” joke gets me way more than it should.

[@zetsuki4207]

The name of this movie in Swedish is "Springtime for Hitler" and they kept that naming for many of the other Mel Brooks movies after. Springtime for Frankenstein and Springtime for Space... Instead of Young Frankenstein and Spaceballs. In Swedish of course lol. "Det våras för Hitler," "Det våras för Frankenstein" and "Det våras för Rymden."

[@PincoPallino-zh8wm]

I saw the musical on the opening week on Broadway in 2001, with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. I laughed for 2 hours straight!

[@matwetton]

Do you recognise the ptsd German? He was the police inspector in young frankenstein. Close your eyes you can hear it but he looks so amazingly different

[@ThomasStClair-zr2lb]

The smoothest transition into an ad always comes with a costume change LOL.

[@WeeShenanigans]

It's important to remember the "first nighter" culture. A certain type of Manhattanite would attend just about on first night to be seen....

[@anthonyleecollins9319]

And the bold-faced names were always mentioned in newspaper columns the next day.

[@MrAnimeFan4Eva]

my man casually dropping nightcrawler reference into the react i ADORE that movie so much.

[@drphdmd7064]

The guy playing the German is the guy that plays Otto in Malcom in the Middle, the boss of the ranch that Francis works for.

[@cards0486]

This is the funniest movie ever!! When Mel Brooks got the Oscar for best screenplay he credited Gene Wilder at least 5 times in his short acceptance speech. Gene was a genius. I loved him so much; and it all started with Leo Bloom.

[@betsyduane3461]

The jury foreman standing at the end was Garry Marshall, future famous producer who created TV shows The Odd Couple, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, etc, and went on to direct some hits like Pretty Woman (1990).

[@Dej24601]

Zero Mostel is known for his comedy and his ability to carry a musical play (he was the original Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof) but he shows a tremendous serious, dramatic side in the film “The Front,” which used many people in both its cast and crew whose lives had been devastated by the “Blacklist.”

[@fauxrowsdower7610]

SHUT UP! I’M HAVING A RHETORICAL CONVERSATION

[@inhumanmusic1411]

If you want to see some more Zero Mostel madness, watch "A Funny Thing Happened to Me on the way to the Forum".

[@vincentsaia6545]

Mel Brooks won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for this movie.

[@Phlogiston2312]

The director of the play, played Mr. Belvedere

[@Makerr8]

Another fun fact about this movie is that it was originally called "Springtime for Hitler". Glad it didnt keep it.

[@ThreadBomb]

Yes. Apart from it not being a very commercial title, it sort of gives away the joke. Far better to go in expecting some vague comedy about Broadway, and then get that delightful dawning horror as you realise what the movie is leading to.

[@trashfay]

I saw the thumbnail and was like "idk this movie, might be meh", then u said "Mel Brooks" and I knew the vid is a must watch

[@arimyrback]

As others have said, the 2006 version is definitely worth seeing. We walked out of the theater in stunned silence. About half way to the car, I finally broke the silence with, “WTF WAS that???”. I won’t ruin it with hints other than to say it’s a new level of insanity for Mel Brooks.

[@FranklinGreymountainDiggins]

I love your review man

[@timholder6825]

The cockroach thing, when he's reading out the scripts, is reference to the Kafka work, Metamorphosis, that is regarded as a literary masterpiece.

[@charlesspringer4709]

Wilder and Mostel had been doing this on stage, which is why some of the scenes have a stage look and feel and timing.

[@philb2085]

"Con-see-urg" 🤣 I'd forgotten the Andy Warhol soup can necklace 😁

[@Jsspres]

An underrated Mel Brooks movie you might like is Silent Movie (1976). A slapstick comedy with Dom Deloiuse, Marty Feldman, and a taking mime.

[@TatewakiKunoAge17]

The only time in my life I have literally fallen out of my chair from laughing too hard was the first time I watched this movie, in the scene at the beginning where Gene Wilder is in hysterics and Zero Mostel is trying to calm him down. Just a stunning performance by both men and a stunning script to go with it. The remake of the Producers is definitely worth watching, but this is the superior version and you made the right call in watching it first. Glad you liked it!

[@GrandiaKnight]

Watch the musical version next!

[@TheMNWolf]

They actually did a play of this and during the rooftop scene, when they tried to leave, the door was unexpectedly locked and it led to an ad-libbed line that was so funny that it made it into the remake of the movie. Which means now you're going to have to watch that one too because I'm not going to tell you what the line is 😂

[@jeremytung1632]

It’s gotten to the point where “springtime for Hitler” is the trope name for when someone tries to deliberately fail at something only for failure to be impossible.

[@pricemoore2022]

Awesome reaction of my favorite movie!!!!!!!😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@Tattybirch96]

Now I want you to watch the remake. The whole thing is a musical in that one.

[@paulvinco7185]

Great bud guys. Loved watching you enjoy it for the first time. Peace.

[@MajinGatomon]

While released worldwide in 1967 it was only released 1976 in Germany under the name "Total verrückter Broadway" (Total crazy Broadway in English). It was re-released under the correctly translated name in the late 90s when it was shown by the German/French art channel Arte.

[@rjhollenbeck8442]

PLEASE do Dracula Dead and Loving It. It's Mel Brooks and you'll love it.

[@suncore598]

Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder are a great duo. They did another comedy together in 1974 called Rhinoceros.

[@HansKrammer-z9u]

I am german and i want to See that play. 😂😂 Dying laughing oder her.

[@TheOnlyHawkeye666]

Nothing improves a day more than a Mel Brooks movie!!!! Please do High Anxiety sometime! It was his tribute to Hitchcock if I remember correctly

[@jinglebell61]

I love that movie!

[@Phlogiston2312]

I loved it that Mel Brooks new Alfred Hitchcock and we'll call him hitch

[@ThePotatoeGuru]

There's an often overlooked one called To Be or Not to Be that he did with his wife, Anne Bancroft. Not your typical Brooks film, but great nonetheless.

[@ThreadBomb]

@@ThePotatoeGuru That was actually a remake.

[@vapors4villains]

Instant thumbs up for The Producers!

[@alphamike87]

19:55 I think was Mel Brooks in uniform saying "Don't Be Stupid, Be a Smarty, come and join the nazi party"

[@eastshirt]

Never seen this movie but Mel Brooks for sure doesnt disappoint

[@Dej24601]

The soup can necklace is a reference to the Andy Warhol “Pop art” paintings of soup cans from the 1960’s. Possibly the banana is a reference to The Rolling Stones record “Sticky Fingers” that had a banana as its cover art which was designed by Andy Warhol, altho the album was released after The Producers came out.

[@harveydent73]

Max was based on a real person Mel worked for when he was young.

[@zoedolmas4914]

Apparently when Gene Wilder first met Zero Mostell, he and Mel Brooks were both nervous, but then Zero grabbed Gene, bent him over and kissed him and said "This is my Bloom!"😂

[@jasoncampbell3558]

If you want even more good information as to why Brooks presented the Nazi's this way, or even tackled such a subject in this movie, Brooks actually served in World War II. He saw first hand how terrible the Nazi's war effort and their treatment of Jewish people, who btw Brooks family were a part of, was. So if anyone has any right to not only tackle stuff like Nazi's, but also make fun of them and everything they stood for. It's him. Edit: Also another fun fact, this was actually Mel Brooks first ever Theatrical Movie. Not his very first, that credit goes to a made for TV movie called The Man in the Moon. But yeah, Mel Brooks first ever film that was put on the big screen with his name, and it's a film about making a musical centered around Hitler. Say what you want, but never say Mel Brooks doesn't come in swinging. XD

[@iKvetch558]

I concur with those who say that the new version from the 2000s is well worth watching. It was pretty much made by Mel Brooks himself, and Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick BOTH bring terrific new ideas to their roles...not to mention the addition of Uma as Ulla...wowowowoweeweewow! 😜

[@justinchetham-strode5234]

Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder teamed up in another film, a version of Eugene Ionescu's play Hippopotamus. A prime example of theatre of the absurd, the characters in the play transform from humans into hippopotami, a parody of how people reacted to the growth of nazism - by becoming monsters themselves.

[@aatragon]

My family and I were staying at the All-Star Music resort a year or two ago. To accompany the "Music" theming of the hotel, they play instrumental versions of famous songs from Broadway musicals unceasingly over the loudspeakers all over the resort. Walking in the grounds with my grandchildren, just after "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin' ", I heard them unmistakably play "Springtime for Hitler" over this P.A. (The song is also used in the musical version) Catchy as the song is, I deemed it inappropriate to sing along.

[@federicoumana9362]

For another wild Zero Mostel performance, check out A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. The soothsayer scene with Zero and Buster Keaton (yes, that Buster Keaton) alone is worth it.

[@RangerChris61]

You need to watch the new version, both because its hilarious but its also a full on musical

[@AdamMalone33]

The transitions into the sponsor ads are seamless, SEAMLESS I SAY!

[@Silenced23]

'Hey didn't see you there?!, eve though I let you in door.'

[@Artaimus]

Now you guys need to watch the musical version.

[@RossM3838]

Keneth mars gives new meaning to the word “inspired”

[@heavycritic9554]

There are many things in this movie that are typical Mel Brooks, but the scene at 16:25 is one that *_ONLY_* Mel Brooks could have gotten away with. 😀

[@Phlogiston2312]

There's funny thing though in the interview or something that he talked about the show or whatever Mel Brooks said that the thing about people who were Nazis or anti-semites back then he said you can't really argue with those who think that way, he says all you can do is the best you can do is make fun of Hitler and that's basically all you really need to do

[@alphamike87]

One of the ones auditioning for hitler was Arthur Rubin, the singer, he did music for Robin Hood Men in Tights, the song "The Night is Young", singing as Robin Hood to Maid Marian behind the curtain

[@anitahargreaves9526]

I've never seen in full and can't wait to download. Loved Gene Wilder, Stir Crazy one of my favourites too.

[@Shindai]

It hit me that the dude was giving Robin Williams right as you did. I haven't seen this film in years, I forgot how quintessential Mel Brooks it is. Gene Wilder is perfect of course. Are you gonna watch the remake with Matthew Broderick?

[@M.R.Enterrador]

I was in this musical as Leo and I also love your videos nice guys. You all are great. You should totally watch the musical with Matthew Broderick and Nathan Kane it’s so amazing. Also I can send the link to ours. It’s great to see all sides.

[@davidmichaelson1092]

I LOVE Zero Mostel. Though I know him best from the live performance of Fiddler on the Roof. And as Keehar the seagull in Watership Down (voice acting, his last role).

[@christopherumberger6142]

The Campbell soup and banana that LSD uses is a reference to Andy Warhol