Frühling für Hitler (1967)

Frühling für Hitler: Directed by Mel Brooks. With Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder, Dick Shawn, Kenneth Mars. A stage-play producer devises a plan to make money by producing a sure-fire flop.

“There are so many laughs in THE PRODUCERS (long before Mel Brooks lost his magic touch), that youu0026#39;ll be in tears by the time Brooks gets to his u0026quot;Springtime for Hitleru0026quot; routine. ZERO MOSTELu0026#39;s early scenes with ESTELLE WINWOOD are hilarious enough, but he and GENE WILDER top themselves by the time you get to the frantic ending.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLEE MEREDITH is the curvy Ulla who can shake a mean hip and DICK SHAWN is the hilariously daffy Lorenzo St. DuBois (LSD for short), and everyone in the cast has a fine time delivering over-the-top performances in the spirit in which this sort of satire requires.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe story is simply that of a producer running short on cash who devises a scheme whereby if he produces the worst musical in the world, he can actually get his investment back and then some. He convinces his mild-mannered bookkeeper GENE WILDER to join him in the scheme and then the fun gets off to a great start.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe climactic u0026quot;Springtime for Hitleru0026quot; is just one of the delirious highlights (if politically incorrect by todayu0026#39;s standards), and is probably the reason so many of the comments here resent the film and everything it stands for. But thereu0026#39;s no getting away from it–the script is downright brilliant and original–winning an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and numerous other writing awards including an award from The Writeru0026#39;s Guild of America.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSumming up: Mel Brooks at his wittiest.”