Springtime for Hitler

Last updated

Springtime for Hitler: A Gay Romp With Adolf and Eva at Berchtesgaden is a fictional musical in Mel Brooks' 1967 film The Producers , [1] as well as the stage musical adaptation of the movie [2] and the 2005 movie adaptation of the musical. It is a musical about Adolf Hitler, written by Franz Liebkind, an unbalanced Nazi originally played by Kenneth Mars (and later by Brad Oscar and Will Ferrell in the stage musical and the 2005 film, respectively).

Contents

In the film, the play is chosen by the producer Max Bialystock and his accountant Leo Bloom in their fraudulent scheme to raise substantial funding by selling 25,000% of a play, then causing it to fail, and finally keeping all of the remaining money for themselves. To ensure that the play is a total failure, Max selects an incredibly tasteless script (which he describes as "practically a love letter to Adolf Hitler"), and hires the worst director he can find (Roger DeBris), a stereotypical homosexual and transvestite caricature. He casts an out-of-control hippie named Lorenzo St. Dubois, also known by his initials "L.S.D.", [3] in the role of Hitler (after he had wandered into the wrong theatre by mistake during the casting call – "That's our Hitler!").

Synopsis

The play starts with the musical number, "Springtime for Hitler". Accompanied by dancing stormtroopers, who at one point form a Busby Berkeley–style swastika, [2] the play immediately horrifies everyone in the audience except the author, and one lone viewer who breaks into applause—only for the latter to get pummeled by other disgusted theatergoers. As the audience begins to storm out of the theater, the first scene starts, with L.S.D. dressed up in full Nazi uniform and talking like a beatnik. The remaining audience starts to laugh, thinking that it is a satire, and those that had left return to the theater.

Franz, disgusted, goes behind the stage, unties the cable holding up the curtain and rushes out on stage, confronting the audience and ranting about the treatment of his beloved play. During his diatribe, there is a clank as someone strikes through the curtain, apparently with a pipe or hammer, hitting the steel Wehrmacht helmet that he is wearing. A moment later, in mid-rant, he exclaims "OW!" and falls over. The play continues, and the audience assumes that his performance was part of the act.

The play gets rave reviews from critics who mistakenly assume it was a work of satire, ensuring its success, as well as the conviction of the producers, once the fraudulent financing is discovered.

Differences between versions

In the musical stage version of The Producers and the 2005 musical film based on it, the part of L.S.D. is not included and Hitler is played by the flamboyant director DeBris, who sings a solo, "Heil Myself", [4] reminiscent of Judy Garland. Author Liebkind is originally chosen by Max to play Hitler but due to an unfortunate accident, he breaks his leg (ironic as the term 'break a leg' is used to mean 'good luck' in the theater world) and Max then asks DeBris to play Hitler. The swastika choreography at the end is displayed to the audience via a large mirror that is raised, à la A Chorus Line . [2] In the climactic final chorus, the 2005 film orchestration quotes the climax of the invasion theme from the first movement of Dimitri Shostakovich's Seventh symphony "Leningrad", depicting the 1941 German invasion of the Soviet Union.

In the musical version, Franz does not interrupt the play, but waits until after the performance to confront the producers, and then attempts to kill them under the accusation of making a fool out of Hitler ("He didn't need our help!"). He breaks his other leg while trying to run away from the police.

Related Research Articles

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, subtitled "A parable play", is a 1941 play by the German playwright Bertolt Brecht. It chronicles the rise of Arturo Ui, a fictional 1930s Chicago mobster, and his attempts to control the cauliflower racket by ruthlessly disposing of the opposition. The play is a satirical allegory of the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Germany prior to World War II.

<i>The Producers</i> (1967 film) Film by Mel Brooks

The Producers is a 1967 American satirical black comedy film written and directed by Mel Brooks and starring Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder, Dick Shawn, and Kenneth Mars. The film is about a theater producer and his accountant who scheme to get rich by fraudulently overselling interests in a stage musical purposely designed to fail. They find a script celebrating Adolf Hitler and the Nazis and bring it to the stage. Because of this theme, The Producers was controversial from the start and received mixed reviews. It became a cult film and found a more positive critical reception later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Heartfield</span> German visual artist (1891–1968)

John Heartfield was a 20th-century German visual artist who pioneered the use of art as a political weapon. Some of his most famous photomontages were anti-Nazi and anti-fascist statements. Heartfield also created book jackets for book authors, such as Upton Sinclair, as well as stage sets for contemporary playwrights, such as Bertolt Brecht and Erwin Piscator.

<i>Der Fuehrers Face</i> 1943 Donald Duck cartoon

Der Fuehrer's Face is an American animated anti-Nazi propaganda short film produced by Walt Disney Productions, created in 1942 and released on January 1, 1943 by RKO Radio Pictures. The cartoon, which features Donald Duck in a nightmare setting working at a factory in Nazi Germany, was made in an effort to sell war bonds and is an example of American propaganda during World War II. The film was directed by Jack Kinney and written by Joe Grant and Dick Huemer. Spike Jones released a version of Oliver Wallace's theme for the short before the film was released.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adolf Hitler in popular culture</span>

Adolf Hitler, dictator of Germany from 1933 to 1945, has been represented in popular culture ever since he became a well-known politician in Germany. His distinctive image was often parodied by his opponents. Parodies became much more prominent outside Germany during his period in power. Since the end of World War II representations of Hitler, both serious and satirical, have continued to be prominent in popular culture, sometimes generating significant controversy. In many periodicals, books, and movies, Hitler and Nazism fulfill the role of archetypal evil. This treatment is not confined to fiction but is widespread amongst nonfiction writers who have discussed him in this vein. Hitler has retained a fascination from other perspectives; among many comparable examples is an exhibition at the German Historical Museum which was widely attended.

<i>The Producers</i> (2005 film) 2005 film by Susan Stroman

The Producers is a 2005 American musical comedy film directed by Susan Stroman and written by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan based on the eponymous 2001 Broadway musical, which in turn was based on Brooks's 1967 film of the same name. The film stars an ensemble cast led by Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Uma Thurman, Will Ferrell, Gary Beach, Roger Bart, and Jon Lovitz. Creature effects were provided by Jim Henson's Creature Shop.

<i>She Was an Acrobats Daughter</i> 1937 film

She Was an Acrobat's Daughter is an animated short in the Merrie Melodies series, produced by Vitaphone Productions and released by Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. on April 10, 1937. This animated short was directed by I. Freleng and produced by Leon Schlesinger.

<i>The Producers</i> (musical) 2001 musical written by Mel Brooks

The Producers is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by Mel Brooks, and a book by Brooks and Thomas Meehan. It is adapted from Brooks's 1967 film of the same name. The story concerns two theatrical producers who scheme to get rich by fraudulently overselling interests in a Broadway musical designed to fail. Complications arise when the show is a surprise hit. The humor of The Producers draws on exaggerated accents, caricatures of Jews, gay people and Nazis, and many show business in-jokes.

<i>The Victory of Faith</i> 1933 film

Der Sieg des Glaubens is the first Nazi propaganda film directed by Leni Riefenstahl. Her film recounts the Fifth Party Rally of the Nazi Party, which occurred in Nuremberg, Germany, from 30 August to 3 September 1933. The film is of great historic interest because it shows Adolf Hitler and Ernst Röhm on close and intimate terms, before Hitler had Röhm killed during the Night of the Long Knives on 1 July 1934. As he then sought to remove Röhm from German history, Hitler ordered all known copies of the film be destroyed, and it was considered lost until a surviving copy was found in the 1980s in East Germany.

"Break a leg" is a typical English idiom used in the context of theatre or other performing arts to wish a performer "good luck". An ironic or non-literal saying of uncertain origin, "break a leg" is commonly said to actors and musicians before they go on stage to perform or before an audition. Though the term likely originates in German, the English expression is first attributed in the 1930s or possibly 1920s, originally documented without specifically theatrical associations. Among professional dancers, the traditional saying is not "break a leg", but the French word merde.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Treacy Egan</span> American actor and singer

John Treacy Egan is an American actor and singer known for starring in the Broadway productions of The Producers and The Little Mermaid.

Alfons Heck was a Hitler Youth member who eventually became a Hitler Youth Officer and a fanatical adherent of Nazism during the Third Reich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brad Oscar</span> American actor

Brad Oscar is an American musical theatre actor, known for his Broadway performances in musicals such as The Producers, Something Rotten!, Big Fish, Spamalot, The Addams Family, Mrs. Doubtfire and Wicked.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oskar Karlweis</span> Austrian actor

Oskar Leopold Karlweis was an Austrian-American stage and film actor, active internationally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nazi salute</span> Gesture used as a greeting in Nazi Germany

The Nazi salute, also known as the Hitler salute, or the Sieg Heil salute, is a gesture that was used as a greeting in Nazi Germany. The salute is performed by extending the right arm from the shoulder into the air with a straightened hand. Usually, the person offering the salute would say "Heil Hitler!", "Heil, mein Führer!", or "Sieg Heil!". It was officially adopted by the Nazi Party in 1926, although it had been used within the party as early as 1921, to signal obedience to the party's leader, Adolf Hitler, and to glorify the German nation. The salute was mandatory for civilians but mostly optional for military personnel, who retained a traditional military salute until the failed assassination attempt on Hitler on 20 July 1944.

<i>A Kitten for Hitler</i> 2007 American film

A Kitten for Hitler, also known as Ein Kitten für Hitler, is a 2007 short film directed by British director Ken Russell. Russell created it intending to be offensive. This caused casting problems, so he decided to cast an adult with dwarfism instead of a young child for the lead role. Russell thus cast Rusty Goffe, who played an Oompa-Loompa in the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, to play the lead role of Lenny, an American Jewish boy who aims to inspire a change of heart in Hitler.

Emin Xhinovci is a retired Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) insurgent and restaurant owner from Mitrovica known for his striking resemblance to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

"Springtime for Hitler" is a song written and composed by Mel Brooks for his 1968 film The Producers.

<i>Jojo Rabbit</i> 2019 comedy-drama film by Taika Waititi

Jojo Rabbit is a 2019 war comedy-drama film written and directed by Taika Waititi, adapted from Christine Leunens's 2008 book Caging Skies. Roman Griffin Davis portrays the title character, Johannes "Jojo" Betzler, a ten-year-old Hitler Youth member who finds out that his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their attic. He must then question his beliefs while dealing with the intervention of his imaginary friend (Waititi), a fanciful version of Adolf Hitler with a comedic stance on the politics of the war. The film also stars Sam Rockwell, Rebel Wilson, Stephen Merchant, and Alfie Allen.

References

  1. ↑ Wise, Damon (15 August 2008). "The making of The Producers". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Friedman, Roger (20 April 2001). "Springtime for Hitler and Boom Time for Broadway as Mel Brooks Musical Opens". Fox News. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  3. ↑ Kashner, Sam (January 2004). "The Making of The Producers". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  4. ↑ Crossland, David (9 April 2009). "'The Producers' Debuts in Germany: It's Springtime for Hitler in Berlin". Der Spiegel Online. Hamburg. Retrieved 12 December 2016. Heil to me I'm the Kraut who's out to change our history
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.