New York, 1959. Max Bialystock was once the king of Broadway, but now all his shows close on opening night. Things turn around when he's visited by the neurotic accountant Leo Bloom, who proposes a scheme tailor-made for producers who can only make flops: raise far more money than you need, then make sure the show is despised. No one will be interested in it, so you can pocket the surplus. To this end, they produce a musical called Springtime for Hitler written by escaped Nazi Franz Liebken. Then they get the insanely flamboyant Roger De Bris to direct. Finally, they hire as a lead actress the loopy Swedish bombshell Ulla (whose last name has over 15 syllables). As opening night draws near, what can go wrong? Well, there's no accounting for taste...

This is a movie about a play based on a play about a play based on a movie about a play. In fact, however, Mel Brooks originally envisioned this as a Broadway play. Published accounts in 1966 reported that Brooks was working on a comedy play with the title "Springtime for Hitler," and his original choice for the part of Bloom was going to be Paul Anka.

Leo Bloom:
We might have a position for you.


Max Bialystock:
As a matter of fact, we might have several positions for you.

Continuity: When the producers try to convince the director to join the show, the trim at the top of the director's dress becomes tucked into the dress on one side between shots.

Music and Lyrics by Mel Brooks
Performed by Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick