Springtime for Hitler: Difference between revisions
Content deleted Content added
No edit summary |
←Blanked the page Tag: blanking |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Unreferenced|date=August 2007}} |
|||
[[Image:Producer spngtim 4.jpg|thumb|230px|A row of dancing stormtroopers in the opening musical number from ''Springtime for Hitler''.]] |
|||
'''''Springtime for Hitler: A Gay Romp With Eva and Adolf at Berchtesgaden''''' is a [[Play within a play|fictional play]] in [[Mel Brooks]]' 1968 film ''[[The Producers (1968 film)|The Producers]]'' that has been remade both as film and musical. It is a [[Musical theater|musical]] about [[Adolf Hitler]], written by fictional [[National Socialist German Workers Party|Nazi]] [[Franz Liebkind]]. |
|||
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, causing it to fail, and keeping all of the remaining money for themselves. In order 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"), hires the worst director he can find, ([[Roger DeBris]], a stereotypical [[homosexual]] and [[transvestism|transvestite]] [[caricature]]) and casts an out-of-control [[hippie]] named Lorenzo St. DuBois, also known by his initials "[[LSD|L.S.D.]]", in the role of Hitler (after he had wandered into the wrong theatre by mistake during the casting call). |
|||
==Synopsis== |
|||
The play starts with a musical number, "Springtime for Hitler." |
|||
[[Image:Producer lsd 2.jpg|thumb|right|230px|L.S.D. ([[Dick Shawn]]) as Adolf Hitler confers with his advisors]] |
|||
Accompanied by dancing [[Sturmabteilung|stormtroopers]] who at one point form a [[Busby Berkeley]]-style [[swastika]], the play immediately horrifies everyone in the audience except the author, an unbalanced ex-Nazi named [[Franz Liebkind]], played by [[Kenneth Mars]], and one lone viewer who breaks into applause—only to be pummelled by other disgusted theatergoers. As the audience begins to storm out of the theater, the first scene starts, with Lorenzo St. DuBois 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's wearing. A moment later, in mid-rave, 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, ensuring its success (and the conviction of the producers). |
|||
==Differences compared to the musical== |
|||
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Springtime for Hitler Roger.gif|thumb|right|200px|Roger DeBris ([[Gary Beach]]) as Adolf Hitler from the 2005 movie musical version of ''[[The Producers (2005 film)|The Producers]]'']] --> |
|||
In the [[The Producers (musical)|musical stage version]] of ''The Producers'' and the [[The Producers (2005 film)|2005 movie musical]] based on it, the part of LSD is not included and Hitler is played by the flamboyant director DeBris, who sings a solo, "Heil Myself", reminiscent of [[Judy Garland]]. Author Franz is originally chosen by Max to play Hitler, but due to an unfortunate accident, he breaks his leg (ironic since 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, a la ''[[A Chorus Line]]''. |
|||
In the musical version Franz does not interrupt the play, but waits until afterward to confront the producers and then attempts to kill them under the accusation of making a fool out of Hitler, whom "didn't need their ''help.''" He breaks his other leg while trying to run away from the police. |
|||
==Covers== |
|||
*A cover of this song is performed by the [[Roamin' Bones]] of the [[Florida State University]] Marching Band, the [[Marching Chiefs]]. |
|||
==External links== |
|||
*[http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/theproducers/springtimeforhitler.htm Broadway show lyrics for number] |
|||
[[Category:Songs from films]] |
|||
[[Category:Songs from musicals]] |
|||
[[Category:Fictional plays]] |
|||
[[Category:Adolf Hitler in fiction]] |
|||