The American comedian Mel Brooks broke a taboo with his parody of Hitler in the 1967 film The Producers. Despite some criticism for this satirical portrayal, Brooks’ work was crowned with success and parodies became his trademark.
Celebrate Brooks’ parodic genius with a double feature film screening of the original 1967 version of The Producers (directed by Mel Brooks and starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder) and the lesser-known 1983 remake of To Be Or Not To Be (starring Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft).
Museum Admission is included in the cost of each ticket. DEGENERATE! Hitler’s War on Modern Art will be available to view throughout both screening times. Docents will be in the exhibit to answer questions and give short tours from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Feel free to bring your own snacks, drinks, and chair cushions! Note: Snacks and drinks are not allowed in the exhibit galleries and must stay in the film screening room.
PROGRAM INFO
DATE: Wednesday, June 21, 2023
SCHEDULE:
4:00 – 7:00 p.m. Docents available
5:00 – 7:00 p.m. The Producers
7:00 – 7:15 p.m. Intermission
7:15 – 9:00 p.m. To Be Or Not To Be
LOCATION: Jewish Museum Milwaukee
COST: Museum Members $5 | Nonmembers $12
REGISTER HERE: https://jewishmuseummilwaukee.org/product/mel-brooks-double-feature-the-producers-and-to-be-or-not-to-be/
FILM SYNOPSES
The Producers
Low-rent Broadway producer Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) and his high-strung accountant, Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder), discover that, with the help of a few gullible investors, they can make more money on a flop than on a hit! Armed with the worst show ever written (“Springtime for Hitler”) and an equally horrific cast, this double-dealing duo is banking on disaster. But when their sure-to-offend musical becomes a surprise smash hit, they find themselves in the middle of a Broadway blitzkrieg!
To Be Or Not To Be
Frederick Bronski (Mel Brooks) and his adulterous wife, Anna (Anne Bancroft), are a pair of hammy actors running a low-rent theater in Warsaw, Poland. When the Nazis invade, the Bronskis find their theater becoming a makeshift refuge for local Jews and a gateway to the Polish underground. Using their limited acting skills, the members of the theater troupe attempt to deceive the Nazis and lead an escape. Meanwhile, a Polish pilot (Tim Matheson) thinks he has found a spy in England.