MovieChat Forums > Brewster's Millions (1945) Discussion > Inspiration for THE PRODUCERS?

Inspiration for THE PRODUCERS?

posted 15 years ago by Swift-12
4 replies | jump to latest

All the elements are here, more than just the kernel of an idea. Predominant among many goofy schemes to LOSE money, Brewster strikes upon the same formula as THE PRODUCERS. You can see what he's thinking when he learns an investment in a musical lost ONLY $75,000. He stops in his tracks and perks up his ears when his friends start listing the various reasons for their flop. Horrible actors, bad singing voices, amateurish dancers. Then he immediately signs up the cheapest hoofer in the production to become his new leading lady. And this time he's going to sink a lot more dough into this sure-fire catastrophe.

The only difference here is motivation -- Brewster wants to lose money so he'll win a bigger inheritance, whereas Max and Leo in THE PRODUCERS are just con-artists. But it's the same ironic twist ... produce a sure-fire flop, and walk away with a ton of cash. But if it DOESN'T fail, they've got big problems.

I'm not saying Brooks ripped off the idea, but you can't help but wonder if this old movie wasn't an inspiration.

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[–] xylonian-1 15 years ago

That is a good thought :) I didn't think of it at the time but putting on the show was a great way of losing money....

Oh, No!!!! Am I an Epsilon in an Alpha and Beta world????

[–] WarpedRecord 14 years ago

Great point. I think you may have something there. Mel Brooks is an avid film buff, and it's quite possible he saw this and ran with the inspiration for "The Producers." Many of his films contain homages to classic Hollywood.

[–] ksf-2 10 years ago

** SPOILERS BELOW **

try to catch "The Falcon in Hollywood" 1944... a part of that film is essentially the plot of The Producers.

[–] WarpedRecord 10 years ago

Thanks for the tip. I'll seek out "The Falcon in Hollywood."