The Producers/Trivia

""Oh, that dreadful picture. I can't bear to watch it, even on a small television. I must have needed the money - living in Hollywood weakens one's motives. It reminds me of the saying that nobody ever went broke underestimating the American public's taste.""
 * Actor Allusion: In the 2005 film, Will Ferrell's character breaks one leg, then later breaks the other. Mustafa, who Will played in Austin Powers 2, had the same misfortune.
 * Creator Backlash: The subject of sort of a meta-example (in addition to the obvious in-universe example). In season 4 of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Mel casts Larry David as Max on Broadway, knowing he's a terrible actor, in the hopes that The Producers will finally die because he's sick of it (see?). The season finale covers the debut performance with Larry in the role, and he starts to falter but manages to turn it around, ensuring the show's continued longevity.
 * Dawson Casting: Lorenzo St. DuBois seems to be a 50 year old hippie, not recent college graduate. (Of course, that could be the point.)
 * Executive Meddling:
 * The original film was so offbeat and provocative it almost didn't get released - until Peter Sellers saw an early cut at a private gathering and pressured Avco-Embassy to support it, taking out an ad in Variety. (Ironically, Brooks had initially wanted Sellers for a role in the film but he turned it down.)
 * In a looser sense, this is the entire plot of the film--Bialystock and Bloom are meddling with their product, albeit to make it fail rather than succeed.
 * Fake Nationality: Franz Liebkind and Ulla, in all the versions.
 * Hey, It's That Guy!: In the 2005 movie, Captain Jack Harkness sings "Springtime for Hitler."
 * Timon and Simba are the main characters with Ron Burgundy and The Bride as Liebkind and Ulla respectively.
 * In a deleted scene, Pumbaa joins in.
 * George is Carmen Ghia!
 * The original film features a much thinner Mr. Belvedere wearing a dress!
 * The original Bialystock and Bloom are Kehaar and Willy Wonka.
 * Estelle Winwood in the original.
 * Old Shame / Money, Dear Boy: Estelle Winwood.


 * Throw It In: Gene Wilder's "Whom Has He Hurt" speech was completely improvised.
 * What Could Have Been: Dustin Hoffman was initially cast as Franz Liebkind in the original film until Mike Nichols cast him as Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate instead.
 * According to Mel Brooks, he only let Hoffman audition for The Graduate because Brooks' wife, Anne Bancroft, was playing Mrs. Robinson in that film. Also, since Benjamin was a blond jock in the book, Brooks thought he'd never get the role.