The Producers

Adolf Pigeon

The Producers is the 2005 film version of Mel Brooks' stage musical about an attempt to pull a scam of engineering a deliberate flop of a stage musical that improbably backfires, itself based on Brooks' earlier film starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder.

Jim Henson's Creature Shop provided "creature effects," namely Tom the cat and a troupe of trained pigeons kept by playwright Franz Liebkind. Though real pigeons were used for some shots, puppet pigeons were used for a sequence wherein the pigeons danced and performed the "Sieg heil!" movements.

Victor Yerrid served as lead puppeteer for the animals. Individual pigeon puppeteers included Drew Massey, Joey Mazzarino, Fran Brill, Tyler Bunch, Tim Lagasse, Peter Linz, Matt Vogel, Martin P. Robinson, and James Kroupa, with Brooks himself voicing Hilda the pigeon.

One of the pigeons, Adolf, is distinguished by the unique markings on his wing, particularly visible when he snaps the Nazi salute. In a deleted blooper, included on the DVD release, Adolf (performed by Yerrid) talks directly to the camera and asserts his status as the leader of the pigeons, speaking in a faux-German accent.

Cast

Nathan Lane as Max Bialystock

Matthew Broderick as Leo Bloom

Uma Thurman as Ulla

Roger Bart as Carmen Ghia

Kathy Fitzgerald as Shirley Markowitz

Michael McKean as Prison Trustee

Andrea Martin as Kiss Me-Feel Me

Jon Lovitz as Mr. Marks

Marilyn Sokol as Bag Lady

Jai Rodriguez as Sabu the Houseboy

John Barrowman as Lead Tenor

Mel Brooks as Hilda the Pigeon, Tom the Cat, Himself

Richard Kind as the Jury Foreman

Madeleine Doherty played a little old Lady

Brad Oscar played a cab driver

References

• In a 2002 commercial for MasterCard, the Muppets tour New York City and its environs. In one scene, Kermit the Frog stands in front of the marquee for the Broadway musical of The Producers.

Connections

• Jason Alexander played Max Bialystock in the 2003 US national tour
• Justin Bohon joined the show's ensemble during the original Broadway run
• Tony Danza played Max Bialystock on Broadway
• Madeleine Doherty played Hold-me Touch-me in the original Broadway company
• Kathy Fitzgerald originated the roles of Shirley Markowitz, Kiss-me Feel-me, and others in the original Broadway production
• Jonathan Freeman played Roger DeBris on Broadway
• David Hasselhoff played Roger DeBris in the 2007 Las Vegas production
• Richard Kind played Max Bialystock on Broadway
• Brad Oscar originated the role of Franz Liebkind on Broadway, before playing various other roles in multiple productions
• Martin Short played Leo in the 2003 US national tour