US comedy directed by Mel Brooks. Failed Broadway producer Max (Zero Mostel) and timid accountant Leo (Gene Wilder) come up with a foolproof plan to make a fortune, by staging a musical which is guaranteed to flop and close after one night. A mad Nazi seems to have the perfect raw material - a tribute to the Führer entitled 'Springtime for Hitler'.

However, the show is taken for a comedy classic, and becomes an overnight success. The two schemers, now faced with financial ruin, decide to blow up the theatre in a desperate bid to cut their losses.