Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/957795
PHOTO: PHOTOFEST M I L E S T O N E 76 DGA QUARTERLY When Mel Brooks made his directorial debut on The Producers, which opened in New York 50 years ago, critics and even the executives at Embassy Pictures, which distributed the comedy, didn't quite know what to make of it. Reviews were wildly mixed. And yet The Producers has gained stature over time, having established Brooks' trademark outrageous humor and since become a preserved treasure in the National Film Registry. ยป Mel Brooks, left, takes a hands-on approach to direct- ing Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel on The Producers.