Mel Brooks was so brazen in its satire that major studios would not touch it, nor would many exhibitors. Brooks finally found an independent distributor who released it as an art film, a specialized attraction. In 1968, Brooks received an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the film, beating such writers as Stanley Kubrick and John Cassavetes. "The Producers" became a smash underground hit, first on the nationwide college circuit, then in revivals and on home video. Brooks later turned it into a musical, which became hugely successful on Broadway, receiving an unprecedented twelve Tony awards. With the moderate financial success of
Watch Your Step (musical) "Watch Your Step" marked the first time a Tin Pan Alley composer moved "uptown" to Broadway with a complete score. The original Broadway production, produced by Charles Dillingham, opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre on December 8, 1914. It ran for 175 performances and featured in the cast Vernon and Irene Castle, Frank Tinney, Elizabeth Murray, Harry Kelly and Justine Johnstone. Watch Your Step (musical) Watch Your Step is a musical with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin and a book by Harry B. Smith. It was Irving Berlin's debut musical. "Play a Simple Melody" and "They Always Follow Me