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
I Am What I Am (Broadway musical song) hit in America, Gaynor's version of "I Am What I Am" was a Top 40 hit throughout Europe and eventually became a gay anthem. I Am What I Am (Broadway musical song) "I Am What I Am" is a song originally introduced in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical "La Cage aux Folles". The song is the finale number of the musical's first act, and performed by the character of Albin Mougeotte, first played by George Hearn. His version appears on the original cast album released in 1983. The song was composed by Jerry Herman, an openly gay man. The song