Zero Mostel

The Front

In the 1950s, restaurant cashier Howard Prince (Woody Allen) is apathetic toward the politics around him. When a blacklisted screenwriter (Michael Murphy) asks Howard to sell a script under his own name, Howard sees an opportunity to make a profit and becomes a "front" for several blacklisted writers. But after he witnesses the social destruction of a comedian (Zero Mostel), Howard sees the corruption of McCarthyism and decides to do something to make a difference.

The Producers

Down and out producer Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel), who was once the toast of Broadway, trades sexual favors with old ladies for cash contributions. Max's new accountant Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder), offhandedly muses that if Max found investors for a new production that turned into a flop, he could legally keep all the extra money. The duo begins to put together the worst play possible, titled "Springtime for Hitler", with a terrible director and a hippie-freak star.