Brushes with fame: he lived about a half mile away from us when we lived in Stamford. I think I saw him one morning getting his mail.
I saw The Producers in my neighborhood movie theater when it first came out. About a half minute was subsequently edited out; it has to do with "Ze Qvick Fuse!" referenced above. In the edited version, the theater blows up after "Ze Qvick Fuse!" In the original version, Bialystock, Bloom and Liebkind catch the fuse before it reaches the dynamite. They then rewire the bomb using the slow fuse, then walk down the alley to go to a hiding spot. As they do, the drunk in the bar (William Hickey) stumbles up to the plunger, lifts his foot, says "Shine 'em up!" and steps down on it, blowing up the theater.