IMDb > To Be or Not to Be (1942)
To Be or Not to Be
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To Be or Not to Be (1942) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
8.0/10   8,387 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 10% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Ernst Lubitsch
Writers:
Melchior Lengyel (story)
Edwin Justus Mayer (screenplay)
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for To Be or Not to Be on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
6 March 1942 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Drama | War more
Plot:
During the Nazi occupation of Poland, an acting troupe becomes embroiled in a Polish soldier's efforts to track down a German spy. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins more
NewsDesk:
(5 articles)
Jude Law ... You Are the Father
 (From TMZ. 11 October 2009, 8:08 AM, PDT)
Curio: 10 Cents for Carole
 (From FilmExperience. 7 October 2009, 11:00 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Excellent propaganda comedy more (65 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Carole Lombard ... Maria Tura

Jack Benny ... Joseph Tura

Robert Stack ... Lieut. Stanislav Sobinski
Felix Bressart ... Greenberg
Lionel Atwill ... Rawitch
Stanley Ridges ... Professor Siletsky
Sig Ruman ... Col. Ehrhardt
Tom Dugan ... Bronski
Charles Halton ... Producer Dobosh
George Lynn ... Actor-Adjutant
Henry Victor ... Capt. Schultz
Maude Eburne ... Anna
Halliwell Hobbes ... Gen. Armstrong
Miles Mander ... Major Cunningham
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rudolph Anders ... Gestapo Sergeant at Desk at Top of Hotel Stairs (uncredited)
Paul Barrett ... Polish RAF pilot (uncredited)
Sven Hugo Borg ... German soldier (uncredited)
Peter Caldwell ... Wilhelm (uncredited)
Alec Craig ... Scottish Farmer without mustache (uncredited)
Helmut Dantine ... Co-pilot (uncredited)
Leslie Denison ... Captain (uncredited)
James Finlayson ... Scottish Farmer with mustache (uncredited)
James Gillette ... Polish RAF pilot (uncredited)
Leyland Hodgson ... Second Reporter (uncredited)
Olaf Hytten ... Polonius in Warsaw (uncredited)
Charles Irwin ... Reporter (uncredited)
John Kellogg ... RAF Flyer (uncredited)

Adolf E. Licho ... Prompter (uncredited)
John Meredith ... English wireless operator (uncredited)
Maurice Murphy ... Polish RAF pilot (uncredited)
Russ Powell ... Bystander (uncredited)
Frank Reicher ... Polish Official (uncredited)
Otto Reichow ... Co-pilot (uncredited)

Gene Rizzi ... Polish RAF pilot (uncredited)
Hans Schumm ... (uncredited)
Roland Varno ... Pilot (uncredited)
Ernö Verebes ... Stage Manager (uncredited)
Armand 'Curly' Wright ... Makeup Man (uncredited)
Wolfgang Zilzer ... Man in Bookstore (uncredited)
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Directed by
Ernst Lubitsch 
 
Writing credits
Melchior Lengyel (story)

Edwin Justus Mayer (screenplay)

Ernst Lubitsch  story (uncredited)

Produced by
Ernst Lubitsch .... producer
 
Original Music by
Werner R. Heymann 
 
Cinematography by
Rudolph Maté 
 
Film Editing by
Dorothy Spencer 
 
Casting by
Victor Sutker 
 
Production Design by
Vincent Korda 
 
Makeup Department
Gordon Bau .... makeup artist
 
Production Management
Walter Mayo .... production manager
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William McGarry .... assistant director
William Tummel .... assistant director
 
Art Department
Julia Heron .... interior decorator
J. McMillan Johnson .... associate art director (as J. MacMillan Johnson)
 
Sound Department
Frank Maher .... sound
 
Special Effects by
Lawrence W. Butler .... special effects (as Lawrence Butler)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Irene .... costumes: Miss Lombard
 
Music Department
Miklós Rózsa .... composer: additional music (uncredited)
Eugene Zador .... orchestrator: Miklós Rózsa (uncredited)
 
Other crew
Alexander Korda .... presenter
Ryszard Ordynski .... technical supervisor (as Richard Ordynski)
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributors
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
99 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | German
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)
Certification:
Canada:PG (video rating) | South Korea:12 (2003) | Finland:S | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #7834) | West Germany:12
Company:
Romaine Film Corporation more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Carole Lombard took the female lead despite the strenuous objections of her husband, Clark Gable. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: When Tura is disguised as Colonel Erhardt in his meeting with Siletsky he is wearing the uniform of a Major General (actually an SS-Gruppenfuehrer). more
Quotes:
Dobosh, Theatrical Producer: If we can manage that Greenberg suddenly pops up among all those Nazis...
Greenberg: It'll get a terrific laugh.
[a line he says several times earlier in the film]
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs: America's Funniest Movies (2000) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
Polonaise in A Major more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful.
Excellent propaganda comedy, 18 March 2006
9/10
Author: planktonrules from Bradenton, Florida

During and just before WWII, there were a lot of propaganda films created by Hollywood to drum up morale in our fight against Fascism. Nearly all of them were deadly serious war films. And, while many of them were great, after a while they all tended to blend together. Because of this, TO BE OR NOT TO BE is a real standout picture. The movie is a comedy and yet is every bit as effective in inspiring the war effort. Now it's not surprising that the film is so well-made as its director is Ernst Lubitsch and he is ably supported by lots of wonderful character actors such as Felix Bressart and Sig Rumand (among others). However, the nice surprise about the movie was the acting of Jack Benny in the starring role (along with the wonderful Carole Lombard). For years, Benny made fun of his acting and the movies he made, but he was great and the film was great. Aside from the rather dopey HORN BLOWS AT MIDNIGHT, in fact, I really like the few films he made.

All-in-all, a fine and fun film--chock full of quality.

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