To Be or Not to Be (1983)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Alan Johnson

Writers:

Edwin Justus Mayer (1942 screenplays)
Ronny Graham (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

1 February 1984 (France)

Genre:

Drama | War | Comedy

Tagline:

That is the movie!

Plot:

A bad Polish actor is just trying to make a living when what should intrude but World War II in the form of an invasion...

Plot Keywords:

Gay Holocaust | Reference To Hamlet | Remake | German Occupation | Funny Nazi

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 nominations

Cast

Mel Brooks	...	Dr. Frederick Bronski
Anne Bancroft	...	Anna Bronski
Tim Matheson	...	Lt. Andre Sobinski
Charles Durning	...	Col. Erhardt
Christopher Lloyd	...	Capt. Schultz
José Ferrer	...	Prof. Siletski
Ronny Graham	...	Sondheim
Estelle Reiner	...	Gruba
Zale Kessler	...	Bieler
Jack Riley	...	Dobish
Lewis J. Stadlen	...	Lupinsky
George Gaynes	...	Ravitch
George Wyner	...	Ratkowski
James 'Gypsy' Haake	...	Sasha (as James Haake)
Earl Boen	...	Dr. Boyarski
Ivor Barry	...	Gen. Hobbs
William Glover	...	Maj. Cunningham
John Francis	...	British intelligence agent
Raymond Skipp	...	RAF flight sergeant
Marley Sims	...	Rifka, Gruba's Niece
Larry Rosenberg	...	Rifka's husband
Max Brooks	...	Rifka's son
Henry Kaiser	...	Gestapo officer
Milt Jamin	...	Gestapo soldier
George Caldwell	...	Gestapo guard
Wolf Muser	...	Desk sergeant
Henry Brandon	...	Nazi officer #1
Lee E. Stevens	...	Nazi officer #2
Frank Lester	...	Officer in command car
Roy Goldman	...	Adolf Hitler
Robert Goldberg	...	Hitler Adjutant
John McKinney	...	Elite Guard officer
Eda Reiss Merin	...	Frightened Jewish woman
Manny Kleinmuntz	...	Frightened Jewish woman's husband
Phil Adams	...	Airport sentry
Curt Lowens	...	Airport officer
Robin Haynes	...	Polish Flier
Ron Kuhlman	...	Polish Flier
John Otrin	...	Polish Flier
Blane Savage	...	Polish Flier
Joey Sheck	...	Polish Flier
Ron Diamond	...	Pub Bartender
Gillian Eaton	...	Pub Barmaid
Paddi Edwards	...	Pub Waitress
Terence Marsh	...	Startled British Officer
Winnie McCarthy	...	Picadilly Usherette
Paul Ratliff	...	Naval Officer
Scott Beach	...	Narrator
Sandra Gray	...	Lady
Clare Culhane	...	Lady
Laurie Manning	...	Lady
Leeyan Granger	...	Lady
Stephanie Wingate	...	Lady
Ian Bruce	...	Klotskis Klowns
John Frayer	...	Klotskis Klowns
Edward J. Heim	...	Klotskis Klowns
Spencer Henderson	...	Klotskis Klowns
George Jayne	...	Klotskis Klowns
Bill K. Richards	...	Klotskis Klowns
Neil J. Schwartz	...	Klotskis Klowns
Tucker Smith	...	Klotskis Klowns
Ted Sprague	...	Klotskis Klowns

Directed by
Alan Johnson

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ronny Graham		writer
Melchior Lengyel		story
Ernst Lubitsch		story
Edwin Justus Mayer		1942 screenplay
Thomas Meehan		writer

Produced by
Mel Brooks	....	producer
Howard Jeffrey	....	executive producer
Irene Walzer	....	associate producer

Original Music by
John Morris

Cinematography by
Gerald Hirschfeld

Film Editing by
Alan Balsam

Casting by
Terry Liebling

Production Design by
Terence Marsh

Art Direction by
J. Dennis Washington

Set Decoration by
John Franco Jr.

Costume Design by
Albert Wolsky

Makeup Department
John M. Elliott Jr.	....	makeup department head
Cheri Ruff	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Jack Frost Sanders	....	production manager
Jack Frost Sanders	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ross G. Brown	....	assistant director
Pamela M. Eilerson	....	second assistant director
Dennis Maguire	....	dga trainee

Art Department
Craig Edgar	....	set designer
Joseph E. Hubbard	....	set designer
Steven Kerlagon	....	stand-by painter
Guy A. MacLaury	....	construction foreman
Mary Mathews	....	assistant property master
William S. Maxwell III	....	lead man
Dennis J. Parrish	....	property master
Hope M. Parrish	....	assistant property master
John A. Scott III	....	swing gang
Robert Van Dyke	....	propmaker gangboss
S. Bruce Wineinger	....	construction coordinator

Sound Department
Raul A. Bruce	....	boom operator
Gene S. Cantamessa	....	production sound mixer
Louis L. Edemann	....	supervising sound editor
Richard C. Franklin	....	sound editor
Gregg Landaker	....	sound re-recording mixer
Steve Maslow	....	sound re-recording mixer
Bill Varney	....	sound re-recording mixer

Visual Effects by
Chuck Comisky	....	visual effects producer
Phil Abramson	....	visual effects designer (uncredited)
Roy Arbogast	....	visual effects designer (uncredited)
Robert Blalack	....	optical effects (uncredited)
Christopher Dusendschon	....	optical compositor (uncredited)
David Emerson	....	optical lineup (uncredited)
Austin McKinney	....	visual effects (uncredited)
Rexford L. Metz	....	visual effects director of photography (uncredited)
Christopher Nibley	....	visual effects director of photography (uncredited)
Mark M. Pompian	....	visual effects camera operator (uncredited)
Chris Regan	....	optical supervisor (uncredited)
Jay Riddle	....	visual effects coordinator (uncredited)
Robert Skotak	....	visual effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Bernie Godlove	....	stunt pilot
Buddy Joe Hooker	....	stunts
Harvey Parry	....	stunts
Art Scholl	....	stunt pilot
Dick Ziker	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Billy Beaird	....	dolly grip (as Bill Beaird)
Michael W. Blymyer	....	best boy
Alfred Budniak	....	best boy
Joe Collins	....	best boy
Lindsay P. Hill	....	video playback operator
Marc Hirschfeld	....	assistant camera
Ronald W. McLeish	....	gaffer
Chuck Sereci	....	best boy
Stephen Vaughan	....	still photographer
Robert West Sr.	....	key grip

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Bruce Ericksen	....	wardrobe: men
Ann Somers Major	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Nancy Forner	....	assistant editor
Jack Hooper	....	negative cutter
Patrick Magee	....	apprentice editor

Music Department
Ralph Burns	....	orchestrator
Greg Fulginiti	....	music engineer
Jack Hayes	....	orchestrator
Eugene Marks	....	music editor
Tommy Tedesco	....	musician: guitar
Dan Wallin	....	score mixer (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Michael Connolly	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
William Allyn	....	production suggested by
Bruce Bahrenburg	....	unit publicist
Penny Brocato	....	craft service
Bart Doe	....	title illustrator
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer
Stanley Gibbs	....	production assistant
Tom Gillman	....	assistant: Mr. Johnson
Mona Izdebska	....	dialogue coach
K. Lenna Katich	....	production controller (as K. Lenna Woodward)
David Lunney	....	production suggested by
Michele Markino	....	assistant: Mr. Brooks
Princess McLean	....	production assistant
Charlene Painter	....	assistant choreographer: Mr. Johnson
Pattie Pica	....	assistant: Mr. Jeffrey
Cynnie Troup	....	script supervisor
John R. Woodward	....	location manager
Anna Zappia	....	production coordinator
Leah Zappy	....	assistant: Mr. Brooks (as Leah S. Zappy)
Art Scholl	....	pilot (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Brooksfilms
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)
• Abril Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• CBS/Fox Video (1985) (Belgium) (video)
• Fox Video (USA) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Other Companies

• DeLuxe Laboratories  color by (as DeLuxe)

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:PG | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:L | Brazil:Livre | Finland:S | Spain:7 | Sweden:11 | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | UK:PG | Argentina:Atp | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Mayfield Senior School - 500 Bellefontaine Street, Pasadena, California, USA

Company:

Brooksfilms

Trivia:

A street sign reads "Kubelski Avenue". To Be or Not to Be (1942) starred Jack Benny, whose real name is Benny Kubelski.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the Naughty Nazis song, "A Little Piece...", they mention Pakistan as one of the countries. Pakistan was not created until 1947.

Quotes:

[Frederick returns home, having succesfully impersonated Siletski at Gestapo headquarters]
Frederick Bronski: I did it! I did it! I gave the greatest performance of my life...
[sinks into a chair and peels off his fake beard]
Frederick Bronski: And nobody saw it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Rhinestone (1984)

Soundtrack:

A Little Peace

a maligned minor classic

This remake of Ernst Lubitsch's wartime comedy has often been dismissed as a ham-fisted and unnecessary vanity exercise. This is grossly unfair, as the Brooks' version is in fact a deft and funny comedy that stands up well in comparison to its forebear. Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft make their own the roles of the Bronskis, a Warsaw theatrical duo ("world famous in Poland")who star in revues at the Bronski theatre. When war breaks out the Bronskis become brood-hens to an ever-growing community of Jewish refugees while staying one step ahead of the Nazis. Brooks and Bancroft are fine in the roles of the battling Bronskis, particularly Mel Brooks who finds a touching level of vulnerability beneath the bombast and bluster of Frederick Bronski. Despite the farcical and improbable plot twists, the narrative is sound and genuine pathos registers throughout the film. Those with fond memories of Jack Benny and Carole Lombard in the lead roles may have boycotted this on first release, but they have denied themselves a rare treat - a sure-footed and genuinely entertaining film.