To Be or Not to Be (1942)
Director: Ernst Lubitsch
Honors:
In the wake of the United States entering World War II Ernst
Lubitsch was set to release a motion picture that could be considered a strong
weapon in the fight against the Axis in the minds of Americans, a film that satirized
Nazi Germany as a great assemblage of buffoons outsmarted by group of actors in
wartime Poland. The film is a laugh out loud dark comedy that was sure to bring
smiles on the faces of most that saw it, but sadly would be remembered as the
final picture for its greatest headlining star. Despite the tragic loss that
would be attached the lore of the feature it remains one of the most amusing motion
pictures in American cinema and significant for it place in entertainment
history.
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| Carole Lombard and Jack Benny |
To Be or Not to Be
is a cynical, dark comedy about a troupe of Polish stage actors who take it
upon themselves to outsmart their Nazi enemies in hope to help win the war set
to backdrop of the Nazi invasion of Poland. During the events of Germany commencing
occupation of Poland in 1939 a Warsaw theater troupe, led by its ham star actor
Josef Tura (Jack Benny) and his beautiful wife Maria (Carole Lombard), become
mixed up with Nazi authorities due to the relationship Maria has with a
handsome young pilot named Sobinski (Robert Stack).
Through the troupe’s acting and theater make-up skills Tura
is able to fool the bumbling Nazi Col. Ehrhardt (Sig Rugman) enough to gain
access to knowledge of German actions in Warsaw. With this new information they
devise a plan of escape. At a highly celebrated stage show in the honor of
visiting Adolf Hitler Tura, Maria, and rest disguised at Nazis, including
Hitler himself, convince soldiers to allow passage to Hitler’s private plane
where the actors fly to freedom.
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| "To be, or not to be..." Robert Stack's cue to exit.. |
An underlying running gag through the picture is Tura’s
jealousy of Maria’s possible affair with Sobinski, which never truly happens.
In the early stages of the picture Maria gave instructions to the young and
fetching Sobinski to leave his seat and visit her in her dressing room during
Tura’s favorite moment to drag out his acing skill, while performing Hamlet on
stage, the key words beginning with the famous words “To be, or not to be…” Originally
not knowing why, Tura was always worried when Sobinski left his seat
continually at this very moment. Through the picture Tura holds his grudge with
the young pilot until together they find
their way to Scotland where the Allies reward Tura and his men with anything
they desire, to which Tura wishes to perform Hamlet once again. The final joke
of the film consists of Tura taking the stage once more for the “to be, or not
to be” scene with Sobinski in the audiences, but when he delivers the words
another men suddenly gets up to exit, leaving both men with a surprised and
suspicious look in their eyes as we fade to black.
The film is a true delight to watch. Looking back on it
decades later the feature is light-hearted, filled with great humor and feeling
that nothing is taken very seriously. However, one can only imagine how very different
it would have been to be in the audience viewing this film for the first time
in 1942. Nazi Germany was a real, tangible threat to the entire world and
unlike when Charlie Chaplin released The
Great Dictator America was now part of that war. America’s borders were
breached December 1941, just four months prior to the movie’s opening. Young American
men were now setting off to Europe and the Pacific to give their lives for
their country. The talk about Nazis was not something that would be thought of
as a possible set up for a punchline for audience that took their seats in a
theater.
When director/producer Ernst Lubitsch began pre-production
it is unclear what the filmmaker was thinking as the subject matter he was
dealing with was not inherently funny. However the famed director plowed
forward in this self-produced picture writing the part of the leading ham actor
of Tura specifically for comedian Jack Benny. Benny, then a star of his own
popular radio show, was flattered by desire that one of the most famous
director wanted to work with him. His originally intended co-star was Mariam
Hopkins, but due to complications was recast with Carol Lombard, who
desperately wished to work with Lubitsch as well. Together these three formed
the backbone of this feature as hilarious stars and their skilled leader.
A tragedy forever linked to To Be or Not to Be would be the sudden loss of Carol Lombard just after
principal photography and two months before the feature’s release. Lombard, the
then Mrs. Clark Gable, was still one of Hollywood’s most famous actresses and
in effort to help in the war effort was touring to help raise money through war
bond rallies. While returning home from a very successful rally in January of
1942 her plane crashed shortly after take-off leaving hole in the heart of
Hollywood and even more so in the heart of husband Clark Gable. Reactions in
Hollywood were of great sorrow and other stars raised efforts in support of the
war in remembrance of Lombard and her work at the time of her death.
In a way the third wheel to the two starring role is young
Robert Stack who dons the role of the pilot Lt. Stanislav Sobinski, the admirer
of Maria that allows the troupe to be mixed up with the Nazi authorities. The
22 year-old Stack was very fresh in Hollywood and was extremely nervous to meet
and work with the woman he admired from a distance like a schoolboy, Carol
Lombard. In the end Stack would credit Lombard towards providing him with many
wonderful tips to aid in his acting that helped guide him through his long
career.
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| Lobard with Sig Ruman caught by "Hitler." |
Being that the story is about actors the cast is filled with
wonderful, small-time character performers. Names like Felix Bessart, Lionel
Atwill, Sig Ruman, Tom Dugan, and Stanley Ridges are far from notable names to the
average movie audience, but their roles as the supporting cast supplied
memorable moments in the picture as melodramatic actors yearning for one great
performance, German officers, a professor turned double agent, and even a man
who is determined to give a believable performance as the Fuhrer himself. These
performances are all delightfully wonderful and should be enjoyed for the
greatness they all provide.
For audiences of 1942 most viewers were perhaps not
entertained by this feature. American had just entered the war, young men were
leaving home with many not coming back, and Carol Lombard had just passed away
two months prior. America was in no mood to laugh. Some audiences were so
appalled they walked out of theaters, including Jack Benny’s own father.
However for those who stayed and allowed the humor to play out the film was a
hilarious break from the world beyond the theater. Critics that gave the movie
its chance loved it, but they initially appeared to be in the minority. Through
all the praise that was shared for the film, only a single Academy Award
nomination would be made for Best Music.
For the cast and director To Be or Not to Be was one of the greatest shinning points in their
careers. For Lubitsch he regarded it as one of his finest films, which in time
critics would agree. For Jack Benny he found the experience a great moment on
screen working for who he thought was the best director ever. For Lombard it
was said to be most fun she ever had on set in her career. The film was a mix
of great enjoyment and sorrow all at the same time as it delivered wonderful
times for those involved, but is linked to darker memories as well.
With time, especially after the fall of Nazi Germany, the
film found a greater audience that fully appreciated the humor that lined the
picture. Much like the television show “Hogan’s Heroes” or the Mel Brooks style
of comedy about Hitler and the Nazis, To
Be or Not to Be would be a superb way by which audiences degraded the evil
that once threatened the world and reminds them to not let these types of evils
control them. In the long run the feature would be remembered as one of the
greatest American comedies of all time as listed by the American Film Institute
and further remembered with the honor of being named to the National film
Registry as culturally significant in American film.
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| Tom Dugan plays Bronski, who plays Hitler. |
In 1983 Mel Brooks would produce and star in a remake of To Be or Not to Be with himself as the
ham actor and his real life wife Ann Bancroft as his beautifully suggestive wife
in the picture. The satirical humor about Nazis would be a perfect fit for the
man that brought about “Springtime for Hitler” from his debut hit from 1969, The Producers.
To Be or Not to Be
stands up well for contemporary audiences with its quick and witty comicality.
Fans of Jack Benny would adore seeing this delightful funnyman deliver and be
the butt of numerous jokes throughout the picture. This comedy classic should
and will be cherished for years to come as a cinematic classic from a time
period when not much was funny in the world.
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