To Be or Not to Be

The world is on the brink of war but the show must go on. So Joseph Tura, the Polish actor who put the ham in Hamlet, stares beyond the footlights and says: "To Be or Not to Be..."

That is the question, as well as the classic in which director Ernst Lubitsch, whose witty "Lubitsch touch" had stylishly lampooned sex and wealth, now took on a new target: Nazism. The story centers on a Warsaw theatrical troupe that outwits Nazi occupiers by playing the roles of (and for) their lives. Jack Benny stars as Tura, underplaying hilariously. In her final role, Carole Lombard is zany and radiant as his alluring wife. Typical of Lubitsch, a gem-sprinkled ensemble has opportunities to shine. No question: watching this To Be is to be gloriously entertained!