To Be or Not to Be
The Picture Everyone Wants to See
1942 | 99m | English
Popularity: 2 (history)
| Director: | Ernst Lubitsch |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Edwin Justus Mayer, Melchior Lengyel |
| Staring: |
| During the Nazi occupation of Poland, an acting troupe becomes embroiled in a Polish soldier's efforts to track down a German spy. | |
| Release Date: | Mar 06, 1942 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Ernst Lubitsch |
| Writer: | Edwin Justus Mayer, Melchior Lengyel |
| Genres: | Comedy, Romance, War |
| Keywords | infidelity, london, england, airplane, nazi, love triangle, espionage, warsaw ghetto, jewish ghetto, polish resistance, parachuting, military officer, world war ii, dark comedy, black and white, adolf hitler, gay theme, theater |
| Production Companies | Romaine Film Corporation |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $1,500,000
Budget: $1,200,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Aug 10, 2025 (Update) Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Carole Lombard | Maria Tura |
| Jack Benny | Joseph Tura |
| Robert Stack | Lieut. Stanislav Sobinski |
| Felix Bressart | Greenberg |
| Lionel Atwill | Rawitch |
| Stanley Ridges | Professor Alexander 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 |
| Rudolph Anders | Gestapo Sergeant at Desk at Top of Hotel Stairs (uncredited) |
| Paul Barrett | Polish RAF Pilot (uncredited) |
| Sven Hugo Borg | German Soldier (uncredited) |
| Danny Borzage | Member of Audience at Performance of Hamlet (uncredited) |
| Buster Brodie | Townsman (uncredited) |
| Peter Caldwell | Wilhelm Kunze (uncredited) |
| Alec Craig | Scottish Farmer Without Mustache (uncredited) |
| Helmut Dantine | Co-Pilot (uncredited) |
| Jack Deery | Member of Audience at Performance of Hamlet (uncredited) |
| Leslie Denison | Captain (uncredited) |
| James Finlayson | Scottish Farmer with Mustache (uncredited) |
| James Gillette | Polish RAF Pilot (uncredited) |
| Stuart Hall | Member of Audience at Performance of Hamlet (uncredited) |
| Leyland Hodgson | Second Reporter (uncredited) |
| Shep Houghton | German Soldier (uncredited) |
| Olaf Hytten | Polonius in Warsaw (uncredited) |
| Charles Irwin | Reporter (uncredited) |
| Tiny Jones | Townswoman (uncredited) |
| John Kellogg | Polish RAF Flyer (uncredited) |
| Adolf E. Licho | Prompter (uncredited) |
| Wilbur Mack | Member of Audience at Performance of Hamlet (uncredited) |
| John Meredith | English Wireless Operator (uncredited) |
| Maurice Murphy | Polish RAF Pilot (uncredited) |
| Richard Neill | Warsaw Bystander (uncredited) |
| Russ Powell | Warsaw Bystander (uncredited) |
| Frank Reicher | Polish Official (uncredited) |
| Otto Reichow | Co-Pilot (uncredited) |
| Gene Rizzi | Polish RAF Pilot (uncredited) |
| John Roy | Member of Audience at Performance of Hamlet (uncredited) |
| Hans Schumm | Special Investigations Squad (uncredited) |
| Stephen Soldi | Warsaw Bystander (uncredited) |
| Count Stefenelli | Member of Audience at Performance of Hamlet (uncredited) |
| Roland Varno | Pilot (uncredited) |
| Ernö Verebes | Stage Manager (uncredited) |
| Dorothy Vernon | Member of Audience at Performance of Hamlet (uncredited) |
| Armand 'Curly' Wright | Makeup Man (uncredited) |
| Wolfgang Zilzer | Man in Bookstore (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Ernst Lubitsch | Director |
| Rudolph Maté | Director of Photography |
| Irene | Costume Design |
| Werner R. Heymann | Original Music Composer |
| Dorothy Spencer | Editor |
| Vincent Korda | Production Design |
| Gordon Bau | Makeup Artist |
| Walter Mayo | Production Manager |
| William McGarry | Assistant Director |
| William Tummel | Assistant Director |
| Frank Maher | Sound |
| Lawrence W. Butler | Special Effects |
| Edwin Justus Mayer | Screenplay |
| Ryszard Ordyński | Technical Supervisor |
| J. McMillan Johnson | Assistant Art Director |
| Victor Sutker | Casting Director |
| Melchior Lengyel | Story |
| Julia Heron | Set Decoration |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Ernst Lubitsch | Producer |
| Alexander Korda | Executive Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Globes | Best Picture | N/A | Nominated |
| Venice Film Festival | Best Supporting Actor | Sig Ruman | Won |
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 14 | 22 | 11 |
| 2024 | 5 | 18 | 25 | 13 |
| 2024 | 6 | 17 | 24 | 12 |
| 2024 | 7 | 20 | 45 | 12 |
| 2024 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 11 |
| 2024 | 9 | 15 | 23 | 11 |
| 2024 | 10 | 19 | 44 | 8 |
| 2024 | 11 | 13 | 22 | 7 |
| 2024 | 12 | 12 | 19 | 6 |
| 2025 | 1 | 12 | 19 | 8 |
| 2025 | 2 | 10 | 18 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
Trending Position