Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-04-04
To Be Or
Great at
Michigan

THERE is no question about
TO Be or Not TO Be-"
It's undoubtedly one of the fun
niest comedies OF the year and
yesterdays audience at the Mich
igan, where it opened, put its
heartiest laughing approval on the
Ernest Lubitsch film, the last pic
ture Carole Lombard made, CO.
starring Jack Benny.
Here is a film about Nazis and
their fendish ways which kids
them numerically. There is
enough that's serious to give
melodramatic impetus to the COM
edy, but on the whole this is broad
farce, excellently done.
Carole and Benny are man and
wife. leading players of Warsaw's
Polski Theater. In manner
something like The Guardsman. -
they are jealous Of one another's
fame. They quarrel in tempera-
mental fashion in private, but they
delight the public.
When the Nazis come they are
as bewildered as the rest, but
make up their minds TO join the
underground movement which is
fighting back at the German in
vaders.
HIS GREATEST ROLE
A young Polish fiier who has es-
capped 10 England is ordered 10
return 10 trap traitor. An ad-
mirer OF Carole's. he pops up in
her apartment. much TO the con-
Germ of Jack Benny, who is sus-
picious Of his wife. But the fiieri
gives Benny. always the ham
actor. a chance 10 play his great
est role. He must make up and
impersonate the traitor who has
learned the names of the under
ground members.
At this point the ball really
starts rolling and at such hilari-
Gus pace that you can hardly keep
up with it. Intrigue is burlesqued
TO the final degree and we GER
tainly couldn't find dull moment
in any Of its farcical entangle-
ments.
HAM OR HAMLET
Jack Benny finally gets his
hearts desire. chance 10 read a
few lines from Hamlet" he
carries his role without too much
Of the type OF radio mugging
which he has INDUCED in so much
in the past.
Lombard has never been more
delightful. It's fortunate that her
last picture should be one of her
finest. So vital is her charm. so
real her beauty that you can't be-
lieve that she has gone.
AS LOVELY AS LIFE
Usually we have an adherence
Of seeing people who are dead still
around on the screen. But
there is none of that feeling with
Carole. You are never for a min
ute conscious that she isn't still
the laughing girl you see in this
film.
There Is a splendid supporting
cast, headed by Robert Stack.
Felix Brissart and Lionel Atwill.
and Ernst Lubitsch has put in all
those wonderful asides. those SUBJ
tie comedy touches for which he
has become famous. Don't miss
To BE or Not TO Be-" It's top
entertainment.
TECHNICoLoR TERMITEs
Perhaps we don't react to full
length animated cartoon features
in quite the regular way, but Mr.
Bug Goes 10 Town" we believe.
would have been much better as a
short subject.
Max Fleischer hasn't the Disney
touch which helps to keep our in
terest as animated as his charac-
tiers, with the result that this 80
minutes Of cartoon whimsy doesn't
quite click.
It's all about a grasshopper,
who is the Mickey Rooney OF the
insect world.
The insects are tired OF living
in vacant lot where humans can
tread on their homes and cause
disaster with lighted cigar butts. |
INSECT sHANGRI-LA
Hoppity. the grasShopper hero.
seeks 10 lead them into the land
of Canaan, which is the garden Of
a home next door, but the machi-
nations OF a beetle villain and the
terrors of garden hose de-
feat him.
His true love. honey OF bee.
believes in him and finally he wins
through TO bring them all to a
penthouse paradise.
I'm afraid that this is just about
AS infantile as il sounds, and while
the color and drawings are good,
the film lacks the spark needed 10
4 l.