To Be Or Not To Be Trivia Quiz

Answer: Highlights from Hamlet

Frederic Bronski was a legend in his own lunchtime. Clearly in his own mind, he was a huge star. Amongst his peers, his overacting was an issue of some derision. In one scene, where he is upset by something that has happened offstage, the emotion is unwittingly transferred to his performance. One of the other actors whispers "What's happened? Tonight he's good!"

In a latter part of the film, Anna Bronski describes her husband as being "world famous in Poland"!

Answer: Naughty Nazis

"Naughty Nazis" lampoons the the German ruling party. The scene opens with two German officers discussing how to hide the latest newspaper which suggests their leader's popularity is failing: "The last thing we need is a furious Fuhrer"! Brooks (as Hitler) enters and is greeted with sig heils, to which he replies "Heil myself". He makes his way to a desk which has a nameplate that says "A. Hitler. The mark stops here".

This last pun is a historical inaccuracy, as Harry Truman is credited with inventing the term "The buck stops here" in 1940 (one year after the film is set).

Answer: Sondheim

Sondheim is the stage manager for the Bronski Theatre Company. As such, he has to shout instructions to many people. It soon becomes apparent that this is something that he has no control over, even face to face!

Answer: Anne Bancroft

Anna's role is played superbly by Anne Bancroft. Anne Bancroft appeared in a number of well-known movies, and her most notable role is that of Mrs. Robinson in "The Graduate", playing the seductress that tempted Dustin Hoffman's character. Other notable movie credits include "The Hindenberg", "Silent Movie", "The Elephant Man", "G.I. Jane" and "How To Make An American Quilt". She was also an extra in "Blazing Saddles". Significantly, some of her credits are for movies directed by Mel Brooks. Mel and Anne were married in 1964 and remained together until Anne's death in New York City in 2005.

Katharine Ross played the daughter of the abovementioned Mrs. Robinson in "The Graduate". Judi Dench is well known for her role as 'M' in the James Bond films, and Diana Rigg played Emma Peel in "The Avengers" (the original television series, not the woeful movie of the same name).

Answer: "Gee, thanks a lot"

Heh heh, it's "Gee, thanks a lot", and he says it with the enthusiasm of a small boy who has been handed the keys to the lolly shop! Sobinski has been meeting with Anna to discuss the imminent threat of Professor Siletsky and his plans to expose the Polish Underground to the Nazis. His mission becomes confused when he declares his admiration for her and requests a parting kiss. Whilst she offers her hand, he embraces her with a passionate kiss on the lips.

He immediately leaves, saying "Gee, thanks a lot". Anna's personal dresser, Sasha Kinski, utters "He's an animal!". He then looks around to find Anna Bronski on the floor (in a slight faint).

Answer: The same member of the audience gets up and leaves.

The commencement of the "To be or not to be?" scene is the cue for Andre Sobinski to make his way to Anna Bronski's dressing room for his secret tryst. The second time this happens co-incides with the German invasion of Poland, unbeknownst to Frederic Bronski, who is peeved that anyone would leave during one of his performances. It leads to a classic scene where Anna and Frederic are having a conversation about two completely different subjects:

Frederic: That MAN, I HATE him!
Anna: All Europe hates him
Frederic: (Slightly surprised, but still indignant) Well, they should! Two nights in a row - he walked out on me again!
(Anna then shows Frederic the newspaper headline about the invasion)
Frederic: This is bad too!

Answer: hide until it's over

Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939. In the movie, the attack begins as the Theatre Company is giving a performance of "Klotski's Klowns". The air raid sirens sound and the theatre evacuates as the performers run downstairs, to the area where the costumes are stored. A conversation follows:

Anna: Why are they doing this to us, what did we do to them?
Lupinsky: Nothing, we're here, we don't have to do anything.
Frederic: Poland. The doormat of Europe. Everybody steps on us.
Ratkowski: If it's not the Russians, it's the Germans.
Anna: (Hearing whistling bombs) Listen to that, I wish we could do something.
Extra: What can we do?
Frederic: We'll do what a theatrical company should do during a war, we'll hide until it's over.

Answer: Gestapo headquarters

As the Bronskis are having their belongings moved out (those that the Nazis have consented to them taking) Frederic pauses and sits in a plush chair. A German officer says: "Excuse me, you are sitting in Colonel Erhardt's chair".

Frederic Bronski replies: "What a rotten memory I have, ten minutes ago it was my chair".

As the Bronskis leave, Frederic waits until no-one is looking, and makes a point of pulling a newly-hung portrait of Hitler off-centre.

Answer: A pink triangle

The following exchange takes place in Sasha Kinski's flat, where the Bronskis are now living, between Anna and Sasha:

Anna: Why are you getting dressed?
Sasha: I'm going out.
Anna: (Pointing to the pink triangle on Sasha's coat) What's that pink thing?
Sasha: Haven't you heard? It's the latest fashion in occupied Poland. Jews wear stars, homosexuals wear triangles.
(Sad) I hate it - it clashes with everything!
(Excited) Don't wait up. I've got a late date with another triangle!

This is also a historical inaccuracy. Pink badges were only used inside concentration camps.

Answer: Charles Durning

Charles Durning was born in 1923 and served in WWII, notably in the D-Day landing at Omaha Beach and the Battle of the Bulge. Awarded three Purple Hearts and a Silver Star, and being one of a handful of survivors of a massacre of POWs at Malmedy, his role as a Nazi Officer in "To Be Or Not To Be" is somewhat ironic. Other notable screen appearances by Durning include "The Sting", "Dog Day Afternoon", "The Hindenburg", "The Muppet Movie", "Tootsie" and "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas".

In "To Be Or Not To Be", Durning plays the role of the incompetent Gestapo Officer, Colonel Erhardt. Erhardt frequently gives orders to his subordinate (Schulz, played superbly by Christopher Lloyd) which he then countermands. Like all good incompetent bosses (hands up, all who recognise this work scenario), he manages to find a way to blame Schulz for them. For example, in a scene where he is talking with Mel Brooks (who is impersonating Professor Siletsky at that point):

Erhardt: (Frustrated/annoyed) SCHULZ! What idiot gave the order to close the Bronski Theatre?
Schulz: (Nervously) Y-y-you did, Sir.
Erhardt: Open it up immediately, and once and for all stop blaming every single thing that goes wrong on me.
Schulz: (Lost for any suitable reply) H-h-heil Hitler!
Erhardt: (Muttering) He gets out of everything with that Heil Hitler!
(Pause)
Erhardt: (To Siletsky, about Schulz) I always thought there was something wrong with a man who doesn't drink or smoke.
Siletsky: Like the Fuhrer?
Erhardt: Yessss. -- NOOOO!

Answer: The back of Erhardt's chair

Professor Siletski is commonly known in his homeland as "The voice of free Poland". Andre Sobinski has information that Siletski is, in fact, a spy for the Nazis, and that he has a dossier containing all of the names of people working for the Polish underground. The Bronskis create an elaborate hoax in order to get Siletski to hand over the list. To do this they use the props from the set of their German comedy routine.

Siletski believes he is talking with Colonel Erhardt of the Gestapo when in fact, he is talking with Frederic Bronski in disguise. Everything is going well until Mel Brooks swivels his chair away from Siletski. The stencil on the back of the chair reads "Bronski Theatre, Naughty Nazis"!

Answer: Chocolate covered nougats

Professor Siletski politely declines the cigar and cigarettes. When Erhardt offers the chocolate covered nougats he says "Chocolate covered noo-guts". The Professor is taken aback and begs his pardon. Erhardt replies "Noo-guts! Chocolate covered noo-guts!" and squeezes one between his fingers to demonstrate the nougat inside. Not surprisingly, the Professor declines this last item as well.

Later in the conversation, Erhardt is discussing the the acting ability of the real Bronski with the fake Siletski, and offers the observation:

"What he is doing to Hamlet, we are doing to Poland".

Answer: General Von Seidelman

George Gaynes is maybe more commonly known for his role as Commandant Eric Lassard in the "Police Academy" series of movies. Von Seidelman is "in charge of the Fuhrer's personal safety".

As for the red herrings: General Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin von Steuben served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

General Wilhelm Von Kleist is a fictitious character created in the plot of the Frank Sinatra/Trevor Howard movie "Von Ryan's Express". The escapees had to produce fake orders to convince the train controllers in a signal box that the train was carrying "a load of stolen art treasures for fatso Goerring". The fake orders were signed by Von Kleist. As Sinatra dryly (in line with his acting throughout the entire movie) observed: "Von Kleist, good German name".

Okay, who said General Burkhalter? You are getting mixed up with the television show "Hogan's Heroes"!

Answer: "Excuse me, is this England?"

This scene is close to the end of the film, and the looks on the faces of the crowd inside the pub, to be suddenly faced with Hitler, is priceless.

At a reception to honour his efforts, Bronski is asked by representatives of the British Government what they could do to thank him for foiling Siletski's plot. He responds by asking to give a performance of his famous "Highlights from Hamlet". Being from the land of Shakespeare, the officials look concerned and one asks the other questioningly: "Highlights...?" The second official simply shakes his head in despair!

Answer: Poland, France, India, Pakistan

At that point, Pakistan did not exist for another eight years. The country was formed after the partition of India in August 1947.

In the movie, aided by his Nazi Officers, Hitler laments the bad press he is getting and says: "I don't want war, all I want is peace!" He then launches into an amusing musical number, based on a double meaning of the words peace and piece.

"A little bit of Poland
A little bit of France
A little bit of Portugal
And Austria, perchance"

During the song, his officers strip each of the countries from a felt board as they are named, revealing a red background with a swastika under each of them.

"A little bit of Turkey
And all that that entails
And then a piece of
England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales

A little nip of Norway
A little spot of Greece" (as he says this cleans an imaginary spot of grease from his uniform)
"A little hunk of Hungary
Oh, what a lovely feast!

A little bite of Belgium
And now for some dessert
Armenia, Albania
And Russia wouldn't hurt

A little bit of Poland
A little bit of France
A little bit of India
And Pakistan, perchance"

At this point, the production is interrupted by the curtain being lowered on the orders of Dr. Boyarski from the Polish Foreign Ministry. Dr Boyarski advises "Your presentation could be construed as an insult to Chancellor Hitler". Lupinski sums thing up when he replies: "It was meant to be".