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AMERICANER SHADCHEN  (An American Matchmaker) (1940)

Ame

This musical film offers a hilarious picture of second-generation Jews in New York City and their search for love. Broadly contrasting rabbinic ways with modern notions in a country where the rules for romance are very different, Americaner Shadchen portrays the dilemma of attempting to live between two worlds. The film's hero, a model son and successful businessman named Nathan Gold, has been a failure in his pursuit of a bride. The film opens with a bachelor party, Gold's eighth. His weddings have never worked out, and this one too is aborted. Gold then decides to become an advisor in human relations, a shadchen, as a way of finding a wife. With his servant Morris as his foil, Gold proceeds to solve the mysteries of modern relationships by setting up an office where human affairs can be approached scientifically.

In Yiddish with subtitles. B&W. 1 hr. 27 min. AGE: 14 to Adult

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F

ANNIE HALL (1977)

Ann

Woody Allen brilliantly captures the classic neurotic, paranoid, cynical, morbid, guilt-ridden New York Jewish male in his Academy Award-winning masterpiece. Co-starring Diane Keaton as transplanted midwesterner Annie Hall, Allen's story hilariously depicts their interfaith relationship—one that is doomed to failure by vast cultural and emotional differences. Allen plays Alvy Singer, a comedy writer who reflects on his childhood, career, ex-wives and girlfriends, and, especially, his romance with Hall. Through freewheeling flashbacks—some based in reality and others in fantasy—Singer recalls where he went wrong, and where he went right. The chemistry between Allen and Keaton is sublime, making this film an absolute gem.

1 hr. 34 min. AGE: 13 to Adult

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AVI HOFFMAN’S TOO JEWISH?

Avi

One-man musical comedy revue starring comedian Avi Hoffman, filmed live at the Westside Theatre in New York. Hoffman sings Yiddish and Jewish songs, tells jokes and stories, and reminisces about a Yiddish culture that once was. In a particularly nice segment, he sings a long medley which includes a few bars of well-known Yiddish songs - with English translations presented onscreen for the audience. Note: Of particular interest to Yiddish enthusiasts.

F

THE BIG DIG (1969)

Israeli comedy by Ephraim Kishon which satirizes Israeli bureaucracy. The story focuses on a man who escapes from a lunatic asylum and steals a power drill from street workers. He takes the drill to the center of Allenby, one of Tel Aviv’s central streets, and starts to drill day and night. All around assume this is on official orders, including the Mayor and Department of Transportation. An entire crew comes in to dig up Allenby, each government department justifying it and looking frantically for the master plan from which the orders were generated. In a typically Israeli/Jewish comic twist, the sane and rational becomes “the lunatic” in this lighthearted hilarious comedy.

In Hebrew with subtitles.  1 hr. 29 min.  AGES:  14 to Adult

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In his bawdy comedy Blazing Saddles, writer/director Mel Brooks tackles the subject of prejudice in the Old West. The character of Bart (Cleavon Little), the black sheriff of the white town of Rock Ridge, may be seen as symbolic of outsiders in society, of whom Jews are, of course, a prime example.

A corrupt governor (Brooks) and a scheming attorney general (Harvey Korman) hire a drifter named Bart to be sheriff. They figures that because he’s black, he won’t protest when they corrupt Rock Ridge. But Bart unexpectedly cleans up the town, forcing Brooks and Korman to continuously devise new strategies to corrupt Bart. Brooks’s humor runs rampant throughout in the form of Gene Wilder’s “Waco Kid” and Madeline Kahn’s “Lili Von Shtupp.” Rated R.

1 hr. 33 min.  AGE:  17 to Adult

This entertaining video features four Jewish Catskills comedians performing before a live audience. Their sketches and routines highlight a variety of types of classic Jewish humor. The comedians are Freddie Roman, Mal Z. Lawrence, Dick Capri and Louise Duart. Duart is particularly skilled as an impersonator. Note: About 1 hour and 43 minutes into the video, credits appear onscreen and it looks as though the show is over. Don’t turn it off. Credits are followed by the words “Act II” on screen, and there is an additional 13 minutes. The content of some of the humor is not suitable for children.

2 hrs. 6 min.  AGE:  Adult

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 CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS (1989)

Cri

Director Woody Allen debates ethics and morals of modern life in his dark drama, Crimes and   Misdemeanors. As seen through the eyes of a respected doctor who has lapsed into amorality,  Allen questions whether God pays attention to our behavior—and if so, does He distinguish between right and wrong? Why do the wicked sometimes prosper while the good suffer? Martin Landau stars as Judah Rosenthal, an admired doctor who is fooling around with a lonely young woman (Anjelica Huston). When she insists on telling his wife about their affair, Judah becomes desperate and hires his gangster brother to kill her. All goes according to plan except for one thing—Judah's conscience won’t stop tormenting him. In classic Allenesque fashion, several engaging and humorous stories intertwine, bringing full life to the director's unique point of view.

1 hr. 44 min. AGE: 16 to Adult

French farce revolving around Jonas, a young Sephardic father, set during the Pope’s 1997 visit to Paris. At his son’s bris, Jonas is handed a tissue containing the foreskin and told that he must bury it within 3 days - according to the North African Sephardic custom of his wife’s family. Jonas works as part of a duo that entertains at Bar Mitzvahs and while on the job, he realizes that the tissue containing the foreskin is missing. A series of comic mishaps occur, one after the other, that lead Jonas on a mad chase through the streets of Paris as he races to complete the task. Along the way, he encounters an ex-teacher with a crush on him; a jealous gangster husband; a group of Christian missionaries and an attractive Russian woman who believes the KGB is after her.

In French with subtitles.  1 hr. 32 min.  AGE:  14 to Adult

F

DUMMY (2003)

Dum

(DVD)

Likeable romantic comedy starring Academy Award winner, Adrien Brody, as a shy and inept Jewish male who dreams of becoming a ventriloquist. Steven is in his late 20’s and still lives at home with his dysfunctional family – including an overbearing, food-pushing Jewish mother; a father obsessed with assembling model ships; and an unlucky-in-love sister (a wedding planner) who is also old to be living at home. Steven dropped out of a 2-year community college and just lost a menial job he hated. His social life consists of hanging out with Fangora, a foul-mouthed but “heart of gold” female pal from high school - where both were outcasts. Fangora aspires to be a punk rocker (and ends up learning Klezmer music to fill in at a Jewish wedding). When Steven goes for vocational help, he falls for Lorena, the guidance counselor. Laughter ensues as Steven clumsily tries to pursue his new love interest, as well as a career as a ventriloquist. Note: Although the film has its unpolished edges, it has some hilarious moments – and the performances are real gems. Adrien Brody, in this pre-Oscar performance, absolutely shines as the socially challenged Steven. He is highly believable, likeable, and very, very funny. He also does all of his own ventriloquism. Illeana Douglas and Milla Jovovich give strong performances as Steven’s sister and friend, Fangora – and Vera Farmiga is lovely as Steven’s vocational counselor and love interest. Rated R – due to language.

1 hr. 32 min.  AGE:  17 to Adult

F

THE FOX IN THE CHICKEN COOP (1978)

Ephraim Kishon film is a comical satire about a socialistic government official in Israel. Amitz Dolniker was a loyal public servant for 36 years, working his way up into the system. When the film opens, Dolniker is doing what only he does best – giving a ridiculously long-winded speech (at a new road opening – while all the lined up drivers honk for him to conclude). Eventually, Dolniker collapses during one of his speeches. While in the ambulance, Mr. Dolniker dreams that he is being sent to a rural Israeli village so that he may recuperate. The village is on “Mt. Cumin” which is populated with rather simple, happy people – farmers who cultivate the spice “cumin.” The village has no heads or form of local government whatsoever. In enters Dolniker with his socialistic theories, creating havoc by appointing a dimwitted barber as “head” of the village and telling the inhabitants that they need officials and committees. Havoc reigns as a formerly peaceful place becomes corrupted with greed for power and position. Poor Dolniker totally believes he is doing “good” and serving his country – until he sees the disastrous results. When Dolniker awakes, he awakes with new realization about the dangerous affects of the words he preaches.

1 hr. 30 min.  AGE:  14 to Adult

F

THE FRISCO KID (1979)

Fri

Hilarious comedy about a nonconformist Rabbi in 1850’s Poland who is sent by his yeshiva to a congregation in San Francisco. He is swindled out of all his money on his first day in America and befriends a bank robber. Together they go through life and faith-testing episodes through which each becomes a better man. Stars Gene Wilder and Harrison Ford. Note: Some offensive language.

2 hrs. AGE: 11 to Adult

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GENGHIS COHN (1994)

Gen

The cool efficiency with which Germany assimilated war criminals back into mainstream society is the basis for this unsettling, dark comedy. Genghis Cohn is a two-bit Jewish comedian in pre-war Europe who will say anything about the Germans to get a laugh. But his act literally dies at Dachau when the camp commandant orders his execution. Nineteen years later the commandant is the police commissioner of a small Bavarian village and Genghis Cohn has returned to haunt him. As a murder mystery unfolds in the village, Cohn "helps" the commissioner. The investigation becomes an interrogation of the mind, bringing about questions of motives and guilt.

1 hr. 40 min. AGE: 16 to Adult

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THE GREAT DICTATOR  (1940)

Gre

In 1940, America was ambivalent about intervening in the conflict in Europe. Despite reports of German mistreatment of Jews, many Americans still believed Hitler could be appeased. But as the isolationist streak prevailed within the U.S., Charlie Chaplin chose to speak out against Nazism in the best way he knew—through brilliant parody. In The Great Dictator, Chaplin plays both a humble Jewish barber and the egomaniacal dictator Adenoid Hynkel of Tomania. As the anti-Jewish climate worsens, the barber finds himself an unlikely hero to his compatriots, who have been resisting deportation to a concentration camp. When the barber is finally sent away, he escapes, and is mistaken for Hynkel. In the shoes of the mad leader, Chaplin ends his film with an impassioned plea for tolerance.

B&W. 2 hrs. 6 min. AGE: 14 to Adult

Hea

(DVD)

Neil Simon comedy about a young Jewish couple, Lenny (Charles Grodin) and Lila (Jeanne Berlin), who meet at a bar, fall in love and get married. When the film opens, they are driving to their honeymoon in Florida. As they travel, Lenny begins to have second thoughts about his bride – he becomes disgusted by the way she chews her food and sings out of key. When Lila develops a terrible sunburn and must stay in the hotel room, Lenny goes to the beach and meets Kelly, the glamorous blonde “wasp” of his dreams. A relationship soon ensues and Lenny must decide with which his future lies. Note: Jeanne Berlin received an Oscar nomination in the role as Lenny’s Jewish wife. The stereotypes in this movie are obvious – Jewish Lila is somewhat unattractive, whiney, self-conscious and unglamorous; while non-Jewish Kelly is glamorous, cool and self-assured. Some viewers may take offense at the comparisons – others will find it part of the film’s humor. Rated PG.

1 hr. 45 min.  AGE:  12 to Adult

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808.97

THE JACK BENNY SHOW  (1958)

Jac

The great comedian Jack Benny described his approach to humor this way: "I try to make my character encompass everything that is wrong with everybody. On the air I have everybody's faults. All [viewers] know someone or have a relative who is a tightwad, show-off or something of that sort." Indeed, Benny created a wry character who was the archetypal ongeblozen tightwad, and audiences adored him for it. The Jack Benny Show utilized Benny's superb timing and eccentric mannerisms to create a weekly masterpiece of situational humor. Featuring outstanding supporting personalities like his wife, Mary Livingstone, announcer Don Wilson, singer Dennis Day, and Eddie Anderson as his valet Rochester, Benny's working and home life was the butt of a running series of gags that played off the comedian's legendary stinginess, vanity, and lack of violin virtuosity.

B&W. 51 min. AGE: 12 to Adult

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JACKIE MASON: AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY OFFENDER (1995)

Jac

Film biography of the American Jewish comedian Jackie Mason with clips of many of his funniest routines. The film highlights his childhood, family background and the rocky road he led as a comedian. Numerous interviews with family members, business associates and friends are included, as well as the famous Ed Sullivan Show incident which damaged his career for many years.

52 min. AGE: 14 to Adult

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JACKIE MASON COMEDY TRILOGY (n.d.)

Jac

(DVD)

Contains 3 separate programs that display the hilarious talent of comedian Jackie Mason. Each is approximately 1 hour in length. Includes:

JACKIE MASON: AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY OFFENDER

This film biography contains clips of some of Mason’s funniest comedy routines. Includes excerpts from The Steve Allen Show, The Ed Sullivan Show and Mason’s hit Broadway shows. Note: A longer summary appears independently, as a video form of this program is also available.

52 min.

JACKIE MASON IN ISRAEL

Mason performs in Israel – and many of his jokes pertain to his Israel audience and to Jewish Americans and Israelis. Note: As some of his audience is traditionally religious, Mason’s show is generally quite clean.

Approx. 1 hour

JACKIE MASON ON CAMPUS

Filmed at Oxford University, where Mason was given a special award. Jackie Mason pokes fun at the British and at university students and professors – interspersed with his usual comedic style and routines.

Approx. 1 hour

AGE:  12 to Adult

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LEON THE PIG FARMER (1992)

Leo

British comedy about Leon, a Jewish young man living in London who discovers that he is the product of artificial insemination and that his biological father is a Yorkshire pig farmer. Leon travels to Yorkshire to meet the man who, with his extended family, try to learn about Jews to make Leon feel at home. Meanwhile, Leon, who is still single, fluctuates between a Jewish girlfriend who is into meditation and an unusual non-Jewish artist who paints him on a cross. Leon’s own parents are recognizable Jewish stereotypes. Note: Viewers may find some scenes offensive and others hilarious. The film contains countless negative stereotypes—both of Jews and non-Jews—intended to be humorous. These stereotypes and the issues they raise can themselves be used for discussion in adult groups.

1 hr. 38 min. AGE: 14 to Adult

Barry Levinson’s semi-autobiographical drama focusing on a Jewish middle class family in 1954 Baltimore – his fourth Baltimore film (joins Diner, Tin Men and Avalon). The film focuses on the two sons in the family as they explore the world around them. Academy Award winner Adrian Brody plays Van, the oldest of the boys, and a college student. Van attends a gentile party with his friends and falls for an attractive and aristocratic blonde. The younger brother, Ben, befriends a beautiful and intelligent African-American girl who enters his school during the time of early desegregation. Neither family approves of this alliance – especially hers (her father is a doctor). The film has many humorous moments (although viewers will either find it humorous or distasteful to see a Jewish boy who wants to be Hitler for Halloween). Many issues are tackled, including racism, anti-Semitism, Jewish identity and the mixing of people from different cultures and classes. Note: Some viewers may feel that the portrayals of the older Jews in the film are somewhat stereotyped. The father and his buddies run a burlesque show, which is a cover for a numbers racket. The mother continually warns her kids to be careful of “the other kind.” Levinson actually attempted to break Jewish stereotypes with this film. He portrays middle class Jews who are similar to the Jews he grew up with, and who are just beginning to explore beyond the Jewish world. Rated R.

2 hrs. 8 min.  AGE:  17 to Adult

F

THE MAD ADVENTURES OF RABBI JACOB (LES ADVENTURES DE RABBI JACOB) (1973)

Hilarious comedy starring famous French comedian Louis de Funes as Victor Pivert, a bigoted and racist industrialist. While is on his way to his daughter’s wedding, Victor overhears a plot between feuding Arab revolutionaries. When they discover his presence, Victor’s only escape is to disguise himself as an Orthodox rabbi. Multiple chase scenes ensue, the most memorable (and funniest) taking place in a bubble gum factory (where, of course, many fall into the vats of goo). By the movie’s conclusion, Victor has finally been cured of his prejudices (and has experienced life as an orthodox Jew as well). Note: This is considered de Funes’s funniest role and was a classic in France.

In French with subtitles.  1 hr. 33 min.  AGE:  10 to Adult

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MR. SATURDAY NIGHT  (1992)

Mr

You may recognize something of Milton Berle or Jackie Mason in Catskill comedian Buddy Young, Jr. He's the classic Brooklyn-born Jewish funny man with a dark side who starred briefly in the golden days of television. Comedian Billy Crystal makes his directorial debut playing Buddy, a comic who "rose to the middle." In a series of flashbacks smarting with humor and pathos, Buddy's hysterical career missteps tell the story of a performer obsessed with winning the love of audiences—even while sacrificing the love of his family. Chock-full of rapid-fire one-liners and outrageous shtick. Note: Contains obscene language.

1 hr. 59 min. Rated R. AGE: Adult

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MY FAVORITE YEAR (1982)

F

My

During television’s early days, Mel Brooks, Woody Allen and Neil Simon, among others, got their start in show business as writers for Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows. They brought a distinct Jewish sensibility to the sketches Caesar performed weekly before a live audience. My Favorite Year is a hysterically funny fictional treatment of the show’s backstage shenanigans.

New York, 1954. Brash comic King Kaiser has ordered his youngest gagwriter, Benjy Stone, to take care of the guest star, flamboyant matinee idol Alan Swann (Peter O’Toole). If Benjy can keep his hero sober and deliver him in time for the show, he’ll hold on to his job. But with an ogre for a boss, a lush for a star and all of Manhattan at their feet, anything can happen – especially in front of a live audience! Rated PG.

1 hr. 32 min.  AGE:  12 to Adult

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NORTHERN EXPOSURE, THE PILOT (1990)

Nor

New Yorker Joel Fleischman is a fish out of water. Or rather, a kvetch out of water. He's a Jewish doctor recently graduated from Columbia University, where his years in medical school were financed by the state of Alaska. Now Joel must repay his debt by working in tiny Cicely, Alaska, for four years. It's a place where almost no one has heard of a bagel. Northern Exposure, the Pilot introduces the eccentric characters and hilarious predicaments that have given this Emmy-winning TV series its huge following. Searching in vain for a way out of his contract, Joel's true nature eventually shows—he's a mensch with a medical kit. Now, all he has to do is learn to like moose burgers and caribou hot dogs.

49 min. AGE: 10 to Adult

Academy Award nominated film by Efraim Kishon about a kind hearted policeman, Azulai, who is incompetent at his job. The problem is that Azulai has been a police officer for 20 years and his profession is his entire world. Can Azulai perform an action to promote his rank to sergeant, or will the police force let him go due to his comic level of incompetence? Whatever happens, the audience will meet a man who will touch them with his goodness, sincerity and desire to achieve. A tour de force performance. Originally titled Azulai the Policeman.

In Hebrew with subtitles.  1 hr. 27 min.  AGE:  14 to Adult

F

PUNCH ME IN THE STOMACH (1995)

Pun

Jewish comedienne Deb Filler transforms herself into 36 different Jewish characters—most from her own family—in this triumphant one-woman show (which appeared off-Broadway). Much of the performance focuses on the character of her father—a Polish-born concentration camp survivor. She also addresses how it feels to grow up as the child of a survivor. Filler travels back and forth throughout the performance between her native New Zealand, New York, and back to Poland to visit Auschwitz with her father. Through her talent at mimicry, she presents many familiar types of Jewish characters and delivers a comedic, bittersweet performance that will touch most viewers.

1 hr. AGE: 12 to Adult

F

RADIO DAYS (1987)

Rad

Woody Allen drama which follows two separate alternating story lines. The first takes a nostalgic look at an obviously Jewish family in Long Island’s Rockaway district during World War II. It is related by the son of that family. The second deals with the Manhattan night life of the rich, in which an aspiring cigarette girl yearns for fame. The two stories are connected by the golden age of radio—when families gathered to listen, and radio stars reigned supreme. Stars Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Julie Kavner and Diane Wiest. Note: Not overtly Jewish in content, but very recognizable as depicting an American Jewish family in 1940’s New York.

1 hr. 25 min. AGE: 13 to Adult

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SALLAH (1964)

Sal

The years after independence brought to Israel hundreds of thousands of immigrants—realizing the dream of a return from exile and posing the huge practical challenge of resettling diverse groups of people in a new, struggling nation. Sallah is a hilarious satire of the experiences of one new immigrant who finds less than the promised land. Sallah arrives with his large family from an unnamed Middle Eastern country. Placed in a dilapidated transit camp for new immigrants, Sallah begins scheming to obtain permanent housing. But he is lazy, and his ideas lead him into a series of misadventures. The film presents a wickedly funny portrait of relations between Ashkenazim and Sephardim, new immigrants and the bureaucracy, kibbutzniks, native-born Israelis, and wealthy Americans. Topol stars as Sallah, described by Judith Crist as "warm of heart, shrewd of head, and rascally to the core."

In Hebrew with subtitles. B&W. 1 hr. 45 min. AGE: 13 to Adult

808.87

THE SID CAESAR COLLECTION: CLASSIC COMEDY FROM “YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS” AND “CAESAR’S HOUR” (2000)

Three volumes containing comedy sketches from the classic 1950s programs “Your Show of Shows” and “Caesar’s Hour.” The sketches were performed live and have been digitally remastered for better quality. Each video includes interviews with some of the writers and stars of the show, including Sid Caesar, Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, Nanette Fabray, Larry Gelbart, Howard Morris, Carl Reiner, Danny Simon, Neil Simon and Mel Tolkin. The videos show actual sketches followed by commentary from the writers and actors about each particular sketch and its humor. Color with black and white segments.

CREATING THE COMEDY

Includes the sketches: “The Commuters in ‘the Fur Coat’,” “The Cobbler’s Daughter,” “Argument to Beethoven’s 5^th,” “Progress Hornsby” and “From Here to Obscurity.”

75 min.

INSIDE THE WRITER’S ROOM

Includes the sketches: “The Hickenloopers in the ‘Sleep Sketch’,” “Boy at First Dance,” “The German General,” Chita Rivera and Jack Cole in “What is Jazz,” and “Aggravation Blvd.”

65 min.

THE MAGIC OF LIVE TV

Includes the sketches: “The Commuters in ‘7 Dwarfs Bet’,” “The Professor in ‘Board Rooms of Hollywood’,” “The Five Dollar Date,” “Sid with Benny Goodman,” “The Clock,” “A Fella Needs a Girl,” “The Haircuts,” “’So Rare’ & ‘Flippin’,” and “This is Your Story.”

75 min.

3 videos – 65-75 min. each.  AGE:  12 to Adult

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808.97

SID CAESAR IN YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS  (1994)

Sid

Your Show of Shows made television history. In television's infancy, the comedy show was broadcast live every Saturday night. Its hilarious and original sketches—starring Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Nanette Fabray, Carl Reiner, and others—had much of America laughing. The show was written by a stellar group of writers, including Neil Simon, Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, and Larry Gelbart. Although the humor is rarely explicitly "Jewish," viewers might recognize the underlying Jewish sensibility. The sketches featured in this tape are typical scenes and subjects, like "The Professor," comical family conflicts and everyday dilemmas, and parodies of high culture, Hollywood, and foreign films.

B&W. 1 hr. AGE: 10 to Adult

Walter Matthau and George Burns star in this Neil Simon comedy about two veteran stand-up comedians. Willy Clark (Matthau) and Al Lewis (Burns) were part of a vaudeville team called “The Sunshine Boys” that played together for 43 years. In public, they had audiences roaring – in private, they bickered and fought incessantly. Then, Willy’s nephew (Richard Benjamin) tries to bring them out of retirement to do a TV special together. Both men could use the money but can these two impossibly cantankerous elderly men tolerate each other’s presence long enough to complete the show? Rated PG. Note: Matthau received an Academy Award nomination and Burns received an Oscar for his role

1 hr. 51 min.  AGE:  12 to Adult

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F

TO BE OR NOT TO BE (1942)

To

To Be or Not To Be prompted many critics to attack director Ernst Lubitsch for what they deemed a callous insensitivity to the plight of the Jewish people in Nazi-occupied Warsaw. Lubitsch pointed out that his black comedy included footage of the devastated city, reflecting his personal horror and repulsion. "What I have satirized in this picture are the Nazis and their ridiculous ideology," insisted Lubitsch. Jack Benny and Carole Lombard star as a husband and wife acting team who perform with a Warsaw company. After a dashing Polish pilot falls for Lombard, he then leaves for England where he meets a mysterious man who will soon return to Poland. Could he be a Nazi spy? In a wacky series of events, Benny, Lombard, and the company assume clever disguises to outwit the Germans and foil their plot.

B&W. 1 hr. 39 min. AGE: 13 to Adult