"A dictator? Why, he makes love to beautiful women, drinks champagne, enjoys life, and never works. He makes speeches to the people promising them plenty, gives them nothing, then takes everything. That's a dictator." These are the exact words spoken to Moe Hailstone at the prospect of his becoming dictator of the mythical city of Moronika. Moe is quite hilarious as he plunges into his new role with gusto! Joining him in his tyranny are Larry Pebble as Minister of Propaganda and Curly Gallstone as Field Marshal. The end result is "You Nazty Spy!", the first Three Stooges comedy that valiantly attempted to satirize Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich.
My favorite moments from "You Nazty Spy!" include the following. (Please DO NOT read any further if you have not yet seen this film.) When Moe decides that he has to think very carefully before taking the job of dictator, he gives himself a Hitlerian moustache and parts his hair back! During the rather violent round-table conference, Curly swings a golf ball right into Larry's mouth! With a generous helping of nonsensical wordplay and mock German dialect, Moe is at his greatest during his outdoor speech to his Moronikan constituents. Speaking of wordplay, this short is absolutely loaded with it! As an example, when Larry asks Moe how they can hold a round-table conference with a square table, Moe answers, "In Moronika, nothing is on the square. We shall have to cut corners." As another example, when Larry says, "If I take Mickey Finlen, I better be Russian," Curly responds, "Then quit Stalin."
"You Nazty Spy!" is quite an excellent Three Stooges spoof on Naziism. It was followed by a sequel, titled "I'll Never Heil Again" (1941), as well as several other anti-Nazi Stooge shorts, some of them again involving a Hitlerian moustache for Moe. To top everything off, "You Nazty Spy!" was Moe Howard's and director Jules White's favorite Stooge comedy, as well as a runner-up favorite for Larry Fine.
My favorite moments from "You Nazty Spy!" include the following. (Please DO NOT read any further if you have not yet seen this film.) When Moe decides that he has to think very carefully before taking the job of dictator, he gives himself a Hitlerian moustache and parts his hair back! During the rather violent round-table conference, Curly swings a golf ball right into Larry's mouth! With a generous helping of nonsensical wordplay and mock German dialect, Moe is at his greatest during his outdoor speech to his Moronikan constituents. Speaking of wordplay, this short is absolutely loaded with it! As an example, when Larry asks Moe how they can hold a round-table conference with a square table, Moe answers, "In Moronika, nothing is on the square. We shall have to cut corners." As another example, when Larry says, "If I take Mickey Finlen, I better be Russian," Curly responds, "Then quit Stalin."
"You Nazty Spy!" is quite an excellent Three Stooges spoof on Naziism. It was followed by a sequel, titled "I'll Never Heil Again" (1941), as well as several other anti-Nazi Stooge shorts, some of them again involving a Hitlerian moustache for Moe. To top everything off, "You Nazty Spy!" was Moe Howard's and director Jules White's favorite Stooge comedy, as well as a runner-up favorite for Larry Fine.