You Nazty Spy! is a 1940 comedy film directed by Jules White and starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly Howard).
It is the 44th short film released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 short films for the studio between 1934 and 1959.
You Nazty Spy! | |
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Directed by | Jules White |
Written by | |
Produced by | Jules White |
Starring |
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Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 18:00 |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The film is often recognized as Hollywood's inaugural anti-Nazi comedy, predating Charles Chaplin's The Great Dictator by several months, despite commencing production afterward.
Three munitions manufacturers, discontent with reduced profits due to King Herman the 6+7⁄8's pacifist policies, conspire to overthrow him and institute a dictatorship. The trio selects the unwitting Stooges acting as wallpaper hangers as figureheads for their regime. Moe assumes the role of the leader, drawing parallels to Adolf Hitler, while Curly and Larry are assigned positions mirroring a hybrid of Benito Mussolini and Hermann Göring as well as Joseph Goebbels, respectively.
Upon seizing power, the Stooges — under the guise of Hailstone, Gallstone, and Pebble — attempt to govern Moronika. However, their incompetence and absurdity quickly unravel their authority. A subplot emerges with the arrival of Mattie Herring, who is suspected of espionage by the Stooges and subsequently sentenced to execution. Her escape further complicates the chaotic governance of Moronika.
Amidst the farcical political maneuvering, the Stooges attempt to navigate international diplomacy, depicted through a round-table meeting where absurd demands are made of neighboring countries. The escalation of tensions culminates in a confrontation with a mob led by the deposed king and Mattie Herring. Faced with imminent downfall, the Stooges flee, only to meet an ironic end as they unwittingly enter a lion's den and are devoured offscreen.
You Nazty Spy! satirized the Nazis and the Third Reich and helped publicize the Nazi threat in a period when the United States was still neutral about World War II and isolationist sentiment was prevalent among the public. During this period, isolationist senators such as Burton Wheeler and Gerald Nye objected to Hollywood films on grounds that they were anti-Nazi propaganda vehicles designed to mobilize the American public for war. According to the Internet Movie Database, You Nazty Spy! was the first Hollywood film to spoof Hitler. It was released nine months before the Charlie Chaplin film The Great Dictator, which began filming in September 1939. You Nazty Spy! was filmed on December 5–9, 1939.
The Hays code discouraged or prohibited many types of political and satirical messages in feature films, requiring that the history and prominent people of other countries must be portrayed "fairly". Short films such as those released by the Stooges were subject to less attention than feature films.
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