I'll Never Heil Again

In the country of Moronica, Moe is Hailstone the Dictator, Curly is a Field Marshal, and Larry is Minister of Propaganda. They are Nazi-like rulers trying to take over the world with the other Axis powers. The former king is trying to take back his kingdom and his daughter plants a bomb in their headquarters.

This is the sequel to You Nazty Spy! (1940) and follows Chaplin's great satire The Great Dictator (1940). Most of it is down with a nudge and a wink to the audience. It's not quite as meta. It's a direct spoof of the real world. The boys manage to have their cake and eat it too. They are the bumbling Nazis and get to fight the other Axis leaders. I can see this as a safe anti-Nazi film for the masses. The boys are using their power for the war effort.

I saw "I'll Never Heil Again" before I saw "You Nazty Spy" and I feel "I'll Never Heil Again" is the better short of the two. With "I'll Never Heil Again" the Stooge's acting had matured and their characters were much more defined and refined taking the story to the next and I believe higher plane. It is simply a comedy masterpiece in every aspect, maybe the best short they ever filmed; I have it on a DVD by its self. With this short we see Moe, Larry and Curly each being the absolute best at what they individually bring to the "Stooges." They all meld together to form one cohesive maniacal unit; just a real joy to watch.

This particular short subject for the one and only time in their careers has the 3 Stooges villains in their own film. But what villains they be in this rough house satire on the government in Germany.

Put that Charlie Chaplin mustache on Moe and he makes a wonderful dictator of Moronica who overthrew the traditional monarchy there with the battle cry of Moronica for Morons. In fact with Larry as the propaganda minister and Curly as the defense minister the Stooges short is a wonderful followup to Chaplin's The Great Dictator.

The Three Stooges were never terribly original in their material, they borrowed from other comics quite liberally. Whole bits like them playing catch with the globe with their 'allies' are taken right from The Great Dictator. But the Stooges never had the writing talent available to them that other comics did, they were burlesque comics who worked fast and cheap. But always funny.

I'll Never Heil Again is one of their best short subject and I think Moe is as good a Hitler as Chaplin was.

Technically, this is a sequel to the 1940 masterpiece "You Nazty Spy" where Moe, Larry and Curly are heads of a country (parodied after Germany) called Moronica. Here, they return, with the dead on impressions still funny, yet chilling. Great gags, but I also laughed at the names on the map of Starvania (Great Mitten, Yom Kippers, Jug 'O' Slavia). Great fun, with the stooges being hilarious as always. Not as good as part 1, but plenty of laughs still around. A+

Great satire and a treat for historians. Keep in mind this was made during World War II in what looks like late 1940-1941. One of the characters attending the meeting looks a lot like Stalin. Germany and the USSR were buddies until June 22, 1941. References to Greece and the blitz are priceless. A stooge classic!