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.

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+

I'll Never Heil Again (1941)

*** (out of 4)

Sequel to YOU NAZTY SPY! has Moe (The Dictator), Larry (Minister of Propaganda) and Curly (Field Marshall) successfully taking over the country of Moronica but a spy has planted a bomb for them in hopes that the old leader can take over. This short from the boys is actually different one a couple of levels. The obvious is the fact that this is the only sequel The Three Stooges did during their careers. The surprising thing about this short is the fact that the majority of the jokes are dialogue driven, which certainly wasn't the norm for the boys. I was really surprised to see how much of it was dialogue driven but even more shocked that most of the jokes were funny. Obviously a lot of the humor goes towards the boys simply being dumb in what they say and this includes the countless ways that they say hail. Another funny bit of dialogue deals with the boys talking with other evil leaders about who really owns the world. There's also some physical humor, which includes a very funny pool game as well as a few slaps with a turkey. While I don't think this short quite lives up to the original film, there are still plenty of laughs to be had here so fans should enjoy it.

I was fortunate enough to see this film on the big screen the other night. What a treat! Moe plays Hailstone, the dictator of Moronica. Curly is Field Marshal Herring and Larry is Minister of Propaganda. Three former ministers, Ixnay, Umpchay, and Amscray want to reinstall the former King of Moronica. They plan on having the king's daughter plant a bomb in their office. Do plots really matter in a Stooge short? The satire of Hitler was funny enough. Moe's barking of orders in "German" was hilarious. There was even references to a Japanese man taking photographs, which I didn't know was a stereotype of the Japanese even in the early 1940's. Fun, fun, fun, laugh out loud hilarious.

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.