You Nazty Spy! (1940)

Director:

Jules White

Writers:

Felix Adler (story)
Clyde Bruckman (story)

Release Date:

19 January 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Short

Plot:

In this satire of the Nazis the stooges are paperhangers in the country of Moronica. When evil cabinet ministers overthrow the king...

Plot Keywords:

Dictator | Paperhanger | Spy | Lion | Live Chicken

Cast

Curly Howard	...	Curly Gallstone (as Curly)
Larry Fine	...	Larry Pebble (as Larry)
Moe Howard	...	Moe Hailstone (as Moe)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Don Beddoe	...	Mr. Amscray (uncredited)
Chuck Callahan	...	Storm Trooper (uncredited)
Dick Curtis	...	Mr. Ohnay (uncredited)
Florine Dickson	...	Miss Pfiffernuss (uncredited)
Charles Dorety	...	Storm Trooper (uncredited)
Richard Fiske	...	Mr. Ixnay (uncredited)
Ned Glass	...	Lead Storm Trooper (uncredited)
Lorna Gray	...	Mattie Herring (uncredited)
Eddie Laughton	...	Vance Rippemup (uncredited)
Joe Murphy	...	Peasant (uncredited)
John Rand	...	Grey-haired Axis Minister (uncredited)
'Little Billy' Rhodes	...	Bellboy (uncredited)
Slim Summerville	...	Prisoner (uncredited)
Al Thompson	...	Axis Minister (uncredited)
John Tyrrell	...	Mr. Bones / Train Conductor (uncredited)
Bert Young	...	Storm Trooper (uncredited)

Directed by
Jules White

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Felix Adler		story and screenplay (as Felix Alder)
Clyde Bruckman		story and screenplay

Produced by
Jules White	....	producer

Cinematography by
Harry Davis

Film Editing by
Art Seid		(as Arthur Seid)

Music Department
Leigh Harline	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Ben Oakland	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Screen Gems (1958) (USA) (TV)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

18 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Was the first Hollywood film to spoof Adolf Hitler, released nine months before Charles Chaplin's more famous The Great Dictator (1940).

Quotes:

Moe:To you, I give Mickey-Finland.
Larry:If I get Mickey-Finland, I'd better be rushin'.
Curly Gallstone, Field Marshal:Then quit Stalin.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Three Stooges (2000) (TV)

Stooges' gutsy move

Mel Brooks has often said that humor was probably the one weapon that the Jews had against the Nazis. The Three Stooges get there shots in at the Nazi Party with the short YOU NAZTY SPY! This was the first time that anyone in the movie business had the nerve to make fun of Adolf Hitler. Released in January of 1940 (over a year before the U.S. entered WWII), NAZTY SPY! beat Charlie Chaplin's THE GREAT DICTATOR by nine months. YOU NAZTY SPY! starts with three men, Mr. Ixnay, Mr. Amscray and Mr. Ohnay discussing how they can keep their munitions business going when the king of the country of Moronica wants only peace. Their solution: Overthrow the king and install a dictator who will do their bidding. Their man: Wallpaper hanger Moe Hailstone (Moe Howard). There are also jobs for his assistants too, Gallstone (Curly Howard) and Pebble (Larry Fine).

The thing that really makes this work is Moe's uncanny resemblance to Der Fuerher and the subtle things that underscore the real-life situation like Hailstone's speech to the masses. It looks almost like the real thing. This short proves that the Stooges were indeed much more than mere slaps and eyepokes, and that they may have been a lot more intelligent off camera than people gave them credit for.