I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

What can be said about The Three Stooges besides the fact that they're one of the funniest and most innovative comedy groups in film history? While their schtick is undoubtedly tame and inoffensive by today's standards, the incredible amount of physical acting, slapstick, and quick-wit that plagued each one of the group's shorts still stands the test of time as some of the most original and lawless humor that there is out there.It's fun to go back and revisit some of the more controversial shorts the trio did, one of them being "You Nazty Spy!," released in the early part of 1940 and attempting to satirize World War II, the Nazi Party, and the Third Reich. The short infuses satire into the slapstick (maybe we should bill it "slaptire") as it follows the land of Moronica, a country in dyer need of leadership as discussed by its three current cabinet members. They enlist in the help of three half-wits, Moe Hailstone, Curly Gallstone, and Larry Pebble (I suppose Kidneystone was on an international business trip). Immediately, Moe is instated as the leader, assuming the Adolf Hitler role, with Curly and Larry by his side, portraying the likes of Benito Mussolini and Joseph Goebbels, respectively.Scene after scene shows the leaders' incompetence but how empty promises and a blissfully ignorant public that is willing to blindly accept anything spitballed at them by the Moronica government keep them in power. A key scene depicting conformity and blind following comes early, where Moe, Curly, and Larry stand out on a balcony and dish out rules and ideas for the government. Alongside Moe, who is dishing out the madness, is Larry, holding up cue-cards for the public (structured by archive footage) that insist the audience applaud, cheer, or even hiss. The scene is a bold iteration for how conformity and blindness make up key traits of most of the public."You Nazty Spy!" is as satirical and thought-provoking as it is substantial and hilarious, featuring Moe Howard in an underrated performance that clearly channels on the likes of Adolf Hitler. Howard gives a thoroughly impressive performance; one that has unfortunately been shadowed, with Charlie Chaplin's performance in The Great Dictator (which came out later) getting most of the love. This is a bit upsetting, as Howard achieves rare comic ability of being uniquely funny but also potent with his satire of Hitler. Assisted as usual by the likes of his acting partners Larry Fine and Curly Howard, Howard's role in "You Nazty Spy!" turns out to be one of the essential reasons why the short is so successful.World War II satire/propaganda wasn't uncommon; even Disney, the company you expect to remain squeaky-clean during this time, is guilty of churning out animated shorts criticizing or lampooning the Nazi Party and the communist lifestyle. Even with lofty ideas and criticisms, director Jules White and writers Felix Adler and Clyde Bruckman still keep the short at a nicely safe and controlled level, as well as the short being helped by the likes of its Stooge cast, who never cease to infuse their own trademark comedy into any kind of scenario. In the long line of World War II comedy skits, this one ranks considerably high and one of the smarter critiques, which comes as surprising given the comedy group's territory.Starring: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly Howard. Directed by: Jules White.

You Nazty Spy! (1940) *** (out of 4) Some evil cabinet members want to overthrow the King of Moronica and replace him with idiots who would be willing to do anything they say. They find the idiots in Moe, Larry and Curly but it doesn't take long for the boys to mess up the country as well as the cabinet members plans. Both Moe and Larry had said that this was their favorite short and everyone knows it was a hit when originally released but when viewed today I'm still somewhat shocked that it went over so well with critics and fans at the time of release. This was released just nine months before Charles Chaplin's THE GREAT DICTATOR and one really wonders why that film drew so much heat when it at least had a message behind it while the Stooges' film is just pure comedy. When seen today there's certainly nothing offensive here, although there's a brief bit about a concentration camp which doesn't get any laughs. The rest of the picture has the boys doing their thing and getting some very big laughs out of it. One of the highlights in the film happens early on when Moe accidentally puts his finger in black paint and gives himself a mustache and this of course is meant to make him look like Hitler. The shocking thing is seeing how close the two look and especially when Moe messes with his hair. Another funny bit deals with a female spy reading the future while Moe and Curly are holding each others hand thinking that they're holding the woman's. YOU NAZTY SPY! is perhaps one of the most loved Stooges short but to me it's just middle ground. It's certainly worth viewing but I think the history of it is a bit more interesting than the actual picture and it certainly can't hold a candle to the Chaplin film.

This one shows the Stooges, the writers, and the studio all in top form. The writing is very clever, in fact rather Marxist, that is Marx Brothers type. Moe as a "Hitler type" dictator and Curly as a "mussolini", they just can't miss. Curly even does a "Bob Hope" when he turns to the camera and in reference to some dialog between Moe and Larry says, "They're nuts!" In comparison to Chaplin's overzealous take on 'ol Shicklegruber, this is much funnier. Cahplin at this point, or more accurately from about the mid 1920's onward, tends to get too much pathos involved with otherwise great comedy. His comedies and especially his feature films always seemed to be attempting to send the world a message or moral. Much like the Our Gang shorts produced during their floundering MGM period. The Stooges version is played strictly for laughs and well it should be. If you're going to play someone as rotten as Hitler, than make a total ass out of him without any appearances of "having seen the light" like Chaplin does at the end of his "Great Dictator". The Stooges are all fired up in this one and I'll bet Chaplin was too, considering the Stooge's version was released before Chaplin's. "Hail, Hail, Hailstone! Wahoo!"

You Nazty Spy! (1940) was one of the most famous of the Three Stooges shorts. It also happens to be a personal favorite of head stooge Moe Howard. This oddity was a parody about the rise of the Axis powers in Europe. Moe Howard stars as a thinly veiled send up of Adolf Hitler and Curley Howard looks an awful a lot like Benito Mussolini. Larry Fine plays one of their suck-ups/ ministry of information. How do all of these characters gel together? Is this short even funnier than the GREAT DICTATOR? Why is this Moe Howard's favorite Three Stooges short ? You'll find all of the answers you're looking for in this hilarious view of the upcoming Second World War when you watch YOU NAZTY SPY!Highly recommended.