MikerJan 13, 2024
Lauren Weinstein

In 1940, Paramount released "The Three Stooges" short "You Nazty Spy!". At that point in time, the U.S. had not yet entered what would become World War II, and the pro-Hitler German American "Bund" was strong after its largest rally the year before in New York City.

In the short, the Stooges portray three simpletons recruited to lead a dictatorship in "Moronika", with Moe as the Hitler character, Curly as the Goring character, and Larry as the Goebbels character. Their flag was a pair of twisted snakes resembling a swastika, their slogan was "Moronika for Morons" (like Hitler's "Germany for Germans").

As a further dig, the Stooges, who were all Jewish, threw in a variety of Yiddish in the dialogue.

Some powerful congressmen who were either pro-Hitler or pro-neutrality were incensed at this short, but Paramount went ahead and released it anyway, resulting in Moe being the first American actor to portray Hitler in a released film production.

The Stooges were a remarkable trio. One of the high points of my life was meeting Larry Fine. He was in a wheelchair from a stroke, but still had his sense of humor.

We shall never see their like again.

Jan 13, 2024 at 6:14pmWeb
Show threadRobert TaylorJan 13, 2024
@lauren we are witnessing all three rolled into one now known as the Hair Füror
Show threadCrystal_Fish_CavesJan 13, 2024

@lauren Thank you for enlightening me. I have always put the Stooges at the bottom of the pile;
1. Abbot and Costello
2. Marx Bros
3. Laurel and Hardy
4. Stooges
They have now moved up a knotch.

I will never forget walking past the theatre in Arcata CA (Humboldt state aka Pot U) when there was a line for a Stooges festival, and a cop car drove by. EVERYONE in line began stooging out and I could not stop laughing. Yeah, I was high, but even so.

Show threadLauren WeinsteinJan 13, 2024
@Crystal_Fish_Caves I avoid ranking those comedy teams, since they were all very different sorts of humor, and largely in different eras (with some overlap, of course).
Show threadCrystal_Fish_CavesJan 13, 2024
@lauren It was my core 'first date' questionnaire; if you put Stooges first we were done. I'm a snob.
Show threadLauren WeinsteinJan 13, 2024
@Crystal_Fish_Caves Clearly.
Show threaddraNgNonJan 13, 2024

@lauren thanks for this post! i have not heard of this, and will have to watch it!

did it precede Chaplin's The Great Dictator? (I love that movie) I always thought that came out in 1939 but I see now it did not. EDIT: now I see that Chaplin's movie did not come until Oct 1940.

Show threadLauren WeinsteinJan 13, 2024
@draNgNon "The Great Dictator" began production earlier, but was released later. So the Stooges short wins.
Show threaddraNgNonJan 13, 2024

@lauren

now I am looking for a non-colorized version...

Show threadLauren WeinsteinJan 13, 2024
@draNgNon Colorization should be a criminal offense.
Show threaddraNgNonJan 13, 2024
@lauren absolutely
Show threadChrisUJan 13, 2024
@lauren @draNgNon
It is✊
Show threadMacCruiskeenJan 14, 2024
@lauren @draNgNon also, Chaplin was not an American.
Show threadLauren WeinsteinJan 14, 2024
@maccruiskeen @draNgNon True, but the question of "The Great Dictator" always comes up in this context, so might as well be addressed.
Show threadLauren WeinsteinJan 13, 2024
@draNgNon Yeah, the Stooges short was released in January 1940.
Show threadGatekeeper..Jan 13, 2024
@lauren
I;m a fan and grew up with all of the Stooges. They were brilliant and could really take a punch, no stand ins.
My grand kids don't know they existed...that's sad.
Show threadChrisUJan 13, 2024
@GatekeepKen @lauren
Not too late, you should be able to find some stuff.
I had VHS tapes of stooges and Laurel and Hardy
Kids loved them.
#TheStooges
Show threadLauren WeinsteinJan 13, 2024
@chrisU @GatekeepKen They're widely available through current sources.
Show threadGatekeeper..Apr 19, 2024

@lauren

Oh-HellYeah

Show threadDoomsdaysCWJan 13, 2024
@lauren Larry Fine seems like he was one of the nicest folks ever. I'm so glad you got to meet him. I cried my eyes out the day he died.
Show threadLauren WeinsteinJan 13, 2024
@DoomsdaysCW Yep, I do treasure the memory.
Show threadLauren WeinsteinJan 13, 2024
@DoomsdaysCW I also met Jack Benny, another one of the good guys. Side effect of living in L.A. my entire life, meeting all sorts of interesting people.
Show threadDoomsdaysCWJan 13, 2024
@lauren The most famous person I ever met was Ringo Starr -- and he is one helluva nice guy!
Show threadZorro Notorious MEB 😡Jan 13, 2024
@lauren @DoomsdaysCW The only one from the "olden days" I ever met was Jerry Lewis. He came to UNLV for a lecture on film-making to a small group of theater students.
Show threadChuck DarwinJan 13, 2024
@lauren
https://c.im/@cdarwin/111750116776362368
Chuck Darwin (@[email protected])

Attached: 1 image

C.IM
Show threadChrisUJan 13, 2024

@lauren

Larry was an accomplished violinist and briefly professional boxer.
Grew up on the Stooges, loved them, still do. As a boy, I knew they were under rated by adults. As an adult, I realise they were pretty anarchist. Of course I exposed my children to them.🤪😂😳

Show threadLauren WeinsteinJan 13, 2024
@chrisU Yes, he was indeed an excellent violinist! As was Jack Benny. Not easy to play badly when you're actually so good.
Show threadRobert J. BergerJan 13, 2024
@lauren Loved the Stooges and Jack Benny growing up, watching them on the old B&W TV with Rabbit Ears and 4 channels.
Show threadLauren WeinsteinJan 13, 2024
@rberger Nothing lost watching most of them in B&W, since that's what they were!
Show threadKarl AuerbachJan 13, 2024
@lauren Is there any info whether Chaplin saw the Stooges short while Chaplin was working on The Great Dictator?
Show threadLauren WeinsteinJan 13, 2024
@karlauerbach I've never heard anything along those lines, for whatever that's worth.
Show threadDemocracy Matters Jan 13, 2024

@lauren

I love and still advocate for the Stooges’ greatness. Some people can’t see past the slapstick.

Show threadZorro Notorious MEB 😡Jan 13, 2024
@lauren IMHO from that era the Stooges were second only to the Marx Brothers.
Show threadredbanjer 🪕🇺🇦🇨🇦🇬🇱🇲🇽Jan 13, 2024
@lauren
"Moronika for Morons"
....and let us not forget this fellow, a proud Moranikan:
Show threadJanie Karma S 🏳️‍🌈🖖🏿Jan 13, 2024
@lauren
Show threadLauren WeinsteinJan 14, 2024
@Karma_J No video.
Show threadMike BabyakJan 14, 2024
@lauren @nancylwayne The Stooges were an after-school ritual for us growing up in the 60s. Every weekday at 3:30, followed by Dark Shadows. I still love them.
Show threadLauren WeinsteinJan 14, 2024
@mikebabyak @nancylwayne Yep. Both!
Show threadgdtrfbJan 14, 2024
@lauren The best, wise guy
Show threadAusirJan 14, 2024

@lauren

"what would become World War II"? I'm pretty sure it was World War II already before the Americans joined.

Show threadLauren WeinsteinJan 14, 2024
@ausir Time Magazine used the term ("speculatively") in an article in mid 1939. However, it wasn't until 1945 that the U.S. officially designated the conflict as World War II. Roosevelt called it WWII in 1941, but didn't like the term. In 1940, the term was not in common use yet.
Show threadAusirJan 14, 2024

@lauren

in the US maybe, in Poland the term "Second World War" ("Druga wojna światowa") was used since 1939

Show threadAusirJan 14, 2024

@lauren

(it was actually an antisemitic future Nazi collaborator who first coined the term in June 1939 in his book "Facing the Oncoming Second World War" where he advocated for Poland to join forces with Germany in the very obviously upcoming war)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%C5%82adys%C5%82aw_Studnicki

Władysław Studnicki - Wikipedia

Show threadSteveBolognaJan 14, 2024
@lauren You might like this. It’s my official bday meme
Show threadDavid M.Jan 14, 2024
@lauren Thank you for this! I had no idea.
Show threadHanFliesCasualJan 15, 2024
@lauren Monty Python is too long ago to be considered, I suppose. Dave Chapelle is close, but he was a solo act. Key and Peale were only a duo. Epic Rap Battles of History has a similar comedic theme, but of course it is not a sketch. Mel Brooks can’t be considered because he made movies, not sketches. Family Guy and the Simpsons are just cartoons. Eminem and Childish Gambino are rappers, not sketch.
So yeah… so far, I think I’d agree with this.