On Hitler’s Hit List
The Three Stooges’ rising popularity and anti-fascist themes threatened to undermine the credibility of Hitler’s Third Reich and caused them to be on the Fuhrer’s “personal death list.” The films “You Natzy Spy!” and “I’ll Never Heil You Again” mocked the Nazi regime and involved the Stooges’ taking on the personas of the party’s leaders. The films caused controversy due to their political leaning and instigation of America declaring war with Germany and were in complete violation of the Hayes Code which declared any representation of foreign countries but be done in a respectful and fair manner.