Simply Perfect

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

A Masterpiece!

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

"Back from the Front" is an American black-and-white short film from almost 75 years ago. It features the Stooges in the formation that most consider their best: Moe, Curly and Larry. This one came out in 1943 and if you know a bit about history, you will know that World War II was in full gear at the time and as a consequence the Stooges make mostly fun of German politic(ian)s from start to finish. The film runs for slightly under 20 minutes as they usually do. Unfortunately, I cannot agree with people who think this is among the most popular and best the comedy trio had to offer. A couple German words cannot really make up for the lack of convincing slapstick humor in here and I don't think this is anywhere near the best what the Stooges have to offer. I would even say that this one is the best watch for historians and not for comedy fans as it is an interesting combination of film and politics and you could certainly call it a propaganda movie. But it's not a particularly witty or funny one. Thumbs down.

Back from the Front (1943) *** (out of 4) Moe, Larry and Curly are on an American ship when they are struck by a torpedo. They end up in the waters but spot a ship far ahead. Once on the ship they realize it's a German one so they must try and destroy everyone on it.As was the case with many of the Stooges shorts during this period, making fun of Hitler and Germany runs throughout. There are some pretty funny moments throughout this short with several highlights including Moe once again playing Hitler who sneezes at the wrong time. Another funny gag deals with a large gun and some beans. With that said, the best moment comes when Moe and Larry are taking turns knocking out bad guys and carrying them away until Larry gets the wrong one. If you're a fan of the boys this here is certainly a good one.

The boys rush in the house, and we hear "Tizzy! Lizzie! Dizzy! Inky! Winky! Stinky! as they greet one another. The girls - all with those long early '40s hairdos - ask, "what's with the get-ups? "We've signed up as sailors on a steamer," they explain. "Kiss us goodbye." The dodge that and Larry and Moe wind up kissing each other while Curly smooches the Saint Bernard. They get their real kisses, though, and announce "we're off to sea to see what we can see! See?" Yes, there are a lot of corny lines in here, as a corny dance number as they exit.Once on the boat, Larry and Moe are seasick while Curly is fine and asks them if they'd like some of his raw liver. He laughs at them, as they run elsewhere to throw up, but then it hits him.Longtime Stooges contributor Vernon Dent plays the Bosun "Duncan" who is really a German spy. Totally insane things happen from that point, such as the boys thinking a torpedo is a whale and trying to hammer it and, in the process, blowing up the ship. Yet, after surviving on a small raft for days eating beans, they wind up on a German ship (the S.S. Shickelgruber) with the same "Duncan" and another longtime Stooge player, Bud Jamison.Through some ridiculous turn of events in which the Nazis are made to look like total idiots (too much so, to be fair), the eliminate every German on the ship! Don't ask....none of it makes sense, but that's the Three Stooges.

This is not only one of the all time Stooge shorts, but it also features one of Moe's best performances as the "Little Bavarian Corporal". Moe Howard probably was the best imitator of Hitler (ironic for a Jew) and he does it to great effect in this film. Just check out "You Natzi Spy", "I'll Never Heil Again" and, my personal favorite, "They Stooge to Conga".