Back from the Front

In May 1943, the Stooges released "Back From the Front," their fifth movie dealing with World War Two, this time with the three enlisting with the Merchant Marines. As in the four other Stooges' films, the Nazis take a drubbing from the three when they board a German ship whose crew had torpedoed their boat. The warship has the title the SS Schicklgruber, which was a joke alluding to the birth name of Adolf Hitler's father. His future Fuhrer's dad hated the name so much as an adult he changed it to his stepfather's surname Hiedler, erroneously transcribed by authorities as Hitler. Moe dresses as the Fuhrer for the third time in his career. He accidentally blows off his fake toothbrush mustache in the presence of the Nazi naval officers. Moe abruptly snatches it up, saying he just lost "my personality." In the beginning scene of "Back From the Front" the Stooges bid farewell to their girlfriends before they embark on their sea-faring adventure. The actress playing Moe's girlfriend, Sally Cairns, is spotted wiping her mouth for the longest time behind his back after she kissed him, the only one of the three to do so. This is also the Stooges' first film to have a sound effect when Moe finger pokes Curly in the eyes. Previously, only anguished cries were heard when Moe performed his trademark two-finger eye stab. The short was the 70th entry in the Stooges catalogue of 190 films they made from 1934 until 1959.