The Stooges find themselves inadvertently embroiled in a series of comedic misadventures while donning yellowface attire for a photo shoot depicting Japanese soldiers. Directed by their boss to maintain their costumes during their lunch break to expedite the shoot, the trio unwittingly becomes entangled in a case of mistaken identity.
Upon arriving at a restaurant, the Stooges are mistaken for Japanese soldiers by the apprehensive owner, triggered by a newspaper headline reporting the escape of three Japanese individuals. Their escape from the restaurant leads them into an alley where they stumble upon a hidden door, gaining access to the lair of a Nazi spy named Hugo.
Mistaking the Stooges for the escaped Japanese soldiers, Hugo decides to exploit their presence to impress his associates. The Stooges, eager to prove themselves, engage in a series of comedic antics, including teaching jujitsu to women and performing acrobatic stunts. However, their efforts are complicated when the real Japanese soldiers arrive, leading to a chaotic confrontation in which the Stooges ultimately emerge triumphant, albeit through a series of mishaps involving misidentification under flickering lights.
No Dough Boys was filmed on April 25–28, 1944.[1] The film title is a play on "No-No Boys," Japanese-Americans who answered "no" to a two-part loyalty question that asked them to renounce the Japanese emperor and agree to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces.[2] It is also a play on the nickname for American infantrymen in the previous world war, known as a doughboy.
Curly's utterance of "Manchewie" is likely a reference to the World War II nation of "Manchukuo", the Japanese puppet state founded by the Empire of Japan after its occupation of Manchuria.
^Solomon, Jon (2002). The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion. Comedy III Productions, Inc. p. 253. ISBN0-9711868-0-4.
