Historical Notes
The major "Axel" partners shown in the conference room sequence are parodies of the major Axis powers of the time—with one and a half exceptions.
The "Bey of Rum" character's presence in the comedy short may refer to the historical Sultanate of Rûm, which occupied much of Asia Minor for nearly three centuries in the Middle Ages. Turkey, which he represents, was never a member of the Axis, and remained carefully neutral throughout much of World War II. But Turkey was the center of the Ottoman Empire, which was a major part of the Central Powers in World War I, as was the German Empire.
The Soviet Union may have easily been considered a "silent partner" of the Axis. It was never a signatory to the Pact of Steel (the original "Axis Pact"), and obviously inimical to the Anti-Comintern Pact. Yet its relationships with Nazi Germany were – at least at the surface – if anything more friendly than either country's with the US. The USSR had joined Germany's September 1, 1939 invasion of Poland in mid-September, and the countries had treaties of economic assistance and cooperated in military research. However, less than two weeks after I'll Never Heil Again was released, their relationship changed drastically when Germany declared war on the USSR.
King Herman the 6⅞ is a caricature of Kaiser Wilhelm II in his appearance and especially his hobby of chopping wood. "I'll Never Heil Again" was released 5 weeks and 2 days after the real Wilhelm II died in exile.
The conspirators plan to get rid of Hailstone by leaving a hidden bomb in his conference room. Three years after this short was released, there really was such an attempt to kill Hitler.
I'll Never Heil Again premiered in Argentina in February 1942 (along with the other South American countries), but it was banned during the governments of Juan Perón (1945–1955, 1973–1974) because Perón was a sympathizer of the Nazi doctrine.
The title of the short parodies the song title "I'll Never Smile Again", written by Ruth Lowe in 1940.
Read more about this topic: I'll Never Heil Again
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