Disorder in the Court (1936)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Jack White

Writers:

Felix Adler (screenplay)
Felix Adler (story)

Release Date:

30 May 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Short

Plot:

The stooges are witnesses at a trial where their friend, a dancer at a nightclub where they are musicians...

Plot Keywords:

Dancer | Beautiful Woman | Parrot | Reverse Footage | Face Slap

Cast

Curly Howard	...	Curly (as Curly)
Larry Fine	...	Larry (as Larry)
Moe Howard	...	Moe (as Moe)

Also Known As:

Disorder in the Courtroom (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

16 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G | USA:Unrated

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Apparently, this is one of a number of Stooge shorts that fell into public domain after the copyright was accidentally not renewed in the 1960s.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: Larry's cries of agony after he accidentally smashed his violin were clearly dubbed in later, as his lips do not move to the words.

Quotes:

Moe: Now Gaily's dance was over. I stuck my head in the office door, and I saw Koik Robin and Buck Wing ahgyin' over by the parrot cage!
District Attorney: What were they arguing about?
Moe: I dunno! But Buck Wing was sizzlin' like a hot hamboiguh! He grabs Koik by the neck like that, see, and drags him over to the letter press, see?
[Demonstrates on Curly]
Moe: Then he smacks him on the head like that!
[Continues demonstration on Curly]
Moe: Then he pokes his coconut into the letter press, see? Like that! Then he says, "I'll squeeze the cider outta yer Adam's apple!" Then he gives him the woiks, like this! Then he keeps toinin! And twistin'! And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Muppet Babies: He's a Wonderful Frog (#5.8)" (1988)

Soundtrack:

Push 'Em Up

Curly's Comic Genius On Display In Court

This is one of the all-time famous Three Stooges films. It's total insanity, start-to-finish, and even though it's corny it still gets a ton of laughs even today. To me, it also demonstrates the comic genius of Curly.

All the action takes place in court and we see only one witness: Curly, of all people! He and the boys are trying to get their friend "Gail Tempest" (those who remember actress Gail Storm will appreciate this humor) out of a murder charge. "Who killed Cock Robin" is the question here.

Curly goes through his classic routine of trying to take his hat off, raise his right hand and put his left hand on the Bible all at the same time! It's almost become a classic routine. He does other things in here, too, that only Curly could pull off.

Watching this yesterday for the first time in about 20 years and probably the 10th overall, I still laughed out loud at several things, namely: What the jury looked like after the attorney says, "It is merely an attempt to influence this intelligent, broad-minded and most-intelligent jury!" (You see 12 of the dumbest-looking people you've ever seen!); Moe shooting a "tarantula" (some guy's wig) and Larry doing his Tarzan yell.

What can you say? This is The Three Stooges at the height of their hilarity.