Disorder in the Court (1936)

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:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G | USA:Unrated

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Curly Howard's "raise your right hand" scene was borrowed nearly verbatim from Buster Keaton's Sidewalks of New York (1931) (directed by Stooge veteran Jules White).

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 "The Gunthridge Show: The Persistence of Memory (#1.2)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Push 'Em Up

" --- (my mother's) favorite is Disorder In The Court --- "

Even with periods of dementia and depression, my 88-year old mother remains discriminating about which videos merit both her close attention and her laughter. Family members try to select compatible, bright-spirited films for Mom (from family situations, animal stories, musicals, comedies, and international intrigue), while weeding out offensive sex and violence. An area of trial and error has been Slapstick Comedy, which produced mixed and sometimes disappointing results -- all pies in all faces are not slam-dunk belly laughs -- or even condescending smiles. Complex, sophisticated, or subtle humor may be difficult for Mom to process at this stage in life.

Initially, she did not respond well to recent viewings of The Three Stooges -- in a lucid state, her more traditional values carry over. With earlier cultural and social restraints prevailing, she remembers the guys as silly goofs. But in current showings, she laughs openly - sometimes to a point of tears - at the zany antics of Moe, Larry, and Curly (only "Home Alone (1990)," brings out as much unrestrained laughter). It could be inferred that, when dementia erodes Mom's inhibitions of long standing, she is more relaxed and laughs easier (or, maybe she has developed a liking for The Three Stooges). Hopefully this simplistic discussion is neither insensitive nor disrepectful in suggesting that any form of happiness - free of tensions and uncertainties - is preferable to debilitating depression.

We have purchased several Three Stooges full-length and short feature DVDs, together with other slapstick comedies. "The Three Stooges Go Around The World In A Daze (1963)," a full-length parody of Jules Verne's book / Michael Todd's film, "Around The World In Eighty Days" scores high on my mother's laugh-meter; but her favorite is "Disorder In The Court (1936)," a short feature film, with Moe, Larry, and Curly at their classic best -- memorable routines of a comedy form that can only be described as, "Dear God, please don't ever let me see my children behave like that in public."

Aging is a one-way journey, often difficult; and taking The Three Stooges along with you will make it a much looser and happier ride. A slap, poke, gouge, kick, or scream from Moe, Larry, and Curly can't be all bad -- can it?