Disorder in the Court

This short sets the stage for the Stooges' next 10 years of greatness. It includes a rubber head scene involving a letter press, a stunt double for Curly, a risque (for that era) dance, and some classic Stooge lines, including, "Oh, superstitious. eh?", "Take off your hat!", and, "I'm a victim of soicumstance!". Nonstop mayhem, and Bud Jamison is a riot. Finally, during a brief audience shot, Curly's and Moe's real mother and father (Mr. and Mrs. Horowitz) are sitting in their left front row!

Why Columbia Pictures chose to let this classic fall into public domain while maintaining and renewing its ownership of "Woman Haters" is truly a mystery to me.

The result of Columbia Pictures' not-so-wise logic is that this short has been appearing and reappearing on budget videos and later on budget DVD compilations, usually coupled with "Brideless Grooms" (which was pretty good) and "Malace in the Palace" (which was OK).

This comedy short is truly a classic. The slapstick is non-stop and it is impossible to say who really stole the scenes.

Was it Curly when he took the stand? ("Raise your hand, take off your hat, put your hand here") Or was it Suzanne Kaaren, with her million dollar legs? (Yes, she really had her legs insured for a million dollars.) The Stooges also show off their musical talent which translated to musical comedy. (Did the late great Spike Jones get his idea from this film?) A laugh riot for all...

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?

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.

Out of all the Three Stooges shorts that I have seen, there are maybe 6 or 7 that really stand out and are really funny. Disorder in the Court just about heads the list. I have never seen behavior like this in a courtroom!

Well, if you have ever gone to traffic court and listened to some of the excuses and nonsense that some of the defendants try to give the judge, it only is just an inkling of what to expect in this movie. It is absolutely hilarious!!!

I have this movie in my personal collection and have probably watched it maybe a dozen times or so. I basically know every line, every scene and every antic that happens.

Just think how Perry Mason or the Defenders or even Matlock would react if they had to deal with this type of situation.

All in all, for R-E-A-L enjoyment and to get you out of the doldrums, this movie is a God send!!