Profile- The Three Stooges in Disorder in the Court (1936)

In honor of the upcoming April Fools Day and my new restoration of the classic 1936 3 Stooges short Disorder in the Court, I wanted to share my thoughts on the film.

Disorder in the Court was my first introduction to the 3 Stooges when I was about 6 years old. My Dad and I had visited the local video rental store (yes I am that old...) and found a VHS with 4 Three Stooges shorts on it (really old…). I was instantly hooked. I was delighted by how the Stooges made even simple tasks like swearing in as a witness so complicated and therefore hilarious. They take all of the audience’s expectations of how a courtroom works and go against it.

Part of the appeal of the Three Stooges is that they are outsiders. Often their adventures involve them representing the working class with little control over their situations and contrasts with upper class characters.

I would assume that most viewers have been involved in a trial as often as the Three Stooges. I am only familiar with courtroom procedures because of other movies and TV shows that I have seen. The “take the stand” confusion is great because if Curly had never been in a courtroom before, how would he know what it means to “take the stand”?

The Stooges’ confusion with courtroom procedures is what makes this short so terrific. I hope that you enjoy watching it.