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Columbia Shorts 1936

15. DISORDER IN THE COURT

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Rl. May 30 / Prod. No. 217 / 161/2 m / ap Jules White / d Preston Black / st scr Felix Adler / ph Benjamin Kline / e Wm. Lyon / C: Susan Karaan (Gail Tempest), Dan Brady (Juror), Tiny Jones (Juror), Bill O' Brien (Juror), Bud Jamison (Defense Attorney), Harry Semels (District Attorney), Edward LeSaint (Judge), Hank Bell (Clerk), James C. Morton (Bailiff), Nick Baskovitch, Arthur Thalasso and Ed Mull (Men in Hallway)

SYN: Kirk Robbin is found dead at the Black Bottoom Cafe, with club dancer Gail Tempest found standing over his body holding a gun. Did she kill him? To find the answer, Larry, Moe and Curly are called to appear as star witnesses in the murder trial. In this smorgasbord of Stoogism, Curly drives the judge crazy with his inability to understand and take the oath. Larry goes nuts after mistaking a toupee for a tarantula and stomping it to death, and Moe almost kills poor Curly trying to reinact the events leading up to the murder by cranking a letterpress and crushing Curly's head like a coconut. Throughout their testimony, a trained parrot and witness keeps repeating "Find the Letter." Finally, the Stooges break the case wide open when they recover the letter, which is attached to the parrot's claw and proves the dancer's innocence.

Quick Hits:

- Did you know that Solomon Horwitz, the father of Moe, Shemp, and Curly, sits in as one of the jurors in this short film?

- Larry Fine's fan base grew immensely when he flew off the wall with his Tarzan impression.

- The fictional character name, Kirk Robbin, is also referred to in the episode "So Long, Mr. Chumps."

- Due to a clerical error on the part of a Columbia Pictures employee in the licensing department, this short film somehow was overlooked at renewal time. As a result, it became a part of the Public Domain along with "Malice in the Palace," "Brideless Groom" and "Sing a Song of Six Pants". Once a film is in Public Domain, anyone, anywhere can use it for whatever purpose they see fit. Because of the error, the 4 short films have been sold and re-sold using numerous packaging ideas by numerous "Mom & Pop" video & DVD labels.

WT: Disorder in the Courtroom SD: 4 (W 4/1 to F 4/3, and M 4/6/36) FN: When Moe demonstrates on Curly how Buck Wing shoved Kirk Robbin's skull into a letter press, a rubber head was used to give the effect of Curly's noggin being twisted out of shape. Curly's courtroom testimony is borrowed from Sidewalks of New York (1931) with Buster Keaton, directed by Jules White and Zion Myers.