No one ever accused the Three Stooges of being ecologically focused, but their 1952 short “Listen, Judge” offers a brilliant example of recycling old material to create a new and vibrant comedy explosion.
This Shemp-era work takes segments from three 1940s Curly-era shorts – the courtroom accusations of chicken theft from “A Plumbing We Will Go,” the doorbell repair debacle from “They Stooge to Conga” and the disastrous catering of “An Ache in Every Stake.” But in “Listen, Judge” the old material is reworked with new gags and snappier dialogue that makes the comedy seem brand new.
For instance, “A Plumbing We Will Go” has the trio accused of stealing poultry – although a judge dismisses the case, their guilt is confirmed when Curly pulls out his cap and showers himself with chicken feathers. But “Listen, Judge” has Shemp pulling a live chicken out of his jacket, which is even funnier when the agitated bird lands on judge Vernon Dent.
For the doorbell repair, Dudley Dickerson’s bewildered and passive Black chef is replaced by Emil Sitka’s agitated French chef. Moe is irritated by this Gallic gourmet and snarls, “Go on, you French poodle, you’re father’s got fleas!” And while it is funny to have the bowl of cake batter land on Dickerson’s unsuspecting head, it is even funnier and more satisfying when Sitka’s noggin is crowned with the sloppy batter.
Another improvement from “They Stooge to Conga” has Moe being pulled through the wall by the collaborators. In this film, he emerges with two large pieces of plaster protruding like fangs from his mouth, causing Shemp to declare, “A gopher!” But unlike “They Stooge to Conga,” in “Listen, Judge” the trio realize the mess they made and try to hide the damage with Moe and Larry moving a large display cabinet in front of the hole-damaged wall and Shemp sweeping debris under the carpet.
Shemp later steals the film when he recreates the turkey stuffing mayhem from “An Ache in Every Stuff.” While Curly’s manic culinary skills were peerless, Shemp effortlessly ad-libs warped commentary while trying (and failing) to prepare the feast. When his cookbook calls for a “loaf of bread well soaked,” Shemp lifts the loaf, shrugs and says, “Sorry, I have to do it” before punching the bread into weakness. When there is a mishap in breaking eggs on the turkey, he reacts to the uncooperative eggs by declaring, “This one’s got pits.”
Ellwood Ullman’s script and Edward Bernds’ direction keeps “Listen, Judge” moving at a fast clip without a second’s pausing. And credit needs to be extended to an unidentified bit player who might be the funniest person in this film – she is an older, silver-haired society matron at the party where the Stooges are catering, and her reaction when Shemp is helping himself to the heavily spiked punch is priceless. After exchanging a quick pleasantry with another party guest, she turns and looks on with confused outrage as Shemp dips his hand into the punch bowl to fish out a maraschino cherry. But when he gulps it down, he coughs and starts to chug down the punch to clear his throat, and the party guest views with aristocratic contempt. The distinguished lady is the only one witnessing this buffoonery, and when Moe comes out to shoo Shemp away she alone turns and glares after Shemp with dignified disgust. It’s small touches like this that serve as the maraschino cherry atop the delicious slapstick of “Listen, Judge.”