The Newlyweds' Court Trouble: A Silent Short That Is Honestly Exhausting

If you have about twenty minutes and a strange desire to see a toddler dismantle the American legal system, then *The Newlyweds' Court Trouble* is worth a look. It’s for the kind of person who finds old-timey property damage funny, but if you’re allergic to the 'mischievous child' trope, you’ll probably want to hide under your bed. 🍼

This is part of a series based on the George McManus comic strips, and it really feels like a bunch of drawings come to life. Not in a magical way, more like in a 'everyone is constantly overacting' way. It’s fast, it’s loud for a silent movie, and it’s very, very chaotic.

Sunny Jim McKeen plays the baby, Snookums, and I have to say, this kid is a **menace**. He doesn't just act; he vibrates with the energy of someone who wants to see the world burn. There is this one shot where he just stares into the camera and you can tell he knows exactly how much trouble he's causing.

Jack Egan and Derelys Perdue play the parents, and they look like they haven’t slept since the mid-1920s. They have this frantic, wide-eyed look that reminded me a bit of the leads in The Man on the Box, where everything is just one mistake away from total ruin. They’re trying to be respectable, but they have a human wrecking ball for a son.

The courtroom scene is the meat of the thing. It’s mostly just people falling over and papers flying everywhere. I’m not entirley sure why they’re even in court, but it doesn't really matter because the baby is busy eating legal documents. 🤷‍♂️

The slapstick is pretty standard for 1928, though it feels a bit more mean-spirited than some of the other stuff from that era. It’s got that high-speed energy you see in The Sawmill, where the physical comedy is the only thing the director cares about. Logic? Not here.

I noticed the sets are super flimsy. Like, you can see the walls shaking whenever someone closes a door too hard. It adds to the charm, I guess, but it also makes the whole world feel very temporary. Like the whole movie might just fall over if the wind blows too hard.

The baby wears this giant bonnet for half the movie that looks like it’s trying to swallow his head. It’s a weirdly specific detail that I couldn't stop looking at. Why was baby fashion so aggressive back then? It’s distracting.

There’s a moment with an inkwell that is pure George McManus. You just know the ink is going to end up on the most expensive-looking thing in the room. It’s predictable, but in a comforting way, like watching a train wreck you've seen before. It kind of reminded me of the messy vibes in Puppy Love, where things just spiral for no reason.

The editing is a bit of a mess, honestly. One second they're at home, and then—*bam*—they're in front of the judge. I think there was a title card missing or maybe the film was just cut by someone in a huge hurry. It makes the pacing feel even more manic than it already is.

I don't know if I'd call this 'good' in a traditional sense. It’s more of a weird little time capsule of what people thought was hilarious before the Great Depression hit. It’s a bit like Hotsy-Totsy where the energy is high but the substance is basically zero.

If you're into silent comedy history, you'll find it interesting to see how they handled comic strip adaptations. If you're just looking for a laugh, you might find it more exhausting than funny. Snookums is just... he's a lot to handle for twenty minutes.

The ending is so abrupt it feels like they just ran out of film. No real resolution, just a 'well, that happened' kind of vibe. I didn't hate it, but I was definitely ready for it to be over. It’s a loud, grainy, flickering bit of history that probably should stay in the vault unless you’re really curious. 📽️

Also, the judge has some of the best **eyebrow acting** I have ever seen. He should have won an award just for the way he twitches his face at the baby. It’s the little things that make these old shorts bearable.