The Stolen Jools

"The Slippery Pearls", also called "The Stolen Jools", is a short comedy that is worth watching for the star power alone. It's amazing how many movie greats appear in just 20 minutes, from silent film legends to some of the (at the time) youngest stars in Hollywood.

The actual story, an investigation of the theft of Norma Shearer's jewelry at a big party, is just a device to give a "detective" a reason for talking to all these celebrities. There are a fair number of decent gags, but the humor is not nearly as noteworthy as the great cast. Watch it and see how many luminaries you can spot.

Perhaps the best way to describe this short film is to label it "a star-studded 20 minutes." As a movie, it is reminiscent of the early 10-minute silent reels with goofy plots, only way less developed. Each scene is quickly abandoned in an effort to show as many well-known actors as possible. The story merely serves as an excuse to show off Hollywood's biggest stars, ranging from Joan Crawford to Laurel & Hardy. So have fun with it, and just be sure to pay attention or you'll miss a star!

THE CAST (in order of appearance): Wallace Beery, Buster Keaton, Jack Hill, J. Farrell MacDonald, Edward G. Robinson, George E. Stone, Eddie Kane, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Allen 'Farina' Hoskins, Matthew 'Stymie' Beard, Norman 'Chubby' Chaney, Mary Ann Jackson, Shirley Jean Rickert, Dorothy 'Echo' DeBorba, Bobby 'Wheezer' Hutchins, Pete the Pup, Polly Moran, Norma Shearer, Hedda Hopper, Joan Crawford, William Haines, Dorothy Lee, Edmund Lowe, Victor McLaglen, El Brendel, Charles Murray, George Sidney, Winnie Lightner, Fifi D'Orsay, Warner Baxter, Irene Dunne, Bert Wheeler, Robert Woolsey, Richard Dix, Lowell Sherman, Claudia Dell, Eugene Palette, Stuart Erwin, 'Skeets' Gallagher, Gary Cooper, Wynne Gibson, 'Buddy' Rogers, Maurice Chevalier, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Loretta Young, Richard Barthelmess, Charles Butterworth, Bebe Daniels, Ben Lyon, Frank Fay, Barbara Stanwyck, Jack Oakie, Fay Wray, Joe E. Brown, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Little Billy Rhodes, Mitzi Green.

This little number is quite unique! It almost serves as a trailer for every film made by the majors in 1931. If you see this, you will see virtually every major and minor star of the era in a sort-of non musical "all-star" picture which was formerly very popular in the early sound days. It is quite fun to see the stars from MGM, Paramount, Columbia and RKO all together in this melange. Some of the artists do no more than appear for a split-second on camera, but the intent seems to be to sandwich as many recognizable stars as possible into this, a 20 minute short film, underwritten by Chesterfield cigarettes to benefit tuberculosis research! It is fascinating to see "screen snap shots" of some famous Hollywood couples of the day, such as Barbara Stanwyck and Frank Fay, and Bebe Daniels and Ben Lyons. Norma Shearer has the biggest part, and she seems to be enjoying herself in this little film. You also get a glimpse of Joan Crawford and her best friend, gay film star William Haines. I got this film a few years ago for next to nothing as part of a 3 disc set of silent and early sound movie classics in a dollar store. At a dollar a disc for the set, it has a lot of fascinating entertainment for the price.

I just caught this old thing as an add-on for Dementia 13 on Haunted Hollywood (A light night movie program that shows here in Dallas). It wasn't quite the laugh riot it was intended to be, but there were several moments worth catching. Laurel and Hardy, for example, as 2 detectives that mistakenly make a final payment on their car. There was a funny bit with someone I thought was George Burns, but have found that it actually was someone else I don't know. Don't look for a solid story line, rather expect a series of gags, skits and one liners, not all of which hit the mark.. When you have half of Hollywood out for cameos, that's about all one can expect.

20 minute short film PACKED with some of the biggest film stars of the day. The premise is that at a major Hollywood party Norma Shearer's jewels are stolen. A detective interviews all the stars who were at the party. Barbara Stanwyck, Irene Dunne, Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford and best buddy William Haines, Buster Keaton....and so many more stars. The story is not too funny, and in some cases not very well acted, case in point look at Norma Shearer herself, but if you are able to find this on VHS or DVD I suggest you watch it.