The Stolen Jools

Believe it or not, this unique all-star comedy short was financed by a tobacco-producing company in aid of charity! Practically everybody who was anybody in Hollywood circa 1931 puts in an appearance here during its mildly enjoyable but thoroughly fascinating 18-minute run: seasoned copper Wallace Beery sending rookie Buster Keaton to patrol the streets of L.A., detective team supreme of Laurel & Hardy arriving on the scene of the titular crime (belonging to Norma Shearer, no less) and having their car disassemble itself right there and then, Victor McLaglen and Edmund Lowe (in character as Flagg and Quirt) waited on by Swede El Brendel at a restaurant, Warner Baxter (again in character as The Cisco Kid – for which he was awarded an Oscar in 1929) flirting with the ladies, gangsters Edward G. Robinson and George E. Stone hiding out in a hotel lobby, Richard Dix and Irene Dunne – whom I have just seen teamed up in CIMARRON (1931) – being questioned by a nosy investigator, editor Gary Cooper ordering reporter Eugene Palette about, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. taking a stroll with Loretta Young, a rare peak at the home of newly-weds Frank Fay and Barbara Stanwyck (of whom, incidentally, I have just acquired a handful of rare movies)…plus Richard Barthelmess, Joe E. Brown (donning a false beard), Maurice Chevalier, Joan Crawford, Jack Oakie, Wheeler & Woolsey (whose brief bit here made me want to watch more of them), etc.

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.

"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.

Comedy short made for charity, notable for the cast of big names. Someone has stolen Norma Shearer's jewels at the annual Screen Stars Ball. The investigation leads us through a variety of stars playing bit parts. That's pretty much the whole plot. The stars include Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford, Edward G. Robinson, Laurel & Hardy, the Our Gang kids, Loretta Young, Buster Keaton, Wallace Beery, Joe E. Brown, the aforementioned Norma Shearer, and many others. The purpose of the short was to raise money for the N.V.A. Tuberculosis Sanitarium. It's amusing although each star's bit is disappointingly brief. It's certainly interesting for classic film fans. But it's pretty much just empty fluff. Don't expect to laugh your socks off.

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.