Customer Reviews

The Slippery Pearls

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Film buffs will be absolutely delighted to own this twenty minutes of unmitigated fun. The Stolen Jools (a.k.a. The Slippery Pearls) is a merry little short with so many early 1930's stars showing up in its brief running time that one needs a scoreboard to keep track of them all! Ironically, this gemstone intended to help fight tuberculosis and raise money for a Hollywood sanitarium was sponsored by Chesterfield! The cigarette is prominently displayed and smoked throughout.

You can sense everyone from Buster Keaton to Richard Barthlemess is having a grand time when it is discovered Norma Sherarer's jewels have been lifted. Edward G. Robinson was stealing them for himself and had them taken from him. Shearer is a sheer delight pleading for the detective to find them while Laurel and Hardy wait outside. Before you can say Warner Baxter, Joan Crawford, a rival of Shearer's, is questioned. It turns out all she took from the party was a cute little dog, however. Styme and Chubby from the Our Gang shorts add to the search, and Irene Dunne describes the missing jewels perfectly, yet claims not to have ever seen them!

Word about the theft reaches Chief Gary Cooper, and the famous suspects just keep on comin'! Making an appearance are Barbara Stanwyck, Buddy Rogers, Fay Wray, Bebe Daniels, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Loretta Young, William Haines, Eugene Pallette, Claudia Dell, and a very funny Wheeler and Woolsey. And that's simply the tip of the iceberg! Though it may be short, you'll have to watch it several times to catch everyone. From Bebe Daniels to Ben Lyon, Fay Wray to Wallace Beery, you'll have a ball picking out a big star you missed the second or third time around.

This is also available with a terrific "B" mystery, Dragnet, from another company. Either way, it is a must own curio for real fans.

This is a little-known 1930's short that was "lost in the MGM vault" until the early '90s. (The alternate title is: The Stolen Jewels.) It came out in 1931, is a total of 19 minutes in length and of course is in black and white. Many of MGM's biggest stars have cameos in it (including my idol, Joan Crawford, may she rest in peace) all portraying themselves. The film follows the story of Norma Shearer as she goes around looking for her stolen jewels. Some of the performances are silly and others and dramatic, but it's all a lot of fun and a great way to showcase the stars of the "greatest studio in town." This is available on multiple DVD sets, or you can also find it online (free of charge) if you do a search. I haven't seen it on TCM yet (I don't think they have the rights to it) but it's worth watching if you can. Remember, you are what you watch.

(From the back cover)

The story commences when a beautiful maiden's jewels got stolen while she was in the ballroom. The report gets lodged with the police and then the comical investigation starts. They look for the "Jools" all over and when they fail, a kid comes across and solves the crime. Find out what exactly happened and how they did the investigation in a real comic way.

This short subject was a promotional film made in 1931 to aid in collecting for charity. It is cute enough and notable for the appearances - however brief - of so many stars in one film including Laurel & Hardy, Buster Keaton, Edward G. Robinson, Wallace Beery, and of course, Norma Shearer, whose jewelry has been stolen. It is also included on Comedy Classics 50 Movie Pack Collection for just a little more than is being charged for this one so-so short film. Plus you get a total of 50 films including a bunch of Buster Keaton short silent films, an Ernst Lubitsch - "That Uncertain Feeling", and an odd little comedy starring James Cagney entitled "Something to Sing About", which was made when Cagney was having one of his feuds with Jack Warner over his contract. That is a much better buy.