The Stolen Jools is a weird, fast-paced time capsule from 1931

Is this worth your 20 minutes?

Honestly, if you like old movies even a little bit, yes. It is worth it just to see everyone looking so young and slightly awkward with the new microphones.

If you hate old stuff and think black-and-white is boring, you will probably loathe this. It’s not really a 'movie' with a plot so much as it is a parade of famous faces.

I found myself squinting at the screen a lot. It’s like a puzzle where the pieces are all actors from 90 years ago. 🕵️‍♂️

The whole thing starts because Norma Shearer had her expensive jewelry stolen. A detective starts wandering around Hollywood asking everyone where the 'jools' are.

It is a very thin excuse to get everyone on camera. The detective guy is kind of a goofball and not in a particularly charming way.

He just sort of shows up at people's houses and they happen to be standing there in full costume. It’s very silly.

The best part, by far, is Laurel and Hardy. They are in their little car and it looks like it is about to fall apart.

Stan is doing his usual confused face and Ollie is just being Ollie. They have this natural rhythm that makes everyone else in the short look a bit stiff.

It’s weird seeing them in the same universe as Joan Crawford. Joan is only on screen for a heartbeat, but she looks incredible.

She has that 1930s glow that makes you realize why she was such a big deal. Unlike some of the other stars who look a bit washed out, she pops.

Then there is Buster Keaton. He is cleaning a floor with a broom.

It feels a little bit sad seeing the 'Great Stone Face' doing a bit where he’s basically a janitor. But he still has that perfect timing.

He doesn't say much, which fits him. The sound quality in 1931 was still pretty hit-or-miss, kind of like what you hear in Applause from a couple years earlier.

Sometimes the actors sound like they are shouting into a tin can. Other times you can barely hear them over the background hiss. 🔊

I really liked the segment with the kids from Our Gang. They are sitting around eating ice cream and acting like actual kids.

Farina and Stymie have a funny little exchange that feels less scripted than the grown-ups. Most of the adults are trying very hard to be 'on' for the camera.

The kids just want their ice cream. I can relate to that. 🍦

One thing that caught me off guard was how many people I didn't recognize. I consider myself a fan of this era, but some of these people have been totally forgotten.

It makes the movie feel a little ghostly. All these people were huge stars for ten minutes and now they are just names in a long list of credits.

The lighting in the indoor scenes is very bright. Almost too bright.

It reminds me of the look in The American Beauty where everything feels a bit theatrical. There isn't much shadow or mood here.

The director just wanted to make sure you could see the stars' faces clearly. That was the whole point, after all.

Edward G. Robinson shows up and acts like a tough guy, which is exactly what you want. He’s got that voice that sounds like he’s chewing on gravel.

There is also a dog. Pete the Pup with the ring around his eye.

He’s probably the most consistent actor in the whole thing. He doesn't flub his lines or look at the camera too much. 🐶

The ending is... well, it’s a joke. I won't spoil it, but don't expect a deep mystery resolution.

It’s a pun. A bad one. The kind of joke your grandpa tells at Thanksgiving.

I watched this on a grainy YouTube upload and honestly, that’s probably the best way to see it. It feels like a relic you found in an attic.

It was made to raise money for a tuberculosis hospital, so you can't really be too mean to it. It’s a group of people doing a nice thing.

Is it a masterpiece? Goodness, no.

But it is a very fast way to see 50 legends without having to sit through 50 different movies. It’s like a highlight reel for a game that happened a century ago.

If you have twenty minutes to kill while waiting for a bus or your coffee to brew, give it a look. You might find a new favorite actor you've never heard of before.