Jewel Robbery (1932)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

William Dieterle

Writers:

Ladislas Fodor (play)
Erwin S. Gelsey (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 August 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Romance

Tagline:

He stole her jewels -- but that wasn't all!

Plot:

A gentleman thief charms a Viennese baron's wife and also conducts a daring daylight robbery of a jewellers.

Plot Keywords:

Vienna | Breaking The Fourth Wall | Phonograph | Incompetence | Bathtub

Cast

William Powell	...	The Robber
Kay Francis	...	Baroness Teri von Horhenfels
Helen Vinson	...	Marianne Horne
Hardie Albright	...	Paul, Undersecretary of State
Alan Mowbray	...	Fritz
André Luguet	...	Count Andre (as Andre Luguet)
Henry Kolker	...	Baron Franz von Horhenfels
Spencer Charters	...	Johann Christian Lenz, Nightwatchman
Lee Kohlmar	...	Hollander the Jeweler
Clarence Wilson	...	Prefect of Police

Runtime:

70 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Vitaphone

Certification:

USA:Approved

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Based on the following Broadway production: Jewel Robbery (1932). Comedy. Written by Bertram Bloch, from the Hungarian of Ladislas Fodor. Directed and produced by Paul Streger. Booth Theatre: 13 Jan 1932- Feb 1932 (closing date unknown/54 performances). Cast: Lionel Braham (as "Lenz"), Stuart Casey, Clarence Derwent (as "Franz"), Mary Ellis, Harold Johnsrud, Hazel Nagley, Eugene Powers, Frederick Roland, Louis M. Simon, Basil Sydney, Robert Vivian, Cora Witherspoon (as "Marianne"). Produced by Paul Streger.

Goofs:

Continuity: After the baroness pulls a gun on the robber, he distracts her by kissing her, whereupon she drops the gun on his foot. She runs to the other side of the room with the robber limping after her. The gun is on the floor as he starts toward her; when he reaches her he's holding it.

Quotes:

Robber: You're so lovely. It's hard to be brutal with you.
Baroness Teri von Horhenfels: You do strike a fresh note. Up to now, men have always been brutal because I am lovely!

Movie Connections:

Remade as The Peterville Diamond (1942)

Soundtrack:

Auf Wiedersehen, My Dear

This pre-code comedy is a wonderful gem

This is a sparkling and witty fantasy about a pampered society dame (Kay Francis) who has become aware of the hollowness of her life and a dapper jewel thief (William Powell) who steals her treasures and awakens her from her golden tedium. I call it a "fantasy" because, sadly, we've become too aware of how real crime and criminals work. There's no effort to conceal faces, the robbery crew addresses each other by first name, Powell plays soothing music and engages in witty banter with those he's robbing, but nonetheless it's very entertaining to watch. Another odd aspect of this unusual film is that Powell gives his victims marijuana cigarettes to smoke, to make them passive and jovial. This is one of those pre-code films from that tiny window where sound had come in, the depression was on and the Production Codes weren't re-writing movies like Jewel Robbery. See it when you can. Like the object of it's main character obsession, it is truly a gem.