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11-year-old Jackie Cooper's mother agrees to host a Christmas party for him and his football team. When things get out of hand - there are too many children for the size of the house - Jackie needs another venue. He asks Norma Shearer if she'll persuade Louis B Mayer to let the party continue on one of MGM's sound stages. Mayer duly obliges and on stage number two, with numerous MGM stars acting as waiters, the party goes on and finishes with Cooper wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas.
A rare short from the MGM archives, this is notable for its length - a mere nine minutes - and the number of stars it manages to cram into such a short space of time. Cooper, himself was already a household name when it was made, and the film was in fact released the following year under the title of "Jackie Cooper's Christmas Party". His career alone has spanned numerous decades, and taken in everything from "The Little Rascals" to playing Perry White in the "Superman" film franchise. This fact and the vast collection of stars who appear uncredited as themselves (apart from Jimmy Durante as Santa Claus), make it an unusual celluloid offering.
As films go, it's hard to get any particular quality into a piece only nine minutes long. However as a showcase for the many stars of MGM's golden age (which in essence is what it is), "The Christmas Party" excels itself. The entertainment comes entirely from star-spotting, and when you consider how most of the talent on screen has passed away, it is surprisingly poignant to watch.
