Hell's Bells (play)
Hell's Bells (also known as Fool's Gold) is a three-act farce written by Barry Conners in 1924. It takes place in the living room of Tanglewood Lodge, a country hotel in New Dauville, Connecticut, over two days.
The story follows two middle-aged Arizona prospectors, Jap Stillson and his partner D.O., who go East to sell shares in a mine. To boost sales, they pretend to be rich millionaires and flash money to attract buyers. Their fake wealth draws attention from the Connecticut sisters of Jap’s long-lost sister Abigail Stillson, who want to gain control of his supposed fortune.
Key characters include Mrs. Buck, the lodge’s widow owner; Mrs. Amos Todhunter and her children Jimmy and Gladys; Abigail Stillson; Nan Winchester (Jimmy’s girlfriend); and Hoarce Pitkins, their attorney, plus Dr. Bushell and Judge Herman who get involved in a plan to have Jap committed to secure the family’s money. The plot also centers on family tensions, romance between Jimmy Todhunter and Nan Winchester, and a scheme to commit Jap that is ultimately foiled.
When the papers to commit Jap are signed, the plan falls apart after D.O. reveals that Jap and his partner are actually broke. Embarrassed, the sisters withdraw the petition. In the end, Jimmy marries Nan and Jap marries Mrs. Buck.
The play’s Broadway debut was January 26, 1925, at Wallack’s Theatre, with a large cast that included Tom H. Walsh, Eddie Garvie, Olive May, Humphrey Bogart, and Shirley Booth. It moved to other venues during its run and faced a notorious on-stage shooting incident on February 11, 1925, when a prop gun fired by Garvie struck a stagehand and narrowly missed Booth. Garvie was arrested under the Sullivan Act, later bailed, and eventually acquitted. After leaving Wallack’s, Hell’s Bells played at Daly’s 63rd Street Theatre and then George M. Cohan’s Theatre, before closing on May 30, 1925. The production never had a Broadway revival or a film adaptation.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 11:34 (CET).