The Jazz Singer (1927)

The son of a Jewish Cantor must defy his father in order to pursue his dream of becoming a jazz singer.

Director:

Alan Crosland

Writers:

Alfred A. Cohn (adaptation), Jack Jarmuth (titles),

Stars:

Al Jolson, May McAvoy, Warner Oland

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Al Jolson	...	Jakie Rabinowitz
May McAvoy	...	Mary Dale
Warner Oland	...	The Cantor
Eugenie Besserer	...	Sara Rabinowitz
Otto Lederer	...	Moisha Yudelson
Robert Gordon	...	Jakie Rabinowitz - Age 13 (as Bobby Gordon)
Richard Tucker	...	Harry Lee
Cantor Joseff Rosenblatt	...	Cantor Rosenblatt - Concert Recital

Storyline

Cantor Rabinowitz is concerned and upset because his son Jakie shows so little interest in carrying on the family's traditions and heritage. For five generations, men in the family have been Cantors in the synagogue, but Jakie is more interested in jazz and ragtime music. One day, they have such a bitter argument that Jakie leaves home for good. After a few years on his own, now calling himself Jack Robin, he gets an important opportunity through the help of well-known stage performer Mary Dale. But Jakie finds that in order to balance his career, his relationship with Mary, and his memories of his family, he will be forced to make some difficult choices.

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Plot Keywords:

cantor | jazz | jazz singer | singer | jewish | 

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Taglines:

The Biggest Thrill You Ever Had in Your Life!

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Genres:

Drama | Music | Romance

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 October 1927 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Jazzsänger

Filming Locations:

Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$422,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$3,000,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Vitaphone)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Included among the '1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die', edited by Steven Jay Schneider.

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Goofs

Jack's whistling "Toot-Toot-Tootsie" is clearly out of sync in the close-up.

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Quotes

Jack Robin: [sings] I'll walk a million miles for one of your smiles, my Mammy.

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Connections

Featured in Ethnic Notions (1986)

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Soundtracks

"The Sidewalks of New York"
(1894) (uncredited)
Music by Charles Lawlor
Played during the opening montage of the New York ghetto

User Reviews

Good fun

A simple story of a guy winning back his estranged father, told in strong and memorable images. Jolson looks just right, and although it was done for reasons of cost and technological limitations, it's actually pretty cool that this is a traditional silent movie that turns talkie for the performance scenes. It makes the terrific musical numbers come alive, and it gives the plotting no more or less emphasis than it deserves. Not a great film, but an enjoyable one, and obviously a historically significant one.