Jolson Sings Again (1949)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Henry Levin

Writer:

Sidney Buchman (writer)

Release Date:

17 August 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Music

Plot:

In this sequel to The Jolson Story, we pick up the singer's career just as he has returned to the stage after a premature retirement...

Plot Keywords:

Travel | Sequel | Nurse | Manager | Alaska

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Larry Parks	...	Al Jolson / Himself
Barbara Hale	...	Ellen Clark
William Demarest	...	Steve Martin
Ludwig Donath	...	Cantor Yoelson
Bill Goodwin	...	Tom Baron
Myron McCormick	...	Ralph Bryant
Tamara Shayne	...	Moma Yoelson

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Company:

Sidney Buchman Enterprises

Trivia:

This film was the number-one moneymaker of 1949.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Jolson's third wife's name was not Ellen Clark, but Erle Chennault Galbraith.

Quotes:

Ellen Clark: [leaving room] My! We'll soon be smart as pigs!

Movie Connections:

Follows The Jolson Story (1946)

Soundtrack:

You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)

Jolson Sings Again-He Could Go on Singing ****

Wonderful sequel to the 1946 film. Larry Parks, William Demarest and several others repeated their parts from the original.

The film picks up exactly where the original had ended. Disgusted with his life, Jolson (Parks) walks out on his show business career and for several years travels, dabbles with horses and lives a real care-free life.

With the death of his mother, (Tamara Shayne-who really doesn't look or act too Jewish at all), Jolson embarks on a tour for services until illness ends that.

There is a nice performance by Barbara Hale (the future Della Street) as the southern nurse that he marries. Hale has just the right Arkansas twang in her speech to carry it off.

When illness follows him, Jolson withdraws from entertaining fearing that his lung operation has affected his voice. He also feels that no one is really interested in him anymore. Unfortunately, the latter is true.

It is only when his life story is made into a motion picture that he makes a genuine come back.

Parks is absolutely amazing as Jolson. Though Al sang, Parks does a brilliant job of dubbing. His mannerisms are so easily identified as those of Al Jolson.

Ludwig Donath plays Jolson's cantor father. O my, a cantor eating in a non-kosher restaurant. What were the Hollywood writers thinking?

Just hearing Jolson belt out his usual great tunes is great in itself. Entertaining and wonderful to view.