The son of a Jewish Cantor must defy the traditions of his religious father in order to pursue his dream of becoming a jazz singer.The son of a Jewish Cantor must defy the traditions of his religious father in order to pursue his dream of becoming a jazz singer.The son of a Jewish Cantor must defy the traditions of his religious father in order to pursue his dream of becoming a jazz singer.
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
10K
YOUR RATING
- Samson Raphaelson(play)
- Alfred A. Cohn(adaptation)
- Jack Jarmuth(titles)
- Stars
- Samson Raphaelson(play)
- Alfred A. Cohn(adaptation)
- Jack Jarmuth(titles)
- Stars
Robert Gordon
- Jakie Rabinowitz - Age 13
- (as Bobby Gordon)
Yossele Rosenblatt
- Cantor Rosenblatt - Concert Recital
- (as Cantor Joseff Rosenblatt)
Jane Arden
- Small Part
- (uncredited)
Ernest Belcher
- Choreographer - 'April Follies'
- (uncredited)
Violet Bird
- Small Part
- (uncredited)
Claire Delmar
- Small Part
- (uncredited)
William Demarest
- Buster Billings
- (uncredited)
Neely Edwards
- Dance Director
- (uncredited)
Audrey Ferris
- Chorus Girl
- (uncredited)
Joseph Green
- Walk-on
- (uncredited)
Ena Gregory
- Small Part
- (uncredited)
- Samson Raphaelson(play) (short story "The Day of Atonement")
- Alfred A. Cohn(adaptation)
- Jack Jarmuth(titles)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFirst feature-length movie with audible dialogue.
- GoofsMary recieves a telegram dated August 8, 1927. Later in the film, Jack is seen writing a letter to Mary, dating it August 7, 1927.
- Quotes
[opening lines, first quote and first words in the first widely-seen talking picture]
Jack Robin: Wait a minute, wait a minute, you ain't heard nothin' yet! Wait a minute, I tell ya! You ain't heard nothin'! You wanna hear "Toot, Toot, Tootsie"? All right, hold on, hold on...
[then he walks back to one of the band members]
Jack Robin: Lou, listen. Play "Toot, Toot, Tootsie", three chorus, you understand. In the third chorus, I whistle. Now give it to 'em hard and heavy, go right ahead.
- ConnectionsEdited into Okay for Sound (1946)
- SoundtracksMy Gal Sal
(1905) (uncredited)
Written by Paul Dresser
Sung by Robert Gordon (dubbed by an unidentified singer)
Review
Featured review
Walking A Million Miles For One Of Your Smiles
For a mawkishly sentimental play that was outdated even when it first was presented on Broadway, The Jazz Singer has had a remarkable life with now three movie versions and possibly more to come. Of course it being considered the first sound film probably has a whole lot to do with it. I doubt it would have been remade twice already if it wasn't a historical moment.
But for trying to hold up the Brothers Warner for some extra salary for doing that first sound feature, Georgie Jessel might have been able to repeat the role he created on Broadway as Jakie Rabinowitz aka Jack Robin, cantor's son who runs away from home as a juvenile and comes back home in time to sing Kol Nidre at Yom Kippur services in place of his dying father. Jessel's greed was Al Jolson's gain as America's greatest live entertainer at the time got to inaugurate the era of movie sound.
As Al Jolson was wont to do in his stage shows, he interpolated material from all sources in his first film that he felt was suitable for him. Toot Toot Tootsie and interestingly enough My Mammy were songs he'd done on stage before and were proved material his audience would respond to. The first song he actually does sing is Dirty Hands, Dirty Face which was something he had not done before. Blue Skies which he sings to his mother after returning home as a Broadway star was in fact a current hit on Broadway at the time Jolson was singing it.
People from that era say that you cannot appreciate Jolson on the screen, that to really get the full impact of his dynamic stage presence you had to see him live. Maybe so, but since that isn't possible, there's enough of him in The Jazz Singer and other of his films to realize what a great entertainer he was, black-face or not.
Warner Oland, later to be the first Charlie Chan, plays Cantor Rabinowitz and Eugenie Besserer is touching as Jolson's mother caught hopelessly between her husband and son. In that first scene of a grownup Jolson in a café before he sings Dirty Hands, Dirty Face you will note that is William Demarest who he's dining with. Myrna Loy has a small role as a chorus girl.
Still both the play and the personality dictate that this film is owned exclusively by Al Jolson. Despite later versions with Danny Thomas and Neil Diamond in the lead, the story will always be identified with the man who said we ain't heard nothing yet.
Though The Jazz Singer is exponentially sentimental and mawkish, it does have a very nice depiction of Jewish life and neighborhood in the Teens and Twenties of the last century. And of course The Jazz Singer is a historic first.
But for trying to hold up the Brothers Warner for some extra salary for doing that first sound feature, Georgie Jessel might have been able to repeat the role he created on Broadway as Jakie Rabinowitz aka Jack Robin, cantor's son who runs away from home as a juvenile and comes back home in time to sing Kol Nidre at Yom Kippur services in place of his dying father. Jessel's greed was Al Jolson's gain as America's greatest live entertainer at the time got to inaugurate the era of movie sound.
As Al Jolson was wont to do in his stage shows, he interpolated material from all sources in his first film that he felt was suitable for him. Toot Toot Tootsie and interestingly enough My Mammy were songs he'd done on stage before and were proved material his audience would respond to. The first song he actually does sing is Dirty Hands, Dirty Face which was something he had not done before. Blue Skies which he sings to his mother after returning home as a Broadway star was in fact a current hit on Broadway at the time Jolson was singing it.
People from that era say that you cannot appreciate Jolson on the screen, that to really get the full impact of his dynamic stage presence you had to see him live. Maybe so, but since that isn't possible, there's enough of him in The Jazz Singer and other of his films to realize what a great entertainer he was, black-face or not.
Warner Oland, later to be the first Charlie Chan, plays Cantor Rabinowitz and Eugenie Besserer is touching as Jolson's mother caught hopelessly between her husband and son. In that first scene of a grownup Jolson in a café before he sings Dirty Hands, Dirty Face you will note that is William Demarest who he's dining with. Myrna Loy has a small role as a chorus girl.
Still both the play and the personality dictate that this film is owned exclusively by Al Jolson. Despite later versions with Danny Thomas and Neil Diamond in the lead, the story will always be identified with the man who said we ain't heard nothing yet.
Though The Jazz Singer is exponentially sentimental and mawkish, it does have a very nice depiction of Jewish life and neighborhood in the Teens and Twenties of the last century. And of course The Jazz Singer is a historic first.
helpful•293
- bkoganbing
- Oct 17, 2007
Details
Box office
- 1 hour 28 minutes
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