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The Jazz Singer

  • 19271927
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 28m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
10K
YOUR RATING
The Jazz Singer (1927)
DramaMusicMusical
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
    • Alan Crosland
    • Samson Raphaelson(play)
    • Alfred A. Cohn(adaptation)
    • Jack Jarmuth(titles)
  • Stars
    • Al Jolson
    • May McAvoy
    • Warner Oland
    • Alan Crosland
    • Samson Raphaelson(play)
    • Alfred A. Cohn(adaptation)
    • Jack Jarmuth(titles)
  • Stars
    • Al Jolson
    • May McAvoy
    • Warner Oland
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 116User reviews
    • 47Critic reviews
    • 66Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar

    Photos48

    Neely Edwards, Al Jolson, May McAvoy, Margaret Oliver, Marie Stapleton, and Seymour Kupper in The Jazz Singer (1927)
    Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer (1927)
    Eugenie Besserer and Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer (1927)
    Eugenie Besserer, Al Jolson, and Warner Oland in The Jazz Singer (1927)
    Eugenie Besserer, Al Jolson, Otto Lederer, May McAvoy, and Richard Tucker in The Jazz Singer (1927)
    Eugenie Besserer and Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer (1927)
    Al Jolson and May McAvoy in The Jazz Singer (1927)
    Eugenie Besserer and Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer (1927)
    Eugenie Besserer and Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer (1927)
    The Jazz Singer (1927)
    1/2 sheet, 28' x 22'
    The Jazz Singer (1927)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Al Jolson
    Al Jolson
    • Jakie Rabinowitz
    May McAvoy
    May McAvoy
    • Mary Dale
    Warner Oland
    Warner Oland
    • The Cantor
    Eugenie Besserer
    Eugenie Besserer
    • Sara Rabinowitz
    Otto Lederer
    Otto Lederer
    • Moisha Yudelson
    Robert Gordon
    • Jakie Rabinowitz - Age 13
    • (as Bobby Gordon)
    Richard Tucker
    Richard Tucker
    • Harry Lee
    Yossele Rosenblatt
    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)
    Nat Carr
    Nat Carr
    • Levi
    • (uncredited)
    Claire Delmar
    Claire Delmar
    • Small Part
    • (uncredited)
    William Demarest
    William Demarest
    • Buster Billings
    • (uncredited)
    Neely Edwards
    Neely Edwards
    • Dance Director
    • (uncredited)
    Audrey Ferris
    Audrey Ferris
    • Chorus Girl
    • (uncredited)
    Joseph Green
    • Walk-on
    • (uncredited)
    Ena Gregory
    Ena Gregory
    • Small Part
    • (uncredited)
      • Alan Crosland
      • 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

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      First feature-length movie with audible dialogue.
    • Goofs
      Mary 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.

    • Connections
      Edited into Okay for Sound (1946)
    • Soundtracks
      My Gal Sal
      (1905) (uncredited)

      Written by Paul Dresser

      Sung by Robert Gordon (dubbed by an unidentified singer)

    User reviews116

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    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.
    helpful•29
    3
    • bkoganbing
    • Oct 17, 2007

    FAQ4

    • What is 'The Jazz Singer' about?
    • Is 'The Jazz Singer' based on a book?
    • How does the movie end?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 4, 1928 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Warner Bros.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 28 minutes
      • Black and White

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