The Jolson Story (1946)

This movie shows the idealized career of the singer Al Jolson, a little Jewish boy who goes against the will of his father in order to be in showbiz. He becomes a star, falls in love with a... See full summary »

Director:

Alfred E. Green

Writers:

Harry Chandlee (adaptation), Stephen Longstreet (screenplay)

Stars:

Larry Parks, Evelyn Keyes, William Demarest

Won 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Larry Parks	...	Al Jolson
Evelyn Keyes	...	Julie Benson
William Demarest	...	Steve Martin
Bill Goodwin	...	Tom Baron
Ludwig Donath	...	Cantor Yoelson
Scotty Beckett	...	Asa Yoelson / Al Jolson - as a boy
Tamara Shayne	...	Mrs. Yoelson
Jo-Carroll Dennison	...	Ann Murray
John Alexander	...	Lew Dockstader
Ernest Cossart	...	Father McGee
The Robert Mitchell Boy Choir	...	Church Choir (as Mitchell 'Boychoir')
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Robert Kellard	...	Henry - Orchestra Leader (as Bob Stevens)

Storyline

This movie shows the idealized career of the singer Al Jolson, a little Jewish boy who goes against the will of his father in order to be in showbiz. He becomes a star, falls in love with a non-Jewish dancer, and marries her. In the end he chooses success on the stage.

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Plot Keywords:

florenz ziegfeld character | al jolson character | three word title | surname in title | character name as title | 

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Taglines:

The Music...The Magic...The Times...of America's Greatest Entertainer

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film's accuracy was severely compromised by the fact that Al Jolson's third wife, Ruby Keeler, refused to allow her name to appear on screen.

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Goofs

Immediately following Jolson's announcement that he'll star in The Jazz Singer, a view of New York is shown at night with an unmistakable Empire State Building seen in the distance with its unique lighting (although its appearance varies somewhat in the daytime view). The Jazz Singer debuted in 1927, but the Empire State Building only opened in 1931, with excavation only beginning in 1930, 3 years after The Jazz Singer debuted.

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Quotes

Al Jolson: Broadway? What a street! You know something, baby? It belongs to me. You know something else? If you want, I'll give it to you.

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Connections

References Go Into Your Dance (1935)

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Soundtracks

I Want a Girl (Just Like the Girl That Married Dear Old Dad)
(uncredited)
Music by Harry von Tilzer
Lyrics by William Dillon (as Will Dillon)
Sung by Larry Parks (dubbed by Al Jolson)

User Reviews

THE Magical Musical of All-Time.

After all these years, and all my countless viewings, "The Jolson Story" remains the most magical and thrilling of all Hollywood musical biographies. It also stands as testament to "The World's Greatest Entertainer," Al Jolson, and his tremendous impact on show business for all time. Jolie's fantastic voice, filled with warmth, power and soul, will always be heard as long as this wonderful movie is viewed. Larry Parks and his supporting cast are superb, but it is that Jolson voice, electricity-personified, that elevates the film to immortal status.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 October 1946 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Jolson Story

Box Office

Budget:

$2,800,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min 124 min (re-release)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1