The son of a Jewish Cantor must defy the traditions of his religious father in order to pursue his dream of being a popular singer.
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Title: The Jazz Singer (1980)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Neil Diamond | ... | Jess Robin / Yussel Rabinovitch | |
| Laurence Olivier | ... | Cantor Rabinovitch | |
| Lucie Arnaz | ... | Molly Bell | |
| Catlin Adams | ... | Rivka Rabinovitch | |
| Franklyn Ajaye | ... | Bubba | |
| Paul Nicholas | ... | Keith Lennox | |
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Sully Boyar | ... | Eddie Gibbs |
| Mike Kellin | ... | Leo | |
| James Booth | ... | Paul Rossini | |
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Luther Waters | ... | Teddy |
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Oren Waters | ... | Mel |
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Rod Gist | ... | Timmy |
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Walter Janovitz | ... | Rabbi Birnbaum (as Walter Janowitz) |
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Janet Brandt | ... | Aunt Tillie |
| John Witherspoon | ... | M.C. Cinderella Club | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Neil Diamond stars in this motion picture as Yussel Rabinovitch, a young Jewish cantor who strives to make a career outside the synagogue in popular music as Jess Robin. Against the wishes of his rigid father and his loving wife, Yussel travels from New York City to Los Angeles to play his music. Swept up by the excitement, he meets a spunky manager who believes in his talent and shares his dream. He grows apart from his family, and becomes confused about what he should ultimately do with his life. Written by Ted Kula <tkula@cs.wvu.edu>
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Sometimes you have to risk it all... See more »Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
19 December 1980 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Cantaretul de jazz See more »Filming Locations:
Pantages Theatre, 6223 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA See more »Edit
Box Office
Gross USA:
$27,118,000Company Credits
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Color:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Traditional Adaptation by Neil Diamond and Uri Frenkel
Adaptation © 1980 Stonebridge Music
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The scenes of Neil Diamond in Laredo, Texas were actually shot on D Street in Victorville, California. The scenes of Neil driving (and breaking down) in his Mustang were shot on Highway 395 outside Victorville. See more »Goofs
When Jesse's father visits him in California and gets out of the cab watch the female roller skater bouncing the huge ball on the walk in the background. She falls flat on her face. See more »Connections
Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Michael Jackson's This Is It/The House of the Devil/Gentlemen Broncos (2009) See more »Soundtracks
Kol NidreTraditional Adaptation by Neil Diamond and Uri Frenkel
Adaptation © 1980 Stonebridge Music
See more »
Between his duties and responsibilities, and his dreams and love. For those who want to pick the movie apart, without looking inside the story it tells, skip this comment.
Given the choice between one's responsibility to family, parents, religion, tradition, and duty, or choosing love, dreams, goals, and the pursuit of happiness through following our heart, which choice would we make?
The movie tells a story of strength through failure, of living versus wasting away in a life spent pleasing others, and of giving our heart and our dreams sway over the path we take in life.