The Jazz Singer (1927)

Director:

Alan Crosland

Writers:

Samson Raphaelson (play)
Alfred A. Cohn (adaptation)

Release Date:

1929 (Austria)

Genre:

Drama | Music | Romance

Tagline:

WARNER BROS. Supreme Triumph ! ! !

Plot:

The son of a Jewish Cantor must defy his father in order to pursue his dream of becoming a jazz singer.

Plot Keywords:

Cantor | Jazz | Singer | Jazz Singer | Broadway

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins

Cast

Al Jolson	...	Jakie Rabinowitz (Jack Robin)
May McAvoy	...	Mary Dale
Warner Oland	...	Cantor Rabinowitz
Eugenie Besserer	...	Sara Rabinowitz
Otto Lederer	...	Moisha Yudelson
Robert Gordon	...	Jakie Rabinowitz (age 13) (as Bobby Gordon)
Richard Tucker	...	Harry Lee
Cantor Joseff Rosenblatt	...	Himself (concert recital)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Vitaphone

Certification:

Australia:G | UK:U | USA:Unrated | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The movie's line "Wait a minute, wait a minute. You ain't heard nothing yet" was voted as the #71 movie quote by the American Film Institute (out of 100).

Goofs:

Continuity: 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:

[first lines]
[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...
[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.
[band starts playing]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "All in the Family: Lionel the Live-In (#5.5)" (1974)

Soundtrack:

Give My Regards to Broadway

Good fun

A simple story of a guy winning back his estranged father, told in strong and memorable images. Jolson looks just right, and although it was done for reasons of cost and technological limitations, it's actually pretty cool that this is a traditional silent movie that turns talkie for the performance scenes. It makes the terrific musical numbers come alive, and it gives the plotting no more or less emphasis than it deserves. Not a great film, but an enjoyable one, and obviously a historically significant one.