The Jolson Story (1946)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Alfred E. Green

Writers:

Harry Chandlee (adaptation)
Stephen Longstreet (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

10 October 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Music

Plot:

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...

Plot Keywords:

Face Paint | Painted Face | Blackface | Florenz Ziegfeld | Blockbuster

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

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:
Jessie Arnold	...	Wardrobe Woman (uncredited)
Lilian Bond	...	Woman (uncredited)
Symona Boniface	...	Audience Extra (uncredited)
Eugene Borden	...	Headwaiter (uncredited)
Bill Brandt	...	Nightclub Orchestra Leader (uncredited)
Clay Campbell	...	Make up artist for 'The Jazz Singer' (uncredited)
James Conaty	...	Audience Extra (uncredited)
Donna Dax	...	Girl Publicist (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum	...	Audience Extra (uncredited)
Eddie Fetherston	...	Asst. Stage Manager (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Audience Extra (uncredited)
William Forrest	...	Dick Glenn (uncredited)
Buddy Gorman	...	Jimmy, the Call Boy (uncredited)
Sam Harris	...	Night Club Extra (uncredited)
Fred Howard	...	Audience Extra (uncredited)
Coulter Irwin	...	John, Young Priest (uncredited)
Al Jolson	...	Himself - in long shot of 'Swanee' (uncredited)
Charles Jordan	...	Dockstader's stage manager (uncredited)
Eddie Kane	...	Florenz Ziegfeld (uncredited)
Edward Keane	...	Winter Garden Director (uncredited)
Robert Kellard	...	Henry, Orchestra Leader (as Bob Stevens) (uncredited)
P.J. Kelly	...	Doorman (uncredited)
Ethan Laidlaw	...	Audience Extra (uncredited)
Mike Lally	...	Lab Manager (uncredited)
Pat Lane	...	Cameraman (uncredited)
Doris Lloyd	...	Alice, the maid (uncredited)
Jimmy Lloyd	...	Roy Anderson (uncredited)
Arthur Loft	...	Winter Garden Stage Manager (uncredited)
George Magrill	...	Gaffer (uncredited)
Charles Marsh	...	Audience Extra (uncredited)
Edwin Maxwell	...	Oscar Hammerstein (uncredited)
Harold Miller	...	Night Club Extra (uncredited)
Robert Mitchell	...	Choir Conductor (uncredited)
Helen O'Hara	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Joe Palma	...	Worker in railroad yard (uncredited)
Eddie Rio	...	Nightclub Master of Ceremonies (uncredited)
Adele Roberts	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Alex Romero	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Fred F. Sears	...	Oscar (cutter) (uncredited)
Harry Shannon	...	Policeman Reilly (uncredited)
Ted Stanhope	...	Electrician (uncredited)
Brick Sullivan	...	Audience Extra (uncredited)
Ann E. Todd	...	Ann Murray as a child (uncredited)
John Tyrrell	...	Man in Line (uncredited)
Emmett Vogan	...	Jonsey (uncredited)
Eric Wilton	...	Henry, the butler (uncredited)
Rudy Wissler	...	Singing voice for young Jolson (uncredited)
Will Wright	...	Sourpuss Movie Patron (uncredited)

Directed by
Alfred E. Green

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Sidney Buchman		uncredited
Harry Chandlee		adaptation
Stephen Longstreet		screenplay
Andrew Solt		adaptation

Produced by
Gordon Griffith	....	associate producer (as Gordon S. Griffith)
Sidney Skolsky	....	producer

Original Music by
George Duning		(uncredited)
Hugo Friedhofer		(uncredited)
Arthur Morton		(uncredited)
Marlin Skiles		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Joseph Walker

Film Editing by
William A. Lyon		(as William Lyon)

Art Direction by
Stephen Goosson
Walter Holscher

Set Decoration by
Louis Diage
William Kiernan

Costume Design by
Jean Louis

Makeup Department
Clay Campbell	....	makeup artist
Helen Hunt	....	hair stylist
Robert J. Schiffer	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Wilbur McGaugh	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Hugh McDowell Jr.	....	sound recordist (as Hugh McDowell)
Richard Olson	....	sound re-recordist
John P. Livadary	....	sound (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Ned Scott	....	still photographer

Music Department
Saul Chaplin	....	vocal arranger
Martin Fried	....	music arranger
Morris Stoloff	....	musical director (as M.W. Stoloff)
Edwin Wetzel	....	music recordist
George Duning	....	music arranger (uncredited)
Saul Silverman	....	singing voice: Ludwig Donath (uncredited)

Other crew
Lawrence W. Butler	....	montage director
Jack Cole	....	choreographer
Natalie Kalmus	....	technicolor color director
Joseph H. Lewis	....	director: production numbers
James T. 'Bud' Nelson	....	singing double
Morgan Padelford	....	associate technicolor color director
Robert Gordon	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Al Jolson	....	original singing voice: Larry Parks (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1946) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures Corporation (1946) (UK) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures (1954) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (1986) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia Pictures Home Video (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1995) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Sony Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)

Runtime:

128 min | USA:124 min (re-release) | West Germany:104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:S | UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #11154, General Audience) | West Germany:12

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

When the young Asa Yoelson is at the burlesque theater watching Steve Martin, there is an usher standing behind him and slightly to the right of the frame. Many have speculated that this usher is actually the real Al Jolson himself, this is not true.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Mama Yoelson was already dead at the time Al became a star.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Jeopardy!: (#22.20)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

Forty-Second Street

The most enthralling musical biography of all time - "you ain't heard nothin' yet!"

"The Jolson Story" must be one of the most outstanding musical biographies to ever come out of Hollywood with a multitude of unforgettable popular songs, luxuriant colour photography, and a noteworthy performance by Larry Parks in his most accomplished role as Al Jolson. The stunning Evelyn Keyes sparkled as Julie Benson and the eminent William Demarest was entertainer Steve Martin (later Jolson's manager). "Give that boy a spotlight!!". Ludwig Donath and Tamara Shayne were an inspired choice as Jolson's parents: "Papa, Asa isn't Asa any more!". Bill Goodwin was Jolson's close friend and singer Tom Baron (later theatrical impresario) and talented Scotty Beckett gave an appealing performance playing Jolson as a boy. William Demarest had also appeared with Al Jolson years earlier in "The Jazz Singer" (1927) so it is intriguing to speculate whether they reminisced about that during the production of "The Jolson Story". William Demarest received an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his part in "The Jolson Story" but was beaten by Harold Russell for "The Best Years of Our Lives". Larry Parks was also nominated (as Best Actor) but lost to Fredric March (again for "The Best Years of Our Lives"). As some small consolation the film did win Oscars for the Best Musical Score and the Best Sound Recording. (For some obscure reason it wasn't even nominated for the best picture award much to my surprise).

The film has an absorbing storyline even though it is not entirely accurate and it does take some liberties with the facts. Jolson's mother died when he was eight years old yet in the film she lives on to see him become a big success on Broadway. Many people who played active parts in Jolson's real life story did not even get a mention in the film version. His long time manager Louis Epstein, his dresser/valet Frank Holmes and his brother Harry were all eliminated from the plot! The character Steve Martin played by William Demarest did not actually exist and it has been suggested that this role was probably a composite of the three men referred to above plus several other people. Jolson's first two wives were not even mentioned and Ruby Keeler (Jolson's third wife) would not allow her name to be used in the picture so ravishing Evelyn Keyes had to play the fictitious Julie Benson instead. Ziegfeld: "This is Julie Benson - the star of my next production "Show Girl"." Jolson: "Mr Ziegfeld you will please not advertise on my time!".

Harry Cohn (the notorious head of Columbia Pictures) is to be congratulated for going ahead with this film when all the other major studios had turned it down. Even Warner Bros. (for whom Jolson had starred in several films) were not interested. Filming was started on a small budget and in black and white. However, when Harry Cohn saw the early rushes he decided to film in colour and make "The Jolson Story" a major prestigious production. This certainly paid off for him in a big way as the film became one of Columbia Pictures top money earners. Jolson desperately wanted to play the leading role himself and was opposed to another actor portraying his life. Unfortunately at that stage in his career he was obviously too old (he was 60) but the studio could not have found anyone better than the young Larry Parks (31) who perfectly captured the Jolson style and threw himself into the part with relish. However, Jolson did manage to play himself in one scene singing "Swanee" on the Winter Garden runway (all filmed in longshot with no close-ups). When I saw "The Jolson Story" for the first time it had a major impact on my life and for weeks afterwards I was quoting lines from the film that had stuck in my mind such as these from Jolson to Julie Benson: "Broadway, ha, what a street, you know something baby - it belongs to me. You know something else, if you want it, I'll give it to you!"

The musical numbers were absolutely magnificent and with popular songs like "California Here I Come", "You Made Me Love You", "Toot Toot Tootsie", "April Showers", "Robert E. Lee", "Liza", "Mammy", "Liza", "About a Quarter to Nine", "I'm Sitting on Top of the World" and "Rockabye Your Baby" how could it miss! If there is one film I could take to a desert island it would have to be "The Jolson Story" as I never tire of seeing repeated showings of this timeless classic. As Jolson himself would have said: "Settle back folks, you ain't heard nothin' yet!" (and he would be right about that). 10/10. Clive Roberts.