The Jolson Story (1946)

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:

Interestingly, the cover picture of "The Jolson Story" soundtrack album, consisted of a drawing of two hands with white gloves, with no reference to his, at times controversial, "black face" makeup.

Goofs:

Continuity: Julie's shoes change to a different style when she walks out to the balcony after singing "California Here I Come".

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "M*A*S*H: Der Tag (#4.17)" (1976)

Soundtrack:

The Gold Diggers' Song (We're in the Money)

A film from a different world

Simultaneously one of the finest and MOST NEGLECTED musicals of Hollywood's "Golden Era." One can only attribute this to the current atmosphere of political correctness that so erodes truth and learning in our society. No one (or very few, at least) are willing or able to understand what blackface really meant and how it was used and who used it. It is a sad situation and has lead to almost complete amnesia that pervades our time regarding Al Jolson and this fabulous film biography.

Great songs sung by a master showman. No special effects beyond the dubbing of Jolson's voice by Larry Parks. No explosions, rapes, bloodletting. No morphing, shape-shifting aliens. No loud, tuneless music. No rap "songs" extoling attitude and misogyny. Imagine a world like this one and you have "The Jolson Story." If you are under 45 you probably don't know what this means.