The Jazz Singer (1927)
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A young man's pursuit of a career as a jazz singer leads to a profound conflict with his devout Jewish family's traditions.
The story
Cantor Rabinowitz wants his 13-year-old son, Jacob "Jakie" Rabinowitz, to carry on the generations-old family tradition and become a cantor at the synagogue in the Jewish ghetto of Manhattan's Lower East Side. Jakie has instead taken a liking to singing jazz at the local beer garden. After being punished by his father, Jakie runs away from home. Some years later, now calling himself Jack Robin, he has become a talented jazz singer performing in blackface. He attempts to build a career as an entertainer, but his professional ambitions ultimately come into conflict with the demands of his home and heritage.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Cantor Rabinowitz wants his 13-year-old son, Jakie, to become a cantor, but Jakie prefers singing jazz at a beer garden. After a confrontation and a whipping, Jakie runs away. Ten years later, as Jack Robin, he is a jazz singer performing in blackface. He meets Mary Dale, a musical theater dancer who helps him land a role in 'April Follies'. Jack eventually returns to his family home, where his father dismisses him as a 'jazz singer'. Two weeks before the premiere of 'April Follies', Jack's father falls gravely ill. Jack is faced with a choice: perform on opening night or sing the Kol Nidre for Yom Kippur in his father's place. Despite the producer's warnings that he will never work on Broadway again if he misses the premiere, Jack chooses to sing the Kol Nidre. His father listens from his deathbed and gives his final blessing. The film ends with Jack, now known as 'The Jazz Singer', performing at the Winter Garden theater, where his mother watches from the front row.
- First release year
- 1927
- Runtime (minutes)
- 89
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Alan Crosland
- Writers
- Alfred A. Cohn · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Al Jolson · Jacob "Jakie" Rabinowitz (Jack Robin); Bobby Gordon · Jakie Rabinowitz (age 13); Warner Oland · Cantor Rabinowitz, Jakie Rabinowitz's (Jack Robin's) father; Eugenie Besserer · Sara Rabinowitz, Jakie Rabinowitz's (Jack Robin's) mother; May McAvoy · Mary Dale; Otto Lederer · Moisha Udelson; Richard Tucker · Harry Lee; Yossele Rosenblatt · himself
- Genres
- musical drama; part-talkie
- Themes
- tradition vs. modernity; identity; assimilation; religion vs. art
- Tone and mood
- sentimental; dramatic
- Setting
- Manhattan's Lower East Side and Broadway in the 1920s
- Premise and plot tags
- musical; drama; historical; family conflict
- Source material / true-story basis
- Based on the 1925 play of the same title by Samson Raphaelson, the plot was adapted from his short story "The Day of Atonement".
- Content notes
- blackface
- Reception
- Critical reaction was, though far from universally, positive. It was a major hit that demonstrated the profit potential of feature-length "talkies".
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Honorary Award · producing · win
- Production trivia
- The film was the first feature-length motion picture with both synchronized recorded music and lip-synchronous singing and speech.; The phrase "Wait a minute, wait a minute. You ain't heard nothin' yet!" was voted as the 71st best quote by the American Film Institute.; The film was chosen in voting conducted by the American Film Institute as one of the best American films of all time, ranking at number ninety.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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