vincentlynch-moonoi We all know that bio-pics of the era weren't very accurate...but that's okay...this is simply an interesting film. It's fairly well known that Jolson wanted to play himself in this film, but thank goodness he wasn't allowed to do so. Not just because he was too old for the part, but also because his ego would have ruined the film. Larry Parks was able to make Al Jolson likable...something Jolson couldn't have done for himself. And by the way, Larry Parks' lip-sinking to the real Jolson singing is simply outstanding. The same can be said for Scotty Beckett as he was playing the young Jolson.Of course, there's a lot of Black face in this film. Get over it. History -- whether pleasant or not -- is still history. And, if you read up on Jolson, you'll find that he was extremely popular with African-Americans of the time, and they flocked to honor him at his funeral. We can't understand it all now. That's not excusing the cultural faux pas (and that's putting it mildly) of Black face, but, the Black face phenomenon may not have been as black and white (no pun intended) as we see it today. Something to think about.Larry Parks was something of a one hit wonder (with the emphasis on "hit"), but his performance here is really one of the greatest performances in any bio-pic.And then there's Jolson. I was only a baby when Jolson died, but I've always thought that Jolson was something special...special unique. I don't imagine many of us would have liked him personally, and his voice was certainly not a traditional vocalist's voice of almost any era. But again, it was unique, and by the time this film was made, a special kind of mellow with high energy.And then there's the supporting cast. William Demarest, not usually one of my favorite character actors (although he's always "okay"). But, this role is more diverse for Demarest and he shines in it. Evelyn Keyes is also excellent as Julie Benson -- an amalgam of Jolson's actual 4 wives. Bill Goodwin is good as another performer and eventual director of a theater. Ludwig Donath is quite charming as Cantor Yoelson, Al's father. Scotty Beckett is excellent as the young Al Jolson. Tamara Shayne is good as Al's mother.Although the film pretends Jolson had only one wife (he actually married 4 times), they way they handle the rigors of show business and the effect it had on Jolson's marriages. Quite cleverly done.To be honest, aside from Larry Parks' off-color front tooth, which I found rather distracting, there's not much to criticize here (other than the typical bio-pic white wash), and much to praise. Back then, it was so popular that it revived Jolson's seriously flagging career just a few years before his death. BTW, if you have a chance, listen to the Bing Crosby - Al Jolson radio performances which are on DVD...quite fun and memorable.

grantss Historically inaccurate, but the music is good. Allegedly the story of the life of Al Jolson, but is biographical and accurate only in the Hollywood sense. Far too much poetic license is taken with the plot, to the point that after a while you wonder if anything you saw is true. the biggest example of this is the implication that Jolson was first married, to Julie Benson, around the time he made The Jazz Singer (1927). He did get married, to Ruby Keeler, in 1928, but this was his third marriage! Wouldn't want to ruin the "hero eventually meets his perfect one after putting his career first and much disappointment, dating-wise" plot you figured would work on audiences, would you now, Hollywood? I guess the fact that her name was changed should be a clue that this is a work of fiction...The "happily ever after" ending was also fictional, as they divorced in 1940, six years before the movie was made. On the positive side, some good music and stage performances.On that note, Larry Parks is kind of hit-and-miss as Al Jolson. His stage performances are good, and seem to portray well the larger- than-life, complete entertainer nature of Al Jolson. However, in the off-stage scenes he comes across as overbearing, overly energetic, phony and downright irritating.If you are interested in the correct history of Al Jolson, don't watch this. Watch a History Channel documentary instead, or just read Wikipedia.

bebop63-1 This is a truly enjoyable film to watch if only to see Al Jolson in action, singing his hits like "Swanee", "My Mammy". The close-ups of him singing both in blackface and as he is are truly mesmerising. A pity that the movie wasn't even nominated for Best Picture in 1946, though it did win for Original Score. He may have come across as an egotist who revelled in hugging the spotlight, but for all that his enthusiasm and love of entertaining audiences is simply infectious. I also loved the understanding and supportive attitude of his parents towards his career even though they opposed his entering showbusiness initially. The only reason I rate it a 9 and not a perfect 10 is for the historical inaccuracies it portrays, like the fact that Steve Martin, Al's performing partner and later booking agent didn't really exist (in reality he was a composite of several people involved in Al's career), and that his mother actually died when he was very young but in the film she witnesses his rise to fame and fortune till the end - but then, I have yet to see a movie biopic that remains 100% true to the real life of the person in question. Still, it is a truly memorable and unforgettable film for all.

Al This entertaining film biopic of the great singer Al Jolson was a standout film for Columbia in the late 40's. This was a great coup for Columbia as it was the time when MGM ruled the movie musicals. Jolson's box office clout was so much that he was the first entertainer to perform not only in talking films but also in radio as well. His greatest fame though came on the Broadway stages. Known as a magnetic singer who could keep audiences spellbound, Jolson was also in real-life an incredible egomaniac. He actually paid his own brother to stop performing and would often get rid of anyone in a show who seemed to be doing well for fear of their stealing attention from him.Al Jolson also had the dubious honor of being the most famous white performer to sing in "black face"; a racially bigoted form of entertainment made popular during the prior century, was the major entertainer of his era.Larry Parks very ably plays Jolson in a breakthrough role that launched his early film career. It sadly would be just a few years later that Larry would be blacklisted for many years. Parks did a great job lip-syncing Jolson's prerecorded tracks as well as mimicking Jolson's very particular style. He is enjoyable to watch and brings a good deal of charm to the role.Evelyn Keyes is excellent as Jolson's love and wife. The part is very loosely based on Jolson's real-life wife Ruby Keeler. Ms. Keeler who still had little good to say about Jolson, threatened to sue Columbia if they used her name.There is a great scene in the film where Keyes as "Julie Benson" is premiering in a spectacular dance number in the Zigfield Follies. At the start of her dance sequence she freezes and can't go on. Parks/Jolson in an effort to save Julie and her debut runs down the aisle to the stage and begins singing to the music (the song "Liza") which of course saves the day, Julie's career and the show. In real-life Jolson was already married to Ms. Keeler and upon seeing her couldn't take her getting all the attention so he ran downstage and sung the tune. The house went wild as he was such a big star. Zigfield paid Jolson to keep doing it. And much to Ms. Keeler's chagrin he did so for number of nights. The scene-stealer of this film is the great William Demerast as Jolson's fictitious mentor and best friend, "Steve Martin". Demerast is at his wisecracking best, talking out of the side of his mouth with that NYC accent in that snappy Cagneyesque style of his.The numbers are well-staged and fun to watch. The only uncomfortable experience is watching the latent and unspoken racism in the Minstrel numbers. No doubt singers such as Jolson or his contemporaries Eddie Cantor, George Jessel and others did not see painting cork on their faces as a racist act. But also no doubt African-American audiences must have felt the pain of ridicule in watching such fare on the screen.Jolson actually appears in one scene playing himself. There is a long-shot of him dancing on stage during "Swanee", because Larry Parks couldn't quite get the dance down. See if you can find it.Very little of the story is true, but it is a campy entertainment where the actors work hard to make it believable and do a good job. If you can get past the apathy of the time that still thought it was okay to portray "blackface". Then you'll enjoy it. As a kid, I didn't know better and always did enjoy seeing the film. But once I became aware of what was going on, I'd never felt the same about it.Think about it. What you were saw a crude, racist stereotype of your own people on stage? Would you so easily give it a pass as you might now?