The Jolson Story (1946)

The Jolson Story
Directed by Alfred E. Green
Written by Harry Chandlee, Stephen Longstreet, and Andrew Solt
1946/USA
Columbia Pictures Corporation
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] I’ll tell you when I’m going to play the Palace. That’s when Eddie Cantor and George Burns and Groucho Marx and Jack Benny are on the bill. I’m going to buy out the whole house, and sit in the middle of the orchestra and say, ‘Slaves, entertain the king!’ — Al Jolson[/box]

I don’t much care for Al Jolson so it comes as no surprise that I was not crazy about this musical biopic.

Little Asa Yoelson gets his start singing in the choir led by his father, a cantor at the synagogue.  At a very young age, he is obsessed with show business and spends much of his time at burlesque houses.  He is discovered by burlesque comedian Steve Martin (William Demerest) when he is the only one to pipe up when Martin tries to get the audience to sing along.  Martin puts the spotlight on him and a star is born.  Asa’s parents realize it is futile to resist and allow their boy to go on tour.  His name is promptly changed to Al Jolson.

Right from the start, Jolson (Larry Parks) will do anything to get attention and particularly likes to sing with the house lights up so he can see the audience.  After an awkward period when his voice is changing, he goes on for a black-faced artist and is such a hit that he is hired to feature in a big-budget minstrel show.  Martin becomes his manager. But Jolson is not satisfied for long singing the old standards and yearns to sing in the new jazz style.  He eventually becomes a Broadway star doing so.

[box] [on why she was not portrayed in The Jolson Story] I don’t like him. I don’t want my children to grow up someday and maybe see the picture and know I was married to a man like that. — Ruby Keeler[/box]

He meets up-and-coming dancer Julie Benson (Evelyn Keyes) and proposes within a few hours.  She realizes resistance is futile soon enough and they marry.  Their lives are totally taken up with hard work in the theater.   With the development of sound technology, Hollywood beckons to Al.  He promises Julie he will be away only for long enough to make The Jazz Singer.  Weeks turn into months and he lures Julie out to join him promising her stardom as well.  But the limelight that is like a tonic to Al is draining to Julie.  She wants to call it quits but he agrees to retire to a house in the country.  Life goes on placidly enough until Al gets the singing bug again at his parents’ anniversary party.

I don’t “get” Al Jolson.  I don’t particularly like his singing style, the black face, or his personality.  Yet  he was the most popular performer in America for many years in the 20’s and 30’s.  His fans will probably love this movie.  Jolson himself dubbed all of Larry Parks’s singing, so this is the real deal.  Non-fans might enjoy seeing Demarest doing a burlesque comedy song-and-dance routine but that doesn’t last long.  For the rest of the film, he is his enjoyable standard self.

The Jolson Story won Oscars for Best Sound, Recording and Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture.  It was nominated in the categories of:  Best Actor; Best Supporting Actor (Demerest); Best Cinematography (Color) and Best Film Editing.

Clip – “The Anniversary Song” – dubbed by Al Johnson