Mon 13 Dec 2010
A Movie Review by Walter Albert: THE SINGING FOOL (1928).
Posted by Steve under Films: Comedy/Musicals , Reviews[5] Comments
THE SINGING FOOL. Warner Brothers, 1928. Al Jolson, Betty Bronson, Josephine Dunn, Arthur Housman, Reed Howes, Davey Lee. Director: Lloyd Bacon. Shown at Cinefest 28, Syracuse NY, March 2008.
This enormous success (and Jolson’s second partially-talking film) is said to have been the biggest box-office grosser until Gone with the Wind, with a worldwide take of almost six million dollars.
The song “Sonny Boy,” written by Jolson’s character for his son, was one of the performer’s major hits and there’s no gainsaying the fact that the song is tremendously effective in the film.
Jolson’s over-the-top performance is a bit hard to take, with a sentimental plot (Jolson marries a gold-digger instead of the true-blue girl who loves him, and when his wife leaves him, taking their son with her, he falls apart) that has him on-screen for a recorded 106 minutes that somebody took the time to clock.
That’s a lot of anybody and for such an over-the-top performer as Jolson, too much for one sitting. Or even two or three.
December 16th, 2010 at 7:12 am
Jolson’s super-earnest acting can get tiresome after a bit, but with a good script and director (as in WONDER BAR or HALLELUIA I’M A BUM) he’s watchable.
December 16th, 2010 at 12:11 pm
I would certainly agree with you, Dan, but his films are certainly hit-and-miss affairs. Unless they’re available through Warner Archives, almost none of his films are currently available. There was a laser box set of his films but nothing comparable on DVD.
December 16th, 2010 at 3:46 pm
In spite of his massive popularity during his lifetime, I have a feeling that Al Jolson is well forgotten today. Along with Eddie Cantor, George Jessel and Jimmy Durante, names that come to mind right away and all from the same generation of entertainers.
Of the four above, who has the most name recognition now, do you suppose, Jimmy Durante?
December 16th, 2010 at 7:12 pm
Yes, definitely Durante” Jimmy has shown up on occasional soundtracks (I think “September Song” in SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE; songs and is mentioned with footage as Dan Acroyd’s character’s hero in MY STEPMOTHER IS AN ALIEN).
This generation of young people may not know him, but my forty-year-old girlfriend is familiar with his name and some of his songs.
But she has no idea who Eddie Cantor and Al Jolson are–I just asked her…
About five years ago Johnny Depp was on Jay Leno’s Tonight Show and Depp mentioned Georgie Jessel and then did a spectacularly dead-on impression of Jessel.
Total silence ensued, and then Jay said kindly to Depp, “You realize the audience has NO idea who that is…”
December 18th, 2010 at 7:57 pm
Correction to my previous statement: Jimmy Durante sings (both) “Make Someone Happy” and “As Time Goes By” on the SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE soundtrack, but not “September Song”.