Jolson Sings Again | |
---|---|
![]() 1949 Theatrical Poster | |
Directed by | Henry Levin |
Written by | Sidney Buchman |
Produced by | Sidney Buchman |
Starring | Larry Parks Barbara Hale William Demarest Ludwig Donath |
Cinematography | William E. Snyder |
Edited by | William A. Lyon |
Music by | George Duning Morris Stoloff |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 96 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $5 million (est. US / Canada rentals) [1] [2] |
Jolson Sings Again is a 1949 American musical biographical film directed by Henry Levin, and the sequel to The Jolson Story (1946), both of which cover the life of singer Al Jolson. It was the highest-grossing film of 1949 and received three Oscar nominations at the 22nd Academy Awards.
In this follow-up to The Jolson Story, we pick up the singer's career just as he has returned to the stage after a premature retirement. But his wife has left him and the appeal of the spotlight is not what it used to be. This time Jolson trades in the stage for life in the fast lane: women, horses, travel. His father becomes increasingly concerned about his frivolous lifestyle. With the death of his mother and the beginning of World War II, Jolson comes back to earth—and returns to the stage.
Once again teamed with manager Steve Martin, Jolson travels the world entertaining troops everywhere from Alaska to Africa. When he finally collapses from exhaustion it takes young, pretty nurse Ellen Clark to show him there is more to life than "just rushing around".
Jolson Sings Again was eagerly awaited by moviegoers who remembered The Jolson Story, and hundreds of theaters showed the sequel to excellent response.
"Jolson Sings Again bids fair to par The Jolson Story grosses and may even top them. In short, a smasheroo of unqualified proportions." [3] : 8 "...Jolson's voice is still a formidable, awesome, and grandiously captivating instrument." [4]
"There is heart, humor, tragedy and a warm sprinkling of sentiment in Mr. Buchman's story. Much of the latter is conjured up by a succession of nostalgic songs which run all through the film and are sung in grand style by Mr. Jolson himself. The vitality of the Jolson voice is suitably matched in the physical representation provided by Larry Parks, who by now comes close to perfection in aping the vigorous expression with which Jolson tacks a song." [5] : 16
"Jolson Sings Again is a well-made sequel to The Jolson Story. In some ways, it betters the original. If anything, Jolson's voice sounds even better in this movie, and Larry Parks' Jolson is a warmer, more human character here." [6]
In this sequel, the story reaches the point in Jolson's life where the film of his life is to be made (first film: The Jolson Story), and in preparation for the film Jolson meets the actor who is to portray him. In what is probably a cinema first, Parks plays both Jolson and himself (the young Larry Parks) as they meet in a split-screen scene. [6] : 116–117
Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
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1950 | 22nd Academy Awards | Best Story and Screenplay | Nominated | |
Best Scoring of a Musical Picture | Nominated | |||
Best Cinematography, Color | William E. Snyder | Nominated | ||
2nd Writers Guild of America Awards | Best Written Musical | Nominated | ||
The Jazz Singer is a 1927 American part-talkie musical drama film directed by Alan Crosland and produced by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the first feature-length motion picture with both synchronized recorded music and lip-synchronous singing and speech. Its release heralded the commercial ascendance of sound films and effectively marked the end of the silent film era with the Vitaphone sound-on-disc system, featuring six songs performed by Al Jolson. Based on the 1925 play of the same title by Samson Raphaelson, the plot was adapted from his short story "The Day of Atonement".
Samuel Lawrence Klusman Parks was an American stage and film actor. His career arced from bit player and supporting roles to top billing, before it was virtually ended when he admitted to having once been a member of a Communist Party cell, which led to his blacklisting by all Hollywood studios. His best known role was Al Jolson, whom he portrayed in two films: The Jolson Story (1946) and Jolson Sings Again (1949).
The Jolson Story is a 1946 American biographical musical film, a fictionalized account of the life of singer Al Jolson. It stars Larry Parks as Jolson, Evelyn Keyes as Julie Benson, William Demarest as his manager, Ludwig Donath and Tamara Shayne as his parents, and Scotty Beckett as the young Jolson. Many of the film's episodes are based on fact but the story is simplified, with some people disguised or combined into single characters.
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