Al Jolson returns home after an unexpected nightclub performance only to find that his wife has left him. Devastated, he trades showbusiness for life in the fast lane: women, horses, prizefighters and travel. His father becomes increasingly concerned about his frivolous lifestyle. With the death of his mother and the beginning of World War II, Jolson returns to reality and the stage. Teamed with manager Steve Martin, Jolson travels the world entertaining troops everywhere from Alaska to Africa. When he finally collapses from exhaustion, pretty young nurse Ellen Clark shows him that there is more to life than "just rushing around".
New singers have eclipsed Jolson in popularity and his health has declined. He now has only one good lung, reducing his power. Martin secures a spot for Jolson in an all-star charity benefit. Jolson is dismayed to find his name absent from the posters and programs, and his spot on the bill is even more humbling, as he does not take the stage until the marathon show is nearly complete, singing "Sonny Boy" to the patrons still in attendance. He is disheartened by the experience, although his wife Ellen insists that his performance was magnificent. One of the remaining patrons is Ralph Bryant, an Army officer who met Jolson during his tour. Bryant is now a Hollywood producer, and he approaches Jolson with the idea of producing a screen biography of his life. Jolson is interested, although he warns that the quality of his old, worn phonograph records would not be acceptable for use in a film. Bryant asks Jolson to sing for new, higher-fidelity recordings at the film studio.
The project renews Jolson's interest in showbusiness and he trains actor Larry Parks to mimic his stage movements. When The Jolson Story premieres, Jolson is terrified of the public's reaction and cannot sit still in the theater. However, the film is a great success and Jolson is again a major celebrity, with Ellen jubilant at his side.
The film's world premiere was held at New York's Loew's State Theatre on August 17, 1949, and it was afforded a lavish Hollywood premiere on October 19, 1949, at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre, with Jolson and many top film stars in attendance.[3]
Al Jolson assumed an active role in promoting Jolson Sings Again, embarking on a whirlwind tour of personal appearances. He appeared at six Loews theaters in New York during a single evening, singing three songs at each house. He also toured New York radio stations, where he was interviewed by disc jockeys.[4] The film was enormously successful at the box office, breaking sales records on Broadway.[5]
Several industry associations of theater owners strenuously objected to Columbia's demand for as much as 60% of each theater's admissions for the film and accused Columbia of demanding increased admission prices, a practice that they alleged to be illegal. Columbia denied having requested a raise in ticket prices and challenged the theater owners to present evidence to the contrary. The theater owners took their case to the Department of Justice, but assistant attorney general Herbert A. Bergson responded: "When a distributor asks terms, he is putting a value on his own product. I cannot see anything illegal in that. The exhibitor does not have to take the picture. If the distributor wants to price himself out of the market, that is his worry, not ours."[6]
Reception
In a contemporary review for The New York Times, critic Thomas M. Pryor called Jolson Sings Again "an occasion which warrants some lusty cheering" and wrote:
As the second chapter in an affectionately pointed tribute to a fabulous entertainer, the new picture ... is an entity in itself and is at least twice as good as "The Jolson Story." Sidney Buchman, who wrote and produced "Jolson Sings Again" for Columbia, has shrewdly bridged the gap between this Technicolored picture and its predecessor so that a knowledge of the 1946 production is not necessary for complete understanding and enjoyment. But Mr. Buchman has done even more. He has measured the character of Al Jolson, and by mixing in a little vinegar with the sugar has come up with a reasonably accurate biographical sketch rounding out the second quarter century in the career of a great performer. There is heart, humor, tragedy and a warm sprinkling of sentiment in Mr. Buchman's story. ... In the final analysis, "Jolson Sings Again" is as much Al Jolson's picture as if he actually were seen in it, for without his voice on the sound track all the other remarkable efforts would have been in vain. There is only one voice like Jolson's and it is good to be hearing it again.[7]
It isn't often that a musical makes this critic want to dash to her typewriter to sing its praises, but if this film doesn't hit a new high for popularity I'm very much mistaken. As one of the minority who found a few flaws in its predecessor, ''The Jolson Story,' I am happy to say there is not a thing wrong with the second chapter of the famous entertainer's biography. The thousands who found the 1946 production highly satisfactory are sure to be even more pleased with this one. ... Here's a well rounded motion picture which contains all the best ingredients for entertaining people of all ages and tastes, astutely blended and skilfully presented. The audience broke into unaccustomed and enthusiastic applause as the film ended, and It's my guess that you'll do the same when you see it.[8]
Kate Cameron of the New York Daily News wrote: "The second film is not as sentimental, nor as heart-warming in its domestic scenes, as its predecessor. It is, however, well made and more interesting from a technical standpoint than the first, as it takes the audience into the Columbia studio in Hollywood to show just how 'The Jolson Story' was created."[9]
Abel Green of Variety labeled Jolson Sings Again "a smasheroo of unqualified proportions" and wrote: "It is only natural that the durability of Jolson, as the all-time No. 1 performing personality in contemporaneous show business, would be matched by an equally rich real-life story. 'Jolson Sings Again' proves that."
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