All right, I'm now starting my review of movie musicals in chronological order (mostly) by commenting on the one that transitioned the silent-to-talkie era: The Jazz Singer. This is the one that put Warner Bros. on the map of the Major Studios. This is the one that made Al Jolson a film star having previously conquered Broadway and the recording industry. This is the one that ended the silent era and ushered in the talkies even though this was mostly silent with a recorded score, Jolson singing, and some dialogue scenes with him and the woman playing his mother. Oh, and while Jolson had said "You ain't heard nothing' yet" in his debut short A Plantation Act, here in this picture is where he is most famous for saying that. His performance as a singer is bar none here and his acting isn't so bad either though when it comes to the part where he has to choose between honoring his dying father on The Day of Atonement and his Broadway break at the same time, the film threatens into ridiculous melodrama. Still, for the most part, I liked the drama that ensured there and the humor of some of the supporting characters. So on that note, The Jazz Singer was pretty enjoyable for both historical and entertainment purposes. Also, while I was a bit embarrassed for Al's blackface act in his previous short, here I was less so since he wears a suit when he does that here and doesn't speak in the stereotypical dialect usually associated with such characterization. P.S. On the current DVD there's also some commentary by Ron Hutchinson, a founder of The Vitaphone Project which is dedicated to the preservation of the films and discs from that studio, and Vince Giordano, a band leader who often performs with his combo many of these classic tunes from Jolson's time, that shed light on the techniques of this film's recording and some of its players like which of the showgirls was Myrna Loy.