The film is overly long, due to the length of the musical pieces, and the film is tedious. Does not compare with better biopics, such as Yankee Doodle Dandy and that one with Bob Hope as Eddie Foy. Those had humor. And the Jolson Story and Jolson Sings Again, though also fictitious, are far better.
But it is a piece of history and has some real people in it, such as the GREAT AL JOLSON and I don't know who that funny dancing man is in the scene showing the first "Scandals" (maybe it is Shep Houghton, whose IMDb bio lists many appearances where he sadly wasn't even credited. He seems extremely talented and is still alive, apparently!) Hazel Scott, who appears in the film as a black singer in Paris, is not exactly playing herself, per se, since she is too young to have been a Gershwin contemporary, is SOOOOOO excellent, though. I remember her on other TV shows of the 1960s and I guess must have seen her on "Julia" as well. But she was a question on a TV game show I saw--I think it was that show "Cash Cab" so there is a trivia question for you. She ought to have a biopic of her own.
I am sick of people insulting Al Jolson! Shut up idiots! He helped make the success of many songwriters and artists, such as Gershwin and Irving Berlin. So it is OK that this song Blue Monday Blues is done with white actors in brown (blackface) makeup? and bad for Jolson to be in "burnt cork"? Get over this PC Police attitude! Jolson ends up losing his place in history because the PC police moan and groan and make themselves into sanctimonious critics of Jolson. THEY have no talent of their own. I am insulted for Jolson that in a recent documentary of Jewish Broadway musicians they cut down Jolson by referring to this scene in this film as a "now shameful" episode of entertainment history, yadda yadda how bad it is to be in blackface, ignoring Irving Berlin's past in minstrel shows. Al Jolson was excellent and not a bigot (see an interview Johnny Carson had with Eubie Blake, defending Jolson). He deserves his place in history.
But it is a piece of history and has some real people in it, such as the GREAT AL JOLSON and I don't know who that funny dancing man is in the scene showing the first "Scandals" (maybe it is Shep Houghton, whose IMDb bio lists many appearances where he sadly wasn't even credited. He seems extremely talented and is still alive, apparently!) Hazel Scott, who appears in the film as a black singer in Paris, is not exactly playing herself, per se, since she is too young to have been a Gershwin contemporary, is SOOOOOO excellent, though. I remember her on other TV shows of the 1960s and I guess must have seen her on "Julia" as well. But she was a question on a TV game show I saw--I think it was that show "Cash Cab" so there is a trivia question for you. She ought to have a biopic of her own.
I am sick of people insulting Al Jolson! Shut up idiots! He helped make the success of many songwriters and artists, such as Gershwin and Irving Berlin. So it is OK that this song Blue Monday Blues is done with white actors in brown (blackface) makeup? and bad for Jolson to be in "burnt cork"? Get over this PC Police attitude! Jolson ends up losing his place in history because the PC police moan and groan and make themselves into sanctimonious critics of Jolson. THEY have no talent of their own. I am insulted for Jolson that in a recent documentary of Jewish Broadway musicians they cut down Jolson by referring to this scene in this film as a "now shameful" episode of entertainment history, yadda yadda how bad it is to be in blackface, ignoring Irving Berlin's past in minstrel shows. Al Jolson was excellent and not a bigot (see an interview Johnny Carson had with Eubie Blake, defending Jolson). He deserves his place in history.