The Jolson Story **** (1946, Larry Parks as Jolson, Evelyn Keyes, William Demarest, Ludwig Donath, Tamara Shayne, Scotty Beckett) – Classic Movie Review 11,544

Larry Parks shot to stardom with his highly successful impersonation of the cantor’s son entertainer in the 1946 musical biopic The Jolson Story.

Director Alfred E Green’s 1946 American musical biography film The Jolson Story stars Larry Parks, who shot to stardom with his highly successful impersonation of the cantor’s son (using Al Jolson’s dubbed singing) who became the great 1920’s entertainer.

This detailed but whitewashed (ie partly fictionalised) musical biopic is a vivacious and most entertaining show, with a lavish Columbia Pictures production gorgeously lensed in Technicolor and a long list lovely old songs, including ‘Swanee’, ‘Mammy’, ‘April Showers’, ‘Toot-Toot-Tootsie’, and ‘You Made Me Love You’.

Evelyn Keyes co-stars in The Jolson Story.

The Oscar-nominated Parks is great in his most famous role, Evelyn Keyes co-stars pleasantly as Jolson’s first wife, the actress Ruby Keeler, though renamed Julie Benson for the movie, and Oscar-nominated William Demarest is outstanding in support as his agent Steve Martin. It also stars Ludwig Donath and Tamara Shayne as his parents, and Scotty Beckett as the young Jolson.

For various reasons, it is only a movie and is not the real Jolson Story as some of the plot details are fictionalised. Jolson never appeared as a child singer, and he was brought up by his sister not by his mother, who had died. Also, Jolson had three managers, combined into the fictional Steve Martin character. And, when Ruby Keeler refused to allow her name to be used, the writers had to used the alias Julie Benson.

The film is written by Stephen Longstreet (screenplay), Sidney Buchman (uncredited), Harry Chandlee (adaptation), and Andrew Solt (adaptation). The dramatic scenes are directed by Alfred E Green, with the musical sequences directed by Joseph H Lewis.

Musical director Morris Stoloff won an Oscar for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture and John P Livadary won another for Best Sound Recording. It was also nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Larry Parks), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (William Demarest), Best Cinematography, Color and Best Film Editing.

Parks’s vocals were recorded by Al Jolson and Beckett’s songs were recorded by Rudy Wissler.

Al Jolson, determined to appear on screen, persuaded the producer to film him instead of Larry Parks for the blackface ‘Swanee’ number, though he is seen in long shot, performing on a theatre runway.

It started shooting as a black-and-white film, but Columbia studio boss Harry Cohn was so impressed by the filming that he decided to start again in Technicolor.

It was a tremendous financial success, and proved a nice little earner for Jolson, who had a 50 per cent share of the profits.

Parks did the sequel, Jolson Sings Again in 1949, but later fell victim to the Hollywood blacklist.

The cast are Larry Parks as Al Jolson, Evelyn Keyes as Julie Benson, William Demarest as Steve Martin, Bill Goodwin as Tom Baron, Ludwig Donath as Cantor Yoelson, Scotty Beckett as Al Jolson as a boy, Tamara Shayne as Mrs. Yoelson, Jo-Carroll Dennison as Ann Murray, John Alexander as Lew Dockstader, Ernest Cossart as Father McGee, Robert Mitchell Boys’ Choir as the church choir, Jessie Arnold, Lilian Bond, Eugene Borden, Bill Brandt, Donna Dax, Franklyn Farnum, Eddie Fetherson, Bess Flowers, William Forrest, Buddy Gorman, Sam Harris, Charles Jordan, Eddie Kane, Edward Keane, Mike Lally, Pat Lane, Doris Lloyd, Jimmy Lloyd, Arthur Loft, George Magrill, Edwin Maxwell, Helen O’Hara, Joe Palma, Eddie Rio, Adele Roberts, Fred F Sears, Harry Shannon, Bob Stevens, Ann E Todd, Emmett Vogan, Pierre Watkin, Eric Wilton, Rudy Wissler, and Will Wright.

The songs are “Let Me Sing and I’m Happy’, “On the Banks of the Wabash’, “Ave Maria’, “When You Were Sweet Sixteen’, “After the Ball, “By the Light of the Silvery Moon,’ “Blue Bell’, Ma Blushin’ Rosie, “I Want a Girl’, “My Mammy’, “I’m Sitting on Top of the World, “You Made Me Love You, “Swanee, Toot, Toot, Tootsie! (Goo’ Bye)”, “The Spaniard That Blighted My Life”, “April Showers” “California, Here I Come”, “Liza (All the Clouds’ll Roll Away)”, “There’s a Rainbow ‘Round My Shoulder”, “Avalon”, “She’s a Latin from Manhattan”, “About a Quarter to Nine”, “Anniversary Song”, “Waiting for the Robert E. Lee”, and “Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody’.

Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,544

Link to Derek Winnert’s home page for more reviews: http://derekwinnert.com/