 | October 6, 1927The Jazz Singer released. |
The release of The Jazz Singer marked the “ascendancy of ‘talkies’ and the end of the silent-film era.” BR It was the first feature-length film with synchronized dialogue. It has been widely reported as being the first “talkie” although there had been previous films which included synchronized sound for music or sound effects. In addition, only about a fourth of the film actually featured musical numbers and conversations where the sound was synchronized to the action. BR At the time, Warner Bros. was on the verge of going broke. Rival studios thought the company had lost their minds to make a film that featured actual singing. What if the machine broke down that controlled the synchronized sound? What about stars who looked good but might not sound so good? A year earlier, Warner Bros. made Don Juan with sound effects and it didn’t exactly set the world on fire. GN However, Warner Bros. would receive an honorary Oscar for producing the talking picture considered to have revolutionized the industry. BR TheGuardian.com said of The Jazz Singer’s release that “in the space of just over an hour, the silent film was dead.” GN That singing was provided by none other than Al Jolson, “the biggest star on the American musical stage.” GN He starred as Jakie Rabinowitz who is destined to follow in his father’s footsteps as a Jewish cantor. Jakie, however, has other plans and pursues his dream of becoming a jazz singer under the name Jack Robin. One of Jolson’s early lines in the film, “You ain’t heard nothin’ yet” became sort of the rallying cry for the arrival of the talking picture.
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First posted 10/27/2023. |
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