The Jazz Singer (Warner Bros.) (1927)

Warner Bro. Present AL JOLSON in “THE JAZZ SINGER” FEATURES FOR NEWSPAPERS || Jolly Al Jolson Critic Entertained Talking to Jolson | Behind the S$ e creen “What’s fame, son—if the heart’s not right—” of His Movie Work By REGINA CANNON Motion Picture Editor N. Y. American Al Jolson, ensconced in the sumptuous splendor of a Park Avenue hotel, was interviewed by movie critics yesterday and declaimed in favor of the simple life. Al is not the man who wants swank or tendollar opening nights, patronized by people who wear the “soup and fish” as if they were accustomed to ‘em. No, indeed. He is for what he picturesquely termed the ordinary man. That’s Al Jolson. Down to earth, despite the fortune he has accumulated from his “Mammy.” Mr. Jolson had come East to be present at the premiere of his first | picture, “The Jazz Singer.” The picture, he declared, was receiving $10,000 a week to do his stuff before the grinding camera and it behooved the Warner Bros. to “work fast, Capt’n Flagg.” | Al Entertains | The musical comedy star is packed full of impressions of Hollywood. Nearly every one who returns from the coast tells how the movie stars play charades and go to a party accompanied by the newest question book, and Mr. Jolson, like other visitors, has his quota of stories. He tells them so well, with gestures and everything, that we sometimes suspected their accuracy, but charged the afternoon’s entertainment to the “It’s a good story even if it’s not true” account. Jolson is highly amusing. He entertains four people the way he would forty or four hundred by keeping the centre of the stage and talking fast. Everything he says is so amazing that when one is ready to leave one feels that surely one owes his erstwhile host the price of admission. The comedian is intensely interested in making movies and is banking his screen future on the reception accorded “The Jazz Singer.” Now all is well. Mr. Jolson will bring “Pagliacci” to the silver sheet. Fate is with him, the musical comedy stage may be depended upon! He’s for Clean Movies York would want to get into the made | without a “re-take,” for Jolson was | | be quite safe to bring even your parents to his picture, for the risque never enters into it. Having learned the tricks of a new trade through his work in “The Jazz Singer,” Al is anxious to get to work on another celluloid “drammer.” Jolson Premiere Blocks Traffic Reviewers Loud in Praise of “The Jazz Singer” The premiere of Al Jolson in “The Jazz Singer” at the Warner Theatre in New York turned out) to be an event that is sure to lin ger in the memory of everyone who | attended it as well as thousands who tried to do so and couldn’t. To one who has never witnessed \the introduction of a big feature | motion picture on Broadway it | would be hard to visualize the ex-| citement created. Imagine a great street so jammed with people as to be closed to traffic with every one in the vast crowd endeavoring to get as close to the theatre as possible. To the stranger in the vicinity of the Warner Theatre on the night of the opening of “The Jazz Singer” it would seem as if New York had gone stark staring mad. How, by any possibility could so many people be aroused to such a pitch of excitement ? Just as soon as the lights were turned on along the Great White Way the crowds began congregat|, ing about the Warner Theatre. As. if there were not lights enough | two huge electric machines on trucks across the street threw great shafts of light on the theatre. From the roofs of the opposite buildings powerful searchlights played up and down the streets on the crowds. The newspapers had printed a) simple announcement that the premiere of “The Jazz Singer” would be attended by a number of | people prominent in the arts,| sciences and society, as well as all | the prominent movie stars in the city. The police grasped the full significance of this announcement. They knew just what. effect it. would have. It was a good bet that all New Al is in favor of clean pictures. | theatre with the celebrities or else We were under the impression that | stand around and get a glimpse of | all pictures were clean, the real|them entering the house. They difference being in degrees of clean-| planned accordingly, but at that LOOKING AT “THE JAZZ SINGER’— Eugtnl’ DESPERNER \\WPERETANDP WER Gon. PeN : . =I = ee Wagan of COMP 10 PUTTING OVER A MAMMY GONG, : wt'S THE “ONE AND ONLY” Four Column Scere from “The Yazz Si Warner Br o gf “ starring Al volson S Production Production No. 15—Cut or Mat eight o’clock to call for more reserves in order that traffic on New York’s main artery of travel might be kept open. Like all New York crowds the. one around the Warner Theatre was good natured. But the police looked askance at Ben Bernie, the jazz band director. Bernie, out of compliment to his friend, Jolson, 'the king of jazz, had taken up a position at the theatre entrance) with his band with the idea of serenading the comedian upon his arrival. While awaiting Jolson, the band played a number of popular airs and the music did much to knit the crowd so tight in the vicinity of the entrance that the police couldn’t budge it. The noisiest reception was reserved for Al Jolson. The police had to protect him, but it was the photographers making pictures of 'the scenes who did most with the crowds by promising to get everyone in the films if everyone would keep still. Of course Jolson had to pose for his picture with Ben Bernie and the rest, and, all in all the premiere of “The Jazz Singer” created more excitement than any other ever presented in New York. One might think that once the audience had entered the theatre the excitement would die down and the crowds melt away. No such thing. When it comes to taking discomforts in large doses, provid ing that excitement goes with the P discomforts, New Yorkers are glutliness. Jolson admits that it will they found it necessary before | tons for punishment. For three Vic Avoy Know? ThE 6 Cartoon—Cut or Mat | hours the crowds remained in front of the theatre just to get another glimpse of the celebrities as they left. | As for the scenes in the theatre during the presentation of “The Jazz Singer,” they were jammed full of enthusiasm. But that is /another story. Quinn Martin said in the “World:” “Only twice be| fore in the last ten years has so sincere and so thunderous a storm |of applause broken over a cinema | as that which arrived at the conclusion last night of Al Jolson’s movie, ‘The Jazz Singer.’” All the reviewers of the New |York papers were_ enthusiastic over the picture and there is every / reason to believe that in the pres.entation of Al Jolson in “The Jazz Singer” Warner Bros. have achieved the greatest triumph of their career. Jolson Broadway Record-Maker in “The Jazz Singer” “The Jazz Singer,” starring Al Jolson, celebrated its 150th presentation at the Warner Bros. Theatre in New York with a fanfare of trumpets. Since its opening this picture has sold out solidly for ‘each presentation and it promises to break all picture records known on Broadway. SE WITH KEN BROWNE BoY WS TALENT, By DOROTHY BAY In “Motion Picture Stories” One of the most unique and popular features of Al Jolson’s stage performances is the runway from the footlights into the audience on which he comes out among the people to do his songs. The audience likes the informality, the feeling of comraderie it gives. And the idea was one of those inventions of which necessity was the parent. It was in April, 1906. Sid Grauman had booked the then unknown Jolson to sing at thirty dollars a week in his first vaudeville theatre in San Francisco. During the comedian’s engagement the memorable earthquake came, and the theatre was demolished. But Grauman, never to be worsted, lost no time in putting up a huge tent several blocks down the street—and continued his show! All went well until it rained, when they decided that some kind of roof would have to be put over his tent. Workmen got together and amid the din of hammers the roofing proceeded. But Sid kept the show going all the while. Finally Jolson came to him. “It’s terrible! I can’t sing with all that noise going on. I can’t get my songs over to the audience. Nobody can hear—I might as well quit!” Grauman did a bit of thinking and suggested: “Why don’t you get out on top of the piano in the orchestra and do your songs? You’d be closer to the people!” And Al did, with great success. It proved so popular an innovation with audiences that he has been doing it ever since. They say Fate hanes by a thread. Al Jolson is now playing at the .... Theatre in Warner Bros.’ extended run production, “The Jazz Singer.” Jolson is there, literally on the piano, laughing, sighing, thrilling audiences to the point of tears and cheers, as he recounts the story of the boy who would see the world. NEWSPAPER AD (See pages 10, 16, 17, 19) MAY M‘AVOY WARNER OLAND Based on the SAMSON scatter sa S. att and SAM HHARRIS Scenario by AL COHN Directed by ALAN CROSLAND A WARNER BROS PRODUCTION er ee pment oe em One Col. Ad—Style A—Cut or Mat