MovieChat Forums > Jolson Sings Again (1949) Discussion > When Jolson was watching the Jolson Stor...

When Jolson was watching the Jolson Story

posted 17 years ago by richardrobin27
9 replies | jump to latest

Can someone summarize that scene for me? I don't really understand why he left the theater, why he kept taking those pills, and why he fell asleep on the fountain...

Thanks in advance!

[–] YammaD 17 years ago

Jolson left the theater because he had a case of nerves at how the movie would be received. He was taking sedatives and took so many that he just became dizzy and sleepy.
Spent the afternoon watching this and first The Jolson Story. What an enjoyable duo and Larry Parks gave a "spot on" performance, the lip syncng was superb. Reminded of when my Grandpa ,a big Jolson fan, took me to the theater as a little girl. The first film I remember going to see. A nice trip down Memory Lane

[–] Paulious78 17 years ago

Apart from the bad case of nerves, would you really want to see your whole life so far up on the big screen for everyone to see your mistakes??

I know that 'The Jolson Story' isn't entirely factual, he never married Julie Benson - her real name was Ruby Keeler and was actually his third marriage! but still IMO, to have your life on screen in some ways would be an achievement but in others terrible.

I'll trade with anyone who has a jaccuzzi!!!!

[–] jharna 17 years ago

Such stories, specially 50 years back, were usually spiked with fiction. In a tribute movie "mistakes" are logically toned down.

Seeing how "Jolson Sings Again" evolved into a movie about a movie, I only hoped real Jolson would turn up at the end. I'm sorry that didn't happen. Anyway, I liked it better than "The Jolson Story".

[–] Paulious78 17 years ago

There was talk of a third Jolson Story, starring Al, "Stars & Stripes Forever" which would have been detailing life from the release of The Jolson Story which was featured at the end of "Jolson Sings Again" and going throught the rest of Al's life to date - However, (I think) due to Al's death this film was never made.

I'll trade with anyone who has a jaccuzzi!!!!

[–] jharna 17 years ago

Oh, my! They should have made it without him, with Larry Parks again. It would be a nice follow-up and a complete trilogy. I'm sure it would have made a box-office success, Al having died recently and all. But, oh well...

[–] tohu 16 years ago

Possibly one reason why this didn't happen was that parks was one of the stars who fell foul of the McCarthy witch-hunts in the 1950s. Unfairly, in his case the mud stuck and it ruined his career. Very sad.
_____________

"Maybe I should go alone"
- Quint, Jaws.

[–] marktayloruk 10 years ago

And who'd have done the singing?

[–] tohu 10 years ago

Well they had plenty of AJ recordings. It may not have been quite as good to have to rely on these, rather than fresh ones sung for the movie, but it could have been done.

_____________

"Maybe I should go alone"
- Quint, Jaws.

[–] marktayloruk (2375) 2 years ago

I wonder- if Jolson had lived on, would he have spoken up for Parks against HUAC?