Singing Fool
by Lloyd Bacon
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VHS Tape Cover Information
Actor: Al Jolson, Arthur Housman, Betty Bronson, Josephine Dunn, Reed HowesDirector: Lloyd Bacon
Cinematographer: Byron Haskin
Editor: Harold McCord
Editor: Ralph Dawson
Writer: C. Graham Baker
Writer: Joseph Jackson
Edition: VHS Tape
Format: Black & White, NTSC
Running Time: 105 minutes
Release Date: 1998-09-01
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Publisher: MGM (Warner)
Studio: MGM (Warner)
VHS Movie Reviews of Singing Fool
Movie Review: The first talking picture many people ever saw
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Singing Fool" is relatively unknown compared to the previous year's "The Jazz Singer", probably because it was the first feature film with synchronized dialogue. However, 1928's "The Singing Fool" is important for a number of reasons. For one, it was the first talking picture many people ever saw. Remember that in order to exhibit a talking picture special equipment had to be installed in the theater, and theater owners weren't sure enough of the future success of talking pictures to invest in that equipment until after "The Jazz Singer" came and went. Also, "The Singing Fool" was the top box office draw of 1928. In fact, with the Great Depression just over the horizon, no film made more money until "Gone with the Wind" in 1939. Finally it is one of the very few talking pictures that survive from the year 1928 due to the ease of breakage of the Vitaphone discs.
The story behind "The Singing Fool" is not that remarkable. As in "The Jazz Singer" it is overly sentimental and you can see from the start exactly where it is headed. Jolson plays singing waiter Al Stone who loves snobby Molly, a frequent guest at the night spot where he works. Likewise, Al is loved in secret by the cafe's cigarette girl. When Al makes a big hit with an agent, Molly suddenly finds Al - and his money and fame - very attractive. Of course Al is blind to Molly's poisonous ways until it is too late. You have to remember that the whole purpose behind the film is to give you a chance to see and hear the world's greatest entertainer, Al Jolson, singing on screen in his prime. Unlike "The Jazz Singer", in this film you get that in big doses. So, if you are a Jolson fan, you are in for a big treat. However, be warned this film is what was known in 1928 and 1929 as a "goat gland" movie. That is, it is part silent. The exact ratio is 75% talking, 25% silent. How it is chopped into sound/silent portions is particularly baffling. Some dialogue is sound, then will abruptly transition to silent. Warner's had already made an all-talking picture, in fact they made the first - 1928's "The Lights of New York". That film was meant as an experiment and it is not something you would want anyone you love or like to be put through. With the technical challenges of making an all-talking picture behind them, you would have thought Warner Bros. would have made Jolson's second talking picture an extra special effort and given it the all-talking treatment too. They didn't, but it was still a huge success.
In conclusion, if you are a Jolson fan and you are interested in the early sound era of motion pictures, you'll love this film. If you are neither of these, you should pass on this one. Also be warned that the VHS tape of this film and anything derived from it has some pretty bad hissing and popping in the audio. It would be nice after the success of last year's Jazz Singer DVD set if Warner Home Video would clean up the video and audio and put this film out on DVD too.
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