, United States (USA) (American Colonies)
1927 - The Jazz Singer debuts as first talking film

Al Jolson's Film Debut in "Jazz Singer" Oct. 6

Warner Brothers will present Al Jolson in "The Jazz Singer" at the Warner Theater a week from tonight. The long-awaited presentation of the picturization of Samson Raphaelson's comedy drama, which continues to be a potent attraction on the legitimate stage, will be made a gala event by the Warners and will be attended by Jolson and a number of motion picture celebrities, some of whom are coming from Hollywood to be present at the premiere.

The presentation of "The Jazz Singer" takes on importance for several reasons, two of which stand out prominently. One is that it will mark Al Jolson's debut as a screen star and the other is that "The Jazz Singer," through the instrumentality of Vitaphone, will show the greatest step forward in the presentation of motion pictures that the screen has known. It will be the first time that Vitaphone will have been brought into play in carrying out the story of a picture, inasmuch as through it all the musical sequences of the story will be heard. Heretofore the only part Vitaphone has played in motion pictures has been in furnishing the musical score accompanying the action.

Of the production of "The Jazz Singer": it is said that the Warners have lavished so much thought, care and attention that they look upon the completed work as their supreme achievement. For nearly six months the picture has been in active preparation. In order that the Vitaphone sequences might be perfect it was necessary to erect a special studio 300 feet long for the filming of its scenes. This building had to be made soundproof. At one end of this building there was built a facsimile of the Winter Garden of this city, in which the jazz singer scored his first real successes. A number of scenes in the picture were filmed in New York's Ghetto.

In the course of the picture Jolson will be heard singing "Dirty Hands, Dirty Face," "Toot, Toot, Tootsie, Goodbye," "Blue Skies," "Mother o'Mine" and "Mammy." "Mother o'Mine" was written especially for the picture. In the synagogue scene Jolson will sing hymn "Kol Nidre."

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Brooklyn, New York
September 29, 1927

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