What Can We Learn From Interrogating 'The Jazz Singer?'

Theatre Development Fund – TDF: Although it was once considered a classic and remade twice, the original Jazz Singer is rarely seen these days. While the 1927 film broke cinematic ground as the first feature with synchronized sound, it's now best remembered as that movie with Al Jolson doing blackface. It's the rags-to-riches tale of Jakie Rabinowitz, a Lower East Side Jewish boy who is cast out by his family after choosing to become a jazz singer instead of a cantor. The character makes his triumphant Broadway debut singing "Mammy" in blackface. By 2019 standards, the film and its star should be cancelled.