Here we go again....this is the surviving Al Jolson Columbia Pictures playback session in which Jolie mimes his prerecorded vocals for Larry Parks. My favorite parts are at 1:17 (I won't say why...*you* figure it out...LOL) and the "choir directing" part of "It All Depends On You." The Master at work. In spite of popular belief, the date given on the clapboard was September 27, 1948, which was one week *after* Larry Parks signed his contract with Columbia Pictures. This was one of many demonstration films Al Jolson performed for Larry Parks, so Larry could study his movements and gestures, pick out the best of them, and weave them into his performance. Yes, I said *many* films. Jolie repeated what he did here for THE JOLSON STORY and JOLSON SINGS AGAIN. This film was the only one to my knowledge that survived the unfortunate Columbia "spring cleaning" exercise in 1970, when in order to make room for more materials, the originals were thrown in Dumpsters. This explains why to this day, "Columbia Classics" DVDs have little to no extras. As far as I am concerned, it was the biggest mistake Columbia Pictures ever made, and it was a heartbreaking one. That said, enjoy.
