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Al Jolson and Betty Bronson.
Photograph: Silent Era image collection.
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The Singing Fool
(1928) United States of America
B&W : 11 reels / 102 minutes
Directed by Lloyd Bacon
Cast: Al Jolson [Al Stone], Betty Bronson [Grace], Josephine Dunn [Molly Winton], Arthur Housman [Blackie Joe], Edward Martindel [Louis Marcus], Reed Howes [John Perry], Robert O’Connor (Robert Emmett O’Connor) [the cafe owner], Davey Lee
Warner Brothers Pictures, Incorporated, and The Vitaphone Corporation production; distributed by Warner Brothers Pictures, Incorporated. / Screenplay by C. Graham Baker, with dialogue by Joseph Jackson, from the short story “The Singing Fool” by Leslie S. Barrows. Songs “Sonny Boy,” “It All Depends on You,” and “I’m Sittin’ on Top of the World” by Lew Brown, B.G. DeSylva and Ray Henderson; songs “There’s a Rainbow Round My Shoulder,” “Keep Smiling at Trouble,” “Golden Gate” and “The Spaniard Who Blighted My Life” by Billy Rose, Al Jolson and Dave Dreyer. [?] Technicians?, Lewis Gelb, F.N. Murphy, Victor Vance and Esdras Hartley. Assistant director, Frank Shaw. Cinematography by Byron Haskin. Sound recording engineer, George R. Groves. Film editors, Ralph Dawson + [Harold McCord]. Intertitles written by Joseph Jackson. Music score arranged by Louis Silvers. / © 19 September 1928 by Warner Brothers Pictures, Incorporated [LP25677]. Premiered 19 September 1928 at the Winter Garden in New York, New York. Released 29 September 1928. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format. Western Electric Vitaphone sound-on-disc synchronized sound system. / The film was also released in the USA in a silent version at 7444 feet by Warner Brothers Pictures, Incorporated, in January 1929. / Silent film, with talking sequences, synchronized music and sound effects.
Drama: Musical.
Survival status: Print exists.
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Keywords: Synchronized sound film - USA: California, New York (New York)
Listing updated: 30 November 2014.
References: Basten-Technicolor p. 41; Best-Those pp. 155, 157; Everson-American p. 339; Kerr-Silent p. 39; Limbacher-Feature p. 224; McIlroy-Ireland pp. 23, 158; Perry-British p. 61; Ryall-Blackmail pp. 16, 18; Sarris-Sternberg p. 19; Schelly-Langdon p. 132; Shipman-Cinema pp. 75, 100, 104; Skretvedt-Magic p. 437; Vermilye-Twenties pp. 202-204 : AmerCine-199510 p. ?; ClasIm-220 p. C5 : Website-AFI.
Home video: DVD.
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