At the turn of the 20th century, young Asa Yoelson decides to go against the wishes of his cantor father and pursue a career in show business. Gradually working his way up through the vaudeville ranks, Asa — now calling himself Al Jolson — joins a blackface minstrel troupe and soon builds a reputation as a consummate performer. But as his career grows in size, so does his ego, resulting in battles in business as well as in his personal life.
Sound
Jolson's real voice dubbed over Parks — uncanny audio time travel.
Production
Technicolor excess that screams 'we spent EVERY penny.'
Director
Alfred E. Green
Larry Parks
Al Jolson
Evelyn Keyes
Julie Benson
William Demarest
Steve Martin
Bill Goodwin
Tom Baron
Ludwig Donath
Cantor Yoelson
Scotty Beckett
Asa Yoelson
Tamara Shayne
Mrs. Yoelson
Jo-Carroll Dennison
Ann Murray
John Alexander
Lew Dockstader
Ernest Cossart
Father McGee
Lilian Bond
Woman (uncredited)
Frank Baker
Audience Member (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum
Man in Audience (uncredited)
Bess Flowers
Woman in Audience/Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Larry Parks' voice was deemed insufficient, so Jolson himself re-recorded every musical number — making this essentially a duet between two men playing one legend.
This was 1946's highest-grossing film and won Best Actor, yet its unexamined celebration of minstrelsy made it nearly unscreenable within decades — a case study in how quickly cultural memory shifts.
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