Jewish Videos --> Jewish Films --> The Jazz Singer

• Awards
  • ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards: ASCAP Award for Most Performed Feature Film Standards
  • Razzie Awards: Razzie Award for Worst Actor, Worst Supporting Actor
• Nominations
  • Golden Globes, USA: Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Motion Picture Actor - Musical/Comedy, Best Original Song - Motion Picture
  • Grammy Awards: Grammy for Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special
  • Razzie Awards: Razzie Award for Worst Original Song, Worst Director, Worst Picture
• Trivia
  • For this performance,
  • Sidney J. Furie was originally hired to direct the movie. During the several weeks he directed the movie, he was constantly rewriting the screenplay, and Catlin Adams during that time had no idea if her character was married to Neil Diamond's character or not. Other scenes were ad-libbed on the spot without any idea where they would be placed. Furie refused to speak to any representatives from the production company (EMI) expressing concern about what was happening. Eventually, EMI threatened to close down the production if Furie did not sent them a completed screenplay within a week. Upon receiving the screenplay, EMI not only judged it to be bad (among other things, it eliminated the key "Kol Nidre" sequence), but that it would double the budget as well as the time originally scheduled for shooting. Subsequently, Furie was fired, having already shot 48 hours of often unusable footage, and Richard Fleischer was contacted to salvage the project.
  • Fleischer re-shot a lot of the
  • Near the end of the shoot, Neil Diamond was having trouble with the scene where he storms into the recording booth in a rage and has a heated argument with the Lucie Arnaz character. During a break, Fleischer looked into the glass of the recording stage and saw Diamond going berzerk, smashing everything in sight. Fleischer quickly yelled action, Diamond burst into the recording booth in an absolute fury, and pulled off the scene. After yelling cut, Fleischer asked him just what happened. Diamond explained that he felt so bad he wasn't able to pull off the scene, he asked his band to play something that would make him mad - which was a Barry Manilow number.
  • After the movie was finished, Olivier went to New York for a short time, and had dinner in a restaurant with friends. During the dinner, he recalled to his friends something he said about the movie while Furie was still directing: "This p*** is s***." Olivier later said a reporter must have been at the table next to his, because the next day the New York Daily News reported what he said (though with both vulgar words changed to cleaner derogatory words.) This news soon spread completely across the country, and with threats of lawsuits in the air, Olivier quickly made a statement to the press claiming that in the end the movie had been made well and that he totally supported it. Olivier also wrote a handwritten ten-page letter to Fleischer, not only apologizing for the restaurant incident, but also indirectly giving an explanation as to why he was making so many movies strictly for the money.
  • The scene where Jess performs "You Baby Baby" in the Cinderella Club with an afro and black makeup on was actually done as a minor tribute to
• Goofs
  • When Molly puts the cassette of "Love On The Rocks" into Eddie's car stereo, it locks down into the tape deck, but when Eddie ejects it, he just pulls it out like it was an 8-track.
  • While Molly is hosing down the deck she is wearing sunglasses on her head. When Jess walks away and comes back, the glasses are gone.
  • Jess sings to an audience in California in the middle of the movie. At the end of the movie he is singing to an audience in New York (it is assumed from the progression of the film) and it is quite obviously the same audience and venue. A number of audience members are present in both scenes. There is a woman with glasses wearing a vest and white shirt, a man in the middle of the audience with a checked cap, and a large man having a great time down front clapping very excitedly.
  • When Jess' father comes to visit him in California and they walk into the apartment, Jess never shuts the door completely. Later when Molly comes home, we hear the sound of the door opening.
  • In New York at the end of the movie when Leo asks Jess to sing in his father's place, Molly and Jess argue at the piano. Both Jess and Molly are wearing wedding rings. Later that night when Jess goes to reconcile with his father he is no longer wearing a wedding ring.
  • When Jess first sits down to write Love on the Rocks in his bathrobe there is a menorah on the table near a beer can. The next shot of the table a minute later reveals the menorah is gone and the beer can is turned.
• Movie Connections
  • Version of: The Jazz Singer | The Jazz Singer
  • Referenced in: Memories of Videodisc | Saving Silverman
  • Featured in: I Love the 80's 3-D
• Quotes
  • Yussel Rabinovitch: Hello?
    Bubba: So how's my favorite white man?
    Yussel Rabinovitch: Bubba! How's LA? You still working on your tan?
    Bubba: Ha ha ha! Every day, Jess, every day
     
  • Molly Bell: Honey what happened? What was that all about?
    Yussel Rabinovitch: When a Jew mourns somebody dead, they tear a piece of their clothing
    Molly Bell: Who's dead?
    Yussel Rabinovitch: I am
     
  • M.C. at Cinderella Club: No! No everybody! That ain't no brother! That's a white boy!
    People in crowd: What?
    M.C. at Cinderella Club: Get off the stage!
     
  • Yussel Rabinovitch: Leo, why don't you go ask Tillie to dance
    Leo: I'm resting
    Yussel Rabinovitch: Just go ask her to dance, please
    Leo: There's no music
    Yussel Rabinovitch: Leo please! Go ask Tillie to dance!
    Leo: I'll dance
     
  • Yussel Rabinovitch: Jess, welcome to California
    Molly Bell: No, wait Now! Welcome to California
     
  • Molly Bell: I'm with Keith Lennox productions. Molly. Molly Bell. That's what they call me. My real name is a lot longer.
    Yussel Rabinovitch: So's mine.
    Molly Bell: Belengocavela?
    Yussel Rabinovitch: Rabinovitch?
    Molly Bell: Oh. That's not bad.
     
  • Yussel Rabinovitch: He's just kidding around, right?
    Molly Bell: No, they're doing it for real.
    Yussel Rabinovitch: This song's supposed to be a ballad.
    Paul Rossini: That's his style, mister. Made him a millionaire.
    Yussel Rabinovitch: Yeah, but the thing is it's too fast. You can't hear the words.
    Paul Rossini: Yeah, that's why we brought you down here. He changed the tempo. You got to change the lyrics.
    Keith Lennox: Hold it! HOLD IIIIIIIIIIT! What are you playing? I told you three... how many times... Three times I've told you, it's too slow! Don't you understand, it's too slow. I want it faster, alright? Faster. Da da da da, all right? Boom boom boom boom!
    Paul Rossini: We can hear the "boom boom" in here, darling. It really sounds wonderful...
    Keith Lennox: I don't give a monkey's what you can hear, all right?
    Paul Rossini: But we're going to...
    Keith Lennox: Shut it! Just shut it, all right?
     
  • Keith Lennox: Thank you. That was, um, very nice. Now why don't you just p*** off and take those four clowns with you.
     
  • Bubba: Boom boom boom! I want more boom boom boom! I want more boom boom boom!
     
  • Yussel Rabinovitch: You overlook the beach
    Molly Bell: Sometimes the rent
     
  • Molly Bell: Pretend you don't know me.
    Eddie Gibbs: Don't tell me Mr. Wonderful is back?
    Molly Bell: And just in time for Zany's Autumn Special in New York.
    Eddie Gibbs: Are you kidding? He walked out on Zany last year. The answer is no.
    Molly Bell: One song, Eddie, that's all I'm asking.
    Eddie Gibbs: No!
    Molly Bell: You owe him!
    Eddie Gibbs: He took a hike. Who remembers him?
    Molly Bell: His album went gold.
    Eddie Gibbs: A year ago
    Molly Bell: I'll bet your commission paid for this car?
    Eddie Gibbs: Where can I drop you?
    Molly Bell: New York.
    Eddie Gibbs: Forget it!
    Molly Bell: Damn it! You owe him!
    Eddie Gibbs: I hate him!
    Molly Bell: I love him!
    Eddie Gibbs: All right, one number, scale. One song, two and a half minutes.
    Molly Bell: Three.
    Eddie Gibbs: Two and a half!
    Molly Bell: Oh, all right, two and a half.
    Eddie Gibbs: All right, three.
    Molly Bell: Aw, thanks Eddie.
    Eddie Gibbs: You win. Three and a half.
    Molly Bell: Oooooooo, thank you Eddie!