King of Jazz
“A NEW ERA in sound and color entertainment!”
A large-scale revue musical built around Paul Whiteman and his orchestra, presenting a series of musical performances, sketches, and staged tableaux in early two-color Technicolor, emblematic of Hollywood’s early sound-era “all-star” musical productions.
Where to Watch
Streaming, rent and purchase options
Cast & Crew
Paul Whiteman
Paul Whiteman
John Boles
Vocalist ('Song of the Dawn' / 'It Happened in Monterey')
Jeanie Lang
Vocalist ('I'd Like To Do Things For You' / 'Ragamuffin Romeo')
Laura La Plante
Editor ('Ladies of the Press') / Stenographer ('In Conference') / Quartet Member, 'Nellie'
Jeanette Loff
Vocalist ('It Happened in Monterey' / 'Bridal Veil' / 'A Bench in the Park')
Glenn Tryon
Executive ('In Conference') / Unmarried Husband
William Kent
General ('All Noisy on the Eastern Front') / Goldfish Owner ('Oh! Forevermore!') / Unmarried Couple's Offspring / Vocal ('Do Things For You')
Slim Summerville
Automobile Owner ('Springtime') / Rear End of Horse / Charles
Kathryn Crawford
Fourth Reporter ('Ladies of the Press')
Carla Laemmle
Chorine (as Beth Laemmle)
Stanley Smith
Bridegroom ('Bridal Veil' / 'A Bench in the Park')
Charles Irwin
Himself, Announcer / Soldier ('All Noisy on the Eastern Front')
George Chiles
Dancer ('It Happened in Monterey' / Vocalist 'A Bench in the Park' / 'Ragamuffin Romeo')
Jack White
Jack White
Frank Leslie
Quartet Lead Singer ('Nellie')
Walter Brennan
Desk Sergeant ('Springtime') / Soldier ('All Noisy on the Eastern Front') / Waiter ('Oh! Forevermore!') / Front End of Horse / Quartet Member ('Nellie')
Churchill Ross
Quartet Member ('Nellie')
John Arledge
First Pianist at Giant Piano ('Rhapsody in Blue') / Quartet Member ('Nellie') (as Johnson Arledge)
Al Norman
Rubber Legs Dancer ('Happy Feet')
Jacques Cartier
Voodoo Dancer ("Rhapsody in Blue")
Nell O'Day
Dancer
Marion Stattler
Specialty Dancer 'Ragamuffin Romeo' / 'Melting Pot'
Don Rose
Specialty Dancer 'Ragamuffin Romeo'
Bobbe Brox
Bobbe (as The Brox Sisters)
Story & Production Details
Reviews & Thoughts
The title of this film is a touch misleading. I was expecting much more of a jazz-based musical revue but instead got pretty much a whole gamut of colourful and precisely staged repertoire. Paul Whiteman and his accomplished orchestra provide the conduit, as it were, as a variety of performers sing, dance and make us laugh (or cringe) for the next hundred minutes. There's a bit of Bing Crosby's first screen appearance with the "Rhythm Boys" doing a lively version of "Happy Feet" and probably my favourite staging of George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" - featuring an orchestra within the belly of the grandest of pianos. What this illustrates really effectively is the huge variety of musical skills that audiences in 1930 could expect to see, and at just how versatile the orchestra was when it came to playing themes from just about every genre. Whoever thought about playing some patriotic Souza on a bicycle pump? It looks great and it sounds good but for me, not being an American, too many of the acts - especially the comedy - didn't really travel. The production itself, though probably impractical to deliver, needed a live audience to breathe some life into it. The skills there are superb, but the whole thing is just a bit sterile and lifeless. As an history of what engaged the American people in the 1920s, this in still an interesting piece of entertainment nostalgia, though - and it is worth a watch.
