The Jolson Story

Though legendary entertainer Al Jolson was a highly visible presence on the U.S.O. circuit during World War II, he was generally regarded as a relic of an earlier time until his movie comeback in 1945's Rhapsody in Blue. Showing up 30 minutes into this biopic of George Gershwin, Jolson literally ...more

The Jolson Story is one of the most entertaining Hollywood biopics about an entertainer -- but why is it? Like almost every other biopic of the period (and, for that matter, of almost any period), Jolson plays fast and loose with the facts. Also like many other entertainer bios, the story itself is far from fresh. The dialogue and character development is a notch above average, but neither is as outstanding as should be deserved by a film of this reputation. What Jolson does have that accounts ...more