The Singing Fool

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The Singing Fool (1928)
Directed by	Lloyd Bacon
Written by	C. Graham Baker Joseph Jackson
Starring	Al Jolson Betty Bronson Josephine Dunn Davey Lee
Music by	Jules Buffano Shelton Brooks
Cinematography	Byron Haskin
Editing by	Ralph Dawson, Harold McCord
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	August 17, 1928
Running time	105 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
IMDb profile

The Singing Fool in a musical drama Part-Talkie motion picture which was released in 1928 by Warner Brothers. The film starred Al Jolson and was a follow-up to his previous film, The Jazz Singer.

Contents 1 Production 2 Plot 3 Songs 4 Trivia 5 External links

[edit] Production

Like The Jazz Singer, The Singing Fool was a melodrama with musical interludes, and as such was one of the film industry's first musical films. Produced during the transition period between silent film and talkies, this movie (like its predecessor) was released in both sound and silent versions. And the film was once again a major hit and is credited with helping to cement the popularity of both sound and the musical genre.

[edit] Plot

The film tells the story of a successful singer, who goes on the "skids" after the death of his son. The film is best known for Jolson's performance of "Sonny Boy." Also appearing in the film were Davey Lee and Betty Bronson.

[edit] Songs

• "There's a Rainbow 'round My Shoulder"
• "Golden Gate"
• "I'm Sittin' on Top of the World"
• "It All Depends on You"
• "Keep Smiling at Trouble"
• "Sonny Boy"
• "The Spaniard That Blighted My Life"

[edit] Trivia

• Like his previous film, The Jazz Singer, "The Singing Fool" was a part-talking feature, which featured a synchronized musical score with sound effects along with synchronized musical and talking sequences. Al Jolson's first all-talking feature, Say It With Songs would appear in 1929.

[edit] External links

• New York Times feature
• The Singing Fool at the Internet Movie Database