A Plantation Act

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A Plantation Act
Starring Al Jolson
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date(s) Flag of the United States October 7, 1926
Running time 10 min.
Country Flag of the United States United States
Language English
IMDb profile

A Plantation Act was one of the first Vitaphone short films made in 1926 starring Al Jolson. This was the first film that Jolson starred in. On a film set with a plantation background, Jolson (in blackface) sings three of his hit songs: "April Showers", "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody", and "When the Red Red Robin Comes Bob-Bob-Bobbin' Along". Historians think that this might be the first positive sound short ever filmed.

This film was thought to be lost, in tune with the misconception that The Jazz Singer was the first commercial sound film made. A copy of the film was found in the National Archives, mis-labelled as a preview for The Jazz Singer. The Vitaphone disk was also found around this time, thus completing one of the first sound films.