| The Jolson Story | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Alfred E. Green |
| Written by | Stephen Longstreet (screenplay) Sidney Buchman (uncredited) Harry Chandlee (adaptation) Andrew Solt (adaptation) |
| Produced by | Sidney Skolsky |
| Starring | Larry Parks Evelyn Keyes William Demarest Bill Goodwin |
| Cinematography | Joseph Walker |
| Edited by | William A. Lyon |
| Music by | Morris Stoloff |
| Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | Columbia Pictures |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 130 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2 million[1] |
| Box office | $7.6 million (US/Canada rentals)[2] |
The Jolson Story is a 1946 American biographical musical film, a highly fictionalized account of the life of singer Al Jolson. It stars Larry Parks as Jolson, Evelyn Keyes as Julie Benson (approximating Jolson's wife, Ruby Keeler), William Demarest as his performing partner and manager, Ludwig Donath and Tamara Shayne as his parents, and Scotty Beckett as the young Jolson. Some of the film's episodes are based on fact but the story is extremely simplified, with people disguised or combined into single characters.
The Columbia Pictures production was written by Sidney Buchman (uncredited), Harry Chandlee, Stephen Longstreet, and Andrew Solt. The dramatic scenes were directed by Alfred E. Green, with the musical sequences directed by Joseph H. Lewis.
- ^ "Al Jolson Sequel", Variety, 16 July 1947, p. 1
- ^ Finler, Joel Waldo (2003). The Hollywood Story. Wallflower Press. pp. 356–357. ISBN 978-1-903364-66-6.