King of Jazz
An expansive revue built around Paul Whiteman and his orchestra, featuring a sequence of musical performances, sketches, and staged tableaux rendered in early two-color Technicolor, emblematic of Hollywood’s formative sound-era all-star musical productions.
Director(s)
Robert Ross
John Murray Anderson
Pál Fejős
Where to watch
fuboTV
Subscription
TCM
Subscription
Hoopla
Free
Fawesome
Free
Amazon Video
Rent
Apple TV Store
Rent
Google Play Movies
Rent
YouTube
Rent
Fandango At Home
Rent
Amazon Video
Buy
Apple TV Store
Buy
Google Play Movies
Buy
YouTube
Buy
Fandango At Home
Buy
The Roku Channel
Ads
Tubi TV
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Cast & Crew
Yola d'Avril
Automobile Owner's Wife ("Springtime") / Marie ("All Noisy on the Eastern Front") (uncredited)
Walter Brennan
Desk Sergeant ('Springtime') / Soldier ('All Noisy on the Eastern Front') / Waiter ('Oh! Forevermore!') / Front End of Horse / Quartet Member ('Nellie')
John Arledge
First Pianist at Giant Piano ('Rhapsody in Blue') / Quartet Member ('Nellie') (as Johnson Arledge)
Laura La Plante
Editor ('Ladies of the Press') / Stenographer ('In Conference') / Quartet Member, 'Nellie'
William Kent
General ('All Noisy on the Eastern Front') / Goldfish Owner ('Oh! Forevermore!') / Unmarried Couple's Offspring / Vocal ('Do Things For You')
Details
Reviews
CinemaSerf
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.
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Media engagement
King of Jazz FAQs
The directors of King of Jazz are Robert Ross, John Murray Anderson, and Pál Fejős.
The cast of King of Jazz includes Bing Crosby as Trio Singer (as The Rhythm Boys), Joan Marsh as Blonde ("A Bench in the Park") (uncredited), Slim Summerville as Automobile Owner ('Springtime') / Rear End of Horse / Charles, Yola d'Avril as Automobile Owner's Wife ("Springtime") / Marie ("All Noisy on the Eastern Front") (uncredited), Charles Irwin as Himself, Announcer / Soldier ('All Noisy on the Eastern Front'), Walter Brennan as Desk Sergeant ('Springtime') / Soldier ('All Noisy on the Eastern Front') / Waiter ('Oh! Forevermore!') / Front End of Horse / Quartet Member ('Nellie'), Bela Lugosi as Emcee - Hungarian Version, John Boles as Vocalist ('Song of the Dawn' / 'It Happened in Monterey'), John Arledge as First Pianist at Giant Piano ('Rhapsody in Blue') / Quartet Member ('Nellie') (as Johnson Arledge), Nell O'Day as Dancer, Carla Laemmle as Chorine (as Beth Laemmle), Glenn Tryon as Executive ('In Conference') / Unmarried Husband, and more.
The duration of King of Jazz is 1h 40 mins.
Yes. You can watch the King of Jazz trailer on this Fanbiz page on Fanziz.
You can watch King of Jazz on fuboTV (Subscription), TCM (Subscription), Hoopla (Free), Fawesome (Free), Amazon Video (Rent), Apple TV Store (Rent), Google Play Movies (Rent), YouTube (Rent), Fandango At Home (Rent), Amazon Video (Buy), Apple TV Store (Buy), Google Play Movies (Buy), YouTube (Buy), Fandango At Home (Buy), The Roku Channel (Ads), and Tubi TV (Ads). Check this Fanbiz page for the latest platforms.
King of Jazz was released on 20 Apr 1930.
King of Jazz is listed under Music on Fanbiz.
King of Jazz has 1 review on Fanziz, with an average rating of 6.0/10. One reviewer wrote: "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..."
