Jerry Lewis' The Jazz Singer [Import]

Just moments ago watched my DVD of Jerry Lewis' JAZZ SINGER. Fantastic! Great music, and lots of Jerry schtick. Would've been nice to see the Lincoln-Mercury commercials, because they're not here, but the NBC Peacock, show and car logos remain intact. There's even Jerry's angular face logo at the end. Ken Carpenter ( of longtime association with Bing Crosby and the Kraft Music Hall ) does the announcing. Paramount's Walter Scharf arranges and conducts the music. Lewis movie co-star and pal Del Moore has a small role. NOTE: the black and white kinescope adds some stuff not on the color video: a preview of the following week's show, "The Turn of the Screw" starring Ingrid Bergman, plus an NBC camera at the beginning and the NBC chimes at the end. Jerry Lewis fans, GET THIS NOW, before it's impossible to find any longer! You won't regret it. Amazing that we can now watch these rarities, direct from Jerry's personal archives! Thank you, Mr. Lewis. - William Carroll, Denham Springs, Louisiana

Jerry Lewis is a control freak and - per his son (Chris) on the 111 minute "featurette) about the "restoration" - from his second self-directed film he always had a video made. For his TV shows he had kinescopes. He has 1500 reels of film in his own collection.

The Jazz Singer aired on TV in October 1959 on the Lincoln-Mercury Startime Theater show. It was pre-recorded on COLOR VIDEO TAPE (an RCA product since NBC was promoting color). It was then aired. This color version is from JL's collection and has NEVER been shown since the original televised date. It looks gorgeous, and it's not even a first generation tape. When Chris Lewis found it they found that there were parts where sound was missing. But they found an AUDIO tape of the sound track and using that, and the B&W kinescope, they restored the sound. The Color version is crisp and sharp and BRIGHT. The DVD includes the B&W kinescope too but there's no reason to watch that! (Really- it's also worn and unrestored).

The show was directed by Ralph Nelson. The cast is great - though if they left Lewis out I wouldn't miss him. Eduord Franz as his father, Molly Picon as his mother and Barry Gordon as his nephew. Alan Reed (Fred Flintstone) is uncle and Joey Faye as his agent. Anna Maria Alberghetti is the "love interest". She had just finished "Cinderfella" with Lewis.

Because the show is only 52 minutes (commercials were removed) and Lewis' ego is so big, the story is really cut down. Lewis has his nightclub career already at the beginning and comes home to find his father ill. The final moments of Lewis conducting the Yom Kippur service that his ill Cantor father can't conduct is bizarre. There he is with a yarmulke and clown makeup! And the show ends.

Definitely a "curiosity", but it's at least interesting to see what early color video looked like and to see the other performers. I'm not a huge Jerry Lewis fan so, if you are, add another star to my rating.

Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"

Jerry Lewis' 1959 TV special of "The Jazz Singer" is a must-have for those who are either Lewis fans, early TV historians, or just curious about this remake of Al Jolson's 1927 superb film. It is quite a surprise, far better than I'd imagined. As Lewis' son says on the featurette, the show was done as an homage to Jolson,, one of Lewis'idols. Jerry's acting is unusually good- subtle and moving. The DVD was remastered from a second generation color copy of an NBC color tape in Lewis' private archive--a rarity in 1959.
Well worth the price!