THE JAZZ SINGER (1980 FILM)

'''The Jazz Singer''' was a 1980 musical remake of the 1927 classic, ''The Jazz Singer''. It starred Neil Diamond, Lucie Arnaz and Laurence Olivier, and was co-directed by Richard Fleischer and Sidney J. Furie. Ironically, Neil Diamond was nominated for both the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and Razzie Award for Worst Actor awards for his role, though he only won the latter.
The soundtrack was enormously successful, eventually reaching platinum status. While the film is commonly considered a flop, its suffering in the box office was due to its being swallowed up by the in-cinema competition. The film was released two days before the very successful hits Nine to Five and Scorsese's Raging Bull, not to mention the still-onscreen Stir Crazy. Clint Eastwood's Any Which Way You Can also opened on the same day.
'Taglines:'

★ ''His story will make you cry. His music will make you sing. His triumph will make you cheer.''

★ ''Sometimes you have to risk it all...''

Contents

Plot summary

Main cast

Awards and nominations

External links

Plot summary

Jess Robin, whose real name is Yussel Rabinovitch, is a young Jewish cantor performing at the synagogue of his imperious father. Yussel is married to his childhood sweetheart, Rivka, and has settled down to a life of religious devotion to the teaching of his faith.
But on the side, he writes songs for a black singing group, and when a member of the quartet gets in trouble with the law, Yussel covers for him at one of their gigs by wearing blackface. (A possible subtle homage to Al Jolson, whom wore blackface in the original.) The nightclub engagement is a success, but one the emcee at the nightclub notices that Yussel hands are white and calls him out. A fight ensues and the band is arrested. Yussel's father comes to the jail to bail them out but finds out that there is not a Yussel Rabinovitch there but a Jess Robin. Later his father questions him about that and Yussel tells him it is just a professional stage name he uses when performing. His father reminds him that his singing voice was to be used for God's purposes, not his own. Jess decides to relent and do whatever his father wants...at least for now.
Jess' best friend and member of the "Four Brothers" signing group, Bubba, informs him that the band got a gig in Los Angeles performing back up vocals for Keith Lennox. Shortly after Bubba leaves, Yussel begins composing a song that would eventually become ''Love On The Rocks''. His wife Rivka notices him writing the song in his free time and senses that Yussel yearns for a bigger stage for his voice, but her values keep her grounded to the home life they have built together.
Bubba calls Jess from LA and informs him that Keith Lennox really loved ''Love on The Rocks'' and wants to record it but they need Jess to come out for a week to oversee the recording session. Jess finally sees this as the opportunity he has been waiting for, but his wife and his father are opposed to him going. But later at a party at their sinagogue, his father relents and lets him go.
When Jess arrives in LA, he is picked up by music agent Molly Bell. She takes him to the studio where Keith Lennox is recording and Jess is shocked to find out that his ballad is now being recorded as a hard rock song. During a break in recording Jess asks the Producer and Keith Lennox if he can perform the song as a ballad as intended so Lennox can get an idea of the framing of the song. They allow him to do it and while recording the song Molly realizes that Jess' performance is the correct way the song should be done. However Lennox is not so easily swayed and fires the group (and eventually Molly as well).
Later Molly gets a tip from a friend as to where booking agent Eddie Gibbs was having lunch. She asserts herself in his car as a mugger (holding the tape in her jacket pocket as though she was concealing a gun) and has him listen to a recording of Jess' Love on The Rocks. When Eddie asks her who it is Molly tells him that it is the new opening act for comedian Zany Gray's new television special. Gibbs is not amused and says he can't book anyone from just a tape recording sight unseen and promptly throws Molly out of his car. However she manages to get Eddie to come to a club where Jess has managed to get a gig playing, thanks to Bubba who was working there as a waiter. Eddie comes in and watches for a moment and then leaves. Jess thinks he has a blown it and Molly tells him, "...he hates loud music...you he loved..you open for Zany Gray next week."
Meanwhile back in New York, Cantor Rabinovich confronts Rivka about Jess going to California and reminds her that her place is by her husband side, and if she goes to California maybe she can bring him home. She relents and goes to California.
On Jess' opening night he begins with a small harmonica intro and is heckled by someone in the crowd ("Is that all you can play, turkey?!")but he endures and performs the song "Summer Love". He finishes his first song and the audience applauds and Jess decides to perform a song everyone can get in on and performs "Hey Louise". Rivka shows up and meets Molly. Rivka tries to explain to Molly that their Jewish values are so tightly adhered to that Jess cannot possibly stay. Molly tells Rivka that she is not the problem, but the crowd is. Jess end his set and the audience gives him a standing ovation. He heads back stage and is reunited with Rivka. (Molly has disappeared in order for him to do so.) At the aftershow party in Jess' dressing room, Jess is met by a receptive crowd and his given a recording contract. However, before this happens, Jess and Rivka have an argument outside his dressing room where basically Rivka tells him it's either her or his new life. Despite trying to convince her to stay with him and accept his new career, Rivka feels she has lost him and runs off before Jess can catch her.
In the aftermath of the events Jess finds he has developed feelings for Molly. He goes to talk to her as she is about the leave on a sailing trip with a male friend of hers. Jess tells her that he doesn't want her going him but to stay there with him. She asks her friend if he would mind if they don't go to Acapulco (where she originally told Jess they were going). Her friend Tommy, laughs and says they were going to Catalina for the day. Jess, realizing that Molly has put one over on him, chases her with the garden hoseshe was using to clean the boat. A montage of scenes ensues where it shows their relationship developing, including a scene where Molly makes Jess a nice ham dinner, completely forgetting that he is Jewish and doesn't eat pork products. The two make love shortly afterwards, and he writes ''Hello Again'' for her.
Later, Jess' father comes to California to meet with Jess and to get him to come back to New York where he feels Jess belongs. Jess tells him his life and his career are now in California, and that he and Rivka will be divorced soon. They are interrupted when Molly enters and Jess introduces her to his father. His father rips a piece of his clothing and says "I hef no son." and emotionally leaves the house. When Molly questions Jess about what just happened Jess mentions that when a person of the Jewish faith rips a piece of clothing it means that someone has just died. When Molly asks "Who's dead?" Jess replies, "I am." Later that night, he is up playing "My name is Yussel" on their piano, but eventually pounds the keys in frustration, then looks down.
In the recording studio Jess along with Bubba and the rest of the Four Brothers and the studio band are in the middle of recording the song "Jerusalem". Jess' mind is on the incident with his father and he takes his anger out on the band. Bubba tells him to be cool and Jess just seems to get angrier. During a break in recording Bubba goes to talk to Molly and he finds out she is pregnant. He warns her not to tell Jess right away. Bubba then returns to the recording session and things go from bad to worse. Molly confronts Jess and he gets so upset he leaves the studio and drives off in anger. Bubba tries to follow and Molly tells him to just let Jess work things out on his own.
Jess keeps driving until finally his car runs out of fuel, he then begins to hitchhike. He winds up spending the next few months on the road with a truck driver, traveling over the United States. Finally he winds up at a small country bar and audtions for the owner. He wins a regular gig and pens a country version of "You Are My Sunshine". Bubba tracks him down and tells Jess about the birth of Jess' son, Charlie Parker (Keim) Rabinovich. Jess returns to California and to Molly.
Hoping to re-activate Jess' career, Molly again sneaks into Eddie's car and he is not so easily impressed that Jess is back, even though his debut album went gold and Molly feels Eddie owes him. At first Eddie does not back down, but he gives in and allows Jess to perform one number at "Zany Gray's Autumn in New York" concert.
In New York at the rehearsals, Jess is met by a friend of his father's, Leo, and finds out that the doctors won't let Cantor Rabinovich sing ''Kol Nidre'' on Yom Kippur due to his high blood pressure, he asks Yussel to come to the service and sing ''Kol Nidre'' and hopes that it will breach the distance between father and son. Jess intially says no, but in the ensuing argument, Molly convinces Jess that he should.
On Yom Kippur, Jess enters the synagogue and starts to sing ''Kol Nidre''. His father looks up in shock, but seems still hardened by past events. After the service Jess confronts his father and shows him a picture of his grandson. Finally Cantor Rabinovich fogives his son and the two embrace.
At Zany Gray's show, Jess opens the show with the song ''America'' including full orchestral opening. The song is a success and Jess's career is revitalized. Jess basks in the glow of the standing ovation he receives (including from his father, who is sitting next to Molly).

Main cast

★ Neil Diamond - Yussel Rabinovitch

★ Laurence Olivier - Cantor Rabinovitch

★ Lucie Arnaz - Molly Bell

★ Catlin Adams - Rivka Rabinovitch

★ Franklyn Ajaye - Bubba

★ Paul Nicholas - Keith Lennox

★ Sully Boyar - Eddie Gibbs

★ Mike Kellin - Leo

★ James Booth - Paul Rossini

Awards and nominations

★ 'Golden Globes'
:'Nominated:' Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Neil Diamond)
:'Nominated:' Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture (Lucie Arnaz)
:'Nominated:' ("Love on the Rocks" {Neil Diamond- Gilbert Becaud})

★ 'Grammy Awards'
:'Nominated:' Best Album of Original Score Written for A Motion Picture or a Television Special

★ 'ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards'
:'Won:' Most Performed Feature Film Standards (Neil Diamond for "America")

★ 'Golden Raspberry Awards'
:'Won:' Worst Actor (Neil Diamond)
:'Won:' Worst Supporting Actor (Laurence Olivier)
:'Nominated:' Worst Picture
:'Nominated:' Worst Director (Sidney J. Furie and Richard Fleischer)
:'Nominated:' Worst "Original" Song ("You, Baby, Baby!")

External links

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