The Jazz Singer

by Samson Raphaelson

This book has been considered important throughout the human history, and so that this work is never forgotten we have made efforts in its preservation by republishing this book in a modern format for present and future generations. This whole book has been reformatted, retyped and designed. These books are not made of scanned copies and hence the text is clear and readable.

Genres: Fiction

85 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1921

About the author

Samson Raphaelson (March 30, 1894 – July 16, 1983) was an American playwright, screenwriter and fiction writer.

While working as an advertising executive in New York, he wrote a short story based on the early life of Al Jolson, called The Day of Atonement, which he then converted into a 1925 play, The Jazz Singer. In 1927 this would become the first talking picture, with Jolson its star.

Reviews

[Patrick Ramsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jakie Rabinowitz is a Jewish singer whose father wants him to sing for the services. However, he is interested in popular music and goes to clubs to sing. Jakie and his father clash and Jakie decides to go his own way, making it to the entertainment industry.

The short story turned into a play by the same author, which then turned into the first talking picture starring Al Jolson. I found Raphaelson's short story harder to follow than the movie. The story has more Jewish specific words, but the movie did a terrific job of emphasizing Jewish ritual from a visual perspective.

The day of atonement refers to an important religious service that both Jakie feels the pull toward sining in and his family and religious community wants him to lead.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came across this short story after discussing a cartoon, "I Love to Singa," with my husband. We found out the cartoon was based on the movie The Jazz Singer, which is in turn based on this short story. It's a classic tale of someone who has struggled with their upbringing and cultural background in a quickly changing, mainstream world. Raphaelson is great at describing the push-and-pull of Jakie's desire to sing ragtime and be a star vs. his family and their religious and traditional duties. It's not a perfect tale, but the themes are still relevant to this day.