The Jazz Singer
Directed by	Richard Fleischer Sidney J. Furie
Produced by	Jerry Leider
Written by	Herbert Baker
Starring	Neil Diamond Laurence Olivier Lucie Arnaz
Music by	Gilbert Bécaud Neil Diamond Leonard Rosenman Richard Bennett Alan E. Lindgren
Cinematography	Isidore Mankofsky
Editing by	Frank J. Urioste Maury Winetrobe
Distributed by	Associated Film Distribution
Released	December 19, 1980
Running time	115 min.
Language	English
Budget	N/A
Preceded by	{{{preceded_by}}}
Followed by	{{{followed_by}}}
IMDb profile

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 Best Actor and Worst Actor awards for his role, though he only won the latter. Image File history File links Jazz_singer. ... Richard Fleischer (born December 8, 1916) is an American film director. ... Sir Herbert Baker (1862-1946) was the dominant force in South African architecture for two decades, 1892-1912. ... Essential Neil Diamond album cover. ... Laurence Olivier, as photographed in 1939 by Carl Van Vechten The Right Honourable Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM, KBE (May 22, 1907 – July 11, 1989) was an Oscar winning English actor and director, esteemed by many as the greatest actor of the 20th century. ... Lucie Arnaz (born Lucie Desiree Arnaz, July 17, 1951 in Hollywood, California) is an American actress. ... Gilbert Bécaud Gilbert Bécaud (October 24, 1927 - December 18, 2001) was a French singer, composer and actor, known as Monsieur 100,000 Volts for his energetic performances. ... Essential Neil Diamond album cover. ... Leonard Rosenman (born September 7, 1924 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American film, television and concert composer. ... For the British composer named Richard Bennett, see Richard Rodney Bennett. ... December 19 is the 353rd day of the year (354th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... // Events April 30 - The Roger Daltrey film, McVicar, opens in London. ... The musical film is a film genre in which several songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative. ... In film, a remake is a newer version of a previously released film or a newer version of the source (play, novel, story, etc. ... See also: 1926 in film 1927 1928 in film 1920s in film years in film film // Events January 10 - The film Metropolis by Fritz Lang premieres. ... The Jazz Singer is a 1927 U.S. movie musical notable for being the first feature-length motion picture with talking sequences. ... Essential Neil Diamond album cover. ... Lucie Arnaz (born Lucie Desiree Arnaz, July 17, 1951 in Hollywood, California) is an American actress. ... Laurence Olivier, as photographed in 1939 by Carl Van Vechten The Right Honourable Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM, KBE (May 22, 1907 – July 11, 1989) was an Oscar winning English actor and director, esteemed by many as the greatest actor of the 20th century. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... Richard Fleischer (born December 8, 1916) is an American film director. ... The Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1951. ... The Razzie Award for Worst Actor was an honor given out at the Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst actor of the previous year. ...

For although the film wasn't a big hit, the soundtrack was enormously successful, eventually reaching platinum. The film's taglines are His story will make you cry. His music will make you sing. His triumph will make you cheer. and Sometimes you have to risk it all...

Plot summary

Yussel Rabinovitch is a young Jewish cantor performing at the synagogue of his imperious father. Yussel is married 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 takes ill, Yussel covers for him at one of their gigs by wearing blackface. The nightclub engagement is such a success that Yussel abandons his family — and his father's synagogue — and leaves his New York City home for Los Angeles, hoping to break into the music business. Almost immediately, he is spotted by spunky agent Molly Bell, who books him as an opening act for a touring comic. Yussel hits it big but his father resents Yussel's forsaking their traditional Jewish ways. His father disowns him, rending his garments and bellowing, "I have no son!" Nickname: The Big Apple Motto: Official website: City of New York Location Location in the state of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area Total 468. ... This article is about the largest city in California. ...

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

Essential Neil Diamond album cover. ... Laurence Olivier, as photographed in 1939 by Carl Van Vechten The Right Honourable Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM, KBE (May 22, 1907 – July 11, 1989) was an Oscar winning English actor and director, esteemed by many as the greatest actor of the 20th century. ... Lucie Arnaz (born Lucie Desiree Arnaz, July 17, 1951 in Hollywood, California) is an American actress. ... Franklyn Ajaye (born May 13, 1949) is an African-American stand-up comedian. ... James Booth (19 December 1927- 11 August 2005) was the stage name of David Geeves. ...

Awards and nominations

• Golden Globes

Nominated: Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Neil Diamond)

Nominated: Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture (Lucie Arnaz)

Nominated: Best Original Song (Love on the Rocks)

• 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!)

The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and television programs, given out each year during a formal dinner. ... The Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1951. ... Essential Neil Diamond album cover. ... The Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 1944 for a performance in a motion picture released in the previous year. ... Lucie Arnaz (born Lucie Desiree Arnaz, July 17, 1951 in Hollywood, California) is an American actress. ... Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (originally the Gramophone Awards), presented by the Recording Academy (an association of Americans professionally involved in the recorded music industry) for outstanding achievements in the recording industry, is one of four major music awards shows held annually in the United States (the Billboard Music Awards... The Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media has been awarded since 1960. ... The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) is an organization known as a collecting society that protects intellectual property, ensuring that music which is broadcast, commercially recorded, or otherwise used for profit, pays a fee to compensate the creators of that music. ... Essential Neil Diamond album cover. ... The Golden Raspberry Awards or Razzies were created by John Wilson in 1980, intended to complement the Academy Awards by dishonoring the worst acting, screenwriting, songwriting, directing, and films that the film industry had to offer. ... The Razzie Award for Worst Actor was an honor given out at the Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst actor of the previous year. ... Essential Neil Diamond album cover. ... Laurence Olivier, as photographed in 1939 by Carl Van Vechten The Right Honourable Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM, KBE (May 22, 1907 – July 11, 1989) was an Oscar winning English actor and director, esteemed by many as the greatest actor of the 20th century. ... The Razzie Award for Worst Picture is a dishonor given out at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst film of the past year. ... Richard Fleischer (born December 8, 1916) is an American film director. ...

External links

• The Jazz Singer (1980) at The Internet Movie Database
• The Jazz Singer (1980) at Rotten Tomatoes