What is The Jazz Singer?

The Jazz Singer , released in 1927, is an American musical film notable as the first feature-length movie with synchronized dialogue, signaling the end of the silent film era. The film follows Jakie Rabinowitz, the son of a cantor, who runs away from home after his father discovers him singing in a saloon. As an adult, Jakie becomes a jazz singer, performing under the name Jack Robin. He must choose between singing in his new Broadway show or singing at the synagogue in his father’s place for Yom Kippur. Although not the first film with synchronized sound, The Jazz Singer was the first to integrate dialogue into the soundtrack, albeit only in select conversations and musical numbers. Its success elevated Warner Brothers to a major studio, earning them an honorary Academy Award.

Who directed The Jazz Singer and when was it released?

The Jazz Singer , released in 1927, was directed by Alan Crosland. While not the first movie with synchronized sound, it was the first feature-length film to incorporate synchronized dialogue, marking a significant transition from silent films to "talkies". The film revolves around Jakie Rabinowitz, the son of a cantor, who runs away from home to become a jazz singer named Jack Robin. He is played by Al Jolson. The Jazz Singer was a Vitaphone feature and the first full-length movie to have a soundtrack that included dialogue. The film's success elevated Warner Brothers to a major studio.

Why is The Jazz Singer considered important in film history?

The Jazz Singer , released in 1927, holds a significant place in film history as the first feature-length movie with synchronized dialogue, signaling the end of the silent film era and the rise of "talkies". Though not the first film with synchronized sound, The Jazz Singer was the first full-length feature to incorporate dialogue into its soundtrack, albeit only in musical numbers and select conversations. Its success propelled Warner Brothers into a major studio, earning them an honorary Academy Award for revolutionizing the industry. Al Jolson's line, "You ain't heard nothin' yet," became symbolic of the talking picture's arrival.

What new technology did The Jazz Singer introduce to movies?

The Jazz Singer , released in 1927, was the first feature-length film with synchronized dialogue, marking the end of the silent film era and the rise of "talkies". Though other films had previously used synchronized sound for music or effects, The Jazz Singer was the first to integrate dialogue, albeit in only about a quarter of the film. This innovation was made possible by Vitaphone , a sound-on-disc system that Warner Brothers debuted in 1926 with Don Juan . The success of The Jazz Singer led to Warner Bros. receiving an honorary Academy Award and solidified their position as a major studio.

What is the main story or plot of The Jazz Singer?

The Jazz Singer , released in 1927, tells the story of Jakie Rabinowitz, a cantor's son who runs away from home after being punished for singing in a saloon. As an adult, he becomes a jazz singer named Jack Robin. When his father becomes ill before Yom Kippur, Jakie must choose between singing in his new Broadway show or singing the Kol Nidre at the synagogue. He fulfills his Broadway obligations and rushes to the synagogue. His father hears him singing the Kol Nidre and dies reconciled.

How did The Jazz Singer impact the film industry and later movies?

The Jazz Singer , released in 1927, was the first feature-length film with synchronized dialogue, marking the end of the silent film era and the rise of "talkies". Though not the first film with synchronized sound, it was the first to integrate dialogue into the soundtrack, albeit only in musical numbers and select conversations. The film's success elevated Warner Brothers to a major studio, earning them an honorary Academy Award for revolutionizing the industry. The Jazz Singer 's impact is captured in Al Jolson's line, "You ain’t heard nothin’ yet,” which symbolized the arrival of talking pictures.

The Jazz Singer

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The Jazz Singer

film by Crosland [1927]

Written by

Lee Pfeiffer

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 15, 2026 •History

Top Questions

What is The Jazz Singer?
The Jazz Singer, released in 1927, is an American musical film notable as the first feature-length movie with synchronized dialogue, signaling the end of the silent film era.

The film follows Jakie Rabinowitz, the son of a cantor, who runs away from home after his father discovers him singing in a saloon. As an adult, Jakie becomes a jazz singer, performing under the name Jack Robin. He must choose between singing in his new Broadway show or singing at the synagogue in his father’s place for Yom Kippur.

Although not the first film with synchronized sound, The Jazz Singer was the first to integrate dialogue into the soundtrack, albeit only in select conversations and musical numbers. Its success elevated Warner Brothers to a major studio, earning them an honorary Academy Award.
1 Britannica Source
1. The Jazz Singer
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Who directed The Jazz Singer and when was it released?
The Jazz Singer, released in 1927, was directed by Alan Crosland. While not the first movie with synchronized sound, it was the first feature-length film to incorporate synchronized dialogue, marking a significant transition from silent films to "talkies".

The film revolves around Jakie Rabinowitz, the son of a cantor, who runs away from home to become a jazz singer named Jack Robin. He is played by Al Jolson. The Jazz Singer was a Vitaphone feature and the first full-length movie to have a soundtrack that included dialogue. The film's success elevated Warner Brothers to a major studio.
1 Britannica Source
1. The Jazz Singer
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Why is The Jazz Singer considered important in film history?
The Jazz Singer, released in 1927, holds a significant place in film history as the first feature-length movie with synchronized dialogue, signaling the end of the silent film era and the rise of "talkies".

Though not the first film with synchronized sound, The Jazz Singer was the first full-length feature to incorporate dialogue into its soundtrack, albeit only in musical numbers and select conversations. Its success propelled Warner Brothers into a major studio, earning them an honorary Academy Award for revolutionizing the industry. Al Jolson's line, "You ain't heard nothin' yet," became symbolic of the talking picture's arrival.
1 Britannica Source
1. The Jazz Singer
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What new technology did The Jazz Singer introduce to movies?
The Jazz Singer, released in 1927, was the first feature-length film with synchronized dialogue, marking the end of the silent film era and the rise of "talkies". Though other films had previously used synchronized sound for music or effects, The Jazz Singer was the first to integrate dialogue, albeit in only about a quarter of the film. This innovation was made possible by Vitaphone, a sound-on-disc system that Warner Brothers debuted in 1926 with Don Juan. The success of The Jazz Singer led to Warner Bros. receiving an honorary Academy Award and solidified their position as a major studio.
2 Britannica Sources
1. The Jazz Singer
2. History of film: Postsynchronization
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What is the main story or plot of The Jazz Singer?
The Jazz Singer, released in 1927, tells the story of Jakie Rabinowitz, a cantor's son who runs away from home after being punished for singing in a saloon. As an adult, he becomes a jazz singer named Jack Robin.

When his father becomes ill before Yom Kippur, Jakie must choose between singing in his new Broadway show or singing the Kol Nidre at the synagogue. He fulfills his Broadway obligations and rushes to the synagogue. His father hears him singing the Kol Nidre and dies reconciled.
1 Britannica Source
1. The Jazz Singer
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How did The Jazz Singer impact the film industry and later movies?
The Jazz Singer, released in 1927, was the first feature-length film with synchronized dialogue, marking the end of the silent film era and the rise of "talkies". Though not the first film with synchronized sound, it was the first to integrate dialogue into the soundtrack, albeit only in musical numbers and select conversations.

The film's success elevated Warner Brothers to a major studio, earning them an honorary Academy Award for revolutionizing the industry. The Jazz Singer's impact is captured in Al Jolson's line, "You ain’t heard nothin’ yet,” which symbolized the arrival of talking pictures.
1 Britannica Source
1. The Jazz Singer
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

The Jazz Singer, American musical film, released in 1927, that was the first feature-length movie with synchronized dialogue. It marked the ascendancy of “talkies” and the end of the silent-film era.

(Read Lillian Gish’s 1929 Britannica essay on silent film.)

On Yom Kippur, cantor Rabinowitz (played by Warner Oland) looks forward to when his 13-year-old son, Jakie (Robert Gordon), will succeed him at the synagogue. However, after discovering that Jakie is singing in a saloon, the cantor beats him, and Jakie runs away from home. As an adult (Al Jolson), Jakie becomes a jazz singer, performing under the name Jack Robin. When his father falls ill before Yom Kippur, Jakie must choose between singing at the dress rehearsal of his new Broadway show or singing the Kol Nidre at the synagogue in his father’s place. Jakie finishes his number and rushes to the synagogue, where his father hears him singing the Kol Nidre and then dies, reconciled to Jakie.

Empty movie theater and blank screen (theatre, motion pictures, cinema).

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Oscar-Worthy Movie Trivia

Although widely credited with being the first talkie, the accolade is somewhat misleading. Other films had synchronized sound for music or sound effects prior to this film. The small studio Warner Brothers had bought a sound-on-disc system called Vitaphone and debuted the system in 1926 with Don Juan, a lavish costume drama featuring a score performed by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. However, The Jazz Singer, the second Vitaphone feature, was the first full feature film to have a sound track that included dialogue (though only the musical numbers and some select conversations amounting to one-fourth of the film were recorded for sound). The first feature in which all the dialogue was recorded was another Warner Brothers Vitaphone film, Lights of New York (1928).

Comedians Eddie Cantor and George Jessel (who played the lead role in the 1925 play on which the movie is based) both turned down the film, leaving the historic role for Jolson. Studio executive Sam Warner, one of the founders of Warner Brothers and the creative force behind the film, died one day before the movie’s premiere, which was intentionally set for the day before Yom Kippur. One of Jolson’s first lines, “You ain’t heard nothin’ yet,” came to symbolize the arrival of the talking picture. The film’s financial success established Warner Brothers as a major studio, and the studio won an honorary Academy Award for “producing The Jazz Singer, the pioneer outstanding talking picture, which has revolutionized the industry.” There have been many remakes of the story onscreen and onstage. Jolson’s performance in blackface has long been studied for what it says about stereotypes and the problems of assimilation often encountered by ethnic groups.

Production notes and credits

Studio: Warner Brothers
Director: Alan Crosland
Writer: Alfred A. Cohn
Music: Louis Silvers
Running time: 88 minutes

Cast

Al Jolson (Jakie Rabinowitz)
Mary McAvoy (Mary Dale)
Warner Oland (The Cantor)
Eugenie Besserer (Sara Rabinowitz)
Robert Gordon (Jakie Rabinowitz, age 13)

Academy Award nomination

Screenplay

Lee Pfeiffer

The Jazz Singer

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Production notes and credits

Cast

Academy Award nomination