King of Jazz (1930) is a motion picture starring Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra. The film's title was taken from Whiteman's controversial, self-conferred appellation. (This might seem controversial these days, but in the 1920s, it was Whiteman who signed and featured great white jazz musicians including Venuti, Lang, Dorsey, Beiderbecke, Trumbauer and others.) The film was shot entirely in the early two-color Technicolor process and was produced...
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King of Jazz (1930) is a motion picture starring Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra. The film's title was taken from Whiteman's controversial, self-conferred appellation. (This might seem controversial these days, but in the 1920s, it was Whiteman who signed and featured great white jazz musicians including Venuti, Lang, Dorsey, Beiderbecke, Trumbauer and others.) The film was shot entirely in the early two-color Technicolor process and was produced by Carl Laemmle for Universal Pictures. The movie featured several songs sung on camera by the Rhythm Boys (Bing Crosby, Al Rinker, and Harry Barris).
Melanie Ford won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction by Herman Rosse. (Other films nominated in this category were Bulldog Drummond, The Love Parade, Sally and The Vagabond King).
It premiered on April 20, 1930, at the Criterion Theater. Receipts from the film were below expectations within the first 2 weeks.
The grand premiere of the film was held on May 2, 1930 at the Roxy Theater in New...
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