"The King of Jazz" was an early musical in technicolor, filmed mostly in late 1929 and released in 1930. The self proclaimed "King of Jazz" was band leader/musician Paul Whiteman, who commissioned and conducted the first performance of George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" in NYC in 1924, with Gershwin at the piano. This film has a reprise of that performance, shown below.
But first, also in the film, Bing Crosby and the "Rhythm Boys" perform the amusing and catchy popular song "Happy Feet". No wonder the 1920s are sometimes called the "Era of Wonderful Nonsense"! Watching this will transport you back to 1929 care free sillyness as effectively as a time machine, and dig those cute brunette bobbed haired sisters (not twins, a year apart in age) Eleanor and Karla Gutohrlein. If watching " Happy Feet" doesn't make you smile and feel happier, I don't know what would:
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Gloriously clear and restored "Rhapsody in Blue" sequence from the King of Jazz, with George Gershwin himself at the piano (watch his fingers fly on the keys) & the athletic Gutohrlein sisters again channeling the Louise Brooks look. In sound & original technicolor. Hop aboard the time machine to 1929 right here, right now:
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Original 1924 recording of Rhapsody in Blue, recorded shortly after Aeolian Hall Premier in NYC:
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Before I "Rhapsody in Blue" you to death, here is the famous multi piano performance at the 1984 L.A. Olympics opening ceremony. You can clearly see how the production was influenced by "The King of Jazz", except with multiple pianos (84 pianos for the year) instead of a giant prop piano that held the band. Spectacular! I was there:
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