[78-L] The THIRD Jazz Singer being released.

[L78rpm at aol.com]

"The Jazz Singer" began as a short story and then became a play with George 
 Jessel as Jakie Rabinowitz.  It was revived, as a play, for a limited  run 
at the Metropolitan Playhouse in New York City (off-off-Broadway, in  what 
is now called "alphabet city").  It opened in mid-November and closed  last 
weekend, as planned, on December 11.  I served as a music  consultant.
 
No one sings "Mammy" in the play.  Instead, the script calls for Jakie  to 
sing "Red Hot Mama."  The play ends with Jakie singing at the service in  
the synagogue.  He does not go back to the theatre.  He is fired and  it is 
possible that he will never work in vaudeville or musical comedy  again.  His 
relationship with "Mary Dale" remains unresolved.  The  script also calls 
for "Dixie Mammy" (which I cannot locate) and mentions "Down  in Tennessee" 
(if it exists, I don't know of it).  
 
Instead of "Mammy", Jakie sings "Mammy O Mine" (1919), chosen independently 
 by both myself and the cast and director.  After the matinee performance 
of  December 3 I spoke about the history of mother/mammy/home/dixie songs and 
played  several discs.  I  spoke and played records for an hour to an 
audience  of about twelve people who stayed on after the matinee to hear the 
presentation  and ask questions.  In the "talk back" session (as they are 
called) I  played the Adele Rowland Victor of the song.  You can hear it on the  
National Juke Box site and also on the Victor discography site.  
 
Several other people, with different "specialties",  did other  "talk back" 
sessions (as they are called at the theatre) after other  performances.
 
paul charosh