StrictlyConfidential Not only is this extravagant, $2 million Musical/Comedy production from 1930 a real sweet treat of vintage movie-making - But - As an added bonus - You'll actually get to see the very first filmed sequence of "moonwalking" (55 years before late pop-icon, Michael Jackson popularized it).Yes. Indeed. "The King of Jazz" is pure "Depression-Era" escapism that's all glitz and glamour from start to finish.I was certainly quite surprised to find out that upon this picture's initial release (with its added novelty of being filmed in 2-tone Technicolor) - It actually bombed, big-time, at the box-office.

writers_reign It's both impossible and unrealistic to write about this movie - now eighty-seven years old - on anything other than its own terms. One can only try to imagine how lavish it must have appeared to those first audiences, and what is almost unwatchable today - John Boles, for example, is beyond embarrassing in his pathetic rendition of It Happened In Monterrey, which sounds as if he recorded it to a spinet accompaniment, whereas the Sinatra version, itself sixty-one years old, sounds as if it was recorded last week. They also 'lifted' a Peter Arno cartoon from The New Yorker - the one where a couple in a precinct house, the man carrying an automobile seat, ask about reporting a stolen car; for the record this was the freshest sketch on display. Elsewhere we get an early glimpse of Bing Crosby, still one third of the Rhythm Boys, and a reprise of Rhapsody In Blue. It has a certain merit as a time-capsule but that's about it.

Alex da Silva This starts off as a very surreal and entertaining film. We have a storybook that opens up and shows us a cartoon of how Paul Whiteman became the king of jazz. It's set in the jungle and is amusingly animated. We are then introduced to the members of the orchestra who file onto a miniature set and then provide us with solo routines. Then the show starts with a song called "The Bridal Veil". It's actually quite good and contains some haunting moments. Except it contains ghastly, smiling children which ruins it in a matter of seconds. And this is where the film suffers. It's an array of good and bad acts. One minute, you are enjoying Bing Crosby and the Rhythm Boys while the next minute you are praying for some "comedy" singer to shut up and go away. Then you get another good song or Al Norman and his crazy dancing and you think "oh good!" but once again, the film removes your enjoyment in a second by shoving an unfunny drunken man routine in your face. And that's the film in a nutshell - some good parts and some not-so-good parts. However, the sets are excellent and this lifts it just above par despite the film being a little too long. Paul Whiteman looks like Oliver Hardy.

GManfred "King Of Jazz" is a museum piece. Let's face it, anyone under 50 probably never heard of Paul Whiteman, and anyone under 40 only knows Bing Crosby from his Christmas album. That leaves the rest of us.For The Rest Of Us, it doesn't get any better than "King Of Jazz". That, of course, was Paul Whiteman, rotund band leader of a bygone era who is the nominal star of this film. He was not an actor, and so the film is given over to actors and other entertainers. The accent here is on 'entertainer', as this movie is festooned with lots and lots of them. Ever see Bing Crosby with his real hair? Ever see the Radio City Rockettes, thunder-thighed in the late 20's? Ever see George Gershwin in a movie? How about vaudevillian Al Norman with his rubber-legged dancing? It's all here, in a non-stop revue of old and almost-forgotten songs and dance numbers (there are 18 in all), interspersed with blackouts and comedy skits. Plus, it's in color (sort of) - actually, it's primitive 2 strip color. I could go on and on but if you are a hard-core movie fan or a film historian, "King Of Jazz" is for you. The jokes are stale, the singers still trilled their 'R's, and the gowns in the bridal number are so out of style they are probably coming back. The overall effect was both sheer delight and visually overwhelming and I wished it would never end. It is available only on VHS and hasn't been seen on TV in years. It is a must for The Rest Of Us.P.S. Ever see Paul Whiteman tap dance?