King of Jazz (1930)

IMDb plot summary: A rotund bandleader leads a series of theatrical sketches, dance numbers, special effects, and animated segments.

Directed by John Murray Anderson and Walter Lantz. Stars Paul Whiteman, John Boles, and Laura La Plante.

King of Jazz is a 1930 musical... documentary? Mostly it's just musical performances curated by the "king of jazz," who is apparently a band leader named Paul Whiteman. The film is a series of various musical performances, comedy sketches, and occasionally information on the origins of jazz or Whiteman himself. This is one of those films that is more interesting historically than actually watching it. Many of these performances are extremely dated in their presentation, almost unwatchably so-- and, of course, watching it in 2025 it's glaringly obvious how white this movie is for a movie about jazz music. That being said, there are some really cool camera effects used to enhance the music. It reminds me a bit of a live action Fantasia. It also does a good job of keeping the selection of songs varied from moment to moment-- despite featuring the same genre throughout, it didn't feel repetitive. So an interesting concept with a moment or two of creative execution, but overall too dated to really hold up.

How it entered my Flickchart:

King of Jazz (1930)

lost to Sinbad of the Seven Seas (#1987 → #1890)

lost to The Three Faces of Eve (#2976 → #2972)

beat Stage Door Canteen (#3486 → #3489)

lost to Wuthering Heights (#3236 → #3232)

beat Nobel Son (#3359 → #3363)

beat 101 Dalmatians (#3298 → #3301)

beat The Toy That Saved Christmas (#3257 → #3278)

beat Annie Live! (#3249 → #3252)

lost to Sarah and Son (#3243 → #3233)

beat Red Christmas (#3246 → #3439)

lost to Shrek 2 (#3230 → #3231)

lost to Napoleon (#3217 → #3201)

📊 Ranked #3235/3990 on my Flickchart

🎯 Flickscore™: 19.