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Mammy (1930 film)
Encyclopedia
Mammy is a musical drama film with Technicolor
sequences, released by Warner Brothers. The film starred Al Jolson
and was a follow-up to his previous film, Say It With Songs
(1929).
Mammy became Al Jolson's fourth feature, following earlier screen efforts as The Jazz Singer
(1927), The Singing Fool
(1928), and Say It With Songs
(1929). The movie relives Jolson's early years as a minstrel man. With songs by Irving Berlin
, who is also credited with the original story titled Mr. Bones.
sequence was found in a Dutch print which had Dutch titles inserted in several places. This print was restored by the UCLA Film and Television Archive
. Unfortunately, sections of those sequences were lost when Dutch titles were inserted, and some of the cuts from color to sepia tinted black and white are not smooth. Additionally, two songs are missing from all existing prints that were in the original release: "The Call of the South" and "Knights of the Road". They were written by Irving Berlin and sung by Al Jolson.
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
sequences, released by Warner Brothers. The film starred Al Jolson
Al Jolson
Al Jolson was an American singer, comedian and actor. In his heyday, he was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer"....
and was a follow-up to his previous film, Say It With Songs
Say It with Songs
Say It With Songs is a 1929 All-Talking musical drama motion picture which was released by Warner Bros.. The film starred Al Jolson and was a follow-up to his previous film, The Singing Fool .-Production:...
(1929).
Mammy became Al Jolson's fourth feature, following earlier screen efforts as The Jazz Singer
The Jazz Singer (1927 film)
The Jazz Singer is a 1927 American musical film. The first feature-length motion picture with synchronized dialogue sequences, its release heralded the commercial ascendance of the "talkies" and the decline of the silent film era. Produced by Warner Bros. with its Vitaphone sound-on-disc system,...
(1927), The Singing Fool
The Singing Fool
The Singing Fool is a 1928 musical drama Part-Talkie motion picture which was released by Warner Brothers. The film starred Al Jolson and was a follow-up to his previous film, The Jazz Singer...
(1928), and Say It With Songs
Say It with Songs
Say It With Songs is a 1929 All-Talking musical drama motion picture which was released by Warner Bros.. The film starred Al Jolson and was a follow-up to his previous film, The Singing Fool .-Production:...
(1929). The movie relives Jolson's early years as a minstrel man. With songs by Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
, who is also credited with the original story titled Mr. Bones.
Cast
- Al JolsonAl JolsonAl Jolson was an American singer, comedian and actor. In his heyday, he was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer"....
as Al Fuller - Lois MoranLois MoranLois Moran was an American film actress.She was born Lois Darlington Dowlin in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and died in Sedona, Arizona.-Short career:...
as Nora Meadows - Lowell ShermanLowell ShermanLowell Sherman was an American actor and film director....
as Billy West / Westy - Louise DresserLouise DresserLouise Dresser was an American actress.Born Louise Josephine Kerlin in Evansville, Indiana. Her father was a train conductor who died when she was fifteen years old...
as Mother Fuller - Hobart BosworthHobart BosworthHobart Bosworth was an American film actor, director, writer, and producer.-Early life:Born Hobart Van Zandt Bosworth, he was a direct descendant of Miles Standish and John and Priscilla Alden on his father's side and of New York's Van Zandt family, the first Dutch settlers to land in the New...
as Meadows - Tully MarshallTully MarshallWilliam Phillips was an American character actor known as Tully Marshall, with nearly a quarter century of theatrical experience behind before he made his first film appearance in 1914.-Career:...
as Slats - Mitchell LewisMitchell LewisMitchell Lewis was an American film actor. He appeared in 200 films between 1914 and 1956. His best known role is Captain of the Winkie Guards in The Wizard of Oz, but he was uncredited. His lines were "She's dead...
as Hank Smith / Tambo - Jack CurtisJack CurtisJack Curtis Jr. was born to Vaudevilee Dancer Mabel Ford and agent Jack Curtis Sr. in New York on June 16, 1926. He started voice acting as a teenager in the 1940s, performing in a myriad of radio shows, including "Coast to Coast on a Bus", where he first met Peter Fernandez. In 1962, he made the...
as Sheriff Tremble
Songs
- "Let Me Sing and I'm Happy"
- "Here We Are"
- "Who Paid the Rent for Mrs. Rip Van Winkle?"
- "The Knights of the Road" (missing on surviving prints)
- "The Call of the South" (missing on surviving prints)
- "Yes, We Have No BananasYes, We Have No Bananas"Yes! We Have No Bananas" is the title of a novelty song by Frank Silver and Irving Cohn from the 1922 Broadway revue Make It Snappy. Sung by Eddie Cantor in the revue, the song became a major hit in 1923 when it was recorded by Billy Jones, Arthur Hall, Irving Kaufman, and others...
" - "Miserere"
- "Across The Breakfast Table, Looking At You"
- "In the Morning"
- "Night Boat to Albany"
- "Pretty BabyPretty Baby (song)Pretty Baby is a song written by Tony Jackson during the Ragtime era. The song was remembered as being prominent in Jackson's repertory before he left New Orleans in 1912, but was not published until 1916....
" - "When You and I Were Young, MaggieWhen You and I Were Young, MaggieWhen You and I Were Young, Maggie is a famous folk song, popular song and standard. Though Springtown, Tennessee, has a small monument outside an old mill claiming the song was written by a local George Johnson, in 1820, for his Maggie, the truth is that its lyrics were written as a poem by the...
" - "Mammy"
Preservation
The original TechnicolorTechnicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
sequence was found in a Dutch print which had Dutch titles inserted in several places. This print was restored by the UCLA Film and Television Archive
UCLA Film and Television Archive
The UCLA Film and Television Archive is an internationally renowned visual arts organization focused on the preservation, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles. It holds more than 220,000 film and television titles and 27 million feet of...
. Unfortunately, sections of those sequences were lost when Dutch titles were inserted, and some of the cuts from color to sepia tinted black and white are not smooth. Additionally, two songs are missing from all existing prints that were in the original release: "The Call of the South" and "Knights of the Road". They were written by Irving Berlin and sung by Al Jolson.