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King of Jazz

 King of Jazz
type
TVTItem
 King of Jazz
label
King of Jazz
 King of Jazz
page
KingOfJazz
 King of Jazz
comment
Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_1'); })King of Jazz is a 1930 film directed by John Murray Anderson, starring Paul Whiteman and his orchestra.Whiteman, who called himself "king of jazz" despite being as white as his name, was a famous American bandleader—the first famous bandleader, in fact (and thus, being also one of the first "stars" of American popular music). King of Jazz was initially conceived as a Paul Whiteman Biopic, but that idea was abandoned. Instead, the film is simply a revue, a collection of musical numbers performed by Whiteman and his band, with short comic sketch sequences between the songs. The film took advantage of a lavish budget, with huge sets, lots of dancers, and innovative graphic effects. It was also shot in two-strip Technicolor, making it one of the earliest sound features made entirely in color, a trend that began in 1929. The film however is one of a few of them that have survived completely. Most early color talkies are now lost/incomplete or surviving as made-for-TV black-and-white duplicates.Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_2'); })The film includes an opening cartoon by Bill Nolan and Walter Lantz, which was the first-ever cartoon made in the Technicolor process. Bing Crosby made his film debut as one of "The Rhythm Boys", a vocal trio also consisting of composer/pianist Harry Barris and Al Rinker. Popular vocalists John Boles and Nell O'Day were featured singing as well, while actress Laura La Plante appears in some of the sketches. The Roxyettes/Rockettes appear in some dance sequences.Compare The Hollywood Revue of 1929, a similar plotless revue movie.
 King of Jazz
fetched
2022-05-23T20:56:13Z
 King of Jazz
parsed
2022-05-23T20:56:13Z
 King of Jazz
processingComment
Dropped link to GrandFinale: Not a Feature - ITEM
 King of Jazz
processingComment
Dropped link to TheMusical: Not a Feature - ITEM
 King of Jazz
isPartOf
DBTropes
 King of Jazz / int_13fc7795
type
Reprise Medley
 King of Jazz / int_13fc7795
comment
Reprise Medley: Right before the end there is a medley that consists of excerpts from all the songs played in the movie.
 King of Jazz / int_13fc7795
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 King of Jazz / int_13fc7795
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King of Jazz / int_13fc7795
 King of Jazz / int_19d8d325
type
Darkest Africa
 King of Jazz / int_19d8d325
comment
Darkest Africa: The opening cartoon depicts Whiteman on a safari in "darkest Africa".
 King of Jazz / int_19d8d325
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 King of Jazz / int_19d8d325
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King of Jazz / int_19d8d325
 King of Jazz / int_1b65dfad
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The Cameo
 King of Jazz / int_1b65dfad
comment
The Cameo: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit can be seen briefly in the opening cartoon.
 King of Jazz / int_1b65dfad
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 King of Jazz / int_1fffccf7
type
No Plot? No Problem!
 King of Jazz / int_1fffccf7
comment
No Plot? No Problem!: A variety show, lots of music numbers, some sketch comedy, no plot.
 King of Jazz / int_1fffccf7
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King of Jazz / int_1fffccf7
 King of Jazz / int_295087bf
type
Non-Indicative Name
 King of Jazz / int_295087bf
comment
Non-Indicative Name: Subverted. Even though Whiteman called himself the "king of jazz", his music was more in the vein of standard big band numbers rather than what we would call jazz nowadays.
 King of Jazz / int_295087bf
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 King of Jazz / int_295087bf
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King of Jazz / int_295087bf
 King of Jazz / int_3d23c418
type
Closet Shuffle
 King of Jazz / int_3d23c418
comment
Closet Shuffle: One of the sketch comedy bits involves a quite promiscuous French peasant woman who keeps having soldiers show up at her cottage and ask if she's been true to them. She has to hide three successive soldiers in closets—and then a general shows up.
 King of Jazz / int_3d23c418
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 King of Jazz / int_46d0907f
type
The Man in the Moon
 King of Jazz / int_46d0907f
comment
The Man in the Moon: The "Bench in the Park" number ends with a rather disturbing shot of Whiteman's corpulent, pencil-mustached face as that of the man in the moon.
 King of Jazz / int_46d0907f
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King of Jazz / int_46d0907f
 King of Jazz / int_47c1c09c
type
"Not Really Married" Plot
 King of Jazz / int_47c1c09c
comment
"Not Really Married" Plot: In a brief sketch. A husband and wife discover in the newspaper that the minister who married them was a con man and thus they aren't really married. Then we see the baby beside them, played by Paul Whiteman in an unintentionally creepy moment.
 King of Jazz / int_47c1c09c
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King of Jazz / int_47c1c09c
 King of Jazz / int_53034c21
type
Great White Hunter
 King of Jazz / int_53034c21
comment
Great White Hunter: Whiteman in the cartoon.
 King of Jazz / int_53034c21
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King of Jazz / int_53034c21
 King of Jazz / int_5b2efa6c
type
Music Soothes the Savage Beast
 King of Jazz / int_5b2efa6c
comment
Music Soothes the Savage Beast: How Whiteman tames the lion that was about to eat him in the opening cartoon.
 King of Jazz / int_5b2efa6c
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King of Jazz / int_5b2efa6c
 King of Jazz / int_7426582d
type
Token Minority
 King of Jazz / int_7426582d
comment
Token Minority: The only black person in the movie is a little girl that is sitting on Whiteman's lap in an entirely random moment.
 King of Jazz / int_7426582d
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 King of Jazz / int_7426582d
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King of Jazz / int_7426582d
 King of Jazz / int_782fdff
type
Storybook Opening
 King of Jazz / int_782fdff
comment
Storybook Opening: The movie opens with the host standing in front of a giant book titled "Paul Whiteman's Scrapbook." Each segment was then presented as a page from that book.
 King of Jazz / int_782fdff
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 King of Jazz / int_782fdff
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King of Jazz / int_782fdff
 King of Jazz / int_875615dd
type
Truth in Television
 King of Jazz / int_875615dd
comment
Whiteman was actually a rather good dancer, displaying his talents on stage shows, which makes this something of an in-joke.
 King of Jazz / int_875615dd
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 King of Jazz / int_875615dd
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King of Jazz / int_875615dd
 King of Jazz / int_914f06af
type
Cranial Eruption
 King of Jazz / int_914f06af
comment
Cranial Eruption: How Whiteman gets “crowned” King of Jazz in the cartoon. A monkey hits him over the head with a coconut, giving him a crown-shaped lump.
 King of Jazz / int_914f06af
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1.0
 King of Jazz / int_914f06af
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King of Jazz / int_914f06af
 King of Jazz / int_a36f8860
type
Variety Show
 King of Jazz / int_a36f8860
comment
Variety Show: A collection of musical numbers and sketch comedy.
 King of Jazz / int_a36f8860
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King of Jazz / int_a36f8860
 King of Jazz / int_a7382a73
type
Imagine Spot
 King of Jazz / int_a7382a73
comment
Imagine Spot: One musical number features Harry Barris playing a piano and singing next to a portrait of a pretty woman (La Plante) in a frilly white dress. The film then cuts to said woman as a live actress, and an ornate musical number kicks off. The number then ends by going back to the man alone at his piano next to the painting.
 King of Jazz / int_a7382a73
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King of Jazz / int_a7382a73
 King of Jazz / int_aa87556f
type
Orange/Blue Contrast
 King of Jazz / int_aa87556f
comment
Orange/Blue Contrast: A function of the two-color Technicolor of the day. But the art and costume design make the most of its limited palette.
 King of Jazz / int_aa87556f
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 King of Jazz / int_aa87556f
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King of Jazz / int_aa87556f
 King of Jazz / int_b8dbbc07
type
Ink-Suit Actor
 King of Jazz / int_b8dbbc07
comment
Ink-Suit Actor: Paul Whiteman is represented with an animated Paul Whiteman in the opening cartoon.
 King of Jazz / int_b8dbbc07
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King of Jazz / int_b8dbbc07
 King of Jazz / int_ba32d232
type
Busby Berkeley Number
 King of Jazz / int_ba32d232
comment
Busby Berkeley Number: Lavish ornate musical numbers with many dancers and singers, elaborate sets, even a brief overhead shot of dancers in a geometric pattern in the manner that Berkeley would soon make famous.
 King of Jazz / int_ba32d232
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 King of Jazz / int_ba32d232
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King of Jazz / int_ba32d232
 King of Jazz / int_bab7fceb
type
Incredible Shrinking Man
 King of Jazz / int_bab7fceb
comment
Incredible Shrinking Man: Paul Whiteman introduces his band with an impressive special effect for the era. He puts a toolbox on a table next to a tiny bandstand. As Whiteman watches, his tiny bandmembers climb out of the toolbox and take their places.
 King of Jazz / int_bab7fceb
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King of Jazz / int_bab7fceb
 King of Jazz / int_c8c00dc9
type
Obvious Stunt Double
 King of Jazz / int_c8c00dc9
comment
Obvious Stunt Double: Played for a gag. Whiteman, an overweight man, is asked to dance. After the camera pulls back someone who appears to be Whiteman does an acrobatic dance. Then the movie cuts to another close-up shot in which Whiteman congratulates his stunt double. Whiteman was actually a rather good dancer, displaying his talents on stage shows, which makes this something of an in-joke.
 King of Jazz / int_c8c00dc9
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King of Jazz / int_c8c00dc9
 King of Jazz / int_de48c889
type
She's Got Legs
 King of Jazz / int_de48c889
comment
She's Got Legs: The Rockettes (billed as the Russell Market Girls) do their leg-kicking thing more than once.
 King of Jazz / int_de48c889
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King of Jazz / int_de48c889
 King of Jazz / int_e144beb6
type
Everything Is an Instrument
 King of Jazz / int_e144beb6
comment
Everything Is an Instrument: One act features "trick trombonist" Wilbur Hall playing "Stars and Stripes Forever" with a bicycle pump.
 King of Jazz / int_e144beb6
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King of Jazz / int_e144beb6
 King of Jazz / int_name
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ItemName
 King of Jazz / int_name
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 King of Jazz / int_name
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King of Jazz / int_name
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King of Jazz

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 King of Jazz
hasFeature
Darkest Africa / int_2d068e9f
 King of Jazz
hasFeature
Everything Is an Instrument / int_2d068e9f
 King of Jazz
hasFeature
Mid-Development Genre Shift / int_2d068e9f
 King of Jazz
hasFeature
Obvious Stunt Double / int_2d068e9f
 King of Jazz
hasFeature
Reprise Medley / int_2d068e9f