Hi, Robbie and Jody:  If anyone cares to hear and see the Whiteman Band
in action playing "Rhapsody In Blue", I recommend that they go out
today and buy the video of "King of Jazz" (Universal, 1930), filmed in
two-strip Technicolor, no less.  Check out Tower Records or Amazon.com
as this title has been available for over a decade.  If that doesn't
work, there are always copies of it on eBay that go for peanuts,
usually in unopened condition.

This fascinating time capsule has it all, from the first all-color
sound cartoon by Walter Lantz (light-years ahead of "Steamboat Willie",
although unheralded) to Bing Crosby and the Rhythm Boys.  Eddie Lang
and Joe Venuti are seen in close-up; there's the sensational "Happy
Feet" number with the exotic Sisters G, and some remarkable slices of
vaudeville dexterity that you just don't see today.

The show stopper was meant to be "Rhapsody In Blue" (and it is),
although in a cut-down version for the film.  Filmed with fresh,
vibrant 1920's energy, many purists may find it corny today, but folks,
this is the real thing -- unvarnished -- at face value.

Some may find the movie tough sledding at times through the various
"arty" sequences and blackout gags, but trust me, there are some things
in this movie that you will want to watch again and again.  The Russell
Markert dancers are featured (who later literally became the Radio City
Rockettes) and you will admire their precision routines and their
obvious pleasure in performing them.

You may wonder at the quality of the film at some points.  Early
two-strip Technicolor negatives tended to deteriorate at an alarming
rate, and this film languished in the vaults for years, it being a
forgotten archaic curio.  When re-discovered in the '70s, it had to be
pieced together from the best remaining materials, in this case 35mm
negatives as well as scratchy 16mm safety copies.  There are scenes of
extreme clarity, which cut to the worn 16mm print material throughout
the film, along with some pretty bad splices where frames are missing.

Don't let that deter you.  This is an MCA home video release, with
Dolby noise reduction.  It's only about $15.00.  1920's buffs, jazz
buffs, music buffs, mechanical music buffs will love this film --
a true artifact of the first third of the Twentieth Century.

I'd be interested in hearing feedback on "King Of Jazz" from anyone
who's seen it, or  who will be seeing it.

Thanks,
Mark Forer

 [ I have it, I love it, and also "Making Whoopee" with Eddie Cantor
 [ from the same era.  Great stuff!  -- Robbie