cantor rabinowitz ( warner oland ) want his son jackie to sing traditional jewish religious song at the temple . jackie like only signing jazz and and after his father beat him and he run away from home . twenty year later he change his name to jack robin ( al jolson ) and be a jazz signer . albeit not successful . he then meet beautiful mary dale ( may mcavoy ) who help him become a big star . but his father be die and want him to sing for him before he die and ( wouldn not you know it . ) this happen on the opening night of his big break . yawn . what a cornball story . this be old even in 1927 when this be make . it more funny now than dramatic . the clichés come fly leave and right some of them be so overdone i couldn not believe it . i be roll my eye and smirk almost nonstop . if this wasn not one of the first talk picture and do not have jolson in it and it would have disappear long ago . also this ( technically ) isn not an all talk picture . it have sequence of dialogue and signing from jolson but it mostly a silent with title card and everything . cornball story aside the act do not impress me . i be no fan of jolson . i do admit his act wasn not too bad but i hat his song and do not think he be much of a singer . when the sound come on when he be sign i keep hop it could switch back to silent . also he do two number in black face . i realize that be consider ok back in 1927 but it come across a appalling and racist today . the rest of the actor overact to a startling degree but that be how silent film star do act so i can not fault them . a real bad film but i give it a 2 because it be historically important . anyone who interest in cinema should see it at least once .