garfield : a tail of two kitties is a 2006 american-british family comedy film directed by tim hill and written by joel cohen and alec sokolow .

it is the sequel to the 2004 film garfield : the movie .

the film stars breckin meyer , jennifer love hewitt , billy connolly , ian abercrombie , roger rees , lucy davis , oliver muirhead , bill murray , tim curry , bob hoskins , rhys ifans , vinnie jones , joe pasquale , richard e. grant , jane leeves and roscoe lee browne .

this film was produced by davis entertainment company for 20th century fox , and was released in united states on june 16 , 2006 .

a video game , garfield 2 , was developed by the game factory .

the film earned $ 141.7 million .

garfield : a tail of two kitties

“garfield : a tail of two kitties” is rated pg for some off - color elements .
summary : despite a cool animated cat , “garfield : a tail of two kitties” is just as bland as its predecessor .
this cast list of who was in garfield : a tail of two kitties includes both lead and minor roles . ( 51 items )
if you want to answer the questions ,
who starred in the movie garfield : a tail of two kitties ?
and
what is the full cast list of garfield : a tail of two kitties ?
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the people vs . larry flynt , garfield : a tail of two kitties , for a good time ^ ! call . . .
garfield : a tail of two kitties is the second live - action movie based on garfield , released in 2006 . it is a sequel to the 2004 film garfield .
looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing garfield : a tail of two kitties near you .
just consider a tail of two kitties more endurable , more a movie than garfield : the movie , and you won ' t be too disappointed .
garfield : a tail of two kitties cast list , listed alphabetically with photos when available . this list of garfield : a tail of two kitties actors includes any garfield : a tail of two kitties actresses and all other actors from the film . you can view additional information about each garfield : a tail of two kitties actor on this list , such as when and where they were born . to find out more about a particular actor or actress , click on their name and you ' ll be taken to page with even more details about their acting career . the cast members of garfield : a tail of two kitties have been in many other movies , so use this list as a starting point to find actors or actresses that you may not be familiar with .
the best thing that can be said about garfield : a tail of two kitties is that the movie isn ' t quite as bad as its name .
garfield : a tale of two kitties : it ' s the prince and the pauper , feline - style .
the bottom line : only see “garfield : a tail of two kitties” if you saw and enjoyed the first “garfield” movie . everyone , except for children , will probably be bored .
kids should see garfield : a tale of two kitties . it ' ll help prepare them for a lifetime of mediocre entertainment ahead .
but the best thing that can be said about
garfield : a tail of two kitties
is that the movie isn ' t quite as bad as its name .
i spent a full day with garfield : a tail of two kitties , but it ' s a fraction of a fraction compared to the people who made it . i learned to like it . how must they feel ?
the title of the film is a parody of charles dickens ' a tale of two cities .
the garfield sequel , a tale of two kitties , is trying hard to emulate the magic of babe , adding a stable full of barnyard animals to back up the unlikable feline .
garfield : a tail of two kitties : comedy . starring breckin meyer , jennifer love hewitt , billy connolly and the voice of bill murray . directed by tim hill . ( rated pg , 80 minutes . at bay area theaters . )
smarmy and smug , garfield : a tail of two kitties is the unwanted , unnecessary sequel to 2004 ' s garfield . though the script includes some ostensibly clever references to literature ( for plot , twain ' s prince and the pauper , for title only , dickens ' a tale of two cities ) , the majority of the film consists of dopey jokes about garfield ' s insatiable appetites , selfishness , and laziness .
garfield : a tail of two kitties . garfield : a tail of two kitties is a 2 . american comedy film directed by tim hill and written by joel cohen and alec sokolow . it is the sequel to the 2 . garfield : the movie . the film stars breckin meyer , jennifer love hewitt , billy connolly , ian abercrombie , roger rees , lucy davis , oliver muirhead , bill murray , tim curry , bob hoskins , rhys ifans , vinnie jones , joe pasquale , richard e . grant , jane leeves and roscoe lee browne .
according to bert livingston - general sales manager of 20th century fox - garfield : a tail of two kitties was made only due to the first film ' s international success . the sequel was also not expected to do as well in the box office . [ 1 ]
garfield : a tail of two kitties lapped up a slim $ 7 . 3 million , a third of the first movie ' s $ 21 . 7 million opening . more often than not , family sequels make less than their predecessors , and garfield joins the ranks of 102 dalmatians , stuart little 2 and babe : pig in the city among past casualities .
everyone else , however , looks mortified , and can you blame them ?
[ 7 ] peter hartlaub of the san francisco chronicle gave the film one out of four stars , saying
the best thing that can be said about garfield : a tail of two kitties is that the movie isn ' t quite as bad as its name .
[ 8 ] nathan rabin of the a . v . club gave the film a c , saying
two kitties marks a considerable improvement over its predecessor . it ' s faster paced and the filmmakers wisely shift the focus away from bland owner breckin meyer and onto a menagerie of chattering animals . after a dreadful first entry , two kitties elevates the garfield series almost to the level of mediocrity .
[ 9 ] claudia puig of usa today gave the film one and a half stars out of four , saying
it comes off like a coughed - up furball : a wan rehash with too many elements of the hard - to - swallow 2 . box office [ edit ] garfield : a tail of two kitties grossed $ 2 .
joe leydon of variety gave the film a positive review , saying
good kitty ! superior in every way to its underwhelming predecessor , garfield : a tail of two kitties is a genuinely clever kidpic that should delight moppets , please parents - - and maybe tickle a few tweens .
[ 4 ] janice page of the boston globe gave the film one and a half stars out of four , saying
you ' ll only be attracted to garfield : a tail of two kitties if you ' re very young , you ' re very easily entertained , or you just can ' t get enough of jim davis ' s lasagna - scarfing cartoon cat .
[ 5 ] roger ebert gave the film three out of four stars , saying
garfield : a tail of two kitties is actually funnier and more charming than the first film .
[ 6 ] elizabeth weitzman of new york daily news gave the film one and a half stars out of four , saying
connolly , bless him , throws himself heartily into the task of acting opposite a computer - generated cat given to bad puns and flatulence .
good kitty ! superior in every way to its underwhelming predecessor , “garfield : a tail of two kitties” is a genuinely clever kidpic that should delight moppets , please parents — and maybe tickle a few tweens . the fox release faces a real catfight at the box office , however : in addition to “cars” and “over the hedge , ” the [ … ]
cats making funny noises while eating . nom nom nom ! puppies & babies & kitties oh my ! new videos all the time ! subscribe : urltoken the billion - dollar , cutting - edge science of convincing dogs and cats to eat what’s in front of them . garfield : a tail of two kitties is a 2006 american comedy film directed by tim hill and written by joel cohen and alec sokolow . it is the sequel to the 2004 film .
despite making many of the same mistakes , “garfield : a tail of two kitties” manages to make a few new ones , too . first of all , it uses the tired old plot of “mistaken identity” . this story has been done so many times in so many different incarnations and it simply doesn’t work anymore . there are also a couple of poor musical numbers . one takes place while garfield makes lasagna with other animals and another is done to “the jeffersons” theme song .
i tricked myself into liking garfield : a tail of two kitties , but filmmakers unknowingly trick themselves into liking and using bad movie ideas all the time . screenwriters toil over drafts of the same story for months . producers push through obvious mistakes to get the job done . executives who greenlight movies cling to familiar ideas because they seem safe .
garfield : a tail of two kitties
is a genuinely clever kidpic that should delight moppets , please parents - - and maybe tickle a few tweens . the fox release faces a real catfight at the box office , however . but , if the tepid first pic could gross nearly $ 200 million worldwide , this frisky follow - up could claw its way toward even more impressive grosses .
the garfield theory - garfield ' s dream ? - cartoon conspiracy ( ep . 51 )
has there ever been a more emasculating title for a movie than
garfield : a tail of two kitties
? seriously , just for fun , stand near the box office at a big multiplex this weekend and watch all the grown men walk up .
ummm . . . one adult and three children for garfield . . . ummm . . . a tale of . . . ummm . . . forget it , kids , we ' re seeing ' the omen . '
this film is about garfield and an identical looking british royal cat being mixed up in identity .
garfield : a tail of two kitties
is not so entertaining even as a children ' s film . the plot is entirely predictable , and is not so interesting either . garfield is portrayed to be unsympathetic and even annoying . breckin meyer ' s character looks entirely silly and redundant , and he could be cut away without much effect on the story . bill murray ' s voice over a garfield is monotonous , dull and un - energetic . the lengthy scene where animals cook reminds me of
ratatouille
, but only 10 % as adorable , entertaining and fun as
ratatouille
. ian abercrombie ' s character as a smithee the butler is the only interesting and likable character in the film .
garfield : a tail of two kitties
is dull and disappointing . it fails to transform the magic from the original comic strips .
while the story line is a bit too complex for a 5 year old , mine enjoys the antics of garfield the cat . adults may get a kick of of bill murray as garfield , ot . . . continue reading
12 : 01pm : i think the tail of two kitties team knew they were making a terrible movie . for one , there ' s a character named smithee . for two ,
old lady gives stupid cat her entire estate
– aka the plot of the movie – appears as a headline on a tabloid in the movie next to something about an alien baby . for three , dargis ' attack dog is named rommel . what british lord names a dog after a high - ranking nazi field marshal ? they knew .
the computer animation of the two cats is once again excellent , but the novelty has worn off .
the
garfield : a tail of two kitties
screenwriters try to mix in some adult humor because , you know , that ' s what pixar does . but the lines are mostly lame or inappropriate , including one scene where garfield imitates hannibal lecter and tells odie :
time to grab some chow before i eat your liver , with some fava beans and a nice chianti .
have fun explaining that to the kids on the way out .
but connolly is such a naturally winning comedic and character actor that he manages to wring a funny moment or two out of the tedious proceedings .
7 : 01pm : feels weird eating dinner while watching garfield a 12th time . feels weird doing anything but watching garfield .
10 : 10am : all of making a murderer is waiting for me on netflix . every 2015 best picture nominee is still in theaters . there ' s a dvd of breaking bad ' s first two seasons i haven ' t watched . david mitchell ' s slade house is on my nightstand . there ' s some nice graffiti near my house of a mustard bottle doing karaoke . i ' m acutely aware of everything else i could be watching instead of my seventh go - ' round with garfield : a tail of two kitties . i want to like this thing so much right now . but why does garfield keep doing bad impressions ? why does he sound like an angry new york hotdog vendor all a sudden ? ! ?
cute movie . garfield gets mistaken for a regal cat with a big inheritance . funny scenes .
but probably you ' ll only be attracted to ` ` garfield : a tail of two kitties
if you ' re very young , you ' re very easily entertained , or you just can ' t get enough of jim davis ' s lasagna - scarfing cartoon cat . and even then , you might want to wait till the movie comes out on dvd so you can skip over the drippy breckin meyer / jennifer love hewitt parts .
garfield : a tail of two kitties grossed $ 28 . 4 million in north america , and $ 113 . 3 million in other countries , for a worldwide total of $ 141 . 7 million . the film opened to number seven in its first weekend , grossing $ 7 . 3 million . according to 20th century fox , the studio was aware that the film would not make as much as the first , and only made it based on the worldwide success of the first film .
america ' s favorite fat cat is back , and this time , he ' s giving england the royal treatment ! it ' s a british invasion of a different kind when garfield , along with pals jon and odie , travels to london and meets his mirror - image in prince , an aristocratic kitty who has inherited a fabulous castle . he two trade places , and soon garfield is living large as only he can ! there ' s just one problem : the dastardly lord dargis wants him out of the picture . a tail of two kitties is twice the laughs and double the fun for the whole family . . . it ' s good to be the king !
garfield is back and this time garfield and his canine sidekick odie follows their owner , jon arbuckle , to england , the u . k . may never recover , as garfield is mistaken for a look - alike , regal cat who has inherited a castle . garfield savors the royal treatment afforded by his loyal four - legged subjects , but his reign is in jeopardy ! the evil nefarious stubborn lord dargis is determined to do away with garfield , so he can turn the castle into a resort . garfield ' s bigger , better , more perfect world is soon turned upside down in this tale of two kitties .
when garfield follows his owner , jon arbuckle , to england , the u . k . may never recover , as garfield is mistaken for a look - alike , regal cat who has inherited a castle . garfield savors the royal treatment afforded by his loyal four - legged subjects , but his reign is in jeopardy . the nefarious lord dargis is determined to do away with garfield , so he can turn the castle into a resort . garfield ' s bigger , better , more purr - fect world is soon turned upside down in this tale of two kitties .
garfield : a tail of two kitties
is actually funnier and more charming than the first film . the plot contrives to get me to england in the suitcase of my master , who has flown over to propose to his girlfriend , liz ( jennifer love hewitt ) , who is attending a conference on animals at castle carlyle , which prince has just inherited from the late lady eleanor , a cat lover . with intelligent estate planning , i ' m sure we ' d see a gratifying rise in the numbers of home - owning cats .
garfield ' s song in the castle is a variation of
movin ' on up
, the theme song of the jeffersons .
garfield a tale of two kitties is the most majestic and awe inspiring piece of artwork i have ever had the immense pleasure of viewing . every single inch of film in this masterpiece is pure gold to all viewers . the cast is magnificent , the scripting is beautiful and the cat himself is the most fantastic feline i ' ve ever laid eyes on . no other thing on earth will ever be able to touch the enjoyableness of this film . every time i watch it i bask in its rays of glory and wonder . everything else is 0 / 10 000 will never be as good as garfield a tale of two kitties . i would recommend this film to every single human being on earth that wants to experience something absolutely amazing . 11 / 10
that sales - driven tactic made me wonder whether the same phenomenon might happen with movies . could i learn to love an objectively bad movie - - garfield : a tail of two kitties , say - - by watching it over and over again ? to find out , i spent a recent fur - filled day subjecting myself to repeated viewings of the 10 - year - old sequel comedy on repeat , without distractions , for 24 straight hours . luckily for science , i took notes .
a cia interrogator is lured into a ruse that puts london at risk of a biological attack .
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…
garfield is adopted by a greedy lord with nefarious plans to open up his estate as a hunting ground .
as in the first film , garfield spends way too much time boogying to the music of the black - eyed peas , and the slang , catch - phrases , and pop - culture references here all passed their expiration date long ago . in keeping with the refined comic sensibility of its core demographic in the under - 5 set , the comic possibilities posed by the gastrointestinal system and crotch and ass - biting are explored extensively , with connolly taking the brunt of the abuse . yet two kitties marks a considerable improvement over its predecessor . it ' s faster paced and the filmmakers wisely shift the focus away from bland owner breckin meyer and onto a menagerie of chattering animals . after a dreadful first entry , two kitties elevates the garfield series almost to the level of mediocrity .
parents need to know that garfield : a tail of two kitties ( sequel to garfield ) has some crude humor . the villain makes rude comments about female bodies and behaves in a predatory fashion . he also tries to drown the ( animated ) cat , trains his rottweiler to attack the cat , and schemes to gain control of an inherited estate ; he wields a crossbow and an old - fashioned gun . the cat teases and abuses a smaller dog repeatedly , then draws the big dog into a trap by calling him a
girly dog .
the dog bites a man in the crotch and the butt on separate occasions ; a man is ravaged by animal - orchestrated hijinks . animals take over and trash a kitchen ( a ferret gets drunk ) . some potty humor .
but forget his review of
garfield .
no use mewling over spilt milk . this week , my new movie comes out , inspired ( i am happy to report ) by the gratifying box - office success of the previous one .
garfield : a tail of two kitties
is my most ambitious work to date , starring me in a dual role as ( ahem ) garfield and also as a british cat named prince . as in the first movie , i do bill murray ' s voice while playing myself . in my role as prince , i do the voice of tim curry , an actor i have admired ever since jon took me to a drive - in to see
the rocky horror picture show
while he smoked human catnip .
10 : 11pm : it ' s over . finally . happy to be alive . the funny conclusion to all of this is that , if a group of friends said they wanted to watch garfield : a tail of two kitties right now , i would probably join them . i ' ve watched it 13 times in a row ( averaging 25 - minute breaks ) , and . . . i could definitely watch it again . i ' d call that a success as far as the experiment is concerned . plus , i actively enjoy it - - i ' m not simply numb from feline water torture .
the dvd includes a
drawing with jim davis
featurette and two games : garfield ' s maze , and odie ' s photo album . it also includes a music video , trailers , and footage not seen in theaters . [ 1 . the film was nominated for two golden raspberry awards in 2 .
good kitty ! superior in every way to its underwhelming predecessor , “ garfield : a tail of two kitties” is a genuinely clever kidpic that should delight moppets , please parents — and maybe tickle a few tweens . the fox release faces a real catfight at the box office , however : in addition to “cars” and “over the hedge , ” the surprisingly child - friendly “nacho libre” also is competing for family auds . but , if the disappointingly tepid “ garfield : the movie” ( 2004 ) could gross nearly $ 200 million worldwide , this frisky follow - up may could claw its way toward even more impressive grosses before it catapults to the top of homevid sales charts .
jon and garfield visit the united kingdom , where a case of mistaken cat identity finds garfield ruling over a castle . his reign is soon jeopardized by the nefarious lord dargis , who has designs on the estate .
i ' m a fan of the garfield comics , i saw the first movie and enjoyed it . the second movie ,
garfield ' s a tail of two kitties
, was about the same . i didn ' t like it any better or any worse than the first film . it wasn ' t a
laugh out loud
film . the funny parts make you smile or make you laugh a little . the special effects for garfield looked a bit better than the first movie ' s . the story was pretty good , i thought it was clever at some parts . the movie could have been better , but it was enjoyable . it ' s a good family film , if you want to spend some time with your kids or family then see this . my score : 7 / 10
voice cast [ edit ] reception [ edit ] critical response [ edit ] on rotten tomatoes , the film received an 1 . the site ' s consensus reads ,
strictly for ( very ) little kids , a tale of two kitties features skilled voice actors but a plot that holds little interest .
[ 2 ] on metacritic , the film has a score of 3 .
during the song
moving on up
, we see paintings of prince ' s ancestors . in one of them is jim davis , the creator of garfield .
2 : 42pm : ninth viewing done and i maybe , kind of like a tail of two kitties . it ' s a classically dumb kids ' movie in a post - pixar era . that ' s all . i can quote a lot of the lines now , which makes it
quotable
by default . everything is ingrained . i know all the beats and can accept all the nonsense at face value . there are no premature deep thoughts protecting my brain . just enjoying wacky bullshit for what it is . i ' ve lived with these harmless ( sometimes lovable ) characters so long now that i look forward to seeing their finest moments .
garfield inadvertently switches places with prince : jon finds prince climbing out of a drain and takes him to the hotel , while prince ' s butler smithee finds garfield in the street and takes him to carlyle castle .
there ' s something kind of strange about a bunch of animals cooking in a kitchen , when many of those animals would normally be getting cooked in a kitchen . but that is the least of this movie ' s problems .
garfield 2 is all over the map , but it ' s also a mash - up of classic slapstick . there ' s a marx brothers mirror routine , odie making like chaplin / asta from the thin man series , a dash of tom and jerry , the old
two dates / same night
gimmick , a smattering of a hard day ' s night , an agatha christie inheritance - mystery vibe , a noises off ! - style farce , and blank check .
2 : 47am : garfield is cgi , which means there are a ton of shots of nothing in this movie . i imagine the crew on set , aiming their ridiculously expensive camera at a gutter , the director consulting with the director of photography on how many seconds of static sewer shot is needed to allow the cgi artists to add in the character . that takes planning . i respect that . if you think of garfield as invisible , this movie gets strange really fast . the crew basically shot an adaptation of garfield without garfield . shots of an empty pie tin in the back seat of a rolls royce . hotel furniture . a dog chasing nothing . all the other animals are live - action .
even for the chubbiest comic cat in captivity , garfield ' s onscreen shtick is wearing a bit thin .
when garfield is first served a meal at carlyle castle , he wonders if he is on fear factor .
rotten tomatoes , a review aggregator , reports that 11 % of 73 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review ; the average rating is 3 . 5 / 10 . the site ' s critical consensus reads ,
strictly for ( very ) little kids , a tale of two kitties features skilled voice actors but a plot that holds little interest .
on metacritic , the film has a score of 37 out of 100 based on 20 critics , indicating
generally unfavorable reviews
. audiences polled by cinemascore gave the film an average grade of
b +
on an a + to f scale , the same grade earned by its predecessor .
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
garfield and prince parody the mirror scene from the marx brothers film duck soup .
1 : 03pm : andy serkis ' mocap performance as garfield is really something .
garfield alludes to the silence of the lambs when he talks about eating odie ' s liver
with some fava beans and a nice chianti
.
what happens when you throw in an insecure virgin bride , a reformed playboy groom , two overbearing mothers who can ' t stand each other , one philandering husband , a high - strung wedding planner , the invasion of unruly village gate - crashes , a thief on the loose , a best man with a flashdrive full of secrets , a sexy ex with vengeance on her mind , two loyal bridesmaids ready to go to war , and a brother seeking his father ' s approval ? a hilarious melting pot of potential disaster . will it all be too much ? or will true love stand even the most chaotic of wedding celebrations as offered in the wedding party ?
this ‘tale of two kitties’ is yet another hollywood kids’ film subscribing to the offensive stereotype that britain is peopled with aristocrats who live on vast estates and are waited on by a devoted and subservient staff . but perhaps realism was never going to be top of the menu in a film about a talking cat . that said , garfield’s animation is noticeably more convincing this time , allowing him ( and doppelgänger prince , voiced in style by tim curry ) almost to blend in with the real animal cast — not just odie , but a whole forgettable and underused menagerie on the estate .
garfield ( murray ) and his owner jon ( meyer ) travel to london so that jon can propose to his girlfriend liz ( hewitt ) . there , garfield is confused with a wealthy english cat ( tim curry ) and taken to live a life of luxury  making him a target for jealous lo
garfield may be a popular comic - strip character , but he doesn ' t exactly light up the big screen .
garfield travels to london and manages to trade roles with a rich , english , fat , orange cat named prince .
garfield gets in the way when his owner jon attempts to propose to veterinary liz .
12 : 22pm :
what garfield 2 gets wrong about feline gastric systems .
a specially trained squad of guinea pigs is dispatched to stop a diabolical billionaire from taking over the world .
with murray tossing about impudently rude remarks like so much confetti , and connolly appearing to channel a “fawlty towers” era john cleese in his verbal and physical tomfoolery , “a tail of two kitties” remains sufficiently comical to captivate auds of all ages . ( the funniest bit for movie buffs : an inspired allusion to the groucho / harpo mirror scene in “duck soup . ” ) hoskins adds to the fun as a gruff - spoken straight man — or , more precisely , straight dog — and there are similarly deft vocal performances by such notables as curry , richard e . grant , rhys ifans and ( perfectly cast as an intimidating but dim - witted attack dog ) vinnie jones .
of course , garfield stows away in jon’s suitcase , with odie , jon’s spirited but mute pet dog , also tagging along . through a fortuitous twist of plot contrivances , garfield winds up trading places with his exact look - alike : prince ( voiced by tim curry ) , a singularly spoiled tabby who has inherited a vast fortune and palatial estate .
what worked : if you liked the first “garfield” movie , you’re probably going to like this sequel . it’s more of the same in a slightly different package .
scooped up by the castle butler , garfield discovers what it ' s like to live in the lap of luxury while also missing no opportunity to insult his english hosts , including a bulldog voiced by bob hoskins and a goose with the honk of sharon osbourne . prince spends his time torturing odie and discovering the joys of lasagna , which stopped being a funny food about two minutes after it first appeared in davis ' s decades - old strip .
first , i am owned myself by a cat , so i naturally enjoy anything having to do with cats . garfield : a tale of two kitties is a happy , funny , silly movie . it is much funnier than the first garfield movie . i think this is mainly because of billy connolly , who is hysterical as the
bad
guy in the movie . garfield ends up in london , and gets switched with a cat who looks just like him , and who is a prince and has a vast estate . billy connolly ' s character wants the estate , and wants to get rid of the cat . silly fluffy comedy then follows . i really enjoyed it . it is light , fun and happy . yes , it is made for children . but i think any animal lover would also enjoy this movie . just go to see it knowing it is pure fluff , and you will have a good time .
the film was released on dvd on october 10 , 2006 . the dvd includes a
drawing with jim davis
featurette and two games : garfield ' s maze , and odie ' s photo album . it also includes a music video , trailers , and footage not seen in theaters .
much like the previous “garfield” opus , new pic offers a seamless juxtaposition of a computer - generated title character with flesh - and - blood co - stars and digitally - tweaked quadrupeds . but the sequel doesn’t merely coast along on the novelty of having garfield , the indolent orange tabby of comic - strip fame , interacting with real people ( and mostly real animals ) .
while prince slums with commoners jon and liz , garfield enjoys a life of luxury under the dutiful care of smithee ( ian abercrombie ) , a faithful butler , and winston ( voiced — terrifically — by bob hoskins ) , an obsequious bulldog .
i enjoyed this movie just as much as the first one . bill murray is amazing as he returns as the voice of garfield . it all begins mostly about a month after the first movie left off . garfield and odie follow jon to london , because jon wants to propose to liz . but little does garfield know , there ' s a royal cat named prince who just inherited a million , and he looks just like garfield . but an unfortunate event that occurs , that the two - look - a - like cats switch places , so garfield is living as a king , as prince is rooming with jon and odie . will they switch back before its too late . this movie was just as entertaining as the first movie . this movie will inspire animal lovers just as well as the first movie did .
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in the grand estate garfield is residing in , he receives the royal treatment , including a butler and a team of four - legged servants and followers . garfield teaches his animal friends how to make lasagna , while prince learns to adapt to a more humble setting , while in jon ' s company . lord dargis sees garfield and thinks prince has come back - if the lawyers see prince / garfield they will not sign the estate over to dargis , who secretly wants to destroy the barnyand and kill the animals to build a country spa . dargis makes many attempts to kill garfield , one involving a unmerciful but dim - witted rottweiler , rommel ( voiced by vinnie jones ) .
the two cats meet when garfield ' s owner , jon ( meyer ) , travels to london to propose to his veterinarian girlfriend , liz ( hewitt ) . garfield and his nonverbal canine housemate , odie , smuggle themselves across the pond , eventually landing at tourist sites from big ben to buckingham palace , where odie ' s high point is peeing on a guard .
jon goes to london to be with liz and garfield sneaks with him . meanwhile a deceased queen gives everything to her cat prince xii . her only heir lord dargis becomes jealous and tries to kill prince . garfield & odie sneaks out to the streets of london . lord dargis throws prince in the river and ends up in the sewer of london . smithee the butler believes he found prince but it was really garfield and jon find odie with prince and mistakes him for garfield . now the castle animals must keep garfield safe and keep him thinking he ' s royal to save their lives .
i am among the large minority of people that actually hate this movie . lets face it people setting it in a different country wasn ' t good enough to beat the first one . garfield 2 starts of in jon arbuckle ' s home , and after he fails to pop the question to his girlfriend , she travels to england . jon follows her and so does garfield . garfield then travels around london and gets mixed up with an identical cat . the other cat lives in a castle and garfield ends up getting pampered . the evil new owner of the castle , lord dargis , tries to stop the other cat and garfield from getting the palace back . the setting , as i said before was rubbish , the acting was wooden and garfield was annoying . not good
garfield , prince , odie and jon save the day , smithee alerts the authorities , and dargis is arrested . garfield , who had been trying to stop jon from proposing to liz , has a change of heart : he helps jon in proposing , and she accepts .
jon yearns for liz and they kiss at the end ; dargis insinuates sex with abby and makes crude remark to liz (
that makes two of you ,
alluding to her breasts ) .
? i have . good . ) however , just because shopping season has officially started , doesn ' t mean it ' s a slow week . far from it . this week there was a bumper crop of contenders for the dvd pick of the week . i narrowed the list to two tv on dvd releases (
to be fair , there ' s a supporting cast of talking farm animals who are amusing at times . and while the idea of having an animated garfield and live action actors was a disaster in the first film , the special effects people have made significant improvements .
garfield ' s owner , jon ( breckin meyer ) chases his girlfriend liz ( jennifer love hewitt ) across the atlantic , but he ' s thwarted by his cat , garfield , and dog , odie , who stow away on the plane . garfield gets lost and ends up switching places with a wealthy british cat who just inherited a fortune . the rest of the movie is less a plot than an international incident , with garfield and his friends burping , passing gas and falling in sewage as english landmarks go by in the background . did we mention that odie urinates on a buckingham palace guard ?
helmer tim hill ( “muppets from space” ) maintains a suitably zippy pace , even during stretches of exposition , and achieves an uproarious level of lunacy while garfield , reveling in the good life , offers his own version of “movin’ on up” ( aka tv’s “the jeffersons” theme song ) .
families can talk about garfield ' s laziness and selfishness : how does his stint as a pretend
prince
teach him to appreciate his generous owner jon ? they could also talk about why garfield is so likeable despite his many bad qualities .
first assistant camera :
a
camera ( as john a . waldo )
garfield teaches his animal friends how to make lasagna , while prince learns to adapt to a more humble setting , while in jon ' s company . lord dargis sees garfield and thinks prince has come back - if the lawyers see prince / garfield they will not sign the estate over to dargis , who secretly wants to destroy the barnyand and kill the animals to build a country spa .
this is actually a pretty busy week with more than two - dozen site on the list . that makes it the busiest week in a month . however , it was one of the site that had no real updates this week that won the weekly website award this week and it was ,
garfield : holy cow . i could hear my footsteps . mom . . . dad . . . i ' m home . winston : your highness ! garfield : you ' re talking to me , froggy ? winston : it ' s me , your trusty servant , winston . garfield : hey . . . garfield : warning , i don ' t fight fair . i scratch , and i bite . winston : it ' s alright , sire . all is well now , your . . . garfield : . . .
garfield : a tale of two kitties is a very disappointing movie compared to the first garfield . i like the first one much better . it had more funny jokes , better moments and a much better plot / setting . this movie was very predictable and really boring . the weirdest part of all is how all the animals could talk but no humans understand what they ' re saying , that just sucked and was a big disappointment . this movie also isn ' t funny at all , all the
jokes
garfield says aren ' t funny in the least bit . he tries so hard to act funny and cool it just doesn ' t work . this movie is only about 90mins but it felt like i was watching it for hours . its really boring and not that great . this movie may be good for kids but is completely dull for teens and adults . i wouldn ' t recommend this movie at all , its a waste of time and day . . .
good day sir , cheerio
- very gay line from the movie .
may might have gotten off to a slow start , but it sure made up for it in the end . june looks to keep up the fast pace , but out of the dozen or so movies opening wide this month , only two look like they have to potential to be monster hits and after that there is a huge drop - off in box office potential . there are a few others that should earn their keep , and maybe one or two that will surprise , but most look average at best .
a pair of mischievous high school kids create the illusion of a haunting on an unsuspecting neighbor . while keeping his every reaction under surveillance , they see much more than they bargained for .
a tribute to the late tab hunter , a gay matinee idol and hollywood trailblazer .
jon arbuckle buys a second pet , a dog named odie . however , odie is then abducted and it is up to jon ' s cat , garfield , to find and rescue the canine .
wait wait wait . you mean to tell me that bill murray , being the stunning hipster god that he his , thought that a script for a movie based off of a daily newspaper comic strip starring a fat , lasagna - loving orange cat was written by the coen brothers ? ! those of us who can read english know that garfield was written by joel cohen , of cheaper by the dozen fame . but wait ! it gets better !
the first garfield film was a huge success — with under - eights . for anyone older , it was an ordeal , and the same is true of this undercooked , prince and the pauper - style sequel .
for those keeping score at home , the garfield movies cast the lasagna - munching misanthrope as an anthropomorphized computer - animated talking cat . his foil odie , meanwhile , is a non - anthropomorphized , non - talking , non - animated canine played by a real dog and garfield ' s anthropomorphized animal compatriots are played by real , non - animated animals , but voiced by prominent ( human ) character actors . the series ' distracting , inexplicable mish - mash of live action and animation , genuine animals , and cartoon replications remains a mindfuck of a conceit , but the dismal first garfield at least gave audiences plenty of time to get acclimated to its multiple layers of miscalculation . it also set the bar so low that a sequel almost couldn ' t almost help but clear it .
roger ebert was born on this day in 1942 , and died a little over five years ago . i owe a good part of my success…
meanwhile , at carlyle castle in the british countryside , the late lady eleanor ' s will is read . she leaves all of carlyle castle to prince xii ( voiced by tim curry ) , her beloved cat who looks just like garfield . this enrages the lady ' s nephew , lord dargis ( played by billy connolly ) , who will now only get the grand estate once prince is out of the picture . lord dargis traps prince in a picnic basket and throws him into the river . garfield inadvertently switches places with prince : jon finds prince climbing out of a drain and takes him to the hotel , while prince ' s butler smithee finds garfield in the street and takes him to carlyle castle . in the grand estate garfield is residing in , he receives the royal treatment , including a butler and a team of four - legged servants and followers .
when dargis is talking to liz in the kitchen , he is wearing a brown suit . he then leaves the kitchen in pursuit of garfield , and the next scene shows him in a black jacket and gray pants . there was no time to change clothes .
when his roommate spends the rent money on hookers , alex , a 35 year old video game tester has to find a new place to live . after an
encounter
with his friend ' s mom , alex is forced to move in with his grandmother . trying to save face with his younger co - workers , alex says that
a really cute chick said i could sleep with her and her two crazy girlfriends
( meaning his grandmother and her two roommates ) . written by epandzik23
who doesn ' t love garfield ? really cute movie that is enjoyed by the kids and adults in our family .
urltoken is a property of mandatory , an evolve media , llc company . ©2018 all rights reserved copyright
one of the strongest points of the film is garfield himself . his animation is very good and the voice of bill murray is perfectly suited to the personality of the character . any time he’s on the screen , the movie is at its best . and like in the previous movie , he’s well paired with the cute live action odie .
boog , a domesticated 900lb . grizzly bear , finds himself stranded in the woods 3 days before open season . forced to rely on elliot , a fast - talking mule deer , the two form an unlikely friendship and must quickly rally other forest animals if they are to form a rag - tag army against the hunters .
but it comes off like a coughed - up furball : a wan rehash with too many elements of the hard - to - swallow 2004 original .
tech values are exceptional across the board . best of all , rhythm & hues f / x wizards surpass their work on the previous pic with an even more animated garfield .
i’ll also add that my kids enjoyed this “garfield” sequel . while they did get quite antsy in the last third of the movie , it generally kept their attention quite well .
story : when liz goes to london for a conference , jon decides to fly there as well and surprise her with an engagement ring . little does he know that garfield and odie have tagged along in his luggage . once there , the fat feline gets mistaken for a missing cat named “prince” . prince is the heir to an eccentric animal lover’s fortune and now owns a large castle and is pampered by a large staff of servants . it turns out that the woman’s nephew , dargis , attempted to dispose of prince to win the fortune . however , his plans fall apart when garfield was mistaken for prince and returned to the castle . after the accidental switching of identities , prince finds himself dealing with jon and odie while garfield finds himself in the lap of luxury . but what will happen to garfield and the other animals when dargis attempts to finish him off once and for all ?
garfield and prince taunt dargis , whose plan is exposed , and are seen by the lawyers . dargis threatens everyone if they don ' t sign the papers to him , taking liz hostage . garfield , prince , odie and jon save the day , smithee alerts the authorities , and dargis is arrested . garfield , who had been trying to stop jon from proposing to liz , has a change of heart : he helps jon in proposing , and she accepts .


the jolson story is a 1946 technicolor musical biography which purports to tell the life story of singer al jolson .

it stars larry parks as jolson , evelyn keyes as julie benson ( approximating jolson 's wife , ruby keeler ) , william demarest as his manager , ludwig donath and tamara shayne as his parents , and scotty beckett as the young jolson .

the columbia pictures production was written by sidney buchman ( uncredited ) , harry chandlee , stephen longstreet and andrew solt .

the dramatic scenes were directed by alfred e. green , with the musical sequences directed by joseph h. lewis .

a sequel called jolson sings again was released in 1949 .

the jolson story

al jolson and larry parks trying to get along on the jolson story set .
with the headline : larry parks , actor , is dead ; won acclaim for ‘jolson story’ .
the real al jolson story
south bank show ~ pt . 4 of 4 ~ 1986
the ' real al jolson story ' south bank show ~ pt . 1 of 4 ~ 1986
jetboy
i can ' t die yet . i haven ' t seen the jolson story .
james cagney turned down the lead role in the jolson story ( 1946 ) , which went to larry parks .
the jolson story ( 1946 ) directed by alfred e . green • reviews , film + cast • letterboxd
coming to terms with the short story , edited by susan lohafer . this collection of essays by renowned short story critics is a treasure of information about the short story as a genre and its role as the “stepchild of literature . ”
looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing the jolson story near you .
the jolson story is a 1946 musical biography which purports to tell the life story of singer al jolson . it stars larry parks as jolson , evelyn keyes as
julie benson
( approximating jolson ' s wife , ruby keeler ) , william demarest as his manager , ludwig donath and tamara shayne as his parents , and scotty beckett as the young jolson .
a sequel to
the jolson story
was produced in 1949 ( named
jolson sings again !
) , also starring larry parks , that covered the period of jolson ' s life between 1939 and 1948 .
shortly before the war , jolson was in almost total eclipse . but the war , which brought him before large audiences again , and columbia’s gamble in ‘making the jolson story rescued him from oblivion .
among the details to be worked out were how to frame the story , and who in the world could play jolson other than the man himself . it has written in some jolson biographies that skolsky had reportedly been careful in not leaking the news to jolson prematurely ,
in addition to the fee he received for selling the rights to his life story , al jolson also was paid $ 25 , 000 for recording the songs for the film .
the jolson story , in which larry parks portrays jolson , with al dubbing in the singing , is a reasonable but condensed facsimile of al’s biography , though it performs the extraordinary synthesis of rolling four wives into one .
hempel’s successes come from another direction . in her one fully - realized , moving story , “in the cemetery where al jolson is buried , ” and to
jolson’s singing proves the big excitement for this technicolorful film biog of the great mammy - singer’s career . the jolson story emerges as an american success story in song . the yearning to sing to give generously of himself , cued by the still famed - in showbiz catchphrase , ‘you ain’t heard nothin’ yet’ ; the sunday nights at the winter garden , [ … ]
hallett , cynthia j . whitney . “minimalism—the short story . ” dissertation , university of south florida , 1996 .
the jolson story emerges as an american success story in song . the yearning to sing to give generously of himself , cued by the still famed - in showbiz catchphrase , ‘you ain’t heard nothin’ yet’ ; the sunday nights at the winter garden , the birth of the runway as jolson got closer to his audience , the incidental whistling in between vocalizing – all these are recaptured for the screen .
the jolson story
has since become something of a classic , a regular on the late show . but jolson ' s blackface songs , and parks ' version of them , have taken on different overtones since 1948 .
in the long shot of jolson performing on the
runway
, al jolson played himself ; his only appearance in the film .
the jolson story was different because it attempted to show the story of al jolson ( played by larry parks ) , a jewish immigrant performer who in 1927 starred in the jazz singer . i may have felt ambivalent about jolson blacking up , but i did recognise that it was a familiar practice among white and black performers in pre - civil rights america . plus , jolson ' s passion was clearly for the music , as proved by iconic songs such as my mammy .
basically the story of a man forced to finally see the injustice around him . riley’s movie is designed to do the same thing to you . …
in 1946 , columbia pictures released
the jolson story ,
a highly fictionalized musical biography of al jolson . the film starred larry parks as al jolson , evelyn keyes as julie benson ( based on jolson ' s third wife ruby keeler ) , william demarest ( who played his manager ) , ludwig donath and tamara shayne ( who played jolson ' s parents ) , and scotty beckett , who played the young jolson ( though beckett did not actually sing in the film , nor did he do young jolson ' s whistling . )
at the gates of the animal kingdom , hempel’s second collection of short stories , which includes the well - received story about writing stories , “harvest . ”
the story opens with the unnamed narrator visiting her friend , who is also unnamed , in a hospital near hollywood , california , where the . . .
watch
ma blushin ' rosie
from the jolson story at : urltoken my mammy : introduced by al jolson in his winter garden production
sinbad
in 1918 . he actually interpolated the sam lewis , walter donaldson and joe young song into sinbad in 1920 . larry parks mouths the words to jolson ' s 1946 new and revised columbia studio recordings for the award winning musical biography of his life ,
the jolson story
. it is still considered today by many to be the finest musical biography ever made ! !
al jolson in the 1927 film the jazz singer . photograph : ronald grant archive
lew dockstader and oscar hammerstein did not discover al jolson . by the time dockstader signed jolson in 1908 , jolson had been performing in vaudeville with his brother harry for several years .
tor books have published ghost girl takes manhattan on their website as a standalone short story . it can be found here .
a double bill of films making up a biopic of broadway entertainer al jolson . in ' the jolson story ' , young jolson ( scotty beckett , and later larry parks , whose voice is dubbed for the musical numbers by jolson himself ) has an ambition to perform in vaudeville , although his parents would prefer that he pursued an alternative career . however , jolson pursues his dream , becoming the biggest broadway star of his time . ' jolson sings again ' chronicles jolson ' s 1940s comeback , finding popularity anew as he works to entertain the us forces during world war two .
while jolson’s precise age can only be estimated , one thing is certain : he is one of the most durable performers ever to star on stage , screen and radio . his life story has already been screened in the jolson story and a second biographical treatment is coming up at mgm . today jolie has more money , earns more money and works harder than at any time in his life .
in this sequel to the jolson story , we pick up the singer ' s career just as he has returned to the stage after a premature retirement . but his wife has left him and the appeal of the . . . see full summary »
howard waldrop wrote only one story for the entire series , but it is the single story that the wild cards premise is held together by . waldrop created jetboy is an homage to airboy , an aviator hero in a comic book series published by hillman periodics . howard waldrop is a fan of the character .
an oscar cesare caricature of jolson in the wonder bar published in the ny times .
by 1930 , the public had already moved on from this , and were even growing tired of the 18 months ' worth of musical revues that had been churned out as studios learned to wrestle with sound . they wanted story more than music . in most regards , the story elements were strong for
interestingly , the cover picture of
the jolson story
soundtrack album , consisted of a drawing of two hands with white gloves , with no reference to his , at times controversial ,
black face
makeup .
the jolson story / jolson sings again [ 1946 / 1949 ) [ vhs ] : larry parks , evelyn keyes , barbara hale , william demarest , bill goodwin , ludwig donath , tamara shayne , myron mccormick , alfred e . green , henry levin : urltoken video
twenty years after he starred in
the jolson story ,
larry parks still meets people like the cab driver who took him to the theater the other day . parks and his wife , betty garrett , got into the cab and the driver said ,
say , aren ' t you larry parks ? i saw you in the jolson picture .
it ' s quite a story ,
parks recalled .
in the beginning , jolson wanted to play himself . well , that ' s understandable , but he was too old . he was 68 . so then jolson wanted james cagney for the role . cagney had just finished playing george m . cohan .
jolson was never too happy with me . and i had another problem . all of jolson ' s movies were for warner brothers , and we were making ' the jolson story ' for columbia . so harry cohn , the studio boss , asked jack warner if we could borrow the jolson films so i could study them . and jack warner , in a heartwarming display of reciprocity , said hell no .
the films imply that jolson had only two wives although he actually had four . his last two wives were ruby keeler and erle galbraith , though their real names weren ' t used in the film . keeler , having been divorced from jolson for more than six years , did not even want her name associated with the picture . at the time
the jolson story
was released , jolson was happily married to his fourth wife , erle , since march 1945 .
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…
the jolson story
was highly successful and did much to revive jolson ' s career which had been sagging during the years previous to the film ' s release . the film won numerous academy awards , i . e . for best music , scoring of a musical picture , and best sound recording . larry parks was nominated for best actor in a leading role , and william demarest was nominated for best actor in a supporting role . the film was also nominated for best cinematography , color and film editing . the great success of
the jolson story
spawned a sequel
jolson sings again
just three years later - - also successful , but not as much as the first film .
the jolson story
introduced the talents of al jolson to a new generation . this lead to many guest appearances on the radio , as well as a starring role on a nbc radio program called
the kraft music hall ,
which ran from october 1947 to may 1949 .
jolson singing a dixie song in the 1926 sound short , a plantation act .
in the following interview , which was conducted in cooperation with the american prose library on november 6 , 1991 , sapp discusses hempel’s approach to writing fiction , especially the story “in the cemetery where al jolson is buried , ” which was one of the first stories hempel ever wrote .
jolson says ,
hey , wait a minute !
the stage manager says
call the orchestra leader . tell him we ' re cutting out the jolson number .
the airwaves instantly responded with jolson tributes all around the country and on the networks . sales of jolson records picked up . there was truly an international period of mourning that followed .
lux radio theater
broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on february 16 , 1948 with evelyn keyes reprising her film role . al jolson who performed the songs for larry parks in the film plays himself in this version of his life story .
a standout of the musical film - bio genre , the jolson story was a box office smash , despite the fact that it contained just about every show business cliche imaginable . it ' s a highly idealized portrait of jolson , remembered by everyone who knew him to have been as personally difficult as he was professionally talented . jolson was larry park ' s first big role . . . read more
one of my favourites . used to watch it with my grandma . great songs and the main actor does a fantastic job . love the story . fun to sing along everytime !
hempel also has editorial credits . along with her friend jim shepherd , she co - edited unleashed : poems by writers’ dogs . in tribute to her status as a master short story writer , she is the only northerner to have guest edited algonquin books’ “new stories form the south , ” the 2010 twenty - fifth anniversary edition of the annual short story collection .
here ' s a clipping from the portland oregonian ,
parks said . it was an editorial suggesting that times had changed , that blackface was offensive , and that
the jolson story
should be quietly laid to rest by tv stations .
jolson’s singing proves the big excitement for this technicolorful film biog of the great mammy - singer’s career .
the same scene from the film the jazz singer ( 1927 ) with al jolson , eugenie besserer and warner oland .
how the hard‐working mr . parks won the plum role in the jolson biography reads like one of those stereotyped hollywood star‐is‐born stories . it is said that columbia interviewed and tested dozens of actors and jolson‐imitators for the al jolson role , and ended up finding the right man right there at columbia .
maker - mla , apa , chicago , harvard ' fear the walking dead ' : kim dickens on troy & jeremiah ' s dynamics with madison ' baby driver ' : get behind the wheel of this hot summer film ' stronger ' : jake . . . well race you , henry : a story about henry ford ( creative minds biography ) read online ebook well race you , henry : a story about henry ford ( creative minds biography ) epub download well race you , henry : a story about henry ford ( creative minds biography ) audiobook mp3 read well race you , henry : a story about henry ford ( creative minds biography ) android browse our collection of authentic
al jolson relaxing in the surf at palm beach , florida , in january of 1921 .
jolson ( r ) with rex o ' malley and marie hunt in the wonder bar .
avalon ( uncredited ) music by vincent rose lyrics by buddy g . desylva and al jolson sung by al jolson originally from the broadway musical
bombo
, 1921
the soundtrack album , the first of its kind . titled
the jolson story
( decca ) , released in 1947 , consisted of re - recordings by jolson of many of his standards performed in the film to the lip sync of larry parks . it was first issued as 6 two sided 78 rpm records in an actual
record album
. lps were not introduced until 1948 .
whether it was genuine or for show , eddie cantor publicly
buried the hatchet
with jolson for whatever tiff they might have been experiencing . jolson himself admitted that he was hoping for a good result , and gave a sad story about how much he had lost in the stock market as well as the box office .
nobody wanted me—al keeler .
this is an incredibly moving and sad story . the tale features two characters , both of whom are unnamed . firstly there is the dying friend that the narrator visits . her attempt to confront and . . .
jolson caught wind of the story and became excited at the prospect of turning it into a photoplay . he shopped it to a few studios , but was turned down wholesale , perhaps wondering how they could make a silent film about a not - so - silent singer .
“hills like white elephants , ” ernest hemingway ’s minimalist short story about a couple at a crossroads in their relationship . like “in the cemetery , ” their strongest feelings go unspoken .
entered the university of cape town at 15 . two years later , he joined the struggle for racial equality . both emil sachs and ray ginsberg joined south . . . well race you , henry : a story about henry ford ( creative minds biography ) epub download download well race you , henry : a story about henry ford ( creative minds biography ) pdf download
“the jilting of granny weatherall , ” katherine anne porter ’s 1929 story about a dying woman troubled by her past ; written in first - person , stream - of - consciousness narrative .
well made , but not exactly an enticing rise to fame story . pretty much some average performances singing and dancing for the best part of 2 hours where not all that much happens .
jolson sings again
hawked the newsboys along hollywood boulevard .
jolson sings again ,
they repeated over and over holding up the bold headline that was destined to change lives and careers in the 1950s .
the jolson exuberance and the jolson tricks didn’t work the magic immediately . his first broadway hit was made the , hard way at the winter garden in 1911 , in la belle paree . jolson didn’t get on stage until after midnight . his exertions at that late hour only annoyed a laughed - out audience , and jolson “died . ” next day he went to j . j . shubert and quit . shubert urged jolson to try once more and moved his appearance up by two hours . jolson became a star at once and has been one ever since .
. at that time in april of 1927 , he was staying at the biltmore hotel in hollywood as was jolson , reportedly in suites on the same floor . jolson , still on the west coast portion of his
jolson ' s contract , signed on may 26 , 1927 , was for $ 75 , 000 initially for his eight weeks in front of the camera , with installments out of the profits once it was in the theaters . jolson ' s instincts , which included the notion that he could bring more to his own life story than anyone , were absolutely correct , but nobody knew that as filming began .
al jolson and his
boss
christopher columbus in a scene from bombo .
a life magazine picture of overflowing mourners at al jolson ' s hollywood funeral .
asa yoelson , a . k . a . albert
al
jolson .
not a lot of relation to the truth , but with all those jolson songs on the soundtrack it hardly matters .
a parable is a story that teaches a lesson . within “in the cemetery” is the story about the chimpanzee who learns sign language . in the parable , the mother chimp lies twice when asked “who did it on the desk . ” this conscious misdirection of language parallels the pattern of distortion found in the trivial dialogue exchanged by the two women . they refuse to confront death , and in effect their idle conversation is a form of “lie” in which they are protecting themselves from pain . at the end of the story , the narrator relates that the chimpanzee’s signed request to her dead child is “baby , come hug , baby , come hug . ” the chimp has become “fluent now in the language of grief . ” by relating this parable , the narrator has also learned to examine her grief , rather than ignore it .
minimalism in american literature can be traced back to the early works of ernest hemingway , who believed that what is stated overtly in a story should be just the “tip of the iceberg . ” in his 1964 book , a moveable feast , he proposed a “new theory that you could omit anything if you knew that you omitted and the omitted parts would strengthen the story and make people feel something more than they understood . ” in “in the cemetery , ” what is omitted is key : the narrator does not discuss her friend’s impending death with her then or ever ; in fact , after the narrator leaves the hospital , the next mention of the friend is that she was “moved to the cemetery . ” discussion of the friend’s death , before and after the fact , is completely omitted from the story .
the songs get to be a bit much sometimes , but larry parks is great as al jolson .
jolson took it . later , he made a motion picture and another million under the same title .
“in the cemetery” explores the theme of friendship by showing the strain the terminal illness has placed on the women’s relationship . the narrator feels guilty when introduced as the generic “best friend , ” a label that indicates the withering of their closeness . “so how come , i’ll bet they’re wondering , it took me so long to get to such a glamorous place ? . . . two months , and how long is the drive ? ” the narrator asks herself , realizing that her absence is a betrayal of their friendship . the implication is that the fearful narrator took too long coming to the side of her dying friend and , once there , will not stay until the end . in its final form , the story also alludes to the friendship between amy hempel and the now deceased jessica wolfson , whom hempel promised to write a story about and to whom the story is dedicated .
jolson ' s singing proves the big excitement for this technicolorful film biog of the great mammy - singer ' s career .
next article : james t . farrell :
my past is considered better than my future .
previous article : abbey lincoln :
you can ' t really tell the story until everyone gets on the stage .
jolson in blackface sings a love song to a little future champion in big boy .
we laugh and cry at the same things . humour helps throw into relief moments that are not funny . beckett does this . the american short story writer flannery o’connor does too . and , in my own opinion , the wonderful amy hempel short story in the cemetery where al jolson is buried proves that comedy and tragedy run together , co - exist . i don’t think i could set down a story of despair employing a despairing tone . nor could i write comedy as a relentless seam of gags . i need to find another way in , approach it from an angle ( as opposed to tackling the subject matter head on ) . i think it was john mcgahern who said the imagination insists that life be told slant and i am inclined to agree .
often after his performances , jolson would have friends come up to his apartment until the wee hours . while there , he would often perform for them . during one of these post - performance parties he sings
cantor on the sabbath
( in yiddish . ) this scene was cut out of the final version of the film , as it was considered to be
too ethnic .
jolson ' s song
sonny boy
was originally supposed to be included in
the jolson story ,
but this too was also excluded in the version released to the public .
the story opens with the unnamed narrator visiting her friend , who is also unnamed , in a hospital near hollywood , california , where the friend is dying , presumably of cancer . the friend asks the narrator to “tell me things i won’t mind forgetting . ” the things the narrator tells her friend are funny and light , items of trivia about the first tape recorder in america and the flying patterns of insects , things which may or may not be true . the friend is interested in hearing about the first chimp that was trained to talk until the narrator warns her that the outcome is sad , at which point the friend commands her to stop the story .
but the real star of the production is that jolson voice and that jolson medley . it was good showmanship to cast this film with lesser people , particularly larry parks as the mammy kid . it’s quite apparent how he must have studied the jolson mannerisms in black - and - white because the vocal synchronization ( with a plenitude of closeups ) defies detection .
there must be times when larry parks wonders if the world is filled with would - be jolson imitators .
larry parks , the actor who reached hollywood stardom with his forceful performance in “the jolson story” in 1946 but whose acting career all but came to a halt in 1951 when he admitted past membership in the communist party , died sunday night of a heart attack in his home in studio city , calif . he was 60 years old .
larry parks repeats his unforgettable role as al jolson in this musical extravaganza . the dramatic story of one of america ' s all - time favourite entertainers continues in this captivating motion picture . the drama unfolds when jolson exits retirement and heads back to broadway where he discovers that musical syles have changed and his exuberant brand of music no longer pulls top - billing . discouraged and tired of a life of wine , women and song - jolson turns to his friends and manager who enlists him to entertain roops during the war . then he falls in love and marries a beautiful army nurse who encourages al to sing again . get set for an exciting array of al jolson ' s most popular songs including baby face , sonny boy , in this electrifying and true - to - life story !
bombo
is much like its predecessors . harold atteridge has written the mediocre book and lyrics , while sigmund romberg has remembered the music… the show takes its name from that of the blackamoor who acts as servant to no less a person than christopher columbus and tells the story of the discovery of america and the incidents that preceded it . it is bombo , in the person of jolson , who makes the voyage of discovery possible by putting queen isabella and everybody else , including the audience , in good humor… [ jolson ] makes it one of the best shows of the winter garden type that the shuberts have presented .
frank morgan , edgar connor and al jolson in hallelujah , i ' m a bum .
an al hirschfeld caricature of al jolson and martha raye in hold on to your hats .
i’ve been singing al jolson since i was 12 . you can check my show at youtube
the narrator enrolls in a “fear of flying” class that same day . she also finishes the story about the chimpanzee that her friend did not want to hear . the chimp used sign language to communicate with its baby . even after the baby dies , the chimp attempts to communicate with it , “fluent now in the language of grief . ”
just who was going to play al jolson on screen became the number one topic around town . jolson wanted to do it himself , of course , but he was nearly 60 and cohn talked him out of it . cohn did give jolson a say in the casting process , however , as the studio began testing dozens of hopefuls . jolson wanted james cagney , but cagney wasn ' t interested in doing another musical biopic after
. one of the hot properties of that time was a play that had been on broadway and was now touring the country . while it was a good story overall , and a familiar one in some regards , it was also an obvious choice for a sound feature , given the content . even when they shot jolson ' s sound short in the fall of 1926 ,
as either a film or a stage musical . even though he was sitting right across from the very inspiration of his story , raphaelson was less than thrilled with the idea and rejected the notion . he then proceeded to write it as a dramatic stage production .
other references made by the narrator in the story serve as a type of shorthand . a reader familiar with elisabeth kubler - ross , whose book on death and dying was published in 1969 , will understand the characters’ discussion of her stages of grief . using such a tactic allows the author to accomplish a great deal with few words , effectively relying on the reader’s knowledge of contemporary culture . lastly , by referring to american jazz singer al jolson in the title , hempel helps establish the story’s american context even before it begins . in the united states , and particularly in california , places often come to be identified with their connections to the rich and famous . thus , the cemetery where the narrator’s friend is “moved to” is not notable for its name , but for the fact that a famous person , al jolson , is buried there .
in the singing fool , jolson rehearsed his big aria in a los angeles theater before a crowd of 3 , 000 movie extras . the song fell flatter than a cold pancake . jolson rushed from the theater to phone de sylva in atlantic city .
readers never know exactly what illness the sick friend dies of or precisely what her symptoms are ; therefore , the major focus of the story is on the women’s verbal , behavioral , and psychological responses in confronting their own mortality . the one is dying , the other ( the narrator ) is observing both her friend’s behavior and her own reactions to the phenomenon of death .
well , for me , a story is as short or as long as it needs to be . i have finished stories that are several thousand words long , and also stories that don’t even reach the bottom of the first page . in either case the length was immaterial . nor do i attach labels to what i’ve done ( flash , micro , and so forth ) . as far as i’m concerned , nudging any given story over the finish line is the real accomplishment ( length will take care of itself ) .
the jolson story / jolson sings again dvd 1946 / 1949 2003 : urltoken larry parks , evelyn keyes , william demarest , ludwig donath , bill goodwin , myron mccormick , tamara shayne , gertrude astor , steve benton , peter brocco , michael cisney , dick cogan , barbara hale , william e . snyder , henry levin , alfred e . green , william a . lyon , sidney buchman : dvd & blu - ray
i don ' t much care for the real - life jolson so it was predictable i was not in love with this movie . jolson fans will probably love it . the man himself dubs parks ' s singing . reviewed on urltoken
this takes us away from the subject , which for me smells of liberal paternalism ( read : fear ) as the producer ' s decision in jolson & co removes al jolson from the context of his era and denies the fact that blackface and minstrelsy have been intrinsic to western entertainment since the 19th century . to put it another way , the idea of contemplating al jolson without blacking up is like considering marvin gaye without sex ; if the producers wanted to avoid controversy , they shouldn ' t be doing a musical about al jolson .
garrett also claims that jolson worked with parks only a little bit , teaching him some signature body movements , but he always resented that the
kid
was playing him and ultimately became such a nuisance that his access to the set was restricted . parks , garrett wrote , did not imitate jolson so much as channel the
essence
of jolson .
“in the cemetery” is ultimately a story about the limits of language . like the mother chimp who is trained to sign , the narrator and her friend train themselves to speak only in trivia—like signing , an alternate and artificial form of language—to speak only about things that do not matter . the substitution here of trivia for what is real renders the story the ideal minimalist marriage of form and content : one - liners substitute for authentic communication , and what is omitted , to harken back to hemingway , becomes most important of all . like the protective mask that the friend ultimately flings off in rage , this artificial language can shield the characters from—but never prevent—the threat of the friend’s imminent death .
show ' s running too long . it ' s almost eleven now . who ' s on next ?
asks the stage manager .
jolson .
we ' ll cut jolson out and jump to the finish .
although jolson is approximately 65 , the question of his real age became a national pastime soon after his kraft show went on the air . eddie cantor , bob hope , bing crosby and fred allen profess to believe that jolson is prehistoric .
al jolson and his
walk out
on d . w . griffith were the sole talk of broadway film circles this week . jolson ' s sailing on the majestic for europe last saturday in company with j . j . shubert threw the monkey wrench into the works as far as the picture the blackface star was to make under the direction of the
master of the films .
after all these years , and all my countless viewings ,
the jolson story
remains the most magical and thrilling of all hollywood musical biographies . it also stands as testament to
the world ' s greatest entertainer ,
al jolson , and his tremendous impact on show business for all time . jolie ' s fantastic voice , filled with warmth , power and soul , will always be heard as long as this wonderful movie is viewed . larry parks and his supporting cast are superb , but it is that jolson voice , electricity - personified , that elevates the film to immortal status .
was successfully previewed in santa barbara . jolson surreptitiously listened as the audience exited . one elderly woman , in a now - famous remark , said :
what a pity that jolson never lived to see this .
one of the greatest musicals ever made , the joson story is an electrifying cavalcade of lavish production numbers with an all - star cast . the film traces the meteoric career of sa yoelson , a talented cantor ' s son determined to make it big in the
biz
. after changing his name to al jolson , asa captivates audiences eveverywhere as a spellbinding minstrel and jazz performer . featuring 25 songs by jolson , this is a compelling tribute to an incomparable performer once hailed as
america ' s greatest entertainer !
robert peltier is an english instructor at trinity college and has published works of both fiction and nonfiction . in the following essay , he discusses the nature of truth as it is regarded by the characters in this “postmodern” story , ultimately stating that the narrator’s belief in her “language of grief’ is a lie .
although hempel lives and works in new york city , most of her stories resound with the sounds and images of california . some dramatic events in hempel’s short stories correspond with several of her own unhappy life experiences , which include traumatic car and motorcycle accidents , her mother’s suicide , her father’s mental illness , and the death of a close friend . in discussing “in the cemetery where al jolson is buried , ” for example , hempel told jo sapp of the missouri review that although the dialogue of the story was completely fabricated , it is a true story that accurately reflects her relationship with her dying friend . her stories have been translated into twelve languages and anthologized in the united states and several other countries . hempel’s literary awards include the silver medal from the commonwealth club of california for reasons to live and the best american short stories pushcart prize . her work regularly appears in such popular magazines as vanity fair , the new york times magazine , and vogue . hempel is the author of two collections of short stories : reasons to live which contains her most anthologized short story , “in the cemetery where al jolson is buried , ” and at the gates of the animal kingdom .
, m . d . , director of pediatric neurosurgery at the johns hopkins hospital in baltimore , md . from yale , he went to the medical school of the . . . download well race you , henry : a story about henry ford ( creative minds biography ) read online
in 1946 , saul chaplin adapted iosif ivanovici ' s romanian ' waves of the danube ' ; al jolson and saul chaplin wrote the lyrics .
jolson first clapped eyes on erle galbraith at hot springs during the war . she was an x - ray technician and jolson saw her as he was leaving a building . “you waiting for my autograph ? ” he asked .
this story is an intriguing , frank , and pithy rendering of complex reactions to the dying of loved ones . hempel’s clipped style and the ironic humor of the friends’ interchanges serve only to emphasize the seriousness of the situation . the friends confront imminent death and loss in the tone that has characterized their relationship since college days , which seem not to be very far behind them .
work has featured in the irish times , 2014 / 15 / 16 national flash fiction day anthologies , flash : the international short - short story magazine , nano , litro , the lonely crowd , wales arts review , the incubator , firewords quarterly and others . she won or placed in the british screenwriters’ awards , the short story , tethered by letters , flash500 , domineer , the new writer , prick of the spindle and 99fiction . net . a 2016 frank o’connor mentorship recipient , marie also is a pushcart and best of the short fictions nominee . she has a master of studies in creative writing from the university of oxford and lives in cork , ireland .
tour went back to the greater new york city area , and on rare nights when jolson was not engaged on the stage , he did the occasional radio appearance . almost the same week that
the producers of a new musical about the broadway star al jolson have been criticised for deciding that the actor who plays him will not wear his trademark
black face
during the show .
( 1946 ) was upon its release . al jolson biographer michael freedland has written ,
not since
i thought you might like to see a memorial for al jolson i found on findagrave . com .
jack benny , george jessel , george burns and al jolson at a friars club event in 1946 .
suggested to al that he try performing as many minstrels and stage actors had to that time , using burnt cork to create a blackface look . this created a virtual mask that seemed to free up the younger jolson ' s inhibitions , and he suddenly became much more broad and dynamic . accounts vary on who ultimately suggested this and when , but the dooley story seems to be the most reliable of the recollections .
i actually really enjoyed this movie . it was a modest but nice little look on the rise of al jolson ' s career . the songs were performed by jolson himself and dubbed over larry park ' s voice . it also makes reference to the jazz singer ( the first talkie ever ! ) and honestly , i found this to be an enjoyable biopic which paid great respect to the talents and stardom of jolson .
. frustrated by cohn and columbia during the inactive period , jolson threatened to take the project to warner brothers in late 1944 , but had no script in hand , so eventually ceded production control to cohn on the terms of the deal . even before a choice was made , jolson , confident that his story would score well in the theaters , eventually signed a contract that allowed him a good share of the profits from the film . this further indicates that his overall popularity had not sunk nearly as low as some accounts have traditionally reported . rumors of his professional demise were clearly premature .
in order to understand al jolson ' s complex personality and motivations , it is helpful to understand some of his back story , as told here . in spite of his ego and constant need to perform , which interfered with his marriage , as did dalliances with other women , jolson really did have a big heart and a soft spot for those who had helped him along during the years , and many loyal friends who often fiercely defended him . one of the better examples of this unfailing streak of professional integrity played out during the late spring of 1912 . part of the way through the run of the a whirl of society run , lew dockstader opened with his latest show at the broadway theater . he had not been doing quite so well in the wake of many changes occurring on the american stage , and a step away from the now - outdated minstrelsy . the review from the new york times of may 28 , 1912 , tells the story :
as to the content and accuracy of the motion picture , jolson being the primary source of the information and the consultant romanticized some of it , and the four screenwriters did the rest . most people who knew something of al ' s life were aware this was a story full of seminal events that had been tweaked a bit , but also some basic untruths . for example , in the story , al ' s birth mother was still around , even in the late 1930s , and his relationship with the rabbi yoelson was portrayed as quite a bit warmer than other accounts had indicated . his manager , former vaudevillian
steve martin ,
played by william demarest , who had also been in the jazz singer in 1927 , was a composite of several people in his life . his first two marriages were ignored . warner brothers made it clear they could not use any portion of the jazz singer other than the title , limiting options on how that would be presented . ruby keeler would not allow her name or some facets of her life to be used , so bitter was their relationship , and she became the more sympathetic
julie benson ,
although starring in the same - named shows as keeler had also done . for her cooperation with offering a little bit of her side of the story while not stirring the pot in the press , she was awarded $ 25 , 000 by the studio . that so many variances of the truth had been affected on the story of al ' s life was a point deftly , if curiously , acknowledged in the follow - up film , where parks as jolson , dictating his life to a writer , stated :
the narrator comforts herself by saying that “it is just possible i will say i stayed the night . and who is there that can say that i did not ? ” in a world that makes no distinction between truth and lies , she has justified her lack of compassion and decency and— perhaps most disturbing of all—she claims to have gained a knowledge of grief . the most loathsome moment in the story comes at the end when she tells the story of the birth of a baby to that other liar , the talking chimp . the baby dies and the mother chimp “signs” to her baby over and over , “fluent now in the language of grief . ” the parallel between the chimp and the narrator is not just strained , it is entirely false . the narrator has not learned the language of grief and will not until she breaks through the barrier of postmodern detachment .
and his orchestra . appearing in his outdated blackface makeup , jolson appeared much darker than his negro counterpart .
california , here i come ( uncredited ) music by joseph meyer lyrics by buddy g . desylva and al jolson sung by larry parks ( dubbed by al jolson ) , evelyn keyes ( dubbed by virginia rees )
in the 1970s , the diet of british television on a given weekend might have included the sitcom love thy neighbour , light entertainment such as the black and white minstrel show and , occasionally , the 1946 hollywood movie the jolson story . watching the black and white minstrel show felt like hearing nails scratching a blackboard . while i was aware of the american and british theatrical tradition of white performers blacking up for grotesquely caricatured slave plantation dances and singing styles , it seemed offensive for such programmes to be produced in the multi - ethnic britain of the 1970s without any sense of irony .
the jolson story [ import ] : urltoken larry parks , evelyn keyes , william demarest , bill goodwin , ludwig donath , scotty beckett , tamara shayne , jo - carroll dennison , john alexander , ernest cossart , the robert mitchell boy choir , robert kellard , alfred e . green , gordon griffith , sidney buchman , sidney skolsky , andrew solt , harry chandlee , stephen longstreet : dvd
themes . in a black comedy , an author will frequently make fun of things of a serious nature , such as illness , death , or disease . in this story , the narrator uses black humor in an effort to ease her fear of death . and the sick woman , ironically , uses it to put her friend at ease , too , like when she wraps the phone cord around her neck or exclaims , “oh , you’re killing me . ” a further irony in the story is the metaphor of the hospital as a television set , a place for actors . the narrator and her friend assume the role of actors , yet their situation is real .
in the cemetery where al jolson is buried .
short stories for students . . retrieved july 09 , 2018 from urltoken urltoken
despite the evident strain this tour put on jolson ' s body , a fact that was later lamented by akst in his recollection of the trip , after his return to los angeles on september 30 and a week spent in the dry desert of palm springs , al penned a deal with rko pictures to star in stars and stripes forever opposite dinah shore . it was intended to be the story of a uso troupe in the pacific theater during world war ii . there were other lucrative deals in the work as well . jolson had his eye on the growing medium of television , hoping to perhaps host his own show on nbc for the 1951 season .
jolson often pestered his father to tell him his real age . once , at the height of his fame , he tried to pin the old man down .
) , memorial page for al jolson ( 26 may 1886–23 oct 1950 ) , find a grave memorial no .
al jolson with united artists talent , november , 1930 . l to r : al jolson , mary pickford , ronald coleman , gloria swanson , douglas fairbanks , joseph schenck , charles chaplin , samuel goldwyn , eddie cantor .
“in the cemetery where al jolson is buried” begins with the narrator’s reluctant visit to a dying friend but evolves into an elegy for the terminally - ill woman and a confession of the narrator’s own fear of dying .