King of Jazz [VHS]
King of Jazz, released in 1930, was not only Universal's first all-Technicolor feature-length musical film, but also contained the first cartoon sequence (by Walter Lantz) as well. This vibrant, sparkling piece of celluloid nostalgia take the form of a lavish jazz revue with music by such American giants as George Geschwin, play out against breathtaking backgrounds and dazzling production numbers featuring Bing Crosby, Paul Whiteman and John Boles.  King of Jazz consists of seven big, spectacular revue numbers in addition to comedy sketches, blackouts and individual song, dance and novelty specialties.  This remarkable work ushered in a new era in sound and color and was reputed, at the time of its release, to be the greatest and most beautiful musical film ever produced.  Spectacular production numbers include "It Happened in Monterey", "Rhapsody in Blue" (Complete Jazz Symphony), "The Song of the Dawn", "Ragamuffin Romeo", "Happy Feet", "A Bench in the Park", "Melting Pot".