KING OF JAZZ - Carnegie Hall

[earlytalkiebuffRob]

Just came across a mention that when Universal was preparing KING OF JAZZ, that they filmed one of Paul Whiteman's Carnegie Hall concerts in 1928. Does anybody know what happened to it?

[bobfells]

I wish. Fox filmed a bit of PW rehearsing at Columbia Records in 1928 where there's brief tantalizing glimpse of Bix. The band made commercial recordings of most if not all of the numbers they played at Carnegie Hall that year, the big number being Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F.

As late as December 1938, PW was performing at Carnegie Hall.

[David Pierce]

Just came across a mention that when Universal was preparing KING OF JAZZ, that they filmed one of Paul Whiteman's Carnegie Hall concerts in 1928. Does anybody know what happened to it?

Could you provide a citation? It would be a major accomplishment if Universal was doing remote sound recording on location that early.

David

[vitaphone]

Yes, if there is any contemporary report or citation on this, it would be very helpful.

Prof. Richard Koszarski and his wife have done extensive research on the long and troubled production of KING OF JAZZ but this had not been mentioned. I did find some articles in December 1928 claiming that in anticipation of filming KING OF JAZZ, some sound footage was to be shot of the band up at Saranac Lake at a benefit. No evidence this was ever done, nor would it have fit into the finished film. Originally KOJ was to tell Whiteman's story and rise to becoming "King", but that eventually was abandoned.

[Daniel Eagan]

Yes, if there is any contemporary report or citation on this, it would be very helpful.

Prof. Richard Koszarski and his wife have done extensive research on the long and troubled production of KING OF JAZZ but this had not been mentioned. I did find some articles in December 1928 claiming that in anticipation of filming KING OF JAZZ, some sound footage was to be shot of the band up at Saranac Lake at a benefit. No evidence this was ever done, nor would it have fit into the finished film. Originally KOJ was to tell Whiteman's story and rise to becoming "King", but that eventually was abandoned.

Interested about Saranac Lake, can you provide the articles? You can PM if you prefer, thanks.

[entredeuxguerres]

...I did find some articles in December 1928 claiming that in anticipation of filming KING OF JAZZ, some sound footage was to be shot of the band up at Saranac Lake at a benefit...

To benefit the Will Rogers TB hospital, which opened in '28?

[earlytalkiebuffRob]

Just came across a mention that when Universal was preparing KING OF JAZZ, that they filmed one of Paul Whiteman's Carnegie Hall concerts in 1928. Does anybody know what happened to it?

Could you provide a citation? It would be a major accomplishment if Universal was doing remote sound recording on location that early.

David

I was trying to find out about Bela Lugosi's appearance in the Hungarian release of KING OF JAZZ and found a it under 'The King of Jazz - the Red Hot Jazz Archive'. The article is by Dennis Pererya and the reference to the Carnegie Hall filming is in the first paragraph.

[earlytalkiebuffRob]

Yes, if there is any contemporary report or citation on this, it would be very helpful.

Prof. Richard Koszarski and his wife have done extensive research on the long and troubled production of KING OF JAZZ but this had not been mentioned. I did find some articles in December 1928 claiming that in anticipation of filming KING OF JAZZ, some sound footage was to be shot of the band up at Saranac Lake at a benefit. No evidence this was ever done, nor would it have fit into the finished film. Originally KOJ was to tell Whiteman's story and rise to becoming "King", but that eventually was abandoned.

I suppose the Walter Lantz cartoon at the beginning does this...

[vitaphone]

This page does not permit posting of PDFs which my Whiteman/Saranac benefit article is. However I have two. One from mid-December 1928 saying the Carnegie Hall concert would benefit Saranac and another a week later saying the band would go up there for a benefit concert and that a Universal crew would film it.

No evidence Universal ever did that. They had no sound equipment of their own yet and if they did it would have been big news.

There ARE two early Whiteman band talkies we would love to find. One is a late 1928 Fox Movietone two reel short, ON THE BEACH AT ATLANTIC CITY (July '28) with Broadway producer Anatole Friedland, Harry Rose, Lou Holtz, Whiteman's band, Peaches Browning and Al Wohlman. Sounds like an entertainment version of a Fox Movietone News entry. The other is a rumored 1928 likely Wilding promo short for Studebaker shown only at that year's Detroit Auto show. Wilding made another for Studebake for 1930. Several Whiteman band members recall making the one in 1928.

[earlytalkiebuffRob]

The same site led me to another Lantz cartoon (b/w this time) in which Oswald the Rabbit meets Mr Whiteman. MY PAL PAUL (1930) is on YT, and features quite a few snippets from the KOJ songbook.

[Gumlegs]

Could this be the footage referred to?



The notes say, "This is the only known footage of Bix playing the cornet. A Fox Movietone Newsreel for the week of May 18, 1928, shows Paul Whiteman tearing up his old contract with Victor on the stroke of midnight. Paul now has a new contract with Columbia and leads his orchestra playing My Ohio "

[bobfells]

Gumlegs, yes this is the footage I was referring to.

Bob