Maps of Movies

The Jazz Singer (1927)

Where The Jazz Singer says it takes place, and where it was really shot.

The first talkie was mostly shot in Hollywood, but its New York streets and its Broadway theatre are real.

Scenes and places

Jakie sings at the beer garden (1927)

Thirteen-year-old Jakie sings jazz at the neighbourhood beer garden instead of preparing for the synagogue. His father drags him home and whips him. Jakie kisses his mother goodbye and runs away.

Set in Lower East Side, Manhattan — The Jewish quarter where the Rabinowitz family lives and where Jakie sings at a local beer garden. Google Maps · Apple Maps

A crowded Jewish neighbourhood in lower Manhattan, home to the immigrant world the film is about.

Filmed at Lower East Side, Manhattan (exterior location shooting) — Exterior scenes of the Lower East Side were shot on location here in late June 1927; the exact streets are not recorded in the sources. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Yom Kippur without a son (1927)

At the Yom Kippur service, the cantor says he has no son. As the Kol Nidre is sung, Jakie sneaks back home to pick up a picture of his mother.

Set in Lower East Side, Manhattan — The synagogue in the Jewish quarter on Yom Kippur. Google Maps · Apple Maps

The synagogue stands for the family tradition Jakie has left behind.

Jack Robin takes the stage (1927)

Ten years later, Jakie has become Jack Robin. Called up from his table at a cabaret, he wows the crowd, and the dancer Mary Dale offers to help his career.

Set in Cabaret (location not named) — A cabaret where Jack is called up from his table to sing.

A cabaret stage; the film does not name the venue.

Jack goes home (1927)

Jack returns to the family home to explain his love for modern music. His father, teaching a student, is appalled and sends him away. Jack says that someday his father will understand.

Set in Lower East Side, Manhattan — The Rabinowitz family home, where the cantor teaches a young student. Google Maps · Apple Maps

The family home in the old neighbourhood, now seen from the other side of the door.

The dressing room before April Follies (1927)

Jack applies blackface makeup before a dress rehearsal and talks with Mary about his career and his family. His mother and Yudelson come to beg him to sing for his father. Sara watches her son on stage for the first time.

Set in Broadway theatre for April Follies (not named) — The Broadway theatre where Jack rehearses his new musical.

A backstage dressing room in a Broadway theatre.

The night before opening (1927)

With his father gravely ill and opening night a day away, Jack is torn between the show and the synagogue. Mary, the producer and his mother each press him in different directions, and Jack cannot decide.

Set in Lower East Side, Manhattan — The Rabinowitz home, where the cantor lies ill on the eve of Yom Kippur. Google Maps · Apple Maps

The family bedroom, where the film's conflict comes to a head.

The Winter Garden Theatre (1927)

Set in Winter Garden Theatre — The Broadway theatre named in the film. Google Maps · Apple Maps

A real Broadway theatre in Midtown Manhattan, named on screen.

Filmed at Winter Garden Theatre, 1634 Broadway, New York — The theatre's exterior was shot on location in late June 1927; its interior is not documented as a filming location. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Filmed at Old Warner Bros. Studios, 5842 Sunset Blvd, Hollywood — Studio filming (which scenes were shot here is not recorded) Google Maps · Apple Maps

Characters

• Jack Robin — The same man ten years on, a rising stage singer pulled between Broadway and his family.
• Cantor Rabinowitz — Jakie's father, who wants his son to become a cantor.
• Sara Rabinowitz — Jakie's mother, who stands between father and son.
• Mary Dale — A musical theatre dancer who helps Jack's career.