GazerRise Fantastic!

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Forumrxes Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

wes-connors Descended from slaves, horse trainer Al Jolson (as Gus) wants to ride "Big Boy" all the way to the Kentucky Derby, and help his master's family regain their fortune. Criminal forces conspire to get Mr. Jolson off his high horse, although he is the only one who has a chance to win. Jolson is exceptionally close to his horse, claiming he has, "Greta Garbo's eyes and Clara Bow's legs." Not coincidently, both actresses were ahead of Jolson in Quigley Publications' "Money-Making Stars" for 1930 list. Jolson's #7 position was nothing to scoff at, but fewer people were seeing him in "Big Boy" than in still exhibited hits like "The Singing Fool" (1928).One of the reasons for this film's relative failure may be the original Broadway show's altered and lackluster soundtrack. Jolson was the first in a Crosby/Sinatra/Presley continuum of pop recording artists. But now his usual string of million selling #1 hits was no longer in evidence. The attempt to make "Tomorrow Is Another Day" a hit was unsuccessful. Bing Crosby was taking over.None of the veteran character actors make much of an impression alongside Jolson. Helping more are John Harron (as Joe Warren), who romances pretty Claudia Dell (as Annabel Bedford) while helping her brother Lloyd Hughes (as Jack) and Jolson expose the criminal element. At the end of this film, Jolson is asked to sing "Sonny Boy" but declines - and there is nothing here even remotely approaching the quality of that song. "Big Boy" was also notable in that Jolson plays in "blackface" until appearing as himself in the end. He actually looked better with the darker skin, and sang with dignity, but his white lips are too pronounced in this picture.*** Big Boy (9/11/30) Alan Crosland ~ Al Jolson, Claudia Dell, John Harron, Lloyd Hughes

Michael_Elliott Big Boy (1930) ** (out of 4) Al Jolson was only able to bring two of his Broadway shows to Hollywood and this here was the first of the duo. In the film Jolson plays Gus, a black servant who dreams of one day being able to ride horses. He finally gets his chance when his owner's horse appears to be good enough for the race but of course a few issues are going to break out. Controversy will always follow Jolson since he often appeared in blackface but I've seen so many Hollywood films from this period to where I'm at the point of looking at it as the norm. It was certainly the norm in 1930 so it's doubtful too many went to the theater and saw this film the same way we would today. With that said, appearing in blackface is one thing but having the entire role done in blackface, when viewed today, just seems wrong on so many levels. I'm sure a black actor could have done this part and made for an entertaining movie but due to the times this just wasn't going to happen. The truth of the matter is that Jolson might be hated or looked down by many but I always try to judge things as honest as possible and there's no denying that he's very good in the part. I thought Jolson was very believable in the part of Gus and I think he managed to really bring the character to life as he made us feel for the character and made us want to see him reach his dreams. The "performance" is just fine as are a majority of the music numbers, which he also performs. 'Dixie', 'What Will I Do Without You?' and 'Tomorrow is Another Day' are the highlights of the group as the actor does a terrific job singing them but there are some nice visuals put to them as well. No one in the supporting cast really jumps out at you but then again this movie was made to show off Jolson and Jolson only. I think the biggest problem is the actual screenplay that appears to be missing a lot of footage that might have been in the Broadway play. The "story" appears to be missing quite a bit as the film seems to just want to get to the next music number. Another problem is that the comedy is flatly done and the majority of the jokes just fall flat on their face. Many people will look at BIG BOY is disgust and I understand that but it's one of the few ways to see what type of role Jolson did on stage and for that reason alone this remains an important picture for film buffs.

msladysoul As a black person viewing this film, it was extremely disturbing for someone of this generation, and I'm sure to black people of that time it was insulting, but what could they do. They had no power to complain. It was politically correct to be racist and insulting of other races back then, because whites were superior and what they said went. They didn't care to take black people's feelings into consideration. Gladly, things have changed. This film couldn't and wouldn't be done today. If you want a black person, get a real black person to play a role, don't black-up a white person and make them look ridiculous and un-naturally black. Blacks aren't just black-face, black people's skin tone range from black, dark brown, brown, light brown, caramel, honey, mocha, yellow, olive, even pale.Of course white people gave this movie positive reviews because its not their race being insulted or offended. These are the reasons why racism, discrimination, bigotry, and prejudice will always exist, because you will always have people who condone the behavior in this movie, by making up excuses like "its not that racist" or "oh, that how it was back then." I'm sure if the shoe was on the other foot, it wouldn't be as amusing.Al Jolson passing as black, portraying a black man, was extremely stereotypical, of course, he would act in that way. He wouldn't act educated or with class or sense, whites wouldn't want to see that, naturally Jolson would roll the eyes and act a fool, sing of the lord, and carry watermelons, white people wouldn't have had it any other way. Jolson doesn't represent positive blackness to me, but of course whites think he did a great job portraying a black, because that's how they view us.I read how some people say Jolson didn't act like an "uncle tom" so that should give some relief, well like I said he was still very stereotypical, and of course he could talk sassy and tough to some whites, because it was known he was white, so he could get away with it. If he was really black, he wouldn't have been able to talk up to whites on screen that way. When Jolson looks at the white woman that walks pass him when he's singing at the club, you know if he really was black, that part would have been cut from the film. If Jolson really wanted to make blacks look good and if he didn't mean no harm, he could have portrayed the new era of black people, not stereotypical, Southern, shuffling, yes-sir black, but the northern, Harlem black, bold, head up, educated, glamorous, ambitious, listen to Ethel Waters, "Underneath a Harlem Moon." The only true portrayal in this movie is the racist Southern man who says all kind of racial insults.I hate to see how blacks, native Americans, asians have been treated in the movies back then. Its making it harder for me to watch these old classic movies, especially since the racism is so obvious and blatant. Whites were always superior and well-behaved, while people of color were made fun of, inferior, and not as well-behaved as whites, now we know the "white lies" and that whites weren't so perfect, but whites always put themselves in the best light back then.From what I know about Jolson, he seemed to have been influenced by blacks, which you can see in his singing and dancing. Possibly, his dressing up in black-face was a way to become a black man to him. I've seen minstrel shows from back then and seen many black-face comedians, and found them insulting and offensive and they knew they were, but like I said it was okay to make fun of blacks back then, but with Al Jolson it seems he really wanted to be black, even though his portrayal was negative. Maybe with this film he was trying to show the ignorance of white racism by becoming a black man, of course the audience knew he was really white, but by becoming black, maybe he's trying to show whites it could have been you who could have been black, so how would you like to have been mistreated? Perhaps he was also showing how blacks always had to come to save the day for white people.Anyways, this movie was ridiculous. Jolson was supposedly the greatest entertainer in the world in his time, well, maybe he would be more remembered mainstream and appreciated by everyone if it wasn't for the black-face. I hear talk of Judy Garland, Sinatra, and others, but not much talk of Jolson, I suppose its because of the black-face. If white audiences enjoyed the play or the movie Big Boy, its because Jolson reassured them with his stereotypical black person, that blacks were everything whites thought or wanted them to be.I try to put myself back in the 1930's, and still was offended, as I'm sure many blacks were back then, but like I said they had no say. I read black newspapers of that time, and they were disgusted by the film. A lot of whites get offended when black comedians like Chris Rock make fun of them, well maybe now you know how blacks felt seeing Cantor and Jolson. Some may say, Eddie Cantor and Jolson were appealing to the tastes back then, so you mean they were appealing to whites love of seeing people of color made fun of? None of them had the balls to stand up and say I'm not doing that? Doing blackface don't make you a greater entertainer.hotoil, said blacks didn't have leading roles back then. This movie was made in 1930, in 1929, Nina Mae McKinney, a black actress, starred in one of the first black films, and then there was Hearts of Dixie, another black film made in 1928. So there were blacks in starring roles.

bkoganbing Big Boy was one of two Al Jolson films that were taken from Broadway shows Jolson starred in. The other one was Wonder Bar. In this case it allows us the only filmed record of the kind of character Jolson played in his shows.As it is here, the character is usually named Gus and he's black and Jolson does him in blackface as sadly he's identified today. On Broadway Big Boy ran for 176 performances during the 1924 season and in his usual fashion Jolson always interpolated his own material in it, sometimes discarding songs and adding them during the run. One song he discarded was one he felt was not working for him during the Broadway run and he gave it to his number one rival Eddie Cantor. It turned out to be If You Knew Susie.The film follows the plot of the stage show. Jolson plays the old family retainer of a Kentucky bluegrass family and part of his duties is to ride and take care of the horses, most especially their thoroughbred contender for the Kentucky Derby named, Big Boy.But there's skullduggery afoot. There's a plot by some gamblers to fix the Derby for another horse. That calls for separating Al from his beloved equine charge. Of course you know it all turn out right in the end.During the play and the film, there's a flashback sequence in which Jolson plays his own grandfather and saves a young bride from the lecherous advances of Noah Beery. In the film Beery identifies himself as a Klansman and I have to say that Jolson, servile and all as he is, does in fact save the day. Of course while doing his shuffling act, he gets quite a few zingers in. When the story ended as it did for Jolie on Broadway, he'd remove the blackface and usually sing a medley of his hits per request from the audience. That's what happens here also though none of the songs from Big Boy the film gained any popularity.One thing I cannot figure out is during the Broadway run, Jolson got two reasonably big hits from the show, Hello 'Tucky Hello and Keep Smiling At Trouble. Why they weren't sung in the film is beyond me.It's not a great film, Big Boy contains a lot of racial stereotypes that people would find offensive. But to see what Jolson was like on stage, this is the closest we'll ever come to it.