The emergence of the motion picture industry at the beginning of the 20th century coincided with the arrival of vast numbers of immigrants from southern and eastern Europe. [See AJ Immigrants Arriving in America] Living in crowded neighborhoods in the seaboard cities, most newcomers struggled to adjust to urban conditions and the customs of a new country. (The opening scenes of The Jazz Singer show the streets of the immigrant communities.) Many were reluctant to abandon their traditional culture and values. By contrast, their children, who were brought to America as infants or born here, learned English in public schools and embraced the new society more willingly.

These themes were frequently presented in the first commercial motion pictures that were screened in storefront movie theaters called Nickelodeons (admission was only five cents). [See AJ] While middle class spectators generally preferred the "legitimate" theater, immigrant workers became the prime consumers of the new mass entertainment. Meanwhile, theater owners and moviemakers often were members of the same immigrant groups. In numerous movies, such as The Jew's Christmas, The Italian, A Passover Miracle, immigrant audiences agonized with the actors about the moral issues of preserving traditional values or assimilating into American ways. The Jazz Singer is part of this silent film genre.

By the 1920s, the conflicts between generations about assimilation or the preservation of ethnic identity coincided with larger cultural conflicts about modern versus traditional values. Jazz, a musical style that emerged among African Americans and then crossed over to appeal also to white urban audiences, reflected the fast and dangerous rhythm of city life that appalled religious and social conservatives. Jazz music and dance aroused concern about the blurring of racial and ethnic difference and unrestrained sexuality.

Al Jolson's use of blackface underscored these issues. [See AJ] White actors had been applying blackface and imitating stereotyped black gestures since the 1830s in minstrel shows and vaudeville stage performances. Significantly, the style was especially popular among immigrant and white ethnic actors, such as Al Jolson (and "Jack Robin") and Eddie Cantor [See AJ], because it enabled these newcomers to show that they were NOT "black." Blackface enabled them to become as "white" as the native-born Anglo Saxons. Yet black Americans, who scarcely appear in The Jazz Singer, become invisible because of racial discrimination.

The movie also dodges issues of ethnic conflict and anti-Semitism [see AJ]. Although Jack Robin is shown trying to become "American," the film does not reveal the reasons why he felt uncomfortable being a Jew. There are no references to ethnic and race discrimination. Yet during the 1920s, many conservative native-born white Americans feared that their society was degenerating and in danger of disappearing altogether. Such fears led to new laws restricting immigration from southern and eastern Europe. [See AJ, Immigration Act of 1924] Similarly, the 1920 U.S. census eliminated the distinction between "Negro" and mulatto (mixed races), thereby categorizing all as Negro regardless of skin color or racial background. Meanwhile, the vigilante Ku Klux Klan attacked African Americans, Catholics, and Jews for endangering traditional Anglo Saxon "purity." [See AJ, WWI & Jazz Age]

On a positive note, The Jazz Singer indicated significant changes in social arrangements. First, Jack Robin's success with his mother's blessings showed the triumph of the young generation in obtaining upward social mobility and assimilation. Ironically, by allowing Jack to perform both in the synagogue and on the stage, the film's ending allows him to have his cake and eat it: he can be both a Jew and an assimilated actor. In this way, the film dissolves the major cultural tensions. Second, Jack's relationship with Mary Dale, the "shiksa" (non-Jewish woman), showed that intermarriage among whites was both possible and good. In this way, the movie depicted America as a melting pot in which ethnic differences disappeared. Third, Jack Robin's interest in jazz music indicated the cooperation of African Americans and Jews (and other ethnic groups) in promoting the new music. Despite its use of ethnic stereotypes, The Jazz Singer anticipates a multiethnic society.

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