Musical Film Index

Musical Film Index: J-K

**** - Exceptional
*** - Very good entertainment
** - Mediocre
* - Just plain bad
NO STARS - Beyond bad

Jack and the Beanstalk (1951) ** - Abbott and Costello revamp the fairy tale.
Jailhouse Rock (1957) *** - Elvis Presley rocks his way from prison to stardom in one of his best musicals.
Jam Session (1944) ** - Ann Miller tries to break into show biz – an army of jazz greats stop in to perform, making this tired plot worth sitting through
Jamboree (1957) ** - Minor love story features a parade of rock and hillbilly stars singing their specialties.
James and the Giant Peach (1996) *** - Surprisingly diverting animated tale of a boy who voyages through space on a mammoth floating peach.
Jazz Singer, The (1927) * - Mostly silent, but the sound sequences changed film forever thanks to Al Jolson's energetic presence. This premiered in November 1928.
Jazz Singer, The (1953) ** - Like the original wasn't bad enough? Danny Thomas stars in a sudsy reworking of the early talkie.
Jazz Singer, The (1979) NO STARS - Pop singer Neil Diamond hopelessly miscast in this ghastly remake – with Sir Laurence Olivier as his cantor father? Oy!
Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) * - Webber & Rice's rock opera hit comes to the screen in an overblown, witless production.
Jitterbugs (1943)
Joan of Ozark (1942)
Johnny Doughboy (1943)
Joker Is Wild, The (1958)
Jolson Sings Again (1949) ** - Okay sequel to The Jolson Story offers plenty of great Jolson vocals.
Jolson Story, The (1946) *** - Heavily fictionalized bio of the great entertainer energized by his renditions of dozens of period hits. Larry Parks does some swell lip synching.
Josette (1938)
Journey Back to Oz (1971) ** - Liza Minnelli is the voice of Dorothy in this meager animated sequel to The Wizard of Oz.
Joy of Living (1938)
Juke Box Jenny (1942)
Juke Box Rhythm (1959) NO STARS - Another bad vehicle for several 50s rock and pop singers.
Jumping Jacks (1952)
Jungle Book, The (1967) **** - Walt Disney's final animated feature is a joyous adaptation of Kipling's classic about a boy raised by wolves in the Indian jungle.
Junior Prom (1946)
Jupiter's Darling (1955)
Just Around the Corner (1938)
Just for You (1952) *** - Underrated fun as businessman Bing Crosby romances Jane Wyman and re-discovers the joy of living. Worth catching.
Just Imagine (1930) ** - A simpleton from the 1930s is medically revived in the 1980s and tries to play cupid for two 'modern' lovers. Silly, but this film's fanciful vision of a mechanized art deco future is occasionally interesting.
Kansas City Kitty (1944) ** - Bing Crosby and Joan Leslie buy a floundering music publisher.
Keep 'Em Flying (1941)
Kentucky Moonshine (1938)
Kid From Brooklyn, The (1946)
Kid From Spain, The (1932)
Kid Galahad (1962) * - Elvis Presley as a car mechanic who unwillingly becomes a boxing champion. Poor songs, weak story.
Kid Millions (1934)
King and I, The (1956) **** - Rodgers & Hammerstein's stage hit about a British tutor at the royal court of Siam gets a classy big screen adaptation, starring Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr.
King Creole (1958) ** - Elvis Presley as nightclub singer dealing with the New Orleans underworld.
King of Burlesque (1936)
King of Jazz, The (1930) ** - Massively overproduced spectacle, with Paul Whiteman's Band
King Steps Out, The (1936)
Kismet (1955) ** - Howard Keel sings impressively, but cartoonish acting plagues this a weak adaptation of Forrest & Wright's Broadway hit.
Kiss Me Again (1930)
Kiss Me Kate (1953) **** - Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson are great, but Ann Miller darn near steals this excellent adaptation of Cole Porter's stage hit. If you can ever see this in the original 3D version, do!
Kiss the Boys Goodbye (1941) *** - Mary Martin and Oscar Levant spark this backstage story.
Kissin' Cousins (1964)
Kissing Bandit, The (1948) * - Frank Sinatra as a sort of singing Zorro? Hopeless embarrassment, save for an irrelevant but dazzling dance routine by Cyd Charisse.
Kissing Bandit, The (1949) * - Frank Sinatra as the son of an amorous thief taking over the family trade. Idiotic.
Klondike Annie (1936)
Knickerbocker Holiday (1944) ** - Nelson Eddy is miscast as peg-legged Peter Stuyvesant in this (why resist?) lame adaptation of Kurt Weill's Broadway hit.