History Film / KingOfJazz

* ShesGotLegs: The Rockettes (billed as the Russell Market Girls) do their leg-kicking thing more than once.

* TheManInTheMoon: The "Bench in the Park" number ends with a [[UncannyValley rather disturbing shot]] of Whiteman's corpulent, pencil-mustached face as that of the man in the moon.

* CranialEruption: How Whiteman gets “crowned” King of Jazz. A monkey hits him over the head [[CoconutMeetsCranium with a coconut]], giving him a crown-shaped lump.

* NonIndicativeName: Subverted. Even though Whiteman called himself the "king of jazz", his music was more in the vein of standard big band numbers rather than what we would call jazz nowadays[[note]][[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment For decades, Whiteman had a very low reputation among jazz purists (in some cases, even today)]], [[BerserkButton especially for his]] [[MisBlamed (alleged) role in the professional (and personal) decline of legendary trumpeter/cornet player "Bix Beiderbecke]][[/note]].

* NonIndicativeName: Subverted. Even though Whiteman called himself the "king of jazz", his music was more in the vein of standard big band numbers rather than what we would call jazz nowadays[[note]][[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment For decades, Whiteman had a very low reputation among jazz purists (in some cases, even today)]], [[BerserkButton especially for his]] [[MisBlamed (alleged) role in the professional (and personal) decline of legendary trumpeter/cornet player "Bix Beiderbecke]][[/note]].

* StorybookOpening: The movie opens with John Boles standing in front of a giant book titled "Whiteman's Scrapbook."

* CranialEruption: How Whiteman gets “crowned” King of Jazz. The lion hits him over the head, giving him a crown-shaped lump.

* RepriseMedley: Right before the end there is a medley that consists of excerpts from all the songs played in the movie.

Whiteman, who called himself "king of jazz" despite being as white as his name, was a famous American bandleader--the first famous bandleader, in fact. ''King of Jazz'' was initially conceived as a Paul Whiteman {{Biopic}}, but that idea was abandoned. Instead, the film is simply a revue, a collection of musical numbers performed by Whiteman and his band, with short comic sketch sequences between the songs. The film took advantage of a lavish budget, with huge sets, lots of dancers, and innovative graphic effects. It was also shot in two-strip Technicolor, making it one of the earliest sound features made entirely in color, a trend that began in 1929. The film however is one of a few of them that have survived completely. Most early color talkies are now lost/incomplete or surviving as made-for-TV black-and-white duplicates.

* NonIndicativeName: Subverted. Even though Whiteman called himself the "king of jazz", his music was more in the vein of standard big band numbers rather than what we would call jazz nowadays.

* ClosetShuffle: One of the sketch comedy bits involves a [[ReallyGetsAround quite promiscuois]] French peasant woman who keeps having soldiers show up at her cottage and ask if she's been true to them. She has to hide three successive soldiers in closets--and then a general shows up.

Whiteman, who called himself "king of jazz" despite being as white as his name, was a famous American bandleader--the first famous bandleader, in fact. ''King of Jazz'' was initially conceived as a Paul Whiteman {{Biopic}}, but that idea was abandoned. Instead, the film is simply a revue, a collection of musical numbers performed by Whiteman and his band, with short comic sketch sequences between the songs. The film took advantage of a lavish budget, with huge sets, lots of dancers, and innovative graphic effects. It was also shot in two-strip Technicolor, making it one of the earliest Technicolor features (not the earliest, though, as ''The Toll of the Sea'' dates back to 1922).

The film includes an opening cartoon by Creator/BillNolan and Creator/WalterLantz, which was the first ever cartoon made in the Technicolor process. Music/BingCrosby made his film debut as one of "The Rhythm Boys", a singing group.

* ClosetShuffle: One of the sketch comedy bits involves a ReallyGetsAround French peasant woman who keeps having soldiers show up at her cottage and ask if she's been true to them. She has to hide three successive soldiers in closets--and then a general shows up.

* EverythingIsAnInstrument: One act features a guy playing "Stars and Stripes Forever" with ''a bicycle pump''.

* ImagineSpot: One musical number features a man playing a piano and singing next to a portrait of a pretty woman in a frilly white dress. The film then cuts to that woman as a live actress, and an ornate musical number kicks off. The number then ends by going back to the man alone at his piano next to the painting.
* IncredibleShrinkingMan: Paul Whiteman introduces his band with an impressive special effect for the era. He puts a toolbox on a table next to a tiny bandstand. As Whiteman watches, his tiny bandmembers climb out of the toolbox and take their places on the bandstand.

* TheManInTheMoon: One number ends with a rather disturbing shot of Whiteman's corpulent, pencil-mustached face as that of the man in the moon.

* MusicSoothesTheSavageBeast: How Whiteman tames the lion that is about to eat him in the opening cartoon.
* NonIndicativeName: Even though Whiteman called himself the "king of jazz", his music wasn't really jazz at all, but standard big band numbers played on a large stage.

* NotReallyMarriedPlot: In a brief sketch. A husband and wife discover in the newspaper that the minister who married them was a con man and thus they aren't really married. The scene cuts to a shot of their baby in a carriage, played by Paul Whiteman in an unintentionally creepy moment.

* RepriseMedley: Right before the end there is a medley that consists of excerpt from all the songs played in the movie.

* ShesGotLegs: The Rockettes do their leg-kicking thing more than once.
* TokenMinority: The only black person in the movie is a little girl that is sitting on Waldman's lap in an entirely random moment.

* RepriseMedley: Right before the end there

* ObviousStuntDouble: Played for a gag. Whiteman, an overweight man, is asked to dance. After the camera pulls back someone who appears to be Waldman does an acrobatic dance. Then the movie cuts to another close-up shot in which Whiteman congratulates his stunt double.