IMDb RATING
7.2/10
5.6K
YOUR RATING
The story of four generations of a Russian Jewish immigrant family of musicians whose careers parallel the history of American popular music in the 20th century.The story of four generations of a Russian Jewish immigrant family of musicians whose careers parallel the history of American popular music in the 20th century.The story of four generations of a Russian Jewish immigrant family of musicians whose careers parallel the history of American popular music in the 20th century.
Mews Small
- Frankie
- (voice)
- (as Marya Small)
Ron Thompson
- Tony
- (voice)
- …
Jerry Holland
- Louie
- (voice)
Lisa Jane Persky
- Bella
- (voice)
Jeffrey Lippa
- Zalmie
- (voice)
Roz Kelly
- Eva Tanguay
- (voice)
Frank DeKova
- Crisco
- (voice)
- (as Frank De Kova)
Rick Singer
- Benny
- (voice)
- (as Richard Singer)
Elsa Raven
- Hannele
- (voice)
Ben Frommer
- Palumbo
- (voice)
Amy Levitt
- Nancy
- (voice)
Leonard Stone
- Leo Stern
- (voice)
Eric Taslitz
- Little Pete
- (voice)
Gene Borkan
- Izzy
- (voice)
Richard Moll
- Beat Poet
- (voice)
Beatrice Colen
- Prostitute
- (voice)
Hilary Beane
- Showgirl #1
- (voice)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe two dancers in the "Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)" montage are The Nicholas Brothers, Harold Nicholas and Fayard Nicholas. The animators directly rotoscoped their dance from Stormy Weather (1943).
- GoofsZalmie and his mother flee the czar in Russia but when they are in the US they speak what some people mistakenly assume is German. They're actually speaking Yiddish, which is similar to German and was the language spoken by Jews in Russia at the time.
- Crazy creditsDisclaimer before soundtrack listings: The following songs were depicted as being written by fictional characters. The producer would like to thank the true composers.
- Alternate versionsIn some versions of the film, dialog has been redone in at last two scenes, presumably to make points more clear. For example, in Little Pete's first scene, he is asked what his Dad would say about him hanging backstage with a rock band. In one version, Pete says "Nothing. He's dead." In the other version, he instead says "I never met my Dad. He's some kind of mystery" (which serves as a better setup for information learned later) Also, Tony returns to the band's apartment after his release from the hospital, only to find they have moved out. In both versions, under 'People Are Strange,' we hear him on the phone with a friend, but the phone conversations begin completely differently. In one we never learn what happened to the band, only that they seemed to have moved out and left Tony behind, while in the other we learn that the band has gone on to big things, with a gold album. Both versions' phone calls end the same way, though, with Tony desperately asking his friend for money or drugs.
- ConnectionsEdited from Applause (1929)
- SoundtracksAmerican Pop Overture
Arranged by Lee Holdridge
Featured review
I haven't seen this movie since it came out nearly two decades ago and yet I remember it like it was yesterday. Perhaps being a member of the clan that the movie depicts gives it special meaning for me. The strand connecting the chants of the ghetto synagogue, through early jazz, sixties ballads and finally hard rock rang true to this unsophisticated viewer. Perhaps the characters where often cliches and the symbolism hackneyed- but so what. This is the shorthand of our culture and these iconic elements were used with wit, charm and taste. Animation in this film is truly an artistic medium. The memory of the final scene, where generations of suffering are vindicated in the roar of acclaim for the rock singer descendent, still brings a chill to my spine.
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $1,500,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 36 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
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