3.102-King of Jazz with Matthew Brady Artwork

The Oscar Project Podcast

A discussion of all the films nominated for Oscars, starting in 1929, plus interviews with filmmakers and authors writing about the film industry.

All Episodes

The Oscar Project Podcast

3.102-King of Jazz with Matthew Brady

December 19, 2025 • Season 3 • Episode 102

Send us a text

Today's episode is my conversation about the 1930 film King of Jazz. I'm joined by Matthew Brady from the Warren Peace newsletter and we talk about the use of color in this film that sets it apart for many other films of the time, the relative success of various comedy bits throughout the film, and how many of the sequences throughout are reminiscent of the vaudeville days.

You can watch King of Jazz online for yourself or pick up the Criterion release of the film, and be sure to check out Matthew's newsletter.

Other films mentioned in this episode include:

"Sinkin' in the Bathtub" directed by Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising
All Quiet on the Western Front directed by Lewis Milestone
"Africa" directed by Walter Lantz
Hollywood Revue of 1929 directed by Charles F. Reisner
Singin' in the Rain directed by Stanley Donen and Eugene Kelly
The Wizard of Oz directed by Victor Fleming
Duck Soup directed by Leo McCarey
Bulldog Drummond directed by F. Richard Jones
The Love Parade directed by Ernst Lubitsch
Sally directed by John Francis Dillon
The Vagabond King directed by Ludwig Berger