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A Plantation Act is an early Vitaphone sound-on-disc short film starring Al Jolson, the first film that Jolson starred in. Jolson in blackface sings three of his hit songs: "April Showers", "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody", and "When the Red, Red Robin".
Transcript
00:08The End
00:30I heard a robin' this morning, I'm feelin' happy today, I'm gonna put my calves in a whistle, blow them
00:40all away, what if I've been unlucky, really I ain't got a thing, but there's a time I always feel
00:49happy, there's a happy, there's a king.
00:55When the red red robin' starts bob-bob-bobbin' along, along, there'll be no more sobbin' when the geese starts
01:05robbin' his own sweet song, wake up, wake up, you sleepyhead, get up, get up, get out of bed, cheer
01:15up, cheer up, the sun is red-lit, love, laughin' me happy, what if I've been blue, now I'm walkin'
01:23through fields,
01:23of flowers, rain may glisten, but still I listen for hours, and hours, I'm just a kid again, doin' what
01:34I did again, singin' a song, when the red red robin' starts bob-bob-bobbin' along,
01:46along, along, there'll be no more sobbin' when he starts robbin' his own sweet song, wake up, wake up, you
01:57sleepyhead, cheer up, cheer up, the sun is red, cheer up, along, get out of bed, live, love, laugh and
02:05be happy, what if I've been blue, now I'm walkin' through fields,
02:09of flowers, of flowers, rain may glisten, but still I listen for hours, and hours, I'm just a kid again,
02:19doin' what I did again, singin' a song, when the red red robin' starts bob-bob-bobbin' along,
02:30wait a minute, wait a minute, give me a chance, folks, ha ha ha, you ain't heard nothin' yet, you
02:36ain't heard a thing, and now, ladies and gentlemen, I'm gonna sing you a little song, I haven't sung for
02:40about two or three years, a little ballad, I think you'll like it, April Showers, if you please, Professor.
02:57Life is not a highway stroomed with flowers,
03:02till it holds a goodly share of bliss,
03:06when the sun gives way to April showers,
03:09here's a thought we shall never meet,
03:18though April showers
03:20may come your way,
03:24they bring the flowers
03:26that bloom in May,
03:29and if it's raining,
03:32have no regrets,
03:36because
03:37it is raining,
03:39raining,
03:39you know,
03:40it's raining,
03:41violet,
03:43and where you see clouds
03:45upon the hills,
03:48you soon will see crowds
03:51of a daffodil,
03:53so keep on looking,
03:56so keep on looking,
03:57for a blue burn,
03:59and listening,
04:01for it's dawn,
04:07whenever April showers,
04:14come along,
04:21may come along,
04:22though April showers,
04:23may come your way,
04:27may bring the flowers,
04:30that bloom in May,
04:32and if it's raining,
04:35have no regrets,
04:36because
04:37it isn't raining,
04:39rain, you know,
04:40it's raining,
04:42violet,
04:43and where you see clouds,
04:46on the hills,
04:47no,
04:48no,
04:49they're not clouds,
04:50oh, no,
04:51they're crowds of daffodils,
04:54so keep on looking,
04:56for a blue burn,
04:58and listening,
05:01for it's dawn,
05:10come along,
05:11whenever April showers,
05:23come along.
05:25come along.
05:34Wait a minute,
05:35wait a minute,
05:36you ain't heard nothing yet,
05:38you ain't heard a thing,
05:39and now ladies and gentlemen,
05:41I'm gonna sing you a little song,
05:42that the rule of folks love to hear me sing,
05:45it's a little mammy song,
05:46and a very funny thing,
05:48people have been making fun of mammy songs,
05:49and I don't really think,
05:51it's right that they should,
05:53for after all,
05:53mammy songs are the fundamental songs of our country,
05:56and not only that,
05:57you take John McCormick,
05:58John McCormick,
06:00the famous radio singer,
06:02he sings Mother McCree,
06:03and that's a mammy song,
06:05and folks here in bed,
06:07so if you don't mind,
06:08I'm gonna sing you my little mammy song,
06:10rock-a-bye,
06:11you're rock-a-bye,
06:12baby,
06:13with a Dixie melody,
06:15if you please.
06:32Mammy mine,
06:34your little rolling stone that rolled away,
06:37rolled away.
06:39Mammy mine,
06:40your little rolling stone is home today,
06:43stay to stay.
06:46I wanna see your smiling face,
06:50smile a welcome time,
06:53I wanna feel your heart embrace,
06:56listen,
06:58mammy mine,
07:02mammy mine,
07:04rock-a-bye,
07:07your baby,
07:08with a Dixie melody,
07:12when you prune,
07:14prune a little tune,
07:16from the heart of Dixie,
07:20just hang that cradle mammy mine,
07:23right on that Mason-Dixon line,
07:26and swing it,
07:27swing it,
07:28from Virginia,
07:30to Tennessee,
07:31with all of the soul,
07:33Virginia.
07:36Sweet from all my lady,
07:38mammy,
07:41sing it again for me,
07:43and old Black Joe,
07:45just as though
07:46you hurt me on your knee,
07:49a million baby kisses I'll deliver,
07:53if you will only sing,
07:55the Swanee River,
07:56rock-a-bye,
07:58your rock-a-bye baby,
08:01with a Dixie melody.
08:10Rock-a-bye,
08:12oh, rock your little baby,
08:14with a Dixie melody,
08:16when you prune,
08:18prune a little tune,
08:22from the heart of Dixie,
08:25just hang that cradle mammy mine,
08:28right on that Mason-Dixon line,
08:31and swing it,
08:32swing it,
08:33from Virginia,
08:34to Tennessee,
08:36with all of the soul,
08:38Virginia.
08:39Virginia.
08:42Mammy,
08:44listen what you're playing,
08:46weep no more my lady,
08:48sing it again for me,
08:49and you remember,
08:50you remember old Black Joe,
08:51Lord love you mammy,
08:52you sang,
08:53when I was on your knee,
08:55a million baby kisses I'll deliver,
08:58sing,
08:59the Swanee River,
09:02rock-a-bye,
09:04your rock-a-bye baby,
09:05for that Dixie,
09:08not the Dixie.
09:13and you in a room,
09:33You're coming for me every one man,
09:33So you go over your catering,
09:33and you're in,
09:33you help me.
09:33On your way,
09:34you built your love,
09:35and mainly making a serious
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