“You ain’t heard nothin’ yet!”

Turner Classic Movies: TCM will begin its month-long festival, “The Projected Image: The Jewish Experience in Film,” tonight at 8 ET. Robert Osborne’s co-host for the event, which will air on Tuesday evenings through September, will be Eric Goldman.

The prime time schedule features two versions of “The Jazz Singer,” including the one commonly credited as the first feature-length quasi-talkie, starring Al Jolson, and a musical version with Danny Thomas. (Sorry, no Neil Diamond.)

Tonight’s line-up:

8:00 The Jazz Singer (1927)
9:45 The Jazz Singer (1953)
11:45 Hester Street (1975)
1:30 Avalon (1990)

“The Jazz Singer” tells the story of a cantor’s son, who forsakes the ways of his fathers to pursue his dream of finding work in show business. This, of course, sets up a conflict of duty and devotion to family vs. the protagonist’s hopeless love for worldly jazz.

Jolson, who was born Asa Yoelson, sells it all with a confidence born of the stage, including, naturally, “Mammy,” delivered in his signature black-face. The cantor is played by Warner Oland, who would later achieve enduring fame as Charlie Chan.

Lest you be tempted to dismiss the film on these grounds as a landmark of racial insensitivity, “The Jazz Singer” is a fascinating document on many levels, dealing with the issues of personal and ethnic identity, an inspiring example of the immigrant experience in a country determinedly on the way up. The film proved a major hit and changed the industry forever.

Here’s the full TCM festival schedule:

http://www.tcm.com/projectedimage/schedule.html

And a snippet of Jolson’s immortal improvisation prior to launching into “Toot, Toot, Tootsie”:

PHOTO: “TRADITION!” Warner Oland (center) with Jolson at the piano