From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over 100 stage works, including such classics as "Ol' Man River", "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man", "A Fine Romance", "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", "The Song Is You", "All the Things You Are", "The Way You Look Tonight", "Long Ago (and Far Away)" and "Who?". He collaborated with many of the leading librettists and lyricists of his era, including George Grossmith Jr., Guy Bolton, P. G. Wodehouse, Otto Harbach, Oscar Hammerstein II, Dorothy Fields, Johnny Mercer, Ira Gershwin and E. Y. Harburg. A native New Yorker, Kern created dozens of Broadway musicals and Hollywood films in a career that lasted for more than four decades. His musical innovations, such as 4/4 dance rhythms and the employment of syncopation and jazz progressions, built on, rather than rejected, earlier musical theatre tradition. He and his collaborators also employed his melodies to further the action or develop characterization to a greater extent than in the other musicals of his day, creating the model for later musicals. Although dozens of Kern's musicals and musical films were hits, only Show Boat is now regularly revived. Songs from his other shows, however, are still frequently performed and adapted. Many of Kern's songs have been adapted by jazz musicians to become standard tunes.
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Biography from TMDB.
- Composer and writer
- 14 on MovieCove · 26 credits in all
What are Jerome Kern's films like?
Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 6
Light 6 · Serious 0 · Dark 0
Grounded 1 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 0
Gentle 5 · Charged 1 · Intense 0
Steady 5 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 1
Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0
Casual 6 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 5 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 0
Resolved 6 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy6
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Jerome Kern's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 14 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Jerome Kern's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
26 credits, 14 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
Show Boat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Show Boat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Show Boat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
Roberta (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Lovely to Look At(1952)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Show Boat(1951)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
That Midnight Kiss (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)
Till the Clouds Roll By(1946)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Centennial Summer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)
Can't Help Singing(1944)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Cover Girl(1944)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
You Were Never Lovelier(1942)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
Joy of Living (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)
High, Wide and Handsome(1937)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Swing Time(1936)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Show Boat(1936)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
The Flame Within (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)
Roberta(1935)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
Sweet Adeline (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)
Music in the Air(1934)
Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films
The Cat and the Fiddle(1934)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Sunny (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)
The Three Sisters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)
Sally(1929)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
Show Boat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)
Career shape
A full career of 26 titles from 1929 to 2015.
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Jerome Kern's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 60th percentile, the median of all 14; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 62nd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up4
- 50th to 74th7
- 25th to 49th3
Shape of the crowd
9 of their 14 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved2
- Crowd Pleaser9
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed2
Reviewers score the sound and music 80/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles; fans 87, detractors 63. The element that speaks to their work as a composer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Jerome Kern work with?
People who share at least 2 of Jerome Kern's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Oscar Hammerstein II shares the most, 2.
Writers
- Oscar Hammerstein IIShared titles: Show Boat (1951), Music in the Air (1934)See all 2 shared titles with Oscar Hammerstein II
Actors
- Kathryn GraysonShared titles: Show Boat (1951), Till the Clouds Roll By (1946)See all 2 shared titles with Kathryn Grayson
Producers
- Arthur FreedShared titles: Show Boat (1951), Till the Clouds Roll By (1946)See all 2 shared titles with Arthur Freed
