AllMovie

Dutch filmmaker Hans Hylkema directs the documentary Johnny & Jones, Two Boys and an Opera. This hour-long film explores the musical comedy team known as Johnny & Jones, who were killed by the Nazis during WWII. Although there is no remaining performance footage of the act, Hylkema uses archival materials to piece together the story of Max "Jones" Kannewasser and Arnold "Johnny" Van Wesel. The team formed in Amsterdam during the mid-'30s and built a following by performing musical spoofs of American jazz and swing. They performed in the concentration camps before their deaths in 1945. Meanwhile, contemporary composer Theo Lovendie works on an opera about the famous duo's history. Johnny & Jones was shown at the 2003 San Francisco Jewish Film Festival.