Al Jolson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Al Jolson (May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian singer, comedian and actor. In his heyday, he was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer".He was born in the Russian Empire (the part of which is now in Lithuania) and emigrated to America at the age of five with his Jewish parents. His performing style was brash and extroverted, and he popularized a large number of songs that benefited from his "shamelessly sentimental, melodramatic approach". Numerous well-known singers were influenced by his music, including Bing Crosby Judy Garland, rock and country entertainer Jerry Lee Lewis, and Bob Dylan, who once referred to him as "somebody whose life I can feel". Broadway critic Gilbert Seldes compared him to "the Great God Pan," claiming that Jolson represented "the concentration of our national health and gaiety." In the 1930s, he was America's most famous and highest paid entertainer. Between 1911 and 1928, Jolson had nine sell-out Winter Garden shows in a row, more than 80 hit records, and 16 national and international tours. Although he's best remembered today as the star in the first (full length) talking movie, The Jazz Singer in 1927, he later starred in a series of successful musical films throughout the 1930s. After a period of inactivity, his stardom returned with the 1946 Oscar-winning biographical film, The Jolson Story. Larry Parks played Jolson with the songs dubbed in with Jolson’s real voice. A sequel, Jolson Sings Again, was released in 1949, and was nominated for three Oscars. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Jolson became the first star to entertain troops overseas during World War II, and again in 1950 became the first star to perform for G.I.s in Korea, doing 42 shows in 16 days. He died just weeks after returning to the U.S., partly due to the physical exertion of performing. Defense Secretary George Marshall afterward awarded the Medal of Merit to Jolson's family. He enjoyed performing in blackface makeup – a theatrical convention since the mid-19th century. With his unique and dynamic style of singing black music, like jazz and blues, he was later credited with single-handedly introducing African-American music to white audiences. As early as 1911 he became known for fighting against anti-black discrimination on Broadway. Jolson's well-known theatrics and his promotion of equality on Broadway helped pave the way for many black performers, playwrights, and songwriters, including Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, and Ethel Waters. Description above from the Wikipedia article Al Jolson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Credits
- 2007 · The Dawn of Sound: How Movies Learned to Talk as Self (archive footage)
- 1990 · Myrna Loy: So Nice to Come Home To as (archive footage)
- 1984 · Going Hollywood: The '30s as (archive footage)
- 1982 · Showbiz Goes to War as (archive footage)
- 1976 · Salsa as (archive footage)
- 1975 · Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? as Self (archive footage)
- 1964 · Hollywood and the Stars as (archive footage)
- 1961 · The Legend of Rudolph Valentino as Self (archive footage)
- 1959 · Startime as
- 1955 · Alfred Hitchcock Presents as Jakie Rabinowitz (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1952 · Screen Snapshots: Memorial to Al Jolson as Self (archive footage)
- 1951 · Purple Heart Diary as Al Jolson (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1950 · The Golden Twenties as Self (archive footage)
- 1949 · Jolson Sings Again as Himself (singing voice) (uncredited)
- 1946 · The Jolson Story as Singing Voice / Al Jolson (uncredited)
- 1946 · Okay for Sound as
- 1945 · Rhapsody in Blue as Al Jolson
- 1944 · Take It or Leave It as (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1943 · The Voice That Thrilled the World as Self (segment 'The Jazz Singer') (archive footage)
- 1943 · Show-Business at War as Self
- 1939 · Swanee River as Edwin P. Christy
- 1939 · Hollywood Cavalcade as Al Jolson
- 1939 · Rose of Washington Square as Ted Cotter
- 1939 · Screen Snapshots Series 18, No. 8 as Al Jolson
- 1938 · Hollywood Handicap as Himself
- 1937 · Screen Snapshots: Series 16, No. 12 as Self (uncredited)
- 1937 · A Day at Santa Anita as Al Jolson (uncredited)
- 1936 · The Singing Kid as Al Jackson
- 1935 · Go Into Your Dance as Al Howard
- 1934 · Studio Highlights as Self
- 1934 · Wonder Bar as Al Wonder
- 1933 · Hallelujah, I'm a Bum as Bumper
- 1930 · Big Boy as Gus
- 1930 · Show Girl in Hollywood as Al Jolsen
- 1930 · Mammy as Al Fuller
- 1929 · New York Nights as Al Jolson
- 1929 · Say It with Songs as Joe Lane
- 1928 · The Singing Fool as Al Stone
- 1927 · The Jazz Singer as Jakie Rabinowitz
- 1926 · A Plantation Act as Self