(May 26, 1886 - October 23, 1950)
Al Jolson was a popular American vaudeville performer, actor, composer, lyricist, and producer. Born as Asa Yoelson in Srednick, Lithuania, Jolson immigrated with his family to the United States early in his childhood. Yoelson began his career as a popular singer in New York City as early as 1898, by entertaining the troops during the Spanish American War, and, soon after, adopted the stage name of Al Jolson. However, Jolson's first big break in show business was with vaudeville great Eddie Leonard at the Bijou Theatre, where young Al sang from the balcony. 1 Soon after he left the balcony, the fourteen-year-old Jolson signed with Lily Langtry and the Villanova Touring Burlesque Company and began to develop the key elements of his performance style: a somewhat operatic style of singing, exuberant physical mannerisms and gestures, bird-like whistling with the use of his fingers and hands, and directly addressing the audience. By 1911, Jolson made his first Broadway appearance in the Jerome Kern musical La Belle Paree and turned a supporting role into a star turn. This was also the first time that blackface performance was featured in a "legitimate" show. On March 20, 1911, Jolson took to the stage to sing "Paris is a Paradise for Coons" and thus began his journey towards immortality. 2
La Belle Paree was the first of Jolson's thirteen Broadway productions spanning from 1911 to 1940. Jolson was known for the power of his stage presence. Audiences would shout and plead, and sometimes would not allow the show to continue. The power of Jolson's voice was unmatched. Jolson's agent Art Klein once said, "In those days there were no microphones. But this man had the most resonant voice of any human being I knew. I stood at the back of the theatre with my hands on the wall-and I could feel the bricks vibrate." 3
Jolson popularized many songs including "You Made Me Love You," "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody," "Swanee," "April Showers," "Toot, Toot, Tootsie, Goodbye," "California, Here I Come," and "Sonny Boy." Jolson was the first recording artist to sell over ten million records and had the equivalent of twenty-three number one hits.
Jolson's popularity on Broadway and in recording spurred his jump to Hollywood and moving pictures. Featured in ten major motion pictures, Jolson is best known on the silver screen for his portrayal of Jack Robin in Hollywood's first "talkie," The Jazz Singer. Once again in blackface, Jolson's voice came alive on the screen during the musical numbers only using Warner Brother's Vitaphone sound process. Ironically, the film and Jolson's performance not only popularized the talking picture, but also killed vaudeville. The Keith-Orpheum circuit, a major promoter of vaudeville theatres across the nation, sold its theatre interests and joined with the Radio Corporation to form RKO Pictures. 4 Jolson's popularity led to star performances in The Singing Fool (1928), Mammy (1930), and Go Into Your Dance (1935), in which he starred with his wife, Ruby Keeler. However, by the time this final film was released, Jolson's career in Hollywood was fading and returned to film only for a few guest appearances after 1939.
Jolson's personal life was very much connected to his public self. His first three wives, Henrietta Keller, Ethel Delmar, and Ruby Keeler, were dancers; only the last, Erle Chennault Galbraith, an x-ray technician, was not in the entertainment business. 5 Jolson was involved in politics, supporting Calvin Coolidge's run for the presidency in 1924, unlike his fellow Jewish performers who preferred the losing candidate, Democrat John William Davis. 6 The entertainer was also a devoted supporter of the American military and entertained the troops any time he had the chance, especially during World War II and the Korean Conflict. Jolson was dubbed "the world's greatest entertainer" despite the fact that he was a devout Orthodox Jew; he left a large portion of his estate to Holocaust charities upon his death.
Jolson died of a massive heart attack on October 23, 1950. His last words were "Well, boys, this is it...I'm going." 7 Jolson is interred at the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California where a statue of the entertainer invites visitors to celebrate his life. On the day of his death, Broadway dimmed its lights in his honor. Among the other remembrances of Al Jolson are three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (for film, radio, and recording), a postal stamp (issued on the forty-forth anniversary of his death), a street named for him in New York City, and two films based on his life story, The Jolson Story (1946) and Jolson Sings Again (1949).
1. Freedland 33-4
2. Freedland 55-57
3. Freedland 57
4. Oxford, 196.
5. Freedland 119
6. Freedland 190
6. Freedland 105
7. Freedland 246
Resources
"Al Jolson." Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Jolson 28 September 2007.
This online research database provides basic chronologies, anecdotes, and a useful place from which to begin research. However, at times, the "facts" are questionable.
"Al Jolson." IMDb. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0427231 28 September 2007.
This online database provides complete filmographies, mini-biographies, and trivia for all persons who have made motion pictures.
"Al Jolson." IBDB. http://ibdb.com/person.asp?ID=11954 29 September 2007.
This online database provides complete stage credits, biographical facts, and awards for all persons who have appeared on Broadway.
Freedland, Jason. Jolson. New York: Stein and Day, 1972.
Freedland's biography of Jolson is complete with chronology, anecdotes, and glimpses into both the public and private personas of the entertainer. This is the most useful resource I found.
McClelland, Doug. Blackface to Blacklist: Al Jolson, Larry Parks, and 'The Jolson Story.' Metuchen, NJ: The Scarecrow Press, 1987.
McClelland's book deals primarily with Jolson's use of blackface in performance, as well as the creation of the film based on his life. For anyone interested in the politics of Hollywood film-making, this book is a must.
Oberfirst, Robert. Al Jolson: You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet. New York: A.S. Barnes, 1980.
Oberfirst's biography is useful for its many facts. Complete with full discography, filmography, and stageography, Oberfirst focuses on the driest facts with very little appeal for its writing style or flair.
Sieben, Pearl. The Immortal Jolson. New York: Frederick Fell, Inc., 1962.
The earliest biography I could find. Sieben's book leaves a lot to be desired as it provides only surface details about Jolson's life and career. To get a more detailed idea of Jolson-the-man, I would suggest looking at any of the other three books.