Arriving in the United States on this day, April 9, 1894: Al Jolson

[mahatmakanejeeves]

I swear, it was just a coincidence that I ran across this.

Al Jolson


Jolson, 1929

Born: Asa Yoelson, 9 June [O.S. 28 May] 1886; Seredžius, Kovno Governorate, Russian Empire
Died: October 23, 1950 (aged 64); San Francisco, California, U.S.

Website: jolson.org

Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson; 9 June [O.S. 28 May] 1886 – October 23, 1950) was an Lithuanian-American singer, comedian, and actor. He was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer" at the peak of his career. His performing style was brash and extroverted, and he popularized many songs that benefited from his "shamelessly sentimental, melodramatic approach." In the 1920s, Jolson was America's most famous and highest-paid entertainer.

{snip}

Early life


Al Jolson, circa 1916

Al Jolson was born Asa Yoelson in the Jewish village of Srednike ( Yiddish: סרעדניק? ) now known as Seredžius, near Kaunas in Lithuania, then part of the Russian Empire. He was the fifth and youngest child of Nechama "Naomi" (née Cantor, c. 1858–1895) and Moses Rubin Yoelson (c. 1858–1945); his four siblings were Rose (c. 1879–1939), Etta (c. 1880–1948), another sister who died in infancy, and Hirsch (Harry) (c. 1882–1953). Jolson did not know his date of birth, as birth records were not kept at that time in that region, and he gave his birth year as 1885.

In 1891, his father, who was qualified as a rabbi and cantor, moved to New York City to secure a better future for his family. By 1894, Moses Yoelson could afford to pay the fare to bring Nechama and their four children to the U.S. By the time they arrived—as steerage passengers on the SS Umbria arriving at the Port of New York on April 9, 1894—he had found work as a cantor at Talmud Torah Congregation in the Southwest Waterfront neighborhood of Washington, D.C., where the family was reunited.

{snip a whole lot}

On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Al Jolson among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

For videos, try this:

Fri Oct 6, 2017: Bonus anniversary: Happy 90th anniversary, "The Jazz Singer."

The Jazz Singer is a 1927 American musical film. As the first feature-length motion picture with not only a synchronized recorded music score, but also lip-synchronous singing and speech in several isolated sequences, its release heralded the commercial ascendance of sound films and the decline of the silent film era. Directed by Alan Crosland and produced by Warner Bros. with its Vitaphone sound-on-disc system, the film, featuring six songs performed by Al Jolson, is based on a play of the same name by Samson Raphaelson, adapted from one of his short stories, "The Day of Atonement".

Release date October 6, 1927

Due to, uhh, things being the way they were, there aren't too many scenes from "The Jazz Singer" with videos that I want to link to. Here's one:

Here's another:

Here's a clip that's not from "The Jazz Singer." THIS is entertainment:

[dhill926]

1. my Mom had Al Jolson records...

that I listened to a LOT when I was a kid. I was kind of a strange kid...

[Cartoonist]

2. I don't get it

I think he's absolutely horrible. He was also a lousy human being.

I listen to a lot of old time radio and old music. There were a lot of great singers back then. Al never impressed me.