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Al Jolson

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.

Personal information

Birthday

1886-05-26

Birth Place

Sredniki, Kovno Governorate, Russian Empire [now Seredzius, Lithuania]

Movies and TV shows :

A Day at Santa Anita

A Day at Santa Anita

1937

5.0

Movie
A Plantation Act

A Plantation Act

1926

3.6

Movie
poster

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

1955

7.7

TV
Big Boy

Big Boy

1930

4.0

Movie
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

1975

5.7

Movie
Go Into Your Dance

Go Into Your Dance

1935

7.0

Movie
Going Hollywood: The '30s

Going Hollywood: The '30s

1984

10.0

Movie
Hallelujah, I'm a Bum

Hallelujah, I'm a Bum

1933

7.5

Movie
Hollywood and the Stars

Hollywood and the Stars

1964

0.0

Movie
Hollywood Cavalcade

Hollywood Cavalcade

1939

5.1

Movie
Hollywood Handicap

Hollywood Handicap

1938

4.5

Movie
Jolson Sings Again

Jolson Sings Again

1949

6.0

Movie
Mammy

Mammy

1930

4.7

Movie
Myrna Loy: So Nice to Come Home To

Myrna Loy: So Nice to Come Home To

1990

9.0

Movie
New York Nights

New York Nights

1929

4.8

Movie
Okay for Sound

Okay for Sound

1946

5.0

Movie
Purple Heart Diary

Purple Heart Diary

1951

0.0

Movie
Rhapsody in Blue

Rhapsody in Blue

1945

6.4

Movie
Rose of Washington Square

Rose of Washington Square

1939

5.7

Movie
Salsa

Salsa

1976

0.0

Movie
Say It with Songs

Say It with Songs

1929

5.3

Movie
Screen Snapshots Series 18, No. 8

Screen Snapshots Series 18, No. 8

1939

4.0

Movie
Screen Snapshots: Memorial to Al Jolson

Screen Snapshots: Memorial to Al Jolson

1952

0.0

Movie
Screen Snapshots: Series 16, No. 12

Screen Snapshots: Series 16, No. 12

1937

5.0

Movie
Show Girl in Hollywood

Show Girl in Hollywood

1930

5.6

Movie
Show-Business at War

Show-Business at War

1943

7.0

Movie
Showbiz Goes to War

Showbiz Goes to War

1982

10.0

Movie
poster

Startime

1959

6.0

TV
Studio Highlights

Studio Highlights

1934

0.0

Movie
Swanee River

Swanee River

1939

6.5

Movie
Take It or Leave It

Take It or Leave It

1944

4.0

Movie
The Dawn of Sound: How Movies Learned to Talk

The Dawn of Sound: How Movies Learned to Talk

2007

7.0

Movie
The Golden Twenties

The Golden Twenties

1950

0.0

Movie
The Jazz Singer

The Jazz Singer

1927

6.1

Movie
The Jolson Story

The Jolson Story

1946

6.7

Movie
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino

The Legend of Rudolph Valentino

1961

0.0

Movie
The Singing Fool

The Singing Fool

1928

5.0

Movie
The Singing Kid

The Singing Kid

1936

4.0

Movie
The Voice That Thrilled the World

The Voice That Thrilled the World

1943

5.3

Movie
Wonder Bar

Wonder Bar

1934

6.2

Movie