Al Jolson

• Born: May 26, 1886
• Birthplace: Srednike, Russia (now Seredžius, Lithuania)
• Died: October 23, 1950
• Place of death: San Francisco, California

Singer and actor

Jolson was one of the first nationally popular Jewish entertainers, and his songs represented a merger of early African American jazz and of mainstream popular music.

Area of achievement: Entertainment

Early Life

Al Jolson (JOHL-son) was born Asa Yoelson in a Russian shtetl, the fifth child of Rabbi Moshe and Naomi Yoelson. When Jolson was about four years old, his father came to America and settled in Washington, D.C., as rabbi and cantor for Talmud Torah. Four years later the family joined him. Jolson’s mother died soon afterward during a pregnancy. His father married again, to his mother’s cousin. Chyesa. However, Chyesa never filled the maternal void for the children. Jolson’s popular song “Mammy” was in part a lament for his late mother.

After their mother’s death, Jolson and his older brother, Hirsch, found solace in performing. Starting as street-corner singers using the Americanized names Al and Harry Joelson, the brothers used the coins thrown to them to frequent local theaters and vaudeville houses. Harry and Al began singing in front of servicemen enlisted for the Spanish-American War in 1898, then they drifted from town to town as truants. At one point Jolson spent time in St. Mary’s Industrial School in Baltimore as a runaway, the same school that later trained another truant, George “Babe” Ruth.

Jolson’s first paid acting job was as an extra in the play The Children of the Ghetto (1899). In hopes of starting a show business career, Jolson traveled to New York in 1900, following Harry, who had found work in the theater. Reduced to sleeping where he could, Jolson developed what was likely tuberculosis, but he still managed to obtain a few stage roles. His first billing was in 1901 with fellow actor Frederick Moore: Joelson and Moore. In general, however, the brothers found little work and frequently returned home.

Their first major opportunity came in 1903 when the William Morris Agency found them a job on Long Island. This was followed by additional bookings until 1908, when showman Lew Dockstader observed a performance by Jolson in blackface. Known as Al Jolson, because Joelson was too large for the brothers’ printed cards, he was signed for Lew Dockstader’s Minstrels. While the show was on tour, Jolson’s performances came to the attention of producers Lee and Jake Shubert, who decided to take a chance on the singer. Harry’s career was never as successful as his brother’s, and the two would have a troubled relationship over the years.

The Shuberts signed Jolson for the Winter Garden production of The Musical Review of 1911, a musical comedy in two parts: Bow Sing and La Belle Paree. Jolson’s part was clearly racist and consisted of a musical comedy parody in African American dialect.

Life’s Work

The Jolson mystique began with his performances in La Belle Paree. The show received mixed reviews, but Jolson was singled out for his appeal. The third performance on March 21, 1911, was played before a raucous crowd. Jolson broke out in whistles, a gimmick for which he became known.

Jolson’s popularity on Broadway continued to increase, and he headlined in Vera Violetta (1911); The Whirl of Society (1912), which introduced the runway ramp into the audience; The Honeymoon Express (1913); Robinson Crusoe, Jr. (1916); Sinbad (1918); and Bombo (1921). The songs Jolson introduced became part of his repertoire, including George Gershwin’s “Swanee.” Jolson became the highest paid performer on the stage, and his personal life remained second to his career (and growing ego). Two marriages failed during this period.

During the 1920’s, film studios began experimenting with an innovation: sound. In 1927, Warner Bros. decided to produce a full-length film version of the Broadway play, The Jazz Singer (1925), the story of a rabbi’s son who forsakes the synagogue for a life in show business. George Jessel, who had been playing the part on Broadway, declined the role in the film, and Jolson became the logical choice for the starring role. Jolson had a national audience for a show that had clear autobiographical elements. The film was silent, with songs and an improvised monologue by Jolson talking to his mother interspersed in the action. The film was a hit, and Jolson continued to star in a series of musicals. The quality of the films’ plots eventually declined until Jolson’s roles developed into parodies of the man.

Early in 1928, Jolson met eighteen-year-old showgirl, Ethel “Ruby” Keeler, with whom he fell in love, and they married later that year. They remained together until 1939, in what quickly became an unhappy union. Whether it was the age difference, which seemed to bother the insecure Jolson more than Keeler, or her refusal to cater to his ego, the marriage failed. Keeler became a significant musical performer on stage and on film screens. One incident highlighted their interactions. During her performance in the 1929 production of Show Girl, Jolson rose from the audience to sing an impromptu song. The “intrusion” proved popular with the audience, and Jolson repeated the performance in subsequent shows. Keeler later indicated she had no idea why Jolson chose to do so.

Shortly after the entrance of the United States into World War II, Jolson began a tour of military camps in the south, often playing two shows on the same day. His popularity among the troops resulted in a national tour to such places as Alaska, followed by overseas trips to South America, London, and North Africa. Jolson’s exhaustion triggered malaria and a recurrence of tuberculosis, resulting in removal of a portion of his lung. Jolson never fully recovered his health.

Following his return, Jolson began a “barnstorming” tour to the West, visiting injured veterans along the way, the “Purple Heart circuit,” as it was called. While in Arkansas, he met a twenty-year-old nurse, Erle Galbraith, who surprisingly was unaware of the level of Jolson’s popularity. The two fell in love, and Erle became his fourth wife. The two remained happily married until his death.

Jolson’s obvious continuing popularity resulted in another of the film biographies popular at the time, and filming of The Jolson Story began in 1945. Jolson wanted to portray himself, but by this time he was nearly sixty and Larry Parks was chosen to star. Jolson did appear in one scene, dancing in a “Swanee” number. The success of the film resulted in a sequel, Jolson Sings Again (1949).

When the Korean War broke out in 1950, Jolson again was the first major entertainer to travel to the war zone to entertain the troops, at his own expense. It was no surprise to soldiers in isolated regions to have Jolson suddenly appear to provide an impromptu concert. The travel took a significant toll on his already precarious health. Jolson died of a heart attack in October, 1950, while in San Francisco, during a trip in which he was planning another film.

Significance

Jolson defined entertainment for generations. Billed as “the world’s greatest entertainer,” Jolson was certainly the most famous entertainer of his time. Other performers had toured in plays, though not to the degree to which Jolson had through large and small towns. Other performers had starred in films, though Jolson carried his talent from the stage to the screen, providing entertainment for those who never had an opportunity to see him in person. His catchphrase, “You ain’t heard nothing yet,” exemplified the enthusiasm and the excitement he brought to every performance.

Bibliography

Freedland, Michael. The Story of Jolson. Portland, Oreg.: Mitchell Vallentine, 2007. An updated illustrated version of an earlier work by the author. Entertaining overview of the subject’s career and private life.

Goldman, Herbert. Jolson: The Legend Comes to Life. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988. Extensively researched biography of the subject. Included are a stageography and a filmography encompassing the entertainer’s life.

Grudens, Richard. When Jolson Was King. Stonybrook, N.Y.: Celebrity Profiles, 2006. Biography of the subject with emphasis on his entertainment and singing career.