| FACTS about Al JOLSON America’s First Superstar, & Greatest LIVE Entertainer of the Twentieth Century Al Jolson "FIRSTS" are in BOLD print Immigrated to America from Russia with his parents at the age of 7 Appeared on stage for the first time in 1899 (age 13) in a show called “Children of the Ghetto” From 1899 to 1911 appeared as a duo with his brother and other vaudeville acts...In 1911 appeared in his first Broadway show called “La Belle Paree” at the brand new Winter Garden Theatre. (this was the very first show ever at the Winter Garden) 1912...ON March 5th the Shuberts gave Al Jolson his first starring role on Broadway in a new show called “Whirl of Society”. .Jolson is making somewhere around $3,000 dollars a week on Broadway 1912....Jolson wants to get closer to the audience, so he has the Shuberts install a runway at the Winter Garden that extends to the back of the theatre. (If Ruth built Yankee Stadium, then Jolie built the Winter Garden) 1912...After receiving hundreds of requests, Al Jolson agrees to perform Sunday Night Concerts at the Winter Garden, so other Broadway performers can get a chance to see him perform. NO OTHER PERFORMER HAS EVER DONE THIS. 1913....In a new Winter Garden Show called “Honeymoon Express”, Jolson again does something that no other performer has ever done. With the show running late, Jolson turns to the audience and asks them “if they would like to see the rest of the show or just hear him sing”. The audience and the cast settle in and watch Jolie mesmerize them for another hour. 1914...Al Jolson becomes the first performer to take a Broadway show on the road. “Dancin’ Around”, which finished it’s run at the Winter Garden becomes the first show to make a national tour. Asked why he wanted to do this, Jolson’s reply was, “how else can people in small towns across the country get to see a Broadway show or hear me sing”. 1916...Al Jolson is billed as “America’s Greatest Entertainer”...later, that is changed to “The World’s Greatest Entertainer. 1918...Jolson finds a hot new song, and introduces it in his new show Sinbad at the Winter Garden. The song is called “Swanee”, and it’s composer is an unknown by the name of George Gershwin. Overnight, Swanee & Gershwin are a hit. 1918...Jolson coins the phrase “You Ain’t Heard Nothin’ Yet!”, and is the first Broadway performer to earn $10,000 per wk. 1920...At age 35, Jolson becomes the youngest performer to have a Broadway Theatre named after him. His new show “BOMBO”, plays for 5 years at Jolson’s Theatre and on national tour. 1925...A new show called “BIG BOY” opens at Jolson’s Theatre, and another first, he brings a LIVE horse on stage. 1926....Warner Brothers (experimenting with sound) asks Jolson to make a short motion picture Called “A Plantation Act”. 1927...Al Jolson stars in the First Talking Motion Picture...Warner Brothers “THE JAZZ SINGER”. The picture, which was mostly silent, had songs scattered throughout. However, Jolson took all of the engineers by surprise during filming when he spun around while singing “Blue Skies” and began ad-libbing dialogueto the character of his mother. When Warner Bros. watched the daily rushes, they were blown away and decided to leave it in. That scene was the forefather of modern film making. 1929...Jolson stars in a new Warners picture “The Singing Fool. The movie grosses over $5 million dollars and remains the highest grossing movie until “Gone With The Wind” 1939. 1929...Jolson records a song from the Singing Fool called “Sonny Boy”. It becomes the First Million Selling Record. 1929 to 1940....More Movies, Records, Radio Shows, Broadway, & Tours. During this period, Jolson also becomes the first face ever seen on a new invention called television. 1942 to 1944...Al Jolson becomes the first entertainer to go overseas and sing for our troops via the U.S.O. ...Jolson loses part of one of his lungs due to malaria picked up while touring. 1945...Jolson makes a cameo appearance as himself in the George Gershwin biography “Rhapsody In Blue”. His performance does not go unnoticed. Producer Sidney Skolsky gets the idea to make a bio flick about Al Jolson. 1945...Due to Jolson’s lung problem, and faced with the fact that he would have to re-record all of his hit songs, most of the studio’s passed on the idea. However, Columbia Pictures finally agreed to make the picture, and the greatest comeback in showbiz history was underway. Although Jolson wanted to play himself, hundreds of actors, including Gene Kelly, Frankie Laine, and James Cagney were tested to play the part. In the end, a “B” movie contract actor named Larry Parks gets the role...Jolson records more than eight hours worth of songs for his own biography, “THE JOLSON STORY”. 1945....The very first radio simulcast occurs, as Columbia Pictures and the Veterans of Foreign Wars pay tribute to Al Jolson. The Broadcasts take place simultaneously from New York, San Francisco, and Palm Springs. Jolson is in attendance in New York as guest of honor. There to salute Jolie are Frank Sinatra, Eddie Cantor, Bob Hope, George Jessel, Burns and Allen, & more. 1946...“THE JOLSON STORY” premieres. The combination of the great Al Jolson’s voice, and the wonderful acting and incredibly accurate lip-synch performance of Larry Parks, makes the movie a smash hit. “The Jolson Story” breaks all box office records, and is nominated for several Academy Awards including, Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Score, Best Song. The picture wins 2 Oscars, for Best Score and Best Song ‘The Anniversary Song” written by Al Jolson and Saul Chaplin on the set during filming. 1946....Jolson is back on top. “The Jolson Story” album becomes the first million selling album. Jolson has his own radio show “Kraft Music Hall”, appears as a guest on dozens of the popular shows of the day, and makes hundreds of records for Decca. 1949.... “Jolson Sings Again”, the sequel to “The Jolson Story” is released, and does record numbers at the box office. Al Jolson becomes the first and only entertainer to have TWO (continuation) biographies made about his life. 1950.... Jolson records his last studio album for Decca, a collection of Stephen Foster songs,with conductor Gordon Jenkins. In his previous recordings that year, he recorded “Are You Lonesome Tonight”, which was later copied by Elvis Presley. Sept. 1950....Al pays his own way, and is the first performer to go overseas to Korea to entertain the troops. He is very ill, and returns to the United States after doing 42 shows in only 16 days. Oct 23, 1950....While waiting to go on the Bing Crosby radio show, Al Jolson passes away while playing cards in his room at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. The world loses it’s greatest entertainer to a heart attack. Moments before passing away, Jolie looks up at the doctor and tells him " I must be an important person, after all, I had two hours with MacArthur, Truman only had one." *The lights are dimmed (for 10 minutes) on Broadway for the very first time. *Al Jolson is posthumously awarded the Medal Of Merit by President Truman for his service to his country. *In 2005, 55 years after his passing, Al Jolson's recordings and films continue to be re-issued on all new media formats. Jolie, who worried that he would be forgotten, would be happy. December 2005....Jolson's voice featured singing "I'm Sittin On Top of the World" during the opening scene of the blockbuster film KING KONG. August 11th, 2006.....51st Street & Broadway (just outside of the Winter Garden Theatre) in NYC is re-named AL JOLSON WAY. For more information on Al Jolson, go to www.jolson.org |