Broadway and Hollywood feed off each other. Apr 13, 2008
Al Jolson, Ruby Keeler, Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire and many others answered the call. "Once successful in Hollywood," note Kantor and Maslon, "these stars rarely, if ever, performed again on Broadway.". (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
Book 'Em, AEG Apr 2, 2008
Opened by theater chain owner Marcus Loew in 1922, the theater had previously hosted silent films and vaudeville revues with the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Al Jolson and Rin Tin Tin. Atlanta real estate investor David Addington bought the venue and office building on Market Street from Florence Fang, former publisher of the San Francisco Examiner, for $12 million in 2005. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
Bert Williams Feb 12, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008. Arts Heroes of Black History. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Webber's return reason for sadness on many fronts Feb 9, 2008
I was a very fortunate son of Gordon Jenkins, a prominent composer-arranger-conductor for the better part of the 20th century, and he worked closely with three of the most difficult people in the history of the music business: Al Jolson, Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra. Jolson could be an insufferable brat; the drug-sodden Garland was almost impossible to get on stage; Sinatra could make Tony Soprano seem tame. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Sports)
How our ears have changed Jan 27, 2008
Would Al Jolson have dreamed of this when he got down on one knee in what we feel is the first talkie. I m willing to bet he d love the idea. (The Citizen's Voice, PA)
George Gershwin Alone’ is more cabaret act than play Jan 25, 2008
In a few short years, his Swanee would be heard at a Harlem nightclub by Al Jolson, whose hit recording of the song catapulted George and his older brother Ira, who wrote the lyrics, into fame and fortune. George and Ira were virtually inseparable; Felder describes Ira as the soft and sensitive one and George as the brash, loud one. (Cleveland Jewish News, OH)
Hollywood Park figure is betting on ballot measures Jan 10, 2008
executive Jack L. Warner, and had celebrity shareholders, including Al Jolson, Walt Disney, Bing Crosby and Joan Blondell. But attendance has plummeted since the track's heyday. (Los Angeles Times)
Heroes in thick of itReality is suspended in recap of political year, as portrayed on TV Dec 26, 2007
All it took was the gentle mocking of Jamie's love of musician Al Jolson by junior policy advisor Ollie Reeder. But the public was left under no illusion as to Jamie's anger when he ferociously stated that he wished to shove Mr Reeder's iPod into a sensitive part of his anatomy - and would stick some speakers in another. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
State looks beyond box office receipts for arts funding Dec 23, 2007
For more than a century, fans of live theater, music and comedy have been treated to the likes of Al Jolson, Bela Lugosi, Red Skelton and Tallulah Bankhead. The Advocate is publishing a five-part series this week spotlighting past performances as well as the future of local theater. (Stamford Advocate)
AND ALL THAT JAZZ Dec 16, 2007
Al Jolson and Fanny Brice reigned on Broadway. Charlie Chaplin entertained millions on film. (New York Post -- Opinions)
History's Yiddish Cabaret Of Sunshine Dec 13, 2007
Fletcher, a cantor, sings beautifully, and Hanan, who once played Al Jolson in an off-Broadway musical, certainly knows how to sing and act with gusto. KLEYNKUNST. (New York Post -- Entertainment)
Six Bob Dylan characters in search of an author Nov 22, 2007
Along with Al Jolson, Ronald Reagan and Truman Capote, Dylan is one of the four people everyone on Earth can imitate - that is, everyone except Christian Bale, who plays the folk Dylan (and later comes back as the born-again Christian Dylan), here known as Jack Rollins. When Bale imitates Dylan, he sounds a lot like George W. Bush. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Closing the Book Nov 17, 2007
Three people from the Modesto Chamber of Commerce donned blackface and performed the Al Jolson song "Mammy" for the event. Johnson's husband hooted at the performers and left. (Modesto Bee, CA)
Don't look away Nov 12, 2007
About two-thirds of the way in, though, the film suddenly turns the corner into unforgivable pop travesty: Al Jolson sits at a backstage makeup table and applies burnt cork to his face ... In 1927, Al Jolson was an established and extremely popular stage celebrity, something on the order of a classic-rock superstar today ... The May 12, 1928, headline of the Baltimore Afro-American ran: "'Jazz Singer' Seen as Gripping Drama: Throng See and Hear Al Jolson in Screen Triumph at Regent." Harlem's... (Boston Globe)
Raising the curtain on preservation, dedication Nov 10, 2007
My dad remembered going to his first talking movie there in 1927, to see Al Jolson. Little girls doing their dance recitals there. (Boonville Daily News, MO)
Smile, darn you smile Nov 8, 2007
Who can forget Al Jolson singing, "I'd walk a million miles For one of your smiles, My Maaaamy!" Or Judy Garland singing, "Smile, though your heart is aching Smile even though it's breaking ..." How about "Just let a smile be your umbrella On a rainy, rainy day ..." There are others such as "Smile darn you, Smile!" and "There are smiles that make you; happy, There are smiles that make you blue ... Why am I writing about smiles? Well, it has occurred to me that about all you need sometimes is a... (Black Hills Pioneer, SD)
more » Nov 6, 2007
I even got to watch a restored version of the first talkie of The Jazz Singer with Al Jolson on a recent night. Anyway, on a recent night, I was watching an old picture when someone referred to someone who was dying of consumption. (Searcy Daily Citizen, AR)
The remarkable trial of Richard Wills Nov 2, 2007
To borrow from Al Jolson in the original version of The Jazz Singer, the first feature-length movie made with snatches of audible dialogue, "Wait a minute, wait a minute - you ain't heard nothin' yet, folks.". Rick Wills is that punishingly loquacious fellow with the coffin-shaped head who last month spent 11-plus days in the witness stand, theoretically testifying in his own defence. (Globe and Mail -- National)
The voice of Andrew Carnegie Oct 30, 2007
Credit for its rediscovery and its restoration goes to 59-year-old Queens, N.Y., sound artist Art Shifrin, who in the early 1980s found a copy of the Carnegie clip in the archives of the Swedish Radio Company in Stockholm and then the original cylinder sound roll in the Edison National Historic Site in West Orange, N.J. What his work showed was that as early as 1913, Mr. Edison had been experimenting with the phonograph and the motion picture (two of his inventions) to create films -- 14 years... (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
'You ain't heard nothin' yet!'Anniversary screening of early talking pic 'The Jazz Singer' at historic Loew's Oct 27, 2007
The 1927 movie starring the legendary entertainer Al Jolson is the story of Jakie Rabinowitz, a young Jewish boy who bucks the cantor tradition of his rabbi father and grows up to become popular "jazz singer" Jack Robin, only to return to his estranged family as his father is on his deathbed ... "Instead of people paying hundreds of dollars to go to New York to see Al Jolson or some other top act of the day, they could see a Vitaphone short and hear them perform," Hutchinson said. (Union City Reporter, NJ)
Photo Gallery Oct 27, 2007
The Landmark Loews Jersey Theater in Jersey City on Nov. 10 will be holding an 80th anniversary screening of The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson, seen in still from the movie performing for his mother (Eugenie Besserer) ... The 1927 movie starring the legendary entertainer Al Jolson is the story of Jakie Rabinowitz, a young Jewish boy who bucks the cantor tradition of his rabbi father and grows up to become popular "jazz singer" Jack Robin, only to return to his estranged family as his father is... (Jersey City Reporter, NJ)
The Jazz Singer Oct 21, 2007
The first full-length talkie is out on 3 disc DVD. Jolson sings again in the 80th anniversary edition of this seminal film. (Suite101.com)
New on DVD: There's no 'Love' crazier than Riss and Pugach's Oct 19, 2007
Before Danny Thomas (1952), Jerry Lewis (1959) and even Neil Diamond (1980) scattered mothballs to remake what even a '20s critic termed "a pleasant enough sentimental orgy," Al Jolson paved the way for sound pictures by playing the razzmatazz hopeful who outrages his cantor father by pursuing showbiz. Back story: Despite its reputation, this wasn't the first sound movie by a long shot. (USA Today -- Life)
'Transformers,' 'Planet Terror,' 'Mighty Heart' Oct 17, 2007
Eighty years has flown by since Al Jolson told audiences, "You ain't heard nothing yet," ushering in the age of talking pictures. The 1927 film gets grand DVD treatment in a three-disc set featuring restored images and sound. (AZCentral -- Entertainment)
On DVD: 'Transformers,' 'My Best Friend,' 'A Mighty Heart,' 'Hoax' Oct 17, 2007
80th anniversary edition of The Jazz Singer with Al Jolson the original talkie. The MGM Holiday Collection: A box holding The Bishop's Wife (1947), March of the Wooden Soldiers (1934) and Pocketful of Miracles (1961). (San Diego Union-Tribune)
New on DVD: Transformers, A Mighty Heart Oct 16, 2007
The Jazz SingerEighty years has flown by since Al Jolson told audiences, You aint heard nothing yet, ushering in the age of talking pictures. The 1927 film gets grand DVD treatment in a three-disc set featuring restored images and sound. (MSNBC -- Movies)
All That 'Jazz' Oct 14, 2007
AT 80, AL JOLSON'S PIONEERING TALKIE SINGS AGAIN WITH A THREE-DISC DVD SET ... Starring Al Jolson as a young man who defies his father, a Jewish cantor, to become an entertainer, "The Jazz Singer" is a mostly silent drama ... The DVD includes a reproduction of a poignant telegram to Jack Warner: "WHEN YOU LOST ONE BROTHER YOU FOUND ANOTHER ONE. YOUR LOVING BROTHER, AL JOLSON.". (New York Post -- Entertainment)
Click for Full Story Oct 6, 2007
Eighty years ago in 1927, talking motion pictures arrived with the opening of The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson ... Today's Highlight in History:On October 6, 1927, the era of talking pictures arrived with the opening of "The Jazz Singer," a movie starring Al Jolson, which featured both silent and sound-synchronized scenes. (KWTX.com, TX)
Today In History - Oct. 6, 2007 Oct 6, 2007
On October 6, 1927, the era of talking pictures arrived with the opening of The Jazz Singer, a movie starring Al Jolson which featured both silent and sound-synchronized scenes. On this date. (CBS2.com, CA)
Long-vacant Modern Theatre in Boston to house Suffolk University students Oct 4, 2007
The 1876 building, first used as a furniture store and turned into a "talkie" cinema just as Al Jolson brought sound to American movies in "The Jazz Singer" in 1928, is adjacent to 10 West St., which Suffolk also bought and is renovating for dorm space. "Doing the Modern will make West Street a more efficient building," Nucci said. (Boston Globe)
The Next Page: The sound of American music Sep 23, 2007
The words were by his brother Ira -- who came to write the words to much of George's lyrical output -- and the song's success benefited greatly from being sung by superstar Al Jolson (born in Lithuania as Asa Yoelson). Gershwin, who died at 38, was prolific, with a large output of works for the stage and the concert hall. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
Rick Rubin Wants To Get In On This Web 2.0 Thing Sep 5, 2007
One problem with iTunes is that, with some exceptions, all the songs are priced equally -- a Justin Timberlake smash costs the same as an Al Jolson classic. Since a listener would, ideally, pay more for a Top 10 hit, that egalitarian system costs record companies potential millions of dollars. (Idolator)
What to see as the Show goes up Aug 31, 2007
Maltin s program, Rediscovering Vitaphone , includes the Al Jolson s performance piece that served as a dry run for The Jazz Singer. Kitchen sink. (Telluride Daily Planet, CO)
Tribune to sell former WB studio Aug 30, 2007
It is where talking pictures were born when Al Jolson recorded his first words in "The Jazz Singer" in 1927. In later years, Warner used the site to produce musicals and dramas. (Los Angeles Times)
O'Brien's Braves blog Aug 17, 2007
Some of his ballads like :Are you lonesome tonight: from 1960 (first made famous by Al Jolson of all people) and Love me tender from 1956 can t be over looked either. By Ron. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Sports)
George Gershwin Jul 22, 2007
After Al Jolson popularized Swanee in 1919, George's career finally began to take off. Broadway Composer: Music Theater and Hit Songs. (Suite101.com)
Entrepreneur and theatre impresario Mirvish dead at 92 Jul 12, 2007
Born to Jewish parents on July 24, 1914, in Colonial Beach, Virginia, he was circumcised by one Rabbi Yoelson, who turned out to be the father of Al Jolson, who became one of the greatest popular singers of the 20th century. Mirvish always described this decidedly indirect brush with greatness as "my chief claim to fame.". (Canada.com)
Read more. . Jun 26, 2007
We'll have imitations like Al Jolson, quartets and comedy skits. Tom and Mary Dhuyvetter will be doing George Burns and Gracie Allen. (Williston Daily Herald, ND)
Spend the evening with George Burns Jun 24, 2007
Special guests also courtesy of Hinmon's impersonation skills will include Gracie Allen, Eddie cantor, Al Jolson, Jimmy Durante and Carol Channing. Audience members should beware: When this George Burns sings, he walks among the audience, serenading women and shaking hands with men. (Austin Daily Herald, MN)
Pacino honored with award Jun 12, 2007
Upon collecting his award, Pacino said, "I need a character. I don't think of myself as being able to do anything. Seeing my life in the movies, I have one question. And that is, 'Why aren't I in rehab?!' advertisement "By age 3, I was doing Al Jolson (legendary singer who starred in the first 'talking' film). I found, in the theatre, this place I could go to. (AZCentral -- Entertainment)
Al Pacino Recognized With AFI Honor Jun 9, 2007
"By age 3, I was doing Al Jolson," he said. "I found, in the theater, this place I could go to. I found this peace.". (Orlando Sentinel -- Entertainment)
Dancing around white America's embrace of hip-hop Jun 6, 2007
Tanz can chronicle the contributions of Norman Mailer, Carl Van Vechten , and Al Jolson to our understanding of white cultural crossover, but has little to add beyond the kind of handwringing about white incursion that has long been de rigueur. He's (correctly) worried about hip-hop , and the power of white kids to ruin it through ignorance, earnestness, and economic sway, but the book never pulls back to consider the larger stakes. (Boston Globe)
Spirit and humor of George Burns coming to FM Jun 6, 2007
Hinmon changes persona to include such other performers and Burns contemporaries as Gracie Allen, Eddie Cantor, Al Jolson, Jimmy Durante, and Carol Channing. Hinmon commented, am very excited to bring this show to the southeast Iowa area and to share a bit of laughter and nostalgia with their audiences. (Fort Madison Daily Democrat, IO)
Ripley's Triumphant Return to New York! May 25, 2007
Also playing for Ripley's team were boxing champion Jack Dempsey, comedians Jimmy Durante, Bugs Baer and W. C. Fields, actors George Raft and Al Jolson, World War I Hero and founder of Eastern Airlines, Eddie Rickenbacker, and billionaire William Randolph Hearst, Jr.. 3,197-lb. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Two bio-musicals set audiences humming May 4, 2007
The lives of French troubadour Maurice Chevalier (Tony Sandler), pictured, and jazz singer Al Jolson (Marc Moritz) are told through song ... Clevelander Marc Moritz takes on the persona of larger-than-life Al Jolson, in the JCC production of Jolson ny, held at Tri-C East Performing Arts Center ... That s how close Marc Moritz gets to becoming Al Jolson in Jolson ny, the 2002 off-Broadway musical by Stephen Mo Hanan and Jay Berkow. (Cleveland Jewish News, OH)
Bank on Carolina Apr 21, 2007
RALEIGH, N.C. -- A song of the early 1920s that has remained a favorite, with surges in popularity from recordings by such greats as Al Jolson, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin and even Bill Haley and His Comets, put it this way: If I had Aladdin's lamp for only a day, I'd make a wish and here's what I'd say: Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning. Indeed, North Carolina is a fine place to be in the afternoons and evenings as well. (Washington Times)
Now’s the time to prepare our garden Apr 13, 2007
In the classic Al Jolson (Judy Garland) song April Showers, we hear this famous line: Though April showers may come your way, they bring the flowers that bloom in May. Recently it has come to my mind that the lyrics could also include, and these same showers, turn lawns into towering green. (Corvallis Gazette Times, OR)
Hinmon Headlines at the Fairwith George Burns Comedy Show 04-08-2007 Apr 8, 2007
Hinmon changes persona to include such other performers and Burns contemporaries as Gracie Allen, Eddie Cantor, Al Jolson, Jimmy Durante and Carol Channing ... The one-man comedy show includes other special guest appearances by Gracie Allen, Eddie Cantor, Al Jolson, Jimmy Durante and Carol Channing. (Plainview Daily Herald, TX)
When the taxman comes knocking Apr 7, 2007
It provided finance for one of his musicals, about the entertainer Al Jolson - but this time investors claimed tax deductions of 400 per cent.. Again, the Tax Office slapped down the deductions and hit investors with 50 per cent tax avoidance penalties. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Edison the Inventor, Edison the Showman Mar 11, 2007
But he permitted competitors to snatch up other performers like Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Fannie Brice and Al Jolson. The first record to sell one million copies was Vernon Dalhart;s hillbilly ditty ;The Prisoner;s Song. (Shoals TimesDaily)
Tour the Tombs of the Movie Stars Mar 3, 2007
Here lie Jack Benny, Eddie Cantor and Al Jolson, amongst others. 6001 Centinela Ave., Baldwin Hills; phone 800-576-1994. (Suite101.com)
Singer Frankie Laine dies at 93 Feb 8, 2007
Laine said his musical influences included Bing Crosby, Al Jolson and jazz artists including Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong and Billie Holliday. When people nowadays say that Elvis was the first white guy to sound black, I have to shake my head; what can you do. (MSNBC -- Music)
'First of the white soul singers' Feb 7, 2007
Dancing gave him the chance to see Paul Whiteman, Al Jolson, Cab Calloway and Louis Armstrong. This rooted him in jazz but, as he said, he didn't then know that Jolson really wasn't a jazz singer, or what the blues were. (Guardian Unlimited -- World)
Frankie Laine, 93 Feb 7, 2007
Laine said his musical influences included Bing Crosby, Al Jolson and jazz artists including Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong and Billie Holliday. Laine's variety show Frankie Laine Time ran for two summers, 1955 and 1956, on CBS, and he also appeared in films including When You're Smiling, and Sunny Side of the Street. (Globe and Mail)
Lights, camera … silence Jan 29, 2007
It is 80 years since Al Jolson uttered the immortal words "You ain't seen nothin' yet" in The Jazz Singer, the talkie that ended the silent movie era. Now, as cinema moves into the digital age, a curious thing is happening - silent films are having a revival. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Opening night at Fox Theatre Jan 28, 2007
It was a hurried-up job as they wanted to open before Christmas and introduce the "talkies" with Al Jolson singing in "The Jazz Singer.". There were new Fox Theatres in Fresno, Visalia, Hanford and other places. (Hanford Sentinal, CA)
Ken Russell: The film-maker laid bare Jan 6, 2007
Born in Southampton in 1927, the year that Al Jolson first talked on screen, he developed a taste for cinema early and, by his teens, was showing silent masterworks such as Fritz Lang's Metropolis (still a firm favourite) to neighbours in the family garage - for an entrance fee. "The money I got went to the Spitfire Fund," he recently told critic Sheila Johnston. (Independent)
