Yes, it was a vehicle for his popular songs, however in those days I'm sure there wasn't any disrespect to our brothers and sisters of other race more flattering endearment.
Growing up my parents would play his records. 🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥Watch the Al Jolson movies. this unbelievably talented man is beyond words to describe his ability. Still watch his movies on a video I have. Takes me back to happy times. Thank you wholeheartedly. 🎶🎶🎶🎤🎤🎤❤❤❤❤❤❤
My father was an Al Jolson impersonator working in Shaky's pizza when I was a kid growing up in L.A. How could I not love This! R.I.P. Al Jolson R.I.P. Charles H. Rambo, my Dad.
97 years since he belted out songs on the short. My step-mother who would have 103 years ago, told me about seeing “The Jazz Singer “ when see was about eight, so glad see didn’t have to ask her parents “ what does the titles say?” She would be in trouble if they were enjoying the movie. Different times…same results.😊
I read an article that said when Jolson was singing on stage, you could feel the vibration on the seat at the back of the theatre. No speakers, of course....his voice was just so strong!
Sad for the so called Z generation. I was lucky enough to hear this genius as a small child. I don't mind getting old because todays generation is poor. Cancel culture have called him racist, which he never was. It's their loss.
Imitation is the highest and sincerest form of flattery and that is exactly what AL Jolson did. He was so enamored by African American music that he wanted to bring it to white Americans that would not patronize the theater to see a black man perform it so he did it in blackface to display the full effect. This man loved what the black man did and there is no way anyone can justify talking against his admiration for it.
My father used to do the mystery show many years ago and I was the sidekick and I miss him everyday with song that LG sang rockabye baby with a Dixie Melody and I sure know that song pretty damn good to this day I wish I was still alive during the shows and El jonesy's still be on my heart to this day I'm going to miss this guy
Here stands a man who paved the way for Black Singers, Jazz musicians and so many many artists. Such a talented man, villainized today because of his medium, when he should be placed on a pedestal for his raw and unyielding charisma, fire to entertain the people and his unadulterated talent. Rest well Asa Yoelson.
@William Byron Seems that whites rarely saw blacks perform before he forced them to by appearing blackface. Hard to believe but he was tremendously popular. He changed showbiz by showing that the blacks have a lot to contribute.
Everybody that performed, sang, popular songs prior to AL Jolson, of various cultures,, complexions, EVERYTHING! the song, the show it was in WAS THE THING. AL JOLSON CHANGED all that to the performer/singer was THE THING!. In Times that were mostly segregated, he was one of a few, major stars that quite consistently crossed the colour line,. financially, and other wise, supporting non white artists, producers, actors, performers, writers etc, singing songs they wrote, and performing with them, by insisting they were in movies, and shows he stared in.@@Powerranger-le4up
Everybody has an interpretation of history. A real considered definitive research, movie, stage reviews, vaudeville, legitimate theater, concerts, the original authentic artifacts of the actual time i mean, reviews, commentary, personal recollections, everything when it all happened. not reflection in any given time later of the hundreds of it all I have, there is nothing in any of it, indicating Al Jolson was only about offending non white, or any culture, or complexion, that was not his thing, nor was there any indication that non whites, or different than him, despised him, or what he did. To my knowledge there was never any surveys, votes, consensus, or any such taken to gauge a general humanity. preference. I cannot recall any such thing ever. It all does not mean every single human being cannot, or could not Think, and have their own conclusion on all these things. who they liked, didn't, what they did, didn't, AND plural to all of it!. The blackface minstrel era, dates like from about the 1830'S to about 1911. Al Jolson continued blacking up, but not in Minstrel shows, until 1930 approx. After that, he and others did it infrequently in films, and only once and twice at benefits. Over recent years, several in fact, THE WORST of the practice, has been linked with just general horrors, slavery, Jim Crow, segregation, and the mockery in it, [ it was in it} to a degree, has, is manipulated, fabricated. presented out of context and perspective in A DEGRADING WAY TO simply turn people of it, or anything to do with it, TO SIMPLY PROTECT CONTEMPORARY PROFIT! WHAT is the reality of it all, and AL JOLSON, is that it is ancient. and very long ago!!! That is why THE POWERS THAT CONTROL what we like, or not, want, get, or not! CRUCIFY IT!! There is some vision of Jolson on film in blackface, in Minstrel show extracts, with all the brainwashing of many recent years, insult, put down to non whites could be interpreted read into it, or at least it looks, sounds just silly!. Most of him on film, or Larry Parks depicting him, presents none of it! This Plantation Act, 1926, torn clothes. poor surroundings. plenty could be read into it, of variation. THEN, I don't think the focus was on what would be, THE EDICT, THE DECREE, in the second decade of the 21ST CENTURY! As for me, having a concern about how AL Jolson is gravitated to now, at least introduced, or for a considerable time. The blackface image is a problem, or at least questionable to most everybody experiencing it for the first time, or even those that well know of it, and that is simply, why was there any need to do it? AND IT IS SO OLD!!. A sports coated, tuxedo. suited AL JOLSON, is initially the Better intro now,. The sound of him, no matter what also! As heard here, and most everywhere else! @WilliamByronIs
My mother used to rave about Jolson. When I heard him sing "Mammy" and others I, too was electrified. He's still my favorite! Such incredible talent, from his amazing voice to his extraordinary ability to connect with an audience.
@@ken-zp6ei That does not make him racist. It was something many entertainers did then. Did you read the article? Jolson more than any entertainer of his era was responsible for popularizing African American music!
Al Jolson was by far my father's favorite singer. My dad saw him perform in Chicago in the 30s. He asked his mom (my grandmother) why that man on the stage was crying while he was singing. That's the effect he had on people who heard him sing. When I was a kid, Dad would play Jolie records (33-1/2 RPM) for hours. 60 years later I still know all the words to the songs and the pauses and pronunciation Jolie used. Anyway, entertainer of a different time but still is a magnetic as he was many years ago.
Are we watching the same performance? In short, I don't find his singing to be anywhere near impressive. Ronnie James Dio from Black Sabbath is a singer and great performer. Also, Ronnie did not dress in black face.
@@briandavenport8971 The blackface wasnt to offend people nor was it seen as offensive to black people in the 1920s; 90 years ago. And in fact, Al Jolson was a big advocate for equality between black and white people.
Thank you so much for posting this Jeff!! I'm a big fan of Al Jolson but I have never been able to see this before. I find it to be very impressive on every possible level.
@@ken-zp6ei From Wikipedia: Jolson's relations with African Americans: Jolson's legacy as the most popular performer of blackface routines was complemented by his relationships with African-Americans and his appreciation and use of African-American cultural trends.[9] Jolson first heard jazz, blues, and ragtime in the alleys of New Orleans. He enjoyed singing jazz, often performing in blackface, especially in the songs he made popular such as "Swanee", "My Mammy", and "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody". As a Jewish immigrant and America's most famous and highest-paid entertainer, he may have had the incentive and resources to help improve racial attitudes. While The Birth of a Nation glorified white supremacy and the KKK, Jolson chose to star in The Jazz Singer, which defied racial bigotry by introducing black musicians to audiences worldwide. While growing up, Jolson had many black friends, including Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, who became a prominent tap dancer. As early as 1911, at the age of 25, Jolson was noted for fighting discrimination on Broadway and later in his movies. He promoted a play by Garland Anderson which became the first production with an all-black cast produced on Broadway. He brought a black dance team from San Francisco that he tried to put in a Broadway show. He demanded equal treatment for Cab Calloway, with whom he performed duets in the movie The Singing Kid. Jolson read in the newspaper that songwriters Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle, neither of whom he had ever heard of, were refused service at a Connecticut restaurant because of their race. He tracked them down and took them out to dinner, "insisting he'd punch anyone in the nose who tried to kick us out!" According to biographer Al Rose, Jolson and Blake became friends and went to boxing matches together. Film historian Charles Musser notes, "African Americans' embrace of Jolson was not a spontaneous reaction to his appearance in talking pictures. In an era when African Americans did not have to go looking for enemies, Jolson was perceived a friend." Jeni LeGon, a black female tap dance star, recalls her life as a film dancer: "But of course, in those times it was a 'black-and-white world.' You didn't associate too much socially with any of the stars. You saw them at the studio, you know, nice-but they didn't invite. The only ones that ever invited us home for a visit was Al Jolson and Ruby Keeler." British performer Brian Conley, former star of the 1995 British play Jolson, stated during an interview, "I found out Jolson was actually a hero to the black people of America. At his funeral, black actors lined the way, they really appreciated what he'd done for them." Noble Sissle, who was president of the Negro Actors Guild, represented that organization at his funeral. Jolson's physical expressiveness also affected the music styles of some black performers. Music historian Bob Gulla writes that "the most critical influence in Jackie Wilson's young life was Al Jolson." He points out that Wilson's ideas of what a stage performer could do to keep their act an "exciting" and "thrilling performance" was shaped by Jolson's acts, "full of wild writhing and excessive theatrics". Wilson felt that Jolson "should be considered the stylistic [forefather] of rock and roll." According to the St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture: "Almost single-handedly, Jolson helped to introduce African-American musical innovations like jazz, ragtime, and the blues to white audiences... [and] paved the way for African-American performers like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, and Ethel Waters... to bridge the cultural gap between black and white America. Amiri Baraka wrote, "the entrance of the white man into jazz... did at least bring him much closer to the Negro." He points out that "the acceptance of jazz by whites marks a crucial moment when an aspect of black culture had become an essential part of American culture." Seems to me that Al Jolson did a lot for black people and they really appreciated it.
@@ken-zp6ei Jolson was hardly racist. Blackface was an accepted form of theatrical performance back then. As far as Jolson himself is concerned, he was a great advocate of black equality. When he read that the great black songwriter Eubie Blake and his friend were denied entrance to one of New York's most famous restaurants, Jolson invited them to join him at the same restaurant the next night and he said "I'll bust anyone in the nose who tries to stop us". When Cab Calloway made a film with him, he saw that Cab's dressing room was pretty small and he told the producer that he would quit the film unless Cab had the exact same sized dressing room as he did.
Me too. nothing better than mimickry while the real musicians were broke and exploited. their art form imitated by low quality performers who were hailed as genius 😔
@@markmiller9110 Early in his career, he was in minstrel troops where he was the ONLY WHITE. The rest of the troop were black and wore blackface. It was a makeup, which allowed audiences to see your eyes and mouth in the days before electric lights in theaters. Not racism. Jolson always stood up for black performers. Don’t you know the story about him and Eubie Blake & Noble Sissle?
WOW...never saw this fantastic performance by Jolson before. I guess this was some sort of innovation preceding the first talking movie which Jolson introduced. He always led the way with new and courageous advances and he actually got better with age with a richer and richer voice
@@ken-zp6ei From Wikipedia: Jolson's relations with African Americans: Jolson's legacy as the most popular performer of blackface routines was complemented by his relationships with African-Americans and his appreciation and use of African-American cultural trends.[9] Jolson first heard jazz, blues, and ragtime in the alleys of New Orleans. He enjoyed singing jazz, often performing in blackface, especially in the songs he made popular such as "Swanee", "My Mammy", and "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody". As a Jewish immigrant and America's most famous and highest-paid entertainer, he may have had the incentive and resources to help improve racial attitudes. While The Birth of a Nation glorified white supremacy and the KKK, Jolson chose to star in The Jazz Singer, which defied racial bigotry by introducing black musicians to audiences worldwide. While growing up, Jolson had many black friends, including Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, who became a prominent tap dancer. As early as 1911, at the age of 25, Jolson was noted for fighting discrimination on Broadway and later in his movies. He promoted a play by Garland Anderson which became the first production with an all-black cast produced on Broadway. He brought a black dance team from San Francisco that he tried to put in a Broadway show. He demanded equal treatment for Cab Calloway, with whom he performed duets in the movie The Singing Kid. Jolson read in the newspaper that songwriters Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle, neither of whom he had ever heard of, were refused service at a Connecticut restaurant because of their race. He tracked them down and took them out to dinner, "insisting he'd punch anyone in the nose who tried to kick us out!" According to biographer Al Rose, Jolson and Blake became friends and went to boxing matches together. Film historian Charles Musser notes, "African Americans' embrace of Jolson was not a spontaneous reaction to his appearance in talking pictures. In an era when African Americans did not have to go looking for enemies, Jolson was perceived a friend." Jeni LeGon, a black female tap dance star, recalls her life as a film dancer: "But of course, in those times it was a 'black-and-white world.' You didn't associate too much socially with any of the stars. You saw them at the studio, you know, nice-but they didn't invite. The only ones that ever invited us home for a visit was Al Jolson and Ruby Keeler." British performer Brian Conley, former star of the 1995 British play Jolson, stated during an interview, "I found out Jolson was actually a hero to the black people of America. At his funeral, black actors lined the way, they really appreciated what he'd done for them." Noble Sissle, who was president of the Negro Actors Guild, represented that organization at his funeral. Jolson's physical expressiveness also affected the music styles of some black performers. Music historian Bob Gulla writes that "the most critical influence in Jackie Wilson's young life was Al Jolson." He points out that Wilson's ideas of what a stage performer could do to keep their act an "exciting" and "thrilling performance" was shaped by Jolson's acts, "full of wild writhing and excessive theatrics". Wilson felt that Jolson "should be considered the stylistic [forefather] of rock and roll." According to the St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture: "Almost single-handedly, Jolson helped to introduce African-American musical innovations like jazz, ragtime, and the blues to white audiences... [and] paved the way for African-American performers like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, and Ethel Waters... to bridge the cultural gap between black and white America. Amiri Baraka wrote, "the entrance of the white man into jazz... did at least bring him much closer to the Negro." He points out that "the acceptance of jazz by whites marks a crucial moment when an aspect of black culture had become an essential part of American culture." Seems to me that Al Jolson did a lot for black people and they really appreciated it.
You are looking at a real piece of history. Its premiere took place on October 7, 1926, at the Colony Theatre, New York, where it concluded a program of short subjects that accompanied Warner Brothers' second feature-length Vitaphone film The Better 'Ole. The "Intermission" card which appears at its end derives from that use. Critics praised A Plantation Act as the hit of the show. The short was long believed to be a lost film, and its unavailability fueled the misconception that Jolson's first sound film was the famous feature-length milestone The Jazz Singer, which premiered almost exactly one year later. A mute print of A Plantation Act was eventually found in the Library of Congress, mislabeled as a preview for The Jazz Singer. A copy of the corresponding soundtrack disc also came to light, but it had been broken into four pieces and glued back together so imperfectly that it would not play through. After some careful surgery, restoration technicians succeeded in making a usable dub from the disc and digitally removing the pops and clicks resulting from the damage.
Not true. The first film with sound was shown in a public exhibition in Paris in 1920. But the technology wasn't considered good enough for commercial use until the first commercial short films that came out in 1923, after the technology to record on film had been developed, though in that period some short films still produced the sound from a separate disc. It was the first full feature movie with sound, "The Jazz Singer", that didn't come out until 1927.
Really? They always played poor black characters with slave accents. Don't black people deserve a better life? Don't they deserve to go to college and get a doctorate? They don't deserve to be laughed at or demoted as inferior people.
That unique Black-Hebrew wail. Nobody could do it like Jolson. In fact, he might have invented it. His blackface routine wasn't meant to insult black people. In fact, he admired their talent (including their Southern-African dialect) and championed their right to perform in an era of strict segregation. That said, I can see why blacks would feel insulted because his act, a carryover from minstrel show days, exploited black stereotypes. Check out the Heaven scene in the 1936 movie, The Singing Kid which features white actors in blackface eating chicken and watermelon. One of them was even shown reading a Yiddish newspaper. Must have been a real scream at the time.
Al Jolson one of the all time greatest. Before black actors were allowed to preform on stage. Al Jolson was a champion to change that, and pushed to have black actors admitted to preform on stage and movies. He wasn't a racist. Al Jolson , one of the best of the best . Rest in peace with God. You're gone but never forgotten !!
You missed the bit about him watching lesser known stars, stealing their acts and using them himself in the big theatres, and then threatening to sue them if they steal his act. He made sure to wipe out the competiton before they had chance to make it big. I'm not aware of Jolson refusing to go on stage if blacks weren't allowed on, all his performances have white actor's blacked up
@@henryratajczak3071 yes and he stole their acts, then performed them at large venues, sending a telegram threating to sue anyone that used his act without permission and paying to do so
@@alberttatlock5237 so he was protecting his act. Any performer will do the same for heaven's sake. Show business is as cutthroat as any other work. You think Madonna or whoever lets anyone rip off their music without suing the fuck out of them?
0:31 - When the Red Red Robin Comes Bob Bob Bobbin' Along 2:58 - April Showers 6:25 - Rock-a-Bye Your Baby In 8 years worth of comments, I haven't seen this info posted. The timetags above jump ahead of the instrumental intros, cuing closer to the start of the lyrics.
Andrew Collins Lol, Jolson loved black people, he thought it was sad that they couldn’t be on broadway so he put on blackface to make them popular, do some research before you talk ill of the dead
The clip from this movie is not from 1926! The first ever all talking all singing sound movie was in 1927 and was called ". The jazz Singer"! I just now saw and discovered this priceless clip you posted! I'm so very happy to see the early Al Jolson pictures. Could you possibly find out the actual year and what movie this clip you posted is from?🤔(my guess is probably from the late late twenties to the early 30s ) 🤔🙄Thank you again for sharing your Jolson historical movie clips for all the world today to see, discover and enjoy!!!🤗👍💌
This is from a musical short called “A plantation act”. It was recorded on the Vitaphone system, as was “The Jazz singer”; But released a year earlier.
This was made in 1926. Both Jolson and Georgie Jessel recorded shorts for Warner Brothers using Vita-phone. The studio coerced Jolson into doing dialogue as well.
Actually, The Jazz Singer was not the first "all-talking" movie. It was a silent film, had title cards, and featured some sound segments. The first all-talking movie was Lights of New York (1928). The Jolson video shown here was a Vitaphone short, released in 1926. There were short films with sound even before that.
nanababes: It wasn’t considered racist 90 years ago, Einstein. Jolson was a fave of African Americans. Perform your due diligence before making moronic statements.
I get what you mean, a proper, factual, dramatic work. While I will always love the the Larry Parks films, they are done in a very 'light and fluffy' way with the plot of the film being more important than the facts. Jolson has such a fascinating story and an amazing career of breathtaking highs and depressing lows. But, given today's sensibilities, it probably wouldn't even get written, much less get made!
@@jamesbyersmusic The Jolson Story is a very strange film. It wasn't unusual for Hollywood biography films in the 1940s to invent fictitious "life stories" that had the bare bones of the person's real life events. The Jolson Story whitewashes the Judaism of Jolson's family and shows his parents accepting without any protest or qualm his establishing a career in show business at a very young age and his marrying a woman who isn't Jewish (Jolson was married several times but the Jolson Story features only one wife, who's fictionalised but is based on his marriage to Ruby Keeler). I would think they would have wanted to highlight some of tensions between Jolson's Jewish heritage and his wish to be Americanized, like the themes of the Jazz Singer. But I guess the studio and the times wanted a glossy tribute to Jolson without exploration of the conflicts he faced during his youth and career. I think a modern biopic that examines the issues of race and religion during his life and stardom would be fascinating.
He was a real national treasure. I'm surprised he hasn't been cancelled by YT and the rest of The Overlords. Maybe it's just a matter of time, since they have so much of the past to correct.
@@codyleslie478 From Wikipedia: Jolson's relations with African Americans: Jolson's legacy as the most popular performer of blackface routines was complemented by his relationships with African-Americans and his appreciation and use of African-American cultural trends.[9] Jolson first heard jazz, blues, and ragtime in the alleys of New Orleans. He enjoyed singing jazz, often performing in blackface, especially in the songs he made popular such as "Swanee", "My Mammy", and "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody". As a Jewish immigrant and America's most famous and highest-paid entertainer, he may have had the incentive and resources to help improve racial attitudes. While The Birth of a Nation glorified white supremacy and the KKK, Jolson chose to star in The Jazz Singer, which defied racial bigotry by introducing black musicians to audiences worldwide. While growing up, Jolson had many black friends, including Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, who became a prominent tap dancer. As early as 1911, at the age of 25, Jolson was noted for fighting discrimination on Broadway and later in his movies. He promoted a play by Garland Anderson which became the first production with an all-black cast produced on Broadway. He brought a black dance team from San Francisco that he tried to put in a Broadway show. He demanded equal treatment for Cab Calloway, with whom he performed duets in the movie The Singing Kid. Jolson read in the newspaper that songwriters Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle, neither of whom he had ever heard of, were refused service at a Connecticut restaurant because of their race. He tracked them down and took them out to dinner, "insisting he'd punch anyone in the nose who tried to kick us out!" According to biographer Al Rose, Jolson and Blake became friends and went to boxing matches together. Film historian Charles Musser notes, "African Americans' embrace of Jolson was not a spontaneous reaction to his appearance in talking pictures. In an era when African Americans did not have to go looking for enemies, Jolson was perceived a friend." Jeni LeGon, a black female tap dance star, recalls her life as a film dancer: "But of course, in those times it was a 'black-and-white world.' You didn't associate too much socially with any of the stars. You saw them at the studio, you know, nice-but they didn't invite. The only ones that ever invited us home for a visit was Al Jolson and Ruby Keeler." British performer Brian Conley, former star of the 1995 British play Jolson, stated during an interview, "I found out Jolson was actually a hero to the black people of America. At his funeral, black actors lined the way, they really appreciated what he'd done for them." Noble Sissle, who was president of the Negro Actors Guild, represented that organization at his funeral. Jolson's physical expressiveness also affected the music styles of some black performers. Music historian Bob Gulla writes that "the most critical influence in Jackie Wilson's young life was Al Jolson." He points out that Wilson's ideas of what a stage performer could do to keep their act an "exciting" and "thrilling performance" was shaped by Jolson's acts, "full of wild writhing and excessive theatrics". Wilson felt that Jolson "should be considered the stylistic [forefather] of rock and roll." According to the St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture: "Almost single-handedly, Jolson helped to introduce African-American musical innovations like jazz, ragtime, and the blues to white audiences... [and] paved the way for African-American performers like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, and Ethel Waters... to bridge the cultural gap between black and white America. Amiri Baraka wrote, "the entrance of the white man into jazz... did at least bring him much closer to the Negro." He points out that "the acceptance of jazz by whites marks a crucial moment when an aspect of black culture had become an essential part of American culture." Seems to me that Al Jolson did a lot for black people and they really appreciated it.
A big problem in this discussion is that most don’t know the facts. It was well publicized at the time, that it was a young Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle (who were in the beginning of their careers and just beginning to get noticed) which had been refused service in a restaurant because they were black. Jolson heard about it & purposely made a spectacle out of taking them to buy sandwiches at a Jewish deli & taking them for a picnic in the park in his big fancy car, - so he could invite reporters and publicly express his dislike of racism. Just read the many interviews with Eubie Blake & Noble Sissle - where they praised Jolson highly for his stand - and with helping them promote their talents. Jews at the time were not always considered as ‘white’ either. Jolson had started in ‘blackface’ troupes (as a young boy who had run away from home) in which he was the Only White person. He learned wearing ‘blackface’ makeup from the older black performers who did it in order to be able to be seen in gaslight or limelight in days before electricity. Whatever the story lines or songs were in the early shows, Jolson was only a young unknown performer trying to gain success. By the time he attained that success, he sometimes still did the blackface act that had made him popular - but phased that out as he gained popularity. He also fought against racism, by hiring blacks as dancers and actors for his touring broadway shows, when no one else dared to do it. Blacks who were his contemporaries thought he had helped their cause. The “feelings” of modern audiences are inconsequential. I recommend the book “Jolson: The Legend Comes to Life” by Herbert Goldman. It’s about 500 pages - and it’s only a starting point in understanding Jolson and his times.
What was the reason for this? How does this dovetail with The Jazz Singer? Was this like an experiment, a tryout? Was it shown in theaters? Anybody know? Any educated guesses?
second to none that were able to perform and who actually created the music, the authentic sound and the feel of the people from which the music actually came 😏
There is a lot of comment that Al Jolson worked in blackface - some said it's racist and some says Jolson was NOT a racist and gave many examples of this. I remember when I saw The Al Jolson Story - was that he was like his father, and father's father etc. training to sing in the Synagogue. However would wander off as a young boy and go to places where he heard black music and it moved his soul. That is how he explained it to his parents why he no longer wanted to sing in the synagogue but wanted to sing from his heart wherever he went. His father did not understand and kicked him out of the house etc. He finally got a chance to sing on stage when the man who sang in black face, did not show up and he took his place. And felt that he was singing from his heart. He received thunderous applause and the rest, as they say, is history. I feel that the black face was his connection to singing from his heart.
Thank you so much for posting this piece of American history. I do believe this is best viewed from the rear window as we move forward. However, I must say this is a league ahead of current urban culture in terms of artistry, and yes ... dignity!
Just out of honest curiosity,how would this influence any black performances of any date and do you have a particular black performer to be your example?
@@loverofcountry506070 greetings....I won't even say to you nice try or guess because it's more accurate to say this is an insult to his legacy. In the 70s I was in elementary school, where I did my 1st essay for black history month, and guess who it was on?? I checked out a book on him Sammy Davis Jr. I read his bio and everything. Lol SMH, even the fact that his Parents were entertainers, he (SDJ)(YOB)1925 joined their act at the ripe age of 3yrs old, So please...
I can’t read through 420 comments, but I’m sure someone has mentioned his blackface. It seems like he’s doing it in an affectionate way, not in a condescending way. I don’t know, I wasn’t there and it’s hard for me to imagine the mindset of the early 20th century audience. Not only do we see the burnt cork makeup, but the rags reminiscent of a field hand. I know he was an immensely popular performer. Did he open the doors for Black acts? Did he make white audiences open to the idea that Black performers were worth their time?
I love watching the chickens in the background. They wouldn't show them now- too racist to show live chickens. I watched a video from the 1940s with Dorothy Dandridge singing Easy Street and I was astounded that the video featured the African American performers stealing chickens as a "joke".
My grandmother said people would line up for miles and miles to see him. He was incredible in or out of blackface! The blacks loved him and thought he paid them homage. No one was insulted. He honored them.
90% of American jews are lefties. They don’t have a problem with him. Sorry you can’t wear blackface in 2020, but that’s about the only problem anti racists might have
No, that was in 1895 (altho no singing). Many song film shorts were made in the beginning of the 20th century. There were quite a few companies making them.
@@tykomarquer No, it is not. First of all, it is not video - it is film. This Vitaphone used a record which played with the film, it is not sound on film. Many companies made sound films this way long before Jolson or Vitaphone. Sound on film existed years before this, many made by Lee DeForest, and others. The fact that a talking picture used a dual system (like this Jolson film) does not prevent it from being a talking picture.
Given that it includes both syncronized singing and dialogue, it must have been recorded post Jazz Singer, which was 1927. I'd say late twenties, very early thirties.
@@bernardbrenner6088 No, it was not. It is a silent film. Only a few minutes of talking or singing are in it. Few people could see it as hardly any theaters were wired for sound. The Singing Fool created more of a sensation the next year when more theaters were wired. And even that was still part silent.
It is somewhat awkward for me to see this especially since I am white and hate racism, but I know a bit about his life and this was not meant to be racist. He’s often credited for fighting racism and discrimination on Broadway.
@@ian2408 Yeah to show rich white folks what the African American community had to deal with, the dude didn't have a racist bone in his body. All because you see a 'trigger' word doesn't mean it is in racist context.
@@simongore-smith2446 it's not a maybe situation,, it's a definite situation actually, but Imma ask you one question,, do you think it's wrong to do blackface, you must think it's nothing wrong with it if you can't see what's wrong in the video sir!
Before this was considered art. Now if you try to do something even close to this... you'd probably lose your work, be put on a permanent naughty government list, and be persecuted for the next few decades by every political faction out there.
I was imitating Al Jolson at the age of 8 - 9 yrs. I was in Minstrials At Highland Park Grade School.1947.
I was imitating Al Jolson (in blackface) at Repetto grammar school in Monterey Park in 1964.
I agree Jolson is honoring black people god bless him ❤
Yes, it was a vehicle for his popular songs, however in those days I'm sure there wasn't any disrespect to our brothers and sisters of other race more flattering endearment.
Me too!
Yes he probably was.
Growing up my parents would play his records. 🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥🎥Watch the Al Jolson movies. this unbelievably talented man is beyond words to describe his ability. Still watch his movies on a video I have. Takes me back to happy times. Thank you wholeheartedly. 🎶🎶🎶🎤🎤🎤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Fantastic Jolly's loving it, a magical genius and a one off.
My father was an Al Jolson impersonator working in Shaky's pizza when I was a kid growing up in L.A. How could I not love This! R.I.P. Al Jolson R.I.P. Charles H. Rambo, my Dad.
that is so cool. Wish I had seen that
@@lecil2 I didn’t realize at the time how cool that actually was. 🥲
Anyone who attended Jolie's performance remembered it for the rest of their life.
In a negative or positive way ?
Positive, of course.
At 5.16..Cantor was singing, this is for you Mum., bless you., my love of music, your gift to me...I grew up listening to your Jolie ❤️❤️❤️.
Al Jolson
97 years since he belted out songs on the short. My step-mother who would have 103 years ago, told me about seeing “The Jazz Singer “ when see was about eight, so glad see didn’t have to ask her parents “ what does the titles say?” She would be in trouble if they were enjoying the movie. Different times…same results.😊
I read an article that said when Jolson was singing on stage, you could feel the vibration on the seat at the back of the theatre. No speakers, of course....his voice was just so strong!
Eddie Cantor said that. He went to see jolson perform one night and said he couldnt work right for a week afterwards.
He can't sing for shit
True
@@Louie_The_Dago can you imagine what would have happened if he actually saw the real people who made the music singing it he'd probably die
Sad for the so called Z generation. I was lucky enough to hear this genius as a small child. I don't mind getting old because todays generation is poor. Cancel culture have called him racist, which he never was. It's their loss.
I sadly am part of that generation. Love this stuff, cancel culture is so stupid and I honestly wish I had lived back then.
They appreciate ladyface on the boys and will be able to appreciate this also.
Magical legend ❤
Imitation is the highest and sincerest form of flattery and that is exactly what AL Jolson did. He was so enamored by African American music that he wanted to bring it to white Americans that would not patronize the theater to see a black man perform it so he did it in blackface to display the full effect. This man loved what the black man did and there is no way anyone can justify talking against his admiration for it.
I agree with you.
My father used to do the mystery show many years ago and I was the sidekick and I miss him everyday with song that LG sang rockabye baby with a Dixie Melody and I sure know that song pretty damn good to this day I wish I was still alive during the shows and El jonesy's still be on my heart to this day I'm going to miss this guy
Here stands a man who paved the way for Black Singers, Jazz musicians and so many many artists. Such a talented man, villainized today because of his medium, when he should be placed on a pedestal for his raw and unyielding charisma, fire to entertain the people and his unadulterated talent. Rest well Asa Yoelson.
@William Byron Paved the way for Eubie Blake, Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong and so many others.
@William Byron Seems that whites rarely saw blacks perform before he forced them to by appearing blackface.
Hard to believe but he was tremendously popular. He changed showbiz by showing that the blacks have a lot to contribute.
Everybody that performed, sang, popular songs prior to AL Jolson, of various cultures,, complexions, EVERYTHING! the song, the show it was in WAS THE THING. AL JOLSON CHANGED all that to the performer/singer was THE THING!. In Times that were mostly segregated, he was one of a few, major stars that quite consistently crossed the colour line,. financially, and other wise, supporting non white artists, producers, actors, performers, writers etc, singing songs they wrote, and performing with them, by insisting they were in movies, and shows he stared in.@@Powerranger-le4up
Everybody has an interpretation of history. A real considered definitive research, movie, stage reviews, vaudeville, legitimate theater, concerts, the original authentic artifacts of the actual time i mean, reviews, commentary, personal recollections, everything when it all happened. not reflection in any given time later of the hundreds of it all I have, there is nothing in any of it, indicating Al Jolson was only about offending non white, or any culture, or complexion, that was not his thing, nor was there any indication that non whites, or different than him, despised him, or what he did. To my knowledge there was never any surveys, votes, consensus, or any such taken to gauge a general humanity. preference. I cannot recall any such thing ever. It all does not mean every single human being cannot, or could not Think, and have their own conclusion on all these things. who they liked, didn't, what they did, didn't, AND plural to all of it!. The blackface minstrel era, dates like from about the 1830'S to about 1911. Al Jolson continued blacking up, but not in Minstrel shows, until 1930 approx. After that, he and others did it infrequently in films, and only once and twice at benefits. Over recent years, several in fact, THE WORST of the practice, has been linked with just general horrors, slavery, Jim Crow, segregation, and the mockery in it, [ it was in it} to a degree, has, is manipulated, fabricated. presented out of context and perspective in A DEGRADING WAY TO simply turn people of it, or anything to do with it, TO SIMPLY PROTECT CONTEMPORARY PROFIT! WHAT is the reality of it all, and AL JOLSON, is that it is ancient. and very long ago!!! That is why THE POWERS THAT CONTROL what we like, or not, want, get, or not! CRUCIFY IT!! There is some vision of Jolson on film in blackface, in Minstrel show extracts, with all the brainwashing of many recent years, insult, put down to non whites could be interpreted read into it, or at least it looks, sounds just silly!. Most of him on film, or Larry Parks depicting him, presents none of it! This Plantation Act, 1926, torn clothes. poor surroundings. plenty could be read into it, of variation. THEN, I don't think the focus was on what would be, THE EDICT, THE DECREE, in the second decade of the 21ST CENTURY! As for me, having a concern about how AL Jolson is gravitated to now, at least introduced, or for a considerable time. The blackface image is a problem, or at least questionable to most everybody experiencing it for the first time, or even those that well know of it, and that is simply, why was there any need to do it? AND IT IS SO OLD!!. A sports coated, tuxedo. suited AL JOLSON, is initially the Better intro now,. The sound of him, no matter what also! As heard here, and most everywhere else! @WilliamByronIs
My mother used to rave about Jolson. When I heard him sing "Mammy" and others I, too was electrified. He's still my favorite! Such incredible talent, from his amazing voice to his extraordinary ability to connect with an audience.
He rasict tho what’s wrong wit u 😑
@@ken-zp6ei what evidence do you have that Jolson was racist?
@@tabanjoman24 black face
@@ken-zp6ei That does not make him racist. It was something many entertainers did then. Did you read the article? Jolson more than any entertainer of his era was responsible for popularizing African American music!
@@tabanjoman24 oh thx 🙏
Brilliant. Abso-lute-ly brilliant!
My Dad sounded just like Al Jolson when he sang😊
Never heard such vocal control and variation of tone than at the same time than at the end of "April Showers," by any singer ever, including opera.
5.00.
Perfect!. He was amazing!! unique voice
His voice was terrible !
@@KeljaSamiNation You're mad.
@@KeljaSamiNation Your face is terrible
Always love this come Spring
Al Jolson was by far my father's favorite singer. My dad saw him perform in Chicago in the 30s. He asked his mom (my grandmother) why that man on the stage was crying while he was singing. That's the effect he had on people who heard him sing. When I was a kid, Dad would play Jolie records (33-1/2 RPM) for hours. 60 years later I still know all the words to the songs and the pauses and pronunciation Jolie used. Anyway, entertainer of a different time but still is a magnetic as he was many years ago.
Are we watching the same performance? In short, I don't find his singing to be anywhere near impressive. Ronnie James Dio from Black Sabbath is a singer and great performer. Also, Ronnie did not dress in black face.
Was it because of the black face?
@@gregorycook5305 Your inability to appreciate music/performers from s different era is not something you should be bragging about.
@@briandavenport8971 The blackface wasnt to offend people nor was it seen as offensive to black people in the 1920s; 90 years ago. And in fact, Al Jolson was a big advocate for equality between black and white people.
Thanks for your post. Very much appreciated.
Thank you so much for posting this Jeff!! I'm a big fan of Al Jolson but I have never been able to see this before. I find it to be very impressive on every possible level.
He rasict
@@ken-zp6ei From Wikipedia:
Jolson's relations with African Americans:
Jolson's legacy as the most popular performer of blackface routines was complemented by his relationships with African-Americans and his appreciation and use of African-American cultural trends.[9] Jolson first heard jazz, blues, and ragtime in the alleys of New Orleans. He enjoyed singing jazz, often performing in blackface, especially in the songs he made popular such as "Swanee", "My Mammy", and "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody".
As a Jewish immigrant and America's most famous and highest-paid entertainer, he may have had the incentive and resources to help improve racial attitudes. While The Birth of a Nation glorified white supremacy and the KKK, Jolson chose to star in The Jazz Singer, which defied racial bigotry by introducing black musicians to audiences worldwide.
While growing up, Jolson had many black friends, including Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, who became a prominent tap dancer. As early as 1911, at the age of 25, Jolson was noted for fighting discrimination on Broadway and later in his movies. He promoted a play by Garland Anderson which became the first production with an all-black cast produced on Broadway. He brought a black dance team from San Francisco that he tried to put in a Broadway show. He demanded equal treatment for Cab Calloway, with whom he performed duets in the movie The Singing Kid.
Jolson read in the newspaper that songwriters Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle, neither of whom he had ever heard of, were refused service at a Connecticut restaurant because of their race. He tracked them down and took them out to dinner, "insisting he'd punch anyone in the nose who tried to kick us out!" According to biographer Al Rose, Jolson and Blake became friends and went to boxing matches together.
Film historian Charles Musser notes, "African Americans' embrace of Jolson was not a spontaneous reaction to his appearance in talking pictures. In an era when African Americans did not have to go looking for enemies, Jolson was perceived a friend."
Jeni LeGon, a black female tap dance star, recalls her life as a film dancer: "But of course, in those times it was a 'black-and-white world.' You didn't associate too much socially with any of the stars. You saw them at the studio, you know, nice-but they didn't invite. The only ones that ever invited us home for a visit was Al Jolson and Ruby Keeler."
British performer Brian Conley, former star of the 1995 British play Jolson, stated during an interview, "I found out Jolson was actually a hero to the black people of America. At his funeral, black actors lined the way, they really appreciated what he'd done for them."
Noble Sissle, who was president of the Negro Actors Guild, represented that organization at his funeral.
Jolson's physical expressiveness also affected the music styles of some black performers. Music historian Bob Gulla writes that "the most critical influence in Jackie Wilson's young life was Al Jolson." He points out that Wilson's ideas of what a stage performer could do to keep their act an "exciting" and "thrilling performance" was shaped by Jolson's acts, "full of wild writhing and excessive theatrics". Wilson felt that Jolson "should be considered the stylistic [forefather] of rock and roll."
According to the St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture: "Almost single-handedly, Jolson helped to introduce African-American musical innovations like jazz, ragtime, and the blues to white audiences... [and] paved the way for African-American performers like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, and Ethel Waters... to bridge the cultural gap between black and white America.
Amiri Baraka wrote, "the entrance of the white man into jazz... did at least bring him much closer to the Negro." He points out that "the acceptance of jazz by whites marks a crucial moment when an aspect of black culture had become an essential part of American culture."
Seems to me that Al Jolson did a lot for black people and they really appreciated it.
@ken Imagine getting BTFO by some boomers. Delete your comments bruh, you're embarrassing yourself.
@@ken-zp6ei Jolson was hardly racist. Blackface was an accepted form of theatrical performance back then. As far as Jolson himself is concerned, he was a great advocate of black equality. When he read that the great black songwriter Eubie Blake and his friend were denied entrance to one of New York's most famous restaurants, Jolson invited them to join him at the same restaurant the next night and he said "I'll bust anyone in the nose who tries to stop us". When Cab Calloway made a film with him, he saw that Cab's dressing room was pretty small and he told the producer that he would quit the film unless Cab had the exact same sized dressing room as he did.
Meaning exactly?@@ken-zp6ei
This is so much better than anything else he did for the screen. He's relaxed. In his own element...Could listen for hours.
And hours....!!
Me too. nothing better than mimickry while the real musicians were broke and exploited. their art form imitated by low quality performers who were hailed as genius 😔
@@markmiller9110 Early in his career, he was in minstrel troops where he was the ONLY WHITE. The rest of the troop were black and wore blackface. It was a makeup, which allowed audiences to see your eyes and mouth in the days before electric lights in theaters. Not racism. Jolson always stood up for black performers. Don’t you know the story about him and Eubie Blake & Noble Sissle?
My father was a great fan of Jolson, and till now i still hearing his songs, great singer!!!
One of my favorite singers from the 20s
WOW...never saw this fantastic performance by Jolson before. I guess this was some sort of innovation preceding the first talking movie which Jolson introduced. He always led the way with new and courageous advances and he actually got better with age with a richer and richer voice
He rasict
@@ken-zp6ei From Wikipedia:
Jolson's relations with African Americans:
Jolson's legacy as the most popular performer of blackface routines was complemented by his relationships with African-Americans and his appreciation and use of African-American cultural trends.[9] Jolson first heard jazz, blues, and ragtime in the alleys of New Orleans. He enjoyed singing jazz, often performing in blackface, especially in the songs he made popular such as "Swanee", "My Mammy", and "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody".
As a Jewish immigrant and America's most famous and highest-paid entertainer, he may have had the incentive and resources to help improve racial attitudes. While The Birth of a Nation glorified white supremacy and the KKK, Jolson chose to star in The Jazz Singer, which defied racial bigotry by introducing black musicians to audiences worldwide.
While growing up, Jolson had many black friends, including Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, who became a prominent tap dancer. As early as 1911, at the age of 25, Jolson was noted for fighting discrimination on Broadway and later in his movies. He promoted a play by Garland Anderson which became the first production with an all-black cast produced on Broadway. He brought a black dance team from San Francisco that he tried to put in a Broadway show. He demanded equal treatment for Cab Calloway, with whom he performed duets in the movie The Singing Kid.
Jolson read in the newspaper that songwriters Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle, neither of whom he had ever heard of, were refused service at a Connecticut restaurant because of their race. He tracked them down and took them out to dinner, "insisting he'd punch anyone in the nose who tried to kick us out!" According to biographer Al Rose, Jolson and Blake became friends and went to boxing matches together.
Film historian Charles Musser notes, "African Americans' embrace of Jolson was not a spontaneous reaction to his appearance in talking pictures. In an era when African Americans did not have to go looking for enemies, Jolson was perceived a friend."
Jeni LeGon, a black female tap dance star, recalls her life as a film dancer: "But of course, in those times it was a 'black-and-white world.' You didn't associate too much socially with any of the stars. You saw them at the studio, you know, nice-but they didn't invite. The only ones that ever invited us home for a visit was Al Jolson and Ruby Keeler."
British performer Brian Conley, former star of the 1995 British play Jolson, stated during an interview, "I found out Jolson was actually a hero to the black people of America. At his funeral, black actors lined the way, they really appreciated what he'd done for them."
Noble Sissle, who was president of the Negro Actors Guild, represented that organization at his funeral.
Jolson's physical expressiveness also affected the music styles of some black performers. Music historian Bob Gulla writes that "the most critical influence in Jackie Wilson's young life was Al Jolson." He points out that Wilson's ideas of what a stage performer could do to keep their act an "exciting" and "thrilling performance" was shaped by Jolson's acts, "full of wild writhing and excessive theatrics". Wilson felt that Jolson "should be considered the stylistic [forefather] of rock and roll."
According to the St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture: "Almost single-handedly, Jolson helped to introduce African-American musical innovations like jazz, ragtime, and the blues to white audiences... [and] paved the way for African-American performers like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, and Ethel Waters... to bridge the cultural gap between black and white America.
Amiri Baraka wrote, "the entrance of the white man into jazz... did at least bring him much closer to the Negro." He points out that "the acceptance of jazz by whites marks a crucial moment when an aspect of black culture had become an essential part of American culture."
Seems to me that Al Jolson did a lot for black people and they really appreciated it.
@@ken-zp6ei Even if you were capable of using verbs and constructing proper sentences, you would still be wrong.
@@MayorMcCheeseStalker shhhh now it’s 2022
@@ken-zp6ei . . . which means you've had plenty of time to learn to write correctly.
The original and best AJ.
You are looking at a real piece of history. Its premiere took place on October 7, 1926, at the Colony Theatre, New York, where it concluded a program of short subjects that accompanied Warner Brothers' second feature-length Vitaphone film The Better 'Ole. The "Intermission" card which appears at its end derives from that use. Critics praised A Plantation Act as the hit of the show. The short was long believed to be a lost film, and its unavailability fueled the misconception that Jolson's first sound film was the famous feature-length milestone The Jazz Singer, which premiered almost exactly one year later. A mute print of A Plantation Act was eventually found in the Library of Congress, mislabeled as a preview for The Jazz Singer. A copy of the corresponding soundtrack disc also came to light, but it had been broken into four pieces and glued back together so imperfectly that it would not play through. After some careful surgery, restoration technicians succeeded in making a usable dub from the disc and digitally removing the pops and clicks resulting from the damage.
Very interesting,many thanks 😘😘😘
Real? Talkies weren't around in 1926. This is from much later.
Not true. The first film with sound was shown in a public exhibition in Paris in 1920. But the technology wasn't considered good enough for commercial use until the first commercial short films that came out in 1923, after the technology to record on film had been developed, though in that period some short films still produced the sound from a separate disc. It was the first full feature movie with sound, "The Jazz Singer", that didn't come out until 1927.
Love it!!
How is blackface possibly offensive in this context? Jolson is honouring black people, not ridiculing them.
Really? They always played poor black characters with slave accents. Don't black people deserve a better life? Don't they deserve to go to college and get a doctorate? They don't deserve to be laughed at or demoted as inferior people.
That’s what Trudeau said.
Why didn't they use a real black man?
@@weirdmatter because Jolson was irreplaceable
Exactly he never intend to offend black folks
That unique Black-Hebrew wail. Nobody could do it like Jolson. In fact, he might have invented it. His blackface routine wasn't meant to insult black people. In fact, he admired their talent (including their Southern-African dialect) and championed their right to perform in an era of strict segregation. That said, I can see why blacks would feel insulted because his act, a carryover from minstrel show days, exploited black stereotypes. Check out the Heaven scene in the 1936 movie, The Singing Kid which features white actors in blackface eating chicken and watermelon. One of them was even shown reading a Yiddish newspaper. Must have been a real scream at the time.
Imagine a grand applause and he says:
"Wait a minute!"
No! I want to clap for you, Mr. Jolson!
This is Jolson the stage entertainer here, in his element and comfortable in front of the camera.
Oh to have been at a performance at one of Jolson's many show's when he owned the Winter garden's for 10 year's before this.
how old are you
that shit must've been wild
Can't tell lower from upper case, possessive from plural. Idiot.
Freaking racists
@@paulweir5031
I think they're making fun of the title to the video
Not bad for the world's first music video.
My brother and I found a film of him doing the Moon walk!
Can’t find it since!
Before Elvis, before Sinatra, there was Jolson.He was incredibly popular.
If u see moves he does elvis used same many say he was there inspiration
Jolson was one of Elvis's idols. Fact.
But WHY? What was the appeal?
Before Elvis, before Sinatra, before Crosby, there was Jolson.
They all in the same club👻👻👻👻👻👻
Thank you
Al Jolson one of the all time greatest. Before black actors were allowed to preform on stage. Al Jolson was a champion to change that, and pushed to have black actors admitted to preform on stage and movies. He wasn't a racist.
Al Jolson , one of the best of the best . Rest in peace with God.
You're gone but never forgotten !!
he was a white guy , not black
@@gremlinuk1968 That's what I said. Al Jolson was probably the only white guy that visited black only night clubs in Harlem.
You missed the bit about him watching lesser known stars, stealing their acts and using them himself in the big theatres, and then threatening to sue them if they steal his act.
He made sure to wipe out the competiton before they had chance to make it big.
I'm not aware of Jolson refusing to go on stage if blacks weren't allowed on, all his performances have white actor's blacked up
@@henryratajczak3071 yes and he stole their acts, then performed them at large venues, sending a telegram threating to sue anyone that used his act without permission and paying to do so
@@alberttatlock5237 so he was protecting his act. Any performer will do the same for heaven's sake. Show business is as cutthroat as any other work. You think Madonna or whoever lets anyone rip off their music without suing the fuck out of them?
Jolson at 40 was unbeatable.
0:31 - When the Red Red Robin Comes Bob Bob Bobbin' Along
2:58 - April Showers
6:25 - Rock-a-Bye Your Baby
In 8 years worth of comments, I haven't seen this info posted.
The timetags above jump ahead of the instrumental intros, cuing closer to the start of the lyrics.
A thunderous applause at the end!
Amazing!! I LOVE Jolson's voice during his 20's and 30's prime!
This music makes me so happy. Wonderful.
You are a racist POS.
Andrew Collins
Lol, Jolson loved black people, he thought it was sad that they couldn’t be on broadway so he put on blackface to make them popular, do some research before you talk ill of the dead
@@TheBbtlegit And, you sir are an idiot.
Disgusting. This shit low key racist and creepy as hell. Something from hell
It doesn’t even has a steady tune and it’s sad that there is not one comment regarding this as racist.
Thanks for posting!! Its a real treat to see and hear Jolson in this early sound film!!
Over on the various Al Jolson Facebook sights see a complete color version of this short, and other Jolson Color film as well!
Great singing and great showmanship! Thanks JeffsGreats
Not sure what happened to my last post.The holding of the note's pure class!!!!
A marvellous voice!
Loved these old songs
That’s a pretty real looking set.
@@newdriver9800: Filmed on a Broadway stage.
Brilliant! Love it! They really should bring back this form of entertainment
The clip from this movie is not from 1926! The first ever all talking all singing sound movie was in 1927 and was called ". The jazz Singer"! I just now saw and discovered this priceless clip you posted! I'm so very happy to see the early Al Jolson pictures. Could you possibly find out the actual year and what movie this clip you posted is from?🤔(my guess is probably from the late late twenties to the early 30s ) 🤔🙄Thank you again for sharing your Jolson historical movie clips for all the world today to see, discover and enjoy!!!🤗👍💌
This is from a musical short called “A plantation act”. It was recorded on the Vitaphone system, as was “The Jazz singer”; But released a year earlier.
This was made in 1926. Both Jolson and Georgie Jessel recorded shorts for Warner Brothers using Vita-phone. The studio coerced Jolson into doing dialogue as well.
Actually, The Jazz Singer was not the first "all-talking" movie. It was a silent film, had title cards, and featured some sound segments. The first all-talking movie was Lights of New York (1928). The Jolson video shown here was a Vitaphone short, released in 1926. There were short films with sound even before that.
My dad and his brother use to sing and dress up like him sang at marrickville pub
So Cool1 omg frr🤣😒.
So Cool1 its sad people are looking pass the fact that is so racist.
nanababes: It wasn’t considered racist 90 years ago, Einstein. Jolson was a fave of African Americans. Perform your due diligence before making moronic statements.
@@varietyguy ok? This is still incredibly racist. Just because it wasn’t “considered” racist doesn’t mean it isn’t.
You're brain dead. Go play Fortnite.
We need an Al Jolson biopic
Try the "Jolson Story", 1946 stars Larry Parks and features Jolson singing
Yeah dude, he has two
I get what you mean, a proper, factual, dramatic work.
While I will always love the the Larry Parks films, they are done in a very 'light and fluffy' way with the plot of the film being more important than the facts.
Jolson has such a fascinating story and an amazing career of breathtaking highs and depressing lows.
But, given today's sensibilities, it probably wouldn't even get written, much less get made!
@@jamesbyersmusic The Jolson Story is a very strange film. It wasn't unusual for Hollywood biography films in the 1940s to invent fictitious "life stories" that had the bare bones of the person's real life events. The Jolson Story whitewashes the Judaism of Jolson's family and shows his parents accepting without any protest or qualm his establishing a career in show business at a very young age and his marrying a woman who isn't Jewish (Jolson was married several times but the Jolson Story features only one wife, who's fictionalised but is based on his marriage to Ruby Keeler). I would think they would have wanted to highlight some of tensions between Jolson's Jewish heritage and his wish to be Americanized, like the themes of the Jazz Singer. But I guess the studio and the times wanted a glossy tribute to Jolson without exploration of the conflicts he faced during his youth and career. I think a modern biopic that examines the issues of race and religion during his life and stardom would be fascinating.
Try again and do a poss of your dgein
He was a real national treasure.
I'm surprised he hasn't been cancelled by YT and the rest of The Overlords. Maybe it's just a matter of time, since they have so much of the past to correct.
Well he was a freaking racist.
@@codyleslie478 Well done for applying today’s values to a singer from 90 years ago.
@@Coltnz1 people do that every day. Why do you think people are tearing down statues and rewriting our history books?
@@codyleslie478 Such pathetic virtue-signalling.
@@codyleslie478 From Wikipedia:
Jolson's relations with African Americans:
Jolson's legacy as the most popular performer of blackface routines was complemented by his relationships with African-Americans and his appreciation and use of African-American cultural trends.[9] Jolson first heard jazz, blues, and ragtime in the alleys of New Orleans. He enjoyed singing jazz, often performing in blackface, especially in the songs he made popular such as "Swanee", "My Mammy", and "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody".
As a Jewish immigrant and America's most famous and highest-paid entertainer, he may have had the incentive and resources to help improve racial attitudes. While The Birth of a Nation glorified white supremacy and the KKK, Jolson chose to star in The Jazz Singer, which defied racial bigotry by introducing black musicians to audiences worldwide.
While growing up, Jolson had many black friends, including Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, who became a prominent tap dancer. As early as 1911, at the age of 25, Jolson was noted for fighting discrimination on Broadway and later in his movies. He promoted a play by Garland Anderson which became the first production with an all-black cast produced on Broadway. He brought a black dance team from San Francisco that he tried to put in a Broadway show. He demanded equal treatment for Cab Calloway, with whom he performed duets in the movie The Singing Kid.
Jolson read in the newspaper that songwriters Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle, neither of whom he had ever heard of, were refused service at a Connecticut restaurant because of their race. He tracked them down and took them out to dinner, "insisting he'd punch anyone in the nose who tried to kick us out!" According to biographer Al Rose, Jolson and Blake became friends and went to boxing matches together.
Film historian Charles Musser notes, "African Americans' embrace of Jolson was not a spontaneous reaction to his appearance in talking pictures. In an era when African Americans did not have to go looking for enemies, Jolson was perceived a friend."
Jeni LeGon, a black female tap dance star, recalls her life as a film dancer: "But of course, in those times it was a 'black-and-white world.' You didn't associate too much socially with any of the stars. You saw them at the studio, you know, nice-but they didn't invite. The only ones that ever invited us home for a visit was Al Jolson and Ruby Keeler."
British performer Brian Conley, former star of the 1995 British play Jolson, stated during an interview, "I found out Jolson was actually a hero to the black people of America. At his funeral, black actors lined the way, they really appreciated what he'd done for them."
Noble Sissle, who was president of the Negro Actors Guild, represented that organization at his funeral.
Jolson's physical expressiveness also affected the music styles of some black performers. Music historian Bob Gulla writes that "the most critical influence in Jackie Wilson's young life was Al Jolson." He points out that Wilson's ideas of what a stage performer could do to keep their act an "exciting" and "thrilling performance" was shaped by Jolson's acts, "full of wild writhing and excessive theatrics". Wilson felt that Jolson "should be considered the stylistic [forefather] of rock and roll."
According to the St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture: "Almost single-handedly, Jolson helped to introduce African-American musical innovations like jazz, ragtime, and the blues to white audiences... [and] paved the way for African-American performers like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, and Ethel Waters... to bridge the cultural gap between black and white America.
Amiri Baraka wrote, "the entrance of the white man into jazz... did at least bring him much closer to the Negro." He points out that "the acceptance of jazz by whites marks a crucial moment when an aspect of black culture had become an essential part of American culture."
Seems to me that Al Jolson did a lot for black people and they really appreciated it.
A big problem in this discussion is that most don’t know the facts. It was well publicized at the time, that it was a young Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle (who were in the beginning of their careers and just beginning to get noticed) which had been refused service in a restaurant because they were black. Jolson heard about it & purposely made a spectacle out of taking them to buy sandwiches at a Jewish deli & taking them for a picnic in the park in his big fancy car, - so he could invite reporters and publicly express his dislike of racism. Just read the many interviews with Eubie Blake & Noble Sissle - where they praised Jolson highly for his stand - and with helping them promote their talents. Jews at the time were not always considered as ‘white’ either. Jolson had started in ‘blackface’ troupes (as a young boy who had run away from home) in which he was the Only White person. He learned wearing ‘blackface’ makeup from the older black performers who did it in order to be able to be seen in gaslight or limelight in days before electricity. Whatever the story lines or songs were in the early shows, Jolson was only a young unknown performer trying to gain success. By the time he attained that success, he sometimes still did the blackface act that had made him popular - but phased that out as he gained popularity. He also fought against racism, by hiring blacks as dancers and actors for his touring broadway shows, when no one else dared to do it. Blacks who were his contemporaries thought he had helped their cause. The “feelings” of modern audiences are inconsequential.
I recommend the book “Jolson: The Legend Comes to Life” by Herbert Goldman. It’s about 500 pages - and it’s only a starting point in understanding Jolson and his times.
I enjoy seeing Al Johnson singing so many years ago.
If it weren't for technology, we wouldn't be able to appreciate him. He died before I was born.
What was the reason for this? How does this dovetail with The Jazz Singer? Was this like an experiment, a tryout? Was it shown in theaters? Anybody know? Any educated guesses?
As a performer he was second to none.
second to none that were able to perform and who actually created the music, the authentic sound and the feel of the people from which the music actually came 😏
I hate people who claim cultures cannot be shared or intertwine and mist remain apart like that.@markmiller9110
Jolson was a talent
There is a lot of comment that Al Jolson worked in blackface - some said it's racist and some says Jolson was NOT a racist and gave many examples of this. I remember when I saw The Al Jolson Story - was that he was like his father, and father's father etc. training to sing in the Synagogue.
However would wander off as a young boy and go to places where he heard black music and it moved his soul. That is how he explained it to his parents why he no longer wanted to sing in the synagogue but wanted to sing from his heart wherever he went. His father did not understand and kicked him out of the house etc. He finally got a chance to sing on stage when the man who sang in black face, did not show up and he took his place. And felt that he was singing from his heart. He received thunderous applause and the rest, as they say, is history. I feel that the black face was his connection to singing from his heart.
Al Jolson said that singing in black face and on stage was his prayer - soulful and loving
I love this authentic African-American music from the south.
hella racist
@@afrahtoney3702 Not at all, actually.
Para vos pa!❤️
amazin.
Thank you so much for posting this piece of American history. I do believe this is best viewed from the rear window as we move forward. However, I must say this is a league ahead of current urban culture in terms of artistry, and yes ... dignity!
Wow! He does Jolson even better than Larry Parks!
That was funny. Thanks for the smile.
that's became he is Jolson
That was the real Al Jolson, Larry Parks is the one imitating him.
I think his style of performance influence lots of black performers later on
Just out of honest curiosity,how would this influence any black performances of any date and do you have a particular black performer to be your example?
@@yhwhgedula-no.1944 Sammy Davis Jr. for one.
@@yhwhgedula-no.1944 Sammy Davis Jr. for one
@@loverofcountry506070 greetings....I won't even say to you nice try or guess because it's more accurate to say this is an insult to his legacy. In the 70s I was in elementary school, where I did my 1st essay for black history month, and guess who it was on?? I checked out a book on him Sammy Davis Jr. I read his bio and everything. Lol SMH, even the fact that his Parents were entertainers, he (SDJ)(YOB)1925 joined their act at the ripe age of 3yrs old, So please...
So I'll have to take your so called "for one" and toss it! into the reject bin, no points for your wild guess!
,ENCORE , BRAVO
I've never seen such a happy portrayal of a Slave, he seems ecstatic
Yes, and you sound absolutely virtuous. That's what you were going for, right?
Uno de mis cantantes favoritos. Y hermosas sus películas.!!!🎶🎵🎼🎹
He was - because he was singin.'
he eat some magic apple
How do you know he is a slave.? I wear worse, torn, clothes mowing the lawn.
I read somewhere that "Professor" was what pianists at bordellos were called. Maybe I should say saloons...
@@xanderrussell317 Yes, those
@@xanderrussell317 I was being facetiously polite, not serious
Professor was also used for any orchestral director
So this is who bugs bunny was imitating. I grew up in the 80s watching cartoons from the 40s with pop culture references to the 20s.
BRAVO!!! If one has an appreciation for the Black music experience, Al Jolson is better than Motown.
this is outrageous
@GARYPUSSY stop being racist jerks:)
this isnt black music hun :)
@@theecreator20 No one here is being racist, though...
I don't think you know good singing if you think this is better than ANY Motown singers. His voice isn't special in anyway.
he was a legend
I can’t read through 420 comments, but I’m sure someone has mentioned his blackface. It seems like he’s doing it in an affectionate way, not in a condescending way.
I don’t know, I wasn’t there and it’s hard for me to imagine the mindset of the early 20th century audience. Not only do we see the burnt cork makeup, but the rags reminiscent of a field hand. I know he was an immensely popular performer.
Did he open the doors for Black acts? Did he make white audiences open to the idea that Black performers were worth their time?
yeah he's actually singing well and everything so it doesn't feel mean-spirited really.
toot toot was one of his best song I think
2:58 Here the song Bugs Bunny sang while he was talking a shower in Wet Hare.
Can you imagine what they would call him now ?
Waythist
Wait a minute , you ain't heard nothing yet, he was simply the best 😮
@@rodsmith-eb1uu yes I agree ☝️
Live chickens!
clasystems has
Even the chickens loved to hear him sing! 😉👍
I love watching the chickens in the background. They wouldn't show them now- too racist to show live chickens. I watched a video from the 1940s with Dorothy Dandridge singing Easy Street and I was astounded that the video featured the African American performers stealing chickens as a "joke".
My grandmother said people would line up for miles and miles to see him. He was incredible in or out of blackface! The blacks loved him and thought he paid them homage. No one was insulted. He honored them.
Not according to my grandparents.
Al Jolson is one of the best regardless of what lefties say.
90% of American jews are lefties. They don’t have a problem with him. Sorry you can’t wear blackface in 2020, but that’s about the only problem anti racists might have
I'm a leftie, and I love Jolson
So this is the first music viedo?
No, that was in 1895 (altho no singing). Many song film shorts were made in the beginning of the 20th century. There were quite a few companies making them.
gdw1910 it’s the first with the real audio of the clip, anything with audio made before had separate video and audio that were played simultaneously
@@tykomarquer No, it is not. First of all, it is not video - it is film. This Vitaphone used a record which played with the film, it is not sound on film. Many companies made sound films this way long before Jolson or Vitaphone. Sound on film existed years before this, many made by Lee DeForest, and others. The fact that a talking picture used a dual system (like this Jolson film) does not prevent it from being a talking picture.
How does this sound so clear i honestly dont think its from 1926
your right . sounds more like a 40s recording.
Given that it includes both syncronized singing and dialogue, it must have been recorded post Jazz Singer, which was 1927. I'd say late twenties, very early thirties.
It's a verifone production with picture and record behind stage
Was this really 1926 when the first talkie was 1927, THE JAZZ SINGER, with Jolson? Is this an excerpt or a whole short film?
Yes, it's 1926, and no, The Jazz Singer is not the first talkie. They were attempting all sorts of sound movies since 1895.
Julie Desnick it was a vitaphone variety. It was the technology that eventually made the talkies.
@@w.a.a. "The Jazz Singer" was the first commercially successful talkie.
@@bernardbrenner6088 No, it was not. It is a silent film. Only a few minutes of talking or singing are in it. Few people could see it as hardly any theaters were wired for sound. The Singing Fool created more of a sensation the next year when more theaters were wired. And even that was still part silent.
Jolson, the GOAT entertainer.
Ah, nothing like a happy go lucky slave in rags belting out a song.
@@albertadriftwood3612 That’s a moronic statement written by a Jolson hater who clearly doesn’t understand historical context.
About Vitaphone & the making of this series of films: www.georgegroves.org.uk/donjuan.html
YEP..JUST GREAT..JE
What is he an African from the Sudan .
Robins are back March 2 2024
Vita phone process but was he miming to this or not? Surely was as no sign of the huge mikes of the time.
He was singing it live.
Wow, I didn't know Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia could sing.
No that's Prime Minister Trudeau.
Crying at this 🤣🤣🤣
It is somewhat awkward for me to see this especially since I am white and hate racism, but I know a bit about his life and this was not meant to be racist. He’s often credited for fighting racism and discrimination on Broadway.
He sang a song called mammy, and this act was called plantation. The dude was racist.
@@ian2408 Yeah to show rich white folks what the African American community had to deal with, the dude didn't have a racist bone in his body. All because you see a 'trigger' word doesn't mean it is in racist context.
Tim Eckel blackface is something used to make fun of black people.
@@ian2408 not if its used in Vaudeville my friend, makes it different.
Sponsored by Jeans Milk Also, blackface wasn’t considered to be racist during his time.
PERSONALITY PERSONIFIED!
MLK was an Al Jolson fan. End of story.
Ce n'est pas possible que le film est sorti en 1926 le cinéma parlant a été créé en 1927
Vous n'avez pas raison. C'ést un film Vitaphone dont le son a été enrégistré sur un disque.
@@jsallen1946 hoooo incroyable je ne savais vraiment pas désolé vous m'avez aprie quelques choses merci
Nice songs. Great singer. Can't see what all the fuss is about
Thank you!!!!
maybe because hes doing black face!!!!!
@@theecreator20 maybe
@@simongore-smith2446 it's not a maybe situation,, it's a definite situation actually, but Imma ask you one question,, do you think it's wrong to do blackface, you must think it's nothing wrong with it if you can't see what's wrong in the video sir!
@@theecreator20 hang on why did you say maybe then if it's "not a maybe situation"?
Donald Trump favorite singer
Unnecessary
Almost a century ago, still great. Prejudice was such that he had to wear white makeup and pretend to be Jewish to get work.
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Before this was considered art. Now if you try to do something even close to this... you'd probably lose your work, be put on a permanent naughty government list, and be persecuted for the next few decades by every political faction out there.
Have you seen the photos of young 'Castro jnr' ie Justin Trudeu in blackface ?
@@joefish6091 No