Al Jolson, Acting - KorPlix:Korean Person Archives

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Al Jolson
Acting

Al Jolson
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1886-05-26,Sredniki, Kovno Governorate, Russian Empire [now Seredzius, Lithuania]
Gender
Male
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Al Jolson (May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian singer, comedian and actor. In his heyday, he was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer".He was born in the Russian Empire (the part of which is now in Lithuania) and emigrated to America at the age of five with his Jewish parents. His performing style was brash and extroverted, and he popularized a large number of songs that benefited from his "shamelessly sentimental, melodramatic approach". Numerous well-known singers were influenced by his music, including Bing Crosby Judy Garland, rock and country entertainer Jerry Lee Lewis, and Bob Dylan, who once referred to him as "somebody whose life I can feel". Broadway critic Gilbert Seldes compared him to "the Great God Pan," claiming that Jolson represented "the concentration of our national health and gaiety." In the 1930s, he was America's most famous and highest paid entertainer. Between 1911 and 1928, Jolson had nine sell-out Winter Garden shows in a row, more than 80 hit records, and 16 national and international tours. Although he's best remembered today as the star in the first (full length) talking movie, The Jazz Singer in 1927, he later starred in a series of successful musical films throughout the 1930s. After a period of inactivity, his stardom returned with the 1946 Oscar-winning biographical film, The Jolson Story. Larry Parks played Jolson with the songs dubbed in with Jolson’s real voice. A sequel, Jolson Sings Again, was released in 1949, and was nominated for three Oscars. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Jolson became the first star to entertain troops overseas during World War II, and again in 1950 became the first star to perform for G.I.s in Korea, doing 42 shows in 16 days. He died just weeks after returning to the U.S., partly due to the physical exertion of performing. Defense Secretary George Marshall afterward awarded the Medal of Merit to Jolson's family. He enjoyed performing in blackface makeup – a theatrical convention since the mid-19th century. With his unique and dynamic style of singing black music, like jazz and blues, he was later credited with single-handedly introducing African-American music to white audiences. As early as 1911 he became known for fighting against anti-black discrimination on Broadway. Jolson's well-known theatrics and his promotion of equality on Broadway helped pave the way for many black performers, playwrights, and songwriters, including Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, and Ethel Waters. Description above from the Wikipedia article Al Jolson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Filmography

The Jazz Singer

6.1

The Jazz Singer
1927-10-06

Rhapsody in Blue

6.4

Rhapsody in Blue
1945-06-27

Rose of Washington Square

5.7

Rose of Washington Square
1939-05-05

Hollywood and the Stars

0

Hollywood and the Stars
1964-05-04

Showbiz Goes to War

10

Showbiz Goes to War
1982-12-31

Hollywood Handicap

4.5

Hollywood Handicap
1938-05-28

Hollywood Cavalcade

5.1

Hollywood Cavalcade
1939-10-13

4.7

Mammy
1930-03-26

The Legend of Rudolph Valentino

0

The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
1961-05-24

Hallelujah, I'm a Bum

7.444

Hallelujah, I'm a Bum
1933-02-03

6.2

Wonder Bar
1934-03-31

6.5

Swanee River
1939-12-29

The Singing Kid

4

The Singing Kid
1936-04-10

New York Nights

4.8

New York Nights
1929-12-28

4

Big Boy
1930-04-27

The Singing Fool

5

The Singing Fool
1928-09-29

A Plantation Act

3.6

A Plantation Act
1926-10-07

Say It with Songs

5.3

Say It with Songs
1929-08-05

Go Into Your Dance

7

Go Into Your Dance
1935-04-20

Going Hollywood: The '30s

10

Going Hollywood: The '30s
1984-01-01

Show Girl in Hollywood

5.8

Show Girl in Hollywood
1930-04-20

Screen Snapshots: Series 16, No. 12

5

Screen Snapshots: Series 16, No. 12
1937-08-13

The Golden Twenties

0

The Golden Twenties
1950-04-08

The Dawn of Sound: How Movies Learned to Talk

7

The Dawn of Sound: How Movies Learned to Talk
2007-09-02

Screen Snapshots: Memorial to Al Jolson

0

Screen Snapshots: Memorial to Al Jolson
1952-07-24

The Jolson Story

6.7

The Jolson Story
1946-10-10

Jolson Sings Again

6

Jolson Sings Again
1949-08-17

Show-Business at War

7

Show-Business at War
1943-05-21

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

5.7

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
1975-08-06

Myrna Loy: So Nice to Come Home To

9

Myrna Loy: So Nice to Come Home To
1990-06-04

Take It or Leave It

4

Take It or Leave It
1944-07-17

5

Okay for Sound
1946-09-07

0

Salsa
1976-08-18

The Voice That Thrilled the World

5.3

The Voice That Thrilled the World
1943-10-16

A Day at Santa Anita

5

A Day at Santa Anita
1937-05-22

Screen Snapshots Series 18, No. 8

4

Screen Snapshots Series 18, No. 8
1939-04-08

Studio Highlights

0

Studio Highlights
1934-08-01

Purple Heart Diary

0

Purple Heart Diary
1951-11-12

Gene Kelly - An American in Hollywood

6.8

Gene Kelly - An American in Hollywood
2025-01-02

0

Sunshine State
2022-03-31

6

Startime
1959-10-06

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

7.7

Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1955-10-02