Al Jolson - Misunderstood Hero or Villain?

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This is a “sort of” correct answer, but not really. The earliest “sound” movies were made by synchronizing motion pictures to phonograph records. In 1926, (a year before “The Jazz Singer”) Warner Brothers re-released the previously silent film “Don Juan” with a soundtrack recording done by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
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[@TodayIFoundOut]

Now that you know all about Al Jolson check out this video and find out about The Tragic Family Life of Kelsey Grammer: kzbin.info/www/bejne/omK0ioOil8aYatk

[@bruggeman672]

So it sounds like, as angry as ppl get about blackface, in it's time it opened the door for intolerant whites to experience black culture, something they would not otherwise have done. It doesn't sound that bad but when viewed out of context from a modern PC perspective comes off as racist.

[@SelfishFew]

"isperhaps"

[@brucesmith54]

Like everyone else back then he became overshadowed by Bing Crosby.

[@clasystems]

@@brucesmith54 Actually no, they sang duets together.

[@brucesmith54]

@@clasystems Yeh, Bing sang duets with everybody,..but he became the bigger star by far,

[@lovellconnor701]

When he played in a movie with Cab Calloway, he made sure that Cab Calloway was paid salary the same as he.

[@GrandFiction]

Ok. Praise some one for doing what he should have done.....

[@lawrencewood289]

@@GrandFiction Sooo what do you expect of him. The most he can do is what he SHOULD do (which was far more than. was occurring in the industry at the time. Calloway sure seemed happy... Here is Calloway talking about an earlier collaboration with Jolson... "I'd heard Al Jolson was doing a new film on the Coast, and since Duke Ellington and his band had done a film, wasn't it possible for me and the band to do this one with Jolson. Frenchy got on the phone to California, spoke to someone connected with the film and the next thing I knew the band and I were booked into Chicago on our way to California for the film, The Singing Kid. We had a hell of a time, although I had some pretty rough arguments with Harold Arlen, who had written the music. Arlen was the songwriter for many of the finest Cotton Club revues, but he had done some interpretations for The Singing Kid that I just couldn't go along with. He was trying to change my style and I was fighting it. Finally, Jolson stepped in and said to Arlen, 'Look, Cab knows what he wants to do; let him do it his way.' After that, Arlen left me alone. And talk about integration: Hell, when the band and I got out to Hollywood, we were treated like pure royalty. Here were Jolson and I living in adjacent penthouses in a very plush hotel. We were costars in the film so we received equal treatment, no question about it.[46]"

[@rro660]

​@@GrandFiction Its easy to say that now. Dont discredit a man for going against a system of oppression because youre basing it on todays standards. Its lazy and stupid.

[@markstevenson1646]

​@@GrandFictionyou weren't alive in those times so you don't understand what a huge thing it was that he did, in which case your ignorance can be understood

[@GrandFiction]

@@markstevenson1646 Don't care. The times were barbaric to black people and he wasnt.....so were many other white people and Asian people and native people and so on and so on....thats like praising me for giving a thirsty man water when its taboo to do....ok w.e.

[@marthalakerep]

Wow. As a black historian and Black American, this is useful and helpful information. Jolson wasn't as cut and dried as it seemed. He got blacks work in a time when we were banned and denied the franchise.

[@michaelfoye1135]

brent p Also the 50% of the American voting population who were members of the KKK, that was the Democratic party. Nothings changed on that front.

[@antnix]

"We" were banned? You weren't even born!

[@tangerinetech5300]

Anthony Nixon he's got the same skin color clearly they are one collective consciousness. Like the borg from star trek.

[@AnniePee]

@@tangerinetech5300 of course you'd get offended by any minority using collective we to refer to their own race lol

[@tangerinetech5300]

@@AnniePee I don't think you understand what offended means

[@timothyhughes1904]

Jolson did what he could for race relations with the tools he had. It's superficial to dismiss him as a venal racist.

[@Rahab111222]

@igeto12 Nah it was alright in those days. Only butthurt sensitive leftoids who jump to conclusions think otherwise.

[@frog403]

You guys need to actually realize what he was doing instead of lying to yourself

[@willythegman5509]

@@frog403 yes we realize what he was doing he was still a war hero and the world loved him he wasn’t a Bad guy he was Just doing stuff the only way he could

[@lawrencewood289]

@@frog403 Like helping African-American performers get quality roles. Here is Calloway talking about an earlier collaboration with Jolson... "I'd heard Al Jolson was doing a new film on the Coast, and since Duke Ellington and his band had done a film, wasn't it possible for me and the band to do this one with Jolson. Frenchy got on the phone to California, spoke to someone connected with the film and the next thing I knew the band and I were booked into Chicago on our way to California for the film, The Singing Kid. We had a hell of a time, although I had some pretty rough arguments with Harold Arlen, who had written the music. Arlen was the songwriter for many of the finest Cotton Club revues, but he had done some interpretations for The Singing Kid that I just couldn't go along with. He was trying to change my style and I was fighting it. Finally, Jolson stepped in and said to Arlen, 'Look, Cab knows what he wants to do; let him do it his way.' After that, Arlen left me alone. And talk about integration: Hell, when the band and I got out to Hollywood, we were treated like pure royalty. Here were Jolson and I living in adjacent penthouses in a very plush hotel. We were costars in the film so we received equal treatment, no question about it.[46]" So tell us again how we are lying to ourselves.

[@Lea123]

​@@frog403 like fr they real life in denial. And it's so cringe. But it's not surprising 🤦🏾‍♀️

[@jaspr1999]

I knew none of this. The only thing I remember about Jolson was him singing in black face and never heard anything more about him. The funny thing is that my father was born in 1911 and was evidently a big fan, but as he had me much later in life he really didn't talk much about him. He did have all his records though, which I still have in a box somewhere. I hadn't thought about this in years. Thank you!

[@wysteriasparkle6189]

I do not care how late this reply is. I want to personally congratulate you for seeing things from another perspective and understanding historical context. People like you give me hope in the future.

[@survivinggamer2598]

Wait, what? You being insecure makes you a bad guy?

[@mariecarie1]

Well, upstaging a Broadway musical just so everyone can praise your singing is kind of a douchy thing to do

[@milkycheeseman5889]

ikr that made no sense to me either

[@Areanyusernamesleft]

Not by itself, but it can cause feelings of jealously and negative behaviors in some people.

[@cld244]

If something like that makes you jealous, then that is your problem.

[@heathersapper6252]

He wasn't insecure loll he would put the black stuff on his face bcuz he would do it to make fun of the black people. Also i dont think he would be insecure if he was literally a manhoe lol he had sooo many wife's and he was going from one girl to another.

[@Laraisthebomb1212]

So basically he saw black people as he did white people and was an activist and an advocate for their inclusion in broadway and wider society both publicly and privately, and in a time when racism was openly acceptable he went against the grain and by accounts of actual African American people and publications was an advocate and ally to the cause, yet just because Americans are more scared of being called racist than anything else everyone remembers him as a slave owner? That's a damn shame if there ever was one. Misrepresentation at its finest.

[@roberthenleynola]

He was certainly never a slave owner.

[@Mitch93]

@@roberthenleynola Aye, was outlawed for decades by the time he was born, let alone famous.

[@sovietchampagne]

they don't "remember him as a slave owner" ... people who don't know who he was saw that he was famous for doing blackface, which was something people were already debating about and which became "bad taste" by the 1950s or so, and they have a negative impression of him because they don't come from the culture Jolson existed in. it's completely understandable, if you want people to think differently you'll have to be patient and teach them the context.

[@danielscuiry2847]

No one ever talks about others like Judy Garland who performed on film in black face.

[@sovietchampagne]

@T W you are taking propaganda that was used to justify the slave trade and reading it as if it were literal and represented the sincere feelings and motivations of slave owners. the Trans-Atlantic slave trade was an essential part of a profitable enterprise ... it's an *incredible* stretch of the imagination to claim it was some kind of benevolent affirmative action employment scheme. the plantation economy CREATED a huge market for slaves that did not exist before. none of the societies that imported slaves from Africa before the Trans-Atlantic trade had such a huge demand for labour. Arabs bought slaves as personal servants, they didn't buy 100 of them to work cash crops. if you read the memoirs of former slaves like Olaudah Equiano you can see the difference between how systems of slavery worked in Africa, Asia and the West.

[@BuckyBrown-lt4ry]

AJ helped many black performers during his lifetime. He himself was a minority. And despite changing his name, everyone knew he was a Jew. Great talent and an even greater man.

[@tomboughan2718]

He did hide that fact he was Jew in Jazz Singer, and conflict with his father over being his father wanting him to be a cantor. I did not know he was pushing for black rights as far back in 1911.

[@ronwhycherly]

He hid the fact he was a Jew in conflict with his father in a film where he played a Jew in conflict with his father? Really?

[@Hillers62]

Many people forget that he was Jewish...who at the time also oppressed...he helped blacks in the same way he helped other Jewish performers..to rid the stigma of origin in order to let all entertainers be accepted across all boundaries...

[@supernova9563]

Hillers62 he was jewish but white, so we can’t really compare that to being born black

[@dovbarleib3256]

@@tomboughan2718 Yes, it was a movie about a Jew who became a jazz singer, angering his father who hoped he would be a cantor in synagogue. At the end of the film, he sings Kol Nidre on Yom Kippur night as the Cantor, redeeming himself in his father's eyes while his father dies. Sounds very Jewish to me!

[@alanlefkowitz7423]

When Jolson sings "Oh Suzanna" it has a very distinct cantorial sound. He may have left the synagogue; however the synagogue never left him.

[@Ben-bb7mi]

His story is not unlike Jackie Mason's.

[@CharlesEstesThefuture]

As a Black man, I love this guy. He was a great singer and I always felt I had a connection with him and his music although it was way before my time. I guess I understand why now.

[@eazyescurljuice1129]

I can’t tell if y’all are joking, but I’m gonna give y’all a cookie and pray.

[@eazyescurljuice1129]

T W bitch, I didn’t say all of that. I know what I know and I’m not gonna argue with you. eat a fucking cookie.

[@eazyescurljuice1129]

T W what are you on about? they didn’t say you stole anything and everything you said after that first sentence had nothing to do with anything.

[@Rahab111222]

@@flip4247 He was celebrating black culture and was an advocate for civil rights, dumbass.

[@flip4247]

@@Rahab111222 you gotta learn how to think for yourself and not be so gullible and easily manipulated. And stop cussing , that's for people who don't have the intelligence to say what's on their mind. You'll never effectively get a point across like that.

[@NotHarpoGroucho]

I like Jolsons singing style. Also I feel like an important part you missed was that he was Bing Crosbys biggest inspiration.

[@DavidOnofrei]

I agree, Jolson was a musical pioneer who inspired countless other magnificent singers and deserves to be eternally remembered for all of his invaluable contributions to modern day entertainment.

[@jmulvey371]

No doubt. Jolson was an extremely important and influential singer. This video claims that his music doesn't age as well as... Dean Martin's?? Sheesh.

[@georgecuppaidge2451]

Jolson made so many songs his own This is what makes him one of music's elite. George, Tewantin April 2024

[@ufoman4468]

Bing who? Oh! That crooner who's last greatest hit was a golf ball.

[@brianmichaud3097]

The story of Al Jolson is a perfect example of the dangers of superimposing today’s morals on yesterday’s culture. Yes, today his style of performing is distasteful, but it was not considered so at the time by the majority of either white or black audiences. For those who want to superimpose their morals on past eras, just imagine if the morals of past eras were superimposed on today.

[@Ch0obyHD]

I think of that often, people are just so neurotic nowadays.

[@espada9]

Todays morals are degenerate trash.

[@Ripper13F1V]

The word "anachronism" is unfortunately lost on most. I do agree with you 100%.

[@Clown_the_Clown]

I wouldn't say it's distasteful today

[@margaretthomas8899]

What do you mean by today's morals? His style today is distastefull? Like what has whatever given time we are in have anything to do with anything?

[@nelsonx5326]

Hero. Judge him not by the color of his skin but by the content of his character.

[@chosenone683]

But black is not his skin color

[@sebastianvaldivia5650]

KZbin Fan he’s saying not all white people are racist

[@Exedus20]

Reeeeeeee!

[@trewqpoiutl9774]

You mean to say shoe polish.

[@NPC-zo7yo]

Ironic

[@morscoronam3779]

Well, the comments section surely won't spiral into chaos with a topic like this...

[@YoLo-ky8ig]

Mors Coronam it hasn't yet tbh

[@kimjungun-wv7kp]

how correct you are.

[@jacob4859]

USA STILL RACIST NOTHING CHANGED WHITE AMERICANS

[@gg_rider]

read Al Jolson's bio on Wikipedia and how much strong approval and support he got from Black Americans and why, because HE gave radical strong support for Black entertainers, both professionally and personally. This guys is speaking exactly what the Wiki bio says.

[@anakro6919]

Weird Because the FBI has classed BLM a terrorist group along side ICP and they are known for lying, bullshitting and being criminals...why dont you look up more then one biased report :'D haha Look up other statistical group who research shit,...i mean the fbi...are you fucking serious hahahaha

[@somersetdc]

I always knew that he was a great patriot who tirelessly entertained US troops overseas...but I didn't know about his progressive attitude regarding civil rights and race relations. Great information. Very informative. Thanks!

[@j1bc]

Jolson, one of the greatest entertainers ever. Wonderful voice, fantastic range and could sing any style of song. If only we had a few of the same calibre around today!

[@margaretthomas8899]

YOU HAVE IT SPOT ON!

[@MaskedButcher7]

Why this has 10 Likes? He mean "calibre" barrel

[@Facts-Over-Feelings]

AL JOLSON WAS A RACIST ANTI BLACK USING BLACK FACE TO DEHUMANIZE A WHOLE PEOPLE.

[@GravityFromAbove]

Thanks for this one. As a music historian it is clear to me that the most taboo subject in American music history, Blackface Minstrelsy, is all at the heart of most of the issues related to all American music history. By shutting it up in a vault labeled forbidden we have made American music history absurd. Thanks for cracking that door open.

[@jeffgoble9206]

The Anadromous Life I wholeheartedly agree. Isn't amazing how many times in art we have to say, "like the art, hate the artist"? Minstrel shows are our Wagner, except worse because it was more than just one person and for so much longer. And I genuinely don't think it was a necessary part of American culture. Just imagine what Stephen Foster would have written if he had something besides minstrel shows to make money. Or how many great 19th century composers America could have had if minstrel shows weren't crowding out other forms of music.

[@ricksaunders]

Thanks for a thoughtful response to this. I'm glad I scrolled past the foolishness.

[@GravityFromAbove]

Actually I take a different point of view. Without Minstrel music there would be no Country music, Broadway musicals, Bluegrass, Barbershop Quartets, Doo Wop, Jazz was seriously influenced, as was Blues, oh yes Ragtime, not to forget Rhythm & Blues and Rock and Roll. It is one, only one, of the main streams from which the rest of the story of American music flowed. It certainly had many dubious features. First in my mind is creating the dire sentimentality which has infected much American Pop music ever since. But it is behind much great music as well. The obvious racism was the flipside of a genuine fascination with black American music. And the black/white collision/collusion in American music has persisted ever since. Elvis, blackface without the makeup. Michael Jackson, very much whiteface, or is something mutated beyond that. If you actually go back and listen to the original minstrel music (not just the Steven Foster pieces) it is seminal. Without it Americans would be listening to waltzes and polkas... Not that we don't anyway!

[@jeffgoble9206]

The Anadromous Life fascinating... I especially like that bit about the sentimentality... 😂 consider me informed! So, I know historians really hate to get into "what if" scenerios, but is it not possible that musical forms resembling those you listed would have developed in absence of the actual minstrel show? Maybe in vaudeville or a never invented form of American 19th century opera? or just the usual musical development like in Europe or like what later happened in Tin Pan Alley and the Harlem Renaissance? At the heart of my question I'm wondering what it is in minstrel music that connected the dots and if it could have existed without the racism. Or is there something in the heart of minstrel music that had to be in place to make it all possible?

[@GravityFromAbove]

Yes Jeff it's interesting to speculate. But most of the music we know as American is touched in someway by Minstrel music. The only species not touched till later would be Gospel music, but even there the lineage is very complex and Black Gospel music certainly also has white roots as well as African. Field Hollers and Georgia Sea Islands music are as purely African as it gets. Unfortunately America's original sin, racism, gets in the mix at all times one way or another. But then again that's our glory too. Life is complicated. What got to folks in Britain and beyond when they heard recordings of our music was that odd mixture of essentially Anglo-Celtic roots and the African additions of syncopation, blue notes and a new emotional approach, along with call-and-response which was once a white European thing as well. (See Scottish psalm singing and work songs.) But there is no distinctive American music, the glorious and the terrifying, without that weird Minstrel root. (And Rick, good mention of Emmett Miller! His music is like a Rosetta Stone between Country, Blues and Jazz. And quite frankly amazing stuff.)

[@frenchjr25]

Jolson actually improvised his lines in 'The Jazz Singer'. It took the Warner Bros executives by surprise. One wanted to stop the filming and start over but the cost of re-cutting the wax disk would have been cost prohibitive. So his lines were kept in. Jolson was known for his ad-libbing on stage - regularly interrupting his stage performances to talk directly to the audience when he didn't think they were liking what they were seeing. At the time his wearing "blackface" was common among performers. Most were actually forced to wear it or they could not be able to work. Jolson's hit songs actually honor strong black women. He wasn't actually meaning to make fun of them. He was trying to honor them in a time that required him to also wear makeup that made fun of them. It's truly complicated and something few people can understand today.

[@Comedyteamz]

That's some wild white logic you got there buddy, whites where forced to wear blackface? My guy...come on.

[@nickgreatpwrful5754]

Comedyteamz it was the 1920s and 1930s , "my guy". Jolson was by and large one of the least racist people, in fact so many instances are documented where Jolson stood up for black performers. For example he once invited two complete strangers out to dine with him because he was so upset to hear they were denied service in a restaurant because they were black. Blackfave in the 1920s and 1930s was dated, but not nearly as "shocking" as it would be in a film today.

[@Comedyteamz]

Okay, I'll give you that if that's true. But my point is blackface in and off itself is definitely apart of the US's racist history. It's an entirely racist form on entertainment, literally designed to dehumanize blacks. And if we're just gonna ignore that fact then we can't even start a serious conversation.

[@nickgreatpwrful5754]

Comedyteamz no one's ignoring that fact. But again - it was the 1920s and 1930s. Performers like Jolson grew up where blackface was not shocking, and generally accepted. I may be wrong, but I actually think the first black performers ever to perform for white audiences were minstrel performers. While there's no doubt that blackface and minstrel shows were extremely racist, at the same time, they helped "introduce" black music to wider audiences. Jolson is an example of that as well. I read an article about this that made a good point. It was comparing "The Jazz singer" and "Birth of a Nation". What the Jazz Singer did that Birth of a Nation did not do - was push black music further into mainstream, whereas BOAN was so racist it would have never advocated for something such as that. I always say NEVER look at early 20th century films and performers in 21st century eyes. You have to remember that racism and Jim Crow were extremely rampant. Seeing performers in minstrel shows and blackface was not out of place. Jolson, as I said, by all accounts was not a racist, however he was also a product of his time. Blackface and minstrelsy were far more common in his time and far more accepted by the general public. Attitudes drastically changed in the second half of the 20th century. This is not saying that it ever was okay, but rather acceptance of it and even "casual" use of blackface such as Jolson's became far less acceptable by the general public as the civil Rights movement progressed into the 50s / 60s, and furthermore how this influenced more progressive ideas of race in the later half of the 20th century.

[@Comedyteamz]

I see where you comin from. And while I don't agree that Jazz Singer was a huge part it "helping"introduce black music" to mainstream audiences ,cause disc jockey's were playing black music to white audiences who very much loved it. But that's a whole 'nother discussion , and I get what your getting at. But for a moment...maybe it was only "accepted" by the "general" public because the "general public" we're in no way being dehumanized. And that other member of the "general public" hated the site of black face in popular media because it was another constant reminder that they are treated as a forienger in their own land. Just some food for thought.

[@michaeldesanta977]

I'd walk a million miles For one of your smiles My, MAMMY!!!

[@eldridger.johnson9879]

Beautiful. just gorgeous.

[@pleonic]

Finally somebody does a fair reappraisal of Al Jolson.

[@jacobc.8915]

So just to clarify: Case for Villainy: He was in vaudeville, sang like he was in vaudeville, & used a type of performance deemed repugnant in today's world whose origins lie in vaudeville. Case for Hero: wasn't a racist, promoted black artists in every way he could, & was widely regarded as a national hero by folks of all colors and creeds. You literally glassed your own case for Jolson's villainy my dude.

[@spasticpug5209]

What does glassed mean?

[@QualityCandor]

@@spasticpug5209 It's a synonym for nuked, as in to drop an nuclear bomb. In this case, I used it metaphorically as a way of conveying how horribly he wrecked his own case in my opinion.

[@spasticpug5209]

@@QualityCandor I sort of figured what that means but didn’t want to assume. I’m a huge Jolson fan despite being only 20

[@jacobc.8915]

@@spasticpug5209 I grew to become a fan too. Love his performance in The Singing Kid with Cab Calloway. Both are such an infectious performers. BTW it was me who replied to you initially. That's my new account that I'm working on. I forgot to switch back to this one lol.

[@spasticpug5209]

@@jacobc.8915 I discovered Jolson through my love of Calloway. Something spectacularly sinister about the style but also it can be cute and light hearted.

[@cleganebowldog6626]

I missed the part where you substantiated any claim towards villain. The two negatives you mentioned were insecurity and racism. You demolished the racism argument yourself, and insecurity is utterly common, to the point of being a trope of famous performers. So why isn't this simply titled, Al Jolson Misunderstood Hero?

[@stain4128]

Clegane Bowldog because it just is. why do you have to over think everything I mean shit its your life so shit that you have to point out every little thing that you disagree with I mean why are you so fucking..... Triggered!!!!

[@jaybee27D]

Stain dude calm down, the man was just asking a question, I don't think that's representative of his life right now, and I agree with him, he's not mad just curious so I wouldn't call him triggered

[@stain4128]

JayBe I was triggered and took it out on him and it felt good

[@jaybee27D]

Ah, gotcha

[@aperson22222]

Clegane Bowldog He criticized Jolson's musical style too. That could be villainous.

[@elleryray4754]

Good for him and what he tried to do fight against discrimination. We need more people like him. Great performer too.

[@harmonicagoose9676]

His style was very unique and of it's time, I can see why other youngsters wouldn't enjoy it, but I very much do.

[@RichardKoenigsberg]

@@harmonicagoose9676 STILL unique.

[@franciscocastillo132]

I have to say, I've always really liked Al Jolson's singing and I'm not that old.

[@butcherboy2008]

I can't wait until I'm 90 years old and we all call Eminem a racist.

[@ginnrollins211]

Nick Cannon did that just last year and now everybody is roasting him.

[@tonyataylor67]

Ha. We already do.

[@Rahab111222]

@Tyrone Biggums He kinda is.

[@frog403]

Dude, he is actively making fun of black people in his films wake tf up and stop trying to make his seem like the good guy

[@relacser]

@@ginnrollins211 Nick Cannon is a self admitted racist so it's not surprising that he said that

[@eh1843]

As a long time fan of "Hot Jazz" (Jazz from the 1920s-1930s) I've had trouble with Jolson and his work. This bit of information put in context his life and work. Thank you for this!

[@nickpavia9021]

A ton of black people performed in blackface back then. Were they "racist" too"? FML.

[@pentz1]

@@nickpavia9021 No they were being literal c cons in minstrel shows, and as such should be viewed in the same light as gangster rappers are now. No difference.

[@elizabethturney5812]

I appreciate the information on Al Jolson.My dad (born 1932) was a huge fan, and he was musical, performing many of Al Jolson's songs.

[@bonniewood5263]

Just wonderful to hear something positive! I saw a special on Sammy Davis Jr. today, and Jolson was shown to be a real supporter of Davis. I just had a conversation with someone who couldn't get past the "racist" appearance of blackface, or accept the idea that it might be adopted in a respectful cross-cultural portrayal. Thank you so much for presenting this information.

[@oldmovieman7550]

Maybe its always been this way, but I think one of the worst things about modern culture is how we vilify people from the past for things we perceive as transgressions without trying to understand their context or who they actually were as people. Al Jolson being a prime example.

[@butcherboy2008]

I can't wait until I'm 90 and we start calling the straight actors from Will & Grace homophobic.

[@YujiUedaFan]

Are you 90 in 10 years?

[@TheHaters112]

He liked women only...eewww what a heterosexual!

[@arianagrandeismyqueen6166]

Douglas Butcher girl people are already doing that

[@evermoredany]

That's not the same thing

[@butcherboy2008]

Eric McCormick is straight and playing a gay man. In his time, Al Jolson actually fought for black actors and musicians. Today, he's a punchline for "guy in blackface."

[@lynnarthur1411]

I was a little girl in the late 1950s and I was a huge fan of Al Jolson. His singing and musical influences helped to shape my love of music.

[@thekinarbo]

What about the time he extinguished a cigar on Barbara Stanwyck's chest? She took that scar to her grave.

[@franktremblay8281]

​@@thekinarbo😑😑😑...

[@philyip4432]

I learned about Al Jolson and his songs in 1970. I have loved it ever since.

[@jimplper7969]

I was very young I probably was like maybe 5 I watch Al Jolson The Jazz Singer and believe me I fell in love with his music and to this day I really enjoy Al Jolson. And it really got me into music I love Louis Armstrong I like all the black music from the 20s to 30s and I think it all goes back to Al Jolson he really got me in the music when I was a young child and to this day like I said I love his music I saw his singing he is so happy the look on his face his eyes just the way he came across yes times change back then it was a different world I don't want to go back there but I want to respect the man for who he was and what he did we cannot judge him for the time that he lived if we did that in the future they'll look back at us and go wow look at those people and I'm talking the 1950s I used to watch TV I guess it was my babysitter but I have one day I was talking to a black friend of mine and I mentioned the film The Jazz Singer and I asked him if he ever seen it and he says yes my teacher played it in school and I thought to myself that's so cool I think we need to look at the past not to judge it but to see for what it was and enjoy the good and see the bad and learn from it to make us better I really get mad when I see them kind of like cut things out like a Tom and Jerry they took all the black maids out of it and I'm thinking no I don't want to take that away I want people to see it for what it was so that's just my thoughts I just hate it when they just censor stuff one time I was watching a show on PBS and was all about jazz and they did not mention the Jazz singer. And I thought to myself that is odd but they were being politically correct and people like me if I didn't see that when I was a child I don't know what I would think of music today that's how much that it impressed on me..

[@irishmike3514]

Thank you for helping to restore the reputation of America's Greatest Entertainer!!

[@Stogdad1]

Actually, The Singing Fool (1928) was even bigger at the box office than The Jazz Singer. It grossed so much money that it was the highest grossing film (not counting Birth of a Nation) until Gone with the Wind in 1939.

[@bradleyamor8854]

My dads favorite singer Al Jolson / dad took me to the Jolson story at age 5 he also told me about his work with black people and his champion of there race. I love him and sing his songs often.

[@davidahlstrom7533]

By the 20th century, Minstrel shows had nothing to do with "white supremacy." By the 1900s, it was an imitation of southern black singing and entertainment. Jolson felt he was performing as a black entertainer. He felt he was bringing southern style singing, spirituals and jazz to mainstream entertainment (broadway). Sammy Davis Jr. and several other minority entertainers of the day credited Jolson with opening doors for them.

[@jeffdwyer6105]

We had Minstrel shows in Grade school in the early 60's (in CT) , they were variety shows with the black faced skits at the end , we even had black kids wearing reversed makeup , it was considered a tradition and comedic . Around 1962 they stopped it out of popular cultural concerns .

[@leehallam9365]

If you watch his performances, there is no mockery of black people in them.

[@Xannyphantom905]

@@leehallam9365 black face

[@leehallam9365]

@@Xannyphantom905 I suppose you think that is a slam dunk arguement? That type of makeup started out being used to mock black people, it was accompanied by a performance of crude insulting act. By the time Jolson used it, it was just a theatrical tradition, a way to impersonate black people, while performing music inspired by black people. The key is the intention. There was plenty of real nasty racism about, black people at the time didn't waste their time bring offended by things like that. The idea that the make up itself, indeed in any way portraying a black character even on radio, is offensive is a very recent one. It shouldn't be applied to Jolson.

[@Xannyphantom905]

@@leehallam9365 I'm not applying the title of racist to Jolson, I'm applying it to black face. black people might have not been offended by it back then, what a discovery. alot of things clearly messed up were overlooked due to worse problems. black face is still insulting and I'm sure even a passive man like MLK wouldn't approve

[@zapdunga12]

For those interested in Al Jolson, two movies were made about his life. And although not totally accurate, for the most part it was. Larry Parks played Al Jolson. 'The Jolson Story' was made in 1946, with Al Jolson doing all the singing, and Larry Parks lip syncing. The sequel 'Jolson Sings Again' was made in 1949, just one year before Jolson's death and was equally successful. 'The Jolson Story' film was a tremendous financial success, and won Academy Awards for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture (Morris Stoloff), and Best Sound Recording (John Livadary). It was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Larry Parks), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (William Demarest), Best Cinematography, Color (Joseph Walker) and Best Film Editing (William A. Lyon).The film was also entered into the 1947 Cannes Film Festival. It made $7.6 million in 1946! Not bad for an old washed up singer. It introduced Jolson to a whole new younger audience who were kids then but are now in their 70's and 80s and older. Here is the links to watch 'The Jolson Story' and 'Jolson Sings Again' for free on KZbin. 'The Jolson Story' kzbin.info/www/bejne/mYOmp2WberaZetE 'Jolson Sings Again' kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGnGd6ahdrmjeNk

[@garyhewitt4344]

Al Jolson was human and like all of us, he had a good side and a not-so-good side. He was one of the greatest entertainers of all time thats for sure.

[@scottwalker9912]

Al Jolson is my hero and if not known for his music he is always known as the jazz singer who was black faced. He lead the way in the 20's to include African American culture to the stage and introduce it to the rest of the world. He was a living legend and as far as I'm concerned in no way a racist. I admire him for what he did for jazz music being from Eastern Europe coming to America as an immigrant and gaining the respect from the people of that country he grew up in entertaining and "seeing those faces!" Rip al Jolson - you ain't seen nothing yet!!

[@edwardrawn8157]

What made him a villain exactly? His insecurity, or blackface in a time when blackface wasn't a big deal? I don't get it. Does he have to be a villain just because of blackface?

[@chs75]

Yes.

[@edwardrawn8157]

Seems pretty stupid to apply today's morality on people who lived a century ago.

[@chs75]

It was bad then, it is bad now. Don't let this dude's selective facts blind you to the fact that Jolson was always controversially, and not universally loved.

[@angelartiyalvt9574]

chs75 But people thought it was okay back then. It was acceptable. Yes it was wrong, but nobody knew any better back then.

[@MeldinX2]

Also he did it to help black people and introduce their culture to a world of whites that was in those times very racist. not to make fun or belittle them. Again todays standards should not apply on people from the past. The reasoning he had for doing what he did should also matter and be taken into account.

[@eelamite]

so glad someone shed light on this. many unfortunately don't understand his intentions

[@danielcraig5362]

the world’s greatest entertainer, great music, great performer,

[@RichardKoenigsberg]

The Elvis Presley os his time, probably more creative than Elvis.

[@videoguy550]

As a kid I got a free copy of an LP of songs that Jolson did in Korea - recorded by Kraft Musical hall - -certainly different fare from 60s music I knew, BUT I enjoyed the up tempo, belt them out numbers and some of the sweet sentimental - "old show biz" tunes

[@user-FucXYou]

See the old saying you don't judge a book by it's cover was right.

[@amitcohen2269]

The fact he was Jewish at a time when Jews were not accepted as white by the majority of the US population and accordingly were suffering discrimination themselves, probably contributed to his feeling about racial discrimination and the stupidity of white supremacy. Seems a miss to leave it out of the video

[@me-hhhhhhgggh]

You're totally right. If you want to learn more about the topic, the book The Price of Whiteness by Eric Goldstein is really informative.

[@adrianjackson2696]

Amit Cohen - Jews are not white but are from West Asia (so called Middle East) originally. Like the Arabs, Persians, Syrians etc they are Asian. Some have mixed racially overseas so some have blonde hair and blue eye, particularly those from Europe after centuries living there. Nothing wrong with being Asian though.

[@Knapweed]

@@adrianjackson2696 Nonsense. 90% of 'Jews' are East European converts and have no connection whatsoever to the Middle/Near East.

[@adrianjackson2696]

@@Knapweed - If this is true why do they claim to own the "promised land" in Palestine?

[@Knapweed]

@@adrianjackson2696 Not all Jews make that claim. The most orthodox, including Hasidic Jews, claim that modern day Israel is an "abomination". According to them, Israel is not supposed to be established until AFTER the coming of the Messiah, which clearly hasn't happened. Like Christians, Jews aren't an homogeneous bunch and there are a broad spectrum of beliefs.

[@OGRE_HATES_NERDS]

watched the jazz singer last night. it was a very good and emotional movie

[@sharks3010]

I learned a lot from this video. Had no idea about his work with black actors and his attempts to promote them in a positive way. Thanks

[@marionbanks-wilkinson8368]

I actually still like him a lot and have very happy memories of listening to his songs with my late Father. The movies The Jolson Story and Jolson sings again are very interesting and contain wonderful performances

[@judevenalian5008]

To answer your question, hero.

[@stephenhill1089]

I wanna go as Al Jolson from The Jazz Singer for Halloween... He's a God damn hero

[@phillipecook3227]

Today it's difficult to comprehend just how huge a star this man was in his day. He was a mega star long before the term had been invented.

[@arizonafirehorse66]

I have always loved Al Jolson and thought he was an amazing performer. I never considered him to be a villain. I am 51 years old

[@Lea123]

How was he going to be a villain to you,, and you are yt???

[@peterthorpe5759]

One of my favourite singers of all time

[@NickolasHinderer]

A few years ago, out of nowhere really, I had suddenly remembered watching the Warner Brothers' "Owl Jolson" cartoon as a small kid. So, hardly able to recall any lyrics or specifics, it had taken a few searches to find the video, and of course after I did find it, the real song was in the suggestions. Anywho, I fell in love with the song but after seeing his blackface performances, I'd also become concerned about his character. Though not concerned enough to do my own research, so, I really appreciate to have come across your very informative, and exceptionally presented, video shedding some positive prospective on the controversies of a very talented artist. [:

[@SonofFrenzi]

That was a very good balanced piece of reportage - keep up the good work.

[@awesomeman8385]

can you do a video on the history of prostitution? always been curious

[@drewekstrumthesteelersfan3153]

Awesome Man men like sex woman like money THE END!

[@CaptTerrific]

thats a LONG history

[@RhysezPieces]

Madden Steelersfan There are male prostitutes, so men like money, too. (I would love to hear the history of it, though. I've heard of it all the way back to brothels and like, I think old Parthenon-type buildings where virgins were bought?)

[@andrewclark7269]

Well it all started with your great great, great great great grandmother..

[@realannoyingapple00]

Andrew Clark inb4 you find out you share a great great great great great grandmother

[@vicenteortegarubilar9418]

Villain?? Controvertial?? Almost everything they said about the man was wonderful, who the hell is calling him a villain??

[@obrecht72]

Because some uptight people today refuse to get their facts straight before they go off on something. They think he is making fun of the black man of his time.

[@SukkaPunch321]

SJWs probably.

[@ryannbbb9179]

Vicente Ortega Rubilar I Every uninformed black person lol

[@elidolo6993]

Will Cannon But pratcially nobody delves into it any further than, "He put blackface. Therefore, he must have hated Black Americans."

[@TheRealUnconnected]

Leftists who want to divide us and make us hate

[@jackielarochelle3542]

Loved al jolson since I've seen The AL jolson movie.and Jolson sings again.The man was inspirational to me.

[@jamiecarlston2543]

Can you do a video on why interlocking your fingers one way feels ok but the other way feels uncomfortable?

[@derekscanlan4641]

you, sir, should become an experimental anthropologist

[@probablyondryland7142]

Wow, I never noticed that. Good job sir or ma’am.

[@thekickingguy94]

Jamie Carlston doesn't feel uncomfortable to me

[@akimbofurry2179]

@@Floran_Plantman As a guy that can use both hands for just about anything, Umm there ant no difference, just opposite.

[@hypocriticalnihilist645]

Even though it's been 4 years, I'll answer your question. How you interlock your fingers, also how you cross your arms, is genetic. The dominant gene has you with your left thumb over your right thumb. If you put your hands together the other way, you are literally going against your genetic programming. That's why it feels so strange.

[@alanlefkowitz7423]

Jolson was an inspiration to Elvis as well, check out on youtube are you lonesome tonight sung by Jolson. I could listen to Jolson anytime. All the greats have paid tribute to him.

[@dscharlesworth1]

Thanks to Today I Found Out. I really do appreciate videos like this one, where you actually learn something.

[@user-kz8ik8cg2c]

al Jolson was a great American, he started with a dream and is still remembered

[@raconteur5195]

I know very little about him but I recently started getting many Al Jolson videos recommended by YT. I'm impressed by how many fellow black people have watched and commented mostly positively and measuredly critically on him. On this Columbus Day Weekend (which my son calls Indigenous People's Day) I wish that the remembrance of other historical figures were treated rationally.

[@TheOneTrueKaliban]

He was a once in a CENTURY talent. One of my few regrets is that I came along too late to see him in person.

[@frankhyland6333]

Al Johnson had every respect for the Black performer. His Blackface was not intended as an insult, rather more as a respect for their musical ability and artistic performance. There would be less than no chance of a Black performer getting his rightly earned dues in general, but Jolson certainly put them in the public's eye. He was called the Elvis of his time. Ain't is peculiar then that Elvis was also wrongly accused of a similar thing.

[@schizoidboy]

I remember a documentary with black British comedian Lenny Henry exploring African American humor and he interviewed some early comic from that time period and asked them about the black faced acts and it turned out at the time it was not considered offensive. This is very different now, but one of the important things to remember about history is you can't take yesterday and make it today. The way things are seen now are not the way they were seen back then. This very much goes for Al Jolson.

[@alexfowler9642]

Al Jolson is one of the greatest entertainers

[@paulgianni]

Thank you, Simon, for this education. More people need to know the truth about Al Jolson.

[@Catglittercrafts]

He was my grandmother's favorite celebrity

[@Tornado1994]

He was a Cool Fella. He DID so much for Blacks.

[@Divertedflight]

It's occurred to me that Al Jolson's continued popularity in the 1930s was due in part to a newly born nostalgia for the late Victorian world which suddenly gained a rosy glow after the 1929 stock market crash. The shine having just been taken off the new modernism, flappers and jazz world. There were a lot of articles and magazine cartoons at the time showing the then and now differences between the two. With 'The Good Old Days' being viewed in a favorable light. Despite having somewhat jazzy timing, Jolson's singing is more like that of the pre-electric megaphone voice of the previous era. So Al Jolson would have been a reassuring living link of what was now the lost world of candy-striped men with handlebar mustaches in Derby hats and ladies in crinolines. The 1930s Al Jolson may well have been popular not in spite of his already dated singing technique, but because of it.

[@GiantPetRat]

I just want to say that I am enjoying this channel because, while its videos may feature subjects I'm familiar with, it seems to consistently shed new light on them. Subscribing!

[@anitarichmond8930]

Thank you for educating me more on El Jolson I now see him in perhaps a more generous light.. Good job🎬

[@NEPatsfanclub]

Flat out one of the most important acts in any era

[@TheRevelationmaster]

IF JOLSON Were alive today, he'd stil be the worlds' greatest entertainer. He possessed something so special that people just gravitated to him. I'm 75. I was introduced to him when I was 3 when I started imitating him.i

[@Ligerpride]

Let's just go straight to character assassinations and ignore context and nuance completely: 2018.

[@CLASSICALFAN100]

Fast forward to 2021: when asked about AJ, the great Fanny Brice simple said: "I always hated the son of a bitch!" www.findagrave.com/memorial/5866/fanny-brice

[@163reasonswhyrealestateage4]

This is a balanced historical perspective of a great entertainer. Your research team did an excellent job Simon.

[@da4127]

Turn on captions and enjoy watching how every time Simon says "Black" captions read "African".

[@tohopes]

hahahahaha

[@nenabunena]

what if he was describing someone's hair or shoes? lol

[@TheSteam02]

fucking liberals

[@cameronemery2646]

The steam kid Chill, it's not even true, did you even try it?

[@da4127]

Kevin Hernandez just checked it again, and yes it is.

[@pagaporvista569]

Thank you - very informative. I knew why he did it but didn't realized how many doors he opened to entertainers of color.

[@jeromemckenna7102]

A good video. I've heard younger performers who know him, such as George Burns, describe him as being extremely insecure but they also described him as a compelling performer.

[@mikehuber9772]

Thank you for this video! Cutting through the B.S. and showing Jolie for who he truly was.. 💗

[@julianmarsh1378]

This was incredible fair-minded! Thank you!

[@ivydinosaur]

i was brought here from trying to find the origin of ‘owl jolson’, a loony tunes character. this is fascinating.

[@rkkotilley358]

am ver glad I stumbled upon this channel a week or so ago...always ver interesting and entertaining...Oh Mammy how I love ya!

[@AngloFrancoDane]

Thanks! I had wondered about Jolson and blackface and I had no idea of his work for the advancement of black performers.

[@jcool5995]

Jolson is a HERO

[@em.415]

Cespedes Granderson the III Uh no

[@PoisonPinball]

Uh yes, he did so much for African Americans, you watched the video.

[@empacae]

Jolson was the greatest performer of all time.

[@zachkahle1007]

Personally, I'm a big Jolson fan and have to say he was definitely a hero.

[@teresaellis7062]

The name was familiar and I am glad to know more about the man. Thank you. Keep up the great work. :)

[@ghostman5620]

the immortal al jolson, died in 1950.

[@GrandFunker]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Stories like this NEED to be told!! Especially around Independence Day! God bless America!!

[@porkscratchings5428]

Fantastic singer and entertainer. Music is great, I can sing all the words and I’m not old. Have all the gramophone records and gramma phone I picked up at a flea market.

[@TheHobgoblyn]

Wasn't the movie he did blackface in, the Jazz singer, specifically about how difficult and screwed up the entertainment industry was for black entertainers... thus, sort of in and of itself, explaining why they could not have an actual black performer in the role?

[@scotpens]

Uh, no. "The Jazz Singer" is the sentimental story of a Jewish cantor's son who is disowned by his father when he becomes a successful popular singer. The blackface is incidental and has nothing to do with the story. Why don't you actually watch "The Jazz Singer" and then comment on it?

[@hUCK-]

Maybe he saw it 15+ years ago and misremembered slightly? Jesus Sally.

[@Hotchilipepprz4]

This is actually not correct either, but so be it. Your summary of the plot is accurate, but blackface is absolutely not incidental, and is actually key to helping drive the emotions of the story. Blackface is used as a way of juxtaposing the "show-business" Robin with the cantor's son Rabinowitz. When he adorns the blackface, he takes on a different identity and becomes the popular star he always dreamed of, and without it he is simply the poor son of a Jewish cantor. The name change, the different attitudes and personas, and yes, the use of blackface versus his normal image, all attribute to this personal struggle for identity in a hectic time. So while I agree this doesn't necessarily do anything directly for the plight of African-Americans, your statement that it is incidental and has nothing to do with the story shows that you missed a major theme of the film.

[@chunkyMunky329]

+Hotchillipepprz4 I think you're wrong to say that the blackface doesn't do anything directly for the plight of African-Americans. I am an African, but not American. And I see way too many times that people think they're doing something for blacks or another minority group, but any effect they're having is either temporary or non-existent. It changes nothing. Which is why the African-American community is continually getting worse in every way. But Al Jolson actually did succeed in helping African-Americans within the entertainment industry and this film was the sole major success in his career that afforded him the capacity to do just that. So, for you to say that he didn't do anything directly, just reflects that you have accepted the false assumptions about what is supposedly good for blacks and other minority groups and are unwilling to consider the factual evidence which shows that his strategy actually created real results.

[@sakogekchyan7366]

Amaravi Both Africans and African-Americans must stand on their own 2 feet. All the government educational programs, financial assistance and missionary work won't do a damn thing without the will of black people to take their destiny into their own hands. I know there are still many conflicts going on in Africa but I have also heard a lot of good news that you guys are on the way up.😊 As long as black people look to white people for help the slavery Will never end.

[@kirkadrianj]

Though I'm late to the party, I do appreciate your contribution to research and shedding light on the subject of Al Jolson's legacy. This channel exemplifies the true meaning of the information age.

[@ms.sanchez3924]

Hey, Simon..I didn't know you had another KZbin channel. Luv ur videos. Just subbed.

[@christopherlucy1772]

I knew he was big in his time but I definitely learned something about his behavior in life

[@blowfishes]

This was fascinating. I never knew the "other" side to him. As a child in the 1970s I still remember watching some of his films on TV in the UK. We never considered them racist at the time, but in retrospect I have often wondered how they were actually received when first released. Now having a better understanding of the man, I think I should rewatch some of his films within the context you described.

[@MrBerndderboss]

So, this guy did a lot of good stuff for other people in his life and yet he is seen as a bad guy because of some paint in his face? Americans are a weird bunch.

[@ravissary79]

BOT STEVE It's progressives in all countries. The rest of us still have working brains.

[@wolftaffy2162]

BOT STEVE Sweden was literally being burned down by immigrants and saying they don't have an immigrant problem so I think we're a normal on the crazy scale

[@MrBerndderboss]

Do you know what literally means? Because last time i checked Sweden was still on the map.

[@chunkyMunky329]

+BOT STEVE Unfortunately, so many people regularly misuse the word "literally", that some dictionaries have started to accept the misuse of the word as a legitimate definition.

[@MrBerndderboss]

+Amaravi I know, but it always triggers me because it's the exact same in my mother tongue.

[@Irdanwen]

Another superb video, well-researched, interesting and entertaining. Well-pronounced, speedy delivery, able to keep my interest peaked throughout. Well done. Can I just say though that I've been noticing some speling errors and unspacedwords recently? I won't go back and point them all out specifically, but to me at least it detracts needlessly from excellent quality videos. I know I know, putting out this many videos is a hell of a job, but maybe take five more minutes and iron out these as well?

[@yorgle]

Wow. Talk about a complex subject! Thank you again for an excellent vid. (Is the Eddie Deezen in the writing credits, the character actor we all know and love? If so... um.. I love him! Esp in Wargames. ;D. )