When I was a kid in the 1960's my grandparents took me to a theater in Boston to see an All Jolson Impersonation contest. I think I was around 7 years old. My grandfather was a fan of minstrel shows. I had no idea what they were about. So One after another the contestants got and sang one or two songs, some played the piano and some strummed a banjo while singing. Most stood there in the classic Al Jolson pose with their hands clasped together at their chest and all sang their heart out. The one who won the contest sang Camp Town Races. When he came up to get his trophy and cash prize it was discovered he was actually Black and that the MC informed him in front of the audience that he was disqualified due to his race. He was very upset and stormed off the stage and then they gave the trophy to the second place winner. While the performances were amazing, I have always considered this the most surreal and bizarre part of my childhood. The contest was followed by a 90 minute minstrel show. I relayed this to a Black friend of mine 20 years later who said they would have saved a lot of money had they hired "real Black folk." It took some time before I fully grasped what he said.
Jolson] has been to more Army camps and played to more soldiers than any other entertainer. He has crossed the Atlantic by plane to take song and cheer to the troops in Britain and Northern Ireland
Thanks for the comment. This is a "Short" which is limited to a minute. The whole song, along with other material, is in the Video Podcast from the 29 Apr 49 broadcast at ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-UU0OWDbu-fE.html and you might also enjoy the program from 20 Dec 48 at ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3aBXLt9TLnU.html also with Doris Day and Al Jolson. As well, of course, the many other Jolson podcasts.
It bespeaks of the death of Western Civilization that Californians are now singing, "California, how fast can we leave ya! That GoldenGate is filled up with Reprobation and Human feces!"
Unfortunately, radio shows in the 1940s were not filmed, they were radio. By adding stills taken from those shows, and augmenting the audio with other photos as well, one can get an idea of what it must be like. I only wish we had video from those live performances.
Don't see any string section in the orchestra, yet the orchestration is mainly strings. Is it really the Tommy Dorsey band providing background accompaniment, or is this site pulling our leg!?!
Yes, it is really the Tommy Dorsey Band, as you could hear in the complete radio show. There are no photos of Jolson with the band, thus this composite with a stock photo of TJ.
