Al Jolson: Beyond the Spotlight 

Jolson will always be the worlds greatest entertainer, no matter what decade or century we are in...

There is not one Black entertainer during the Jolson era who would ever say anything negative about him. He opened so many doors for Black performers. Always treating them equally, with affection and respect.

Whether you agree with this type of entertainment, this is history.

No more generations will be 'discovering' Jolson. Some artists do not survive their time.

I used to be a professional musician. One night I played a gig in the mid-80’s at an Al Jolson Convention. Guy after guy came up to the stage to sing one of his songs.

al would be just as popular today..

Jolson will be back. He can still get any audience doing anything. It's just a case of finding the correct format

Jolson started to use His Famous Whistle; When He once forgot the Lyrics to a Song He was singing.

Although his singing is not as popular as in times past, his songs will live on.

Jolie kept winning fans generation after generation. I became a fan and started buying his records after seeing The Jolson Story. They said that Jolson sang with a tear (pronounced teer) in his voice and it brought tears to the eyes of his audience. One of his biggest hit songs was Let Me Sing and I'm Happy. In it he sings if my song can start you crying, tapping your feet or homesick, I'm happy. He lived for the songs and applause. Singing was his drug just as writing is Steven King's drug. I got misty just watching this piece. Thank you RU-vid.

What most people today don't know about Al Jolson is how much he was loved in the black community back in those days. He was the first performer to have an African American dance troop in one of his shows on Broadway. He was the first to hire black actors for a Broadway show. When he made a movie with Cab Calloway he told the studio that Cab was a star in his own right and that the studio better make sure that he got whatever Al got (the same pay, the same size dressing room, the same fancy food and all the other perks that Al had from the studio). When he was touring in vaudeville he heard that Eubie Blake and his partner couldn't get served in any of the restaurants in town because they were black. He grabbed up Eubie and his partner and took them to a Jewish delicatessen and worked it out with the owner to always let them to eat there when they were in town. Another time there was a black performer that couldn't get served at a restaurant. He told the man to come with him and they went back to the restaurant telling the man, you're with me and if anyone tries to stop us I'll punch them right in the mouth. The major black newspapers in the 20s and 30s were full of articles praising him as a wonderful man that was doing so much for black people. Al's performances in blackface were sympathetic portrayals of black people, racism was never his intent, and the black community saw that. Only today do people disrespect him and it's a shame because their disrespect of him is based on a misconception about his blackface performances.

My grandma loved him I remember playing his music as a child and enjoy it as well...

Thank you for posting this. I remember watching "The Al Jolson Story" probably in the 1960s on the afternoon movie, which I watched nearly every day. He's one of the greats.

I first saw this documentary in 1986. Ever since I've been a massive fan of his.

Jolson was The : Elvis, Beatles, Michael Jackson, Bing Crosby, Tom Jones Ect. Equivilants of His Times ! With Huge Biographical Movies of His Career !

He could make them laugh or cry and old timers say he was the best.

Great documentary very informative thanks for uploading it

I was a young child when I watched him on tv. Black and white minstrel show. I thought nothing of it I just watched because there wasn’t much else on tv

Throughout musical entertainment we have a lot to thank the Cantors for.

Wonderful documentary by the South Bank Show with Melvyn Gragg thanks for posting a decent copy of this documentary.