Al Jolson, a superstar long before the word was coined, started entertaining soldiers during the Spanish-American War in 1898, and never stopped. He was the first to entertain the troops during World War I, during World War II, and in the Korean War, often paying his own way. His initiative gave birth to the USO, and, ultimately, caused his own death following an exhausting tour of the Korean battlefront in 1950. This video is of Al Jolson entertaining troops in Sicily, in 1943. The silent footage is overlaid with an excerpt from a World War II vintage radio program, in which Jolson sings "There'll Never Be Another War." This segment is an excerpt of the DVD, "Jolson on Celluloid," available from the International Al Jolson Society at www.jolson.org
7 сен 2024