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Whenever blackface makes the news, a picture of Al Jolson is often brought out to illustrate the make-up and comment on it's perception and implied racism. But Jolson was not the first nor the only person to black up, just the most famous.
Although the 60-year-old Jolson was too old to play a younger version of himself in the movie, he persuaded the studio to let him appear in one musical sequence, "Swanee", shot entirely in long shot, with Jolson in blackface singing and dancing onto the runway leading into the middle of the theater. In the wake of the film's success and his ...
Feb 13, 2019 · Al Jolson, a Lithuanian Jewish immigrant who came to New York as a child, became one of the most influential blackface stars of the 20th century, including his 1927 hit film The Jazz Singer.
May 19, 2010 · The fantastic Al Jolson performing his signature tune 'Mammy' in the finale of the 1927 film 'The Jazz Singer' and yes, it's in blackface!
Apr 1, 2010 · Jolson got his start in minstrel shows and was the most famous minstrel artist of his era. In this clip, Jolson sings Oh! Susanna and Swanee River. Read about the history of blackface and...
If blackface has its shameful poster boy, it is Al Jolson. Many other 20th-century performers from Shirley Temple to Bing Crosby donned the makeup for various roles, but Jolson adopted it as a core part of his public persona.
Equally painful is that by 1905, the 19-year-old Jolson began appearing in “blackface”: a holdover from the minstrel shows of the nineteenth century. Jolson wasn’t the only performer working in blackface at the time, but he became the best known of his generation, the so-called “king of blackface.”
Feb 12, 2019 · In blackface, white performers felt emboldened to perform in a broad and overly emotive minstrel style: Think Al Jolson on one knee, hand on his heart, singing about his “mammie.”
Oct 6, 2017 · Lapadula contends that Jolson's rendition helped pave the way for African-American actors. Jolson was a civil rights advocate, often backing projects by black artists, including playwright Garland ...
Oct 22, 2000 · If blackface has its shameful poster boy, it is Al Jolson. Many other 20th-century performers -- from Shirley Temple to Bing Crosby -- donned the makeup for various roles, but Jolson...
