Jolson: The Story of Al Jolson by Michael Freedland

Jolson: The Story of Al Jolson Reviews

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  Samantha Glasser

  Al Jolson was a genius performer. The bad thing is, he knew it. He had a habit of dismissing the other cast members of a show to do a personal concert for the audience, to their delight. In a show called Artists and Models, he did this, and Freedland wrote, "His audience was as enthusiastic as it had ever been before-- probably the only time in theatrical history that nude girls have been overshadowed by a balding man in his late thirties." My impression of Jolson is that he was an icon from the start, a stock figure, someone well-established as a piece of the fabric of the Hollywood elite. This book shows that his fame was hard-fought and luck was on Jolson's side.
  
  Author Michael Freedland does a good job of outlining Jolson's childhood by relaying anecdotes Al shared over the years combined with Jewish traditions his cantor father surely observed. However, the book left me wanting more, especially toward the end. Jolson's work on radio could have been fleshed out with a lot more detail, and I would have loved to hear more about his work in Korea. Although the author addresses the Jolson legacy, it feels too abrupt and not thorough enough. Still, this a satisfying read. It seems the definitive Jolson biography has yet to be written.
• 
  Ceejay

  What an interesting book! I was preschool age when Jolson died, but I was still aware of him. If he's remembered at all today,it's because he sang in blackface. He sang in blackface because he started out in the old minstrel shows. This isn't an excuse, just an historical fact. Jolson was the toast of Broadway for years.He had the first record to sell a million copies.Presidents invited him to the White House. Until Gone With The Wind, he had the highest grossing movie. His broadway shows set attendance records. He entertained the troops during World War Two (using his own money), before Bob Hope did.In fact, Jolson contracted malaria and had part of one of his lungs removed which affected his singing for the rest of his life. If you want to read about the "king of entertainment" for the first half of the 20th century,I recommend this biography.
• 
  Mick Meyers

  A good read about a man driven by the need to succeed and the adoration of his audience,and fellow artists.i think the term nowadays is always on.little did he know his place in the history books was already assured through his film the Jazz singer.