1. "When Your Lover Has Gone"(1930) - Music and Lyrics:  E.A. Swan 
2. “Hello, Sunshine, Hello” (1929)- Lyrics: Charles Tobias, Jack Murphy; Music: Henry Tobias
3. “Tonight’s My Night With Baby” (1926) - Lyrics: Irving Caesar; Music: Joseph Meyer, Bobby Buttenuth
4. “Josephine, Please No Lean On The Bell” (1945) - Lyrics and Music: Ed G. Nelson, Harry Pease, Duke Leonard
5. “Hungry Women” (1928) - Lyrics: Jack Yellen; Music: Milton Ager
6. “Masculine Women, Feminine Men” (1925) - Lyrics: Edgar Leslie; Music: James V. Monaco
7. “I Got a Feelin’ I’m Fallin” (1929) - Music and Lyrics: Rose, Link, Waller
8. “Take A Picture Of The Moon” (1932) - Lyrics: Joe Young; Music: Little Jack Little
9. “I Wanna Be a Lifeguard”  (1936) - Sammy Timberg, Bob Rothberg
10.  “Here I Am”(1926) - Lyrics: B.G. DeSylva, Lew Brown; Music: Ray Henderson
11. “Night & Day”(1930s) - Music and Lyrics: Cole Porter
12. “Body & Soul” (1930) - Lyrics: Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton; Music: John Green
13. “Me & My Shadow” (1927) - Lyrics: Billy Rose; Music: Dave Dreyer, Al Jolson
14. “ I’ll Build A Stairway To Paradise” (1922) - Lyrics: B.G. DeSilva, Ira Gershwin; Music: George Gershwin
15. “Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?” (1932) - Lyrics: E.Y. Harburg, Music: Jay Gorney
16. “On The Sunny Side Of The Street”(1930) - Lyrics: Dorothy Fields; Music: Jimmy McHugh
17. “Makin’ Wicky-Wacky Down In Waikiki”(1930) - Lyrics: James Cavanaugh, Billy Curtis; Music: Al Hoffman, Burton Lane 

Upcoming Events

Two Tributes to Sybil Jason: Warner Brothers' First Kid Star

Although Sybil Jason’s time in the limelight was relatively brief, she enjoyed a remarkable film career including appearing with Hollywood legends including Al Jolson, Shirley Temple, and Humphrey Bogart. 

Tuesday, September 19^th at 7:30 PM tribute will include a rare screening of her 1935 feature "Little Big Shot". Two of Sybil's Technicolor short subjects, "The Changing of the Guard" and "A Day at Santa Anita" (featuring Al Jolson and Ruby Keeler), will also be shown.  Sybil Jason herself will be on hand to answer questions about her career and discuss her recent autobiography "My Fifteen Minutes".  Miles Krueger from the Institute Of The American Musical will be leading the festivities as we showcase this truly enchanting individual from Hollywood's Golden Age. 

Wednesday, October 18^th at 7:30 PM tribute includes a special screening of the 1936 classic film directed by William Keighley, “The Singing Kid” starring Al Jolson, Sybil Jason, Beverly Roberts, Cab Calloway, Edward Everett Horton, Allen Jenkins and Wini Shaw. Sybil Jason will there with her special guest Beverly Roberts the only other person still living, either before or behind the camera, from the movie “The Singing Kid”.

Both of these special events will take place at the Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. Tickets are available to non-members of the American Cinemathique for $9.00.

 One Take Jason:  Sybil Jason Then and Now (with Richard Halpern)

Copyright © 2006 Brian Marcus Decker

August Trivia Challenge Question:

It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words. The hotel suite room door pictured above was the tragic scene of two historical events that would change the cultural and entertainment history of the 20^th Century.

Please identify the name of this famous hotel, city and the two historical events that happened in hotel suite room 1221?

And now a word from our Sponsor:

Al Jolson and Eddie Cantor Limited Edition T-shirts

You will be “Sitting on Top of the World” with these limited edition T-shirts.  These are perfect gifts for collectors of nostalgia and a must have for anyone interested in the legendary Al Jolson and Eddie Cantor. Each t-shirt comes with a FREE matching gift card.

AffiniTee LLC only uses brand new Hanes Beefy-Ts premium 6.1 oz. heavyweight pre-shrunk 100% cotton.  These unique vintage images are applied using a high pressure industrial heat press and professional grade hot transfers and use a special process for extended wear.

This unique T-shirts is available in white or black in adult sizes including small (34-36), medium (38-40), adult large (42-44) and XL (46-48) sizes. Additional sizes including children, adult XXL and XXL are available on a special order basis and are subject to a $3.00 surcharge to prices listed below.

Here’s the Deal

Al Jolson Limited Edition T-shirt: The Singing Fool

This is a vintage color reproduction of a 1928 theatrical program.

Eddie Cantor Limited Edition T-shirt: Tell it to the Judge

This is a vintage two-color reproduction of 1930s board game.

Moon Rocket Ride Limited Edition Carnival T-shirt
This is a vintage color reproduction of a hand painted tin carnival sign.

White T-Shirt:  $20.00 with FREE U.S Shipping and Matching Gift Card
Black T-Shirt: $22.00 with FREE U.S Shipping and Matching Gift Card
Pack of 5 gift cards: with envelopes is $10.00 with FREE U.S Shipping
Pack of 10 gift cards: with envelopes is $18.00 with FREE U.S Shipping

For additional information, special orders, discounted shipping outside the U.S., payments through Pay Pal, please contact: brian@affinitee.com .

To order please specify style (Jolson or Cantor), quantity, size, t-shirt color (white or black), type (t-shirts or matching gift cards) and your shipping address. Please send checks to:

AffiniTee LLC c/o

Brian Marcus Decker

24 Arverne Road

West Orange, NJ ostalCode w:st="on">07052ostalCode>

Conclusion Part IX Eddie Cantor Interview with Brian and Janet Gari

Brian Marcus Decker:  Well I find it really interesting that your passion to preserving history extends beyond just Eddie Cantor.  Can you share with a brief history of your fascination with preserving the architectural and cultural history of New York City?

Brian Gari:  I’ve always had an interest in my area where I live on the Upper West Side, and also I guess all of New York City, particularly theaters.  I don’t why I have such a passion for theaters.  But as well as apartment buildings, houses in New York, and it’s to me a crime when I see these buildings being ripped down and the recent Howard Johnson’s been torn down, the John Duffy Theater.  I understand that they’re going to be tearing down a building that was built in the 1870s I think, on 86^th Street and Third Avenue, and they’re about to tear that one down as well.  I don’t understand this city at all because this city should be proud of its incredible architecture and how it’s phenomenal what we have in this city and to keep ripping things down. 

They’re going to build a whole area of it’s not so historic in the Upper West Side that they’re tearing down right now but you know, there are some supermarkets in certain areas of 97^th Street and Columbus Avenue that are important to the neighborhood.  They get their fresh meats, the people get their fresh meats from this area and everything and they’re going to tear down the entire block and build some more buildings that are all going to be chain stores.  And after a while you get a little sick of seeing a Starbucks on every other corner.  I don’t think I’ve ever had coffee at a Starbucks. It’s just first of all I find paying exorbitant amounts of money for a hot drink pretty insane, but people do it.  Maybe it’s a matter of hanging out, finding a place to hang out at, but I’d rather hang out at a place that sells coffee for a quarter.

“I’ve always said that everything that had to do with my Broadway show “Late Night Comic” has come to fruition.” – Brian Gari 

Brian Marcus Decker:  In many ways I would really describe you as a renaissance person who almost leads a double life.  In addition to all the great work you’ve done in preserving the memory of your grandfather, you’re also a published composer, certainly more than 73 songs, including the closing music for the Joe Franklin show, a Broadway show, a Broadway show called “Late Night Comic”.  You’re also a talented performer, and you’ve just published a book “We Bombed in New London” with a cover illustration by your father.  Can you share with us the background and motivation behind the book?

Brian Gari:  Well, thank you for the compliments.  What I wrote for Joe Franklin by the way, was a closing theme for his TV special.  It wasn’t his regular TV show theme, but it was an anniversary special.   I think it was the 40^th Anniversary of Joe Franklin and I did that with my partner Jeff Olmstead.  We do a lot of projects together.  We do most of my albums, all my albums, together as well as other albums. 

As far as “We Bombed in New London” goes it’s been a project that I’ve had for 17 years that I’ve wanted to get published.  I’ve always said that everything that had to do with my Broadway show “Late Night Comic” has come to fruition.  I had the show on Broadway.  I had an LP out.  I had a CD out.  I’ve had … it’s been taken over by Samuel French for performing rights.  There’s been song folios out of “Late Night Comic” but the one thing that never happened for me, which was very disappointing, was that I wrote a book that told the story of how this show came about and the aftermath and I couldn’t get it published because notoriously books about theater don’t get published or if they get published, they sell four copies.  So I’m hoping to sell five copies of this one.  It will be coming out, hopefully by the time you hear this.

Brian Marcus Decker:  Well, you can count on me for the sixth copy. (And I did)

Brian Gari:  Okay.

Brian Marcus Decker:  My question for both you, Janet and Brian.  Can you tell us what your favorite Eddie Cantor songs and movies are, and what significance they have to you?

Janet Cantor Gari:  Well, I think I have three of them I like the most.  One was “To Build A Little Home” and “When My Ship Comes In”, but also I love “Mandy”, that’s why we named our daughter Amanda, because we were planning to call her Mandy and somehow we never did, and she looks like a Mandy.  But anyway that was the first song I ever sang with my father.  I was a little kid and I sang the harmony and he couldn’t get over that, but I had an ear for music even then.

Brian Gari:  In fact, that’s what started her singing career, my mother’s singing career.  Anyway, what would be my favorite?  Boy, I love “Oh Susanna Dust Off That Old Piano”, I think that’s a really great song, and “If You Knew Susie” is a great song.  He had wonderful songwriters that were involved with his … he even dedicates a chapter in his book to the songwriters.  They were very important to him.  He really loved songwriters, which is ironic considering what I do for a living mainly, and I’m very proud of that.  I never put two and two together until, you know, recently but that was … songwriters were always a passion for him, but I would say that those songs certainly adhere to my heart.  But I loved almost all of them.  “Makin' Whoopie” is a great song.  You know his hit songs, “How You Going To Keep Him Down On the Farm”, these are all very melodic songs.  I was listening last night to Rich Conaty (Big Broadcast on WFUV on Sunday nights in New York metro area or streaming on wfuv.org) and he was playing several songs of my grandfather’s on the radio and I think “We’re Together Again” he played.  And he played “If I Give up the Saxophone” which is a really cute song by Sammy Fain, an early Sammy Fain melody who went on to write “I’ll Be Seeing You”, so I think those songs are particularly great.  As far as films go, I’ve seen so many of them so many times; that it may be hard to recall which ones I like the most, but maybe “Roman Scandals”.  “Palmy Days” is particularly good.  I think those films are really great but you know, they all … oh you know what I like also is “Calabash Pipe”, that’s a really nice song too, so he just had an ear for good melodies.  Those are very, very good melodies and you know to this day you can hear an Eddie Cantor song and not only know that it was Eddie Cantor … I mean obviously ‘Makin’ Whoopie’ since he introduced it, “Makin’ Whoopie” has lived on for ever and ever in all these films and all the people … oh, “My Baby Just Cares For Me”, another great song and it’s become a jazz standard.  Well, my grandfather introduced it.  He introduced “Santa Clause Is Coming to Town”.  He introduced “Try a Little Tenderness”.  These are significant songs in the 20^th Century and I just want you all to know that ASCAP has never awarded Eddie Cantor any kind of a trophy, any kind of an award, for his significant contribution to bringing songs, not his own particularly, although of course “Merrily We Row Along” he co-wrote, the Warner Brothers cartoon theme song which everybody knows, but he also introduced all these songs and I think that he should have gotten an award just for having done this for the ASCAP writers.  There was no BMI at that time.  So for all those ASCAP songwriters that made their living because of Eddie Cantor, he would introduce songs on the radio almost every week, brand new songs.  So he should have been given an award for that.  Even today they should posthumously give him an award.

Brian Marcus Decker:  One last question.  Brian what is your next Eddie Cantor related project that you are working on, and when do you think that might be available?

Brian Gari:  Well I always try and do something special for the Jolson Convention that Jan Hernstat (President of the International Al Jolson Society) does in August and there’s a special convention coming up, or special day, August 12^th and I’m planning to release two more rare Eddie Cantor DVDs in time for that convention.  So I think people should be on the lookout for that.

“Eddie Cantor in Person” and two new DVDs produced by Brian Gari

For more information or to order go to: 

Brian Marcus Decker:  Well on behalf of the Jolson and Friends Blog, I’d like to personally thank my very special guests, Janet Cantor Gari and Brian Gari for taking time to do this interview and for their ongoing contribution to keeping the memory of Eddie Cantor alive, even 42 years after his death.   This is Brian Marcus Decker and thank you for joining us on the Jolson and Friends Blog.  This is the first one dedicated to the life and musical influences of Al Jolson, the World’s Greatest Entertainer and Friends.  And please visit us again at http://www.jolsonblog.com

October 1, 2006: Sybil Jason Interview Part I

• Can you tell us about your very special connection to Al Jolson? 
• Do you recall which Jolson songs your father used to sing to you as a baby?
• From your earliest memories, who were the performers and what were the songs that really inspired you the most?
• As a child, you were known for doing impressions of Maurice Chevalier and Mae West. Did you ever do impressions of Al Jolson?

 Changes to Jolson and Friends Blog

In the upcoming months I am looking to continue to evolve the Jolson and Friends Blog and wanted preview some upcoming changes.  As of this post, I am promoting the sale of Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor and other Limited Edition T-shirts and matching gift cards. The sales from these items will help offset the cost of maintaining this blog.

Due to the time intensive nature of ongoing research, content development, production and maintaining and the Blog, I will start publishing twice a month instead of weekly. The next blog update will happen on October 1, 2006.

I have just completed a fascinating five-part interview with Sybil Jason that will start on October 1, 2006. I am also starting to work on several future Jolson and Friends projects including podcasts of upcoming interviews and more video performances from Richard Halpern.  

To ensure that you are automatically informed about new postings, please enter your email address at the sidebar on the left of this blog page or send an email to my attention, with the subject line “Subscribe”, to brian@JolsonBlog.com .

Watch for the Mail, I'll Never Fail

Your feedback is greatly appreciated and truly helps shape future content of www.JolsonBlog.com. 

There are two ways to share your comments with the Jolson and Friends blog community.  

If you would like to have your comments posted on this Blog, use

http://jolsonblog.com/2006/09/13/conclusion-of-cantor-interview--sybil-jason-is-here.aspx#AddComment

If you want to share your comments privately, send via email to

 brian@JolsonBlog.com .

Subscribe to JolsonBlog.com

Please enter your email address at the sidebar on the left of this blog page to be notified when new content is added or if you would like to be added to our weekly email reminder list; please send an email to my attention, with the subject line “Subscribe”, to brian@JolsonBlog.com .  See below for our Privacy policy and how to unsubscribe.

Privacy Policy

We value your privacy which is an important issue for all online consumers. JolsonBlog.com and AffiniTee LLC does not sell, rent, barter, swap, share, auction, grant permission or provide your email address with any outside third-party companies.

Unsubscribe

If you believe that you have received our e-newsletter in an error on our part or no longer want to receive it, please e-mail us at brian@JolsonBlog.com to have your name removed from this list or send a written request to Brian Marcus Decker c/o JolsonBlog.com at: 24 Arverne Road, West Orange, NJ, 07052>.