Vaudeville is alive and well on the Jolson and Friends Blog

“The ethnic variety of vaudeville made it the theatrical equivalent of the melting pot; black, white, Jew, gentile, men, women, children, Irish, Italian, Swedish, Chinese, Japanese, shoulder to shoulder, toe to toe, queue to queue.  All were equally important.”

Yowza, Yowsa, yowza. This is Brian Marcus Decker, for the Jolson and Friends Blog located on the web at www.JolsonBlog.com, the first tech-nostalgia blog dedicated to the musical influences of Al Jolson and friends.  Ladies and gentleman, we continue with Part V of our spectacular seven-part series on Vaudeville starring the one and only, Trav S.D., an author, journalist, playwright, director and performance artist.  He has recently published a fascinating and entertaining book entitled “No Applause, Just Throw Money” which provides a provocative look at the history and impact of Vaudeville on American culture. 

The book also addresses a triage of topics including the performers, the Vaudeville circuit theaters as well as their owners.  Highlighted in this book are the musical, comedic, and magical talents of, of course, our one and only Al Jolson, as well as Eddie Cantor, Bert Williams, Sophie Tucker, Fanny Brice, Harry Houdini, Jack Benny, George Burns, Gracie Ellen, Jimmy Durante, Judy Garland, The Marx Brothers, Mae West, W.C. Fields, Bob Hope, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Milton Berle, Norah Bays, George M. Cohan, Weber and Fields and many, many more. 

Free Vaudeville Part V Interview Podcast

After collecting audio assets for five Jolson related interviews, in the last few months I have launched the First Jolson Podcast and you can listen to my 7-part interview on Vaudeville with author Trav S.D. 

To listen to the free Jolson and Friends Blog Podcast published audio files

Use http://feed.jolsonblog.com and click on:

Jolson and Friends Blog Podcast: Vaudeville Interview Part V

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International Al Jolson Society 2007 Jolson Festival in Toronto

This exciting annual Jolson event will take place on Friday, May 25, 2007 through Sunday, May 27, 2007 in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.  Special entertainment will include Tony Babino (The heart of Jolson), Richard Halpern (Mr. Tin Pan Alley) and William Campbell (Scotland's Own Jolson).

For more information on this great event, go to www.Jolson.org and click on the Click for information on May, 2007, Jolson Festival near Toronto, Canada link.

The Dance: the History of American Minstrelsy, March 17th and 18th in LA

Playwright Jason Christophe White was recently presented with an award by the N.A.A.C.P. for a local west coast production of his play, “The Dance: the History of American Minstrelsy”. The show is a two-person satire on the history of American minstrel show from the perspective of African American performers wearing traditional minstrel make-up.

The play part of the LA Educational Showcase is at the KAOS CINEFreestyle Theater in Los Angeles located at Leimert Blvd at 8:00 PM.

For additional information including tickets, go to http://www.seethedance.com/

Mr. Tin Pan Alley Performs in LA on Sunday Nights


 
  Copyright © 2006 Brian Marcus Decker

Richard Halpern takes his audience on a musical journey back to the Jazz Age, on Sunday nights, starting on April 15th at 7:00 P.M. “Mr. Tin Pan Alley” will be performing  the works of great songwriters from the 1910s, 1920s, and early 1930s.

Where: TEN20 Restaurant (Bel Age Hôtel)
1020 San Vicente Blvd.
W. Hollywood, California 90069

For further information, please visit Richard Halpern online at:
www.MrTinPanAlley.com  and www.RichardHalpern.info.

Jolson and Friends Video Play List: All Future Performances Cancelled

Note that YouTube.com has removed most of the movie clips that featured Jolson from their website, “due to terms of use violations”.

Wishing Janet Cantor Gari Our Best for a Fast Recovery

Janet Cantor Gari, youngest daughter of Eddie Cantor, is still recovering from multiple injuries from a recent mugging in New York City. Janet is still having difficulties walking.   

Anyone who would like to extend their personal wishes for a fast recovery can send an email to Garisongs@aol.com or a letter or card to:

Janet Cantor Gari

c/o Brian Gari

650 West End Avenue

New York, NY 10025

For a Limited Time, Save 20% on VHS Video tape to DVD Transfers

My overall mission for this blog is to preserve and archive an important part of our cultural history as it relates to Jolson, as well as related music and the performing arts.  Too often, many of these historical treasures, including people, films, recordings, artwork and theatres have disappeared and have been long forgotten.

In our personal lives, many of us have kept copies of videotapes of important friends and family events including vacations, birthdays, weddings and holiday celebrations. After 10 years of lying on the shelf in a closet, you may find out that some of your video tapes are no longer playable and these precious moments are lost forever.

As a special service to the Jolson and Friends community, Affinitee LLC is offering an affordable way to preserve these priceless memories digitally for generations by transferring your VHS tapes to DVDs.

For a limited time, save 20% on VHS (unedited) videotape transfers to DVD.  Now $11.99 plus shipping (regularly $14.99).  Additional DVD copies of the same VHS tape are now $7.99 (regularly $9.99). 

• Return U.S. shipping costs for up to three original videotapes and DVD copies is $9.95 via FedEx Ground or UPS with no signature required.
• These DVD-videos are 100% compliant to the DVD standards and will play on DVD players that read DVD-R media. Almost all DVD players made in the past 3 years play DVD-R media.
• Your tape transfer to DVD will include chapter markers every 10 minutes. Just use the fast forward function on your DVD remote to jump forward or backwards.
• These prices are based on up to two-hours of continuous tape conversions without any editing for VHS format tapes only.
• This service can not duplicate materials that are copy protected including commercial films.

To place a videotape transfer to DVD order or request additional information, payments through Pay Pal, please contact: brian@affinitee.com .

For a Limited Time, Save 15% on Special Edition T-shirts (Still Includes FREE Shipping)

You will be “Sitting on Top of the World” with these limited edition T-shirts.  These are perfect holiday 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 a proprietary 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 XXXL are available on a special order basis and are subject to a $3.00 surcharge to prices listed below

     Jolson Singing Fool                       Cantor Tell to the Judge                   Moon Rocket Ride

                        Jolie                                 Old Time Baseball                   Asbury Park Clowns

          Sherlock Double                           Sherlock Improbable                       Sudoku Puzzle

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.

Jolie NEW Black & White Limited Edition T-shirt:
This is a vintage B/W illustration of Jolie from the 1920s.

Color Old Time Baseball Limited Edition T-shirt:
Forget the Dodgers; this is real deal, a turn of the century Brooklyn Baseball T-shirt.

Asbury Park Clowns Limited Edition Boardwalk T-shirt:
This clown no longer graces Asbury Park Boardwalk, but this vintage color reproduction lives on.

Sherlock Double Limited Edition T-shirt:
Looking left and right “the game is afoot” with this vintage, black and white illustrated, Sherlock t-shirt, with no clues overlooked. 

Sherlock Improbable Limited Edition T-shirt:
Vintage Sherlock, black and white illustrated profile, on t-shirt with famous quote, “When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”

Sudoku Clueless Limited Edition T-shirt:
Sudoku aficionados can proudly challenge the world with this puzzling T-shirt.

Here’s the Deal: Save up to 15%

White or Natural T-Shirt: $17.00 with FREE U.S Shipping and Matching Gift Card (Regular price $20.00)

Black T-Shirt: $18.50: with FREE U.S Shipping and Matching Gift Card (Regular price $22.00)

Pack of 5 gift cards: with envelopes is now $8.50 with FREE U.S Shipping (Regular price $10.00)

Pack of 10 gift cards: with envelopes is now $15.00 with FREE U.S Shipping (Regular price $18.00)

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, Cantor, Moon, Jolie, Brooklyn Baseball, Asbury Park Clown, Sherlock Double Profile, Sherlock Improbable, Sudoku), quantity, size, t-shirt color (white/natural 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

07052

Part V: Vaudeville Interview with Trav S.D.

“Jews transformed American comedy and hence all of American culture. Important ones besides Jolson would be Eddie Cantor, who we’ve mentioned.  He probably conquered more forms than anybody and to me it’s kind of sad that he’s become as obscure as he is because he was a huge star.  Fanny Brice, of course, is important.  She kind of channeled her ethnicity and performance in a wonderful way that was much embraced and beloved.”

Brian Marcus Decker:  Included in the history as the birth of Variety, which has always been considered the bible of show business, this publication became a new advertising and PR channel for performers.  In fact many performers would actually place ads promoting themselves and their acts, including Al Jolson.  Can you tell us about the holiday ad that Al Jolson had placed in Variety?

Trav S.D.:  I’m actually thinking of using this as my Christmas card this year.  He put an ad with a picture of his face and next to it, it said, “Everybody likes me.  Those who don’t are jealous.  Anyway here’s wishing those who do and those who don’t a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year”.  I think that’s emblematic of his cocky spirit and they all kind of had it.  I mean he kind of had it more than most but everyone was guilty.  It was kind of like a game they played.  They were kind of half-kidding but half not.

Brian Marcus Decker:  You talk about the cultural shift to New York City as the world entertainment’s capital from London and Paris.  Does that directly correlate with the influence of immigration into New York and the rest of the United States during the beginning of the twentieth century?

Trav S.D.:  Well, you know, the short answer is I don’t know, except that the population of New York exploded rapidly as did the wealth and you know, through Wall Street and New York became a world capital at this very same time, so I think it’s more an outgrowth of New York becoming a world capital, you know the fact that it was a showbiz capital was a factor of it becoming a world capital period.

Brian Marcus Decker: In your book you said, “The ethnic variety of vaudeville made it the theatrical equivalent of the melting pot; black, white, Jew, gentile, men, women, children, Irish, Italian, Swedish, Chinese, Japanese, shoulder to shoulder, toe to toe, queue to queue.  All were equally important.”

Why is the Jewish immigration at the start of the twentieth century so important to the history of vaudeville and even burlesque?

Trav S.D.:  It’s not something that’s been talked about much but people are starting to talk about it more.  In much the same way that African-Americans transformed American music, Jews transformed American comedy and hence all of American culture.  The biggest stars of the 1920s, it seems like all of them were Jewish.  If you were to ask me who is the typical comedian, if you just said the phrase stand-up comedian for me it would be Henny Youngmen even though he’s a little later than vaudeville, but he typifies the trend; very efficient joke telling, certain urban attitude, the influence is enormous.

Not long ago Larry King was talking to somebody and he was talking about 50 cent and he goes, “50 cent, that’s a singer?  What’s his brother, 75 cents?”  To me, that’s a Jewish way of telling a joke.  As to why they conquered American show business I think it’s purely an accident of timing.  Prior to the teens and twenties everything was Irish.  From the 1860s until early in the twentieth century the Irish dominated vaudeville, and then there was this huge wave of Jewish immigration in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.  People were poor; many of their kids went into show business.

Brian Marcus Decker:  Who were some of the other important Jewish entertainers to come out of this fabled era of entertainment and why were they so successful in transitioning to other musical and comedic performance arts in terms of recording, radio, silent, talking pictures, television, and of course the book musical?

Trav S.D.:  You know I can’t answer why they were adaptable except that vaudeville was a unique training ground that kind of made you ready to hit the ground running no matter where you were thrown.  Important ones besides Jolson would be Eddie Cantor, who we’ve mentioned.  He probably conquered more forms than anybody and to me it is kind of sad that he’s become as obscure as he is because he was a huge star.  Fanny Brice of course, is important.  She kind of channeled her ethnicity and performance in a wonderful way that was much embraced and beloved.  Irving Berlin, though he only actually performed a little bit, a couple of times, but he supplied dozens and dozens and dozens of songs to vaudevillians who performed on the vaudeville stage, and then of course the book musicals and probably was the most successful songwriter of all time.

April 8, 2007: Vaudeville Interview Part VI

• Who were some of the other significant performers who just faded away from popular memory? 
• Gus Edwards was certainly an important songwriter, recording and responsible for the discovery of more young talent than anyone associated with vaudeville.  Is there anything else you could share with us about Gus Edwards?
• Tony Pastor is considered the father of vaudeville.  Who were some of the other vaudeville circuit owners and can you share with us a story or two that demonstrate the ruthless nature of the business?
• In your book you discuss many of the famous family acts as well in vaudeville from the Cohan’s to the Foy’s to the Keaton’s to the Chaplin’s, and sister acts from the Gumm Sisters to the Hilton Sisters to the Cherry Sisters.  Can you share one of your favorite stories about on of these family acts?
• Although it was not unusual to see magicians performing on the vaudeville stage, what made Harry Houdini such an extraordinary and successful performer?

 Jolson and Friends Blog Required Reading List

No Applause--Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous (Paperback) by Trav S.D.

Click here to shop and buy this book from Amazon


My Fifteen Minutes: An Autobiography of a Child Star of the Golden Era of Hollywood (Paperback) by Sybil Jason.

Click here to shop and buy this book from Amazon

When Jolson Was King: (Paperback) by Richard Grudens.  Richard Grudens has written an entertaining and informative (must read) book for anyone interested in the legendary, Al Jolson "The World's Greatest Entertainer".

“The book contains many facets of Jolson' career including those around him, his competition, employers, and comments from those he inspired enough to form their own careers, the issue of minstrel, blackface performers, fabled stories of the famed Friar's Club, a chapter of the infamous Shubert Brothers, and chapters covering Jolson's experiences in film, radio and his extensive USO travels. Covered too are vignettes of the theatres in which Jolson performed, and of those great theatrical competitors like the Barrymore's and where they were voicing their talents while Jolson was pulling them in at the Winter Garden, and a full feature on Jolson's films from the first talkie, The Jazz Singer to his famed bio-pics The Jolson Story and Jolson Sings Again.” – Richard Grudens

Click here to shop and buy this book from Amazon

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 several other Limited Edition T-shirt designs (featured above) and matching gift cards (with free shipping). 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 am publishing twice a month instead of weekly. The next blog update will happen on April 8, 2007.

I am starting to work on several future Jolson and Friends projects including:

• Video tapes to DVD transfer service.
• Jolson and Friends Recommended Reading and Viewer Lists including cost-saving shopping links to find out-of-print books, videos and more.
• Expanded global coverage of local events.
• Future podcasts of upcoming interviews and special performance-based content.

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.

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