History Creator / AlJolson

Born to a Jewish family in Srednike, Lithuania, he and his family moved to the United States in 1894, where they settled in UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC Childhood events -- namely, the death of his mother, his father's career as a rabbi and cantor, and he and his brothers' love of singing and theater -- would go on to shape his future.

He got his start in a circus, and later performed in a {{vaudeville}} act with his brother and a third man, Joe Palmer. They toured the country for a while, before Jolson struck out on his own, soon settling in UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco. It was here that he began performing in {{blackface}} (that's him as the page image for the trope), which would more or less end up defining his career. His rise to stardom was kickstarted in 1911, when he was selected to appear in the musical comedy ''La Belle Paree''. From that point on, he became a regular on Broadway.

[[quoteright:214:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ajolson.jpg]]

Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson, 9 June [[labelnote:O.S.]]28 May[[/labelnote]] 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-born American actor, singer, and comedian.

Jolson has a somewhat complicated relationship and reputation with the African-American community. On the one hand, he (intentionally or not) promoted and perpetuated black stereotypes via his blackface performances (a fact that often gets mentioned and/or parodied in the Warner Bros. shorts, be they WesternAnimation/CensoredEleven shorts or shorts that have aired on television with those Al Jolson caricatures edited for being racially insensitive, such as ''September in the Rain'', ''Porky's Preview'', or ''Swooner Crooner''). On the other hand, he fought discrimination on Broadway, and promoted the first production of a Broadway play with an all-black cast, at a time when equal rights for all races was opposed or ridiculed. He and his films may have also given a number of black performers the break they needed to establish themselves in the music industry.

There is no denying that Jolson's work has been influential; during his lifetime, and many years afterward, his acts and persona have often been subject to parody.

He got his start in a circus, and later performed in a {{vaudeville}} act with his brother and a third man, Joe Palmer. They toured the country for a while, before Jolson struck out on his own, soon settling in UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco. It was here that he began performing in {{blackface}}, which would more or less end up defining his career. His rise to stardom was kickstarted in 1911, when he was selected to appear in the musical comedy ''La Belle Paree''. From that point on, he became a regular on Broadway.

Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson, 9 June [[labelnote:O.S.]]26 May[[/labelnote]] 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-born American actor, singer, and comedian.

Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson, May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-born American actor, singer, and comedian.

Jolson has a somewhat complicated relationship and reputation with the African-American community. On the one hand, he (intentionally or not) promoted and perpetuated black stereotypes via his blackface performances (a fact that often gets mentioned and/or parodied in the Warner Bros. shorts, be they WesternAnimation/CensoredEleven shorts or shorts that have aired on television with those Al Jolson caricatures edited for being racial insensitive, such as ''September in the Rain'', ''Porky's Preview'', or ''Swooner Crooner''). On the other hand, he fought discrimination on Broadway, and promoted the first production of a Broadway play with an all-black cast, at a time when equal rights for all races was opposed or ridiculed. He and his films may have also given a number of black performers the break they needed to establish themselves in the music industry.

Jolson has a somewhat complicated relationship and reputation with the African-American community. On the one hand, he (intentionally or not) promoted and perpetuated black stereotypes via his blackface performances (a fact that often gets mentioned and/or parodied in the Warner Bros. shorts, be they CensoredEleven shorts or shorts that have aired on television with those Al Jolson caricatures edited for being racial insensitivity, such as ''September in the Rain'', ''Porky's Preview'', or ''Swooner Crooner''). On the other hand, he fought discrimination on Broadway, and promoted the first production of a Broadway play with an all-black cast, at a time when equal rights for all races was opposed or ridiculed. He and his films may have also given a number of black performers the break they needed to establish themselves in the music industry.

Jolson has a somewhat complicated relationship and reputation with the African-American community. On the one hand, he (intentionally or not) promoted and perpetuated black stereotypes via his blackface performances. On the other hand, he fought discrimination on Broadway, and promoted the first production of a Broadway play with an all-black cast, at a time when equal rights for all races was opposed or ridiculed. He and his films may have also given a number of black performers the break they needed to establish themselves in the music industry.

Born to a Jewish family in Srednike, Lithuania, he and his family moved to the United States in 1894, where they settled in Washington, D.C. Childhood events; namely, the death of his mother, his father's career as a rabbi and cantor, and he and his brothers' love of singing and theater, would go on to shape his future.

He got his start in a circus, and later performed in a Main/{{vaudeville}} act with his brother and a third man, Joe Palmer. They toured the country for a while, before Jolson struck out on his own, soon settling in UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco. It was here that he began performing in Main/{{blackface}}, which would more or less end up defining his career. His rise to stardom was kickstarted in 1911, when he was selected to appear in the musical comedy ''La Belle Paree''. From that point on, he became a regular on Broadway.

There is no denying that Jolson's work has been influential; during his lifetime, and many years afterward, his acts and persona have often been subject to parody.

Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson, May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was an American actor, singer, and comedian.

He got his start in a circus, and later performed in a Main/{{vaudeville}} act with his brother and a third man, Joe Palmer. They toured the country for a while, before Jolson struck out on his own, soon settling in UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco. It was here that he began performing in Main/{{blackface}}, which would more or less end up defining his career. His rise to stardom was kickstarted in 1911, when he was selected to appear in the musical comedy ''La Belle Paree''.

Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson; May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was an American actor, singer, and comedian.

Born in Srednike, Lithuania, he and his family moved to the United States in 1894, where they settled in Washington, D.C. Childhood events; namely, the death of his mother, his father's career as a rabbi and cantor, and he and his brothers' love of singing and theater, would go on to shape his future.

He got his start in a circus, and later performed in a Main/{{vaudeville}} act with his brother

Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson; May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was an American actor, singer, and comedian.