I'm sick 'n' tired of people complaining about Jolson in blackface; it was an accepted performance standard of the time and Jolson himself, as big an egomaniac and even outright bastard that ever walked the boards (ask Ruby Keeler), didn't have a racist bone in his body and in fact, generally tried to be overall helpful and many times "went to bat" for black entertainers and black people in general.
Al Jolson was not a great human being but he certainly was no racist; no way; absolutely not.
Great Warren-Dubin tune and I loved the special effects, too.
Also, in the beginning of the clip, where he's in close-up, Jolson is singing "sound-on-set," a practice that had certainly, by 1935, had largely been replaced by pre-recording.
But not for Jolson, oh no; the man undoubtedly INSISTED that he be recorded singing, live, right on the soundstage in the opening; terrific!!!
Jolson was not a great human being, far from it. But he was "The World's Greatest Entertainer," no question.
love this post with the movie. great musical arrangement a 30's arrangement love it. rated highest 11+. ROGHARM thank you poster!!! never expected these gems.
I remember watching this movie in 1955, I can't believe that it was made only 20 years before! What A work of art, they don;t make them like this anymore,,what a talent jolson was, Truly '' The Worlds Greatest Entertainer'
Truly extraordinary! Jolson & Keeler (married at the time this picture was made) are terrific together, with Jolson running on twelve cylinders.
The day he died, Scripps-Howard newspapers ran an obituary on the front page which included a drawing of a pair of white gloves on a black background. The caption read, "The Song Is Ended."
Dear TallPaul, I wouldn't blame Ms.Keeler not wanting to talk about her ex husband..he was a talented singer..but a lousey husband and an equally miserble human being.
Al Jolson discovered a very deep part of himself doing black face. who says white people can't have soul? imitation is the sincerest form of flatery. it was all done with love and the purest of intent.
the first time i heard this was in 42nd street which is one of my favourite musicals , now that i have found jolson sinnging this , its one of my new favourite songs :-)
Hey Little oristhaz Maybe you will write songs! I'm with you. I like it when the sex and love jokes are implied and refined and Not to blatant. So you could write good songs
Im 14 Yers Old and African American (If It Affects Anyone Which It Highly Might Not) And I Admire The Man Singing -Al Jolson- Because His Vocal Talents And His Attributon To The African American Society Back Then During The Jim Crow Era. In This Day And Age,Its Hard For Someone Like Me To Find Music Without The "Sagging Jeans,Grills,Money,Cars,Clothes,Hoes,Dance Anthems" But I Do...Such As Gene Kelly..Arthur Alexander..Jackie Wilson..And Now..Al Jolson. :)
@oristhaz101 You are an inspiration to us who think all is lost with our youth. You are an intelligent individual who understands the times were very different then as they are now as they will be tomorrow. You look past that at the quality of the music and those who perform it. Keep searching the classics my friend keep searching.
@oristhaz101 You are an inspiration to us who think all is lost with our youth. You are an intelligent individual who understands the times were very different then as they are now as they will be tomorrow. You look past that at the quality of the music and those who perform it. Keep searching the classics my friend keep searching.
I hate to tell you, but Jolson cared about ONE thing;
Singing.
He liked how black people sang.
Thats all.
He was not a 'civil rights activist', he was too busy singing to troops throughout WW2, and Korea. Thats all he cared about in the end. The DR told him not to go overseas to sing, he went anyway and lost his life (He had already lost one lung)
BTW: There is no such thing as an "African" American.
I sing for the troops too, 2X FORSCOM US Army award winner. I sing at the V.A. and for older people at nursing homes and assisted living. They are the WWII generation
@oristhaz101 God bless you. So glad to hear you appreciate the best of he past. Jews were much put upon across the world in the early 20th Century, and they tended to have a strong affinity to the African-Americans who were also oppressed. The mix between the two groups was really something quite remarkable. It made for some truly classical music and dance.
@oristhaz101 I guess I was about 12 when I discovered Al Jolson. His singing was something like I had never heard before. I loved it then and still do these many many years later. Jackie Wilson was one of the most talented performers of this or anyother era. You have chosen some real artists.
There are many wonderful things about this clip. It's from "Go Into Your Dance" (1935) and is widely considered Jolson's best film in terms of overall acting and singing. "About A Quarter to Nine" is a happy romantic number with good choreography and special effects. At 49, Jolson looks good here and shares the stage with his then-wife, the cute and talented dancer-actress, Ruby Keeler. How sad that we didn't see more of her, and that Jolson's ego didn't allow him to partner with her more.
Saw the Jolson Story recently. Larry Parks did a great job in the movie. Really got it right, but it's a real treat seeing the real Jolson. He was before my time, but a great
My grandfather took me to see an Al Jolson impersonator in a theatre once (Alas, I was too young to see the real Jolson) and it was rather strange being the youngest person in the audience by about twenty or thirty years.
I actually got a signed programme, and the guy signed it to "Sonny Boy", as that was my grandfather and I's song...
Believe me, when I found this video it felt as if I had struck pure gold! No kidding. Beautiful performance of the two together, Ruby and Jolson, and great melody too. Nice to see how Jolson was brimming with happiness. What I wouldn't have given to be part of the audience there when it was performed live. * sigh *
in his day jolson was bigger than anyone in entertainment. bigger than m. jackson in our time. and al was one of the first singers to play to the troops during ww2. did michael ever do anything like that? and don't even get into the character issues. thriller changed the world of music videos, the jazz singer changed the history of motion pictures!
Yes, this clip from that old,tarnished movie,is a real piece of musical history and should never be forgotten! Think of the melody,the coreography and the musicians, arrangers and cameramen who put it all together?! Love you Al, my ol' buddy!
Yeh! Does Romance have a place in society? Or are we Romantics doomed to be squashed into oblivion by the cheap values of today? I had to wait for a lady every week who said she would arrive at eight....she never turned up until a quarter to nine.... it was ok but I never did find out why...until she went away after two years of copious copulating. She spoke garbled words about 'thinking of the future'......don't they all? However, I will continue to be Romantic and sing for other lovelies..oo!
I'm very impressed with your argument and your presentation of same. I've enjoyed the exchange with you and do confess that you HAVE swayed my thinking on this subject. Take care, my friend, and stay well.
I remember watching this movie in 1955, I can't believe that it was made only 20 years before! What A work of art, they don;t make them like this anymore,,what a talent jolson was, Truly '' The Worlds Greatest Entertainer''
I remember watching this movie in 1955, I can't believe that it was made only 20 years before! What A work of art, they don;t make them like this anymore,,what a talent jolson was, Trula '' The Worlds Greatest Entertainer''
many consider Mr Jolson the best pure entertainer to ever live-- he thought so too--- before there was crosby sinatra etc they all bowed to this great man-- he would sing encores for hours after the show ended - he loved it so much -- Listen to the album "Rainbow Round My Shoulder" and you decide!!! Thanks for this great piece of movie history!
@reubenuk My Dear Reubenuk, you have a lot to learn ; History is everything ! It is all you will accomplish in life stored up in perpetual memory for future generations and even predecessors , if you believe in an afterlife. It is in the human spirit PRESERVED FOREVER !
In doing research for an article I'm writing, I found newspaper articles about numerous Negro minstrel shows between 1894 and 1890. These were black performers, not white performers in blackface. When one considers that they introduced the minstrel show and entertained white audiences, it's no wonder white performers would mimic them. Any entertainer is going to do what the public demands.
I had the rare pleasure of meeting Miss Keeler in the late 1970's. She was very fragile, walking with a cane and a full length mink, but still a beauty. We had a photo taken together and she signed some photos for me.
Everything Al Jolson did was mesmerizing - you couldn't take your eyes off him, at least I can't. First rate entertainment and I can only wish I were there to see it live. I was born in the wrong era. Thanks so much for this post :)
The modern portrayal of Al Jolson as a racist is a travesty. Jolson had many black personal friends including Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson and blues great Eubie Blake. Jolson was a leading crusader in the fight for African-American equality in the entertainment industry. The president of the Negro Actors' Guild honored Jolson at his funeral, and a black architect was commissioned to design Jolson's mausoleum. Jolson might have been a jerk in his personal life, but he was anything but a racist.
Broadway Theatre curtains used to go up at 8:40 PM in the good ole days (Life begins @ 8:40!) hence one would already be in the spotlight by a quarter to nine!
@Fiftiesflashback Thanks for the 8:40 time B'way reference. I never knew that. I had the pleasure of meeting Miss Keeler in the early 1980's. She was very frail and on a cane, but still the star..in a full length mink. I have a photo of us together, which I treasure. And, she personally signed a few stills for me.
I love this song and dance. Is there anywhere I can get this film on CD by any chance? I really didn't know about Al Jolson until I saw the film The Jolson Story and Jolson Sings Again and fell in love with this wonderful man and his voice. Thank you for putting this wonderful stuff out for people like us to watch.
@flow2ish Google "WBshop(dot)com" and then search for "Go Into Your Dance." It is available from them as a DVD for $19.95. Ships to US destinations only.
I had the pleasure of meeting Miss Ruby Keeler in 1978 (the former Mrs. Al Jolson).
I was hosting a dinner table at a film symposium and Keeler was at my table. She was utterly charming..in a full length mink and on a cane at the point in her life. She refused to talk about Jolson -- an obvious sore point in her life.
I thought he was highly entertaining in the movies. In recent years, on the rare occasions I have seen screenings of his movies in public theaters, I notice how he gets the attention of the audience, even children. He had a magnetism and charm that has never been equalled.
Its strange how they suddeny vamp into-and then out of the minstral blackface.Its seemed to me that often an entertainer will want to branch out of their usual act -but when they get the chance-they almost have to keep a touch of the old and usual ,if only for sercurity.
The latest stage version of 42nd Street contains about 12 songs. The 1933 film "42nd Street" only has about 5 or 6. The stage version adds this piece plus some from Dames and Gold Diggers of 1933 and maybe some others.
Did Busby Berkeley have anything to do with this dance sequence?
Looking at it is like seeing a surreal dream. First of all, Jolson is excusing himself from having another 'drink' with a bunch of English Toffs or anglophile ivy league college boys. They follow Al to his rendez-vous with Ruby Keeler with canes, tails & top hats; then assemble to transform into an old-time blackface minstel show. Then, mathematically precise choreography ending with Al & Ruby being transcended to a full moon.
Just a thought: It is possible that Jolson was such a great, and universally adored, entertainer because he was the first white entertainer to have "soul?" I ask this seriously... the Jewish people have a history of oppression and subjugation that is only rivaled by the the history of the African-American community.
(I know, I know, there are lots of oppressed peoples out there; only these two groups have reflected that oppression in Jazz and R'n'B.)
There's a radio show, if you can find it, Bing's show I think, Jolson was a guest, and Jolson sings "Swanee," and they both sing "I only Have Eyes for You," and it's terrific.
Im sorry i dont care what anyone says, Ruby Keeler was not goos at all. ugh i could say so much but I am gonna leave it at that...and don't even get me started on Al Jolson his voice ughhhh. I love old movies and I have collections of them but I just ugh this video is just bad.
This is not just about his voice. It's the whole package. You have a right to not like Jolie, but in his day there was no other performer who could captivate and engage a live audience the way that he could. Those who knew him say that he would be the first one to tell you so. OK, so he was not a humble man, but in his heyday he delivered the goods and when an audience bounced out of a Josen performance, they knew they'd seen a show.
They had a video from the 1934 movie Kid Millionswith Eddie Cantor, Ethel Merman, George Murphy and Ann Sothern where they has a segment with Eddie Cantor in blackface with a mistrel type chorus singing the Irving Berlin song Mandy.
Wow! Now, THAT was entertainment. Makes you wish you were alive during that time: when the predominant entertainment norm was pure, clean, and upright----so different from today's accepted norms of vulgarity, profanity, and lasciviousness.
@chatman2a Amen to that, my dad who was born in 1915 loved Jolson and I inherited that feeling from him. He was always a straight shooter and was the best Dad you could ever have asked for. Not as many ' disfunctional familys' back then. They had no time for that nonsence, they were too busy making a living !
@chatman2a Absolutely, i was 10 when i first heard jolson (through the 2 biopic movies) and now at the age of 20 (21 in a month) i still love Jolson's music and whole style above any other performer.
@chatman2a best you open your eyes here! Al's darling fuck is oh so on the cards in grouped appreciation, about a quarter to nine! (penile growth) Or is he on his way home for a gentle one white gloved wank! The very tenor of profanity and lasciviouness is on free display here - clean and upright - you betjah!!
@mikris50: You're either woefully misguided, pathetically blind, or unabashedly ignorant (or, more than likely all of the above). At any rate, counseling might work wonders for you, my friend.
@chatman2a Self proclaimed U tube 'expert' psychologists abound! Your words perhaps mirror your realisation of self and need. Ignoring my comment would've been thee most healthy response - it's only words...or is it...?
@mikris50 : I have reason to suspect that you did not take my advice and seek counseling, otherwise you would have ceased spouting puerile comments that only reflect the dearth of your intelligence and the bankrupcy of your moral makeup. YOU'RE the one who initiated this spit fight with me. How?: By attacking my assessment of Jolson's music as being free from the smut that permeates much of today's music. Why didn't you take your own advice and ignore my comment, you jerk?
@chatman2a There was quite a bit of vulgarity, profanity and lasciviousness back then, too. A lot of movies from this time were edited in the 50s because of that, and it was the heyday of burlesque, and a lot of vaudeville was quite bawdy, too. You'd probably be surprised if you were actually there. People don't change as much as some think they do.
@GotNextVideo : 'm not denying that there was profanity, vulgarity, etc back in those days. However, as you've pointed out, the fact that such displays of vulgarity, etc were expurgated from films, books, etc is testament to my point: That such behavior was not ACCEPTED nor tolerated as being the norm, unlike today's cultural morass where anything and everything seems to be not only accepted, but also encouraged (under the guise of "self-expression").
@chatman2a They were expurgated like 20 years later, though. They were accepted at the time. People see the past as a linear progression in terms of the concept of morality and that's just not true.
@GotNextVideo : I'm very impressed with your argument and your presentation of same. I've enjoyed the exchange with you and do confess that you HAVE swayed my thinking on this subject. Take care, my friend, and stay well.
@chatman2a you forgot also incredibly racist and full of propaganda. (but I do love the oldies but they can be very dark) Also what about the intense sexual controversy of the 1950s? But I agree that violence in toda'ys media is a bit too mindless.
@imrdy88: I suppose with today's preponderance of video accessibilities (TV, DVD, computers, internet, radio, iPhones, etc), it may only SEEM that moral depravity is more omnipresent these days than in bygone days. I suspect that society's morals today are probably no different than they were in Jolson's time.
I had seen a bio of Ruby Keeler and Her chikdren didn't even know thtat She had been a movie star. She just didn't talk about it. It wasn't until She appeared in the revival of No No Nannette and They started showing Her old movies again that they found out.
The "blackface" bit is silly. The song "Quarter to nine" is obviously New York. Why the southern bit unless it was because Jolson was so associated with it.
Also, I think it is a mistake to judge yesterday by todays standards. They did not live in 2009. We should not judge them.
blackface was a common theatrical device well into the 1930's-it was meant to convey the air of a "minstrel show" which was a type of variety show of the 19th century. it seems hokey and insensitive now, but that was a different time. imagine if we took some of our "entertainment" back to 1910. it would make no sense to the people then.
you're right it wouldnt make sense because on TV now its ignorant and flat out ridiculous to degrade a person based on skin color...the only reason why black face was done was because the few black actors in hollywood at the time refused to do those shows....it wasnt till step 'n' fetchit did you get an african american to do something degrading.
@getyoasshome Not true there were black performers in minstrel shows who used to black up. Totally weird. Also many black performers appeared in entertainments that reinforced stereotypes. Take a look at the great Bessie Smith in the film St Lousi Blues. To modern days eyes the whole concept of blackface is wrong and absurd and demeaning but people thought differently then. Amazingly Jolson was far ahead of his time in ideas of racial equality. Perhaps it was because he was jewish?
Elvis, Groucho and Bing all died in a very close period. In a way aren't those bizarre names charming?
Elvis was and is so mourned and I find it so wrong.
Groucho and Bing had real quality to them along with longevity. Groucho! What could I add about him. Ever read what Artie Shaw, another genius, said about Bing, which is lost totally on people? I am not quoting exactly, but it was something to the effect: "Bing is the coolest white man ever born."
I'm sick 'n' tired of people complaining about Jolson in blackface; it was an accepted performance standard of the time and Jolson himself, as big an egomaniac and even outright bastard that ever walked the boards (ask Ruby Keeler), didn't have a racist bone in his body and in fact, generally tried to be overall helpful and many times "went to bat" for black entertainers and black people in general.
Al Jolson was not a great human being but he certainly was no racist; no way; absolutely not.
SatchmoSings 3 weeks ago
Great Warren-Dubin tune and I loved the special effects, too.
Also, in the beginning of the clip, where he's in close-up, Jolson is singing "sound-on-set," a practice that had certainly, by 1935, had largely been replaced by pre-recording.
But not for Jolson, oh no; the man undoubtedly INSISTED that he be recorded singing, live, right on the soundstage in the opening; terrific!!!
Jolson was not a great human being, far from it. But he was "The World's Greatest Entertainer," no question.
SatchmoSings 1 month ago
Al Jolson is rolling over in his sacred grace because of the god awful music that exists today.
J2Fishing 2 months ago
love this post with the movie. great musical arrangement a 30's arrangement love it. rated highest 11+. ROGHARM thank you poster!!! never expected these gems.
rogharm 2 months ago
I Have To Memorize Part Of This Song & Sing It For My Musical Theater Performance Class
dztillman 2 months ago
this is as good as it gets. no one can imitate jolson.
106bobkat 3 months ago
do you know that I think JOLSON knew just how to film
his MUSICAL numbers in the 1930s
it even works with his other MUSICAL numbers@ my above mixes,
check it out!!!
rosieyposie7 3 months ago
Al Jolson didn't perform in blackface black people perform in Al Jolsonface! - Shane Fair
ShaneKarma376 4 months ago
For one video you picked a great one !! Thanks for the great upload - Back in 2007 It was a nice Chrismas gift for all of us here
roselandalvin 4 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I remember watching this movie in 1955, I can't believe that it was made only 20 years before! What A work of art, they don;t make them like this anymore,,what a talent jolson was, Truly '' The Worlds Greatest Entertainer'
donmoseslerman 4 months ago
Al Jolson was a great entertainer! You can't be everything to everyone at leat not all the time. He makes life so much richer. Thanks to youtube!
100689kafrin 5 months ago
a smile giving song for sure!! :-)))
dexyshotspur 5 months ago 2
Al Jolson was a one off,i`m not sure about a quarter to nine ,bar opens at 7.great vid.
julian1471 5 months ago
Truly extraordinary! Jolson & Keeler (married at the time this picture was made) are terrific together, with Jolson running on twelve cylinders.
The day he died, Scripps-Howard newspapers ran an obituary on the front page which included a drawing of a pair of white gloves on a black background. The caption read, "The Song Is Ended."
AJNorth 5 months ago
Wow, Ruby Keeler just did everything 42nd Street, or what developed into 42nd Street.
jami215 5 months ago
LOVE LOVE LOVE This! Thank you for sharing <3
BjdacH 6 months ago
Dear TallPaul, I wouldn't blame Ms.Keeler not wanting to talk about her ex husband..he was a talented singer..but a lousey husband and an equally miserble human being.
TheStanbabe 6 months ago
Al Jolson discovered a very deep part of himself doing black face. who says white people can't have soul? imitation is the sincerest form of flatery. it was all done with love and the purest of intent.
100689kafrin 6 months ago
the first time i heard this was in 42nd street which is one of my favourite musicals , now that i have found jolson sinnging this , its one of my new favourite songs :-)
liamblackere 6 months ago
Hey Little oristhaz Maybe you will write songs! I'm with you. I like it when the sex and love jokes are implied and refined and Not to blatant. So you could write good songs
wendyverdades 7 months ago
i am also 14 and jolson is my idol he is great
jesse6683 7 months ago
Leave me alone... he couldn't act, and he's the only man I ever see dancin' sittin down! RUBBISH.
shinotora1X 8 months ago
Oh! How Ms.Keller could dance.
TheStanbabe 8 months ago
That man was a legend!
gabbysbuddy 8 months ago 2
Thank you dad, you gave me taste in music!
newcastleboy72 8 months ago
Jolson really was "The Greatest entertainer of them ALL!"
hhwatkinson 9 months ago 6
Im 14 Yers Old and African American (If It Affects Anyone Which It Highly Might Not) And I Admire The Man Singing -Al Jolson- Because His Vocal Talents And His Attributon To The African American Society Back Then During The Jim Crow Era. In This Day And Age,Its Hard For Someone Like Me To Find Music Without The "Sagging Jeans,Grills,Money,Cars,Clothes,Hoes,Dance Anthems" But I Do...Such As Gene Kelly..Arthur Alexander..Jackie Wilson..And Now..Al Jolson. :)
oristhaz101 10 months ago 28
@oristhaz101 THANK YOU for recognizing the fact that Al Jolson stood up for African Americans in an era that far preceded civil rights.
madamerotten 10 months ago
@oristhaz101 You are an inspiration to us who think all is lost with our youth. You are an intelligent individual who understands the times were very different then as they are now as they will be tomorrow. You look past that at the quality of the music and those who perform it. Keep searching the classics my friend keep searching.
guylikesclassics 10 months ago
@oristhaz101 You are an inspiration to us who think all is lost with our youth. You are an intelligent individual who understands the times were very different then as they are now as they will be tomorrow. You look past that at the quality of the music and those who perform it. Keep searching the classics my friend keep searching.
guylikesclassics 10 months ago
@oristhaz101
I hate to tell you, but Jolson cared about ONE thing;
Singing.
He liked how black people sang.
Thats all.
He was not a 'civil rights activist', he was too busy singing to troops throughout WW2, and Korea. Thats all he cared about in the end. The DR told him not to go overseas to sing, he went anyway and lost his life (He had already lost one lung)
BTW: There is no such thing as an "African" American.
An African first person is not loyal to America.
ugha323a 7 months ago
@ugha323a He used his only talent-whats urs?
Do you use it to the benefit of the world,why not? how remiss!
cunningsophie 7 months ago
@cunningsophie
I sing for the troops too, 2X FORSCOM US Army award winner. I sing at the V.A. and for older people at nursing homes and assisted living. They are the WWII generation
AmericaLoudNClear 7 months ago
@oristhaz101 God bless you. So glad to hear you appreciate the best of he past. Jews were much put upon across the world in the early 20th Century, and they tended to have a strong affinity to the African-Americans who were also oppressed. The mix between the two groups was really something quite remarkable. It made for some truly classical music and dance.
chem100 7 months ago
@oristhaz101 That's very cool. By the way, you don't have to capitalize every word in a sentence.
SithRage 6 months ago
@oristhaz101 I guess I was about 12 when I discovered Al Jolson. His singing was something like I had never heard before. I loved it then and still do these many many years later. Jackie Wilson was one of the most talented performers of this or anyother era. You have chosen some real artists.
mortyfromc 3 months ago
@oristhaz101 - Your comment looks like the title of a Fall Out Boy song. :D
HueyRocks23 3 months ago
Comment removed
eric5335 10 months ago
There are many wonderful things about this clip. It's from "Go Into Your Dance" (1935) and is widely considered Jolson's best film in terms of overall acting and singing. "About A Quarter to Nine" is a happy romantic number with good choreography and special effects. At 49, Jolson looks good here and shares the stage with his then-wife, the cute and talented dancer-actress, Ruby Keeler. How sad that we didn't see more of her, and that Jolson's ego didn't allow him to partner with her more.
mse48 11 months ago
hes.fantastic.i.love.him.so.much
callasfan100 11 months ago
I love Hollywood musicals, from the 1930s thru the 1950s.
ftsjr 11 months ago
Saw the Jolson Story recently. Larry Parks did a great job in the movie. Really got it right, but it's a real treat seeing the real Jolson. He was before my time, but a great
performer.
Janette6088 11 months ago
The classics out rank todays music
Halo56691 11 months ago
what a master! Pure gold indeed! Forever haunting...in a cheerful manner! In a nutshell, Al was THEE real McCoy!
jocksilver7 11 months ago
wonderful i'm going to bed with a big smile on my face
cheviotwanderer 11 months ago
When people could really sing <3
Al56788 1 year ago
Bill "bojangles" Robinson said "It's not just how you act on stage, its about how you live your life offstage".
zapdada1 1 year ago
My grandfather took me to see an Al Jolson impersonator in a theatre once (Alas, I was too young to see the real Jolson) and it was rather strange being the youngest person in the audience by about twenty or thirty years.
I actually got a signed programme, and the guy signed it to "Sonny Boy", as that was my grandfather and I's song...
JohnnyfiveJ5 1 year ago
Larry Parks and Evelyn Keyes done this number in the Jolson Story.
liamthedream 1 year ago
Believe me, when I found this video it felt as if I had struck pure gold! No kidding. Beautiful performance of the two together, Ruby and Jolson, and great melody too. Nice to see how Jolson was brimming with happiness. What I wouldn't have given to be part of the audience there when it was performed live. * sigh *
goldie0800 1 year ago
in his day jolson was bigger than anyone in entertainment. bigger than m. jackson in our time. and al was one of the first singers to play to the troops during ww2. did michael ever do anything like that? and don't even get into the character issues. thriller changed the world of music videos, the jazz singer changed the history of motion pictures!
sdcow 1 year ago 2
@sdcow Al also was never charged with the molestation of young boys
grufeetywy 1 year ago
Hey you can't even metion M.jackson in the same breath as Jolson...
jonnardo 1 year ago 2
5:32 , Al has one for every hour of the day. That's the way he rolls...
thscott 1 year ago
Yes, this clip from that old,tarnished movie,is a real piece of musical history and should never be forgotten! Think of the melody,the coreography and the musicians, arrangers and cameramen who put it all together?! Love you Al, my ol' buddy!
jockhamish 1 year ago
Yeh! Does Romance have a place in society? Or are we Romantics doomed to be squashed into oblivion by the cheap values of today? I had to wait for a lady every week who said she would arrive at eight....she never turned up until a quarter to nine.... it was ok but I never did find out why...until she went away after two years of copious copulating. She spoke garbled words about 'thinking of the future'......don't they all? However, I will continue to be Romantic and sing for other lovelies..oo!
jockhamish 1 year ago
I love all the old musicals..
Angelzofblue 1 year ago
My Dad used to say that Ruby Keeler danced like an elephant.
SirCecilSeltzer 1 year ago
ruby keeler became jolson's girlfriend when he wisked her away from a mob thug. reportedly he didn't treat her much better..
ujohn 1 year ago
@ujohn Which is why-in the movie bio of Al,Ruby did not want to be mentioned by name.
newrochellephoenix 1 year ago
I'm very impressed with your argument and your presentation of same. I've enjoyed the exchange with you and do confess that you HAVE swayed my thinking on this subject. Take care, my friend, and stay well.
chatman2a 1 year ago
from beginning to end, it's still a quarter to nine :)) thanks . . .
richventures 1 year ago
Jolie was the "you ain't seen nothin' yet!' man
slm21ea9 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I remember watching this movie in 1955, I can't believe that it was made only 20 years before! What A work of art, they don;t make them like this anymore,,what a talent jolson was, Truly '' The Worlds Greatest Entertainer''
donmoseslerman 1 year ago
I remember watching this movie in 1955, I can't believe that it was made only 20 years before! What A work of art, they don;t make them like this anymore,,what a talent jolson was, Trula '' The Worlds Greatest Entertainer''
donmoseslerman 1 year ago
Wasn't Jolson married Ruby Keeler at one point ?
leeinvegas 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@leeinvegas by keeler became jolson's girlfriend when he wisked her away from a mob thug. reportedly he didn't treat her much better..
ujohn 1 year ago
many consider Mr Jolson the best pure entertainer to ever live-- he thought so too--- before there was crosby sinatra etc they all bowed to this great man-- he would sing encores for hours after the show ended - he loved it so much -- Listen to the album "Rainbow Round My Shoulder" and you decide!!! Thanks for this great piece of movie history!
missmyaforsken 1 year ago
It is history. Get over it.
reubenuk 1 year ago
@reubenuk My Dear Reubenuk, you have a lot to learn ; History is everything ! It is all you will accomplish in life stored up in perpetual memory for future generations and even predecessors , if you believe in an afterlife. It is in the human spirit PRESERVED FOREVER !
nedarc 1 year ago
In doing research for an article I'm writing, I found newspaper articles about numerous Negro minstrel shows between 1894 and 1890. These were black performers, not white performers in blackface. When one considers that they introduced the minstrel show and entertained white audiences, it's no wonder white performers would mimic them. Any entertainer is going to do what the public demands.
ColonelMac1 1 year ago
I had the rare pleasure of meeting Miss Keeler in the late 1970's. She was very fragile, walking with a cane and a full length mink, but still a beauty. We had a photo taken together and she signed some photos for me.
tallpaul521 1 year ago
Everything Al Jolson did was mesmerizing - you couldn't take your eyes off him, at least I can't. First rate entertainment and I can only wish I were there to see it live. I was born in the wrong era. Thanks so much for this post :)
GeminiNightOwl 1 year ago
The modern portrayal of Al Jolson as a racist is a travesty. Jolson had many black personal friends including Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson and blues great Eubie Blake. Jolson was a leading crusader in the fight for African-American equality in the entertainment industry. The president of the Negro Actors' Guild honored Jolson at his funeral, and a black architect was commissioned to design Jolson's mausoleum. Jolson might have been a jerk in his personal life, but he was anything but a racist.
scmi11er 1 year ago
75 Years this song has been part of the song book. Props to Harry Warren for co-writing this classic classic.
Juliaflo 1 year ago
My favorite Jolson song. Thanks.
pegcage 1 year ago
Broadway Theatre curtains used to go up at 8:40 PM in the good ole days (Life begins @ 8:40!) hence one would already be in the spotlight by a quarter to nine!
Fiftiesflashback 1 year ago 15
@Fiftiesflashback Thanks for the 8:40 time B'way reference. I never knew that. I had the pleasure of meeting Miss Keeler in the early 1980's. She was very frail and on a cane, but still the star..in a full length mink. I have a photo of us together, which I treasure. And, she personally signed a few stills for me.
tallpaul521 1 year ago
@Fiftiesflashback
I was in theatre when it started @ 8:30, Fri and Sat nights. :)
ugha323a 7 months ago
I love this music and would love to get this movis. Is there a place can get the on CD or VHS?
flow2ish
flow2ish 1 year ago
I love this song and dance. Is there anywhere I can get this film on CD by any chance? I really didn't know about Al Jolson until I saw the film The Jolson Story and Jolson Sings Again and fell in love with this wonderful man and his voice. Thank you for putting this wonderful stuff out for people like us to watch.
flow2ish
flow2ish 1 year ago
@flow2ish Google "WBshop(dot)com" and then search for "Go Into Your Dance." It is available from them as a DVD for $19.95. Ships to US destinations only.
madamerotten 1 year ago
I had the pleasure of meeting Miss Ruby Keeler in 1978 (the former Mrs. Al Jolson).
I was hosting a dinner table at a film symposium and Keeler was at my table. She was utterly charming..in a full length mink and on a cane at the point in her life. She refused to talk about Jolson -- an obvious sore point in her life.
tallpaul521 1 year ago
a real singer
wwnixon 1 year ago
Hands down,the greatest minstrel ever, Jolson!
kirby19711 1 year ago
I LOVE AL!
missmatchedc5 1 year ago
This is one of the treasures to ever come out of Hollywood. When I was a boy, I loved it. Now I watch it, 60 years later.
Bravo.
aristopus 1 year ago
Screw the X Generation with their tattoos. No one of the modern singers, with all their technology, can produce enchantment such as this.
Aristopus (author of Mirror Reversal, 2007)
aristopus 1 year ago
What at set of legs on EK. Thanks for the posting.
joomuck 1 year ago
I never get tired of listening to this one!
hemming57 1 year ago
perfectly summed uo, chatman2a
lkijju 1 year ago
An other super song from Harry Warren.
bbcisrubbish 1 year ago
Lovin' it
JimmyC1983 1 year ago
Dear Xander, Ms.Evelyn Keyes didn't dance in this film..Mr.Jolson's ex wife Ms.Ruby Keeler danced in this movie musical with her ex husband.
143AC 1 year ago
I love the special effects toward the end. They used to do those types of effects in the early days of film.
I'm not a fan of Al Jolson - I think he blew his own horn too much. But Evelyn Keyes' dancing was lovely.
xander7ful 1 year ago
This briljant. My mom told me 56 years ago he was great yes he is jan verhaert1
MRjandean1 1 year ago
75 years!!!!!
Juliaflo 2 years ago
Great number! Jolson was king in his day because he had a booming voice on stage and lots of charisma, but it never translated well in the movies.
BusbyRocks1 2 years ago
I thought he was highly entertaining in the movies. In recent years, on the rare occasions I have seen screenings of his movies in public theaters, I notice how he gets the attention of the audience, even children. He had a magnetism and charm that has never been equalled.
madamerotten 1 year ago
crazy how they were trying to do a modern musical with al but made his use the minstrel stuff!
millsbrothers 2 years ago
Its strange how they suddeny vamp into-and then out of the minstral blackface.Its seemed to me that often an entertainer will want to branch out of their usual act -but when they get the chance-they almost have to keep a touch of the old and usual ,if only for sercurity.
newrochellephoenix 1 year ago
is the older actor Thurston Hall in that bar scene with Mr.Jolson and that all male chorus?
143AC 2 years ago
Don't forget the composer of this song, Harry Warren. The words were either Al Dubin or Mac Gordon
bbcisrubbish 2 years ago
Al Dubin.
madamerotten 2 years ago
Its not from 42nd street which was made in 1933
FoPo4 2 years ago
This song was later put into the stage production of 42nd street
newrochellephoenix 1 year ago
@newrochellephoenix
The latest stage version of 42nd Street contains about 12 songs. The 1933 film "42nd Street" only has about 5 or 6. The stage version adds this piece plus some from Dames and Gold Diggers of 1933 and maybe some others.
FoPo4 1 year ago
This song is from 42nd Street.
mjcwalls 2 years ago
This was explicitly written for "Go Into Your Dance" (1935).
madamerotten 2 years ago
Thank you. The verse is in G, the refrain in C.
I have just looked it up in my book of music ,"49 show stoppers of Harry Warren".
And he certainly wrote some of the greatest show stoppers ever.
Regards and happy new year.
bbcisrubbish 2 years ago
Did Busby Berkeley have anything to do with this dance sequence?
Looking at it is like seeing a surreal dream. First of all, Jolson is excusing himself from having another 'drink' with a bunch of English Toffs or anglophile ivy league college boys. They follow Al to his rendez-vous with Ruby Keeler with canes, tails & top hats; then assemble to transform into an old-time blackface minstel show. Then, mathematically precise choreography ending with Al & Ruby being transcended to a full moon.
BastardfromtheBush 2 years ago 2
It's so sad that Hollyweird can no longer make great films such as this!!!!!
DonnaTS43 2 years ago 13
@DonnaTS43
They only put out garbage now
ugha323a 11 months ago
With Ms.Galbraith..Mr.Jolson adopted two more kids. But..he couldn't really relate to kids..because all the attention had to focus on him.
143AC 2 years ago
Just a thought: It is possible that Jolson was such a great, and universally adored, entertainer because he was the first white entertainer to have "soul?" I ask this seriously... the Jewish people have a history of oppression and subjugation that is only rivaled by the the history of the African-American community.
(I know, I know, there are lots of oppressed peoples out there; only these two groups have reflected that oppression in Jazz and R'n'B.)
Thoughts?
tuxguys 2 years ago
Comment removed
joshuaslong 2 years ago
Al Jolson = entertainment. A legendary performer. He will never EVER be forgotten.
NordyMark0594 2 years ago
BEAUTIFUL!!! Thanks for posting this great, great number.
tonyny77 2 years ago
we had this played at my dads funeral it was my mums and dads song he used to sing it to her cause he would met her at quarter to nine lmao
bexter85able 2 years ago
such a great clip of a true American icon. Thanks for posting this--it's awesome!
angeljenny55 2 years ago
jollie was the king of the first half of the 20th century,some say elvis or michael jackson or the beatles for the 2nd half?
ballynafeighbluedog 2 years ago
Actually, I might concede him the first THIRD. First half? Crosby was at least as important.
tuxguys 2 years ago
Tux,i think you may be right.Bing was a big fan of Als.Ever hear the two of them sing Alexanders rag time band?
ballynafeighbluedog 2 years ago
There's a radio show, if you can find it, Bing's show I think, Jolson was a guest, and Jolson sings "Swanee," and they both sing "I only Have Eyes for You," and it's terrific.
tuxguys 2 years ago
i heard this, you can subscribe to it, and you can listen to the shows whenever you want.
Jolson was terrific, it was my gran that got me in to him!
1010IlSm 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
this is so bad
csears7 2 years ago
What a star. There was only one Great entertainer and that was AJ
gerard1875 2 years ago
Im sorry i dont care what anyone says, Ruby Keeler was not goos at all. ugh i could say so much but I am gonna leave it at that...and don't even get me started on Al Jolson his voice ughhhh. I love old movies and I have collections of them but I just ugh this video is just bad.
thespianalb 2 years ago
This is not just about his voice. It's the whole package. You have a right to not like Jolie, but in his day there was no other performer who could captivate and engage a live audience the way that he could. Those who knew him say that he would be the first one to tell you so. OK, so he was not a humble man, but in his heyday he delivered the goods and when an audience bounced out of a Josen performance, they knew they'd seen a show.
tech2rescue 2 years ago
Brilliant!! Thank you for posting
jonannlou 2 years ago
They had a video from the 1934 movie Kid Millionswith Eddie Cantor, Ethel Merman, George Murphy and Ann Sothern where they has a segment with Eddie Cantor in blackface with a mistrel type chorus singing the Irving Berlin song Mandy.
Georgewos 2 years ago
Love that bit at the end - when Ruby does the silly arm movements representing quater to nine-but that sudden swing into blackface !
newrochellephoenix 2 years ago
Al Jolson is the greatest entertainer of all time. He makes Michael Jackson look like William Hung.
FLOOBERNINO 2 years ago 7
Wow! Now, THAT was entertainment. Makes you wish you were alive during that time: when the predominant entertainment norm was pure, clean, and upright----so different from today's accepted norms of vulgarity, profanity, and lasciviousness.
chatman2a 2 years ago 33
@chatman2a Amen to that, my dad who was born in 1915 loved Jolson and I inherited that feeling from him. He was always a straight shooter and was the best Dad you could ever have asked for. Not as many ' disfunctional familys' back then. They had no time for that nonsence, they were too busy making a living !
nedarc 1 year ago
@nedarc he grew up in a great time - I knew many people born around that time A pleasure to be in their company!.
missmyaforsken 1 year ago
@missmyaforsken You Sir, are unbelievablly smart for your age, you surely have a head start in the Wisdom game above the others.....Good luck !
nedarc 1 year ago
@chatman2a Absolutely, i was 10 when i first heard jolson (through the 2 biopic movies) and now at the age of 20 (21 in a month) i still love Jolson's music and whole style above any other performer.
SnoocheeBoochees 1 year ago
@chatman2a best you open your eyes here! Al's darling fuck is oh so on the cards in grouped appreciation, about a quarter to nine! (penile growth) Or is he on his way home for a gentle one white gloved wank! The very tenor of profanity and lasciviouness is on free display here - clean and upright - you betjah!!
mikris50 1 year ago
@mikris50: You're either woefully misguided, pathetically blind, or unabashedly ignorant (or, more than likely all of the above). At any rate, counseling might work wonders for you, my friend.
chatman2a 1 year ago
@chatman2a Self proclaimed U tube 'expert' psychologists abound! Your words perhaps mirror your realisation of self and need. Ignoring my comment would've been thee most healthy response - it's only words...or is it...?
Best 'ignorant' regards!!
mikris50 1 year ago
@mikris50 : I have reason to suspect that you did not take my advice and seek counseling, otherwise you would have ceased spouting puerile comments that only reflect the dearth of your intelligence and the bankrupcy of your moral makeup. YOU'RE the one who initiated this spit fight with me. How?: By attacking my assessment of Jolson's music as being free from the smut that permeates much of today's music. Why didn't you take your own advice and ignore my comment, you jerk?
chatman2a 1 year ago
@chatman2a There was quite a bit of vulgarity, profanity and lasciviousness back then, too. A lot of movies from this time were edited in the 50s because of that, and it was the heyday of burlesque, and a lot of vaudeville was quite bawdy, too. You'd probably be surprised if you were actually there. People don't change as much as some think they do.
GotNextVideo 1 year ago
@GotNextVideo : 'm not denying that there was profanity, vulgarity, etc back in those days. However, as you've pointed out, the fact that such displays of vulgarity, etc were expurgated from films, books, etc is testament to my point: That such behavior was not ACCEPTED nor tolerated as being the norm, unlike today's cultural morass where anything and everything seems to be not only accepted, but also encouraged (under the guise of "self-expression").
chatman2a 1 year ago
@chatman2a They were expurgated like 20 years later, though. They were accepted at the time. People see the past as a linear progression in terms of the concept of morality and that's just not true.
GotNextVideo 1 year ago
@GotNextVideo : I'm very impressed with your argument and your presentation of same. I've enjoyed the exchange with you and do confess that you HAVE swayed my thinking on this subject. Take care, my friend, and stay well.
chatman2a 1 year ago
@chatman2a you forgot also incredibly racist and full of propaganda. (but I do love the oldies but they can be very dark) Also what about the intense sexual controversy of the 1950s? But I agree that violence in toda'ys media is a bit too mindless.
imrdy88 1 year ago
@imrdy88: I suppose with today's preponderance of video accessibilities (TV, DVD, computers, internet, radio, iPhones, etc), it may only SEEM that moral depravity is more omnipresent these days than in bygone days. I suspect that society's morals today are probably no different than they were in Jolson's time.
chatman2a 1 year ago
Al is and always will be the greatest
28drago 2 years ago
I don't know about you but in my house with a bunch of kids running around like crazy I am lucky if love begins at 12:45 am!
freetobefreddy 2 years ago 3
I am not sure what this type of entertainment was about, but thank god for african americans showing we caucasians how to get rhythm!
jek425 2 years ago
try to watch george allan singing AL JOLSON take care
MrGeorgealan64 2 years ago
Isnt this song from Fourty Second Street from 1933?
Karensfryd 2 years ago
I had seen a bio of Ruby Keeler and Her chikdren didn't even know thtat She had been a movie star. She just didn't talk about it. It wasn't until She appeared in the revival of No No Nannette and They started showing Her old movies again that they found out.
Georgewos 2 years ago
Read that her time with Jolson was not all that happy,and that she did not share it with the children with her 2nd husband.
newrochellephoenix 2 years ago
I just came across this title on YouTube, and it is more great Jolson:
Al Jolson sings Halleluja Im A Bum. 1933.
madamerotten 2 years ago
Al rocks
PrinceBishop3 2 years ago 3
The 2 best tapdancers in the movies were Eleanor Powell and Ann Miller.
Georgewos 2 years ago
ditto!
monky999 2 years ago
Written for: Go Into Your Dance (1935)
Performer: Al Jolson & Studio Chorus
English Lyric: Al Dubin
Additional British Lyric: Charles Dunn
Spanish Lyric: V. F. Romano
Music: Harry Warren
Original Publisher: M. Witmark & Sons
madamerotten 2 years ago
The "blackface" bit is silly. The song "Quarter to nine" is obviously New York. Why the southern bit unless it was because Jolson was so associated with it.
Also, I think it is a mistake to judge yesterday by todays standards. They did not live in 2009. We should not judge them.
CONSENT44 2 years ago
blackface was a common theatrical device well into the 1930's-it was meant to convey the air of a "minstrel show" which was a type of variety show of the 19th century. it seems hokey and insensitive now, but that was a different time. imagine if we took some of our "entertainment" back to 1910. it would make no sense to the people then.
BruceWLA 2 years ago 17
@BruceWLA Al Jolson used it also, because he had stage fright.
DrunkenPiano 1 year ago
you're right it wouldnt make sense because on TV now its ignorant and flat out ridiculous to degrade a person based on skin color...the only reason why black face was done was because the few black actors in hollywood at the time refused to do those shows....it wasnt till step 'n' fetchit did you get an african american to do something degrading.
getyoasshome 1 year ago
@getyoasshome Not true there were black performers in minstrel shows who used to black up. Totally weird. Also many black performers appeared in entertainments that reinforced stereotypes. Take a look at the great Bessie Smith in the film St Lousi Blues. To modern days eyes the whole concept of blackface is wrong and absurd and demeaning but people thought differently then. Amazingly Jolson was far ahead of his time in ideas of racial equality. Perhaps it was because he was jewish?
goatface1000 8 months ago
one of my fave films ever go into your dance
hetty72 2 years ago 2
He may have been a bastard, byt what
great enertainer he was.
im not a great speller
tweetybird1937 2 years ago
I thank my DAD he was small time show business he taught me to appreciate
this music . T his music will never be
duplicated.
tweetybird1937 2 years ago
There will never again be an entertainer as great as Jolson.
madamerotten 3 years ago 4
"Ditto" Everyone else followed!
leginewol 3 years ago 2
Sammy Davis Jr. was close in my opinion.
tombradley 3 years ago
This is so fun and catchy. Jolson is fantastic.
JMDewald 3 years ago 3
Okay he was a Jew. So what. A gasillion Gentiles loved Jollie.
Peace in the Middle East, please pray for it.
Itsbloodycoldhere 3 years ago
jollie - still great. where's elvis going to be in 80 years?
monky999 3 years ago 2
Sadly - he'll probably be bigger than Jolie -
cause people are so deluded about Elvis.
It annoys me when people compare him to the greats like Jolson and Crosby.
NeilThompson30 3 years ago
Comment removed
madamerotten 2 years ago
Elvis, Groucho and Bing all died in a very close period. In a way aren't those bizarre names charming?
Elvis was and is so mourned and I find it so wrong.
Groucho and Bing had real quality to them along with longevity. Groucho! What could I add about him. Ever read what Artie Shaw, another genius, said about Bing, which is lost totally on people? I am not quoting exactly, but it was something to the effect: "Bing is the coolest white man ever born."
Could you live with the as you assessment?
tombradley 2 years ago