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This is a list of governorates of the Russian Empire (‹See Tfd› Russian: губерния, pre-1918: губернія, romanized: guberniya) established between the administrative reform of 1708 and the establishment of the Kholm Governorate in 1912 (inclusive). Some of these governorates persisted into the Soviet era (renamed oblasts ...
Kovno Governorate[a] was an administrative-territorial unit (guberniya) of the Russian Empire, with its capital in Kovno (Kaunas). It was formed on 18 December 1842 by Tsar Nicholas I from the western part of Vilna Governorate, and the order was carried out on 1 July 1843. It was part of the Vilna Governorate-General and Northwestern Krai.
- Early Life
- Stage Performer
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- Personal Life
- Awards and Honors
- Legacy and Influence
- Performing in Blackface
Asa Yoelson was born in the village of Srednike (Yiddish: סרעדניק), now known as Seredžius, near Kaunas in Lithuania, then part of the Russian Empire. He was the fifth and youngest child of Nechama "Naomi" (née Cantor, c.1858–1895) and Moses Rubin Yoelson (c.1858–1945); his four siblings were Rose (c.1879–1939), Etta (c.1880–1948), another sister w...
In the spring of 1902, Jolson accepted a job with Walter L. Main's circus. Although Main had hired him as an usher, Main was impressed by Jolson's singing voice and gave him a position as a singer during the circus's Indian Medicine Side Show segment. By the end of the year, the circus had folded and Jolson was again out of work. In May 1903, the h...
The Jazz Singer
Before The Jazz Singer, Jolson starred in the talking film A Plantation Act. This simulation of a stage performance by Jolson was presented in a program of musical shorts, demonstrating the Vitaphone sound-film process. The soundtrack for A Plantation Act was considered lost in 1933 but was found in 1995 and restored by The Vitaphone Project. Warner Bros. picked George Jessel for the role, as he had starred in the Broadway play. When Sam Warner decided to make The Jazz Singera musical with th...
The Singing Fool
With Warner Bros. Al Jolson made his first "all-talking" picture, The Singing Fool (1928), the story of an ambitious entertainer who insisted on going on with the show even as his small son lay dying. The film was even more popular than The Jazz Singer. "Sonny Boy", from the film, was the first American record to sell one million copies. Jolson continued to make features for Warner Bros. similar in style to The Singing Fool. These included Say It with Songs (1929), Mammy (1930), and Big Boy (...
Hallelujah, I'm a Bum/Hallelujah, I'm a Tramp
Warner Bros. allowed him to make Hallelujah, I'm a Bum with United Artists in 1933. It was directed by Lewis Milestone and written by Ben Hecht. Hecht was also active in the promotion of civil rights: "Hecht film stories featuring black characters included Hallelujah, I'm a Bum, co-starring Edgar Connor as Jolson's sidekick, in a politically savvy rhymed dialogue over Richard Rodgersmusic." The New York Times reviewer wrote, "The picture, some persons may be glad to hear, has no Mammy song. I...
Jolson had been a popular guest star on radio since its earliest days, including on NBC's The Dodge Victory Hour (January 1928), singing from a New Orleans hotel to an audience of 35 million via 47 radio stations. His own 1930s shows included Presenting Al Jolson (1932) and Shell Chateau (1935), and he was the host of the Kraft Music Hall from 1947...
World War II
Japanese bombs on Pearl Harbor shook Jolson out of continuing moods of lethargy due to years of little activity and "... he dedicated himself to a new mission in life.... Even before the U.S.O.began to set up a formal program overseas, Jolson was deluging War and Navy Department brass with phone calls and wires. He requested permission to go anywhere in the world where there was an American serviceman who wouldn't mind listening to 'Sonny Boy' or 'Mammy'.... [and] early in 1942, Jolson became...
Korean War
In 1950, according to Jolson's biographer Michael Freedland, "the United States answered the call of the United Nations Security Council ... and had gone to fight the North Koreans.... [Jolson] rang the White House again. 'I'm gonna go to Korea,' he told a startled official on the phone. 'No one seems to know anything about the USO, and it's up to President Truman to get me there.' He was promised that President Truman and General MacArthur, who had taken command of the Korean front, would ge...
Ten days after returning from Korea, he agreed with RKO Pictures producers Jerry Wald and Norman Krasna to star in Stars and Stripes for Ever, a movie about a USO troupe in the South Pacific during World War II. The screenplay was to be written by Herbert Baker and to co-star Dinah Shore. But Jolson had overexerted himself in Korea, especially for ...
Despite their close relationship while growing up, Harry Jolson (Al's older brother) did show some disdain for Jolson's success over the years. Even during their time with Jack Palmer, Jolson was rising in popularity while Harry was fading. After separating from "Al and Jack", Harry's career in show business sank. On one occasion Harry offered to b...
A few months after his death, Defense Secretary George Marshall presented the Medal for Meritfor Jolson, "to whom this country owes a debt which cannot be repaid". The medal, carrying a citation noting that Jolson's "contribution to the U.N. action in Korea was made at the expense of his life", was presented to Jolson's son as Jolson's widow looked...
According to music historians Bruce Crowther and Mike Pinfold: "During his time he was the best known and most popular all-around entertainer America (and probably the world) has ever known, captivating audiences in the theatre and becoming an attraction on records, radio, and in films. He opened the ears of white audiences to the existence of musi...
Jolson often performed in blackface makeup. Performing in blackface makeup was a theatrical convention of many entertainers at the beginning of the 20th century, having its origin in the minstrel show. According to film historian Eric Lott: In the retrospective view of a later era, however, the use of blackface has come to be viewed by some interpr...
Website. jolson.org. Al Jolson (May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. His career lasted from 1911 until his death in 1950. He was called "the world's greatest entertainer”. [ 2 ] His singing style was "sentimental [and] melodramatic". This style made many songs popular ...
The largest unit of administrative division of Russian Empire was "губерния" (gubernya), most commonly translated to English as "governorate". Territory of modern Lithuania was divided between 3 governorates, named after their corresponding principal cities: Kovno/Kowno (Kaunas) governorate, Vilna/Vilno/Wilno (Vilnius) governorate and ...
Its capital was Kaunas (Kovno in Russian). It was formed on 18 December 1842 by Tsar Nicholas I from the western part of Vilna Governorate , and the order was carried out on 1 July 1843. It was part of the Vilna Governorate-General and Northwestern Krai .
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Kovno Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit (guberniya) of the Russian Empire, with its capital in Kovno (Kaunas). It was formed on 18 December 1842 by Tsar Nicholas I from the western part of Vilna Governorate, and the order was carried out on 1 July 1843.
