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November 5, 2004/Cheshvan 21 5765, Vol. 57, No. 10
Long-lost Jolson footage premieres at Beth El
JENNIFER GOLDBERG
Staff Writer
Everyone's an expert on something.
For Marvin Freeman, that something is Al Jolson, the early 20th-century star of stage, screen and radio.
Most may remember Jolson as the star of 1927's "The Jazz Singer," the first talking motion picture. But leave it at that, and Freeman, director of publicity for the International Al Jolson Society and president of the Beth El Congregation Yiddish Club, won't hesitate to enlighten you.
Born Asa Yoelson in 1885 in Srednick, Russia (now Lithuania), Jolson was the son of a sixth-generation cantor. Like his character Jack Robin in "The Jazz Singer," Jolson was drawn away from his family's traditions to pursue a career in show business. Decades of success followed; Jolson enraptured audiences from coast-to-coast and entertained troops during both World Wars and the Korean War.
"Jolson was called 'The World's Greatest Entertainer,'" Freeman says proudly. "He did everything well. He sang, he danced, he told jokes, stories ... For over 40 years he was number one in motion pictures, on radio and on the stage."
It is largely Freeman's love of Jolson's work that has brought a special Jolson event to Beth El. The Yiddish Club is sponsoring a special showing of long-lost footage from "The Jolson Story," a 1946 film biography starring Larry Parks as Jolson, on Sunday, Nov. 21.
As Freeman explains, Parks acted in the dramatic parts of the movie, but during the film's musical numbers, he lip-synced to Jolson's inimitable voice.
One scene featured Parks lip-syncing to the Jewish-themed song "Cantor on the Sabbath," a scene Columbia Pictures president Harry Cohn ironically considered too long (it clocks in at four-and-a-half minutes) and "too ethnic" and cut from the film.
The scene was occasionally shown at private parties until it disappeared into the vaults of a private collector, where it remained for decades until the Jolson Society located and purchased the footage.
The scene will "premiere" in New York on Nov. 13, so the audience at Beth El will be among the first people to see the missing footage.
Freeman has put together a full hour of programming to lead up to the "Cantor on the Sabbath" scene. He will give a short talk on the meaning and context of the footage and Steven Rothschild, a Surprise resident who is also a member of the Jolson Society, will show off his lip-syncing skills with Jolson numbers such as "Swanee" and "Israel."
As the festivities for Arizona's observance of Celebrate 350 commence, Freeman doesn't hesitate to designate Jolson as one of the most important figures of American Jewish history.
"I have to say in addition to him being an incredibly talented performer, whose voice had the ability to lift people up and capture them, he believed in tikkun olam - making the world a better place." Freeman says. Jolson left almost $4 million to Jewish and Christian charities in his will.
He notes the "powerful" impression Jolson left on Jewish and American culture, and says, "There's no doubt in my mind that there are a lot of Jewish performers, scientists, leaders of all kinds who have done the Jews a tremendous service, and we all should feel proud of their efforts, but Jolson was perhaps right at the top. He had an incredible impact."
Details
- What: "Cantor on the Sabbath"
- When: 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 21
- Where: Beth El Congregation, 1118 W. Glendale Ave., Phoenix
- Cost: $5. Reservations are encouraged.
- Call: Marvin, 602-242-9527, or Joni, 602-944-3359, ext. 213
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