On this date in 1886 Al Jolson, US singer and actor, was born. Here are 10 facts about him.
His real name was Asa Yoelson, and he was born in Seredzius, Lithuania.
His father was a rabbi, who left his family temporarily to establish himself in America. Once he’d saved up enough money, he sent for his family, so Jolson arrived in the US at the age of seven. His mother died not long after, when he was eight.
He had an older brother called Hirsch, who went by Harry. The brothers would perform together on street corners for coins, using the money to pay for theatre tickets. The brothers moved on to singing on stage together, and entertained troops headed for the Spanish-American War.
He had a few short lived jobs with theatre companies, and with a circus, where he was hired as an usher but when his singing voice came to the attention of the circus owner, he was given a singing role. The circus folded, though.
He became popular in New York theatres in musicals such as La Belle Paree, Honeymoon Express, Bombo, Big Boy and Sinbad. His signature song, Swanee, was a number from the latter show. Other songs he was known for were Toot, Toot, Tootsie, Mammy, California Here I Come, and April Showers.
He married four times. He married Henrietta Keller in 1907. They divorced in 1919; his next wife was Broadway actress Alma Osbourne. They married in 1922 and divorced in 1928. His third wife was another actress, Ruby Keeler. He married her in 1928 and they adopted a child. They divorced in 1940. Jolson then married an X-ray technician called Erle Galbraith. They adopted two more children and remained married until Jolson died in 1950.
He starred in the first full length film with sound, The Jazz Singer, and several other film musicals. Jolson has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to radio, motion pictures, and the recording industry. However, at 63 he failed a screen test to play himself in Jolson Sings Again, and the role went to Larry Parks. Also, he once entered a sound-a-like contest as himself as a joke and came third.
He was one of the first celebrities to endorse a presidential candidate when he publicly backed Republican Warren G. Harding in 1920. He wrote the theme song for the campaign, Harding, You're the Man for Us!.
He entertained troops in World War II, in in Africa and Sicily, but caught malaria and pneumonia and had to stop. In 1950, against his doctor's orders, Jolson went to Korea to entertain the troops there, but his health declined even more.
He died of a heart attack while playing cards in his suite at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. His last words were allegedly “Oh, God, this is it! I'm going!” He had 150 overcoats in his closet when he died. He was 64.
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
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