John A. Gunn, Master Mason
2425 Harden Boulevard, Lot 39, Lakeland, Florida 33803

The man we know as Al Jolson, the world's greatest entertainer, was born Asa Yoelson in the little Lithuanian village of Seredzius. His actual date of birth is unknown even to him, so he chose-yes, chose-May 26, 1886, as his birthday. His father and grandfather were both cantors, and Asa was expected to carry on the family tradition of singing in synagogue and leading the congregation in prayer. His father, Moshe, immigrated to America in 1890, and his family joined him in Washington, D.C., four years later. Asa's mother died in 1894, leaving the family at the mercy of an overstrict and demanding father. There had obviously been a strong bond between Asa and his mother, which was reflected throughout his musical career.

Asa and his older brother, Hirsch, began singing for pocket change wherever anyone would listen. Shortly after, Asa changed his name to Al Joelson, and his brother was then Harry Joelson. They later shortened it to Jolson. But to his close friends and fans, he was to be called "Jolie." At the age of 12, Al Jolson had already performed with a carnival, a circus, and had been a mascot for U.S. soldiers during the Spanish-American War. Once he was part of a risqué vaudeville show and later joined up with a tenor, Fred G. Moore. At the age of 14, Al and his brother, now called Harry, had an act called "The Hebrew and the Cadet." Its ethnic humor would, no doubt, be offensive today.

It was not until 1903 that the Al Jolson we would recognize today emerged when he joined Joe Palmer's "Merry Minstrel" group. It was with these minstrels that Al did his first blackface, with which he was to be identified for the rest of his life. At the age of 19, he got his first solo with the minstrels and sang such songs as "Who Paid the Rent for Mrs. Rip Van Winkle While Mr. Van Winkle Was Away." During the 1906 earthquake, Jolson made a reputation for himself when he donated his time to sing in San Francisco's rubble-filled streets. It was at this time he coined the phrase, "You ain't heard nothin' yet," which he would use for the remainder of his life.

In June of 1913, Brothers Al Jolson, John H. Bunny, Charles Emmet, David Stamper, and Charles J. Dryden were passed in the Fellow Craft Degree. All of these individuals were widely recognized in the entertainment field. On July 13, 1913, Al Jolson was raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason in St. Ceciles Lodge No. 568, New York. Jolson is listed in the Lodge log as Albert Jolson.

In 1918, Jolson did a short film for the Vitagraph Film Company as a benefit for the Patrolman's Benevolent Association (PBA) fund for the children of policemen killed in service. The agreement was that all proceeds were to be given to the PBA. This film was shown one time during a special police performance. But Al found out that only 40% of the proceeds went to the PBA and was so upset that he ordered the film destroyed.

Jolie was sensitive to the needs of crippled and disabled persons. In one instance, he paid for an operation that enabled a child to use his legs again. He gave generously to numerous worthy causes such as building a church for Indians in California. In his will, he left $3 million to charity. Friends and associates in show business often considered Jolson a ruthless man, but he obviously had a soft heart somewhere. I believe it is meaningful that, in the manner expected of a true Mason, he insisted that his many kind and altruistic acts be kept secret. During the 1929 market crash, Jolson lost over $4 million, but he still had a veritable fortune left and was benevolent enough to loan money to friends that had lost everything.

Songwriters Irving Caesar and George Gershwin wrote the song, "Swanee" during this time, but it met with limited success. However, Jolson recorded the song and made it an instant hit-such was the power of Jolson's talent and popularity. His name appeared on many songs at that time, but he never contributed to the writing of them. Al insisted that his name be included because his singing style was a major factor in the song's success. Obviously, he was right.

Bro. Jolson performed many firsts during his lengthy and prosperous career. He made the first pilot TV appearance, he was the first to entertain the troops in three wars, he recorded the first successful LP record in Britain, and he was the first to perform a full Broadway tour. However, the accomplishment most remembered is his starring role in the first sound movie, The Jazz Singer, in 1927. His song "Mother I Still Have You" has the distinction of being the first song ever to be composed especially for a movie.

He was the undisputed king of Broadway for many years, and there is today a movement by the International Al Jolson Society (IAJS) and the Al Jolson Internet Fan Club (AJIFC) to get a city block at 51st and Broadway in New York named in Jolson's honor. You can find both clubs, along with Dr. Marc Leavey's Jolson web site, on the Internet. The addresses are listed at the end of this essay. I find it significant of Jolson's greatness that even now-almost 50 years after his death-we still have thousands of Jolson's fans registered on the Internet.

Sales of sheet music, such as "Mammy," and phonograph recordings, such as the Edison Company's version of "Me and My Shadow," made Bro. Jolson a millionaire.

Bro. Jolson made numerous motion pictures. By today's standards, they probably appear corny, but in his day they were very successful. He was so widely recognized that caricatures of Jolson appeared in cartoons galore. Most of Jolson's successful acts were in blackface. Although this is considered politically incorrect today, it was believed to be appropriate in his era. It is widely believed that Al was basically a shy individual who could let himself go when in blackface. I believe that Jolie had a lot of respect and admiration for blacks. Although many blacks today resent him for his use of blackface, most blacks at that time did not. When Jolson died, the President of the Negro Actors Guild, Noble Sissle, represented his organization at Jolson's funeral.

Al Jolson married four times, but like so many people in entertainment, marriage did not stick. His first marriage was to Henrietta Keller, a vaudeville dancer, and his second was to Ethel Delmar, an actress. These quickly ended in divorce. His third marriage was to Ruby Keeler, a chorus girl in "Texas" Guinnan's speakeasy. They adopted one son and named him "Sonny" after Jolson's hit song. All of his wives claimed that they could not contend with Al's "mistress," his love of singing. This was undoubtedly true. Jolson was a larger-than-life figure and possessed the need and energy to be the best. He could never accept second place. During one of his U.S.O. shows, Al contracted malaria and had to have one lung removed. It was during his stay in the hospital that he met a lovely nurse, Erle Galbraith, and he married her in 1945.

Jolson experienced a lessening of popularity in the 1930s, and Bing Crosby rose to be the number one singer. Al still had work, but it was no longer top billing. However, in 1944 Al got a new lease on life when Harry Cohn decided to make The Jolson Story movie. Al could see nobody in the role of Jolson other than himself and fought desperately for the part. But he was now a balding man in his 60s, and Columbia pictures gave the role to aspiring actor Larry Parks. Jolie himself sang all the songs, but Jolson was not happy with just doing the songs. He insisted on actually being in the movie. As a result, the scene with Jolson singing "Swanee" was actually Jolson in blackface, and it was shot at a distance so nobody would notice. The movie opened in 1946 and was a box-office hit, winning Larry Parks an Oscar nomination for best actor. Jolson's voice had mellowed and was so good that all of his songs were re-recorded and once again released. Jolson was back as the nation's top singer, followed by Bing Crosby, Perry Como, and Frank Sinatra.

A sequel to the film, named Jolson Sings Again, was equally successful. As before, Jolson insisted on being somewhere in the movie. During the "You Made Me Love You" sequence, he can be seen walking and wearing a fedora. Actor Larry Parks became a victim of McCarthyism and was destined never to have another film. But Jolie was once again king of the musical mountain.

Jolie and Erle Galbraith adopted two children: Asa Albert Jolson Jr., who was last reported to be in the music business in Nashville, Tennessee, and a daughter, Alicia. Alicia was mentally retarded and had to be institutionalized. She is now deceased.

Jolie was now in his 60s, but his voice was better than ever. All of his old songs-now re-recorded-along with many new songs, sold millions. Al was in demand again and gave many concerts in New York City. He also made frequent guest appearances on radio. He hosted his own radio show, The Kraft Music Hall, from 1947 to 1949 and was looking forward to signing a TV contract with CBS, but Korea happened. Al was eager to sing once again for the troops and called then President and Ill. Bro. Harry S. Truman, 33°, to volunteer. When Truman told him there were no funds, Jolson paid his own way. He performed in 42 shows for the troops in a mere seven days.

The strain was too much for him. He fell ill and had to return home. On October 23, 1950, in San Francisco, Brother Al Jolson had a heart attack and died. We lost the world's greatest entertainer. Jolson was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Merit for his many overseas tours with the U.S.O.

Sources:

Masonic Library, Grand Lodge of New York, 71 West 23rd Street, New York, NY

Jolson-The Legend Comes to Life by Herbert G. Goldman

The Immortal Jolson by Pearl Sieben Jolson and Michael Freedland

Internet: David Harriers. UK Jolson Fan Club, http://www.btinternet.com/~jolson

Internet: Dr. Marc Leavey's web page, A. J. Recordings http://www2.ari.net/ajr/recs/

John A. Gunn is a member of Tuscan Lodge No. 6 and Bartow Commandery No. 15, Bartow, Florida, and a Noble of Egypt Shrine in Tampa. Bro. Gunn joined the U.S. Navy in 1952 but switched to the U.S. Air Force four years later. He became a computer programmer and continued with computer consulting after his USAF retirement in 1973. He remains active writing technical and Masonic-oriented computer software and is employed as the I.T. Director of the Florida Real Estate Journal in Winter Haven, Florida. Currently, he maintains the Journal's web site (www.reni.net) as well as four Masonic web sites: Egypt Shrine (www.egyptshrine.com); Masons That Were U.S. Presidents (http://home.att.net/ ~presidents/index.htm); Shriner information (http://home.att.net/~johns.oasis/index.htm); and District 24 Freemasons of Polk County, Florida (http://home.att.net/~district24/index.htm).