Upon receiving a copy of Richard Bernstein’s “Only in America: Al Jolson and The Jazz Singer,” I thought: He wouldn’t say ...

May McAvoy and Al Jolson in ‘The Jazz Singer.’ Photo by Getty Images By the time Jolson was headlining shows on Broadway, blackface was an integral part of his act including a Black character ...

Al Jolson turned personal family drama into the grist for his star turn in “The Jazz Singer.” Review by Gary Giddins Read the review The Freedman’s Bank aimed to give those emancipated from ...

and some great movies don't lean on beautiful images, but for the most part, film is an inherently visual medium. Heck, before audiences heard Al Jolson's voice in 1927's The Jazz Singer ...

It is a short study of an extraordinary entertainer (born Asa Yoelson in Lithuania in 1886) and a profoundly important movie—and not just because “The Jazz Singer” is recognized as the ...

APPRAISER: Mm-hmm. GUEST: And he was visiting us in England, and my dad asked him to bring me something of Al Jolson. This record is part of the soundtrack of "The Jazz Singer." It has on it the ...