Al Jolson
Actor · Died October 23, 1950, aged 64 · Sredniki, Kovno Governorate, Russian Empire [now Seredžius, Lithuania]
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson; May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-born American singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. In his heyday, he was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer". He was born in the Russian Empire (the part of which is now in Lithuania) and emigrated to America at the age of five with his Jewish parents. His performing style was brash and extroverted, and he popularized a large number of songs that benefited from his "shamelessly sentimental, melodramatic approach". Numerous well-known singers were influenced by his music, including Bing Crosby Judy Garland, rock and country entertainer Jerry Lee Lewis, and Bob Dylan, who once referred to him as "somebody whose life I can feel". Broadway critic Gilbert Seldes compared him to "the Great God Pan," claiming that Jolson represented "the concentration of our national health and gaiety." In the 1930s, he was America's most famous and highest paid entertainer. Between 1911 and 1928, Jolson had nine sell-out Winter Garden shows in a row, more than 80 hit records, and 16 national and international tours. Although he's best remembered today as the star in the first (full length) talking movie, The Jazz Singer in 1927, he later starred in a series of successful musical films throughout the 1930s. After a period of inactivity, his stardom returned with the 1946 Oscar-winning biographical film, The Jolson Story. Larry Parks played Jolson with the songs dubbed in with Jolson’s real voice. A sequel, Jolson Sings Again, was released in 1949, and was nominated for three Oscars. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Jolson became the first star to entertain troops overseas during World War II, and again in 1950 became the first star to perform for G.I.s in Korea, doing 42 shows in 16 days. He died just weeks after returning to the U.S., partly due to the physical exertion of performing. Defense Secretary George Marshall afterward awarded the Medal of Merit to Jolson's family. He enjoyed performing in blackface makeup – a theatrical convention since the mid-19th century. With his unique and dynamic style of singing black music, like jazz and blues, he was later credited with single-handedly introducing African-American music to white audiences. As early as 1911 he became known for fighting against anti-black discrimination on Broadway. Jolson's well-known theatrics and his promotion of equality on Broadway helped pave the way for many black performers, playwrights, and songwriters, including Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, and Ethel Waters. Description above from the Wikipedia article Al Jolson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- May 26, 1886
- October 23, 1950 (aged 64)
- Sredniki, Kovno Governorate, Russian Empire [now Seredžius, Lithuania]
- Actor
- 15 on MovieCove · 31 credits in all
What are Al Jolson's films like?
Across their 10 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Bonds.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 8
Light 6 · Serious 4 · Dark 0
A split, not a type: Grounded 7 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 2
Gentle 3 · Charged 7 · Intense 0
Steady 6 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 1
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 1
Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0
Casual 8 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 6 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 1
Resolved 10 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
Usually the Hero: 3 of 4 analyzed roles.
- Heroas Jakie Rabinowitz / Jack Robin in The Jazz Singer (1927)
- Heroas Gus in Big Boy (1930)
- Heroas Al Howard in Go Into Your Dance (1935)
- Allyas Ted Cotter in Rose of Washington Square (1939)
Moods and endings
- Happy4
- Bittersweet6
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Al Jolson's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 15 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (3).
Subscription and free streaming for Al Jolson's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
31 credits, 15 with a MovieCove page; 17 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
O Filme que Fala (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
Life Itself(2014)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Jacob's Ladder(1990)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Showbiz Goes to War(1982)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Salsa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Purple Heart Diary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
The Jolson Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)
Okay for Sound (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)
Rhapsody in Blue(1945)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
Take It or Leave It (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)
Swanee River (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)
Hollywood Cavalcade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Screen Snapshots Series 18, No. 8 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)
A Day at Santa Anita (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)
The Singing Kid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)
Go Into Your Dance(1935)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Wonder Bar(1934)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
Hallelujah, I'm a Bum (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)
Big Boy(1930)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
Show Girl in Hollywood(1930)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
Mammy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)
New York Nights (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)
Say It with Songs(1929)
Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films
The Singing Fool (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)
The Jazz Singer(1927)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all filmsFarina & The Perpetual Shine Machine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
Star power in the 72nd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 29 titles, 28 of them dated from 1927 to 2026.
Biggest box office
Life Itself (2014)
Highest rated
Life Itself (2014)
Most popular right now
The Jazz Singer (1927)
Film career
- 1927Screen debut· The Jazz Singer
- 1927First top-billed film· The Jazz Singer
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Al Jolson's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 75th percentile, the median of all 15; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 58th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up8
- 50th to 74th3
- 25th to 49th2
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
7 of their 15 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved4
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser7
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the acting 57/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles; fans 71, detractors 34. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Al Jolson work with?
People who share at least 2 of Al Jolson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Darryl F. Zanuck shares the most, 3.
Directors
- Lloyd BaconShared titles: Wonder Bar (1934), Say It with Songs (1929)See all 2 shared titles with Lloyd Bacon
- Alan CroslandShared titles: Big Boy (1930), The Jazz Singer (1927)See all 2 shared titles with Alan Crosland
Writers
- Earl BaldwinShared titles: Go Into Your Dance (1935), Wonder Bar (1934)See all 2 shared titles with Earl Baldwin
Actors
- Clark GableShared titles: Going Attractions: The Definitive Story of the Movie Palace (2019), Myrna Loy: So Nice to Come Home to (1990)See all 2 shared titles with Clark Gable
Cinematographers
- Sol PolitoShared titles: Go Into Your Dance (1935), Wonder Bar (1934)See all 2 shared titles with Sol Polito
- Hal MohrShared titles: Big Boy (1930), The Jazz Singer (1927)See all 2 shared titles with Hal Mohr
Producers
- Darryl F. ZanuckShared titles: Rose of Washington Square (1939), Say It with Songs (1929), The Jazz Singer (1927)See all 3 shared titles with Darryl F. Zanuck
