Al Jolson is renowned today for the first talking picture, “The Jazz Singer,” but perhaps least remembered for his appearances on radio—including “Kraft Music Hall,” which he headlined in tandem with humorist Oscar Levant. His writers recall a side of him in this ebook the public never saw. Equally surprising are the recollections here of Fanny Brice, radio’s lovable Baby Snooks, offstage and off microphone.
Parke Levy remembers Jolson as a performer who would change his mind on a whim, and playfully sing a song on radio “by special request” after being told by a network exec to “give it a rest.” To Irving Brecher, Jolie could be “the nicest fellow in the world” when the ratings were down, but not necessarily the other way around. Charles Isaacs recalls how the tired man in the turtleneck sweater would summon his strength and stride out “like a 20-year-old” when the “Kraft Music Hall” announcer called his name—and how the audience went wild. Bob Weiskopf recalls Jolson’s rivalry with Eddie Cantor.
Brice was a straightforward, no-nonsense woman, “an outspoken lady,” recalls writer Sol Saks, who saw some outrageous offstage behavior and also witnessed her in action as an interior decorator of some of his fellow writers’ houses. Saks remembers comedian Danny Thomas’ beginnings on Brice’s show, while Larry Gelbart recalls how Thomas gave Gelbart his start in radio at the tender age of 16. Bob Schiller compares “The Baby Snooks” to TV’s “I Love Lucy,” whose creator, Jess Oppenheimer, also worked with Brice.
Parke Levy remembers Jolson as a performer who would change his mind on a whim, and playfully sing a song on radio “by special request” after being told by a network exec to “give it a rest.” To Irving Brecher, Jolie could be “the nicest fellow in the world” when the ratings were down, but not necessarily the other way around. Charles Isaacs recalls how the tired man in the turtleneck sweater would summon his strength and stride out “like a 20-year-old” when the “Kraft Music Hall” announcer called his name—and how the audience went wild. Bob Weiskopf recalls Jolson’s rivalry with Eddie Cantor.
Brice was a straightforward, no-nonsense woman, “an outspoken lady,” recalls writer Sol Saks, who saw some outrageous offstage behavior and also witnessed her in action as an interior decorator of some of his fellow writers’ houses. Saks remembers comedian Danny Thomas’ beginnings on Brice’s show, while Larry Gelbart recalls how Thomas gave Gelbart his start in radio at the tender age of 16. Bob Schiller compares “The Baby Snooks” to TV’s “I Love Lucy,” whose creator, Jess Oppenheimer, also worked with Brice.
