Al Jolson at Arlington Racetrack 16 Jul 40

|His Works|Radio|16 Jul 40 Arlington Racetrack

Al Jolson's experience with radio began in the dawn of the medium, and continued until the birth of television, and his death. He started the Kraft Music Hall, along with programs for Lifebuoy Soap, Colgate Tooth Powder, and Chevrolet, and died while waiting to go on to Bing Crosby's Chesterfield program. Here is another full length radio program for your enjoyment.

Al Jolson
at the track

As anyone even marginally aware of the private side of Al Jolson knows, he loved the horses. From appearing in the film short A Day At Santa Anita with child star Sybil Jason, to countless cameos in newsreels, Jolson at the track was a staple.

This ten minute radio appearance took place on July 16, 1940, when Al Jolson was in Chicago for the pre-Broadway tryout of his last Broadway show, Hold On To Your Hats.

During the ten minutes of this program, you will hear a few plugs for the show, a contest for getting tickets for the show, the cast list for the show, and, yes, Jolson calling a race.

Opening in the Chicago area on October 13, 1927, Arlington Park was one of the premier tracks of its time, boasting the first all-electric totalizer board in 1933, Chicago's first photo-finish camera in 1936, and the first electric starting gate in the area, installed the year of this broadcast. After fires and rebuilding, it remains an active venue in the windy city.

So, no, Al Jolson did not sing during this broadcast. Well, he did not sing a song, but he did show us a side of something he loved, horse racing. So take a little journey back to 1940, Al Jolson is warming up for his last attempt at Broadway, World War II was over a year in the future, and they're off!

Listen to this radio program and watch a Video Podcast with an excerpt of the show illustrated with photos of the stars.

Click this link to listen to this week's program
		This is an excerpt of the 16 Jul 1940 broadcast from Arlington Park with Al Jolson, illustrated with images of Al Jolson at the track, alone and with others, throught the years. Appearing in Chicago promoting his last Broadway show then in preview, Al Jolson took time to call a race at the track. This is just the race, there is much more in the ten minute program.

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Updated 05 Jul 26