This continues the Thursday night Kraft Music Hall series starring Al Jolson, which ran from October 2, 1947, through May 26, 1949. Tune in each week, to hear the show of the corresponding Thursday, over seventy years ago! |
Dennis Day and Al Jolson |
Singing a number often associated with Eddie Cantor, Jolie opened the show with "Ma, He's Making Eyes At Me." He then took a moment to congratulate announcer Ken Carpenter on his longevity on the radio.
Following this, Mr. Levant gave forth with a beautiful rendition of "Claire De Lune."
Mr. Carpenter then praised the values of cooking with cheese. After a few cheesy jokes, Jolson presented "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes," from the show Roberta. Thinking back to old songs, Jolson and Levant shot a few memories back and forth, concluding with "They Didn't Believe Me." After a few more words with Levant, Jolson gave the full orchestral treatment to "All By Myself."
Mr. Carpenter's next praise is heaped upon cream cheese. Dennis Day joined the program, demonstrating his vocal versatility. He sounded like Jolson, joked with Jolson, and even slung a little Yiddish. With Dennis portraying his boyish charm, against Jolie's experience, it's an enjoyable bit. Don't miss the back handed reference to The Jolson Story, either! They ended up with "Clancy Lowered The Boom," as only these two could!
Even more reassurance about cream cheese brings Ken Carpenter forth one more time. After that, Jolson sang the Jerome Kern song he truly loved, and would have loved to sing in its original venue, "Old Man River" from Showboat. No one could sing this one like Jolie.
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this week's program | ||
This is an excerpt of the 09 Dec 1948 Kraft Music Hall starring Al Jolson. Dennis Day was the guest star on this program, but this segment is from the middle of the broadcast, and features Al Jolson and Oscar Levant with a trio of great songs. Hear Jolson sing "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" and "They Didn't Believe Me" to the piano accompaniment of Oscar Levant, and close with "All By Myself," with Lou Bring's orchestra providing the accompaniment. Images of the stars and the songs help complete the picture. |
Updated 08 Dec 24 |