How I Came to Write “The Jazz Singer,” By Samson Raphaelson
from the original Souvenir Program of “The Jazz Singer”
When I was a junior at the University of Illinois, it became very necessary that I should impress a certain young lady. I had a date with her for a certain evening. I wanted to show her the best time to be had in the town of Champaign, Illinois. I borrowed ten dollars and bought two tickets for the one-night performance of Al Jolson in “Robinson Crusoe Jr.” Read the rest of this entry »
A Tribute to Al Jolson 