Well folks, we are winding down with bonus material as part of our outstanding The Jazz Singer interview with Ron Hutchinson, one of the co-founders of the Vitaphone Project. Due to their extensive efforts working with private collectors, university film archives, the Library of Congress, Warner Bros. and Turner Entertainment they have successfully preserved hundreds of early Vitaphone and Vitaphone Variety film performances. Included in this illustrious Vitaphone catalog include performances by the legendary Al Jolson, Burns & Allen, Baby Rose Marie, Ruth Etting, Weber & Fields, The Seven Little Foys, Georgie Price, George Jessel, Joe E. Brown, Sissle & Blake, Jack Benny, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, William Demarest, Joe Frisco, Jack Norworth, Molly Picon, Rudy Vallee and many, many more.

We will also have an opportunity to discuss with Ron Hutchinson of the Vitaphone Project the overall involvement with the recent Commemorative 80th Anniversary Edition of the legendary film, The Jazz Singer: This three-disc deluxe DVD EDITION is nothing short of fantastic. For Jolson fans and anyone interested in early 20th century performing arts, music, film and nostalgia, this is a must buy. This incredible three-disc collection includes more than several hours of digital transferred and immaculately refurbished soundtracks from the original Vitaphone Sound on Disc recordings. This special collection also includes behind the scene Jazz Singer photo cards, souvenir programs that include reviews, news articles, a Vitaphone brochure, replicas of postcards that even Al Jolson sent to Jack Warner following the death of his brother and more.

80th Anniversary DVD Edition of THE JAZZ SINGER



Click here to shop for this three-disc DVD from Amazon


Free Jolson and Friends Podcasts

You can listen to the entire series of interviews including my current eight-part interview (excluding this bonus chapter material) with Ron Hutchinson of the Vitaphone Project, Rich Conaty of the Big Broadcast radio show, Asa the Magnificent Minstrel, the Vaudeville series with author Trav S.D. and our favorite child actress, Sybil Jason.

To listen to the free Jolson and Friends Blog Podcast published audio files, just click on the listen to podcast icon on the top of this blog post.

Plantation Act Bonus Material: Jazz Singer Interview Part IX

Occasionally, I will receive some great comments and information from some of the Jolson and Friends community. As Blogmaster, I always encourage feedback. As part of the Vitaphone interview with Ron Hutchinson, I received a few questions from a past president of the Jolson Society regarding the restoration of the Plantation Act Vitaphone disc. This resulted in an email from John Newton which I am sharing with the Jolson and Friends community which provides a more in-depth background on the restoration.

From: John Newton

Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 9:59 AM

To: brian@JolsonBlog.com

Subject: Plantation Act disc and other Vitaphone discs

Brian,

I must confess that I don't look at blogs often, rarely in fact, but a friend recently advised that some questions were circulating about the disc for the Plantation Act, I think at 78-L, with Dave W suggesting that he thought the disc came from me.

Yes, that's true, and I still have the disc within my Jolson collection, along with Vitaphone discs for the other Jolson films recorded on disc. The story, briefly, has been around for a while, fairly well documented years ago by my friend Brad Kay. We in the Vitaphone Project searched and searched for the disc and I finally located the widow of the former owner, who had died 8 or 9 years earlier. One thing not widely documented was that years earlier, when the owner was still alive, he had tried to donate it to Library Of Congress, but they weren't interested, thinking, I believe, that it was a disc for The Jazz Singer.

Anyway, I negotiated with the daughter of the widow, who was then in her late 80's, and bought the disc along with the few other unrelated discs that were still sitting on an old table in their garage (the former owner was NOT a record collector.) The disc had been broken into several pieces and glued back together with epoxy, with the grooves out of alignment, making it unplayable in that condition. I subsequently spoke with Jim Cooprider in California, knowing his ability to work wonders with damaged records. I sent the disc to him and after examining it he thought about it and worked on it

- on and off - for several months. It was ultimately taken apart and re-glued with the grooves better aligned. It was returned to me and we ultimately played it on the East Coast, still requiring adjustments, etc.

This was all done at my own personal expense. The disc was ultimately loaned to California for the restoration process, where the sound was worked on, including computer programs to "de-click" all the noises caused by the areas that had been cracked and broken so many years earlier. There's more detail, certainly, but there's the gist of the story. ... It now still sits with the rest of my Jolson collection, including the Jazz Singer discs that were used for the recent restoration of the sound for that film's ultimate DVD release (Ron H. and I, along with my wife, attended the re-premier last year in Hollywood, introduced by mutual friend Leonard Maltin.) ... So the disc sits with all my other Jolson records, including one of the two known copies of "I'm Down In Honolulu Looking Them Over" (Columbia A2143) and the Private Brunswick record that Jolson made for Ruby Keeler at the beginning of August 1929, and a plethora of other Jolson items: records, sheet music, photos, programs and so on.

I hope this helps clarify any questions.

All my best,

- John -

John Newton

This is Brian Marcus Decker and thank you once again for joining us on the Jolson and Friends Blog, the first and most important blog dedicated to the life and musical influences of the legendary Al Jolson, the world's greatest entertainer. Please come and visit us again any time at www.JolsonBlog.com and feel free to listen to our series of insightful audio podcasts.

Jolson and Friends Blog Required Viewing and Reading List

80th Anniversary DVD Edition of THE JAZZ SINGER

This three-disc deluxe DVD EDITION is nothing short of fantastic. For Jolson fans and anyone interested in early 20th century performing arts, music, film and nostalgia, this is a must buy. This incredible three-disc collection includes more than several hours of digital transferred and immaculately refurbished soundtracks from the original Vitaphone Sound on Disc recordings. This special collection also includes behind the scene Jazz Singer photo cards, souvenir programs that include reviews, news articles, a Vitaphone brochure, replicas of postcards and more.


Click here to shop for this three-disc DVD from Amazon

No Applause--Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous (Paperback) by Trav S.D.



Click here to shop and buy this book from Amazon

My Fifteen Minutes: An Autobiography of a Child Star of the Golden Era of Hollywood (Paperback) by Sybil Jason

Click here to shop and buy this book from Amazon


When Jolson Was King: (Paperback) by Richard Grudens

Richard Grudens has written an entertaining and informative (must read) book for anyone interested in the legendary, Al Jolson "The World's Greatest Entertainer".

"The book contains many facets of Jolson' career including those around him, his competition, employers, and comments from those he inspired enough to form their own careers, the issue of minstrel, blackface performers, fabled stories of the famed Friar's Club, a chapter of the infamous Shubert Brothers, and chapters covering Jolson's experiences in film, radio and his extensive USO travels. Covered too are vignettes of the theatres in which Jolson performed, and of those great theatrical competitors like the Barrymore's and where they were voicing their talents while Jolson was pulling them in at the Winter Garden, and a full feature on Jolson's films from the first talkie, The Jazz Singer to his famed bio-pics The Jolson Story and Jolson Sings Again." - Richard Grudens

Click here to shop and buy this book from Amazon

Limited edition T-shirts (With FREE Shipping)

White or Natural T-Shirt: Only $18.00 with FREE U.S Shipping

You will be "Sitting on Top of the World" with these limited edition T-shirts. These are perfect holiday gifts for collectors of nostalgia and a must have for anyone interested in the legendary Al Jolson, Baseball and Eddie Cantor. Each t-shirt order comes with FREE Shipping.

I only use brand new premium heavyweight pre-shrunk 100% cotton. These unique vintage images are applied using a high pressure industrial heat press and professional grade hot transfers and a proprietary process for extended wear.

This unique T-shirts is available in white or black in adult sizes including small (34-36), medium (38-40), adult large (42-44) and XL (46-48) sizes. Additional sizes including children, adult XXL and XXXL are available on a special order basis and are subject to a $3.00 surcharge to prices listed below.

                            Jolson Singing Fool                        Cantor Tell it to the Judge                 Moon Rocket Ride


                                        Jolie                                     Old Time Baseball                         Amusing Boardwalk 

Here's the Deal

White or Natural T-Shirt: Only $18.00 with FREE U.S Shipping (30% off regular price of $20.00)

Al Jolson Limited Edition T-shirt "The Singing Fool": This is a vintage color reproduction of a 1928 theatrical program.

Eddie Cantor Limited Edition T-shirt "Tell it to the Judge": This is a vintage two-color reproduction of 1930s board game.

Moon Rocket Ride Limited Edition Carnival T-shirt: This is a vintage color reproduction of a hand painted tin carnival sign.

Jolie Black & White Limited Edition T-shirt: This is a vintage B/W illustration of Jolie from the 1920s.

History of Time Baseball Limited Edition T-shirt: This is real deal for real baseball fans, an authentic turn of the century History of Baseball T-shirt featuring Boston, New York, Chicago and Detroit.

Amusing Boardwalk T-shirt: This clown no longer graces the Jersey Shore Boardwalk, but this vintage color reproduction lives on.

For additional information, special orders, discounted shipping outside the U.S., payments through Pay Pal, please contact: brian@Jolsonblog.com

To order please specify style (Jolson, Cantor, Moon, Jolie, Houdini King of Cards, World's Greatest Mystery Man, History of Old Time Baseball, Amusing Boardwalk, Sherlock Double Profile, Sherlock Improbable, Sudoku), quantity, size, t-shirt color (white/natural or black) and your shipping address. Please send checks to:

Brian Marcus Decker
24 Arverne Road
West Orange, NJ 07052

Changes to Jolson and Friends Blog

In the upcoming months I am looking to continue to evolve the Jolson and Friends Blog and wanted preview some upcoming changes. I am continuing to promote the sale of Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor, Houdini, History of Baseball and several other unique Limited Edition T-shirt designs (featured above) all with free U.S. shipping. The sales from these items help offset the cost of maintaining this blog. Your continued support is greatly appreciated and besides they are just great T-shirts.

Due to the time intensive nature of ongoing research, content development, production and maintaining and the Blog, the next blog update will happen in the next few months. I am continuing to work on several future Jolson and Friends projects including:

• Jolson and Friends Recommended Reading and Viewer Lists including cost-saving shopping links to find unique books, videos and more.
• Expanded global coverage of local events (please send me event info).
• Future podcasts of upcoming interviews and special performance-based content.

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