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Albania
Albania ( , , Gheg Albanian: Shqipnia/Shqypnia), officially known as the Republic of Albania (, pronounced ), is a country in South Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the west, and on the Ionian Sea to the southwest. It is less than from Italy, across the Strait of Otranto which links the Adriatic Sea to the Ionian Sea.
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Alberta
Alberta is the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces. It covers nearly the same land area as the state of Texas, and had a population of 3.7 million in 2009. It became a province on September 1, 1905, on the same day as Saskatchewan.
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Australia
{{Infobox country
http://wn.com/Australia -
Babbs Switch fire
The Babbs Switch fire on December 24, 1924 killed thirty-six people in a one-room school house at Babbs Switch, Oklahoma, USA. Whole families died and more than half the dead were children.
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Babbs, Oklahoma
Babbs (Babbs Switch) is a small rural community in Kiowa County, Oklahoma. It was named for Edith "Babbs" Babcock. Babbs was the scene of the nationally known Babbs Switch Fire on December 24, 1924, in which 36 people died in a school fire. Many of the dead were children but several families were completely wiped out.
http://wn.com/Babbs_Oklahoma -
Beer Hall Putsch
http://wn.com/Beer_Hall_Putsch -
Belgium
Belgium (, ), officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, as well as those of several other major international organizations such as NATO. Belgium covers an area of , and it has a population of about 10.8 million people.
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Canada
Canada () is a country in North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean. It is the world's second largest country by total area. Canada's common border with the United States to the south and northwest is the longest in the world.
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Chicago
Chicago ( or ) is the largest city in the state of Illinois. With over 2.8 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous city in the country. Its metropolitan area, commonly named "Chicagoland," is the 26th most populous in the world, home to an estimated 9.7 million people spread across the U.S. states of Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana. Chicago is the county seat of Cook County.
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China
China is seen variously as an ancient civilization extending over a large area in East Asia, a nation and/or a multinational entity.
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Croydon Airport
Croydon Airport (ICAO: EGCR) was an airport in South London which straddled the boundary between what are now the London boroughs of Croydon and Sutton. Croydon was the first airport in the world to introduce air traffic control, in 1921. It was the main airport for London before it was replaced by Northolt Aerodrome, London Heathrow Airport and London Gatwick Airport. Both the terminal building and entrance lodge are Grade II listed buildings.
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English Channel
The English Channel (, the "sleeve") is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Great Britain from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest, to only in the Strait of Dover. It is the smallest of the shallow seas around the continental shelf of Europe, covering an area of some .
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Fiume
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France
{{Infobox Country
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Georgia (country)
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Germany
Germany (), officially the Federal Republic of Germany (, ), is a country in Western Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The territory of Germany covers 357.021 km2 and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. With 81.8 million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state of the European Union, and home to the third-largest number of international migrants worldwide.
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Greece
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Hawaii
: For geographic details see Geography and environment or Hawaiian Islands.
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India
India (), officially the Republic of India ( ; see also official names of India), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.18 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world. Mainland India is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal on the east; and it is bordered by Pakistan to the west; Bhutan, the People's Republic of China and Nepal to the north; and Bangladesh and Burma to the east. In the Indian Ocean, mainland India and the Lakshadweep Islands are in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives, while India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share maritime border with Thailand and the Indonesian island of Sumatra in the Andaman Sea. India has a coastline of .
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Israel
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Italy
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Kauai
Kauai or Kauai,
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Lenin Mausoleum
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Leningrad
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London
London () is the capital of England and the United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its founding by the Romans, who called it Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, largely retains its square-mile mediaeval boundaries. Since at least the 19th century, the name London has also referred to the metropolis developed around this core. The bulk of this conurbation forms the London region and the Greater London administrative area, governed by the elected Mayor of London and the London Assembly.
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Lorain, Ohio
Lorain is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio on Lake Erie, at the mouth of the Black River, about 30 miles west of Cleveland.
http://wn.com/Lorain_Ohio -
Mecca
Mecca (), also spelled Makkah (occasionally 'Bakkah') (; Makkah and in full: transliterated Makkah Al Mukarramah ) is a city in Saudi Arabia, and the holiest meeting site in Islam, closely followed by Medina.
http://wn.com/Mecca -
Moscow
Moscow ( or ; ; see also ) is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the world, a global city. Moscow is the most populous city on the continent of Europe and the seventh largest city proper in the world, a megacity. The population of Moscow (as of 1 January 2010) is 10,563,038.
http://wn.com/Moscow -
Nevada
Nevada is a state located in the western and southwestern region of the United States. Nevada is also part of the Mountain States. The capital is Carson City and the largest city is Las Vegas. The state's nickname is Silver State, due to the large number of silver deposits that were discovered and mined there. "Sagebrush State" and "Battle Born State" are its alternative nicknames. In 1864, Nevada became the 36th state to enter the union, and the phrase "Battle Born" on the state flag reflects the state's entry on the Union side during the American Civil War. Its first nonnative settlement was called Mormon Station.
http://wn.com/Nevada -
New York
New York (; locally or ) is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east. The state has a maritime border with Rhode Island east of Long Island, as well as an international border with the Canadian provinces of Ontario to the north and west, and Quebec to the north. New York is often referred to as New York State to distinguish it from New York City.
http://wn.com/New_York -
New York State
http://wn.com/New_York_State -
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish and Norwegian: Nobels fredspris) is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.
http://wn.com/Nobel_Peace_Prize -
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha () is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles (30 km) north of the mouth of the Platte River. Omaha is the anchor of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, which includes Council Bluffs, Iowa, across the Missouri River from Omaha. It is located 190 miles north of Kansas City, Missouri.
http://wn.com/Omaha_Nebraska -
Red Square
http://wn.com/Red_Square -
Republic of China
The Republic of China (ROC), commonly known as Taiwan, is a state in East Asia located off the east coast of mainland China. Subject to an ongoing dispute with the People's Republic of China (PRC) that has left it with limited formal diplomatic relations, the government of the Republic of China currently governs the islands of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor islands. Neighbouring states include the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south.
http://wn.com/Republic_of_China -
Rome
Rome (; , ; ) is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . In 2006 the population of the metropolitan area was estimated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to have a population of 3.7 million.
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Saint Petersburg
http://wn.com/Saint_Petersburg -
Seattle
http://wn.com/Seattle -
Soviet Union
http://wn.com/Soviet_Union -
Stirling
Stirling (Gaelic: Sruighlea , Scots: Stirlin) is a city and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling council area. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old-town beside the River Forth. Historically it was strategically important as the "Gateway to the Highlands", with its position near the boundary between the Scottish Lowlands and Highlands, and its crossing of the Forth, the nearest to the river mouth.
http://wn.com/Stirling -
Sweden
http://wn.com/Sweden -
Syria
Syria ( ; ' or '), officially the Syrian Arab Republic (), is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest.
http://wn.com/Syria -
Turkey
Turkey (), known officially as the Republic of Turkey (), is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe. Turkey is one of the six independent Turkic states. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Bulgaria to the northwest; Greece to the west; Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, Azerbaijan (the exclave of Nakhchivan) and Iran to the east; and Iraq and Syria to the southeast. The Mediterranean Sea and Cyprus are to the south; the Aegean Sea to the west; and the Black Sea is to the north. The Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles (which together form the Turkish Straits) demarcate the boundary between Eastern Thrace and Anatolia; they also separate Europe and Asia.
http://wn.com/Turkey -
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain) is a country and sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island nation, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land border with another sovereign state, sharing it with the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea. Great Britain is linked to continental Europe by the Channel Tunnel.
http://wn.com/United_Kingdom -
United States
The United States of America (also referred to as the United States, the U.S., the USA, or America) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Caribbean and Pacific.
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Utah
Utah ( or ) is a western state of the United States. It was the 45th state admitted to the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,784,572 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the sixth most urbanized in the U.S. The name "Utah" is derived from the name of the Ute tribe and means "people of the mountains" in the Ute language. Utah is bordered by Arizona on the south, Colorado on the east, Wyoming on the northeast, Idaho on the north and Nevada on the west. It also touches a corner of New Mexico.
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War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1963, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence. The name "War Office" is also often given to the former home of the department, the Old War Office Building on Horse Guards Avenue, London.
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White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical style. It has been the residence of every U.S. President since John Adams. When Thomas Jefferson moved into the house in 1801, he (with architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe) expanded the building outward, creating two colonnades that were meant to conceal stables and storage.
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Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is mostly covered by the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High Plains. While the tenth largest U.S. state by area, Wyoming is the least populous, with a U.S. Census estimated population of 544,270 in 2009. This is a 5.9% increase since 2000. The capital and the most populous city of Wyoming is Cheyenne.
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Abdul Mejid II
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Abioseh Nicol
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Adolf Hitler
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Ahmadou Ahidjo
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Al Balding
Allan George Balding (April 29, 1924 – July 30, 2006) was a Canadian professional golfer best known for being the first Canadian to win on the PGA Tour.
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Al Rosen
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Ali Fethi Okyar
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Allan McLeod Cormack
Allan MacLeod Cormack (February 23, 1924 – May 7, 1998) was a South African-born American physicist who won the 1979 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (along with Godfrey Hounsfield) for his work on x-ray computed tomography (CT).
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Alphons Egli
Alphons Egli (born October 8, 1924) is a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council (1983-1986).
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Anatole France
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André Breton
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Anita Linda
Anita Linda (born Alice Lake; November 23, 1924) is a two-time FAMAS award-winning and Gawad Urian award-winning Filipino film actress. A romantic lead in her youth, she later gained critical acclaim for her portrayals in maternal or elderly roles. At the age of 74, she became the oldest actress to ever win a FAMAS award, when she was named Best Supporting Actress for Ang Babae sa Bubungang Lata. In 2008, at age 83, she was named Best Actress in the 10th Cinemanila International Film Festival (Southeast Asia Film Competition) for her portrayal of the titular character in Adela.
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Anita Snellman
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Anne Braden
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Annette Strauss
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Antony Hewish
Antony Hewish (born Fowey, Cornwall, 11 May 1924) is a British radio astronomer who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1974 (together with fellow radio-astronomer Martin Ryle) for his work on the development of radio aperture synthesis and its role in the discovery of pulsars. (Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Hewish's graduate student, was not recognized, although she was the first to notice the stellar radio source that was later recognised as a pulsar.) He was also awarded the Eddington Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1969.
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Apache Wars
The Apache Wars were a series of colonial conflicts fought during the nineteenth century between American settlers, the United States and/or Confederate States Army against many Apache tribes in what is now the southwestern United States.
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Archibald Geikie
Sir Archibald Geikie, OM, KCB, PRS, FRSE (28 December 1835 - 10 November 1924), was a Scottish geologist and writer.
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Atal Behari Vajpayee
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Audie Murphy
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Benny Hill
Benny Hill (21 January 1924 – 20 April 1992) was an English actor and comedian, notable for his long-running television programme The Benny Hill Show.
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Benoît Mandelbrot
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Bent Fabric
Bent Fabricius-Bjerre (born December 7, 1924 in Frederiksberg, Denmark), better known internationally as Bent Fabric, is a Danish pianist and composer.
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Bernard Waber
Bernard Waber (born September 27, 1924) is an American children's author most famous for the books The House on East 88th Street (1962), Lyle, Lyle Crocodile (1965) and the subsequent books in the Lyle series.
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Bess Truman
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Betty Tucker
Elizabeth Tucker [Betty] (born January 28, 1924) is a former female pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 123 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
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Bob Appleyard
Bob Appleyard (Robert Appleyard; born 27 June 1924, Wibsey, Bradford, Yorkshire, England) is a former England and Yorkshire cricketer.
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Bob Kurland
Robert Albert "Bob" Kurland (born December 23, 1924 in St. Louis, Missouri) was a 7-foot basketball center, who played for Henry Iba's Oklahoma A & M Aggies (now Oklahoma State Cowboys) basketball team. He was an integral part of the team's consecutive NCAA titles in 1945 and 1946.
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Brendan Byrne
Brendan Thomas Byrne (born April 1, 1924) is an American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey, who served as the 47th Governor of New Jersey, from 1974 to 1982.
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Brett Somers
Brett Somers (July 11, 1924 – September 15, 2007) was a Canadian-born American actress, singer, and comedienne. She was best known as a panelist on the 1970s game show, Match Game and for her recurring role as Blanche Madison opposite her real life husband Jack Klugman on The Odd Couple.
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Brian Bevan
Brian Eyrl Bevan (born 24 June 1924 in Bondi, New South Wales, Australia and died 3 June 1991 in Southport, Merseyside, England) was a legendary rugby league winger who scored a world record 796 tries for Warrington RLFC. He is the only player ever to have been inducted into both the Australian and British rugby league Halls of Fame.
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Buddy Hackett
Buddy Hackett (August 31, 1924 – June 30, 2003) was an American comedian and actor. In his later life, he and his wife set up the Singita Animal Sanctuary in the San Fernando Valley, California.
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Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr., (July 4, 1872 January 5, 1933) was the 30th President of the United States (1923–1929). A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state. His actions during the Boston Police Strike of 1919 thrust him into the national spotlight. Soon after, he was elected as the 29th Vice President in 1920 and succeeded to the Presidency upon the sudden death of Warren G. Harding in 1923. Elected in his own right in 1924, he gained a reputation as a small-government conservative.
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Calvin Coolidge, Jr.
Calvin Coolidge Jr. (April 13, 1908- July 7, 1924) was the son of President Calvin Coolidge
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Carl Spitteler
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Carroll O'Connor
'''John Carroll O'Connor (August 2, 1924 – June 21, 2001) best known as Carroll O'Connor', was an American actor, producer and director whose television career spanned four decades. Known at first for playing the role of Major General Colt in the 1970 cult movie, Kelly's Heroes, he later found fame as the bigoted workingman Archie Bunker, the main character in the 1970s CBS television sitcoms All in the Family (1971 to 1979) and Archie Bunker's Place'' (1979 to 1983). O'Connor later starred in the NBC television crime drama In the Heat of the Night
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Charles Aznavour
Charles Aznavour OC, (born Shahnour Vaghenag Aznavourian, May 22, 1924, Paris) is a French-Armenian singer, songwriter, actor, public activist and diplomat. Besides being one of France's most popular and enduring singers, he is also one of the best-known singers in the world. Aznavour is known for his characteristic short figure and unique tenor voice; clear and ringing in its upper reaches, with gravelly and profound low notes. He has appeared in more than 60 movies, composed about 1,000 songs (including 150 at least in English, 100 in Italian, 70 in Spanish, and 50 in German), and has sold well over 100 million records.
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Charles Keeping
Charles William James Keeping (22 September 1924 - 16 May 1988) was a British illustrator, children's book author and lithographer. He first came to prominence with his illustrations for Rosemary Sutcliff's historical novels for children, and he created more than twenty picture books. He won the Kate Greenaway Medal for outstanding work in children's illustration twice: for Charley, Charlotte and the Golden Canary in 1967, and for an illustrated edition of Alfred Noyes's poem The Highwayman in 1981. He illustrated The God Beneath the Sea, by Leon Garfield and Edward Blishen, which won the Carnegie Medal for children's literature in 1970. He also illustrated the complete works of Charles Dickens for the Folio Society.
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Charlie Tully
Charles Patrick "Charlie" Tully (11 July 1924 - 27 July 1971) was a famous footballer of Celtic Football Club.
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Chet Atkins
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China
China is seen variously as an ancient civilization extending over a large area in East Asia, a nation and/or a multinational entity.
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Christine Glanville
Christine Glanville (24 October 1924 – 28 February 1999) was a British professional puppeteer and spent most of her working life on television programs produced by Gerry Anderson.
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Clement Freud
Sir Clement Raphael Freud (24 April 1924 – 15 April 2009) was an English broadcaster, writer, politician and chef.
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Consuelo Velázquez
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Daniel Inouye
Daniel Ken "Dan" Inouye (;, Inoue Ken; born September 7, 1924) is an American politician who is the senior United States Senator from Hawaii and the President pro tempore of the United States Senate making him the highest-ranking Asian American politician in American history. A Democrat, Inouye is the chairman of the influential United States Senate Committee on Appropriations.
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Dawda Jawara
Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara, GCMG (born May 16, 1924) was the first leader of The Gambia, serving first as Prime Minister from 1962 to 1970 and then as President from 1970 to 1994.
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Deke Slayton
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Dennis Brutus
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Dennis Weaver
William Dennis Weaver (June 4, 1924 – February 24, 2006) was an American actor, best known for his work in television, including roles on Gunsmoke, as Marshal Sam McCloud on the NBC police drama McCloud, and the 1971 TV movie Duel.
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Derek Shackleton
Derek Shackleton (August 12, 1924 – 28 September 2007) was a Hampshire and England bowler. He took over 100 wickets in 20 consecutive seasons of first-class cricket, but only played in 7 Tests for England. As of 2007, he has the seventh-highest tally of first-class wickets, and the most first-class wickets of any player who began his career after the Second World War. He holds the record for the most first-class wickets taken by any Hampshire player.
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Dixie Dean
William Ralph Dean (22 January 1907 – 1 March 1980), better known as Dixie Dean, was an English football player. Dean originally started his career with Birkenhead based Tranmere Rovers before moving on to professional team Everton, the club he had supported as a child, where he became one of the most prolific goal-scorers in English football history. Dean played the majority of his career at Everton before injuries caught up with him and he moved on to new challenges at Notts County and Ireland's Sligo Rovers. He is best known for his exploits in 1927-28 season which saw Dean score 100 goals in a season, 60 of which were in the league - a record which stands to this day.
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Don Harron
Donald H. Harron, OC, OOnt (born September 19, 1924 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian comedian, actor, director, journalist, author and composer.
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Don Knotts
Jesse Donald "Don" Knotts (July 21, 1924 – February 24, 2006) was an American comedic actor best known for his portrayal of Barney Fife on the 1960s television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, a role which earned him five Emmy Awards. He also played landlord Ralph Furley on the 1970s television sitcom ''Three's Company''.
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Doris Day
Doris Day (born April 3, 1922) is an American actress and singer, and has been an outspoken animal rights activist since her retirement from show business. Day's entertainment career began in her late teens as a big band singer. In 1945 she had her first hit recording , "Sentimental Journey", and, in 1948, appeared in her first film, Romance on the High Seas. During her entertainment career, she has appeared in thirty-nine films, recorded more than six-hundred-fifty songs, received an Academy Award nomination, won a Golden Globe and a Grammy Award, and, in 1989, received the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement in motion pictures.
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Earl Scruggs
Earl Eugene Scruggs (born January 6, 1924) is a musician noted for perfecting and popularizing a 3-finger style (now called Scruggs style) on the 5-string banjo that is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music. Although other musicians had played in 3-finger style before him, Scruggs shot to prominence when he was hired by Bill Monroe to fill the banjo slot in the "Blue Grass Boys". Scruggs built on earlier styles to develop a truly new and readily identifiable style, involving: unprecedented smoothness, syncopation, and uninterrupted flow; a large vocabulary of unique and original licks; blues and jazz phrases, evident in backup and in solos such as "Foggy Mountain Special;" and an overall coherency and polish that other stylists lacked, which inspired imitation by newer generations of banjo pickers.
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Earl W. Bascom
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Ed Koch
Edward Irving "Ed" Koch (born December 12, 1924; ) is an American lawyer, politician, and political commentator who was a United States Congressman from 1969 to 1977, and a three-term Mayor of New York City, from 1978 to 1989. He also gained fame as a judge on the television show ''The People's Court'' from 1997 to 1999.
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Edward D. Wood, Jr.
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Edwin Hubble
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Eleonora Duse
Eleonora Duse (October 3, 1858–April 21, 1924) was an Italian actress, often known simply as Duse.
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Elfi von Dassanowsky
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Elizabeth Short
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Ernst Alexanderson
Ernst Frederick Werner Alexanderson (January 25, 1878 – May 14, 1975) was a Swedish-American electrical engineer, who was a pioneer in radio and television development.
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Errol Brathwaite
Errol Brathwaite (1924-2005) was a New Zealand author. He was born and grew up in Waipukurau, Hawke's Bay. He experienced the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake first-hand.
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Eva Marie Saint
Eva Marie Saint (born 4 July 1924) is an American actress who has starred in films, on Broadway, and on television in a career spanning seven decades. Saint won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in On the Waterfront (1954), and later starred in Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller North by Northwest (1959). She received Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations for A Hatful of Rain (1957) and won an Emmy Award for the miniseries People Like Us (1990). Her film career also includes roles in Raintree County (1957), Because of Winn-Dixie (2005), and Superman Returns (2006).
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Ezer Weizman
(), born 15 June 1924, died 24 April 2005) was the seventh President of Israel, first elected in 1993 and re-elected in 1998. Before the presidency, Weizman was commander of the Israeli Air Force and Minister of Defense.
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Ezra Laderman
Ezra Laderman (born June 29, 1924 Brooklyn ) is an American composer of classical music.
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Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio (Dante Michelangelo Benvenuto) Busoni (April 1, 1866 – July 27, 1924) was an Italian composer, pianist, editor, writer, piano and composition teacher, and conductor.
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Flo Sandon's
Mammola Sandon, known by the stage name of '''Flo Sandon's''' (29 June 1924 – 17 November 2006), was an Italian singer who was popular in the post-WWII years. She won the Sanremo Music Festival in 1953 with the song "Viale d'autunno".
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Frank Chance
Frank Leroy Chance (September 9, 1876 – September 15, 1924) was a Major League Baseball player at the turn of the 20th century. Performing the roles of first baseman and manager, Chance led the Chicago Cubs to four National League championships in the span of five years (1906-1910) and earned the nickname "The Peerless Leader".
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Frank Frost Abbott
Frank Frost Abbott (March 27, 1860 – July 23, 1924) was an American classical scholar. Born in Redding, Connecticut, he taught at the University of Chicago, then moved to Princeton University in 1907. He died in Montreux, Switzerland.
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Frank J. Kelley
Frank J. Kelley (born December 31, 1924), was the 50th Attorney General of the U.S. state of Michigan. His 37-year term of office, from 1961 to 1998, made him both the youngest (36 years old) and oldest (74 years old) Attorney General in the state's history, and led to his nickname as the "Eternal General". He is the longest serving state attorney general in U.S. history.
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Frank Lautenberg
Frank Raleigh Lautenberg (; born January 23, 1924) is the senior United States Senator from New Jersey and a member of the Democratic Party. He is serving his fifth non-consecutive term in the Senate, first serving from 1982 to 2001 and again since 2003; he is the only current Senator to have returned to office after having retired from the Senate. He is also the oldest member of the Senate.
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Franz Kafka
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Freddie Bartholomew
Freddie Bartholomew (March 28, 1924 – January 23, 1992) was a Irish child actor, popular in 1930s Hollywood films.
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Gabriel Fauré
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Gene Stratton-Porter
Gene Stratton-Porter (August 17, 1863 – December 6, 1924) was an American author, amateur naturalist, wildlife photographer, and one of the earliest women to form a movie studio and production company. She wrote some best-selling novels and well-received columns in national magazines, such as McCalls. Her works were translated into several languages, including Braille, and Stratton-Porter was estimated to have 50 million readers around the world. She used her position and income as a well-known author to support conservation of Limberlost Swamp and other wetlands in the state of Indiana. Her novel A Girl of the Limberlost was adapted four times as a film, most recently in 1990 in a made-for-TV version.
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Geoffrey Bayldon
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Geoffrey Beene
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George Gershwin
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George Guest
Dr George Howell Guest, CBE (9 February 1924 - 20 November 2002) was organist and choirmaster of the Choir of St John's College, Cambridge, for four decades. He was a highly influential teacher, numbering many cathedral organists among his former students. He was at the forefront of the adoption of a more continental tone in English cathedral choirs.
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George Mallory
George Herbert Leigh Mallory (18 June 1886 – 8/9 June 1924) was an English mountaineer who took part in the first three British expeditions to Mount Everest in the early 1920s.
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George Mikan
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Georges Charpak
Georges Charpak (March 8, 1924 – September 29, 2010) was a French physicist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1992.
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Gershwin
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Giacomo Matteotti
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Giacomo Puccini
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Gil Hodges
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Gloria Vanderbilt
Gloria Laura Morgan Vanderbilt (born February 20, 1924) is an American artist, actress, heiress, and socialite most noted as an early developer of designer blue jeans. She is a member of the prominent Vanderbilt family of New York and mother of CNN's Anderson Cooper.
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Gopinath Saha
Gopinath Saha was a Bengali Indian freedom fighter who attempted to assassinate Charles Tegart, the then head of the Detective Department of Calcutta Police. On 12 January 1924 Saha attempted to kill Tegart, but erroneously killed Ernest Day, a White civilian who had come there on official business. Saha was arrested and executed by the government.
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Gottlieb Daimler
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Gregoire Kayibanda
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Hank Stram
Henry Louis "Hank" Stram (; January 3, 1923–July 4, 2005), was an American college and Professional Football coach. He is best known for his fifteen-year tenure with the American Football League's Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs and the Chiefs of the NFL. Stram won three AFL Championships (more than any other coach in the league's history) and Super Bowl IV with the Chiefs. He also coached the most victories (87), had the most post-season appearances (6) and the best post-season record in the AFL (5–1). Stram is largely responsible for the introduction of Gatorade to the NFL due to his close association with Ray Graves, coach at the University of Florida during Gatorade's development and infancy. Hank Stram never had an offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, or special teams coach during his legendary career with the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs.
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Harlon Block
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Harry S. Truman
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Henry Bacon
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Henry Cabot Lodge
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Henry Hyde
Henry John Hyde (April 18, 1924 – November 29, 2007), an American politician, was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1975 to 2007, representing the 6th District of Illinois, an area of Chicago's northwestern suburbs which included O'Hare International Airport. He chaired the Judiciary Committee from 1995 to 2001, and the House International Relations Committee from 2001 to 2007.
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Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini (April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor and arranger, best remembered for his film and television scores. He won a record number of Grammy Awards (20), including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1995. His best-known works include the jazz-idiom theme to The Pink Panther film series ("The Pink Panther Theme"), the Peter Gunn Theme from the television series, and back-to-back Academy Awards for the songs "Moon River" from the Blake Edwards film ''Breakfast at Tiffany's and "Days of Wine and Roses" from the 1962 film Days of Wine and Roses''.
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Herk Harvey
Harold Arnold "Herk" Harvey (June 3, 1924 – April 3, 1996) was an American film director, actor, and film producer.
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Hermann Buhl
Hermann Buhl (September 21, 1924 – June 27, 1957) is considered one of the best post-World War II Austrian climbers and one of the best climbers of all time. He was particularly innovative in applying alpine style to Himalayan climbing. His accomplishments include:
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Holger Juul Hansen
Holger Juul Hansen (born 14 August 1924 in Nyborg) is a Danish actor.
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Inez Voyce
Inez Ferne Voyce [Lefty] (born August 16, 1924) is a former first basewoman who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 6", 148 lb., she batted and threw left-handed.
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Ira Gershwin
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Isabella Ford
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İsmet İnönü
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J. Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972. Hoover is credited with building the FBI into a large and efficient crime-fighting agency, and with instituting a number of modern innovations to police technology, such as a centralized fingerprint file and forensic laboratories.
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Jamal Abro
Jamaluddin Abro, (), () also known as Jamal Abro (2 May 1924 - 30 June 2004, Larkana, Pakistan) was a Sindhi writer. He was born in May 1924 at Sangi, a small village in Mehar Taluka, then part of Dadu District.
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James W. Black
Sir James Whyte Black, OM, FRS, FRSE, FRCP (14 June 1924 – 22 March 2010) was a Scottish doctor and pharmacologist. He spent his career both as researcher and as an academic at several universities. Black established the physiology department at the University of Glasgow, where he became interested in the effects of adrenaline on the human heart. He went to work for ICI Pharmaceuticals in 1958 and, while there, developed propranolol, a beta blocker used for the treatment of heart disease. Black was also responsible for the development of cimetidine, a drug used in a similar manner to treat stomach ulcers. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1988 for work leading to the development of propranolol and cimetidine.
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Janet Waldo
Janet Waldo (born February 4, 1924, though several sources state 1918, in Yakima, Washington, though several sources state Grandview) is an American actress and voice artist with a career encompassing radio, television, animation and live-action films. She is best known in animation for voicing Judy Jetson, Penelope Pitstop, and Josie McCoy in Josie and the Pussycats. She was equally famed for radio's Meet Corliss Archer, a title role with which she was so identified that she was drawn into the comic book adaptation.
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Jeanette Schmid
Jeanette Schmid (6 November 1924 - 9 March 2005) was a professional transsexual whistler.
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Jew
http://wn.com/Jew -
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. (born October 1, 1924) served as the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office. Before he became President, Carter served two terms as a Georgia State Senator and one as Governor of Georgia, from 1971 to 1975, and was a peanut farmer and naval officer.
http://wn.com/Jimmy_Carter -
Joan Aiken
http://wn.com/Joan_Aiken -
Joanne Winter
Joanne Emily Winter [Jo] (November 24, 1924 - September 22, 1996) was a female pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 8", 138 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
http://wn.com/Joanne_Winter -
John Edward Bruce
http://wn.com/John_Edward_Bruce -
John Marden
Dr. John Marden B.A., LL.D (9 April 1855 – 29 October 1924) was an Australian Headmaster, pioneer of women's education, and Presbyterian elder.
http://wn.com/John_Marden -
John Nelder
http://wn.com/John_Nelder -
John W. Davis
John William Davis (April 13, 1873 – March 24, 1955) was an American politician, diplomat and lawyer. He served as a United States Representative from West Virginia (1911–1913), then as Solicitor General of the United States and U.S. Ambassador to the UK under President Woodrow Wilson. Over a 60-year legal career, he argued 140 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.
http://wn.com/John_W_Davis -
Johnny Gilbert
Johnny Gilbert (born John L. Gilbert, III on July 13, 1924; Newport News, Virginia), is an American television personality who has worked primarily on game shows. Originally a game show host, he has become known primarily as an announcer for several titles dating back to the 1950s. Since 1984, he has been the announcer of the quiz show Jeopardy!.
http://wn.com/Johnny_Gilbert -
Joseph Conrad
http://wn.com/Joseph_Conrad -
Joseph Stalin
http://wn.com/Joseph_Stalin -
José Arraño Acevedo
http://wn.com/José_Arraño_Acevedo -
Joyce Randolph
Joyce Randolph (born October 21, 1924) is an American actress, best known for playing Trixie Norton on The Honeymooners.
http://wn.com/Joyce_Randolph -
Juan Ponce Enrile
Juan "Manong/Manong Johnny/Johnny" Ponce Enrile (born February 14, 1924) is a political figure in the Philippines. Originally a protege of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos he later became one of the leaders (along with then General Fidel V. Ramos) in the 1986 People Power Movement that drove President Ferdinand Marcos from power. Enrile has been the President of the Senate of the Philippines since November 2008.
http://wn.com/Juan_Ponce_Enrile -
June Callwood
June Rose Callwood, CC, O.Ont. (June 2, 1924 – April 14, 2007) was a Canadian journalist, author and social activist. She was born in Chatham, Ontario and grew up in nearby Belle River.
http://wn.com/June_Callwood -
János Starker
http://wn.com/János_Starker -
Karl Benz
http://wn.com/Karl_Benz -
Katy Jurado
http://wn.com/Katy_Jurado -
Kazimieras Būga
http://wn.com/Kazimieras_Būga -
Kemal Atatürk
http://wn.com/Kemal_Atatürk -
Kenneth Kaunda
Kenneth David Kaunda, affectionately known as KK (born April 28, 1924) served as the first President of Zambia, from 1964 to 1991.
http://wn.com/Kenneth_Kaunda -
Kenneth Kendall
http://wn.com/Kenneth_Kendall -
Kenneth O'Donnell
'''Kenneth Patrick O'Donnell (March 4, 1924 - September 9, 1977), known as Kenny''', was a top aide to U.S. President John F. Kennedy and part of the group of Kennedys' close advisors called the "Irish Mafia". He served as organizer and director of Kennedy's presidential campaign schedule in 1960, as Kennedy's special assistant and appointments secretary 1961-1963, as Lyndon Johnson's Presidential Aide 1963-1965, as campaign manager for Robert Kennedy in the 1968 presidential election campaign, and as campaign manager for Hubert Humphrey after Bobby Kennedy's assassination.
http://wn.com/Kenneth_O'Donnell -
King Edward VII
http://wn.com/King_Edward_VII -
Kōbō Abe
, pseudonym of was a Japanese writer, playwright, photographer and inventor. Abe has been often compared to Franz Kafka and Alberto Moravia for his surreal, often nightmarish explorations of individuals in contemporary society and his modernist sensibilities.
http://wn.com/Kōbō_Abe -
Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall (born Betty Joan Perske September 16, 1924) is an American film and stage actress and model, known for her distinctive husky voice and sultry looks.
http://wn.com/Lauren_Bacall -
Lee Iacocca
Lido Anthony "Lee" Iacocca (born October 15, 1924) is an American businessman known for his revival of the Chrysler Corporation in the 1980s, serving as President and CEO from 1978 and additionally as chairman from 1979, until his retirement at the end of 1992. One of the most famous business people in the world, he was a passionate advocate of U.S. business exports during the 1980s. He is the author (or co-author) of several books, including (with William Novak), and Where have all the Leaders Gone?
http://wn.com/Lee_Iacocca -
Lee Marvin
Lee Marvin (February 19, 1924 – August 29, 1987) was an American film actor. Known for his gravelly voice, white hair and 6' 2" stature, Marvin at first did supporting roles, mostly villains, soldiers and other hardboiled characters, but after winning an Academy Award for Best Actor for his dual roles in Cat Ballou (1965), he landed more heroic and sympathetic leading roles.
http://wn.com/Lee_Marvin -
Leon Uris
http://wn.com/Leon_Uris -
Leslie Phillips
:See also Leslie Phillips (singer).
http://wn.com/Leslie_Phillips -
Lilian Velez
http://wn.com/Lilian_Velez -
Lillian Faralla
Lillian Faralla [Lil] (born July 29, 1924) is a former female pitcher and utility who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She batted and threw right-handed.
http://wn.com/Lillian_Faralla -
Lloyd Alexander
http://wn.com/Lloyd_Alexander -
Louis Delluc
Louis Delluc (October 14, 1890–March 22, 1924) was a French film director, screen writer and film critic, many of whose late 1910s film writings for French newspapers were collected in the volume Cinema et cie (1919). He is best known for his early book on Charles Chaplin (1921; translated into English in 1922).
http://wn.com/Louis_Delluc -
Louis Sullivan
http://wn.com/Louis_Sullivan -
Luigi Nono
http://wn.com/Luigi_Nono -
Makhmud Esambayev
Makhmud Alisultanovich Esambayev () (July 15, 1924 - January 7, 2000) was a Chechen actor and dancer. Makhmud was regarded as one the most famous dancers of the Soviet Union.[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0260063/bio]
http://wn.com/Makhmud_Esambayev -
Mal Whitfield
Malvin "Mal" Greston Whitfield (born October 11, 1924) is a former American athlete, a double winner of 800 m at the Olympic Games. Mal Whitfield is the father of CNN anchor Fredricka Whitfield.
http://wn.com/Mal_Whitfield -
Margaret Fulton
Margaret Isobel Fulton OAM (born 1924 in Nairn, Scotland) is a British-born Australian food and cooking 'guru', writer, journalist, author, and commentator. She was the first of this genre of writers in Australia.
http://wn.com/Margaret_Fulton -
Margaret Truman
http://wn.com/Margaret_Truman -
Margaret Wigiser
Margaret M. Wigiser [Wiggie] (born December 17, 1924) is a former female center fielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She batted and threw right-handed.
http://wn.com/Margaret_Wigiser -
Maria Koepcke
http://wn.com/Maria_Koepcke -
Mariano Álvarez
http://wn.com/Mariano_Álvarez -
Mario Soares
http://wn.com/Mario_Soares -
Mark Lenard
Mark Lenard (15 October 1924 - 22 November 1996) was an American actor, primarily in television.
http://wn.com/Mark_Lenard -
Marlon Brando
http://wn.com/Marlon_Brando -
Mary Grace Canfield
Mary Grace Canfield (born September 3, 1924 in Rochester, New York) is an American actress who often played the role of a romance-starved spinster/wallflower.
http://wn.com/Mary_Grace_Canfield -
Maurice Jarre
http://wn.com/Maurice_Jarre -
Max Roach
Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer.
http://wn.com/Max_Roach -
Michael Barrington
Michael Barrington (London, 3 July 1924 – 5 June 1988 in London) was a British actor best known for his television work.
http://wn.com/Michael_Barrington -
Milburn G. Apt
http://wn.com/Milburn_G_Apt -
Milton Obote
http://wn.com/Milton_Obote -
Mimi Parent
Mimi Parent (September 8, 1924 - June 14, 2005), born Marie Parent in Montreal, was a Canadian surrealist artist.
http://wn.com/Mimi_Parent -
Mohammed Rafi
http://wn.com/Mohammed_Rafi -
Moturu Udayam
Moturu Udayam (b. October 13, 1924, Turumella village, Guntur district, d. March 31, 2002, Vijayawada) was an Indian politician and women's rights activist. She was the General Secretary of the Andhra Pradesh Mahila Sangham for eighteen years, and then the honorary president of the organisation between 1992 and 2001. She was also Vice President of the All India Democratic Women's Association, to which the APMS is affiliated, between 1981 to 2001.
http://wn.com/Moturu_Udayam -
Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq
http://wn.com/Muhammad_Zia-ul-Haq -
Nahuel Moreno
Nahuel Moreno (April 24, 1924 - January 25, 1987) (real name Hugo Miguel Bressano Capacete) was a Trotskyist leader from Argentina. Moreno was active in the Trotskyist movement from before World War II until his death.
http://wn.com/Nahuel_Moreno -
Nancy Buckingham
Nancy Jean Buckingham (born 10 August 1924) is a British writer of gothic and romance novels in collaboration with her husband, John Sawyer (4 October 1919 – 1994). They wrote novels under her maiden name Nancy Buckingham, and under the pseudonyms Christina Abbey, Erica Quest, Nancy John and Hilary London. Their last novel was released in 1992.
http://wn.com/Nancy_Buckingham -
Nellie Tayloe Ross
http://wn.com/Nellie_Tayloe_Ross -
Neville Marriner
Sir Neville Marriner (born 15 April 1924) is an English conductor and violinist.
http://wn.com/Neville_Marriner -
Niels Jannasch
Niels Windekilde Jannasch, OC (1924 - 2001) was a mariner, marine historian and the founding director of the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.
http://wn.com/Niels_Jannasch -
Nina Bocharova
Nina Antonovna Bocharova () (b. September 24, 1924 in village Suprunovka, Poltava Oblast, Ukrainian SSR) is a former Soviet/Ukrainian gymnast, who won five medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics.
http://wn.com/Nina_Bocharova -
Nina Foch
Nina Foch (April 20, 1924 - December 5, 2008) was a Dutch-born American actress and leading lady in many 1940s and 1950s films.
http://wn.com/Nina_Foch -
Noel Odell
http://wn.com/Noel_Odell -
Norman Fell
http://wn.com/Norman_Fell -
Olivier Gendebien
| style="float:right; background:transparent;"
http://wn.com/Olivier_Gendebien -
Osman Lins
http://wn.com/Osman_Lins -
Ossie Davis
http://wn.com/Ossie_Davis -
Ottoman Empire
http://wn.com/Ottoman_Empire -
Panagiotis Danglis
Panagiotis Danglis () was a Greek general of the Hellenic Army and a politician.
http://wn.com/Panagiotis_Danglis -
Pat Hingle
Martin Patterson "Pat" Hingle (July 19, 1924 – January 3, 2009) was an American actor.
http://wn.com/Pat_Hingle -
Paul Dietzel
Paul Dietzel (born September 5, 1924 in Fremont, Ohio) is a former American football player and coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head coach at Louisiana State University (1955–1961), the United States Military Academy (1962–1965), and the University of South Carolina (1966–1974), compiling a career record of 109–95–5. Dietzel's 1958 LSU team concluded an 11–0 season with a win over Clemson in the Sugar Bowl and was a consensus national champion. For his efforts that year, Dietzel was named the National Coach of the Year by both the American Football Coaches Association and the Football Writers Association of America. Dietzel also served as the athletic director at South Carolina (1966–1975) and at LSU (1978–1982).
http://wn.com/Paul_Dietzel -
Peggy Ryan
'''Margaret O'Rene "Peggy" Ryan''' (August 28, 1924; Long Beach, California – October 30, 2004; Las Vegas, Nevada) was an American dancer who starred in a series of movie musicals at Universal Studios, tapping and clowning with Donald O'Connor.
http://wn.com/Peggy_Ryan -
Pepper Paire
Lavonne Paire Davis [Pepper] (born May 29, 1924) is a former female catcher and infielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 138 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
http://wn.com/Pepper_Paire -
Philip Stone
Philip Stone (14 April 1924 – 15 June 2003) was an English actor.
http://wn.com/Philip_Stone -
Priscilla Pointer
Priscilla Pointer (born May 18, 1924) is an American stage, film and television character actress. She began her career in the theater, including productions on Broadway. Later, Pointer moved to Hollywood to act in films and on television. She is the mother of actress Amy Irving (and former mother-in-law of Steven Spielberg).
http://wn.com/Priscilla_Pointer -
Ramsay MacDonald
http://wn.com/Ramsay_MacDonald -
Raymond Poincaré
http://wn.com/Raymond_Poincaré -
Rik Van Steenbergen
Rik Van Steenbergen (Arendonk, 9 September 1924 – Antwerp, 15 May 2003) was a Belgian racing cyclist, considered to be one of the best among the great number of successful Belgian cyclists.
http://wn.com/Rik_Van_Steenbergen -
Robert Bolt
http://wn.com/Robert_Bolt -
Robert Frank
http://wn.com/Robert_Frank -
Robert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe (, ; born 21 February 1924) is the second and current President of Zimbabwe. One of the leaders of the liberation movement against white-minority rule, he was elected into power as the head of government since 1980, as Prime Minister from 1980 to 1987, and as the first executive head of state since 1987.
http://wn.com/Robert_Mugabe -
Robert Solow
Robert Merton Solow (born August 23, 1924) is an American economist particularly known for his work on the theory of economic growth that culminated in the exogenous growth model named after him. He was awarded the John Bates Clark Medal (in 1961) and the 1987 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.
http://wn.com/Robert_Solow -
Robert Webber
Robert L. Webber (October 14, 1924 - May 19, 1989) was an American actor who starred as Juror #12 in the 1957 movie 12 Angry Men.
http://wn.com/Robert_Webber -
Rod Serling
http://wn.com/Rod_Serling -
Roger Guillemin
Roger Charles Louis Guillemin (born January 11, 1924 in Dijon, Bourgogne, France) received the National Medal of Science in 1976, and the Nobel prize for medicine in 1977 for his work on neurohormones, sharing the prize that year with Andrew Schally and Rosalyn Sussman Yalow.
http://wn.com/Roger_Guillemin -
Roland Petit
http://wn.com/Roland_Petit -
Rosamunde Pilcher
Rosamunde Pilcher OBE (maiden name Scott, born 22 September 1924) is a British author of romance novels and mainstream women's fiction. Early in her career she was also published under the pen name Jane Fraser. Pilcher retired from writing in 2000.
http://wn.com/Rosamunde_Pilcher -
Ruby Dee
Ruby Dee (born October 27, 1924) is an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and activist, perhaps best-known for co-starring in the film A Raisin in the Sun (1961).
http://wn.com/Ruby_Dee -
Ruby Stephens
Ruby Lee Stephens [Stevie] (October 2, 1924 - March 21, 1996) was a female pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She batted and threw right-handed.
http://wn.com/Ruby_Stephens -
Rudolf Vrba
http://wn.com/Rudolf_Vrba -
Russell Johnson
:For other people with this or similar names see Russell Johnson (disambiguation).
http://wn.com/Russell_Johnson -
Russell Maughan
Russell Lowell Maughan was a pioneer aviator and U.S. military pilot. His career spanned a period in which the Air Force, then part of the U.S. Army, was known as the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps; U.S. Air Service; U.S. Army Air Corps; and U.S. Army Air Forces. Maughan was born March 28, 1893 in Logan, Utah, to Peter W. Maughan and Mary Naef Maughan. He graduated from Utah State Agricultural College in June 1917.
http://wn.com/Russell_Maughan -
Sabine Baring-Gould
The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould (28 January 1834 - 2 January 1924) was an English hagiographer, antiquarian, novelist and eclectic scholar. His bibliography lists more than 1240 separate publications, though this list continues to grow. His family home, Lew Trenchard Manor near Okehampton, Devon, has been preserved as he rebuilt it and is now a hotel. He is remembered particularly as a writer of hymns, the best-known being "Onward, Christian Soldiers" and "Now the Day Is Over". He also translated the carol "Gabriel's Message" from Basque to English.
http://wn.com/Sabine_Baring-Gould -
Samuel Gompers
Samuel Gompers (January 27, 1850 – December 13, 1924) was an English-born American labor union leader and a key figure in American labor history. Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor (AFL), and served as that organization's president from 1886 to 1894 and from 1895 until his death in 1924. He promoted harmony among the different craft unions that comprised the AFL, trying to minimize jurisdictional battles. He promoted "thorough" organization and collective bargaining to secure shorter hours and higher wages, the first essential steps, he believed, to emancipating labor. He also encouraged the AFL to take political action to "elect their friends" and "defeat their enemies." During World War I, Gompers and the AFL worked with the government to avoid strikes and boost morale, while raising wage rates and expanding membership.
http://wn.com/Samuel_Gompers -
Sandy Wilson
Sandy Wilson (born 19 May 1924) is an English composer and lyricist, best known for his musical The Boy Friend (1953).
http://wn.com/Sandy_Wilson -
Sellapan Ramanathan
Sellapan Ramanathan (; born 3 July 1924) is the sixth and current President of the Republic of Singapore. Often referred to as S. R. Nathan, he was first sworn in on September 1, 1999. In 1999 and 2005 he was proclaimed president after an uncontested election(all competing candidates disqualified). In 2009, he surpassed Benjamin Sheares to become Singapore's longest serving President.
http://wn.com/Sellapan_Ramanathan -
Sidney Lumet
Sidney Lumet (, loo-MET; born June 25, 1924) is an American film director, with over 50 films to his name, including 12 Angry Men (1957), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Network (1976) and The Verdict (1982), all of which earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Director.
http://wn.com/Sidney_Lumet -
Sidney Phillips
Sidney C. Phillips, Jr. (born September 2, 1924) is a retired family practice physician from Mobile, Alabama who is most widely known to the public as one of the collaborators who provided source material and interviews for the making of Ken Burns' PBS documentary film The War and the HBO miniseries The Pacific. His recollections revolve around his time as a young man fighting in the Pacific War as a United States Marine.
http://wn.com/Sidney_Phillips -
Slim Harpo
http://wn.com/Slim_Harpo -
Speedy West
http://wn.com/Speedy_West -
Stanley K. Hathaway
Stanley Knapp Hathaway (July 19, 1924–October 4, 2005) served as 27th Governor of Wyoming from 1967—1975, and as United States Secretary of the Interior under President Gerald R. Ford.
http://wn.com/Stanley_K_Hathaway -
Subhas Chandra Bose
Subhas Chandra Bose () was born 23 January 1897; and presumed to have died 18 August 1945, although this is disputed, popularly known as Netaji (literally "Respected Leader"), was one of the most prominent leaders in the Indian independence movement and a legendary figure in india today.
http://wn.com/Subhas_Chandra_Bose -
Takaaki Yoshimoto
http://wn.com/Takaaki_Yoshimoto -
Tatyana Lioznova
http://wn.com/Tatyana_Lioznova -
Taylor Mead
Taylor Mead (born December 31, 1924) is an American writer, actor, and performer. Mead appeared in several of Andy Warhol's underground films including Tarzan and Jane Regained... Sort of and ''Taylor Mead's Ass''.
http://wn.com/Taylor_Mead -
Ted Mallie
http://wn.com/Ted_Mallie -
Thomas H. Ince
http://wn.com/Thomas_H_Ince -
Théodore Dubois
http://wn.com/Théodore_Dubois -
Tom Landry
Thomas Wade "Tom" Landry (September 11, 1924 – February 12, 2000) was an American football player and coach. He is legendary for his successes as the coach of the Dallas Cowboys. He is ranked as one of the greatest and most innovative coaches in NFL history, creating many new formations and methods. He invented the now popular 4-3 defense, and the "flex defense" system made famous by the "Doomsday Defense" squads he created during his tenure with the Dallas Cowboys.
http://wn.com/Tom_Landry -
Tomiichi Murayama
is a retired Japanese politician who served as the 81st Prime Minister of Japan from June 30, 1994 to January 11, 1996. He was the head of the Social Democratic Party of Japan (until 1996, the Japan Socialist Party) and the first Socialist prime minister in nearly fifty years. He is most remembered today for his speech "On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the war's end," in which he publicly apologized for Japanese atrocities during World War II.
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Tony Hancock
Anthony John "Tony" Hancock (12 May 1924 – 24 June 1968) was a British actor and comedian.
http://wn.com/Tony_Hancock -
Torsten Wiesel
Torsten Nils Wiesel (born June 3, 1924) was a Swedish co-recipient with David H. Hubel of the 1981 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, for their discoveries concerning information processing in the visual system; the prize was shared with Roger W. Sperry for his independent research on the cerebral hemispheres.
http://wn.com/Torsten_Wiesel -
Truman Capote
http://wn.com/Truman_Capote -
Victor Herbert
Victor August Herbert (February 1, 1859 – May 26, 1924) was an Irish-born, German-raised American composer, cellist and conductor. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and conductor, he is best known for composing many successful operettas that premiered on Broadway from the 1890s to World War I. He was also prominent among the tin pan alley composers and was later a founder of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP). A prolific composer, Herbert produced two operas, a cantata, 43 operettas, incidental music to 10 plays, 31 compositions for orchestra, nine band compositions, nine cello compositions, five violin compositions with piano or orchestra, 22 piano compositions and numerous songs, choral compositions and orchestrations of works by other composers, among other music.
http://wn.com/Victor_Herbert -
Vincent Cronin
Vincent Cronin (born 24 May 1924 in Tredegar, Wales) is a British historical, cultural, and biographical writer. He is known for his biographies of Louis XIV, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, Catherine the Great, and Napoleon, as well as for his books on the Renaissance.
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Vladimir Lenin
http://wn.com/Vladimir_Lenin -
Wally Cox
http://wn.com/Wally_Cox -
Walter Gotell
http://wn.com/Walter_Gotell -
Walter Ris
http://wn.com/Walter_Ris -
Werner Abrolat
Werner Abrolat (15 August 1924 – 24 August 1997, Munich) was a German actor best known for his role as various characters in the West German crime-drama television series Tatort.
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Willard Boyle
http://wn.com/Willard_Boyle -
Willem Einthoven
Willem Einthoven (Semarang, May 21, 1860 – Leiden, September 29, 1927) was a Dutch doctor and physiologist. He invented the first practical electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) in 1903 and received the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1924 for it.
http://wn.com/Willem_Einthoven -
William Rehnquist
http://wn.com/William_Rehnquist -
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856 – February 3, 1924) was the 28th President of the United States. A leader of the Progressive Era, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913. With Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft dividing the Republican Party vote, Wilson was elected President as a Democrat in 1912.
http://wn.com/Woodrow_Wilson -
Władysław Reymont
http://wn.com/Władysław_Reymont -
Zahrad
http://wn.com/Zahrad
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Soldiers Of Allah (1924)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 8:17
- Published: 19 May 2008
- Updated: 26 Aug 2012
(Al Asr, Quran): In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful; By (the Token of) Time (through the ages), Verily Man is in loss, Except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth, and of Patience and Constancy.
http://wn.com/Soldiers_Of_Allah_1924
President Coolidge, 1st Presidential Film (1924)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:00
- Published: 06 Sep 2007
- Updated: 21 Aug 2012
The first presidential film with sound recording.
http://wn.com/President_Coolidge,_1st_Presidential_Film_1924
Torquay, Devon (1924)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:53
- Published: 09 Feb 2008
- Updated: 09 Aug 2012
Families on holiday at the popular seaside resort of Torquay. Thisextract comes from Claude Friese-Greene's 'The Open Road' - originally filmed in 1925/6 and now re-edited and digitally restored by the BFI National Archive. Britain seen in colour for the first time was heralded as a great technical advance for the cinema audience - now we can view a much improved image, but one which still stays true to the principles of the colour process. The rather haphazard journey from Land's End to John O'Groats creates a series of moving picture postcards. Look out for shots containing the component colours - red and blue-green - such as when a little girl in a red coat and hat walks among peacocks in the grounds of a castle, and three girls with red curly hair pose by the sea at Torquay. The car is a Vauxhall D-type - considered a sporty model at the time. A long-distance journey by car was a relatively new concept, with none of the amenities en route now taken for granted. The visit to a petrol station shows smoking on the forecourt: no health and safety issues back then! The travelogue ends with a series of recognisable London landmarks. Much remains the same - one major exception being the volume of traffic on the roads. (Jan Faull) For more information about 'The Open Road' see www.bfi.org.uk To buy the DVD click here -- www.bfi.org.uk/filmstore
http://wn.com/Torquay,_Devon_1924
Erik Satie/René Clair: Entr'Acte (1924)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 20:19
- Published: 18 Aug 2011
- Updated: 25 Aug 2012
René Clair (1898-1981)/ Erik Satie (1866-1925): Entr'Acte (1924). Entr'acte (1924) is a short film directed by René Clair, which premiered as an entr'acte for the Ballets Suédois production Relâche at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris. Relâche is based on a book and with settings by Francis Picabia, produced by Rolf de Maré, and with choreography by Jean Börlin. The music for both the ballet and the film was composed by Erik Satie. For this production, the Dadaists collaborating on the project invented a new mode of production: instantanéisme. The complete film takes about 20 minutes using such techniques as watching people run in slow motion, watching things happen in reverse, looking at a ballet dancer from underneath, watching an egg over a fountain of water get shot and instantly become a bird and watching people disappear. The cast included cameo appearances by Francis Picabia, Erik Satie, Man Ray, and Marcel Duchamp. The conductor of the orchestra at the premiere was Roger Désormière. In this (definitive) edition the soundtrack was conducted in 1967 by Henri Sauguet. *** Themusic published in our channel is exclusively dedicated to divulgation purposes and not commercial. This within a program shared to study classic educational music of the 1900's (mostly Italian) which involves thousands of people around the world. If someone, for any reason, would deem that a video appearing in this channel violates the copyright, please inform us immediately before you <b>...</b>
http://wn.com/Erik_Satie_René_Clair_Entr'Acte_1924
BJ Palmer Adjusting in 1924
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:39
- Published: 27 May 2008
- Updated: 23 Aug 2012
Here BJ Palmer is adjusting in 1924. This is a great video. Since the orginial video was silient, commentary has been added to the video to give history of BJ.
http://wn.com/BJ_Palmer_Adjusting_in_1924
Al Jolson - All Alone (1924)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:39
- Published: 18 Sep 2009
- Updated: 22 Aug 2012
Al Jolson (May 26,1886 Oct.23,1950), born in Lithuania, Russian Empire, was a highly acclaimed American singer, comedian, and actor, and the first openly Jewish man to become an entertainment star in America. His career lasted from 1911 until his death in 1950, during which time he was commonly dubbed "the world's greatest entertainer. Numerous well-known singers were influenced by his music, including Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Judy Garland. By 1920, he was Americas most famous and highest paid entertainer. Between 1911 and 1928, Jolson had nine sell-out Winter Garden shows in a row, more than 80 hit records, and 16 national and international tours. ------ "Swanee" is an American popular song written in 1919 by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Irving Caesar. It is most often associated with singer Al Jolson. The song was written for a New York City revue called Demi-Tasse, which opened in October 1919 in the Capitol Theater. Caesar and Gershwin, who was then aged 20, claimed to have written the song in about ten minutes riding on a bus in Manhattan, and then at Gershwin's apartment. It was written partly as a parody of Stephen Foster's "Old Folks at Home". It was originally used as a big production number, with 60 chorus girls dancing with electric lights in their slippers on an otherwise darkened stage. The song had little impact in its first show, but not long afterwards Gershwin played it at a party where Al Jolson heard it. Jolson then put it into <b>...</b>
http://wn.com/Al_Jolson_All_Alone_1924
Gichin Funakoshi - 1924 Vintage Footage
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 27:07
- Published: 12 Dec 2010
- Updated: 26 Aug 2012
Gichin Funakoshi - 1924 Vintage Footage
http://wn.com/Gichin_Funakoshi_1924_Vintage_Footage
Le Ballet Mécanique (1924, Fernand Leger)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 16:11
- Published: 18 Dec 2010
- Updated: 24 Aug 2012
Ballet Mécanique (1924) was a project by the American composer George Antheil and the filmmaker/artist Fernand Léger. Although the film was intended to use Antheil's score as a soundtrack, the two parts were not brought together until the 1990s. As a composition, Ballet Mécanique is Antheil's best known and most enduring work. It remains famous for its radical style and instrumentation as well as its storied history. Directors: Fernand Léger, Dudley Murphy Writer: Fernand Léger Stars: Fernand Léger, Dudley Murphy and Katherine Murphy www.imdb.com
http://wn.com/Le_Ballet_Mécanique_1924,_Fernand_Leger
Fugitive Futurist: A Q-riosity by "Q" (1924)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 11:10
- Published: 04 Aug 2009
- Updated: 27 Jul 2012
An oddball inventor startles Londoners with images of the city's future. This witty short proffers futuristic visions of London landmarks by way of a 'magic' camera. But while its gleeful inventor turns out to be an escapee from the local asylum, French director Gaston Quiribet may not have been entirely barking up the wrong tree with one of his trick shots - which imagines Trafalgar Square flooded by rising sea levels. Could this be a prophetic glimpse of our great capital's fate?
http://wn.com/Fugitive_Futurist_A_Q-riosity_by_Q_1924
George Gershwin - Rhapsody In Blue - 1924
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:09
- Published: 25 May 2011
- Updated: 25 Aug 2012
George Gershwin (September 26, 1898 -- July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist.Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known. Among his best known works are the orchestral compositions Rhapsody in Blue (1924) and An American in Paris (1928), as well as the opera, Porgy and Bess (1935). Early in 1937, Gershwin began to complain of blinding headaches and a recurring impression that he was smelling burned rubber. Doctors discovered he had developed a type of cystic malignant brain tumor known as glioblastoma multiforme. Although some tried to trace his disease to a blow on the head from a golf ball, the cause of this type of cancer is still unknown. It occurs most often in males, accounts for 52% of all brain cancers, and is nearly always fatal. Gershwin died intestate. All his property passed to his mother. In 2005, The Guardian determined using "estimates of earnings accrued in a composer's lifetime" that George Gershwin was the wealthiest composer of all time.
http://wn.com/George_Gershwin_Rhapsody_In_Blue_1924
Sunshade Styles (1924)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:11
- Published: 08 May 2012
- Updated: 24 Aug 2012
Sunshade Styles (1924). A lovely little film presenting novel sunshades and parasols. Filmed in the 1920s, ladies display an assortment of sunshades styles including ones with ostrich feathers, pleated versions, flower and cat shapes. Find more vintage fashion footage on our channel VINTAGE FASHIONS: www.youtube.com Or be ahead of the rest and explore our archive of 90000 clips on www.britishpathe.com If you share this clip on Twitter then do let us know and we can tweet you too@britishpathe www.twitter.com
http://wn.com/Sunshade_Styles_1924
Rhapsody in Blue - Original 1924 Recording
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:27
- Published: 24 Oct 2009
- Updated: 03 Sep 2012
The original Rhapsody in Blue recording from 1924, by George Gershwin. Watch in HD for best audio quality. Download part 1 here: www.archive.org Download part 2 here: www.archive.org
http://wn.com/Rhapsody_in_Blue_Original_1924_Recording
1924 Winter Olympics - Figure Skating Sonja Henie and Gillis Grafstrom
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:56
- Published: 24 Nov 2009
- Updated: 05 Sep 2012
....and more!!! A very RARE glimpse at the early days of Figure Skating. This is actually the official Figure skating film of the 1924 Winter Olympic Games from Chamonix, France. It was made by Jean de Rovera and is thought to be the first commercially available film of the Olympic Games. There's some speed skating to start and this is followed by Sonja Henie, Herma Plank-Szabo, Gillis Grafstrom, Willy Bockl, Helene Engelmann and Alfred Berger and Charles Sabouret who finished 9th in pairs at this event with Simone Sabouret. I'm not sure if they were married or siblings - probably the latter. It's brief I know and apart from the footage of Henie, which has been featured in various documentaries, the rest has been unseen for many years. I hope you enjoy this precious glimpse into the past.
http://wn.com/1924_Winter_Olympics_Figure_Skating_Sonja_Henie_and_Gillis_Grafstrom
Catching the cycling train - Armand Blanchonnet - Cycling Road Race - Paris 1924
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:42
- Published: 28 Jul 2012
- Updated: 03 Sep 2012
When Armand Blanchonnet won the cycling road race gold medal at the Paris 1924 Olympic Games, the event was quite different from Beijing 2008 or London 2012. Athletes carried their own supplies for the race, including extra inner tubes for precaution. The road race course went around Paris, starting inside the Stade de Colombes where it would also finish. As it went around Paris, cyclists had to face some unusual obstacles for today's standards such as crossing train tracks. Trains were working normally, so crossing the train line could mean either going straight through or having to wait while the train went by.
http://wn.com/Catching_the_cycling_train_Armand_Blanchonnet_Cycling_Road_Race_Paris_1924
Ernest V. Stoneman-The Titanic 1924
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:16
- Published: 27 Aug 2010
- Updated: 01 Sep 2012
Ernest V. Stoneman-The Titanic 1924
http://wn.com/Ernest_V_Stoneman-The_Titanic_1924
Igor Stravinsky plays Stravinsky Piano Sonata (1924)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:42
- Published: 11 Jul 2008
- Updated: 03 Sep 2012
Igor Stravinsky - Piano Sonata (1924) 2. Adagietto 1. quarter note = 112 3. quarter note = 112
http://wn.com/Igor_Stravinsky_plays_Stravinsky_Piano_Sonata_1924
Waxworks (1924) 1/9
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:01
- Published: 03 Jan 2008
- Updated: 16 Aug 2012
Directed by: Paul Leni & Leo Birinski Emil Jannings - Harun al-Rashid, Caliph of Baghdad Conrad Veidt - Ivan the Terrible Werner Krauss - Jack the Ripper/Spring-heeled Jack William Dieterle - The Poet The owner of a waxworks ask a young writer to create a back story for three of the museums most popular attractions: the wax figures of an exuberant late 8th century Persian caliph, Harun al-Rashid, the tyrannical Russian Tzar Ivan the Terrible, and Victorian legend, Spring-heeled Jack (also referred to, confusingly, as Jack the Ripper in the film, although the two are not one and the same). An intriguing example of German Expressionism.
http://wn.com/Waxworks_1924_1_9
Snow Vehicle 1924
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:10
- Published: 08 Apr 2010
- Updated: 24 Jul 2012
Snow Vehicle 1924
http://wn.com/Snow_Vehicle_1924
Erik Satie: Relâche (Complete ballet) (1924)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 32:00
- Published: 18 Aug 2011
- Updated: 10 Sep 2012
Erik Satie (1866-1925): Relâche, ballet instantanéiste en deux Actes: un entr'acte cinématographique, et "la queque de chien" (1924). Relâche is a 1924 ballet by Francis Picabia with music composed by Erik Satie. The title was thought to be a Dadaist practical joke, as relâche is the French word used on posters to indicate that a show is canceled, or the theater is closed. The first performance was indeed canceled, due to the illness of Jean Börlin, the principal dancer, choreographer, and artistic director of the Ballets Suédois. Picabia commissioned filmmaker René Clair to create a cinematic entr'acte to be shown during the ballet's intermission. The film, simply titled Entr'acte, consists of a scene shown before the ballet and a longer piece between the acts. The nonsensical film features Picabia, Satie, and other well known artists as actors. The score was composed by Satie. 1. Premier Acte 2. Cinéma (Entr'Acte) (start at 9'.47'') 3. Deuxiéme Acte (start at 20'.50'') Orchestre Symphonique et Lyrique de Nancy diretta da Jérome Kaltenbach. Cover image: Pablo Picasso "Dance" (1925). *** Themusic published in our channel is exclusively dedicated to divulgation purposes and not commercial. This within a program shared to study classic educational music of the 1900's (mostly Italian) which involves thousands of people around the world. If someone, for any reason, would deem that a video appearing in this channel violates the copyright, please inform us immediately before <b>...</b>
http://wn.com/Erik_Satie_Relâche_Complete_ballet_1924
Our Gang - The Sun Down Limited (1924)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 19:37
- Published: 23 Jan 2011
- Updated: 06 Sep 2012
A silent Our Gang short from 1924
http://wn.com/Our_Gang_The_Sun_Down_Limited_1924
Olympic Winter Games (1924 - 1968)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:12
- Published: 13 Feb 2010
- Updated: 24 Aug 2012
Olympic Winter Games (1924 - 1968) 1924 - Chamonix, France 1928 - St. Moritz, Switzerland 1932 - Lake Placid, New York USA 1936 - Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany 1948 - St. Moritz, Switzerland 1952 - Oslo, Norway 1956 - Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy 1960 - Squaw Valley, California USA 1964 - Innsbruck, Austria 1968 - Grenoble, France
http://wn.com/Olympic_Winter_Games_1924_1968
Felix the Cat - Felix Dopes It Out - 1924
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 7:25
- Published: 12 Mar 2007
- Updated: 08 Sep 2012
Felix tries helping a depressed clown. DISCLAIMER: The classic black and white Felix the Cat Cartoons are under Public Domain, meaning they are out for the public to use, So it is not Violating any Copyright law when I upload them on here.
http://wn.com/Felix_the_Cat_Felix_Dopes_It_Out_1924
Buster Keaton - Sherlock Jr. (1924) motorcycle scene
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:34
- Published: 28 Jan 2011
- Updated: 07 Sep 2012
A scene from the film Sherlock Jr. starring Buster Keaton. This is the full scene with music. Amazing stunts and great performances. I think everyone could enjoy this film. Perfect for those who haven't seen so much silent film before. www.imdb.com
http://wn.com/Buster_Keaton_Sherlock_Jr_1924_motorcycle_scene
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Photo: AP / Marcio Jose Sanchez
21 Sep 2012
LOS ANGELES -- Space shuttle Endeavour took off Friday morning on a sightseeing tour of California, the last aerial hurrah before retiring to a Los Angeles museum. Hitching a ride on top of a jumbo...
Photo: AP / B.K. Bangash
21 Sep 2012
Pakistan's government, wary of widespread frustration over its failure to provide basic services, declared Friday a day of protest over the film in an apparent bid to exploit anger which has inspired...
Photo: AP / Shakh Aivazov
21 Sep 2012
Thousands have rallied in Georgia to demand the prosecution of high-level officials fired in a prison-abuse scandal that threatens to unseat the governing pro-Western party in next month's...
Photo: AP / Bassem Tellawi
21 Sep 2012
BEIRUT - Syria's President Bashar Assad is adamant his regime will not fall and predicts the defeat of the armed opposition that has been fighting his troops. Assad says the rebels "will not succeed"...
Photo: DOD / Public Domain
22 Sep 2012
Related topics Joe BidenAfghanistanMilitaryGaffeConcordcheerleaders Advertisement On Friday, Vice President Joe Biden told supporters at the New Hampshire State House in Concord that there are 650,000...
The Columbus Dispatch
...(size: 5.2Kb)
The Hindu
Staying away from the limelight of publicity despite being the powerful Editor of an influential newspaper and the Managing Director of the company running it, G. Kasturi had a single-minded focus through most of his life: to take The Hindu to new heights in a fast-changing media milieu. He seemed...(size: 8.6Kb)
Boeing retiree builds new 1924 airplane
20 Sep 2012
San Francisco Chronicle
Ed Kusmirek has built something special at his house in Renton, Wash. - a precise replica of a vintage airplane, a 1924 super-light Dormoy Bathtub. Almost six decades ago, Boeing retiree Kusmirek, 84, hatched the dream of recreating this particular piece of aviation history - and flying it. Now with...(size: 2.7Kb)
IMDb
He is a slight little boy who looks younger than his nine years, hair lighter than it appears on the screen In the hall of the...(size: 0.9Kb)
noodls
11th September 2012 Marshall Cubbon, born in Douglas (Isle of Man) in 1924, first joined the staff of the Manx Museum as Assistant Director to Basil Megaw in 1950. He had previously obtained a BA (Honours) degree in Geography from the University of Manchester, and had qualified as a teacher in...(size: 6.9Kb)
Movie Review: The Hands of Orlac (Austria, 1924)
11 Sep 2012
The Christian Science Monitor
Almost nine decades ago, the...(size: 0.2Kb)
The Christian Science Monitor
Almost nine decades ago, the...(size: 0.2Kb)
The Examiner
Related topics TCMHorror FilmsprimetimeHollywood legendsClassic films Advertisement For their first post-"Summer Under the Stars" Sunday night, TCM has chosen a fist-full of horror films based on the Silent Era scream-inducing horror flick, "The Hands of Orlac". In the hours before the now-classic...(size: 9.5Kb)
August 23rd, 1924
23 Aug 2012
Irish Times
FROM THE ARCHIVES:��The Tailteann Games were established after the foundation of the State as an Olympic Games for the ���Irish race���, including everything from athletics to chess. The organisers congratulated themselves at a meeting shortly after the first games. - JOE JOYCE�� THEIR DIRECTOR (Mr...(size: 3.1Kb)
This article is about the year 1924. For the rap album, see 1924 (album).
| Millennium: | 2nd millennium |
|---|---|
| Centuries: | 19th century – 20th century – 21st century |
| Decades: | 1890s 1900s 1910s – 1920s – 1930s 1940s 1950s |
| Years: | 1921 1922 1923 – 1924 – 1925 1926 1927 |
| 1924 by topic: |
| Subject |
| By country |
| Leaders |
| Birth and death categories |
| Establishments and disestablishments categories |
| Works and introductions categories |
| Gregorian calendar | 1924 MCMXXIV |
| Ab urbe condita | 2677 |
| Armenian calendar | 1373 ԹՎ ՌՅՀԳ |
| Assyrian calendar | 6674 |
| Bahá'í calendar | 80–81 |
| Bengali calendar | 1331 |
| Berber calendar | 2874 |
| British Regnal year | 13 Geo. 5 – 14 Geo. 5 |
| Buddhist calendar | 2468 |
| Burmese calendar | 1286 |
| Byzantine calendar | 7432–7433 |
| Chinese calendar | 癸亥年十一月廿五日 (4560/4620-11-25) — to —
甲子年十二月初六日(4561/4621-12-6) |
| Coptic calendar | 1640–1641 |
| Ethiopian calendar | 1916–1917 |
| Hebrew calendar | 5684–5685 |
| Hindu calendars | |
| - Vikram Samvat | 1980–1981 |
| - Shaka Samvat | 1846–1847 |
| - Kali Yuga | 5025–5026 |
| Holocene calendar | 11924 |
| Iranian calendar | 1302–1303 |
| Islamic calendar | 1342–1343 |
| Japanese calendar | Taishō 13 (大正13年) |
| Julian calendar | Gregorian minus 13 days |
| Korean calendar | 4257 |
| Minguo calendar | ROC 13 民國13年 |
| Thai solar calendar | 2467 |
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: 1924 |
Year 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar and a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.
Events[link]
January[link]
- January 10 – The British submarine L-24 sinks in the English Channel; 43 are killed.
- January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots a man he erroneously thinks is the police commissioner of Calcutta (Charles Augustus Tegart); he is arrested soon after.
- January 21 – Following the death of Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin immediately begins to purge his rivals to clear the way for his leadership.
- January 22 – Ramsay MacDonald becomes the first Labour Prime Minister.
- January 23 – The Soviet Union officially declares that Lenin died January 21.
- January 25 – The 1924 Winter Olympics open in Chamonix, France (in the French Alps).
- January 26 – Petrograd (Saint Petersburg) is renamed Leningrad.
- January 27 – Lenin is buried in Lenin Mausoleum in Moscow's Red Square.
February[link]
- February 1 – The United Kingdom recognizes the Soviet Union.
- February 5 – GMT: A radio time signal is broadcast for the first time from the Royal Greenwich Observatory.
- February 7 – Death penalty: The first state execution using gas in the United States takes place in Nevada.
- February 12 – Rhapsody in Blue, by George Gershwin, is first performed in New York City at Aeolian Hall.
- February 14 – IBM is founded in New York State.
- February 16–February 26 – Dock strikes break out in various U.S. harbors.
- February 22 – Calvin Coolidge becomes the first President of the United States to deliver a radio broadcast from the White House.
March[link]
- March 3 – The 1,400-year-old Islamic caliphate is abolished when Caliph Abdul Mejid II of the Ottoman Empire is deposed. The last remnant of the old regime gives way to the reformed Turkey of President Kemal Atatürk.
- March 6 – İsmet İnönü forms a new government in Turkey. (2nd government)
- March 8 – The Castle Gate mine disaster kills 172 coal miners in Utah, United States.
- March 9 – Italy annexes Fiume.
- March 25 – Greece proclaims itself a republic.
- March 29 – The Third Ministry of Raymond Poincaré starts in France.
April[link]
- April 1
- Adolf Hitler is sentenced to 5 years in jail for his participation in the Beer Hall Putsch (he serves only 8 months).
- The first revenue flight for Belgium's SABENA Airlines takes place.
- April 6 – Fascists win the elections in Italy with a ⅔ majority.
- April 13
- A referendum in Greece favors the formation of the Second Hellenic Republic.
- The A.E.K. is founded in Greece.
- April 16 – American media company Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) is founded in Los Angeles, California.
- April 23 – British Empire Exhibition opens. It was the largest colonial exhibition with 58 countries of the empire dramatically represented.
- April 26 – Harry Grindell Matthews demonstrates his "death ray" in London but fails to convince the British War Office.
- April 27 – A group of Alawites kill some Christian nuns in Syria; French troops march against them.
- April 28 – An explosion in the mine of the Wheeling Steel Corporation in Benwood, West Virginia kills 119 men.
May[link]
- May 3 – The Aleph Zadik Aleph, the oldest Jewish youth fraternity, is founded in Omaha, Nebraska.
- May 4 – The 1924 Summer Olympics opening ceremonies are held in Paris, France.
- May 10 – J. Edgar Hoover is appointed head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
- May 11 – Mercedes-Benz is formed by the merging companies owned by Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz.
- May 21 – University of Chicago students Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold, Jr. murder 14-year-old Bobby Franks in a thrill killing.
- May 24 – The Immigration Act of 1924 was signed into law in the United States, including the Asian Exclusion Act.
June[link]
- June 1 – Harry Grindell Matthews returns from Paris to London; he tries to use a Pathé film to demonstrate that his death ray works.
- June 2 – U.S. President Calvin Coolidge signs the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 into law, granting citizenship to all Native Americans born within the territorial limits of the United States.
- June 5 – Ernst Alexanderson sends the first facsimile across the Atlantic Ocean (to his father in Sweden).
- June 8 – George Mallory and Andrew Irvine are last seen "going strong for the top" of Mount Everest by teammate Noel Odell at 12:50 P.M. The two mountaineers are never seen alive again.
- June 10 – Fascists kidnap and kill Italian socialist leader Giacomo Matteotti in Rome.
- June 12 – Rondout Heist: Six men of the Egan's Rats gang rob a mail train in Rondout, Illinois; the robbery is later found to have been an inside job.
- June 16 – Whampoa Military Academy is founded in China.
- June 23 – American airman Russell Maughan flies from New York to San Francisco in 21 hours and 48 minutes on a dawn-to-dusk flight in a Curtiss pursuit.
- June 28 – A tornado touches down in Lorain, Ohio and kills 78 people.
July[link]
- July 17 – Voting in federal elections becomes compulsory in Australia, after a private member's bill proposed by Tasmanian Nationalist senator Herbert Payne results in the passing of the Commonwealth Electoral (Compulsory Voting) Act 1924.
- July 20 – The Soviet sports newspaper Sovetskiy Sport is founded.
August[link]
- August 16 – The Dawes Plan is accepted.
- August 18 – France begins to withdraw its troops from Germany.
- August 28 – Georgia rises against the Soviet Union in an abortive rebellion, in which several thousands die.
September[link]
- September 9
- The Hanapepe Massacre occurs on Kauai, Hawaii.
- The 8-hour work day is introduced in Belgium.
- September 9–September 11 – The Kohat riots break out in India.
- September 28 – U.S. Army pilots John Harding and Erik Nelson complete the first round-the-world flight. It takes them 175 days and 74 stops before they finally returned to Seattle.
October[link]
- October 2 – The Geneva Protocol is adopted by the League of Nations Assembly as a means to strengthen the League, but later fails to be ratified.
- October 10 – The Alpha Delta Gamma Fraternity is founded at the Lake Shore Campus of Loyola University, Chicago.
- October 12–October 15 – Zeppelin LZ-126 makes a transatlantic delivery flight from Friedrichshafen, Germany, to Lakehurst, New Jersey.
- October 19 – Abdul Aziz declares himself protector of holy places in Mecca.
- October 22 – The Toastmasters Club is founded.
- October 24 – Dixie Dean scores a hat-trick for Tranmere Rovers to become the youngest ever player to score three goals for The Superwhites.
- October 25
- The British Foreign Office publishes the Zinoviev Letter.
- British authorities in India arrest Subhas Chandra Bose and jail him for the next 2½ years.
- October 27 – The Uzbek SSR joins the Soviet Union.
November[link]
- November 4
- Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming is elected as the first woman governor in the United States.
- U.S. presidential election, 1924: Republican Calvin Coolidge defeats Democrat John W. Davis and Progressive Robert M. LaFollette, Sr.
- November 19 – In Los Angeles, California, famous silent film director Thomas Ince ("The Father of the Western") dies, reportedly of a heart attack, in his bed (rumors soon surface that he was shot dead by publishing tycoon William Randolph Hearst).
- November 21 – Ali Fethi Okyar forms new government in Turkey. (3rd government)
- November 27 – In New York City the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is held.
December[link]
- December 1
- A Soviet-backed communist coup attempt fails in Estonia.
- George Gershwin's Lady Be Good and Fascinating Rhythm (book by Guy Bolton and Fred Thompson, lyrics by Ira Gershwin) premiere in New York, NY.
- December 19 – German serial killer Fritz Haarmann is sentenced to death for a series of murders.
- December 24
- An air crash at Croydon Air Field in London kills 8.
- Albania becomes a republic.
- A flash fire at a Christmas celebration in a one-room schoolhouse in Babbs, Oklahoma kills 36 people, mostly small children.
- December 30 – Astronomer Edwin Hubble announces that Andromeda, previously believed to be a nebula, is actually another galaxy, and that the Milky Way is only one of many such galaxies in the universe.
Date unknown[link]
- International Union of Official Organizations for Tourist Propaganda.
- The powerful opiate hydromorphone is developed in Germany.
- Earl W. Bascom, rodeo cowboy and artist, designs and makes rodeo's first one-hand bareback rigging at Stirling, Alberta Canada.
- Alice Vanderbilt Morris, a wealthy heiress, founds the International Auxiliary Language Association in New York
- André Breton defines surrealism as "pure psychic automatism" in the first Surrealist Manifesto.
- U.S. bootleggers begin to use Thompson submachine guns.
- The Earth Inductor Compass is invented in New York City.
- In the United States both the Renegade Period and the Apache Wars end which brings the American Indian Wars to a close after 302 years.
Births[link]
January[link]
- January 1 – Roberts Blossom, American actor and poet (d. 2011)
- January 3 – Hank Stram, American football coach and broadcaster (d. 2005)
- January 4 – Walter Ris, American freestyle swimmer (d. 1989)
- January 6 – Earl Scruggs, American musician (d. 2012)
- January 7 – Geoffrey Bayldon, British actor
- January 8 – Ron Moody, British actor
- January 10 – Max Roach, American percussionist, drummer, and composer (d. 2007)
- January 11
- Roger Guillemin, French neuroendocrinologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- Sam B. Hall, American politician (d. 1994)
- Slim Harpo, American musician (d. 1970)
- January 12 – Olivier Gendebien, Belgian race car driver (d. 1998)
- January 13 – Roland Petit, French choreographer/dancer (d. 2011)
- January 16 – Katy Jurado, Mexican actress (d. 2002)
- January 19 – Jean-Francois Revel, French author (d. 2006)
- January 21 – Benny Hill, English comedian and singer (d. 1992)
- January 23 – Frank Lautenberg, the senior United States Senator from New Jersey
- January 25 – Speedy West, American Musician (d. 2003)
- January 26 – Annette Strauss, American philanthropist and mayor of Dallas, Texas (d. 1998)
- January 27 – Sabu, Indian actor (d. 1963)
- January 28 – Betty Tucker, American female baseball player
- January 29 – Luigi Nono, Italian composer (d. 1990)
- January 30 – Lloyd Alexander, American writer (d. 2007)
February[link]
- February 2 – Elfi von Dassanowsky, Austrian-born producer and musician (d. 2007)
- February 4
- Dorothy Harrell, American female professional baseball player
- Janet Waldo, American actress
- February 7 – Hattie Jacques, English actress (d. 1980)
- February 9 – George Guest, Welsh choral conductor (d. 2002)
- February 14 – Juan Ponce Enrile, Filipino politician, President of the Senate of the Philippines since 2008.
- February 17 – Margaret Truman, American novelist and only child of U.S. President Harry S. Truman and Bess Truman (d. 2008)
- February 19 – Lee Marvin, American actor (d. 1987)
- February 20
- Gerson Goldhaber, American particle physicist and astrophysicist
- Gloria Vanderbilt, American cosmetics entrepreneur
- February 21 – Robert Mugabe, first Prime Minister of Zimbabwe
- February 23 – Allan McLeod Cormack, South African physicist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1998)
- February 26 – Noboru Takeshita, Japanese politician (d. 2000)
- February 29 – Al Rosen, American baseball player
March[link]
- March 1 – Deke Slayton, American astronaut (d. 1993)
- March 3
- John Woodnutt, British actor (d. 2006)
- Tomiichi Murayama, former Prime Minister of Japan
- March 3 – Lilian Velez, Filipino actress (d. 1948)
- March 4 – Kenneth O'Donnell, aide to U.S. President John F. Kennedy (d. 1977)
- March 7 – Kōbō Abe, Japanese novelist (d. 1993)
- March 15 – Walter Gotell, German actor (d. 1997)
- March 24 – Norman Fell, American actor (d. 1998)
- March 27
- Sarah Vaughan, American jazz singer (d. 1990)
- Herbert Zangs, German artist
- March 28 – Freddie Bartholomew, British actor (d. 1992)
- March 30 – Alan Davidson, British author (d. 2003)
April[link]
- April 1 – Brendan Byrne, Governor of New Jersey
- April 3
- Doris Day, American singer and actress
- Marlon Brando, American actor (d. 2004)
- Errol Brathwaite, New Zealand author (d. 2005)
- Josephine Pullein-Thompson, British author
- April 4 – Gil Hodges, American baseball player (d. 1972)
- April 6 – Jimmy Roberts, American singer (d. 1999)
- April 7 – Johannes Mario Simmel, Austrian writer (d. 2009)
- April 9 – Milburn G. Apt, American test pilot (d. 1956)
- April 12 – Raymond Barre, French politician and Prime Minister (d. 2007)
- April 14 – Philip Stone, English actor (d. 2003)
- April 15 – Sir Neville Marriner, English conductor and violinist
- April 16 – Henry Mancini, American composer and arranger (d. 1994)
- April 18
- Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, American blues musician (d. 2005)
- Henry Hyde, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois (d. 2007)
- April 19 – Al Balding, Canadian golfer (d. 2006)
- April 20
- Leslie Phillips, English actor
- Nina Foch, Dutch-American actress (d. 2008)
- April 23 – Bobby Rosengarden, American jazz drummer (d. 2007)
- April 24
- Clement Freud, British writer, radio personality, and politician (d. 2009)
- Nahuel Moreno, Argentine Trotskyist leader (d. 1987)
- April 28 – Kenneth Kaunda, former President of Zambia
May[link]
- May 1
- Art Fleming, American television host and presenter (d. 1995)
- Gregoire Kayibanda, former President of Rwanda (d. 1976)
- May 2 – Jamal Abro, Sindhi writer (d. 2004)
- May 10 – Zahrad, Western Armenian poet (d. 2007)
- May 11 – Antony Hewish, English radio astronomer, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics
- May 12 – Tony Hancock, English comedian (d. 1968)
- May 16 – Dawda Jawara, former President of the Gambia
- May 18 – Priscilla Pointer, American actress
- May 19 – Sandy Wilson, British composer
- May 22 – Charles Aznavour, French singer, actor, and songwriter
- May 24
- Vincent Cronin, British historical writer and biographer
- Maria Koepcke, German ornithologist (d. 1971)
- May 29
- Lars Bo, Danish artist and writer (d. 1999)
- Lavonne [Pepper] Paire Davis, American female baseball player
June[link]
- June 1 – Dr. William Sloane Coffin, American clergyman (d. 2006)
- June 2 – June Callwood, Canadian journalist, author & social activist (d. 2007)
- June 3
- Ted Mallie, American radio and television announcer (d. 1999)
- Torsten Wiesel, Swedish scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- Herk Harvey, American film director (d. 1996)
- June 4 – Dennis Weaver, American actor (d. 2006)
- June 12 – George Herbert Walker Bush, 41st President of the United States
- June 14 – James W. Black, British doctor (d. 2010)
- June 15 – Ezer Weizman, 7th President of Israel (d. 2005)
- June 17 – Charlotte Armstrong, American female baseball player (d. 2008)
- June 18 – George Mikan, American basketball player (d. 2005)
- June 20
- Chet Atkins, American country guitar player and producer (d. 2001)
- Audie Murphy, American World War II hero and actor (d. 1971)
- June 24 – Brian Bevan, Australian rugby league footballer (d. 1991)
- June 25 – Sidney Lumet, American film director (d. 2011)
- June 27 – Bob Appleyard, English cricketer
- June 29
- Flo Sandon's, Italian singer (d. 2006)
- Ezra Laderman, American composer
July[link]
- July 3
- S. R. Nathan, 6th president of Singapore
- Michael Barrington, British actor (d. 1988)
- July 4 – Eva Marie Saint, American actress
- July 5
- Niels Jannasch, Canadian historian and museum curator (d. 2001)
- Osman Lins, Brazilian novelist (d. 1978)
- János Starker, Hungarian cellist
- July 11
- Brett Somers, (d. 2007)
- Charlie Tully, Northern Irish footballer (d. 1971)
- July 13
- Carlo Bergonzi, Italian tenor
- Johnny Gilbert, American game show announcer
- July 15 – Makhmud Esambayev,(d. 2000)
- July 19
- Stanley K. Hathaway, American politician (d. 2005)
- Pat Hingle, American actor (d. 2009)
- July 20
- Lola Albright, American actress
- Tatyana Lioznova, Soviet film director (d. 2011)
- July 21 – Don Knotts, American actor (d. 2006)
- July 28 – Anne Braden, American civil rights activist (d. 2006)
- July 29
- Robert Horton, American actor
- Lillian Faralla, American female professional baseball player
- Elizabeth Short (The Black Dahlia), American actress and murder victim (d. 1947)
August[link]
- August 1
- Georges Charpak, Ukrainian-born physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2010)
- King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia
- August 2
- Carroll O'Connor, American actor (d. 2001)
- James Baldwin, American author (d. 1987)
- August 3 – Leon Uris, American writer (d. 2003)
- August 7 – Kenneth Kendall, British newsreader and presenter
- August 10 – Nancy Buckingham Sawyer (Christina Abbey, Erica Quest, Nancy John, Hilary London), British romance novelist.
- August 12
- Derek Shackleton, English cricketer (d. 2007)
- Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, leader of Pakistan (d. 1988)
- August 14 – Holger Juul Hansen, Danish actor
- August 15
- Werner Abrolat, German actor (d. 1997)
- Robert Bolt, English writer (d. 1995)
- August 16 – Inez Voyce, American female baseball player
- August 17 – Evan S. Connell, Jr., American novelist, poet, and short story-writer
- August 19 – Willard Boyle, Canadian physicist (d. 2011)
- August 23 – Robert Solow, American economist, Nobel Prize laureate
- August 24
- Ahmadou Ahidjo, former President of Cameroon (d. 1989)
- August 28 – Peggy Ryan, American actress (d. 2004)
- August 29 – Consuelo Velázquez, Mexican songwriter (d. 2005)
- August 30 – Geoffrey Beene, American fashion designer (d. 2004)
- August 31 – Buddy Hackett, American comedian and actor (d. 2003)
September[link]
- September 2
- Daniel arap Moi, President of Kenya
- Sidney Phillips, Physician and WW2 marine
- September 3 – Mary Grace Canfield, American actress
- September 4
- Joan Aiken, English writer (d. 2004)
- Anita Snellman, Finnish painter (d. 2006)
- September 5 – Paul Dietzel, College football coach
- September 7 – Daniel Inouye, American politician who is the senior United States Senator from Hawaii and the President pro tempore of the United States Senate
- September 8 – Mimi Parent, Canadian painter (d. 2005)
- September 9
- Jane Greer, American actress (d. 2001)
- Rik Van Steenbergen, Belgian cyclist (d. 2003)
- September 11
- Tom Landry, American football player and coach (d. 2000)
- Rudolf Vrba, escapee from Auschwitz (d. 2006)
- September 13 – Maurice Jarre, French composer (d. 2009)
- September 14 – Abioseh Nicol, Sierra Leonean diplomat and author (d. 1994)
- September 15 – Bobby Short, American entertainer (d. 2005)
- September 16 – Lauren Bacall, American actress
- September 19 – Don Harron, Canadian entertainer
- September 20 – Hermann Buhl, Austrian mountaineer (d. 1957)
- September 22
- Charles Keeping, English illustrator (d. 1988)
- Rosamunde Pilcher, English novelist
- September 23 – Heinrich Schultz, Estonian cultural functionary
- September 26 – Nina Bocharova, Soviet gymnast
- September 27 – Bernard Waber, American children's author
- September 30 – Truman Capote, American author (d. 1984)
October[link]
- October 1
- Jimmy Carter, President of the United States, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
- William Rehnquist, Chief Justice of the United States (d. 2005)
- October 2 – Ruby Stephens, American female baseball player (d. 1996)
- October 8 – Alphons Egli, member of the Swiss Federal Council
- John Nelder, British statistician
- October 10
- Margaret Fulton, Australian food writer
- Ed Wood, American filmmaker (d. 1978)
- October 11 – Mal Whitfield, American athlete
- October 13 – Moturu Udayam, Indian women's activist (d. 2002)
- October 14
- José Arraño Acevedo, Chilean historian (d. 2009)
- Robert Webber, American actor (d. 1989)
- October 15
- Mark Lenard, American actor (d. 1996)
- Lee Iacocca, American industrialist
- October 21
- Celia Cruz, Cuban singer (d. 2003)
- Joyce Randolph, American actress
- October 24 – Christine Glanville, English puppeteer (d. 1999)
- October 25 – Billy Barty, American actor (d. 2000)
- October 27 – Ruby Dee, American actress, poet, activist, journalist and second wife of Ossie Davis
November[link]
- November 1 – Suleyman Demirel, former President of Turkey
- November 6
- Jeanette Schmid, famous German whistler (d. 2005)
- Harlon Block, U.S. Marine flag raiser on Iwo Jima (d. 1945)
- November 9 – Robert Frank, Swiss Photographer
- November 10 – Russell Johnson, American actor
- November 11 – Evelyn Wawryshyn, Canadian professional baseball player
- November 13
- Motoo Kimura, Japanese population geneticist (d. 1994)
- Edward F. Welch, Jr., American admiral (d. 2008)
- November 19 – William Russell, British actor
- November 20 – Benoît Mandelbrot, Polish-born mathematician (d. 2010)
- November 23 – Anita Linda, Filipino actress
- November 24
- Mel Patton, American athlete
- Joanne Winter, American female professional baseball pitcher and LPGA player (d. 1996)
- November 25 – Takaaki Yoshimoto, Japanese poet, critic, and philosopher.
- November 28 – Dennis Brutus, South African poet and anti-Apartheid activist (d. 2009)
December[link]
- December 2 – Alexander M. Haig, Jr., American politician and former U.S. Secretary of State (d. 2010)
- December 3 – Francisco Sionil José, Filipino novelist, Philippine National Artist for Literature
- December 6 – Wally Cox, television and motion picture actor (d. 1973)
- December 7
- Bent Fabric, Danish pianist and composer.
- Mario Soares, former President of Portugal
- December 12
- Ed Koch, Mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989
- Robert Coogan, American actor (d. 1978)
- December 13 – Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, 30th Prime Minister of Nepal (d. 2011)
- December 17 – Margaret Wigiser, American female professional baseball player
- December 23 – Bob Kurland, American basketball player
- December 24 – Mohammed Rafi, Indian playback singer (d. 1980)
- December 25
- Rod Serling, American television screenwriter (d. 1975)
- Atal Behari Vajpayee, tenth Prime Minister of India
- Moktar Ould Daddah, first President of Mauritania (d. 2003)
- December 28 – Milton Obote, President of Uganda (d. 2005)
- December 31
- Taylor Mead, American actor
- Frank J. Kelley, the 50th Michigan Attorney General
Deaths[link]
January–June[link]
- January 2 – Sabine Baring-Gould, English composer and novelist (b. 1834)
- January 4 – John Peters, American 19th century baseball player (b. 1850)
- January 13 – Georg Hermann Quincke, German physicist (b. 1834)
- January 14 – Luther Emmett Holt, American pediatrician (b. 1855)
- January 16 – Licerio Gerónimo, Filipino military leader (b. 1855)
- January 21 – Vladimir Lenin, Russian revolutionary and first Premier of the Soviet Union (b. 1870)
- January 24 – Marie-Adélaïde, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (b. 1894)
- February 3 – Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1856)
- February 17 – Henry Bacon, American architect (b. 1866)
- March 9
- Panagiotis Danglis, Greek military leader and politician (b. 1853)
- Daniel Ridgway Knight, American artist (b. 1839)
- March 22 – Louis Delluc, French film director (b. 1890)
- March 24 – Prince Kwacho Hirotada of Japan (b. 1902)
- March 29 – Charles Villiers Stanford, Irish composer, resident in England (b. 1852)
- April 14 – Louis Sullivan, American architect (b. 1856)
- April 21 – Eleonora Duse, Italian actress (b. 1858)
- May 4 – E. Nesbit, English author (b. 1858)
- May 15 – Paul-Henri-Benjamin d'Estournelles de Constant, French diplomat, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1852)
- May 26 – Victor Herbert, Irish dramatist (b. 1859)
- May 31 – Charles Stockton, American admiral (b. 1845)
- June 3 – Franz Kafka, Austrian author (The Trial) (b. 1883)
- June 9
- George Mallory, English mountain climber (lost on Mount Everest) (b. 1886)
- Andrew Irvine, English mountain climber (lost on Mount Everest) (b. 1902)
- June 11 – Théodore Dubois, French composer and teacher (b. 1837)
July–December[link]
- July 7 – Calvin Coolidge, Jr., son of U.S. President Calvin Coolidge (b. 1908)
- July 14
- Isabella Ford, English socialist, feminist, trade unionist and writer (b. 1855)
- Isabella Stewart Gardner, American art collector and philanthropist (b. 1840)
- July 23 – Frank Frost Abbott, American classical scholar (b. 1860)
- July 27 – Ferruccio Busoni, Italian pianist and composer (b. 1866)
- August 3 – Joseph Conrad, Polish-born author (b. 1857)
- August 7 – Bruce Grit, ex-slave and African-American historian
- August 15 – Francis Knollys, 1st Viscount Knollys, British Private Secretary to King Edward VII. (b. 1837)
- August 17 – Pavel Urysohn, Russian mathematician (b. 1898)
- August 23 – Heinrich Berté, Austrian operetta composer (. 1858)
- August 25 – Mariano Álvarez, Filipino general (b. 1818)
- August 31 – Todor Aleksandrov, Bulgarian revolutionary (b. 1881)
- September 6 – Archduchess Marie Valerie of Austria (b. 1868)
- September 15 – Frank Chance, baseball player and manager (b. 1877)
- October 12 – Anatole France, French writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1844)
- October 29
- Frances Hodgson Burnett, Anglo-American writer (b. 1849)
- John Marden, Australian headmaster and pioneer of women's education (b. 1855)
- November 4 – Gabriel Fauré, French composer (b. 1845)
- November 9 – Henry Cabot Lodge, American politician (b. 1850)
- November 10 – Sir Archibald Geikie, Scottish geologist (b. 1835)
- November 19 – Thomas Ince, American film producer (b. 1882)
- November 21 – Florence Kling Harding, First Lady of the U.S. (b. 1860)
- November 29 – Giacomo Puccini, Italian composer (b. 1858)
- December 2 – Kazimieras Būga, Lithuanian linguist (b. 1879)
- December 6 – Gene Stratton-Porter, American author, screenwriter and naturalist (b. 1863)
- December 13 – Samuel Gompers, American labor leader (b. 1850)
- December 29 – Carl Spitteler, Swiss writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1845)
- December 31 – Sir Samuel William Knaggs, British civil servant (b. 1856)
Nobel Prizes[link]
- Physics – Manne Siegbahn
- Chemistry – Not awarded
- Physiology or Medicine – Willem Einthoven
- Literature – Władysław Stanisław Reymont
- Peace – Not awarded
References[link]
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This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1924
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is about the United States president. For the ship, see SS President Coolidge.
| Calvin Coolidge | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 30th President of the United States | |
| In office August 2, 1923 – March 4, 1929 |
|
| Vice President | None (1923-1925) Charles G. Dawes (1925-1929) |
| Preceded by | Warren G. Harding |
| Succeeded by | Herbert Hoover |
| 29th Vice President of the United States | |
| In office March 4, 1921 – August 2, 1923 |
|
| President | Warren G. Harding |
| Preceded by | Thomas R. Marshall |
| Succeeded by | Charles G. Dawes |
| 48th Governor of Massachusetts | |
| In office January 2, 1919 – January 6, 1921 |
|
| Lieutenant | Channing Cox |
| Preceded by | Samuel W. McCall |
| Succeeded by | Channing H. Cox |
| 46th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts | |
| In office January 6, 1916 – January 2, 1919 |
|
| Governor | Samuel W. McCall |
| Preceded by | Grafton D. Cushing |
| Succeeded by | Channing H. Cox |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. (1872-07-04)July 4, 1872 Plymouth, Windsor County, Vermont, United States |
| Died | January 5, 1933(1933-01-05) (aged 60) Northampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Grace Goodhue |
| Children | John Calvin |
| Alma mater | Amherst College |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Religion | Congregationalism |
| Signature |  |
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. (July 4, 1872 – January 5, 1933) was the 30th President of the United States (1923–1929). A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state. His conduct during the Boston Police Strike of 1919 thrust him into the national spotlight and gave him a reputation as a man of decisive action. Soon after, he was elected as the 29th Vice President in 1920 and succeeded to the Presidency upon the sudden death of Warren G. Harding in 1923. Elected in his own right in 1924, he gained a reputation as a small-government conservative, and also as a man who said very little.
Coolidge restored public confidence in the White House after the scandals of his predecessor's administration, and left office with considerable popularity.[1] As a Coolidge biographer put it, "He embodied the spirit and hopes of the middle class, could interpret their longings and express their opinions. That he did represent the genius of the average is the most convincing proof of his strength."[2] Coolidge praised the achievement of widespread prosperity in 1928, saying: "The requirements of existence have passed beyond the standard of necessity into the region of luxury."[3] Some later criticized Coolidge as part of a general criticism of laissez-faire government.[4] His reputation underwent a renaissance during the Ronald Reagan Administration,[5] but the ultimate assessment of his presidency is still divided between those who approve of his reduction of the size of government programs and those who believe the federal government should be more involved in regulating and controlling the economy.[6]
Contents |
Birth and family history[link]
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr., was born in Plymouth Notch, Windsor County, Vermont, on July 4, 1872, the only U.S. President to be born on Independence Day. He was the elder of the two children of John Calvin Coolidge, Sr. (1845–1926) and Victoria Josephine Moor (1846–1885). Coolidge Senior engaged in many occupations, and ultimately enjoyed a statewide reputation as a prosperous farmer, storekeeper and public servant; he farmed, taught school, ran a local store, served in the Vermont House of Representatives and the Vermont Senate, and held various local offices including justice of the peace and tax collector.[7] Coolidge's mother was the daughter of a Plymouth Notch farmer.[8] Coolidge's chronically ill mother died, perhaps from tuberculosis, when he was twelve years old. His sister, Abigail Grace Coolidge (1875–1890), died at the age of fifteen, when Coolidge was eighteen. Coolidge's father remarried in 1891, to a schoolteacher, and lived to the age of eighty.
Coolidge's family had deep roots in New England. His earliest American ancestor, John Coolidge, emigrated from Cottenham, Cambridgeshire, England, around 1630 and settled in Watertown, Massachusetts.[9] Another ancestor, Edmund Rice, arrived at Watertown in 1638.[10] Coolidge's great-great-grandfather, also named John Coolidge, was an American military officer in the Revolutionary War and one of the first selectmen of the town of Plymouth Notch.[11] Most of Coolidge's ancestors were farmers. Other well-known Coolidges, architect Charles Allerton Coolidge, General Charles Austin Coolidge, and diplomat Archibald Cary Coolidge among them, were descended from branches of the family that had remained in Massachusetts.[9] Coolidge's grandmother Sarah Almeda Brewer had two famous first cousins: Arthur Brown, a United States Senator, and Olympia Brown, a women's suffragist. It is through Sarah Brewer that Coolidge believed that he inherited American Indian blood, but this descent has never been established by modern genealogists.[12]
Early career and marriage[link]
Western Massachusetts lawyer[link]
Coolidge attended Black River Academy and then Amherst College, where he joined the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.[13] At his father's urging, Coolidge moved to Northampton, Massachusetts, after graduating to take up the practice of law. Avoiding the costly alternative of attending a law school, Coolidge followed the more common practice of the time, apprenticing with a local law firm, Hammond & Field, and reading law with them. John C. Hammond and Henry P. Field, both Amherst graduates, introduced Coolidge to the law practice in the county seat of Hampshire County. In 1897, Coolidge was admitted to the bar, becoming a country lawyer. With his savings and a small inheritance from his grandfather, Coolidge was able to open his own law office in Northampton in 1898. He practiced transactional law, believing that he served his clients best by staying out of court. As his reputation as a hard-working and diligent attorney grew, local banks and other businesses began to retain his services.[14]
Marriage and family[link]
In 1905, Coolidge met and married a fellow Vermonter, Grace Anna Goodhue, who was working as a teacher at the Clarke School for the Deaf. While Grace was watering flowers outside the school one day in 1903, she happened to look up at the open window of Robert N. Weir's boardinghouse and caught a glimpse of Calvin Coolidge shaving in front of a mirror with nothing on but long underwear and a hat.[15] After a more formal introduction sometime later, the two were quickly attracted to each other.[15] They were married on October 4, 1905, in the parlor of her parents' home in Burlington, Vermont.
They were opposites in personality: she was talkative and fun-loving, while he was quiet and serious.[16] Not long after their marriage, Coolidge handed her a bag with fifty-two pairs of socks in it, all of them full of holes. Grace's reply was "Did you marry me to darn your socks?" Without cracking a smile and with his usual seriousness, Calvin answered, "No, but I find it mighty handy."[17] They had two sons: John, born in 1906, and Calvin, Jr., born in 1908.[18] The marriage was, by most accounts, a happy one.[19] As Coolidge wrote in his Autobiography, "We thought we were made for each other. For almost a quarter of a century she has borne with my infirmities, and I have rejoiced in her graces."[20]
Local political office[link]
City offices[link]
The Republican Party was dominant in New England in Coolidge's time, and he followed Hammond's and Field's example by becoming active in local politics.[21] Coolidge campaigned locally for Republican presidential candidate William McKinley in 1896, and the next year he was selected to be a member of the Republican City Committee.[22] In 1898, he won election to the City Council of Northampton, placing second in a ward where the top three candidates were elected.[22] The position offered no salary, but gave Coolidge experience in the political world.[23] In 1899, he declined renomination, running instead for City Solicitor, a position elected by the City Council. He was elected for a one-year term in 1900, and reelected in 1901.[24] This position gave Coolidge more experience as a lawyer, and paid a salary of $600.[24] In 1902, the city council selected a Democrat for city solicitor, and Coolidge returned to an exclusively private practice.[25] Soon thereafter, however, the clerk of courts for the county died, and Coolidge was chosen to replace him. The position paid well, but barred him from practicing law, so he only remained at the job for one year.[25] The next year, 1904, Coolidge met with his only defeat before the voters, losing an election to the Northampton school board. When told that some of his neighbors voted against him because he had no children in the schools he would govern, Coolidge replied "Might give me time!"[25]
State legislator and mayor[link]
In 1906 the local Republican committee nominated Coolidge for election to the state House of Representatives. He won a close victory over the incumbent Democrat, and reported to Boston for the 1907 session of the Massachusetts General Court.[26] In his freshman term, Coolidge served on minor committees and, although he usually voted with the party, was known as a Progressive Republican, voting in favor of such measures as women's suffrage and the direct election of Senators.[27] Throughout his time in Boston, Coolidge found himself allied primarily with the western Winthrop Murray Crane faction of the state Republican Party, as against the Henry Cabot Lodge-dominated eastern faction.[28] In 1907, he was elected to a second term. In the 1908 session, Coolidge was more outspoken, but was still not one of the leaders in the legislature.[29]
Instead of vying for another term in the State House, Coolidge returned home to his growing family and ran for mayor of Northampton when the incumbent Democrat retired. He was well liked in the town, and defeated his challenger by a vote of 1,597 to 1,409.[30] During his first term (1910 to 1911), he increased teachers' salaries and retired some of the city's debt while still managing to effect a slight tax decrease.[31] He was renominated in 1911, and defeated the same opponent by a slightly larger margin.[32]
In 1911, the State Senator for the Hampshire County area retired and encouraged Coolidge to run for his seat for the 1912 session. He defeated his Democratic opponent by a large margin.[33] At the start of that term, Coolidge was selected to be chairman of a committee to arbitrate the "Bread and Roses" strike by the workers of the American Woolen Company in Lawrence, Massachusetts.[34] After two tense months, the company agreed to the workers' demands in a settlement the committee proposed.[35] The other major issue for Republicans that year was the party split between the progressive wing, which favored Theodore Roosevelt, and the conservative wing, which favored William Howard Taft. Although he favored some progressive measures, Coolidge refused to leave the Republican party.[36] When the new Progressive Party declined to run a candidate in his state senate district, Coolidge won reelection against his Democratic opponent by an increased margin.[36]
The 1913 session was less eventful, and Coolidge's time was mostly spent on the railroad committee, of which he was the chairman.[37] Coolidge intended to retire after the 1913 session, as two terms were the norm, but when the President of the State Senate, Levi H. Greenwood, considered running for Lieutenant Governor, Coolidge decided to run again for the Senate in the hopes of being elected as its presiding officer.[38] Although Greenwood later decided to run for reelection to the Senate, he was defeated and Coolidge was elected, with Crane's help, as the President of a closely divided Senate.[39] After his election in January 1914, Coolidge delivered a speech entitled Have Faith in Massachusetts, which summarized his philosophy of government. It was later published in a book, and frequently quoted.[40]
| Do the day's work. If it be to protect the rights of the weak, whoever objects, do it. If it be to help a powerful corporation better to serve the people, whatever the opposition, do that. Expect to be called a stand-patter, but don't be a stand-patter. Expect to be called a demagogue, but don't be a demagogue. Don't hesitate to be as revolutionary as science. Don't hesitate to be as reactionary as the multiplication table. Don't expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong. Don't hurry to legislate. Give administration a chance to catch up with legislation. |
| Have Faith in Massachusetts as delivered by Calvin Coolidge to the Massachusetts State Senate, 1914.[41] |
Coolidge's speech was well received, and he attracted some admirers on its account.[42] Towards the end of the term, many of them were proposing his name for nomination to lieutenant governor. After winning reelection to the Senate by an increased margin in the 1914 elections, Coolidge was reelected unanimously to be President of the Senate.[43] As the 1915 session ended, Coolidge's supporters, led by fellow Amherst alumnus Frank Stearns, encouraged him again to run for lieutenant governor. This time, he accepted their advice.[44]
Lieutenant Governor[link]
Coolidge entered the primary election for lieutenant governor and was nominated to run alongside gubernatorial candidate Samuel W. McCall. Coolidge was the leading vote-getter in the Republican primary, and balanced the Republican ticket by adding a western presence to McCall's eastern base of support.[45] McCall and Coolidge won the 1915 election, with Coolidge defeating his opponent by more than 50,000 votes.[46]
Coolidge's duties as lieutenant governor were few; in Massachusetts, the lieutenant governor does not preside over the state Senate, although Coolidge did become an ex officio member of the governor's cabinet.[47] As a full-time elected official, Coolidge no longer practiced law after 1916, though his family continued to live in Northampton.[48] McCall and Coolidge were both reelected in 1916 and again in 1917 (At the time, both offices were held for one-year terms). When McCall decided that he would not stand for a fourth term, Coolidge announced his intention to run for governor.[49]
Governor of Massachusetts[link]
1918 election[link]
Coolidge was unopposed for the Republican nomination for Governor of Massachusetts in 1918. He and his running mate, Channing Cox, a Boston lawyer and Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, ran on the previous administration's record: fiscal conservatism, a vague opposition to Prohibition, support for women's suffrage, and support for American involvement in World War I.[50] The issue of the war proved divisive, especially among Irish- and German-Americans.[51] Coolidge was elected by a margin of 16,773 votes over his opponent, Richard H. Long, in the smallest margin of victory of any of his state-wide campaigns.[52]
Boston police strike[link]
Main article: Boston Police Strike
In 1919, in response to rumors that policemen of the Boston Police Department planned to form a union, Police Commissioner Edwin U. Curtis issued a statement saying that such a move would not be tolerated. In August of that year, the American Federation of Labor issued a charter to the Boston Police Union.[53] Curtis said the union's leaders were insubordinate and planned to relieve them of duty, but said that he would suspend the sentence if the union was dissolved by September 4.[54] The mayor of Boston, Andrew Peters, convinced Curtis to delay his action for a few days, but Curtis ultimately suspended the union leaders on September 8.[55]
| "Your assertion that the Commissioner was wrong cannot justify the wrong of leaving the city unguarded. That furnished the opportunity; the criminal element furnished the action. There is no right to strike against the public safety by anyone, anywhere, any time. ... I am equally determined to defend the sovereignty of Massachusetts and to maintain the authority and jurisdiction over her public officers where it has been placed by the Constitution and laws of her people." (emphasis added) |
| Telegram from Governor Calvin Coolidge to Samuel Gompers September 14, 1919.[56] |
The following day, about three-quarters of the policemen in Boston went on strike.[57] Coolidge had observed the situation throughout the conflict, but had not yet intervened. That night and the next, there was sporadic violence and rioting in the lawless city.[58] Peters, concerned about sympathy strikes, had called up some units of the Massachusetts National Guard stationed in the Boston area and relieved Curtis of duty.[59] Coolidge, furious that the mayor had called out state guard units, finally acted.[60] He called up more units of the National Guard, restored Curtis to office, and took personal control of the police force.[61] Curtis proclaimed that all of the strikers were fired from their jobs, and Coolidge called for a new police force to be recruited.[62]
That night Coolidge received a telegram from AFL leader Samuel Gompers. "Whatever disorder has occurred", Gompers wrote, "is due to Curtis's order in which the right of the policemen has been denied …"[63] Coolidge publicly answered Gompers's telegram with the response that would launch him into the national consciousness (quoted, above left).[63] Newspapers across the nation picked up on Coolidge's statement and he became the newest hero to opponents of the strike. In the midst of the First Red Scare, many Americans were terrified of the spread of communist revolution, like those that had taken place in Russia, Hungary, and Germany. While Coolidge had lost some friends among organized labor, conservatives across the nation had seen a rising star. Although he usually acted with deliberation, the Boston police strike gave him a national reputation as a man who would take decisive action.
1919 election[link]
Coolidge and Cox were renominated for their respective offices in 1919. By this time Coolidge's supporters (especially Stearns) had publicized his actions in the Police Strike around the state and the nation and some of Coolidge's speeches were published in book form.[40] He faced the same opponent as in 1918, Richard Long, but this time Coolidge defeated him by 125,101 votes, more than seven times his margin of victory from a year earlier.[64] His actions in the police strike, combined with the massive electoral victory, led to suggestions that Coolidge run for President in 1920.[65]
Legislation and vetoes as governor[link]
By the time Coolidge was inaugurated on January 2, 1919, the First World War had ended, and Coolidge pushed the legislature to give a $100 bonus to Massachusetts veterans. He also signed a bill reducing the work week for women and children from fifty-four hours to forty-eight, saying, "We must humanize the industry, or the system will break down."[66] He signed into law a budget that kept the tax rates the same, while trimming four million dollars from expenditures, thus allowing the state to retire some of its debt.[67]
Coolidge also wielded the veto pen as governor. His most publicized veto was of a bill that would have increased legislators' pay by 50%.[68] Although Coolidge was personally opposed to Prohibition, he vetoed a bill in May 1920 that would have allowed the sale of beer or wine of 2.75% alcohol or less, in Massachusetts in violation of the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. "Opinions and instructions do not outmatch the Constitution," he said in his veto message, "Against it, they are void."[69]
Vice Presidency[link]
1920 election[link]
Main article: United States presidential election, 1920
At the 1920 Republican National Convention most of the delegates were selected by state party conventions, not primaries. As such, the field was divided among many local favorites.[70] Coolidge was one such candidate, and while he placed as high as sixth in the voting, the powerful party bosses never considered him a serious candidate. After ten ballots, the delegates settled on Senator Warren G. Harding of Ohio as their nominee for President.[71] When the time came to select a Vice Presidential nominee, the party bosses had also made a decision on who they would nominate: Senator Irvine Lenroot of Wisconsin.[72] A delegate from Oregon, Wallace McCamant, having read Have Faith in Massachusetts, proposed Coolidge for Vice President instead.[72] The suggestion caught on quickly, and Coolidge found himself unexpectedly nominated.[73]
The Democrats nominated another Ohioan, James M. Cox, for President and the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, for Vice President. The question of the United States joining the League of Nations was a major issue in the campaign, as was the unfinished legacy of Progressivism.[74] Harding ran a "front-porch" campaign from his home in Marion, Ohio, but Coolidge took to the campaign trail in the Upper South, New York, and New England.[75] On November 2, 1920, Harding and Coolidge were victorious in a landslide, winning every state outside the South.[76] They also won in Tennessee, the first time a Republican ticket had won a Southern state since Reconstruction.[76]
"Silent Cal"[link]
The Vice-Presidency did not carry many official duties, but Coolidge was invited by President Harding to attend cabinet meetings, making him the first Vice President to do so.[77] He gave speeches around the country, but none were especially noteworthy.[78]
As Vice-President, Coolidge and his vivacious wife Grace were invited to quite a few parties, where the legend of "Silent Cal" was born. It is from this time that most of the jokes and anecdotes involving Coolidge originate. Although Coolidge was known to be a skilled and effective public speaker, in private he was a man of few words and was therefore commonly referred to as "Silent Cal." A possibly apocryphal story has it that Dorothy Parker, seated next to him at a dinner, said to him, "Mr. Coolidge, I've made a bet against a fellow who said it was impossible to get more than two words out of you." His famous reply: "You lose."[79] It was also Parker who, upon learning that Coolidge had died, reportedly remarked, "How can they tell?"[80] Coolidge often seemed uncomfortable among fashionable Washington society; when asked why he continued to attend so many of their dinner parties, he replied, "Got to eat somewhere."[81] Alice Roosevelt Longworth, a leading Republican wit, underscored Coolidge's silence and his dour personality: "When he wished he were elsewhere, he pursed his lips, folded his arms, and said nothing. He looked then precisely as though he had been weaned on a pickle.[82]
As President, Coolidge's reputation as a quiet man continued. "The words of a President have an enormous weight," he would later write, "and ought not to be used indiscriminately."[83] Coolidge was aware of his stiff reputation; indeed, he cultivated it. "I think the American people want a solemn ass as a President," he once told Ethel Barrymore, "and I think I will go along with them."[84] However, he did hold a then-record number of presidential press conferences, 520 during his presidency.[85] Some historians would later suggest that Coolidge's image was created deliberately as a campaign tactic,[86] while others believe his withdrawn and quiet behavior to be natural, deepening after the death of his son in 1924.[87]
Presidency 1923–1929[link]
Succession to the Presidency[link]
On August 2, 1923, President Harding died while on a speaking tour in California.[88] Vice-President Coolidge was in Vermont visiting his family home, which had neither electricity nor a telephone, when he received word by messenger of Harding's death.[89] Coolidge dressed, said a prayer, and came downstairs to greet the reporters who had assembled.[89] His father, a notary public, administered the oath of office in the family's parlor by the light of a kerosene lamp at 2:47 am on August 3, 1923; Coolidge then went back to bed. He returned to Washington the next day, and was re-sworn in by Justice Adolph A. Hoehling, Jr. of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia, as there was some confusion over whether a state notary public had the authority to administer the presidential oath.[90][91]
Finishing Harding's term[link]
The nation did not know what to make of its new President; Coolidge had not stood out in the Harding administration and many had expected him to be replaced on the ballot in 1924.[92] He appointed C. Bascom Slemp, a Virginia Congressman and experienced federal politician[93] to work jointly with Edward T. Clark, a Massachusetts Republican organizer whom he retained from his vice presidential staff, as Secretaries to the President (a position equivalent to the modern White House Chief of Staff).[94] Although a few of Harding's cabinet appointees were scandal-tarred, Coolidge announced that he would not demand any of their resignations, believing that since the people had elected Harding, he should carry on Harding's presidency, at least until the next election.[94]
He addressed Congress when it reconvened on December 6, 1923, giving a speech that echoed many of Harding's themes, including immigration restriction and the need for the government to arbitrate the coal strikes then ongoing in Pennsylvania.[95] Coolidge's speech was the first Presidential speech to be broadcast to the nation over the radio.[96] The Washington Naval Treaty was proclaimed just one month into Coolidge's term, and was generally well received in the country.[94] In May 1924, the World War I veterans' World War Adjusted Compensation Act or "Bonus Bill" was passed over his veto.[97] Coolidge signed the Immigration Act later that year, which was aimed at restricting southern and eastern European immigration, though he appended a signing statement expressing his unhappiness with the bill's specific exclusion of Japanese immigrants.[98] Just before the Republican Convention began, Coolidge signed into law the Revenue Act of 1924, which decreased personal income tax rates while increasing the estate tax, and creating a gift tax to reinforce the transfer tax system.[99]
1924 election[link]
Main article: United States presidential election, 1924
The Republican Convention was held from June 10–12, 1924 in Cleveland, Ohio; President Coolidge was nominated on the first ballot.[100] The convention nominated Frank Lowden of Illinois for Vice President on the second ballot, but he declined by telegram.[101] Former Brigadier General Charles G. Dawes, who would win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1925, was nominated on the third ballot; he accepted.[101]
The Democrats held their convention from June 24 to July 9 in New York City. The convention soon deadlocked, and after 103 ballots, the delegates finally agreed on a compromise candidate, John W. Davis, with Charles W. Bryan nominated for Vice President. The Democrats' hopes were buoyed when Robert M. La Follette, Sr., a Republican Senator from Wisconsin, split from his party to form a new Progressive Party. Many believed that the split in the Republican party, like the one in 1912, would allow a Democrat to win the Presidency.[102]
Shortly after the conventions Coolidge experienced a personal tragedy. Coolidge's younger son, Calvin, Jr., developed a blister from playing tennis on the White House courts. The blister became infected, and within days Calvin, Jr. developed sepsis and died. After that Coolidge became withdrawn. He later said that "when he died, the power and glory of the Presidency went with him."[103] In spite of his sadness, Coolidge ran his conventional campaign; he never maligned his opponents (or even mentioned them by name) and delivered speeches on his theory of government, including several that were broadcast over radio.[104] It was easily the most subdued campaign since 1896, partly because the President was grieving for his son, but partly because Coolidge's style was naturally non-confrontational.[105] The other candidates campaigned in a more modern fashion, but despite the split in the Republican party, the results were very similar to those of 1920. Coolidge and Dawes won every state outside the South except for Wisconsin, La Follette's home state. Coolidge had a popular vote majority of 2.5 million over his opponents' combined total.[106]
Industry and trade[link]
| ... it is probable that a press which maintains an intimate touch with the business currents of the nation is likely to be more reliable than it would be if it were a stranger to these influences. After all, the chief business of the American people is business. They are profoundly concerned with buying, selling, investing and prospering in the world. (emphasis added) |
| President Calvin Coolidge's address to the American Society of Newspaper Editors, Washington D.C., January 25, 1925.[107] |
During Coolidge's presidency the United States experienced the period of rapid economic growth known as the "Roaring Twenties". He left the administration's industrial policy in the hands of his activist Secretary of Commerce, Herbert Hoover, who energetically used government auspices to promote business efficiency and develop airlines and radio.[108] With the exception of favoring increased tariffs, Coolidge disdained regulation, and carried about this belief by appointing commissioners to the Federal Trade Commission and the Interstate Commerce Commission who did little to restrict the activities of businesses under their jurisdiction.[109] The regulatory state under Coolidge was, as one biographer described it, "thin to the point of invisibility."[110]
Coolidge's economic policy has often been misquoted as "generally speaking, the business of the American people is business" (full quotation at right). Some have criticized Coolidge as an adherent of the laissez-faire ideology, which they claim led to the Great Depression.[111] On the other hand, historian Robert Sobel offers some context based on Coolidge's sense of federalism: "As Governor of Massachusetts, Coolidge supported wages and hours legislation, opposed child labor, imposed economic controls during World War I, favored safety measures in factories, and even worker representation on corporate boards. Did he support these measures while president? No, because in the 1920s, such matters were considered the responsibilities of state and local governments."[112]
Taxation[link]
Coolidge's taxation policy was that of his Secretary of the Treasury, Andrew Mellon: taxes should be lower and fewer people should have to pay them.[113] Congress agreed, and the taxes were reduced in Coolidge's term.[113] In addition to these tax cuts, Coolidge proposed reductions in federal expenditures and retiring some of the federal debt.[113] Coolidge's ideas were shared by the Republicans in Congress, and in 1924 Congress passed the Revenue Act of 1924, which reduced income tax rates and eliminated all income taxation for some two million people.[113] They reduced taxes again by passing the Revenue Acts of 1926 and 1928, all the while continuing to keep spending down so as to reduce the overall federal debt.[114] By 1927, only the richest 2% of taxpayers paid any federal income tax.[114] Although federal spending remained flat during Coolidge's administration, allowing one-fourth of the federal debt to be retired, state and local governments saw considerable growth, surpassing the federal budget in 1927.[115]
Farm subsidies[link]
Perhaps the most contentious issue of Coolidge's presidency was that of relief for farmers. Some in Congress proposed a bill designed to fight falling agricultural prices by allowing the federal government to purchase crops to sell abroad at lowered prices.[116] Agriculture Secretary Henry C. Wallace and other administration officials favored the bill when it was introduced in 1924, but rising prices convinced many in Congress that the bill was unnecessary, and it was defeated just before the elections that year.[117] In 1926, with farm prices falling once more, Senator Charles L. McNary and Representative Gilbert N. Haugen—both Republicans—proposed the McNary-Haugen Farm Relief Bill. The bill proposed a federal farm board that would purchase surplus production in high-yield years and hold it (when feasible) for later sale, or sell it abroad.[118] Coolidge opposed McNary-Haugen, declaring that agriculture must stand "on an independent business basis," and said that "government control cannot be divorced from political control."[118] He favored instead Herbert Hoover's proposal to modernize agriculture to create profits, instead of manipulating prices. Secretary Mellon wrote a letter denouncing the McNary-Haugen measure as unsound and likely to cause inflation, and it was defeated.[119]
After McNary-Haugen's defeat, Coolidge supported a less radical measure, the Curtis-Crisp Act, which would have created a federal board to lend money to farm co-operatives in times of surplus; the bill did not pass.[119] In February 1927, Congress took up the McNary-Haugen bill again, this time narrowly passing it.[120] Coolidge vetoed it.[120] In his veto message, he expressed the belief that the bill would do nothing to help farmers, benefitting only exporters and expanding the federal bureaucracy.[121] Congress did not override the veto, but passed the bill again in May 1928 by an increased majority; again, Coolidge vetoed it.[120] "Farmers never have made much money," said Coolidge, the Vermont farmer's son, "I do not believe we can do much about it."[122]
Flood control[link]
Coolidge has often been criticized for his actions during the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, the worst natural disaster to hit the Gulf Coast until Hurricane Katrina in 2005.[123] Although he did eventually name Secretary Hoover to a commission in charge of flood relief, Coolidge's lack of interest in federal flood control has been criticized.[123] Coolidge did not believe that personally visiting the region after the floods would accomplish anything, but would be seen only as political grandstanding. He also did not want to incur the federal spending that flood control would require; he believed property owners should bear much of the cost.[124] On the other hand, Congress wanted a bill that would place the federal government completely in charge of flood mitigation.[125] When Congress passed a compromise measure in 1928, Coolidge declined to take credit for it and signed the bill in private on May 15.[126]
Civil rights[link]
Coolidge spoke out in favor of the civil rights of African Americans and Catholics.[127] He appointed no known members of the Ku Klux Klan to office; indeed the Klan lost most of its influence during his term.[128]
In 1924, Coolidge responded to a letter that claimed the United States was a "white man's country":
....I was amazed to receive such a letter. During the war 500,000 colored men and boys were called up under the draft, not one of whom sought to evade it. [As president, I am] one who feels a responsibility for living up to the traditions and maintaining the principles of the Republican Party. Our Constitution guarantees equal rights to all our citizens, without discrimination on account of race or color. I have taken my oath to support that Constitution....[129]
On June 2, 1924, Coolidge signed the Indian Citizenship Act, which granted full U.S. citizenship to all American Indians, while permitting them to retain tribal land and cultural rights. However, the act was unclear on whether the federal government or the tribal leaders retained tribal sovereignty.[130] Coolidge repeatedly called for anti-lynching laws to be enacted, but most Congressional attempts to pass this legislation were filibustered by Southern Democrats. Coolidge appointed some African Americans to federal office. He retained Harding's choice of Walter L. Cohen of New Orleans, Louisiana, as the comptroller of customs and offered Cohen the post of minister to Liberia, which the businessman declined.[131]
Foreign policy[link]
Although not an isolationist, Coolidge was reluctant to enter into foreign alliances.[132] Coolidge saw the landslide Republican victory of 1920 as a rejection of the Wilsonian idea that the United States should join the League of Nations.[133] While not completely opposed to the idea, Coolidge believed the League, as then constituted, did not serve American interests, and he did not advocate membership in it.[133] He spoke in favor of the United States joining the Permanent Court of International Justice, provided that the nation would not be bound by advisory decisions.[134] The Senate eventually approved joining the Court (with reservations) in 1926.[135] The League of Nations accepted the reservations, but suggested some modifications of their own.[136] The Senate failed to act; the United States never joined the World Court.[136]
Coolidge's best-known initiative was the Kellogg–Briand Pact of 1928, named for Coolidge's Secretary of State, Frank B. Kellogg, and French foreign minister Aristide Briand. The treaty, ratified in 1929, committed signatories including the U.S., the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan to "renounce war, as an instrument of national policy in their relations with one another."[137] The treaty did not achieve its intended result – the outlawry of war – but did provide the founding principle for international law after World War II.[138]
Coolidge continued the previous administration's policy not to recognize the Soviet Union.[139] He also continued the United States' support for the elected government of Mexico against the rebels there, lifting the arms embargo on that country.[140] He sent his close friend Dwight Morrow to Mexico as the American ambassador.[141] Coolidge represented the U.S. at the Pan American Conference in Havana, Cuba, making him the only sitting U.S. President to visit the country. The United States' occupation of Nicaragua and Haiti continued under his administration, but Coolidge withdrew American troops from the Dominican Republic in 1924.[142]
1928 election[link]
Main article: United States presidential election, 1928
In the summer of 1927, Coolidge vacationed in the Black Hills of South Dakota, where he engaged in horseback riding and fly fishing and attended rodeos. He made Custer State Park his "summer White House". News coverage of Coolidge's time in the Black Hills soon increased tourism in the general region and promoted the popularity of Wind Cave National Park.[143] While on vacation, Coolidge surprisingly issued his terse statement that he would not seek a second full term as President in 1928: "I do not choose to run for President in 1928."[144] After allowing the reporters to take that in, Coolidge elaborated. "If I take another term, I will be in the White House till 1933 … Ten years in Washington is longer than any other man has had it—too long!"[145] In his memoirs, Coolidge explained his decision not to run: "The Presidential office takes a heavy toll of those who occupy it and those who are dear to them. While we should not refuse to spend and be spent in the service of our country, it is hazardous to attempt what we feel is beyond our strength to accomplish."[146] After leaving office, he and Grace returned to Northampton, where he wrote his memoirs. The Republicans retained the White House in 1928 in the person of Coolidge's Secretary of Commerce, Herbert Hoover.
Coolidge had been reluctant to choose Hoover as his successor; on one occasion he remarked that "for six years that man has given me unsolicited advice—all of it bad."[147] Even so, Coolidge had no desire to split the party by publicly opposing the popular Commerce Secretary's nomination.[148] The delegates did consider nominating Vice President Charles Dawes to be Hoover's running mate. But Coolidge (who hated Dawes) remarked that this would be "a personal affront" to him, and the convention selected Senator Charles Curtis instead.[149]
Cabinet[link]
Front row, left to right: Harry Stewart New, John W. Weeks, Charles Evans Hughes, Coolidge, Andrew Mellon, Harlan F. Stone, Curtis D. Wilbur
Back row, left to right, James J. Davis, Henry C. Wallace, Herbert Hoover, Hubert Work
| OFFICE | NAME | TERM |
| President | Calvin Coolidge | 1923–1929 |
| Vice President | None | 1923–1925 |
| Charles G. Dawes | 1925–1929 | |
| Secretary of State | Charles Evans Hughes | 1923–1925 |
| Frank B. Kellogg | 1925–1929 | |
| Secretary of the Treasury | Andrew Mellon | 1923–1929 |
| Secretary of War | John W. Weeks | 1923–1925 |
| Dwight F. Davis | 1925–1929 | |
| Attorney General | Harry M. Daugherty | 1923–1924 |
| Harlan F. Stone | 1924–1925 | |
| John G. Sargent | 1925–1929 | |
| Postmaster General | Harry S. New | 1923–1929 |
| Secretary of the Navy | Edwin Denby | 1923–1924 |
| Curtis D. Wilbur | 1924–1929 | |
| Secretary of the Interior | Hubert Work | 1923–1928 |
| Roy O. West | 1928–1929 | |
| Secretary of Agriculture | Henry C. Wallace | 1923–1924 |
| Howard M. Gore | 1924–1925 | |
| William M. Jardine | 1925–1929 | |
| Secretary of Commerce | Herbert Hoover | 1923–1928 |
| William F. Whiting | 1928–1929 | |
| Secretary of Labor | James J. Davis | 1923–1929 |
Judicial appointments[link]
Supreme Court[link]
Coolidge appointed one Justice to the Supreme Court of the United States, Harlan Fiske Stone in 1925. Stone was Coolidge's fellow Amherst alumnus, a Wall Street lawyer and conservative Republican. Stone was serving as dean of Columbia Law School when Coolidge appointed him to be Attorney General in 1924 to restore the reputation tarnished by Harding's Attorney General, Harry M. Daugherty. Coolidge named Stone to the Supreme Court in 1925.[150] Stone was later appointed Chief Justice by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Other courts[link]
Main article: Calvin Coolidge judicial appointments
Along with his Supreme Court appointment, Coolidge successfully nominated 17 judges to the United States Courts of Appeals, and 61 judges to the United States district courts. He appointed judges to various specialty courts as well, including Genevieve R. Cline, who became the first woman named to the Federal judiciary when Coolidge placed her on the United States Customs Court in 1928.[151] Coolidge also signed the Judiciary Act of 1925 into law, allowing the Supreme Court more discretion over its workload.
Retirement and death[link]
After his presidency, Coolidge retired to the modest rented house on residential Massasoit Street in Northampton before moving to a more spacious mansion, "The Beeches." He kept a Hacker runabout boat on the Connecticut River and was often observed on the water by local boating enthusiasts. During this period he also served as chairman of the non-partisan Railroad Commission, as honorary president of the American Foundation for the Blind, as a director of New York Life Insurance Company, as president of the American Antiquarian Society, and as a trustee of Amherst College.[152] Coolidge received an honorary Doctor of Laws from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine.
Coolidge published his autobiography in 1929 and wrote a syndicated newspaper column, "Calvin Coolidge Says," from 1930 to 1931.[153] Faced with looming defeat in 1932, some Republicans spoke of rejecting Herbert Hoover as their party's nominee, and instead drafting Coolidge to run, but the former President made it clear that he was not interested in running again, and that he would publicly repudiate any effort to draft him, should it come about.[154] Hoover was renominated, and Coolidge made several radio addresses in support of him.[155]
He died suddenly of a heart attack at "The Beeches," at 12:45 pm, January 5, 1933.[156] Shortly before his death, Coolidge confided to an old friend: "I feel I no longer fit in with these times."[157]
Coolidge is buried beneath a simple headstone in Notch Cemetery, Plymouth Notch, Vermont, where the family home is maintained as one of the original buildings on the site, all of which comprise the Calvin Coolidge Homestead District. The State of Vermont dedicated a new visitors' center nearby to mark Coolidge's 100th birthday on July 4, 1972.[158] Calvin Coolidge's "Brave Little State of Vermont speech" is memorialized in the Hall of Inscriptions at the Vermont State House in Montpelier, Vermont.
Radio, film, and commemorations[link]
Despite his reputation as a quiet and even reclusive politician, Coolidge made use of the new medium of radio and made radio history several times while President. He made himself available to reporters, giving 529 press conferences, meeting with reporters more regularly than any President before or since.[159]
Coolidge's inauguration was the first presidential inauguration broadcast on radio. On December 6, 1923, he was the first President whose address to Congress was broadcast on radio.[160] On February 22, 1924, he became the first President of the United States to deliver a political speech on radio.[161] Coolidge signed the Radio Act of 1927, which assigned regulation of radio to the newly created Federal Radio Commission.
On August 11, 1924, Lee De Forest filmed Coolidge on the White House lawn with DeForest's Phonofilm sound-on-film process, becoming the first President to appear in a sound film. The title of the DeForest film was President Coolidge, Taken on the White House Grounds.[162] Coolidge was the only president to have his portrait on a coin during his lifetime, the Sesquicentennial of American Independence Half Dollar, minted in 1926. After his death he also appeared on a postage stamp, pictured below.
-
Coolidge and Washington on the Sesquicentennial of American Independence commemorative half dollar
-
Coolidge on a 1938 postage stamp
See also[link]
Notes[link]
- ^ McCoy, 420–421; Greenberg, 49–53
- ^ Fuess, 500
- ^ Woodhead, Lindy, "War Paint: Madame Rubinstein and Miss Elizabeth Arden, Their Lives, Their Times, Their Rivalry," Wiley, 2004, p. 201
- ^ McCoy, 418; Greenberg, 146–150; Ferrell, 66–72
- ^ Sobel, 12–13; Greenberg, 2–3
- ^ Greenberg, 1–7
- ^ Death Of Colonel John Coolidge, Time Magazine
- ^ Fuess, 17; McCoy, 5; White, 11
- ^ a b Fuess, 12
- ^ Edmund Rice (1638) Association, 2007. Descendants of Edmund Rice: The First Nine Generations. (CD-ROM)
- ^ Fuess, 7
- ^ McCoy, 5
- ^ Greenberg, 16-20
- ^ Fuess, 74–81; McCoy 22–26
- ^ a b Sobel, 55
- ^ Greenberg, 58–59
- ^ Teleen, Maurice (Autumn, 2001). "75 Years Ago Today". The Draft Horse Journal. Archived from the original on May 18, 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20060518031030/http://www.drafthorsejournal.com/daysbeforeyesterday/autumn01/75yearsago/75yearsago.htm.
- ^ White, 65–66
- ^ Fuess, 89–92; Sobel, 57–58. Some biographers disagree with this rosy portrait, see Ferrell, 21–23
- ^ Coolidge, Calvin (1929). "Law and Politics". The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge. Cosmopolitan Book Corp. p. 93. http://www.archive.org/stream/autobiographycal011459mbp#page/n113/mode/2up.
- ^ Sobel, 49–51
- ^ a b Sobel, 51
- ^ Fuess, 83
- ^ a b Fuess, 84–85
- ^ a b c McCoy, 29
- ^ Sobel, 61
- ^ Sobel, 62; Fuess, 99
- ^ Sobel, 63–66
- ^ Sobel, 68–69
- ^ Sobel, 72
- ^ Fuess, 106–107; Sobel, 74
- ^ Fuess, 108
- ^ Sobel, 76
- ^ See also the main article, Lawrence textile strike, for a full description.
- ^ Fuess, 110–111; McCoy, 45–46
- ^ a b Sobel, 79–80; Fuess, 111
- ^ Fuess, 111–113
- ^ Fuess, 114–115
- ^ Sobel, 80–82
- ^ a b Coolidge, Calvin (1919). "To The State Senate On Being Elected Its President". Have Faith in Massachusetts: A Collection of Speeches and Messages (2nd ed.). Houghton Mifflin. pp. 2–9. http://www.archive.org/details/havefaithinmassa00cooluoft.
- ^ Coolidge, Calvin (1919). "To The State Senate On Being Elected Its President". Have Faith in Massachusetts: A Collection of Speeches and Messages (2nd ed.). Houghton Mifflin. pp. 7–8. http://www.archive.org/stream/havefaithinmassa00cooluoft#page/6/mode/2up.
- ^ Sobel, 90–92
- ^ Sobel, 90; Fuess, 124
- ^ Sobel, 92–98; Fuess, 133–136
- ^ Fuess, 139–142
- ^ Fuess, 145
- ^ Fuess, 150; Sobel, 104
- ^ Fuess, 151–152
- ^ Sobel, 107–110
- ^ Sobel, 111; McCall, 75–76
- ^ Sobel, 112
- ^ Sobel, 115; McCall, 76
- ^ Russell, 77–79; Sobel, 129
- ^ Russell, 86–87
- ^ Russell, 111–113; Sobel, 133–136
- ^ Coolidge, Calvin (1919). "A Telegram". Have Faith In Massachusetts: A Collection of Speeches and Messages (2nd ed.). Houghton Mifflin. pp. 222–224. http://www.archive.org/stream/havefaithinmassa00cooluoft#page/222/mode/2up.
- ^ The exact total was 1,117 out of 1,544. Russell, 113
- ^ Russell, 131–170
- ^ Russell, 120
- ^ Sobel, 141
- ^ Sobel, 142
- ^ Russell, 182–183
- ^ a b Sobel, 143
- ^ The tally was Coolidge 317,774, Long 192,673. Fuess, 238.
- ^ Fuess, 239–243; McCoy, 102–113
- ^ Sobel, 117; Fuess, 195
- ^ Fuess, 186
- ^ Fuess, 187; McCall, 81
- ^ Fuess, 187–188
- ^ Sobel, 152–153
- ^ Fuess, 259–260
- ^ a b Fuess, 261
- ^ Fuess, 262–264
- ^ Sobel, 204–212
- ^ Sobel, 204–207
- ^ a b Electoral College Box Scores 1789–1996. Official website of the National Archives. (January 18, 2007).; Leip, David. 1920 Presidential Election Results. Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections (January 18, 2007).
- ^ Sobel, 210–211
- ^ Sobel, 219; McCoy, 136
- ^ Hannaford, 169
- ^ Greenberg, 9
- ^ Sobel, 217
- ^ Stacy A. Cordery, Alice: Alice Roosevelt Longworth, from White House Princess to Washington Power Broker (2008) p. 302
- ^ Sobel, 243
- ^ Greenberg, 60
- ^ Rouse, Robert (March 15, 2006). "Happy Anniversary to the first scheduled presidential press conference - 93 years young!". American Chronicle. http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/6883.
- ^ Kerry W. Buckley, "'A President for the "Great Silent Majority': Bruce Barton's Construction of Calvin Coolidge." New England Quarterly 2003 76(4): 593-626.
- ^ Robert E. Gilbert, "Calvin Coolidge's Tragic Presidency: the Political Effects of Bereavement and Depression." Journal of American Studies 2005 39(1): 87-109
- ^ See the main article, Warren Harding Death in office for a full description
- ^ a b Fuess, 308–309
- ^ Fuess, 310–315
- ^ Arbelbide, C. L. (Winter 2000). "Abrupt transition". Prologue Magazine (The National Archives) 32 (4). http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2000/winter/abrupt-transition-1.html.
- ^ Sobel, 226–228; Fuess, 303–305; Ferrell, 43–51
- ^ An Appointment. Time. August 20, 1923. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,716345,00.html?iid=digg_share.
- ^ a b c Fuess, 320–322
- ^ Fuess, 328–329; Sobel, 248–249
- ^ Smithsonian National Postal Museum
- ^ Fuess, 341
- ^ Fuess, 342; Sobel, 269
- ^ Sobel, 278–279
- ^ Fuess, 345
- ^ a b Fuess, 346
- ^ Sobel, 300
- ^ Coolidge, Calvin (1929). "The Presidency". The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge. Cosmopolitan Book Corp. p. 190. http://www.archive.org/stream/autobiographycal011459mbp#page/n213/mode/2up.
- ^ Sobel, 300–301
- ^ Sobel, 302–303
- ^ Leip, David. 1924 Presidential Election Results. Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections (January 21, 2007)., Electoral College Box Scores 1789–1996. Official website of the National Archives. (January 21, 2007).
- ^ Coolidge, Calvin (January 17, 1925). "The Press Under a Free Government". Address before the American Society of Newspaper Editors Washington, D.C. Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation. http://www.calvin-coolidge.org/html/the_press_under_a_free_governm.html. Retrieved November 10, 2009.
- ^ Ferrell, 64–65
- ^ Ferrell, 66–72; Sobel, 318
- ^ Ferrell, 72
- ^ See Ferrell, 207
- ^ Sobel, Robert. "Coolidge and American Business". John F. Kennedy Library and Museum. Archived from the original on March 8, 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20060308075125/http://www.jfklibrary.org/coolidge_sobel.html. Retrieved Retrieved from March 8, 2006 version in Internet Archive on May 18, 2007. See also Greenberg, 47; Ferrell, 62
- ^ a b c d Sobel, 310–311; Greenberg, 127–129
- ^ a b Ferrell, 170–
- ^ Ferrell, 174
- ^ Ferrell, 84; McCoy, 234–235
- ^ McCoy, 235
- ^ a b Fuess, 383–384
- ^ a b Sobel, 327
- ^ a b c Fuess, 388; Ferrell, 93
- ^ Sobel, 331
- ^ Ferrell, 86
- ^ a b Sobel, 315; Barry, 286–287; Greenberg, 132–135
- ^ McCoy, 330–331
- ^ Barry, 372–374
- ^ Greenberg, 135
- ^ Sobel, 250; McCoy, 328–329
- ^ Felzenberg, Alvin S. (1988). "Calvin Coolidge and Race: His Record in Dealing with the Racial Tensions of the 1920s". New England Journal of History 55 (1): 83–96.
- ^ Coolidge, Foundations of the Republic (1926) p. 72
- ^ Deloria, Vincent (1992). American Indian policy in the twentieth century. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 91. ISBN 978-0-8061-2424-7. http://books.google.com/?id=VzWIpZBZgA0C.
- ^ "Louisiana Historical Association, A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography (lahistory.org)". lahistory.org. http://www.lahistory.org/site20.php. Retrieved December 21, 2010.
- ^ Sobel, 342
- ^ a b McCoy, 184–185
- ^ McCoy, 360
- ^ McCoy, 363
- ^ a b Greenberg, 114–116
- ^ Fuess, 421–423
- ^ McCoy, 380–381; Greenberg, 123–124
- ^ McCoy, 181
- ^ McCoy, 178–179
- ^ Sobel, 349
- ^ Fuess, 414–417; Ferrell, 122–123
- ^ Chris B. Nelson, "Life along the Road: The Tourist Camp in South Dakota", South Dakota History, Vol. 13, No. 4 (Winter 2005), pp. 320-321
- ^ Sobel, 370
- ^ White, 361
- ^ Coolidge (1929), 239
- ^ Ferrell, 195
- ^ McCoy, 390–391; Wilson, 122–123
- ^ Mencken, Henry Louis; George Jean Nathan (1929). The American mercury. p. 404.
- ^ Fuess, 364
- ^ Freeman, Jo (2002). A Room at a Time: How Women Entered Party Politics. Rowman and Littlefield. p. 216. ISBN 978-0-8476-9805-9.
- ^ "Coolidge Family Papers, 1802–1932". Vermont Historical Society Library. 2007. http://www.vermonthistory.org/arccat/findaid/coolidge.htm.
- ^ Sobel, 403; Ferrell, 201–202
- ^ Fuess, 457–459; Greenberg, 153
- ^ Fuess, 460
- ^ Greenberg, 154–155
- ^ Sobel, 410
- ^ "President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site". http://www.historicvermont.org/coolidge/coolidge.html.
- ^ Greenberg, 7
- ^ Sobel, 252
- ^ "Calvin Coolidge, the first President to do a radio address 2-22-1924". Old Radio Shows.org. February 22, 2008. http://oldradioshows.org/02/22/calvin-coolidge-the-first-us-president-to-do-a-radio-address-2-22-08. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
- ^ "President Coolidge, Taken on the White House Ground (1924)". http://www.archive.org/details/coolidge_1924. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
References[link]
Primary sources[link]
- Coolidge, Calvin (1919). Have Faith in Massachusetts: A Collection of Speeches and Messages (2nd ed.). Houghton Mifflin. http://www.archive.org/details/havefaithinmassa00cooluoft.
- Coolidge, Calvin (1929). The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge. Cosmopolitan Book Corp. ISBN 0-944951-03-1. http://www.archive.org/details/autobiographycal011459mbp.
- Coolidge, Calvin (2001). Peter Hannaford. ed. The Quotable Calvin Coolidge: Sensible Words for a New Century. Images From The Past, Incorporated. ISBN 978-1-884592-33-1.
- Coolidge, Calvin (1964). Howard H. Quint and Robert H. Ferrell. ed. The Talkative President: The Off-the Record Press Conferences of Calvin Coolidge. University of Massachusetts Press. http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=77365439.
Scholarly sources[link]
- Barry, John M. (1997). Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-684-84002-4.
- Booraem, Hendrik V (1994). The Provincial: Calvin Coolidge and His World, 1885-1895. Bucknell University Press. ISBN 0-8387-5264-0.
- Brandes, Joseph (1962). Herbert Hoover and Economic Diplomacy. University of Pittsburgh Press. ASIN B0007DF2R6..
- Buckley, Kerry W. "'A President for the "Great Silent Majority': Bruce Barton's Construction of Calvin Coolidge." New England Quarterly 2003 76(4): 593-626. Issn: 0028-4866 Fulltext: in Jstor
- Felzenberg, Alvin S. "Calvin Coolidge and Race: His Record in Dealing with the Racial Tensions of the 1920s." New England Journal of History 1998 55(1): 83-96.
- Ferrell, Robert H. (1998). The Presidency of Calvin Coolidge. University Press of Kansas. ISBN 978-0-7006-0892-8.
- Fuess, Claude M. (1940). Calvin Coolidge: The Man from Vermont'. Little, Brown. ISBN 978-1-4067-5673-9.
- Gilbert, Robert E. "Calvin Coolidge's Tragic Presidency: the Political Effects of Bereavement and Depression." Journal of American Studies 2005 39(1): 87-109. Issn: 0021-8758 Fulltext: in Cambridge and Swetswise
- Gilbert, Robert E. The Tormented President: Calvin Coolidge, Death, and Clinical Depression. Praeger, 2003. 288pp
- Greenberg, David (2006). Calvin Coolidge. The American Presidents Series. Times Books. ISBN 978-0-8050-6957-0. excerpt and text search
- Haynes, John Earl, ed. Calvin Coolidge and the Coolidge Era: Essays on the History of the 1920s. Library of Congress, 1998. 329 pp. essays by scholars
- McCoy, Donald R. (1967). Calvin Coolidge: The Quiet President. Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-945707-23-3.
- Russell, Francis (1975). A City in Terror: Calvin Coolidge and the 1919 Boston Police Strike. Beacon Press. ISBN 978-0-8070-5033-0.
- Silver, Thomas B. (1986). Coolidge and the Historians. Carolina Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-89089-038-7.
- Sobel, Robert (1998). Coolidge: An American Enigma. Regnery Publishing. ISBN 978-0-89526-410-7.
- White, William Allen (1938). A Puritan in Babylon: The Story of Calvin Coolidge. Macmillan and Questia.com (with paid subscription). http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=1105748.
- Wilson, Joan Hoff (1975). Herbert Hoover, Forgotten Progressive. Little, Brown. ISBN [[Special:BookSources/978031694416|978031694416]].
Other[link]
An academic conference on Coolidge was held July 30–31, 1998, at the John F. Kennedy Library to mark the 75th anniversary of his lantern-light homestead inaugural.
External links[link]
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Quotations from Wikiquote |
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Source texts from Wikisource |
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Textbooks from Wikibooks |
- "Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933)". Governors of Massachusetts 1900-1950. Commonwealth of Massachusetts Official Website. 2009. http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=mg2terminal&L=7&L0=Home&L1=State+Government&L2=About+Massachusetts&L3=Interactive+State+House&L4=History+Resources&L5=Governors+of+Massachusetts&L6=Commonwealth+of+Massachusetts+(1900-1950)&sid=massgov2&b=terminalcontent&f=interactive_statehouse_govs_coolidge&csid=massgov2.
- "Calvin Coolidge, 29th Vice President (1921-1923)". U.S. Senate, Art and History Home. Senate Historical Office. 2009. http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/generic/VP_Calvin_Coolidge.htm.
- "30 Calvin Coolidge 1923-1929". The Presidents, 20th Century. The White House. 2009. http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/cc30.html.
- "Calvin Coolidge: A Resource Guide". Web Guides: Presidents. Library of Congress. 2009. http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/presidents/coolidge/index.html.
- "Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation". Plymouth, Vermont. http://www.calvin-coolidge.org.
- "Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library & Museum". Northampton, Massachusetts: Forbes Library. 2009. http://www.forbeslibrary.org/coolidge/coolidge.shtml.
- Coolidge, Calvin (1923-19-28). "State of the Union Addressess". Project Gutenberg. http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext04/sucoo11.txt.
- Calvin Coolidge at Find a Grave
- Calvin Coolidge at C-SPAN's American Presidents: Life Portraits
- Booknotes interview with Robert Sobel on Coolidge: An America Enigma, August 30, 1998.
Audio and video[link]
- "Collected Audio Recordings of Calvin Coolidge (6)". Michigan State University Libraries. 2009. http://vvl.lib.msu.edu/showfindingaid.cfm?findaidid=CoolidgeC.
- "Picturing Calvin Coolidge: The Creation of the President". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAosDT_CDk0&feature=related.
- A film clip of the first presidential film with sound recording is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Coolidge, Calvin |
| Alternative names | Coolidge, John Calvin Jr. |
| Short description | 30th U.S. President |
| Date of birth | (1872-07-04)July 4, 1872 |
| Place of birth | Plymouth, Vermont, United States of America |
| Date of death | January 5, 1933(1933-01-05) |
| Place of death | Northampton, Massachusetts, United States of America |
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| Erik Satie | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | Éric Alfred Leslie Satie (1866-05-17)17 May 1866 Honfleur, France |
| Died | 1 July 1925(1925-07-01) (aged 59) Paris, France |
| Occupation | Pianist, Composer |
| Partner | Suzanne Valadon |
Éric Alfred Leslie Satie (pronounced: [eʁik sati]) (17 May 1866 – Paris, 1 July 1925; signed his name Erik Satie after 1884) was a French composer and pianist. Satie was a colourful figure in the early 20th century Parisian avant-garde. His work was a precursor to later artistic movements such as minimalism, repetitive music, and the Theatre of the Absurd.[1]
An eccentric, Satie was introduced as a "gymnopedist" in 1887, shortly before writing his most famous compositions, the Gymnopédies. Later, he also referred to himself as a "phonometrician" (meaning "someone who measures sounds") preferring this designation to that of a "musician", after having been called "a clumsy but subtle technician" in a book on contemporary French composers published in 1911.[2]
In addition to his body of music, Satie also left a remarkable set of writings, having contributed work for a range of publications, from the dadaist 391 to the American culture chronicle Vanity Fair. Although in later life he prided himself on always publishing his work under his own name, in the late nineteenth century he appears to have used pseudonyms such as Virginie Lebeau and François de Paule in some of his published writings.
Contents |
Early life and training[link]
Satie was the son of Alfred Satie and his wife Jane Leslie (née Anton), who was born in London to Scottish parents. Erik was born at Honfleur in Normandy; his home there is open to the public. When Satie was four years old, his family moved to Paris, his father having been offered a translator's job in the capital. After his mother's death in 1872, he was sent, together with his younger brother, Conrad, back to Honfleur, to live with his paternal grandparents. There, he received his first music lessons from a local organist. When his grandmother died in 1878, the two brothers were reunited with their father in Paris, who remarried (a piano teacher) shortly afterwards. From the early 1880s onwards, Satie started publishing salon compositions by his step-mother and himself, among others.
In 1879, Satie entered the Paris Conservatoire, where he was soon labelled untalented by his teachers. Georges Mathias, his professor of piano at the Conservatoire, described his pupil's piano technique in flatly negative terms, "insignificant and laborious" and "worthless".[3] Émile Descombes called him "the laziest student in the Conservatoire".[4] Years later, Satie related that Mathias, with great insistence, told him that his real talent lay in composing. After being sent home for two-and-a-half years, he was readmitted to the Conservatoire at the end of 1885, but was unable to make a much more favourable impression on his teachers than he had before, and, as a result, resolved to take up military service a year later. However, Satie's military career did not last very long; within a few months he was discharged after deliberately infecting himself with bronchitis.[5]
Career[link]
Montmartre[link]
In 1887, Satie left home to take lodgings in Montmartre. By this time, he had started what was to be an enduring friendship with the romantic poet Patrice Contamine, and had had his first compositions published by his father. He soon integrated with the artistic clientele of the Le Chat Noir Café-cabaret, and started publishing his Gymnopédies. Publication of compositions in the same vein (Ogives, Gnossiennes, etc.) followed. In the same period he befriended Claude Debussy. He moved to a smaller room, still in Montmartre (rue Cortot N° 6), in 1890. By 1891 he was the official composer and chapel-master of the Rosicrucian Order "Ordre de la Rose-Croix Catholique, du Temple et du Graal", led by Sâr Joséphin Péladan, which led to compositions such as Salut drapeau!, Le fils des étoiles, and the Sonneries de la Rose+Croix. Satie gave performances at the Salon de la Rose + Croix, organized by Péladan.
By mid-1892, he had composed the first pieces in a compositional system of his own making (Fête donnée par des Chevaliers Normands en l'honneur d'une jeune demoiselle), had provided incidental music to a chivalric esoteric play (two Prélude du Nazaréen), had had his first hoax published (announcing the premiere of Le bâtard de Tristan, an anti-Wagnerian opera he probably never composed), and had broken with Péladan, starting that autumn with the Uspud project, a "Christian Ballet", in collaboration with Contamine de Latour. While the comrades from both the Chat Noir and Miguel Utrillo's Auberge du Clou sympathised, a promotional brochure was produced for the project, which reads as a pamphlet for a new esoteric sect.
In 1893, he met the young Maurice Ravel for the first time, Satie's style emerging in the first compositions of the youngster. One of Satie's own compositions of that period, the Vexations, was to remain undisclosed until after his death. By the end of the year he had founded the Eglise Métropolitaine d'Art de Jésus Conducteur (the Metropolitan Church of Art of the Leading Christ). As its only member, in the role of "Parcier et Maître de Chapelle" he started to compose a Grande messe (later to become known as the Messe des pauvres), and wrote a flood of letters, articles and pamphlets showing off his self-assuredness in religious and artistic matters. To give an example: he applied for membership of the Académie Française twice, leaving no doubt in the application letter that the board of that organisation (presided by Camille Saint-Saëns) as much as owed him such membership. Such proceedings without doubt rather helped to wreck his popularity in the cultural establishment. In 1895 he inherited some money, allowing him to have more of his writings printed, and to change from wearing a priest-like habit to being the "Velvet Gentleman".
Move to Arcueil[link]
By mid-1896 all of Satie's financial means had vanished, and he had to move to cheaper and much smaller lodgings, first at the Rue Cortot,[6] and two years later, after he'd composed the two first sets of Template:Pièces froides in 1897, to Arcueil, a suburb some five kilometres from the centre of Paris. During this period he re-established contact with his brother Conrad for numerous practical and financial matters, disclosing some of his inner feelings in the process. The letters to Conrad made it clear that he had set aside any religious ideas.
From 1899 on Satie started making money as a cabaret pianist, adapting over a hundred compositions of popular music for piano or piano and voice, adding some of his own. The most popular of these were Je te veux, text by Henry Pacory; Tendrement, text by Vincent Hyspa; Poudre d'or, a waltz; La diva de l'"Empire", text by Dominique Bonnaud/Numa Blès; Le Picadilly, a march; Légende californienne, text by Contamine de Latour lost, but the music later reappears in La belle excentrique; and many more, many of which have been lost. In his later years Satie would reject all his cabaret music as vile and against his nature,[7] but for the time being, it was an income.
Only a few compositions that Satie took seriously remain from this period: Jack in the Box, music to a pantomime by Jules Depaquit (called a "clownerie" by Satie), Geneviève de Brabant, a short comic opera on a serious theme, text by Lord Cheminot, The Dreamy Fish, piano music to accompany a lost tale by Lord Cheminot, and a few others that were mostly incomplete, hardly any of them staged, and none of them published at the time.
Both Geneviève de Brabant and The Dreamy Fish have been analysed by Ornella Volta as containing elements of competition with Claude Debussy, of which Debussy was probably not aware, Satie not making this music public. Meanwhile, Debussy was having one of his first major successes with Pelléas et Mélisande in 1902, leading a few years later to ‘who-was-precursor-to-whom’ debates between the two composers, in which Maurice Ravel would also get involved.
In October 1905 Satie enrolled in Vincent d'Indy's Schola Cantorum de Paris to study classical counterpoint while still continuing his cabaret work. Most of his friends were as dumbfounded as the professors at the Schola when they heard about his new plan to return to the classrooms, especially as d'Indy was an admiring pupil of Saint-Saëns, not particularly favoured by Satie. Satie would follow these courses at the Schola, as a respected pupil, for more than five years, receiving a first (intermediate) diploma in 1908. Some of his classroom counterpoint-exercises, such as the Désespoir agréable, were published after his death. Another summary, of the period prior to the Schola, also appeared in 1911: the Trois morceaux en forme de poire, which was a kind of compilation of the best of what he had written up to 1903.[citation needed]
Something that becomes clear through these published compilations is that Satie did not so much reject Romanticism and its exponents like Wagner, but that he rejected certain aspects of it. From his first composition to his last, he rejected the idea of musical development[citation needed], in the strict definition of this term: the intertwining of different themes in a development section of a sonata form. As a result, his contrapuntal and other works were very short; the "new, modern" Fugues do not extend further than the exposition of the theme(s). Generally, he would say that he did not think it permitted that a composer take more time from his public than strictly necessary.[citation needed] Also Melodrama, in its historical meaning of the then popular romantic genre of "spoken words to a background of music", was something Satie avoided. His 1913 Le piège de Méduse could be seen as an absurdistic spoof of that genre.
In the meantime, other changes had also taken place: Satie had become a member of a radical socialist party, and had socialised with the Arcueil community: Amongst other things, he'd been involved in the "Patronage laïque" work for children. He also changed his appearance to that of the 'bourgeois functionary' with bowler hat, umbrella, etc. He channelled his medieval interests into a peculiar secret hobby: In a filing cabinet he maintained a collection of imaginary buildings, most of them described as being made out of some kind of metal, which he drew on little cards. Occasionally, extending the game, he would publish anonymous small announcements in local journals, offering some of these buildings, e.g. a "castle in lead", for sale or rent.
Height of success and influence[link]
Starting in 1912, Satie's new humorous miniatures for piano became very successful, and he wrote and published many of these over the next few years (most of them premiered by the pianist Ricardo Viñes). His habit of accompanying the scores of his compositions with all kinds of written remarks was now well established so that a few years later he had to insist that these not be read out during performances.[citation needed] He had mostly stopped using barlines by this time. In some ways these compositions were very reminiscent[according to whom?] of Rossini's compositions from the final years of his life, grouped under the name Péchés de vieillesse.
However the acceleration in Satie's life did not come so much from the success of his new piano pieces; it was Ravel who inadvertently triggered the characteristics of Satie's remaining years and thus influenced the successive progressive artistic and cultural movements that rapidly manifested themselves in Paris over the following years. Paris was seen as the artistic capital of the world, and the beginning of the new century appeared to have set many minds on fire.[citation needed] In 1910 the "Jeunes Ravêlites", a group of young musicians around Ravel, proclaimed their preference for Satie's earlier work from before the Schola period, reinforcing the idea that Satie had been a precursor of Debussy.
At first Satie was pleased that at least some of his works were receiving public attention, but when he realised that this meant that his more recent work was overlooked or dismissed, he looked for other young artists who related better to his more recent ideas, so as to have better mutual support in creative activity. Thus young artists such as Roland-Manuel, and later Georges Auric, and Jean Cocteau, started to receive more of his attention than the "Jeunes".
As a result of his contact with Roland-Manuel, Satie again began publicising his thoughts, with far more irony than he had done before (amongst other things, the Mémoires d'un amnésique and Cahiers d'un mammifère).[8]
With Jean Cocteau, whom he had first met in 1915, Satie started work on incidental music for a production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream (resulting in the Cinq grimaces). From 1916, he and Cocteau worked on the ballet Parade, which was premiered in 1917 by Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, with sets and costumes by Pablo Picasso, and choreography by Léonide Massine. Through Picasso Satie also became acquainted with other cubists, such as Georges Braque, with whom he would work on other, aborted, projects.
With Georges Auric, Louis Durey, Arthur Honegger, and Germaine Tailleferre Satie formed the Nouveaux jeunes, shortly after writing Parade. Later the group was joined by Francis Poulenc and Darius Milhaud. In September 1918, Satie – giving little or no explanation – withdrew from the Nouveaux jeunes. Jean Cocteau gathered the six remaining members, forming the Groupe des six (to which Satie would later have access, but later again would fall out with most of its members).
From 1919 Satie was in contact with Tristan Tzara, the initiator of the Dada movement. He became acquainted with other artists involved in the movement, such as Francis Picabia (later to become a Surrealist), André Derain, Marcel Duchamp, Jean Hugo and Man Ray, among others. On the day of his first meeting with Man Ray, the two fabricated the artist's first readymade: The Gift (1921). Satie contributed writing to the Dadaist publication 391. In the first months of 1922 he was surprised to find himself entangled in the argument between Tzara and André Breton about the true nature of avant-garde art, epitomised by the failure of the Congrès de Paris. Satie originally sides with Tzara, but manages to maintain friendly relations with most players in both camps. Meanwhile, an "Ecole d'Arcueil" had formed around Satie, with young musicians like Henri Sauguet, Maxime Jacob, Roger Désormière and Henri Cliquet-Pleyel.
Finally he composed an "instantaneist" ballet (Relâche) in collaboration with Picabia, for the Ballets Suédois of Rolf de Maré. In a simultaneous project, Satie added music to the surrealist film Entr'acte by René Clair, which was given as an intermezzo for Relâche.
Personal life[link]
Satie and Suzanne Valadon, an artists' model and artist in her own right, and a long-time friend of Miguel Utrillo (and mother of Maurice Utrillo), began an affair early in 1893. After their first night together, he proposed marriage. The two did not marry, but Valadon moved to a room next to Satie's at the Rue Cortot. Satie became obsessed with her, calling her his Biqui, and writing impassioned notes about "her whole being, lovely eyes, gentle hands, and tiny feet". During their relationship, Satie composed the Danses gothiques as a kind of prayer to restore peace of mind, and Valadon painted a portrait of Satie, which she gave to him. After six months she moved away, leaving Satie broken-hearted. Afterwards, he said that he was left with "nothing but an icy loneliness that fills the head with emptiness and the heart with sadness".[9] It is believed this was the only intimate relationship Satie ever had.[10]
Death[link]
After years of heavy drinking, Satie died on 1 July 1925 from cirrhosis of the liver.[11] He is buried in the cemetery in Arcueil. There is a tiny stone monument designating a grassy area in front of an apartment building—'Parc Erik Satie'. Over the course of his 27 years in residence at Arcueil, no one had ever visited his room. After his death, Satie's friends discovered compositions that were totally unknown or thought to have been lost. The orchestral score to Parade was thought, by Satie, to have been left on a bus years before. These were found behind the piano, in the pockets of his velvet suits, and in other odd places, and included the Vexations; Geneviève de Brabant and other unpublished or unfinished stage works; The Dreamy Fish; many Schola Cantorum exercises; a previously unseen set of "canine" piano pieces; and several other works for piano, many untitled. Some of these would be published later as additional Gnossiennes, Pièces froides, Enfantines, and furniture music.
Media[link]
| Gymnopedies – La 1 Ere. Lent et Douloureux | |
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| Performed by Robin Alciatore. Courtesy of Musopen | |
| Gnossienne 1 | |
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| Composed c. 1890. | |
| Gnossienne 2 | |
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| Composed c. 1890. | |
| Gnossienne 3 | |
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| Composed c. 1890. | |
Recordings and arrangements[link]
Piano works[link]
Recordings of Satie's piano works have been released by Cristina Ariagno, Jean-Pierre Armengaud, Jean-Joël Barbier, Aldo Ciccolini, Claude Coppens (live recording), Reinbert de Leeuw, Eve Egoyan, Philippe Entremont, Frank Glazer, Olof Höjer, Michel Legrand, Jacques Loussier, Anne Queffélec, Bill Quist, Pascal Rogé, João Paulo Santos, Yūji Takahashi, Branka Parlić, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, John Lenehan and Daniel Varsano, among others.
Orchestral and vocal[link]
- A recording of historical importance is Template:Erik Satie, Les inspirations insolites, re-issued by EMI as a 2-CD set, containing among other pieces: Geneviève de Brabant (in a version before Contamine's text had been recovered), Le piège de Méduse, Messe des pauvres, etc.
- Many other recordings exist: Parade/Relâche (Michel Plasson / Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse), Satie: Socrate [etc.] (Jean-Paul Fouchécourt / Ensemble), and recordings of songs, e.g., by Anne-Sophie Schmidt.
Arrangements in popular music[link]
- In 1968, Blood Sweat & Tears released their eponymous second album, which included an adaptation of Erik Satie's Gymnopédie #1 (arranged by Dick Halligan) which they titled as Variations on a Theme by Erik Satie (First and Second Movements). The first movement is a straightforward elaboration of the basic theme using flutes, an acoustic guitar and a triangle. The second is a far more abstract variation using only brass instruments. In 1969, Halligan received a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Performance for the piece.
- In 1974, the jazz flutist Hubert Laws recorded an arrangement by Bob James of the "Gymnopedie #1" in his "In the Beginning" double album. The band featured keyboardist Bob James, guitarist Gene Bertoncini, bassist Ron Carter, drummer Steve Gadd, three strings, and Hubert's brother Ronnie Laws on tenor sax.
- In 1979 the band "Sky" (Tristan Fry, Francis Monkman, Kevin Peek, Herbie Flowers, and John Williams) included a version of Gymnopedie No1, which was arranged by John Williams, on the band's first album, which was entitled "Sky"
- In 1980, Gary Numan's 7-inch "We Are Glass" featured "Trois Gymnopedies (First Movement)" on the B-side.
- In 1987, the Serbian electronic music composer Mitar Subotić on his debut album Disillusioned! recorded a twenty-five minute long instrumental track "Thanx Mr. Rorschach - Ambijenti na muziku Erika Satija" ("Thanx Mr. Rorschach - Ambient to the music by Erik Satie"), as a kind of a musical Rorschach test to the music by Satie.
- In 1989, the Vienna Art Orchestra (directed by Mathias Rüegg) released The Minimalism of Eric Satie, a 2-LP set on the Swiss HatART label that included "reflections" on a number of Satie's works, notably three performances of Vexations in various instrumental/vocal combinations.
- In 1990, Movement 98's (Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne) single "Joy and Heartbreak" used the opening phrase of Trois Gymnopedies as the intro and instrumental.
- In 1994, Malcolm McLaren arranged Gnossienne 3&4 in his concept album Paris.
- In 1999, electronic music act Plaid's CD "Restproof Clockwork" included a track called "Tearisci" which is an uncredited version of Satie's "Pièces Froides, No. 2: Danses De Travers: III. Encore".
- In 2000, ex-Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett released the album, "Sketches of Satie", performing Satie's works on acoustic guitar, with contributions by his brother John on flute.
- The English electronic duo Isan recorded versions of the three Gymnopédies for a 2006 7-inch single, "Trois Gymnopedies" on the Morr Music record label.
- The 2006 video game Mother 3 features an arrangement of the 1st Gymnopedie as background music, titled "Leder's Gymnopedie".
- The 2006 movie The Painted Veil features Gnossienne No. 1 throughout the film.
- The 2nd movement of his Gymnopédies has been used in the original soundtrack of 2010 Japanese animated film The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya by Kyoto Animation studio. The full Gymnopédies as long as Gnossiennes are included in the 2nd CD of this OST.
- Ogive Number 2 (incorrectly labelled Ogive Number 1) was re-recorded electronically by William Orbit on his album Pieces in a Modern Style
- In 2011, singer-songwriter Tori Amos released an album entitled Night of Hunters, where her song "Battle of Trees" is a variation on Gnossienne no. 1.
- In 2011, Satie's "Gnossienne No.1" was used in the film Hugo.
See also[link]
References[link]
- ^ http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/erik-satie-his-music-the-vision-his-legacy
- ^ "Je suis phonomètre avant d’être musicien" Aperçus phonométriques & autres sous-entendus[dead link]
- ^ Orledge, Robert. [www.oxfordmusiconline.com.library.unl.edu/subscriber/article/grove/music/40105 "Satie, Erik"]. Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. www.oxfordmusiconline.com.library.unl.edu/subscriber/article/grove/music/40105. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
- ^ The Ensemble Sospeso New York
- ^ p.25 in: Mary E. Davis: Erik Satie. Reaktion Books – Critical Lives. ISBN 978-1-86189-321-5. Published June 2007.
- ^ Plaque #3265 on Open Plaques.
- ^ Erik Satie in a 17 January 1911 letter to his brother Conrad, quoted in Volta 1989 and in Gillmor 1992 (Chronology p. xxix)
- ^ English translations of these pieces were published in A Mammal's Notebook, see Sources section below.
- ^ Valadon and Erik Satie Retrieved 12 June 2010
- ^ Orledge, Robert. "Erik Satie". Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/40105. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
- ^ Eric Satie – Biography at Humanitiesweb.org
Sources[link]
In English, unless indicated:
Writings by Satie[link]
- A Mammal's Notebook: Collected Writings of Erik Satie (Serpent's Tail; Atlas Arkhive, No 5, 1997) ISBN 0-947757-92-9 (with introduction and notes by Ornella Volta, translations by Anthony Melville, contains several drawings by Satie)
- Correspondence presque complète: Réunie, établie et présentée par Ornella Volta (Paris: Fayard/Imes, 2000; 1265pp) ISBN 2-213-60674-9 (an almost complete edition of Satie's letters, in French)
Books and articles on Satie[link]
- Allan, Kenneth R. “Metamorphosis in 391: A Cryptographic Collaboration by Francis Picabia, Man Ray, and Erik Satie.” Art History 34, No. 1 (February, 2011): 102-125.
- Davis, Mary E., Erik Satie. Reaktion Books – Critical Lives. June 2007. ISBN 978-1-86189-321-5
- Gillmor, Alan M., Erik Satie (Twayne Pub., 1988, reissued 1992; 387pp) ISBN 0-393-30810-3
- Myers, Rollo H., Erik Satie. (Dover Publications, New York 1968.) ISBN 0-486-21903-8
- Orledge, Robert, Satie Remembered (London: Faber and Faber, London, 1995)
- Orledge, Robert, Satie the Composer Cambridge University Press: 1990; 437pp – in the series Music in the Twentieth Century [ed.] Arnold Whittall) ISBN 0-521-35037-9
- Templier, Pierre-Daniel (translated by Elena L. French and David S. French), Erik Satie (The MIT Press, 1969, reissued 1971) ISBN 0-262-70005-0 and (New York: Da Capo Press, 1980 reissue) ISBN 0-306-76039-8. Note: Templier extensively consulted Conrad, Erik Satie's brother, when writing this first biography that appeared in 1932. The English translation was, however, criticised by John Cage; in a letter to Ornella Volta (25 May 1983) he referred to the translation as disappointing compared to the formidable value of the original biography.
- Volta, Ornella and Simon Pleasance, Erik Satie (Hazan: The Pocket Archives Series, 1997; 200pp) ISBN 2-85025-565-3
- Volta, Ornella, transl. Michael Bullock, Satie Seen Through His Letters (Marion Boyars, 1989) ISBN 0-7145-2980-X
- Whiting, Steven, Satie the Bohemian: from Cabaret to Concert Hall (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1999; 596pp). A fully researched account of Satie's musical career in what then was regarded as popular music.
Other[link]
- Satie Home page – Niclas Fogwall's website dedicated to Satie
External links[link]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Erik Satie |
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Erik Satie |
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Wikisource has original works written by or about: |
Information and listening[link]
- Biography and photos
- UbuWeb's Erik Satie pages – including an Erik Satie Primer and downloadable recordings
- About Erik Satie – The eccentric Impressionist French composer and musician
- Erik Satie at Pytheas Center for Contemporary Music
- Three Gymnopedies by Eric Satie
- (French) erik-satie.com Website dedicated to the musician, with blog, timeline, gallery, biography
- Works by or about Erik Satie in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
Scores[link]
- Public domain scores Satie's Scores + Audio
- Free scores by Erik Satie at the International Music Score Library Project
- Free scores by Erik Satie in the Werner Icking Music Archive (WIMA)
- Free scores by Erik Satie in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
- www.kreusch-sheet-music.net Free Scores by Satie
- Satie's Scores – by the Mutopia Project
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Satie, Erik |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | |
| Date of birth | 17 May 1866 |
| Place of birth | Honfleur, French Empire |
| Date of death | 1 July 1925 |
| Place of death | Paris, France |
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| René Clair | |
|---|---|
 René Clair and Eric Satie, 1924 |
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| Born | René-Lucien Chomette (1898-11-11)11 November 1898 Paris, France |
| Died | 15 March 1981(1981-03-15) (aged 82) Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, Île-de-France, France |
| Years active | 1924 - 1976 |
René Clair (11 November 1898 – 15 March 1981) born René-Lucien Chomette, was a French filmmaker and writer. He first established his reputation in the 1920s as a director of silent films in which comedy was often mingled with fantasy. He went on to make some of the most innovative early sound films in France, before going abroad to work in the UK and USA for more than a decade. Returning to France after World War II, he continued to make films that were characterised by their elegance and wit, often presenting a nostalgic view of French life in earlier years. He was elected to the Académie française in 1960.
Contents |
Early life[link]
René Clair was born and grew up in Paris in the district of Les Halles, whose lively and picturesque character made a lasting impression on him.[1] His father was a soap merchant; he had an elder brother, Henri Chomette (born 1896). He attended the Lycée Montaigne and the Lycée Louis-le-Grand. In 1914 he was studying philosophy; his friends at that time included Raymond Payelle who became the actor and writer Philippe Hériat.[2] In 1917, at the age of 18, he served as an ambulance driver in World War I, before being invalided out with a spinal injury. He was deeply affected by the horrors of war that he witnessed and gave expression to this in writing a volume of poetry called La Tête de l'homme (which remained unpublished). Back in Paris after the war, he started a career as a journalist at the left-wing newspaper L'Intransigeant.[3]
Film career[link]
Having met the music-hall singer Damia and written some songs for her, Clair was persuaded by her to visit Gaumont studios in 1920 where a film was being cast and he then agreed to take on a leading role in Le Lys de la vie. He adopted the stage-name of René Clair, and several other acting jobs followed, including Parisette for Louis Feuillade. In 1922 he extended his career as a journalist, becoming the editor of a new film supplement to a monthly magazine, Théâtre et Comœdia illustrés. He also visited Belgium and after an introduction from his brother Henri, he became an assistant to the director Jacques de Baroncelli on several films.[4]
1924-1934[link]
In 1924, with the support of the producer Henri Diamant-Berger, Clair got the opportunity to direct his own first film, Paris qui dort (The Crazy Ray), a short comic fantasy. Before it had been shown however, Clair was asked by Francis Picabia and Erik Satie to make a short film to be shown as part of their Dadaist ballet Relâche; he made Entr'acte (1924), and it established Clair as a leading member of the Parisian avant-garde.[5]
Fantasy and dreams were also components of his next two films, but in 1926 Clair took a new direction when he joined Alexandre Kamenka's Films Albatros company to film a dramatic story, La Proie du vent, which met with commercial success. He remained at Albatros for his last two silent films, Un chapeau de paille d'Italie (An Italian Straw Hat) and Les Deux Timides (both 1928), in which he sought to translate the essentially verbal comedy of two plays by Labiche into works of silent cinema.[6] While at Albatros, Clair met the designer Lazare Meerson and the cameraman Georges Périnal who were to remain important collaborators with him for the next decade. By the end of the silent era, Clair was celebrated as one of the great names in cinema, alongside Griffith, Chaplin, Pabst and Eisenstein. As the author of all of his own scripts, who also paid close attention to every aspect of the making of a film, including the editing, Clair was one of the first French film-makers to establish for himself the full role of an auteur.[7]
Clair was initially sceptical about the introduction of sound to films, and called it "an unnatural creation".[8] He then realised the creative possibilities that it offered, particularly, in his view, if the soundtrack was not used realistically; words and pictures need not, and indeed should not, be tied together in a clumsy duplication of information; dialogue did not always need to be heard.[9] Between 1930 and 1933, Clair explored these ideas in his first four sound films, starting with Sous les toits de Paris (Under the Roofs of Paris); this was followed by Le Million (1931), À nous la liberté (1931), and Quatorze juillet (1933). All of these films portrayed an affectionate and idealized view of working class life, and they did much to create a popular romantic image of Paris which was seen around the world.[5]
(When Chaplin made Modern Times in 1936, it was noted that some parts of it bore a marked similarity to scenes in À nous la liberté, and the French producers launched a lawsuit for plagiarism against United Artists, the producers of Chaplin's film. Clair was embarrassed by this since he acknowledged his own debt to the spirit of Chaplin, and he refused to be associated with the action.)[10]
After the immense success of these early sound films, Clair met with a major setback when his next film, Le Dernier Milliardaire (The Last Billionaire) (1934), turned out to be a flop with both the public and the critics. While he was visiting London for the film's British première, he met Alexander Korda who offered him a contract to work in England. He accepted, and began a lengthy period of exile from film-making in France.[11][12]
1935-1946[link]
Clair's contract with Korda's London Films was for two years and it envisaged three films. Because of his limited English, he collaborated with the American dramatist Robert E. Sherwood as script-writer for his first film, The Ghost Goes West (1935), a comic fantasy about transatlantic culture clash. Clair and Sherwood became close friends. In January 1936, Clair visited America for two weeks, checking out for future employment possibilities but still planning to remain with Korda. Korda however rejected Clair's next script and they parted company.[13] Clair's remaining time in England led to only one more completed film, Break the News (1938), a musical comedy with Jack Buchanan and Maurice Chevalier.
Returning to France, Clair attempted to make another film there in 1939, Air pur, which was to be a celebration of youth and childhood, but the outbreak of war interrupted filming and it was abandoned.[14] In May 1940, Jean Giraudoux, then Minister of Information, suggested to Clair that the film profession should concentrate its resources in the south of country in Nice and Marseille - and if necessary establish a French production centre in the United States. It was with this last plan in mind that Clair and his family, along with Julien Duvivier, departed for America, but by the time he reached New York the project had already fallen through and he went straight on to Hollywood where several studios were interested in employing him.[15][16] He made his first American film for Universal Studios, The Flame of New Orleans (1941), but it was such a commercial failure that for a time Clair's career as a director was in the balance.[15] After more than a year's delay, his next film was I Married a Witch (1942), followed by It Happened Tomorrow (1944), both of which did respectably well, and then And Then There Were None (1945), which turned out to be an exceptional commercial success despite being perhaps the least personal of his Hollywood ventures.[17] Each of Clair's American films was made for a different studio.
In 1941 Clair was stripped of his French citizenship by the Vichy government, though this was later reversed.[18] It was also in 1941 that he learned of the death of his brother Henri Chomette in France from polio.[19] In 1943, he was planning to go to Algeria to organise the Service Cinématographique de l'Armée, but funding for the project was withdrawn just as he on the point of departure.[20] In July 1945 he went back to France for a short visit, and then returned finally in July 1946, having signed a contract with RKO for his next film to be made in France.[15]
Clair's American exile had allowed him to develop his characteristic vein of ironical fantasy with several commercially successful films, but there was some feeling that it had been at the expense of personal control and that his output there had not matched the quality of his earlier work in France.[3][21] Clair himself recognised that being employed by the highly organized American studios had allowed him to work in ideal circumstances: "In spite of the restrictions of the American system, it is possible, if one wishes, to take responsibility. In my four Hollywood films I managed to do what I wanted."[22]
1947-1965[link]
Clair's first film on his return to France was the romantic comedy Le Silence est d'or (Silence is Golden) (1947), which was set in 1906 and nostalgically evoked the world of early French film-making; its plot also created variations on Molière's L'École des femmes.[23] Clair considered it one of his best post-war films.[24] Literary inspirations also underpinned other films: Faust for La Beauté du diable (Beauty and the Devil) (1950); and Don Juan for Les Grandes Manœuvres (1955). In these two films and the intervening Les Belles de nuit (Beauties of the Night) (1952), the leading actor was Gérard Philipe who became a friend and a favourite performer for Clair.[25] Porte des Lilas (1957) was a sombre film, set once again in a popular district of Paris with its picturesque inhabitants, for which the singer Georges Brassens was persuaded to give his first and only film performance.[26]
During the 1950s, as a new generation of French critics and film-makers emerged who were impatient of the prevailing modes of film production, Clair found himself increasingly criticised as a representative of the cinéma de qualité, a "cinema of old men"[27] dominated by nostalgia for their younger days.[7] His status as a figure of the 'establishment' was further confirmed by his election to the Académie française in 1960. Although he continued to make a few more films in comic vein such as Tout l'or du monde (1961), they were not well received and he made his last film, Les Fêtes galantes, in 1965.[12][28]
Writing and later work[link]
Clair began his career as a journalist, and writing remained an important interest for him to which he increasing turned in his later years. In 1926 he published a novel, Adams (translated into English as Star Turn), about a Hollywood star for whom the distinction between the real and unreal becomes blurred.[29] He occasionally returned to writing fiction (La Princesse de Chine and Jeux du hasard), but many of his publications dealt with the cinema, including reflections on his own films. Apart from many journal articles, his main publications were:
- Adams. (Paris: Grasset, 1926). English translation, Star Turn, (London: Chatto & Windus, 1936).
- Réflexion faite. (Paris: Gallimard, 1951). English translation, Reflections on the Cinema. (London: William Kimber, 1953).
- La Princesse de Chine, suivi de De fil en aiguille. (Paris: Grasset, 1951).
- Comédies et commentaires. (Paris: Gallimard, 1959) [includes 5 of Clair's screenplays]. English translation, in part, Four Screenplays. (New York: Orion Press, 1970).
- Discours de réception à l'Académie française. (Paris: Gallimard, 1962).
- Tout l'or du monde. (Paris: Gallimard, 1962).
- Cinéma d'hier, cinéma d'aujourd'hui. (Paris: Gallimard, 1970). English translation, Cinema Yesterday and Today. (New York: Dover, 1972).
- L'Étrange Ouvrage des cieux, d'après The Dutch Courtezan de Jon Marston. (Paris: Gallimard, 1972).
- Jeux du hasard: récits et nouvelles. (Paris: Gallimard, 1976).
He made ventures into other media. In 1951 he directed his first radio production, Une larme du diable. In 1959 he directed a stage production of Musset's On ne badine pas avec l'amour, in which Gérard Philipe gave one of his last performances before his death. In 1972 he staged Gluck's Orphée for the Paris Opéra.
Personal life[link]
At the end of 1924, while Clair was working on Ciné-sketch for the theatre with France Picabia, he first met a young actress, Bronja Perlmutter, who subsequently appeared in his film Le Voyage imaginaire (1926). They married in 1926, and their son, Jean-François, was born in 1927.[30][31]
René Clair died at home on 15 March 1981, and he was buried privately at Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois.[32]
Reputation[link]
Clair's reputation as a film-maker underwent a considerable reevaluation during the course of his own lifetime: in the 1930s he was widely seen as one of France's greatest directors, alongside Renoir and Carné, but thereafter his work's artifice and detachment from the realities of life fell increasingly from favour.[33] The avant-gardism of his first films, and especially Entr'acte, had given him a temporary notoriety, and a grounding in surrealism continued to underlie much of his comedy work. It was however the imaginative manner in which he overcame his initial scepticism about the arrival of sound which established his originality, and his first four sound films brought him international fame.[9]
Clair's years of working in the UK and USA made him still more widely known but did not show any marked development in his style or thematic concerns. It was in the post-war films that he made on his return to France that some critics have observed a new maturity and emotional depth, accompanied by a prevailing sense of melancholy but still framed by the elegance and wit that characterised his earlier work.[12][33]
However in the 1950s the critics who heralded the arrival of the French New Wave, especially those associated with Cahiers du Cinéma, found Clair's work old-fashioned and academic. François Truffaut wrote harshly of him after seeing The Flame of New Orleans: "We don't follow our elders in paying the same tribute to Renoir and Clair. There is no film by Clair which matches the invention and wit of Renoir's Tire au flanc.... Clair makes films for old ladies who go to the cinema twice a year."[34]
André Bazin, the founding editor of Cahiers, made a more measured assessment: "René Clair has remained in a way a film-maker of the silent cinema. Whatever the quality and importance of his recent films, expression through the image always predominates over that of the word and one almost never misses the essence if one can only vaguely hear the dialogue."[35] It was also in a special number of Cahiers du Cinéma reviewing the current state of the French cinema in 1957 that Clair received one of his most positive appreciations: "A complete film author who, since the silent era, has brought to the French cinema intelligence, refinement, humour, an intellectual quality that is slightly dry but smiling and in good taste.... Whatever may follow in his rich career, he has created a cinematic world that is his own, full of rigour and not lacking in imagination, thanks to which he remains one of our greatest film-makers."[36]
Such appreciations have subsequently been rare, and the self-contained artificiality of Clair's films, his insistence on the meticulous preparation of an often literary script, and his preference for filming in studio sets rather than on location increasingly set him apart from modern trends in film-making.[7][9][33] The paradox of Clair's reputation has been further heightened by those commentators who have seen François Truffaut as the French cinema's true successor to Clair, notwithstanding the occasions of their mutual disdain.[37][38]
Filmography[link]
Feature films[link]
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Short films[link]
- Entr'acte (1924)
- Paris qui dort (1924)
- Paris Asleep
- The Crazy Ray
- La Tour (1928) (documentary)
- Forever and a Day (1943) (segment "1897")
- La Française et l'Amour (1960) (segment "Mariage, Le")
- Love and the Frenchwoman
- Les Quatre Vérités (1962) (segment "Les Deux Pigeons")
- Three Fables of Love
Television[link]
- Les Fables de La Fontaine (1964) (episodes "?")
Awards and honours[link]
René Clair held the national honours of Grand officier de la Légion d'honneur, Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres, and Grand-croix de l'ordre national du Mérite. He received the Grand Prix du cinéma français in 1953.
In 1956 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Cambridge.
In 1960 he was elected to the Académie française; he was not the first film-maker so honoured (he was preceded by Marcel Pagnol (1946), Jean Cocteau (1955), and Marcel Achard (1959)) but he was the first to be elected primarily as a film-maker. In 1994 the Académie established the Prix René-Clair as an annual prize awarded to a distinguished film-maker.[39]
In 1967 he received an honorary doctorate from the Royal College of Art in London.
As well as many awards made for individual films, Clair received an honorary prize at the Moscow International Film Festival in 1979 for his contribution to cinema.
References[link]
- ^ Dictionnaire du cinéma français: sous la direction de Jean-Loup Passek. (Paris: Larousse, 1987). p.80.
- ^ Jean Mitry, René Clair. (Paris: Éditions Universitaires, 1960). p.5.
- ^ a b Ephraim Katz, The International Film Encyclopedia. (London: Macmillan, 1980). p.241.
- ^ Jean Mitry, René Clair. (Paris: Éditions Universitaires, 1960). pp.7-9.
- ^ a b Dictionnaire du cinéma français: sous la direction de Jean-Loup Passek. (Paris: Larousse, 1987). p.81.
- ^ "René Clair et Albatros", in Le Cinéma russe en exil: l'aventure des Films Albatros. Cinémathèque Française. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
- ^ a b c Dictionnaire du cinéma populaire français; sous la direction de Christian-Marc Bosséno et Yannick Dehée. (Paris: Nouveau Monde, 2004). p.204.
- ^ Pierre Billard, Le Mystère René Clair. (Paris: Plon, 1998). p.154: "...cinéma parlant, monstre redoutable, création contre nature, grâce à laquelle l'écran deviendrait un pauvre théâtre, le théâtre du pauvre."
- ^ a b c International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers - 2: Directors; 4th ed.; editors, Tom Pendergast, Sara Pendergast. (Detroit, London etc: St James Press, 2000). p.193.
- ^ Celia McGeer, René Clair. (Boston: Twayne, 1980). p.104.
- ^ Jean Mitry, René Clair. (Paris: Éditions Universitaires, 1960). p.94.
- ^ a b c International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers - 2: Directors; 4th ed.; editors, Tom Pendergast, Sara Pendergast. (Detroit, London etc: St James Press, 2000). p.194.
- ^ Celia McGeer, René Clair. (Boston: Twayne, 1980). pp.123, 130-131.
- ^ Jean Mitry, René Clair. (Paris: Éditions Universitaires, 1960). p.102.
- ^ a b c Jean Mitry, René Clair. (Paris: Éditions Universitaires, 1960). p.11.
- ^ Celia McGeer, René Clair. (Boston: Twayne, 1980). p.138.
- ^ Georges Charensol & Roger Régent, 50 ans de cinéma avec René Clair. (Paris: Éditions de la Table Ronde. 1979). p.149.
- ^ Olivier Barrot, René Clair, ou Le Temps mesuré. (Renans: FOMA/5 Continents, 1985). p.54.
- ^ Celia McGeer, René Clair. (Boston: Twayne, 1980). p.150.
- ^ Celia McGeer, René Clair. (Boston: Twayne, 1980). pp.15-17.
- ^ Georges Sadoul, Le Cinéma français (1890-1962). (Paris: Flammarion, 1962). p.106.
- ^ Georges Charensol & Roger Régent, 50 ans de cinéma avec René Clair. (Paris: Éditions de la Table Ronde. 1979). p.136: "Malgré l'étroitesse du système américaine, il est possible, si on le veut, de prendre ses responsabilités. Dans mes quatre films à Hollywood je suis arrivé à faire ce que je voulais".
- ^ René Clair, Four Screenplays; trans. by Piergiuseppe Bozzetti. (New York: Orion Press, 1970). p.107.
- ^ Celia McGeer, René Clair. (Boston: Twayne, 1980). p.199.
- ^ Dictionnaire du cinéma populaire français; sous la direction de Christian-Marc Bosséno et Yannick Dehée. (Paris: Nouveau Monde, 2004). p.609.
- ^ Georges Charensol & Roger Régent, 50 ans de cinéma avec René Clair. (Paris: Éditions de la Table Ronde. 1979). pp.183-187.
- ^ Jean-Pierre Jeancolas, Le Cinéma des Français: la Ve République (1958-1978). (Paris: Éditions Stock, 1979). p.97: "un cinéma de vieillards".
- ^ David Thomson, A New Biographical Dictionary of Film. (London: Little, Brown, 2002). p.161.
- ^ Celia McGeer, René Clair. (Boston: Twayne, 1980). p.48.
- ^ Jean Mitry, René Clair. (Paris: Éditions Universitaires, 1960). p.10.
- ^ Celia McGeer, René Clair. (Boston: Twayne, 1980). p.60.
- ^ Pierre Billard, Le Mystère René Clair. ([Paris]: Plon, 1998). p.443.
- ^ a b c David Thomson, A New Biographical Dictionary of Film. (London: Little, Brown, 2002). p.160.
- ^ In Cahiers du Cinéma, no.37 (July 1954): quoted in Olivier Barrot, René Clair, ou Le Temps mesuré. (Renans: FOMA/5 Continents, 1985). pp.53-54.
- ^ André Bazin, in a lecture in Warsaw in 1957; quoted by Olivier Barrot, René Clair, ou Le Temps mesuré. (Renans: FOMA/5 Continents, 1985). p.94: "René Clair est demeuré d'une certaine façon un cinéaste du muet. Quelles que soient la qualité et l'importance de ses film récents, l'expression propre de l'image prédomine toujours sur celle de la parole et l'on ne perds presque jamais l'essentiel si l'on n'entend qu'approximativement le dialogue."
- ^ Quoted in Olivier Barrot, René Clair, ou Le Temps mesuré. (Renans: FOMA/5 Continents, 1985). p.95: "Un auteur de film complet qui, dès le muet, a apporté au cinéma français l'intelligence, la finesse, l'humour, un intellectualisme un peu sec mais souriant et de bon goût.... Quelle que soit la suite de sa riche carrière, il a créé un univers cinématographique qui lui est propre, plein de rigueur et non dénué de fantaisie, grâce auquel il demeure un de nos plus grands cinéastes."
- ^ Olivier Barrot, René Clair, ou Le Temps mesuré. (Renans: FOMA/5 Continents, 1985). pp.90-91,95.
- ^ Dictionnaire du cinéma populaire français; sous la direction de Christian-Marc Bosséno et Yannick Dehée. (Paris: Nouveau Monde, 2004). p.202:"Dans le monde entier, René Clair occupa longtemps le rôle repris par François Truffaut: celui d'un esprit du cinéma français...."
- ^ René Clair at the Académie française. Accessed 20 May 2012.
See also[link]
External links[link]
- René Clair at the Internet Movie Database
- Bibliography of books and articles about Rene Clair via UC Berkeley Media Resources center
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| Persondata | |
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| Name | Clair, Rene |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | Film director |
| Date of birth | 11 November 1898 |
| Place of birth | Paris, France |
| Date of death | 15 March 1981 |
| Place of death | Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, Île-de-France, France |
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
| Al Jolson | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Asa Yoelson |
| Born | (1886-05-26)May 26, 1886(?) Seredžius, Kovno Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Died | October 23, 1950(1950-10-23) (aged 64) San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Vaudeville Pop standards Jazz Pop |
| Occupations | Actor Comedian Singer |
| Years active | 1911–1950 |
| Labels | Victor, Columbia, Little Wonder, Brunswick, Decca |
| Website | The Al Jolson Society |
Al Jolson (May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was an American singer, comedian, and actor. In his heyday, he was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer".[1]
His performing style was brash and extroverted, and he popularized a large number of songs that benefited from his "shamelessly sentimental, melodramatic approach".[2] Numerous well-known singers were influenced by his music, including Bing Crosby[3] Judy Garland, rock and country entertainer Jerry Lee Lewis, and Bob Dylan, who once referred to him as "somebody whose life I can feel".[4] Broadway critic Gilbert Seldes compared him to "the Greek God Pan", claiming that Jolson represented "the concentration of our national health and gaiety."[5]
In the 1930s, he was America's most famous and highest paid entertainer.[6] Between 1911 and 1928, Jolson had nine sell-out Winter Garden shows in a row, more than 80 hit records, and 16 national and international tours. Although he's best remembered today as the star in the first (full length) talking movie, The Jazz Singer in 1927, he later starred in a series of successful musical films throughout the 1930s. After a period of inactivity, his stardom returned with the 1946 Oscar-winning biographical film, The Jolson Story. Larry Parks played Jolson with the songs dubbed in with Jolson’s real voice. A sequel, Jolson Sings Again, was released in 1949, and was nominated for three Oscars. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Jolson became the first star to entertain troops overseas during World War II, and again in 1950 became the first star to perform for G.I.s in Korea, doing 42 shows in 16 days. He died just weeks after returning to the U.S., partly due to the physical exertion of performing. Defense Secretary George Marshall afterward awarded the Medal of Merit to Jolson's family.
According to the St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, "Jolson was to jazz, blues, and ragtime what Elvis Presley was to rock 'n' roll". Being the first popular singer to make a spectacular "event" out of singing a song, he became a “rock star” before the dawn of rock music. His specialty was building stage runways extending out into the audience. He would run up and down the runway and across the stage, "teasing, cajoling, and thrilling the audience", often stopping to sing to individual members, all the while the "perspiration would be pouring from his face, and the entire audience would get caught up in the ecstasy of his performance". According to music historian Larry Stempel, "No one had heard anything quite like it before on Broadway." Author Stephen Banfield agrees, writing that Jolson's style was "arguably the single most important factor in defining the modern musical…"[5]
He enjoyed performing in blackface makeup—a theatrical convention since the mid-19th century. With his unique and dynamic style of singing black music, like jazz and blues, he was later credited with single-handedly introducing African-American music to white audiences.[1] As early as 1911 he became known for fighting against anti-black discrimination on Broadway. Jolson's well-known theatrics and his promotion of equality on Broadway helped pave the way for many black performers, playwrights, and songwriters, including Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, and Ethel Waters.
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Early life[link]
Al Jolson was born as Asa Yoelson in the Jewish village of Srednik (Yiddish: סרעדניק, now known as Seredžius) near Kaunas in Lithuania, then part of the Russian Empire. He was the fifth and youngest child of Moses Reuben and Naomi (Cantor) Yoelson; his four siblings were Rose, another sister who died in infancy, Etta and Hirsch (Harry). Jolson did not know the date of his birth, so he later chose to celebrate it as May 26, 1886.[7]:17-18 In 1891, his father, who was qualified as a rabbi and cantor, moved to New York to secure a better future for his family. By 1894, Moses Yoelson could afford to pay the fare to bring Naomi and his four children to America. By the time they arrived, he had found work at the Talmud Torah Synagogue in the Southwest Waterfront neighborhood of Washington, D.C., where the family was reunited.[7]:21-22
Hard times hit the family when his mother, Naomi, died in late 1894. Following his mother's death, young Asa was in a state of withdrawal for seven months. Upon being introduced to show business in 1895 by entertainer Al Reeves, Asa and Hirsch became fascinated by the industry, and by 1897, the brothers were singing for coins on local street corners, using the names "Al" and "Harry". They would usually use the money to buy tickets to shows at the National Theater.[1] Asa and Hirsch spent most of their days working different jobs as a team.[8]:23-40
Stage performer[link]
Burlesque and vaudeville[link]
In the spring of 1902, he accepted a job with Walter L. Main's Circus. Although Main had hired Jolson as an usher, Main was impressed by Jolson's singing voice and gave him a position as a singer during the circus' Indian Medicine Side Show segment.[8]:49-50
By the end of the year, however, the circus had folded, and Jolson was again out of work. In May 1903, the head producer of the burlesque show, Dainty Duchess Burlesquers, agreed to give Jolson a part in one show. Asa gave a remarkable performance of "Be My Baby Bumble Bee", and the producer agreed to keep him for future shows. Unfortunately, the show closed by the end of the year. Asa was able to avoid financial troubles by forming a vaudeville partnership with his brother Hirsch, now a vaudeville performer who was known as Harry Yoelson. The brothers worked for the William Morris Agency.[8]:50-60
Asa and Harry also eventually were teamed with Joe Palmer. During their time with Palmer, they were able to get bookings in a nationwide tour. However, live performances were fading in popularity, as nickelodeon theaters captured audiences; by 1908, nickelodeon theaters were completely dominant throughout New York City as well. While performing in a Brooklyn theater in 1904,[9] Al decided on a new approach and began wearing blackface makeup. The conversion to blackface boosted his career and he began wearing blackface in all of his shows.[8]:61-80
In the fall of 1905, Harry left the trio, following a harsh argument with Al. Harry had refused Al's request to take care of Joe Palmer—who was in a wheelchair—while he went out on a date. After Harry's departure, Al and Joe Palmer worked as a duo, but were not very successful together. By 1906,[9] the two agreed to separate, and Jolson was on his own.[8]:68-70
Al became a regular at the Globe and Wigwam Theater in San Francisco, California, and remained successful nationwide as a vaudeville singer[9] He took up residence in San Francisco, saying the earthquake-devastated area needed someone to cheer them up. In 1908, Jolson—needing money for himself and his new wife Henrietta—returned to New York. In 1909, Al's singing caught the attention of Lew Dockstader, who was the producer and star of Dockstader's Minstrels. Al accepted Dockstader's offer, and became a regular blackface performer.[8]:70-81
Broadway playhouses[link]
Winter Garden Theater[link]
According to Esquire magazine, "J. J. Shubert, impressed by Jolson’s overpowering display of energy, booked him for La Belle Paree, a musical comedy which opened at the Winter Garden in 1911. Within a month Jolson was a star. From then until 1926, when he retired from the stage, he could boast an unbroken series of smash hits."[10]
On March 20, 1911, Jolson starred in his first musical revue at the Winter Garden Theater in New York City, La Belle Paree, which also greatly helped launch his career as a singer. The opening night drew a huge crowd to the theater, and that evening Jolson gained audience popularity by singing old Stephen Foster songs in blackface. In the wake of that phenomenal opening night, Jolson was given a position in the show's cast. The show closed after 104 performances, and during its run Jolson's popularity grew greatly. Following La Belle Paree, Jolson accepted an offer to perform in the musical Vera Violetta. The show opened on November 20, 1911, and, like La Belle Paree, was a phenomenal success. In the show, Jolson again portrayed the role of a blackface singer, and managed to become so popular, that his weekly salary- which he earned from his success in La Belle Paree- of $500 was increased to $750.[8]:98-117
After Vera Violetta ran its course, Jolson starred in another musical, The Whirl of Society, propelling his career on Broadway to new heights. During his time at the Winter Garden, Jolson would tell the audience "you ain't heard nothing yet" before performing additional songs. In the play, Jolson debuted his signature blackface character, "Gus."[9] The play was so successful, that Winter Garden owner Lee Shubert agreed to sign Jolson to a seven year contract with a salary of $1,000 a week. Jolson would reprise his role as "Gus" in future plays and by 1914, Jolson achieved so much popularity with the theater audience that his $1,000 a week salary was doubled to $2,000 a week. In 1916, Robinson Crusoe, Jr. was the first musical where he was featured as the star character. In 1918, Jolson's acting career would be pushed even further, after he starred in the hit musical Sinbad.[8]:123-141
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It became the most successful Broadway musical of 1918 and 1919. A new song was later added to the show that would become composer George Gershwin's first hit recording, "Swanee". Jolson also added another song to the show, "My Mammy". By 1920, Jolson had become the biggest star on Broadway.[8]:143-147
Jolson's own theater[link]
His next play, Bombo, would also take his career to new heights and became so successful that it went beyond Broadway and held performances nationwide.[8]:171 It also led Lee Shubert to rename his newly built theater, which was across from Central Park, as Jolson's Fifty-ninth Street Theatre. Aged 35, Jolson became the youngest man in American history to have a theatre named after him.[11]:117
But on the opening night of Bombo, and the first performance at the new theatre, he suffered from extreme stage fright, walking up and down the streets for hours before showtime. Out of fear, he lost his voice backstage and begged the stagehands not to raise the curtains. But when the curtains went up, he "was [still] standing in the wings trembling and sweating". After being physically shoved onto the stage by his brother Harry, he performed and received an ovation that he would never forget: "For several minutes, the applause continued while Al stood and bowed after the first act". He refused to go back on stage for the second act, but the audience "just stamped its feet and chanted 'Jolson, Jolson', until he came back out." He took thirty-seven curtain calls that night, and told the audience "I'm a happy man tonight."[11]:118
In March, 1922, he moved the production to the larger Century Theater for a special benefit performance to aid injured Jewish veterans of World War I.[12] After taking the show on the road for a season, he returned in May, 1923, to perform Bombo at "his first love", the Winter Garden. The reviewer for the New York Times wrote, "He returned like the circus, bigger and brighter and newer than ever. ... Last night's audience was flatteringly unwilling to go home, and when the show proper was over, Jolson reappeared before the curtain and sang more songs, old and new."[13]
"I don’t mind going on record as saying that he is one of the few instinctively funny men on our stage", wrote reviewer Charles Darnton in the New York Evening World. "Everything he touches turns to fun. To watch him is to marvel at his humorous vitality. He is the old-time minstrel man turned to modern account. With a song, a word, or even a suggestion he calls forth spontaneous laughter. And here you have the definition of a born comedian."[11]:87
Performing in blackface[link]
Performing in blackface makeup was a theatrical convention used by many entertainers at the beginning of the 20th century, having its origin in the minstrel show.[14] Al Jolson was the most famous performer to wear blackface makeup when singing.[14] Working behind a blackface mask "gave him a sense of freedom and spontaneity he had never known"[9] According to film historian Eric Lott, for the white minstrel man "to put on the cultural forms of 'blackness' was to engage in a complex affair of manly mimicry...To wear or even enjoy blackface was literally, for a time, to become black, to inherit the cool, virility, humility, abandon, or gaité de coeur that were the prime components of white ideologies of black manhood."[15]
As metaphor of mutual suffering[link]
Jazz historians have described Jolson’s blackface and singing style as metaphors for Jewish and black suffering throughout history. Jolson’s first film, The Jazz Singer, for instance, is described by historian Michael Alexander as an expression of the liturgical music of Jews with the "imagined music of African Americans," noting that "prayer and jazz become metaphors for Jews and blacks."[16]:176 Playwright Samson Raphaelson, after seeing Jolson perform his stage show, "Robinson Crusoe," stated that "he had an epiphany: 'My God, this isn’t a jazz singer,' he said. 'This is a cantor!'" The image of the blackfaced cantor remained in Raphaelson’s mind when he conceived of the story which led to The Jazz Singer.[17]:502
Upon release of the film, the first full-length sound picture, film reviewers saw the symbolism and metaphors portrayed by Jolson in his role as the son of a cantor wanting to become a "jazz singer":
- "Is there any incongruity in this Jewish boy with his face painted like a Southern Negro singing in the Negro dialect? No, there is not. Indeed, I detected again and again the minor key of Jewish music, the wail of the Chazan, the cry of anguish of a people who had suffered. The son of a line of rabbis well knows how to sing the songs of the most cruelly wronged people in the world’s history."[17]:502
According to Alexander, East European Jews were uniquely qualified to understand the music, noting how Jolson himself made the comparison of Jewish and African American suffering in a new land in his film "Big Boy": In a blackface portrayal of a former slave, he leads a group of recently freed slaves, played by black actors, in verses of the classic slave spiritual "Go Down Moses." One reviewer of the film expressed how Jolson’s blackface added significance to his role:
- "When one hears Jolson’s jazz songs, one realizes that jazz is the new prayer of the American masses, and Al Jolson is their cantor. The Negro makeup in which he expresses his misery is the appropriate talis [prayer shawl] for such a communal leader."[16]:176
Many in the black community welcomed The Jazz Singer, and saw it as a vehicle to gain access to the stage. Audiences at Harlem's Lafayette Theater cried during the film, and Harlem's newspaper, Amsterdam News, called it "one of the greatest pictures ever produced." For Jolson, it wrote: "Every colored performer is proud of him."[18]
Relations with African Americans[link]
See also: African-American – Jewish relations
Jolson first heard African-American music, such as jazz, blues, and ragtime, played in the back alleys of New Orleans, Louisiana. He enjoyed singing the new jazz-style of music, and it's not surprising that he often performed in blackface, especially songs he made popular, like Swanee, My Mammy, and Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody. In most of his movie roles, however, including a singing hobo in Hallelujah, I'm a Bum or a jailed convict in Say It With Songs, he chose to act without using blackface. In the 1927 film The Jazz Singer, he performed only a few songs, including My Mammy, in blackface, but the film is concerned in part with the experience of 'donning a mask' that the young Jewish singer embraces in performing popular songs onstage.
As a Jewish immigrant and America's most famous and highest paid entertainer, he may have had the incentive and resources to help break down racial attitudes. For instance, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) during its peak in the early 1920s, included about 15% of the nation's eligible voting population, 4-5 million men.[19] While D.W. Griffith created the blockbuster movie The Birth of a Nation, which glorified white supremacy and the KKK, Jolson chose to star in The Jazz Singer, which defied racial bigotry by introducing American black music to white audiences worldwide.[1]
While growing up, he had many black friends, including Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson, who later became a legendary tap dancer."[10] As early as 1911, at the age of 25, he was already noted for fighting discrimination on the Broadway stage and later in his movies:[20]
- "at a time when black people were banned from starring on the Broadway stage,"[21] he promoted the play by black playwright Garland Anderson,[22] which became the first production with an all-black cast ever produced on Broadway;
- he brought an all-black dance team from San Francisco that he tried to feature in his Broadway show;[20]
- he demanded equal treatment for Cab Calloway, with whom he performed a number of duets in his movie The Singing Kid.
- he was "the only white man allowed into an all black nightclub in Harlem;"[20]
Jolson once read in the newspaper that songwriters Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle, neither of whom he had ever heard of, were refused service at a Connecticut restaurant because of their race. He immediately tracked them down and took them out to dinner "insisting he'd punch anyone in the nose who tried to kick us out!"[23] Subsequent to their meeting, according to biographer Al Rose, Jolson and Eubie became friends. Rose writes:
This didn’t have anything to do with the theater, because they never worked together. Rather, they both had a love of prize fighting and used to go to boxing matches together, engaging in jocose discussion of the relative merits of Negro with Jewish pugilists. They would occasionally wager a bottle of whisky on these bouts.[24]
Film historian Charles Musser notes that "African Americans' embrace of Jolson was not a spontaneous reaction to his appearance in talking pictures. In an era when African Americans did not have to go looking for enemies, Jolson was perceived a friend." [25]
Jeni LeGon, a black female tap dance star,[26] recalls her life as a film dancer: "But of course, in those times it was a 'black-and-white world.' You didn't associate too much socially with any of the stars. You saw them at the studio, you know, nice—but they didn't invite. The only ones that ever invited us home for a visit was Al Jolson and Ruby Keeler."[27] Brian Conley, former star of the 1995 British play Jolson, stated during an interview, "I found out Jolson was actually a hero to the black people of America. At his funeral, black actors lined the way, they really appreciated what he’d done for them."[28] Noble Sissle, then president of the Negro Actors' Guild, represented that organization at his funeral.[29]
Jolson's physical expressiveness also affected the music styles of some black performers. Music historian Bob Gulla writes that "the most critical influence in Jackie Wilson's young life was Al Jolson." He points out that Wilson's ideas of what a stage performer could do to keep their act an "exciting" and "thrilling performance" was shaped by Jolson's acts, "full of wild writhing and excessive theatrics." Wilson felt that Jolson, along with Louis Jordan, another of his idols, "should be considered the stylistic forefathers of rock and roll."[30]
According to the St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture: "Almost single-handedly, Jolson helped to introduce African-American musical innovations like jazz, ragtime, and the blues to white audiences.... [and] paved the way for African-American performers like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, and Ethel Waters.... to bridge the cultural gap between black and white America."[1] Jazz historian Amiri Baraka wrote, "the entrance of the white man into jazz...did at least bring him much closer to the Negro." He points out that "the acceptance of jazz by whites marks a crucial moment when an aspect of black culture had become an essential part of American culture."[31]:151
In a recent interview, Clarence 'Frogman' Henry, one of the most popular and respected jazz singers of New Orleans, said, "Jolson? I loved him. I think he did wonders for the blacks and glorified entertainment."[32]:307
Movies[link]
[edit] The Jazz Singer
In the first part of the 20th century, Al Jolson was without question the most popular performer on Broadway and in vaudeville. Show-business historians regard him as a legendary institution. Yet for all his success in live venues, Al Jolson is possibly best remembered today for his numerous recordings and for starring in The Jazz Singer (1927), the first nationally distributed feature film that included synchronized sound dialogue sequences as well as music and sound effects.
Jolson had actually starred in a talking film before The Jazz Singer: a 1926 short subject titled A Plantation Act. This simulation of a stage performance by Jolson was originally presented in a program of musical shorts, demonstrating the Vitaphone sound-film process. A Plantation Act was not preserved for posterity and was considered lost as early as 1933.
Music historian John Shepherd, discussing The Jazz Singer, notes that the title "reflected the contemporary popularity of the idea of jazz, but not its actuality. . . . and had no direct connection with the kind of performance that could then be found in clubs, dance halls and theaters."[33]
Warner Bros. had originally picked George Jessel for the role, as he had starred in the Broadway play. However, Jessel refused the offer and Jack L. Warner then offered the role to Jolson, who, according to Jessel, also helped finance the film.[34]
- Story synopsis
A New York Times review of the movie in 1927 described the basic storyline: "There is naturally a good deal of sentiment attached to the narrative, which is one wherein Cantor Rabinowitz is eager that his son Jakie shall become a cantor" and carry on five generations of family traditions. "The old man’s anger is aroused when one night he hears that Jakie has been singing jazz songs in a saloon. The boy’s heart and soul are with the modern music. He runs away from home and tours the country until, through a friend he is engaged by a New York producer to sing in the Winter Garden," a major theater on Broadway.[35]
But an unfortunate set of coincidences then take place: the opening of his first Broadway show is also on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Then, on the day of the show, he learns that his father is seriously ill, so returns home to find him on his deathbed, imploring him to take his place at the synagogue as cantor for the holiday service. After a tormenting emotional tug-of-war between his desire for stardom, his family, and religious tradition, he chooses to perform the evening service at the synagogue in place of his father.
Having no choice, the Broadway show's producer had postponed the show for the next evening, and Jakie went on to become a smash success. Writer Neal Gabler called the story "an assimilationist fable," but the story was "close to the true story of Al Jolson," notes author Helen Epstein, "as well as a paradigm for a generation of sons of all kinds of immigrants."[36]
The movie premiere[link]
Harry Warner's daughter, Doris Warner, remembered the opening night, and said that when the picture started she was still crying over the loss of her beloved uncle Sam, who was planning to be there but died suddenly, at the age of 40, the day before. But halfway through the eighty-nine minute movie she began to be overtaken by a sense that something remarkable was happening. Jolson's 'Wait a minute, wait a minute, you ain't heard nothin' yet...' provoked shouts of pleasure and applause. After each Jolson song, the audience applauded. Excitement mounted as the film progressed, and when Jolson began his scene with Eugenie Besserer, "the audience became hysterical."[37]:129
According to film historian Scott Eyman, "by the film's end, the Warner brothers had shown an audience something they had never known, moved them in a way they hadn't expected. The tumultuous ovation at curtain proved that Jolson was not merely the right man for the part of Jackie Rabinowitz, alias Jack Robin; he was the right man for the entire transition from silent fantasy to talking realism. The audience, transformed into what one critic called, 'a milling, battling mob' stood, stamped, and cheered 'Jolson, Jolson, Jolson!'"[37]:140
At the end of the film, Jolson rose from his seat and ran down to the stage. "God, I think you're really on the level about it. I feel good" he cried to the audience. Stanley Watkins would always remember Jolson signing autographs after the show, tears streaming down his face. May McAvoy, Jolson's costar remembered that "[the] police were there to control the crowds. It was a very big thing, like The Birth of a Nation."
Introduction of sound[link]
The film was produced by Warner Bros., using its revolutionary Vitaphone sound process. Vitaphone was originally intended for musical renditions, and The Jazz Singer follows this principle, with only the musical sequences using live sound recording. The moviegoers were electrified when the silent actions were interrupted periodically for a song sequence with real singing and sound. Jolson's dynamic voice, physical mannerisms, and charisma held the audience spellbound.
Costar May McAvoy, according to author A. Scott Berg, could not help sneaking into theaters day after day as the film was being run. "She pinned herself against a wall in the dark and watched the faces in the crowd. In that moment just before 'Toot, Toot, Tootsie,' she remembered, 'A miracle occurred. Moving pictures really came alive. To see the expressions on their faces, when Joley spoke to them . . . you'd have thought they were listening to the voice of God.'"[38] "Everybody was mad for the talkies," said movie star Gregory Peck in a Newsweek interview. "I remember 'The Jazz Singer,' when Al Jolson just burst into song, and there was a little bit of dialogue. And when he came out with 'Mammy,' and went down on his knees to his Mammy, it was just dynamite."[39]
This opinion is shared by Mast and Kawin:
...this moment of informal patter at the piano is the most exciting and vital part of the entire movie...when Jolson acquires a voice, the warmth, the excitement, the vibrations of it, the way its rambling spontaneity lays bare the imagination of the mind that is making up the sounds ...[and] the addition of a Vitaphone voice revealed the particular qualities of Al Jolson that made him a star. Not only the eyes are a window on the soul.[40]:231
Jewish meanings[link]
Cultural historian Linda Williams notes that "The Jazz Singer represents the triumphs of the assimilating son over the old-world father ... and present impediments to an assimilating show-biz success....[and] when Jakie's father says, 'Stop', the flow of "jazz" music (and spontaneous speech) freezes. But the Jewish mother recognizes the virtue of the old world in the new and the music flows again."[41]:186 According to film historian Robert Carringer, even the father eventually comes to understand that his son's jazz singing is "fundamentally an ancient religious impulse seeking expression in a modern, popular form".[42]:23 Or as the film itself states in its first title card, "perhaps this plaintive, wailing song of jazz is, after all, the misunderstood utterance of a prayer."[42]
Film historian Scott Eyman also describes the cultural perspective of the film:
[It] marks one of the few times Hollywood Jews allowed themselves to contemplate their own central cultural myth, and the conundrums that go with it... The Jazz Singer implicitly celebrates the ambition and drive needed to escape the shtetls of Europe and the ghettos of New York, and the attendant hunger for recognition. Jack, Sam, and Harry let Jack Robin have it all: the satisfaction of taking his father's place and of conquering the Winter Garden. They were, perhaps unwittingly, dramatizing some of their own ambivalence about the debt first-generation Americans owed their parents.[37]:142
Other feature films[link]
- The Singing Fool (1928)
With Warner Bros., Al Jolson made his first "all-talking" picture, The Singing Fool (1928) — the story of a driven entertainer who insisted upon going on with the show even as his small son lay dying, and its signature tune, "Sonny Boy," became the first American record to sell one million copies. The film was even more popular than The Jazz Singer, and held the record for box-office attendance for 10 years, until broken by Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Jolson continued to make features for Warner Bros., very similar in style to The Singing Fool, Say It with Songs (1929), Mammy (1930), and Big Boy (1930). A restored version of Mammy, which includes Jolson in some Technicolor sequences, was first screened in 2002.[43] (Jolson's first Technicolor appearance was in a cameo in the musical Show Girl in Hollywood (1930) from First National Pictures, a Warner Bros. subsidiary.) The sameness of the stories, Jolson's large salary, and changing public tastes in musicals contributed to the films' diminishing returns over the next few years. As a result of this, Jolson decided to return to Broadway, and starred in a new show, entitled Wonder Bar, which was not very successful.[8]:231-235
[edit] Hallelujah, I'm a Bum/Hallelujah, I'm a Tramp
Despite these new troubles, Jolson was able to make a comeback after performing a hit concert in New Orleans after "Wonderbar" closed in 1931. Warners allowed him to make one film with United Artists, Hallelujah, I'm a Bum, in 1933 (the film had to be retitled Hallelujah, I'm a Tramp in the UK and other English-speaking countries where 'bum' means 'butt' and where the slang word for a vagrant is 'tramp' rather than 'bum'). It was directed by Lewis Milestone and written by noted screenwriter Ben Hecht. Hecht was also active in the promotion of civil rights: "Hecht film stories featuring black characters included Hallelujah, I'm a Bum, co-starring Edgar Connor as Al Jolson's sidekick, in a politically savvy rhymed dialogue over Richard Rodgers music."[44]
As the title suggests, the film was a direct response to the Great Depression, with messages to his vagabond friends equivalent to "there's more to life than money" and "the best things in life are free". A New York Times review wrote, "The picture, some persons may be glad to hear, has no Mammy song. It is Mr. Jolson's best film and well it might be, for that clever director, Lewis Milestone, guided its destiny.... a combination of fun, melody and romance, with a dash of satire..."[45] Another review added, "A film to welcome back, especially for what it tries to do for the progress of the American musical..."[46]
[edit] Wonder Bar (1934)
In 1934, he starred in a movie version of his earlier stage play, Wonder Bar, and co-starred Kay Francis, Dolores del Río, Ricardo Cortez, and Dick Powell. The movie is a "musical Grand Hotel, set in the Parisian nightclub owned by Al Wonder (Jolson). Wonder entertains and banters with his international clientele."[47]:97
Reviews were generally positive: "Wonder Bar has got about everything. Romance, flash, dash, class, color, songs, star-studded talent and almost every known requisite to assure sturdy attention and attendance... It's Jolson's comeback picture in every respect.";[48] and, "Those who like Jolson should see Wonder Bar for it is mainly Jolson; singing the old reliables; cracking jokes which would have impressed Noah as depressingly ancient; and moving about with characteristic energy."[49] Returning to Warners, Jolson bowed to new production ideas, focusing less on the star and more on elaborately cinematic numbers staged by Busby Berkeley and Bobby Connolly. This new approach worked, sustaining Jolson's movie career until the Warner contract lapsed in 1935. Jolson co-starred with his actress-dancer wife, Ruby Keeler, only once, in Go Into Your Dance.
[edit] The Singing Kid (1936)
Jolson's last Warner vehicle was The Singing Kid (1936), a parody of Jolson's stage persona (he plays a character named Al Jackson) in which he pokes fun at his stage histrionics and taste for "mammy" songs—the latter via a number by E. Y. Harburg and Harold Arlen titled "I Love to Singa", and a comedy sequence with Jolson doggedly trying to sing "Mammy" while The Yacht Club Boys keep telling him such songs are outdated.[32]
According to jazz historian Michael Alexander, Jolson had once griped that "People have been making fun of Mammy songs, and I don't really think that it's right that they should, for after all, Mammy songs are the fundamental songs of our country." In this film, he notes, "Jolson had the confidence to rhyme 'Mammy' with 'Uncle Sammy'", adding "Mammy songs, along with the vocation 'Mammy singer', were inventions of the Jewish Jazz Age."[16]:136
The film also gave a boost to the career of black singer and bandleader Cab Calloway, who performed a number of songs alongside Jolson. In his autobiography, Calloway writes about this episode:
I'd heard Al Jolson was doing a new film on the Coast, and since Duke Ellington and his band had done a film, wasn't it possible for me and the band to do this one with Jolson. Frenchy got on the phone to California, spoke to someone connected with the film and the next thing I knew the band and I were booked into chicago on our way to California for the film, The Singing Kid. We had a hell of a time, although I had some pretty rough arguments with Harold Arlen, who had written the music. Arlen was the songwriter for many of the finest Cotton Club revues, but he had done some interpretations for The Singing Kid that I just couldn't go along with. He was trying to change my style and I was fighting it. Finally, Jolson stepped in and said to Arlen, 'Look, Cab knows what he wants to do; let him do it his way.' After that, Arlen left me alone. And talk about integration: Hell, when the band and I got out to Hollywood, we were treated like pure royalty. Here were Jolson and I living in adjacent penthouses in a very plush hotel. We were costars in the film so we received equal treatment, no question about it.[50]:131
The Singing Kid was not one of the studio's major attractions, (it went out under the subsidiary First National trademark,) and Jolson didn't even rate star billing. The song "I Love to Singa" later appeared in Tex Avery's cartoon of the same name. The movie also became the first important role for future child star Sybil Jason in a scene directed by Busby Berkeley. Jason remembers that Berkeley worked on the film although he is not credited.[47]:103
[edit] Rose of Washington Square (1939)
His next movie—his first with Twentieth Century-Fox—was Rose of Washington Square, in 1939. It starred Jolson, Alice Faye and Tyrone Power, and included many of Jolson's most well-known songs, although a number of songs were cut to shorten the movie's length, including "April Showers" and "Avalon". Reviewers wrote, "Mr Jolson's singing of Mammy, California, Here I Come and others is something for the memory book."[51] and "Of the three co-stars this is Jolson's picture ... because it's a pretty good catalog in anybody's hit parade."[52] The movie was released on DVD in October 2008. Twentieth Century-Fox hired him to re-create a scene from The Jazz Singer in the Alice Faye-Don Ameche film Hollywood Cavalcade. Guest appearances in two more Fox films followed that same year, but Jolson never starred in a full-length feature film again.
[edit] The Jolson Story
File:JolsonSingerPoster.JPG
original movie poster, 1946
After the success of the George M. Cohan film biography, Yankee Doodle Dandy, Hollywood columnist Sidney Skolsky believed that a similar film could be made about Al Jolson—and he knew just where to pitch the project. Harry Cohn, the head of Columbia Pictures, loved the music of Al Jolson. He knew that Jolson had been one of America's most well-known and popular entertainers.
Skolsky pitched the idea of an Al Jolson biopic and Cohn agreed. It was directed by Alfred E. Green (best known today for the pre-Code masterpiece Baby Face), with musical numbers staged by Joseph H. Lewis. With Jolson providing almost all the vocals, and veteran Columbia contractee Larry Parks playing Jolson, The Jolson Story (1946) became one of the biggest hits of the year.[53]
Larry Parks wrote, in a personal tribute to Jolson, "Stepping into his shoes was, for me, a matter of endless study, observation, energetic concentration to obtain, perfectly if possible, a simulation of the kind of man he was. It is not surprising, therefore, that while making The Jolson Story, I spent 107 days before the cameras and lost eighteen pounds in weight."[54] From a review in Variety, "But the real star of the production is that Jolson voice and that Jolson medley. It was good showmanship to cast this film with lesser people, particularly Larry Parks as the mammy kid... As for Jolson's voice, it has never been better. Thus the magic of science has produced a composite whole to eclipse the original at his most youthful best."[55]
Parks received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, and the film became one of the highest-grossing films of the year. Although Jolson was too old to play himself in the film, he persuaded the studio to let him appear in one musical sequence, "Swanee", shot entirely in long shot, with Jolson in blackface singing and dancing onto the runway leading into the middle of the theater. In the wake of the film's success, Jolson became a top singer among the American public once again.[8]:311 Decca Records signed Jolson and he recorded for Decca until his death.
Critical observations[link]
According to film historian Krin Gabbard, The Jolson Story goes further than any of the earlier films in exploring the significance of blackface and the relationships that whites have developed with blacks in the area of music. To him, the film seems to imply an inclination of white performers, like Jolson, who are possessed with "the joy of life and enough sensitivity, to appreciate the musical accomplishments of blacks".[56]:53 To support his view he describes a significant part of the movie:
While wandering around New Orleans before a show with Dockstader's Minstrels, he enters a small club where a group of black jazz musicians are performing. "Jolson has a revelation, that the staid repertoire of the minstrel troupe can be transformed by actually playing black music in blackface. He tells Dockstader that he wants to sing what he has just experienced: 'I heard some music tonight, something they call jazz. Some fellows just make it up as they go along. They pick it up out of the air.' After Dockstader refuses to accommodate Jolson's revolutionary concept, the narrative chronicles his climb to stardom as he allegedly injects jazz into his blackface performances ... Jolson's success is built on anticipating what Americans really want. Dockstader performs the inevitable function of the guardian of the status quo, whose hidebound commitment to what is about to become obsolete reinforces the audience's sympathy with the forward-looking hero."[56]:54
This has been a theme which was traditionally "dear to the hearts of the men who made the movies."[56]:54 Film historian George Custen describes this "common scenario, in which the hero is vindicated for innovations that are initially greeted with resistance ... [T]he struggle of the heroic protagonist who anticipates changes in cultural attitudes is central to other white jazz biopics such as The Glenn Miller Story (1954) and The Benny Goodman Story (1955)".[57]:147 "Once we accept a semantic change from singing to playing the clarinet, The Benny Goodman Story becomes an almost transparent reworking of The Jazz Singer ... and The Jolson Story."[56]:54
[edit] Jolson Sings Again
The Jolson Story and its sequel Jolson Sings Again (1949) introduced a new generation to Jolson. Jolson Sings Again opened at Loew's State Theatre in New York with positive reviews: "Mr. Jolson's name is up in lights again and Broadway is wreathed in smiles", wrote Thomas Pryor in The New York Times. "That's as it should be, for Jolson Sings Again is an occasion which warrants some lusty cheering ...".[11]:287 Jolson did a tour of New York film theaters to plug the movie, traveling with a police convoy to make timetables for all showings, often ad libbing jokes and performing songs for the audience. Extra police were on duty as crowds jammed the streets and sidewalks at each theater Jolson visited.[11]:286-287 In Chicago, a few weeks later, he sang to 100,000 people at Soldier Field, and later that night appeared at the Oriental Theatre with George Jessel where 10,000 people had to be turned away.[11]:287
In Baltimore, Maryland, he took his wife Erle to see St Mary's Catholic School where he was confined for a while as a boy and treated for tuberculosis. He introduced her to the same priest, Father Benjamin, who watched over him. That night, Jolson took over two hundred of the church's kids to see Jolson Sings Again at the Hippodrome Theatre. A few weeks later, the Jolsons were received by President Harry Truman at the White House.
Radio shows[link]
Jolson had been a popular guest star on radio since its earliest days, notably on NBC's The Dodge Victory Hour (January 1928), singing from a New Orleans hotel to an audience of 35 million via 47 radio stations. His own 1930s shows included Presenting Al Jolson (1932) and Shell Chateau (1935), and he was the host of the Kraft Music Hall from 1947 to 1949, with Oscar Levant as a sardonic, piano-playing sidekick. Despite such singers as Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Perry Como being in their primes, Jolson was voted the "Most Popular Male Vocalist" in 1948 by a poll in Variety.
The next year, Jolson was named "Personality of the Year" by the Variety Clubs of America. When Jolson appeared on Bing Crosby's radio show, he attributed his receiving the award to his being the only singer not to make a record of Mule Train, which had been a widely covered hit of that year (four different versions, one of them by Crosby, had made the top ten on the charts). Jolson even joked that he had tried to sing the hit song: "I got the clippetys all right, but I can't clop like I used to."
Planned television and movie[link]
When Jolson appeared on Steve Allen's KNX Los Angeles radio show in 1949 to promote Jolson Sings Again, he offered his curt opinion of the burgeoning television industry: "I call it smell-evision." Writer Hal Kanter recalled that Jolson's own idea of his television debut would be a corporate-sponsored, extra-length spectacular that would feature him as the only performer, and would be telecast without interruption. In 1950, it was announced that Jolson agreed to appear on the CBS television network. However, he died before production could be initiated. In 1950, Columbia was thinking about a third Jolson musical, and this time Jolson would play himself. The project, tentatively titled You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet, was to dramatize Jolson's recent tours of military bases. The film was never made.
World War II and Korean War tours[link]
World War II[link]
Japanese bombs on Pearl Harbor shook Jolson out of continuing moods of lethargy due to years of little activity and "... he dedicated himself to a new mission in life.... Even before the U.S.O. began to set up a formal program overseas, the excitable Jolson was deluging War and Navy Department brass with phone calls and wires. He demanded permission to go anywhere in the world where there is an American serviceman who wouldn’t mind listening to ‘Sonny Boy’ or ‘Mammy’.... [and] early in 1942, Jolson became the first star to perform at a GI base in World War II".[58]:43-44
From a New York Times interview in 1942: "When the war started... [I] felt that it was up to me to do something, and the only thing I know is show business. I went around during the last war and I saw that the boys needed something besides chow and drills. I knew the same was true today, so I told the people in Washington that I would go anywhere and do an act for the Army."[59] Shortly after the war began, he wrote a letter to Steven Early, press secretary to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, volunteering "to head a committee for the entertainment of soldiers and said that he "would work without pay... [and] would gladly assist in the organization to be set up for this purpose". A few weeks later, he received his first tour schedule from the newly formed United Services Organization (USO), "the group his letter to Early had helped create".[11]:253
He did as many as four shows a day in the jungle outposts of Central America and covered the string of U.S. Naval bases. He paid for part of the transportation out of his own pocket. Upon doing his first, and unannounced, show in England in 1942, the reporter for the Hartford Courant wrote, "... it was a panic. And pandemonium... when he was done the applause that shook that soldier-packed room was like bombs falling again in Shaftsbury Avenue."[60]
From an article in the New York Times: "He [Jolson] has been to more Army camps and played to more soldiers than any other entertainer. He has crossed the Atlantic by plane to take song and cheer to the troops in Britain and Northern Ireland. He has flown to the cold wastes of Alaska and the steaming forests of Trinidad. He has called at Dutch‑like Curaçao. Nearly every camp in this country has heard him sing and tell funny stories."[59] Some of the unusual hardships of performing to active troops were described in an article he wrote for Variety, in 1942: "In order to entertain all the boys ... it became necessary for us to give shows in foxholes, gun emplacements, dugouts, to construction groups on military roads; in fact, any place where two or more soldiers were gathered together, it automatically became a Winter Garden for me and I would give a show."[11]:256 After returning from a tour of overseas bases, the Regimental Hostess at one camp wrote to Jolson, "Allow me to say on behalf of all the soldiers of the 33rd Infantry that you coming here is quite the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to us, and we think you're tops, not only as a performer, but as a person. We unanimously elect you Public Morale Lifter No. 1 of the U.S Army."[11]:257
Jolson was officially enlisted in the United Service Organizations (USO), the organization which provided entertainment for American troops who served in combat overseas.[8]:285 While serving in the USO, he received a Specialist rating due to his age, which would permit him to wear a uniform and have the same standing as an officer. During his time entertaining troops he caught malaria and lost a lung.
In 1946, during a nationally broadcast testimonial dinner in New York City, given on his behalf, he received a special tribute from the American Veterans Committee in honor of his volunteer services during WWII.[3] And in 1949, the movie Jolson Sings Again recreated some scenes showing Jolson during his war tours.[61]
Korean War[link]
In 1950, Michael Freedland[32] writes, when "the United States answered the call of the United Nations Security Council ... and had gone to fight the North Koreans. ... [Jolson] rang the White House again. 'I'm gonna go to Korea,' he told a startled official on the phone. 'No one seems to know anything about the USO, and it's up to President Truman to get me there.' He was promised that President Truman and General MacArthur, who had taken command of the Korean front, would get to hear of his offer. But for four weeks there was nothing. ... Finally, Louis A. Johnson, Secretary of Defense, sent Jolson a telegram. 'Sorry for delay but regret no funds for entertainment-STOP; USO disbanded-STOP.' The message was as much an assault on the Jolson sense of patriotism as the actual crossing of the 38th Parallel had been. 'What are they talkin' about', he thundered. 'Funds? Who needs funds? I got funds! I'll pay myself!'"[32]:283-284
On September 17, 1950, a dispatch from 8th Army Headquarters, Korea, announced, "Al Jolson, the first top-flight entertainer to reach the war-front, landed here today by plane from Los Angeles..." This time, Jolson had shelved plans for a third movie biography along with a TV show and traveled to Korea at his own expense. "[A]nd a lean, smiling Jolson drove himself without letup through 42 shows in 16 days."[58]:46
Before returning to the U.S., General Douglas MacArthur, leader of UN forces, gave him a medallion inscribed "To Al Jolson from Special Services in appreciation of entertainment of armed forces personnel ‑ Far East Command”, with his entire itinerary inscribed on the reverse side.[62] A few months later, an important bridge, named the "Al Jolson Bridge", was used to withdraw the bulk of American troops from North Korea.[63] The bridge was the last remaining of three bridges across the Han River and was used to evacuate UN forces. It was demolished by UN forces after the army made it safely across in order to prevent the North Koreans from crossing.[64]
Alistair Cooke wrote, "He [Jolson] had one last hour of glory. He offered to fly to Korea and entertain the troops hemmed in on the United Nations precarious August bridgehead. The troops yelled for his appearance. He went down on his knee again and sang 'Mammy', and the troops wept and cheered. When he was asked what Korea was like he warmly answered, 'I am going to get back my income tax returns and see if I paid enough.'"[65]
Entertainer Jack Benny, who went to Korea the following year, noted that an amphitheater in Korea where troops were entertained, was named the "Al Jolson Bowl."[66]
- New U.S.O. movie
Just 10 days after he returned from Korea, he had agreed with R.K.O. producers Jerry Wald and Norman Krasna to star in a new movie, Stars and Stripes for Ever, about a U.S.O. troupe in the South Pacific during World War II. The screenplay was to be written by Herbert Baker, writer of the 1980 version of The Jazz Singer starring Neil Diamond. The film was to costar singer Dinah Shore.[67]
But just two weeks after the agreement, Jolson died suddenly of a heart attack in San Francisco, due partly to the physical exertion he suffered in Korea. He was survived by his wife and their two recently adopted children. A few months after his death, Defense Secretary George Marshall presented the Medal for Merit to Jolson, "to whom this country owes a debt which cannot be repaid". The medal, carrying a citation noting that Jolson's "contribution to the U.N. action in Korea was made at the expense of his life", was presented to Jolson's adopted son as Jolson's widow looked on.[47]
Personal life[link]
Politics[link]
Jolson was a political and economic conservative, supporting both Warren G. Harding in 1920 and Calvin Coolidge in 1924 for president of the United States. As "one of the biggest stars of his time, [he] worked his magic singing Harding, You're the Man for Us to enthralled audiences ... [and] was subsequently asked to perform Keep Cool with Coolidge four years later. ... Jolson, like the men who ran the studios, was the rare showbiz Republican."[68] He was unlike most other Jewish performers, who supported the losing Democratic candidate, John William Davis. Jolson however did, like some Republicans, publicly campaign for Democrat Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1932.[8]:241 By 1936 he was back to supporting Republican Alf Landon and would not support another Democrat for president during his life.
Married life[link]
In 1906, while living in San Francisco, Jolson met dancer Henrietta Keller, and the two engaged in a year-long relationship before marrying in September 1907.[9] In 1918, however, Henrietta—tired of what she reputedly considered his womanizing and refusal to come home after shows—filed for divorce. In 1920, Jolson began a relationship with Broadway actress Alma Osbourne (known professionally as Ethel Delmar); the two were married in August 1922.[8]:256 Alma divorced Jolson in 1928.
Ruby Keeler[link]
In the summer of 1928, Jolson met tap dancer, and later successful actress, Ruby Keeler at Texas Guinan's night club and was dazzled by her on sight; at the club, the two danced together. Three weeks later, Jolson saw a production of George M. Cohan's Rise of Rosie O'Reilly, and noticed she was in the show's cast. Now knowing she was going about her Broadway career, Jolson attended another one of her shows, Show Girl, and rose from the audience and engaged in her duet of "Liza". After this moment, the show's producer, Florenz Ziegfeld, asked Jolson to join the cast and continue to sing duets with Keeler. Jolson accepted Ziegfeld's offer and during their tour with Ziegfeld, the two started dating and were married on September 21, 1928. In 1935, Al and Ruby adopted a son, whom they named "Al Jolson Jr."[9] In 1939, however—despite a marriage that was considered to be more successful than his previous ones—Keeler left Jolson, and later married John Homer Lowe, with whom she would have four children and remain married until his death in 1969.[8]:223-259[9]
File:Wife.jpg
Jolson and wife, Erle, 1946
Erle Galbraith[link]
In 1944, while giving a show at a military hospital in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Jolson met a young X-ray technologist, Erle Galbraith. Jolson became fascinated by her and—over a year after meeting—was able to track her down and hired her as an actress while he served as a producer at Columbia Pictures. After Jolson, whose health was still scarred from his previous battle with malaria, was hospitalized in the winter of 1945, Erle visited him and the two quickly began a relationship. They were married on March 22, 1945. During their marriage, the Jolsons adopted two children, Asa Jr. (b. 1948) and Alicia (b. 1949),[9] and remained married until his death in 1950.[8]:293-298
After a year and a half of marriage, his new wife had actually never seen him perform in front of an audience, and the first occasion came unplanned. As told by actor comedian Alan King, it happened during a dinner by the New York Friars' Club at the Waldorf Astoria in 1946, honoring the career of Sophie Tucker. Jolson and his wife were in the audience along with a thousand others, and George Jessel was emcee. He asked Al, privately, to perform at least one song. Jolson replied, "No, I just want to sit here." Then later, without warning, during the middle of the show, Jessel says, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is the easiest introduction I ever had to make. The world's greatest entertainer, Al Jolson." King recalls what happened next:
The place is going wild. Jolson gets up, takes a bow, sits down. . . people start banging with their feet, and he gets up, takes another bow, sits down again. It's chaos, and slowly, he seems to relent. He walks up onto the stage . . . kids around with Sophie and gets a few laughs, but the people are yelling, 'Sing! Sing! Sing!' . . . Then he says, 'I'd like to introduce you to my bride,' and this lovely young thing gets up and takes a bow. The audience doesn't care about the bride, they don't even care about Sophie Tucker. 'Sing! Sing! Sing!' they're screaming again. My wife has never seen me entertain, Jolson says, and looks over toward Lester Lanin, the orchestra leader: 'Maestro, Is it True What They Say About Dixie?'[69]
Closeness with his brother Harry[link]
Despite their close relationship growing up, Harry did show some disdain for Al's success over the years. Even during their time with Jack Palmer, Al was rising in popularity while Harry was fading. After separating from Al and Jack, Harry's career in show business, however, sank greatly. On one occasion—which was another factor in his on-off relationship with Al—Harry offered to be Al's agent, but Al rejected the offer, worried about the pressure that he would have faced from his producers for hiring his brother as his agent. Shortly after Harry's wife Lillian died in 1948, Harry and Al became close once again.[8]:318-324
Death and commemoration[link]
The dust and dirt of the Korean front, from where he had returned a few weeks earlier, had settled in his right lung and he was close to exhaustion. While playing cards in his suite at the St. Francis Hotel at 335 Powell Street in San Francisco,[70] Jolson collapsed and died of a massive heart attack on October 23, 1950. His last words were said to be "Boys, I'm going.".[71] He was 64.
After his wife received the news of his death by phone, she went into shock, and required family members to stay with her. At the funeral, police estimated upwards of 20,000 people showed up, despite threatened rain. It became one of the biggest funerals in show business history.[11]:300 Celebrities paid tribute: Bob Hope, speaking from Korea via short wave radio, said the world had lost "not only a great entertainer, but also a great citizen." Larry Parks said that the world had "lost not only its greatest entertainer, but a great American as well. He was a casualty of the [Korean] war." Scripps-Howard newspapers drew a pair of white gloves on a black background. The caption read, "The Song Is Ended."[11]:300
Newspaper columnist and radio reporter Walter Winchell said,
- "He was the first to entertain troops in World War Two, contracted malaria and lost a lung. Then in his upper sixties he was again the first to offer his singing gifts for bringing solace to the wounded and weary in Korea.
- "Today we know the exertion of his journey to Korea took a greater toll of his strength than perhaps even he realized. But he considered it his duty as an American to be there, and that was all that mattered to him. Jolson died in a San Francisco hotel. Yet he was as much a battle casualty as any American soldier who has fallen on the rocky slopes of Korea … A star for more than 40 years, he earned his most glorious star rating at the end—a gold star."[72]
Friend George Jessel said during part of his eulogy,
The history of the world does not say enough about how important the song and the singer have been. But history must record the name Jolson, who in the twilight of his life sang his heart out in a foreign land, to the wounded and to the valiant. I am proud to have basked in the sunlight of his greatness, to have been part of his time.[73]
- Memorial
He was interred in the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California. According to Cemetery Guide, Jolson’s widow purchased a plot at Hillside and commissioned his mausoleum to be designed by well-known black architect Paul Williams. The six-pillar marble structure is topped by a dome, next to a three-quarter-size bronze statue of Jolson, eternally resting on one knee, arms outstretched, apparently ready to break into another verse of “Mammy”. The inside of the dome features a huge mosaic of Moses holding the tablets containing the Ten Commandments, and identifies Jolson as “The Sweet Singer of Israel” and “The Man Raised Up High”. On the day he died, Broadway dimmed its lights in Jolson's honor, and radio stations all over the world were paying tributes. Soon after his death, the BBC presented a special program entitled Jolson Sings On. His death unleashed tributes from all over the world, including a number of eulogies from friends, including George Jessel, Walter Winchell, and Eddie Cantor.[74] He contributed millions to Jewish and other charities in his will.[75]
In October, 2008, a new documentary film, Al Jolson and The Jazz Singer, premiered at the 50th Lübeck Nordic Film Days, Lübeck, Germany, and won 1st Prize at an annual film competition in Kiel a few weeks later.[76] In November, 2007, a similar documentary, A Look at Al Jolson, was winner at the same festival.[77] Jolson's music remains very popular today both in America and abroad with numerous CDs in print.[78]
Jolson has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame:
- 6622 Hollywood Blvd. for his contribution to motion pictures
- 1716 Vine St. for his mark on the recording industry
- 6750 Hollywood Blvd. for his achievements in radio
Forty-four years after Jolson's death, the United States Postal Service honored him by issuing a postage stamp. The 29-cent stamp was unveiled by Erle Jolson Krasna, Jolson's fourth wife, at a ceremony in New York City's Lincoln Center on September 1, 1994. This stamp was one of a series honoring popular American singers, which included Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Ethel Merman, and Ethel Waters. And in 2006, Jolson had a street in New York named after him with the help of the Al Jolson Society.
Legacy and influence[link]
With Irving Berlin, circa 1927
According to music historians Bruce Crowther and Mike Pinfold: "During his time he was the best known and most popular all-around entertainer America (and probably the world) has ever known, captivating audiences in the theatre and becoming an attraction on records, radio, and in films. He opened the ears of white audiences to the existence of musical forms alien to their previous understanding and experience ... and helped prepare the way for others who would bring a more realistic and sympathetic touch to black musical traditions."[79] Black songwriter Noble Sissle, in the 1930s, said "[h]e was always the champion of the Negro songwriter and performer, and was first to put Negroes in his shows". Of Jolson's "Mammy" songs, he adds, "with real tears streaming down his blackened face, he immortalized the Negro motherhood of America as no individual could."[80]
A few of the people and places that have been influenced by Jolson:
- Irving Berlin
- As the movies became a vital part of the entertainment industry, Berlin was forced to "reinvent himself as a songwriter". Biographer Laurence Bergreen wrote that Berlin's music was "Too old fashioned for progressive Broadway, his music was thoroughly up-to-date in conservative Hollywood." He had his earliest piece of luck in the first sound picture, The Jazz Singer, where Jolson performed his song "Blue Skies",[81] the first time a song was ever performed in a feature film. In 1930, he wrote the music for Jolson's fourth movie, Mammy, which included hit songs such as "Let Me Sing and I'm Happy", "Pretty Baby", and "Mammy".
- Judy Garland
- Garland had performed a tribute to Jolson in her concerts of 1951 at the London Palladium and at New York's Palace Theater. Both concerts were to become "central to this first of her many comebacks, and centered around her impersonation of Al Jolson... performing "Swanee" in her odd vocal drag of Jolson."[82] Watch
- Bing Crosby
- Music historian Richard Grudens writes that Kathryn Crosby cheerfully reviewed the chapter about her beloved Bing and his inspiration, Al Jolson. . .where Bing had written, "His chief attribute was the sort of electricity he generated when he sang. Nobody in those days did that. When he came out and started to sing, he just elevated that audience immediately. Within the first eight bars he had them in the palm of his hand."[79] In Crosby's Pop Chronicles interview, he fondly recalled seeing Jolson perform and praised his "electric delivery".[3]
- Crosby's biographer Gary Giddins wrote of Crosby's admiration for Jolson's performance style: "Bing marveled at how he seemed to personally reach each member of the audience." Crosby once told a fan, "I'm not an electrifying performer at all. I just sing a few little songs. But this man could really galvanize an audience into a frenzy. He could really tear them apart."[83]
- Tony Bennett
- "My father... took us to see one of the first talking pictures, The Singing Fool, in which Al Jolson sang "Sonny Boy". In a way, you could say that Jolson was my earliest influence as a singer. I was so excited by what I saw that I spent hours listening to Jolson and Eddie Cantor on the radio. In fact, I staged my first public performance shortly after seeing that movie... to imitate Jolson... I leaped into the living room and announced to the adults, who were staring at me in amazement, 'Me Sonny Boy!' The whole family roared with laughter."[84]
- Neil Diamond
- Journalist David Wild writes that the 1927 movie The Jazz Singer, would mirror Diamond's own life, "the story of a Jewish kid from New York who leaves everything behind to pursue his dream of making popular music in Los Angeles". Diamond says it was "the story of someone who wants to break away from the traditional family situation and find his own path. And in that sense, it 'is' my story." In 1972, Diamond gave the first solo concert performance on Broadway since Al Jolson, and starred in the 1980 remake of Jazz Singer, with Laurence Olivier and Lucie Arnaz.[85]
- Jerry Lewis
- Actor and comedian Jerry Lewis starred in a televised version (without blackface) of The Jazz Singer in 1959. Lewis's biographer, Murray Pomerance, writes that "Jerry surely had his father in mind when he remade the film", adding that Lewis himself "told an interviewer that his parents had been so poor that they could not afford to give him a bar mitzvah." In 1956, Lewis recorded "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby".[86]
- Eddie Fisher
- On a tour of the Soviet Union with his then wife, Elizabeth Taylor, Fisher wrote in his autobiography that "Khrushchev's mistress asked me to sing... I was the first American to be invited to sing in the Kremlin since Paul Robeson. The next day the Herald-Tribune headlines [read] 'Eddie Fisher Rocks the Kremlin'. I gave them my best Jolson: "Swanee", "April Showers" and finally "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody". I had the audience of Russian diplomats and dignitaries on their feet swaying with me."[87]:80 In 1951, Fisher dedicated his "smash hit" song, "Good-bye, G.I. Al," to Jolson, and presented a copy personally to Jolson's widow.[88] With one of his later wives, Connie Stevens, had a daughter, Joely Fisher, whose name honors Jolson.
- Bobby Darin
- Darin's biographer, David Evanier, writes that when Darin was a youngster, stuck at home because of rheumatic fever, "[h]e spent most of the time reading and coloring as well as listening to the big-band music and Jolson records... He started to do Jolson imitations... he was crazy about Jolson." Darin's manager, Steve Blauner, who also became a movie producer and vice president of Screen Gems, likewise began his career "as a little boy doing Al Jolson imitations after seeing The Jolson Story 13 times ..."[89]:58
- Ernest Hemingway
- In his memoirs, A Movable Feast, Ernest Hemingway wrote that "Zelda Fitzgerald... leaned forward and said to me, telling me her great secret, 'Ernest, don't you think Al Jolson is greater than Jesus?'" [90]:186
- State of California
- According to California historians Stephanie Barron and Sheri Bernstein, "few artists have done as much to publicize California as did Al Jolson" who performed and wrote the lyrics for "California, Here I Come".[91] It is considered the unofficial song of the Golden State.[92]
- Mario Lanza
- Mario Lanza's biographer, Armando Cesari, writes that Lanza's "favorite singers included Al Jolson, Lena Horne, Tony Martin and Toni Arden."[93]
- Jerry Lee Lewis
- According to singer and songwriter Jerry Lee Lewis, "there were only four true American originals: Al Jolson, Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams, and Jerry Lee Lewis."[94] "I loved Al Jolson," he said. "I still got all of his records. Even back when I was a kid I listened to him all the time."[95]
- Rod Stewart
- British singer and songwriter Rod Stewart, during an interview in 2003, was asked, "What is your first musical memory?" Stewart replied: "Al Jolson, from when we used to have house parties around Christmas or birthdays. We had a small grand piano and I used to sneak downstairs... I think it gave me a very, very early love of music."[96]
- David Lee Roth
- Songwriter and lead singer of the rock group Van Halen, was asked during an interview in 1985, "When did you first decide that you wanted to go into show business?" He replied, "I was seven. I said I wanted to be Al Jolson. Those were the only records I had -- a collection of the old breakable 78s. I learned every song and then the moves, which I saw in the movies."[97]
- Jackie Wilson
- African-American singer Jackie Wilson recorded a tribute album to Jolson, You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet, which included his personal liner note, "...the greatest entertainer of this or any other era... I guess I have just about every recording he's ever made, and I rarely missed listening to him on the radio.... During the three years I've been making records, I've had the ambition to do an album of songs, which, to me, represent the great Jolson heritage.. [T]his is simply my humble tribute to the one man I admire most in this business... to keep the heritage of Jolson alive."[98]
Filmography[link]
- Mammy's Boy (1923) (unfinished)
- A Plantation Act (1926)
- The Jazz Singer (1927)
- The Singing Fool (1928)
- Hollywood Snapshots No. 11 (1929) (short subject)
- Sonny Boy (1929) (Cameo)
- Say It with Songs (1929)
- New York Nights (1929) (Cameo)
- Mammy (1930)
- Show Girl in Hollywood (1930) (Cameo)
- Big Boy (1930)
- Hallelujah, I'm a Bum (1933)
- Wonder Bar (1934)
- Go Into Your Dance (1935)
- Paramount Headliner: Broadway Highlights No. 1 (1935) (short subject)
- The Singing Kid (1936)
- Hollywood Handicap (1938) (short subject)
- Rose of Washington Square (1939)
- Hollywood Cavalcade (1939)
- Swanee River (1939)
- Rhapsody in Blue (1945) (brief scene with Jolson in blackface introducing "Swanee")
- The Jolson Story (1946) (double and singing voice for Larry Parks with brief onscreen appearance)
- Screen Snapshots: Off the Air (1947) (short subject)
- Jolson Sings Again (1949) (singing voice for Larry Parks)
- Oh, You Beautiful Doll (1949) (voice only)
- Screen Snapshots: Hollywood's Famous Feet (1950) (short subject) (narrator)
- Memorial to Al Jolson, (1951) documentary—Columbia Pictures
- The Great Al Jolson, (1955) documentary, Columbia Pictures
Theater[link]
- La Belle Paree (1911)
- Vera Violetta (1911)
- The Whirl of Society (1912)
- The Honeymoon Express (1913)
- Children of the Ghetto (before 1915)
- Robinson Crusoe, Jr. (1916)
- Sinbad (1918)
- Bombo (1921)
- Big Boy (1925)
- Artists and Models of 1925 (1925) (added to cast in 1926)
- Big Boy (1926) (revival)
- The Wonder Bar (1931)
- Hold on to Your Hats (1940)
Famous songs[link]
- That Haunting Melodie (1911) Jolson's first hit.
- Ragging the Baby to Sleep (1912)
- The Spaniard That Blighted My Life (1912)
- That Little German Band (1913)
- You Made Me Love You (1913)
- Back to the Carolina You Love (1914)
- Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula (1916)
- I Sent My Wife to the Thousand Isles (1916)
- I'm All Bound Round With the Mason Dixon Line (1918)
- Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody (1918)
- Tell That to the Marines (1919)
- I'll Say She Does (1919)
- I've Got My Captain Working for Me Now (1919)
- Swanee (1919)
- Avalon (1920)
- O-H-I-O (O-My! O!) (1921)
- April Showers (1921)
- Angel Child (1922)
- Coo Coo' (1922)
- Oogie Oogie Wa Wa (1922)
- That Wonderful Kid From Madrid (1922)
- Toot, Toot, Tootsie (1922)
- Juanita (1923)
- California, Here I Come (1924)
- I Wonder What's Become of Sally? (1924)
- All Alone (1925)
- I'm Sitting on Top of the World (1926)
- When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along) (1926)
- My Mammy (1927)
- Back in Your Own Backyard (1928)
- There's a Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder (1928)
- Sonny Boy (1928)
- Little Pal (1929)
- Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away) (1929)
- Let Me Sing and I'm Happy (1930)
- The Cantor (A Chazend'l Ofn Shabbos) (1932)
- You Are Too Beautiful (1933)
- Ma Blushin' Rosie (1946)
- Anniversary Song (1946)
- Alexander's Ragtime Band (1947)
- Carolina in the Morning (1947)
- About a Quarter to Nine (1947)
- Waiting for the Robert E. Lee (1947)
- Golden Gate (1947)
- When You Were Sweet Sixteen (1947)
- If I Only Had a Match (1947)
- After You've Gone (1949)
- Is It True What They Say About Dixie? (1949)
- Are You Lonesome Tonight? (1950)
Discography[link]
- Al Jolson (in songs he made famous) 1946 Decca Records, Inc.
(Album No. A-469—box set of four records)
-
- "April Showers"
- "Swanee"
- "California, Here I Come"
- "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody"
- "You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want To Do It)"
- "Ma Blushin' Rosie"
- "Sonny Boy"
- "My Mammy"
- The Very Best Of Al Jolson (1977) (compilation)
Footnotes[link]
- ^ a b c d e Stars over Broadway. PBS.org.
- ^ Ruhlmann, William (1950-10-23). "All Music Guide entry". Allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/q80924. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
- ^ a b c Gilliland, John. Pop Chronicles the 40's: The Lively Story of Pop Music in the 40's. ISBN 978-1-55935-147-8. OCLC 31611854. , cassette 3, side B.
- ^ Dix, Andrew and Taylor, Jonathan. Figures of Heresy, Sussex Academic Press (2006), pg. 176; quoted from Dylan's book, Biograph (1985).
- ^ a b Stempel, Larry. Showtime: A History of the Broadway Musical Theater, W.W. Norton (2010) p. 152.
- ^ Bainbridg, Beryl. Front Row: Evenings at the Theatre, Continuum International Publishing (2005), pg. 109
- ^ a b Freedland, Michael. Al Jolson (1972)
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Oberfirst, Robert, Al Jolson, You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet, (1980) Barnes & Co., London
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Kenrick, John. "Al Jolson: A Biography" Musicals101.com. 2003.
- ^ a b Zolotow, Maurice. "Ageless Al." Reader's Digest. January, 1949.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Goldman, Herbert G., Jolson -– the Legend Comes to Life, (1988) Oxford Univ. Press
- ^ "Benefit Performance: 'Bombo' to Be Given at Century in Aid of Jewish War Sufferers" New York Times, March 10, 1922
- ^ "AL JOLSON WELCOMED BACK.; He Returns to the Winter Garden in "Bombo," With New Jokes." New York Times, May 15, 1923
- ^ a b Rowland-Warne, L. (2000-06-01). "Eyewitness: Costume". DK CHILDREN. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0789455862. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
- ^ Lott, Eric. Love and Theft: Blackface Minstrelsy and the American Working Class. Oxford University Press. 1993.[1]
- ^ a b c Alexander, Michael. Jazz Age Jews, Princeton University Press (2003)
- ^ a b Norwood, Stephen Harlan, and Pollack, Eunice G. Encyclopedia of American Jewish History, ABC-CLIO, Inc. (2008)
- ^ Rogin, Michael. Blackface, White Noise: Jewish Immigrants in the Hollywood Melting Pot, Univ. of California Press (1996) p. 197
- ^ "''African American Registry''". Aaregistry.com. http://www.aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/ku-klux-klan-brief-biography. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
- ^ a b c Ciolino, Joseph, "Al Jolson Wasn’t Racist!"Black Star News, May 22, 2007
- ^ Freedland, Michael. "You couldn't have Al Jolson any other way" Timesonline, Feb. 27, 2009
- ^ Hill, Anthony Duane. "Anderson, Garland (1886-1939)" Black Past.org.
- ^ "''Gioia, Ted, ''New York Times'', October 22, 2000". Ferris.edu. http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/links/jolson/. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
- ^ Rose, Al. Eubie Blake, Macmillan (1979) pp. 67-68
- ^ Musser, Charles. "Why did Negroes Love Al Jolson and the Jazz Singer?", Film History, Indiana Univ. Press (2011) p. 206
- ^ "Tap Dance Hall of Fame". Atdf.org. http://www.atdf.org/awards/legon.html. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
- ^ Frank, Rusty E. Tap! The Greatest Tap Dance Stars and Their Stories, 1900 – 1955, Da Capo Press (1995)
- ^ "Past/Present/Future for … Brian Conley." What's on Stage, June 23, 2008.
- ^ "Al Jolson Society Official Website". Jolson.org. http://www.jolson.org/. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
- ^ Gulla, Bob. Icons of R&B and Soul: An Encyclopedia of the Artists, Greenwood Press (2008) p. 133
- ^ Baraka, Amiri (as LeRoi Jones), Blues People: Negro Music in White America, (1963) Morrow
- ^ a b c d Freedland, Michael. Jolson - The Story of Al Jolson (1972, 2007)
- ^ Shepherd, John. Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World, Continuum International Publishing Group (2003)
- ^ Interview with George Jessel, circa 1980, video—2 minutes.
- ^ Hall, Mourdant. New York Times review of The Jazz Singer, Oct. 7, 1927 [2]
- ^ Epstein, Helen. Joe Papp: An American Life, Da Capo Press (1996) pgs.28-29
- ^ a b c Eyman, Scott. The Speed of Sound: Hollywood and the Talkie Revolution, 1926 – 1930, Simon and Schuster (1997)
- ^ Berg, A. Scott. Goldwyn: A Biography, Alfred A. Knopf (1998)
- ^ "This Is Work, Not Play." Newsweek. June 28, 1999
- ^ Mast, Gerald, and Kawin, Bruce F. A Short History of the Movies, (2006) Pearson Education, Inc.
- ^ Williams, Linda. Melodramas of Black and White from Uncle Top to O. J. Simpson, Princeton University Press (2002)
- ^ a b Carringer, Robert. L. The Jazz Singer (1979) University of Wisconsin Press
- ^ UCLA Film and Television Archive Newsletter April/May 2002.
- ^ Kovan, Florice Whyte. Some Notes on Ben Hecht's Civil Rights Work, the Klan and Related Projects BenHechtBooks.net.
- ^ Hall, Mourdaunt. New York Times. February 9, 1933. p. 15.
- ^ Gilliatt, Penelope. New Yorker. June 23, 1973.
- ^ a b c Fisher, James. Al Jolson: A Bio-bibliography (1994)
- ^ Abel, Variety. March 6, 1934.
- ^ "At the University", Harvard Crimson, May 21, 1934.
- ^ Calloway, Cab. Of Minnie the Moocher & Me, Thomas Y. Crowell Company (1976)
- ^ Nugent, Frank S., New York Times, May 6, 1939 p.21
- ^ Abel. Variety. May 10, 1939, p. 14
- ^ "The Jolson Story" review, Liberty, Oct. 19, 1946
- ^ "A Tribute by Larry Parks" Jolsonville
- ^ Variety, Sept. 18, 1946, p. 16
- ^ a b c d Gabbard, Krin. Jammin' at the Margins, (1996) University of Chicago Press
- ^ Custen, George. Bio/Pics: How Hollywood Constructed Public History, (1992) Rutgers University Press
- ^ a b Abramson, Martin, The Real Story of Al Jolson. 1950.
- ^ a b Woolf, S.J. "Army Minstrel." New York Times. September 27, 1942.
- ^ Morehouse, Ward. Hartford Courant, September 20, 1942
- ^ "Broadcast Yourself". YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC8ZmBIouzQ. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
- ^ Cosmopolitan Magazine, January 1951.
- ^ Dutton, John. The Forgotten Punch in the Army's Fist: Korea 1950-1953, Ken Anderson, (2003), p. 98
- ^ Spurr, Russell. Enter the Dragon: China's Undeclared War Against the U.S. in Korea, 1950-51, Newmarket Press, N.Y. (1998) p. 281
- ^ Cooke, Alistair. "Al Jolson dies on crest of a wave." The Guardian (UK). October 25, 1950.
- ^ Livingstone, Mary. Jack Benny, Doubleday (1978) p. 184-185
- ^ "Jolson to Return to Screen at R.K.O." New York Times, October 11, 1950
- ^ Kusinitz, Kevin. "Celebrity Endorsements." The Daily Standard, May 23, 2008.
- ^ King, Alan. Name Dropping, Simon and Schuster (1997)
- ^ Marilyn Monroe Dyed Here - More Locations of America's Pop Culture Landmarks by Chris Epting, pg. 187
- ^ Jolson in Korea, Video, 9 min
- ^ Winchell, Walter. A Song for Al Jolson. jolsonville.com. October, 1950
- ^ Jessel, George (1950-10-26). "The Majesty of Jolie". Archived from the original on 2008-10-27. http://jolsonville.com/eulogies/by-george-jessel/.
- ^ "''Al Jolson Tribute'' site". Jolsonville.com. http://jolsonville.com/. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
- ^ Brody, Seymour (1996). "Al Jolson". Jewish Heroes & Heroines of America : 150 True Stories of American Jewish Heroism. Jewishvirtuallibrary.org. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/jolson.html. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
- ^ Al Jolson and The Jazz Singer wins 1st Prize Nov. 15, 2008
- ^ A Look at Al Jolson, winner at German film festival November, 2007
- ^ "Al Jolson: Music". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/s?url=search-alias%3Dpopular&field-keywords=Al+Jolson. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
- ^ a b Crowther, Bruce, and Pinfold, Mike. Singing Jazz: The Singers and Their Styles, Hal Leonard Corp. (1997)
- ^ Knight, Arthur. Disintegrating the Musical: Black Performance and American Musical film, Duke Univ. Press (2002)
- ^ Bergreen, Laurence. As Thousands Cheer: The Life of Irving Berlin, Da Capo Press (1996)
- ^ Whitfield, Stephen J., In Search of American Jewish Culture, Brandeis Univ. Press (2001)
- ^ Giddins, Gary. Bing Crosby: A Pocketful of Dreams, Back Bay (2002)
- ^ Bennett, Tony and Friedwald, Will. The Good Life, Simon and Schuster (1998)
- ^ Wild, David. He Is ... I say: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Neil Diamond, Da Capo Press (2008)
- ^ Pomerance, Murray. Enfant Terrible: Jerry Lewis in American Film, New York University Press (2002)
- ^ Fisher, Eddie. Been There, Done That: An Autobiography, Macmillan (2000)
- ^ Billboard, April 14, 1951, p. 25
- ^ Evanier, David. Roman Candle: The Life of Bobby Darin, Rodale (2004)
- ^ Hemingway, Ernest. A Moveable Feast, Scribner (1964)
- ^ Barron, Stephanie, and Bernstein, Sheri. Reading California Art, Image, and Identity, Univ. of California Press (2001)
- ^ Studwell, William E. and Schueneman, Bruce R., State Songs of the United States: An Annotated Anthology, Haworth Press (1977)
- ^ Cesari, Armando. Mario Lanza: An American Tragedy, Baskerville Publishers (2004), p. 80
- ^ Rolling Stone Magazine, Interviews, Oct. 19, 2006
- ^ Giddins, Gary. Visions of Jazz: The First Century, Oxford Univ. Press (1998) p. 17
- ^ Rolling Stone Magazine, Interviews, Oct. 30, 2003
- ^ Rolling Stone Magazine Interviews, April 11, 1985
- ^ Giddins, Gary. Rhythm-a-ning: Jazz Tradition and Innovation, Da Capo (2000), pp. 148-49
Further reading[link]
- Young, Jordan R. (1999). The Laugh Crafters: Comedy Writing in Radio & TV's Golden Age. Beverly Hills: Past Times Publishing. ISBN 0-940410-37-0.
External links[link]
|
Wikisource has original works written by or about: |
|
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Al Jolson |
- Al Jolson at the Internet Movie Database
- Al Jolson at the Internet Broadway Database
- PBS "Stars over Broadway"
- Collected works of Al Jolson at the Internet Archive
- Newsreel including Jolson's death and funeral (from the Internet Archive)
- Tribute to Al Jolson
- International Al Jolson Society
- Documentary about Al Jolson and the making of The Jazz Singer
- The Immortal Al Jolson at the Family History Museum
- Al Jolson at Virtual History
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Jolson, Al |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | |
| Date of birth | May 26, 1886 |
| Place of birth | Seredžius, Grodno Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Date of death | October 23, 1950 |
| Place of death | San Francisco, California, U.S. |
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