At the height of his career Al Jolson was considered to be the worlds greatest entertainer ever. He was the star of the first talking film and went on to star in several musical films after that. Many influential musicians have even cited his impact on their lives and work throughout the years. It seems that he was simply one of the absolute best to ever come along and in this day and age unfortunately it’s starting to be seen that people like Jolson are being forgotten. Those that want something fresh, new, and vibrant don’t seem to recognize that folks like Jolson made this new stuff possible by pioneering new ways to sing, play music, and perform back in their day. Those that do understand his importance and enjoy his works however are those that manage to convey his genius and contributions in a way that will make sure that his memory is kept alive.
You don’t have a future without a past after all.
5. Leatherheads-Toot Toot Tootsie Goodbye
This was when football was far more extreme than anything we might see now. It might have seemed like the guys didn’t hit as hard, or that they couldn’t have possibly been as skilled. But the truth of it is that they were fighting for everything on the field, their spot on the team, the chance to play, and the chance to simply show up and enjoy the sport they cared about. Back in those days it wasn’t all about the money, it was about the chance to play. There was a lot more trickery involved however and the rules weren’t quite as set. In order to bring the sport to what it is now those that came before had to work a lot harder and endure a lot more in order to make sure that the NFL would become what it is today.
4. Bullets Over Broadway-Toot Toot Tootsie Goodbye
It takes a lot of avarice sometimes to do what you feel is wrong but find a way around that to accomplish something anyway. The point of show business after all is to get ahead in the minds of some people and that means doing anything and everything to get it done, even if it happens to be unethical. So long as no one knows what’s going on behind the scenes though everything should be okay, right? This almost seems like a bit of how the industry came to be the way it is today, but seriously, no one would ever admit this. Why give up all the secrets in the bag?
3. Jacob’s Ladder-Sonny Boy
The mind tends to want to hold on even after the body has let go, meaning that the longer you stick around the more torment you’re bound to feel. Jacob had no idea that he’d already checked out, which is a testament to just how strong the mind can be when it wants so desperately to believe something. Unfortunately the mind is also adept at torturing itself over and over without end if left to its own devices. The film is also seen to push the issue of whether or not the US government does in fact test out new drugs on its soldiers as a way to find out just what they’ll do, which is highly controversial but not entirely unknown.
2. King Kong-On Top of the World
Despite the time period it still seems odd to hear a song such as this paired with a movie like King Kong. But it does keep the slightly whimsical and very accurate feel of the era. After all the big ape did come to life a long time ago and was set in a time when such music was the norm. The story however is something that is quite popular in relation to the music that serves as a background. After all King Kong was something of a find back in the day when he was first created. Merian C. Cooper, the creator of King Kong, did this pretty simply since he had a serious interest in primates and simply wanted to make a horror show about a giant ape. That’s basically how this movie came to be.
1. M.A.S.H.-Me and My Shadow
In almost every sitcom ever made there has always been a pair of friends that either cause a great deal of trouble together or are simply inseparable. Hawkeye and Trapper didn’t always cause trouble, but they did manage to irritate and annoy a lot of people on the show in many different and innovative ways. Their antics however usually had a point to them no matter if no one else could see it. But throughout it all they proved to be the best of friends and managed to lift one another up on a continual basis.
Al Jolson, let’s remember the name.
