By Steve Crum

The following images were culled from both “The Kansas City Times” and “The Kansas City Star” from 1909-11. (Both newspapers were owned by the same company, with the “Times” being the morning edition and the “Star,” the evening.) 

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After Jolson left Dockstader in May, 1909, he hit the UBO vaudeville circuit, beginning July 19. His last date in vaudeville was Feb. 20-25, 1911 at Hammerstein’s Victoria in New York City. That location rings bells for “Jolson Story” fans since it is depicted in the film that Jolson makes his breakthrough at Hammerstein’s by maneuvering his way on stage to sing “My Mammy.” 

Before he played Hammerstein’s, however, Jolie was a single in Kansas City at the Orpheum, Dec. 4-10, 1910. Billed as “Al. Jolson, Late Star Dockstader’s Minstrels,” he gets billing just below the headlining Dinkle-Speil’s Christmas. 

A note for the keen eye: The Dec. 5, 1910 display ad for Jolson’s single act (with Dinklespeil’s Christmas) includes a curiosity. Three ads below Jolson’s is a promo for Shubert’s “The Jolly Bachelors.” The star, Stella Mayhew, would four months later co-star with Jolson in Jolie’s first Shubert musical, “La Belle Paree.” She would continue performing with him in Jolson’s next two Shubert shows, “Vera Violetta” and “The Whirl of Society.”

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A thought in perspective: Think about it. It has been over a century since these Jolson events occurred.

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Coming in Part 4: Jolson’s Broadway theater break in “The Whirl of Society.”