The World's Greatest Minstrel

Clive with

Samuel Raphaelson

by Lenore Baldwin

It must have been sometime in 1974 that we first met up with the ingenious playwright SAMSON RAPHAELSON, author of 'THE JAZZ SINGER' and his delightful and charming wife, DORSHKA RAPHAELSON. Clive and I were in New York to see about some Jolson show with Pearl Sieben. All the glitz and glamour of the Great White Way was dazzling us with the promise of instant stardom and we were flying high. It suddenly dawned upon us that Mr. Raphaelson was the one to see to get the rights to do 'THE JAZZ SINGER'. Made a lost of sense to us then, still does. This was long before Neil Diamond decided to do a movie of the Jazz Singer. So, since at the time I was representing myself and Lenore Lanfield, it also made sense to call Mr. R at his residence, introduce myself and go into my story about Clive being the living voice of Jolson, only in those days we said something else. Equally as impressive, I'm sure. So call I did, but, was never prepared for the response that came over the 'phone. 'LANFIELD' he repeated, 'LENORE LANFIELD' he said again, 'any relation to Sidney Lanfield', he queried. Well, I sat back, took a breath and in my squeakiest, 'knock me over with a feather' voice, replied, 'Yes, I'm his niece.' That was just the right thing to say, apparently, and the truth as well. Sidney Lanfield coincidentally was a very famous Director in Hollywood for many years and along with his other credits, like directing Bob Hope in 'The Lemon-Drop Kid', directed 'Swanee River' starring Al Jolson among others! Turns out my uncle Sidney bought the Raphaelson's home in California when the Raphaelson's moved back east. So, with a 'family tie' well in place, I went on to hustle an invite to meet this wonderful man. And we did. As he was indeed wonderful and so was Dorshka.

That began a ten-year love affair between the four of us. He could not get over Clive. Could not get enough of him. Each time we came to New York we visited with them in their lovely apartment overlooking Central Park and Rafe, as we lovingly called him would set up his microphones and have Clive sing for him. And the stories he told us, and Dorshka also had her 'Jolie' stories to tell. She knew him well, met him as a chorus girl in three of his most famous Broadway shows, 'Sinbad', 'Bombo' and 'Big Boy'. She was amused to remember that he kept an eye out for her, she was very young, beautiful and Jewish and his paternal instincts were in full bloom. He would put her in a taxi after the show was over and keep her from the philandering attentions of all the wistful 'stage-door johnnies' that gathered backstage at the end of each performance. He even kept her from the late night supper at the apartment of her future husband. Such was his caring for this lovely lady. Their friendship remained strong over the years.

On one of our visits Clive and I asked Rafe why, if he had, as indeed he said he had, written the 'Jazz Singer' about Al Jolson did Georgie Jessel play the part on Broadway. He told us that as far as he knew Al had been offered the part but had refused it saying he did not want to do a dramatic role. He was much preferred his well acclaimed Broadway musicals. So Jessel got the part and on opening night Jolson and the Raphaelson's went to see the show. Well, at the end of the performance when Jessel came out for bows and asked the audience 'how did you like my little show?' ... Al Jolson stood up from the audience and began clapping and ringing out with 'Author, Author'. Whereupon Samson Raphaelson stood up and took the bows that were rightfully his. That's our Al.

In 1975 Pearl Sieben organized the very first international Al Jolson Society Convention at the Barbizon Plaza in New York City. Naturally, Clive was to perform as the star of the evening and we invited the Raphaelson's to this really fancy 'do'. Arthur Tracey and Will Jordan were there as well known crooner Lanny Ross, among many others.

We spent many enchanting afternoons and evenings with this delightful couple and about 1979 Rafe gave us the rights to perform 'The Jazz Singer' as a radio show in Florida. We did this in the spring of 1980 for a year long run. Don't tell a soul, folks, but the part of Mary the Shiksa (Jewish name for non-Jewish girl) was played by ME. Loved every minute of it. Jakie Rabinowitz never sounded better. Rafe told us that in the original play and then later in Al's 1927 movie of the 'Jazz Singer', which of course we all know was the world's first talking picture, he never really wanted a lot of songs. It was a straight play, and although Al Jolson sang a few songs, it was mostly not a musical. And then he met Clive and after a long time, told us that if we did the show he would like to have many more sings so that the world could get to appreciate Clive's great talent as much as he did.

We all suffered a great loss when Rafe passed away. Dorshka, now his widow graced our New York Centennial Convention with her presence and we have remained friends since. In March of 1998 Clive will be appearing at a Cabaret Theatre in New York and the charming Dorshka will once again be our guest.