All About Al Goodman

August 12 was the birthday of Al Goodman (1890-1972), a musical director for Broadway, radio, and television, especially associated with the shows of Al Jolson and Bert Lahr.

Goodman was the son of a cantor, born in a portion of Ukraine that was at the time claimed by the Russian Empire. The family fled the pogroms that were erupting at the time and wound up in Baltimore. Goodman attended the Peabody Conservatory and played in nickelodeons in his youth.

Earl Carroll is the one who entice him to working for Broadway. Goodman wielded the baton on nearly 60 shows between 1917 and 1940 including several editions of The Passing Show, The Whirl of New York (1921), Bombo (1921), Artists and Models (1924, 1925), Good News (1927), Flying High (1930), George White’s Scandals (1932), Hot-Cha (1932), Strike Me Pink (1933), Life Begins with 8:40 (1934), and Hold On To Your Hats (1940).

On radio he worked on such shows as Al Goodman’s Musical Album, The Bob Hope Show,The Fred Allen Show, , Texaco Star Theater, Your Hit Parade and The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air, and dozens of others. His television credits include Colgate Comedy Hour,The Donald O’Connor Show, Fireball Fun for All, et al. His last credit was a 1955 episode of The Life of Riley.

For more on show biz history consult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, and stay tuned for my upcomingElectric Vaudeville: A Century of Radio and TV Variety.