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Eddie Cantor

 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Eddie Cantor
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(born Jan. 31, 1892, New York, N.Y., U.S. — died Oct. 10, 1964, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Calif.) U.S. comedian and singer. As a child, Cantor clowned and sang for coins on street corners in his native New York City. He dropped out of elementary school, could not keep a job because of his irrepressible clowning, and soon went into vaudeville as a blackface song-and-dance man. He toured with Florenz Ziegfeld's Follies and the Shuberts. He appeared in several Broadway reviews, and from 1923 to 1926 he was a star in Kid Boots. From 1931 Cantor performed for 18 years on The Chase and Sanborn Hour as a standup comedian. His films include Roman Scandals (1933) and Strike Me Pink (1936). In the 1950s he hosted a television show.

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American Theater Guide: Eddie Cantor
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Cantor, Eddie [né Isidore Itzkowitz] (1892–1964), comedian and singer. The slim, jumpy, pop‐eyed performer was born in New York and won an amateur night contest at Miner's Bowery Theatre when he was fourteen. A year later he first performed in professional vaudeville at the Clinton Music Hall, working as a singing waiter when bookings were unavailable. In 1914 he went to England, where he played more vaudeville and made his legitimate debut in Not Likely. Returning to America he played a blackface chauffeur in the touring Canary Cottage (1916), catching the eye of Florenz Ziegfeld who signed him to perform in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1917. Playing in blackface with an all‐too‐innocent leer, rolling his eyes, and finishing by prancing off waving a handkerchief, he scored a hit with “That's the Kind of Baby for Me.” Further successful appearances followed in the 1918 and 1919 editions of the Follies (introducing Irving Berlin's “You'd Be Surprised” in the latter), Brevities (1920), and Make It Snappy (1922). In the last revue he introduced his celebrated skit in which he played a mousy tailor whose customer demands a coat with a belt in the back. The “belt” the customer received was not the sort he expected. After a brief stint in the Follies of 1923, Cantor returned to book musicals with Kid Boots (1923) and Whoopee (1928), beginning his successful movie career re‐creating the last on the screen. After many years in Hollywood and on national radio, he made his final Broadway appearance in a musical version of Three Men on a Horse, called Banjo Eyes (1941). Among the many songs with which he was associated were “Dinah,” “Makin' Whoopee,” “Ida,” “If You Knew Susie,” and “Margie.” Autobiographies: My Life Is in Your Hands, 1927; Take My Life, 1957.

Biography: Eddie Cantor
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Eddie Cantor (1892-1964) was a singer and comedian in vaudeville and on stage and a radio and film star.

Eddie Cantor was born Isador Iskowitz on January 31, 1892, in the Lower East Side of New York City. His parents died before he reached the age of two, and he was raised by his maternal grandmother, Esther. Due to his poverty, Cantor was forced to drop out of school before he reached the sixth grade. He took on a variety of odd jobs - delivery boy, shooting gallery attendant, and, finally, performing in the streets for small change. At the age of 16 Cantor was in an amateur singing contest in which he won $5.00. He subsequently became a singing waiter in a saloon in Coney Island in which Jimmy Durante played the piano.

Cantor's first vaudeville appearance was in 1907 at the Old Clinton Music Hall in which he played with the juggling team Bedini and Arthur. He was picked up by Gus Edwards and played in his Kid Kabaret along with George Jessel and Lila Lee. In 1914 Cantor made his first London appearance at the Alhambra in Not Likely. He also pursued his vaudeville career in the act "Cantor and Lee" with Lila Lee from Edwards' company.

In 1916 Cantor made his first appearance in musical comedy with a minor role in Canary Cottage in Los Angeles. He also toured the same year playing the role of Sam in US. Cantor's big break came in 1917 when Florenz Ziegfeld, the famous theater impresario, hired him for his midnight revue, The Frolics. He rapidly moved to a featured role in Ziegfeld's Follies and success on the Broadway stage.

Cantor's association with Ziegfeld was a long and fruitful one for both of them. He starred in the Follies of 1917 through 1919. However, a rift occurred in their relations in 1919 when Cantor took an aggressive stand against management as one of the founders of Actor's Equity, a newly formed actors' union.

During his conflict with Ziegfeld Cantor worked for the rival producers the Shubert brothers. He was a great success in their productions of Broadway Brevities (1920), She Don't Wanna (1921), and Make It Snappy (1922). Finally Ziegfeld and Cantor resolved their conflict and Cantor returned to star in Kid Boots (1923), directed by Ziegfeld on Broadway. In this show Cantor played a clever caddie at a golf resort who sold golf lessons and, on the side, bootleg whiskey. This was his first full-length part on Broadway, and it proved to audiences and producers alike that his act could carry an entire show. In 1927 he was a smashing success in his return to Ziegfeld's Follies, and in the following year he starred in another Ziegfeld musical comedy, Whoopee. In Whoopee Cantor played the part of Henry Williams, a chronic hypochondriac travelling to a dude ranch. He sang "Makin' Whoopee," one of his all time favorite songs, and the success of this show led Eddie Cantor to film stardom.

Cantor had made his first film in 1911 in a test talking picture. In Widow at the Races he starred with his friend George Jessel and was directed by none other than Thomas Edison. He started working seriously in film in 1926 (Kid Boots), but it was Whoopee (1930) which made him a film star. Among his best films were Palmy Days (1931), Kid from Spain (1932), Roman Scandals (1933), and Kid Millions (1934).

In 1931 Cantor had returned to the stage at the Palace (an old vaudeville house) and headed the bill with George Jessel. The show, which also starred the famous comedy team of Burns and Allen, was so popular that it was held over for six weeks. His next stage role was in Banjo Eyes (which became his nickname) in 1942.

Cantor frequently appeared on stage in blackface with a straw hat, wire-rimmed glasses, white gloves, black tie, and tight checked trousers. He had large popping eyes and used fast, mincing steps, jumping-jack antics, and hand clapping. He was known for his Jewish humor, for which he employed a Yiddish accent. In one sketch he announced, "I'd go to war for my mother country, Russia - darkest Russia - for all my relatives there, General Walkowitch, Hzkowitch, Eczema" When he was questioned about Eczema he answered, "Yes, that's another itch."

In addition to his stage and film career Cantor was host of the Chase and Sanborne Hour (1931), a popular radio show, and of the Eddie Cantor Show (1935-1939). He also made many recordings and wrote several books. He was coauthor of Silks and Satins and author of such humorous books as Earl Carroll's Sketch Book, Your Next President, Caught Short: A Saga of Wailing Wall Street, Between the Acts, Who's Hooey, and World's Book of Best Jokes. With David Freedman he paid tribute to his mentor in Ziegfeld, the Great Glorifier. Cantor wrote two autobiographies, My Life Is in Your Hands (1928) and Take My Life (1930). He was also host of the television show The Colgate Comedy Hour. His life was recorded on film in 1953 in The Eddie Cantor Story, and in 1956 he was awarded a special Oscar for distinguished service to the motion picture industry.

Cantor was admired as a tireless, conscientious humanitarian. His outspoken criticism of what he called fascist government officials resulted in his being blacklisted for a year (1931). Nevertheless, always appreciated for his modesty, kindness, and generosity, he was granted, in 1951, an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by Temple University.

He was dedicated to many charities. Among his favorites were a summer camp for poor children, the March of Dimes (which he helped to create), and various Jewish causes. In 1962 the State of Israel gave him the Medallion of Valor for his extraordinary efforts on behalf of that nation.

He was a devoted family man who married his childhood sweetheart, Ida Tobias. They had five daughters. Cantor died October 10, 1964, at the age of 72.

Further Reading

Biographies of Eddie Cantor can be found in Daniel Blum's Great Stars (1952); Anthony Slide's The Vaudevillians (1981); and John Parker, editor, Who's Who in the Theatre, 9th edition, (1939).

The World of Flo Ziegfeld (1974) by Randolph Carter and On with the Show (1976) by R. C. Toll shed light on Cantor's career with Ziegfeld. The Palace (1969) by Marian Spitzer gives a description of his return to vaudeville in 1931.

Additional Sources

Koseluk, Gregory, Eddie Cantor: a life in show business, Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 1995.

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: Eddie Cantor
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Cantor, Eddie, 1892-1964, American entertainer, b. New York City, originally named Edward Israel Isskowitz. Cantor became one of the best-known theatrical figures of his day. His style was typified by lively footwork, rolling eyes, and an utterly individual singing voice. On stage from 1907 and a Ziegfeld star from 1916, Cantor had numerous movie successes and a series of his own radio and television shows.

Bibliography

See his autobiographical My Life Is in Your Hands (1928) and As I Remember Them (1963).

Quotes By: Eddie Cantor
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Quotes:

"It takes twenty years to become an overnight success."

Artist: Eddie Cantor
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Eddie Cantor

Similar Artists:

Billy Murray, Al Jolson, Van & Schenck, Russ Columbo, Bert Williams, Al Bowlly, Jimmy Durante, Fanny Brice, Rudy Vallée, Bing Crosby, Happiness Boys, George Formby, Nick Lucas, Frank Crumit, W.C. Fields, Noël Coward

Performed Songs By:

Ted Fiorito, James F. Hanley, Benny Davis, Harry Akst, Joe Young, Joseph Meyer, Harry Ruby, Bert Kalmar, Gus Kahn, Walter Donaldson, B.G. DeSylva, Con Conrad, Irving Caesar, Irving Berlin

Worked With:

Brian Gari
See Eddie Cantor Lyrics
  • Born: January 31, 1892, New York, NY
  • Died: October 10, 1964, Hollywood, CA
  • Active: '10s, '20s, '30s, '40s, '50s
  • Genres: Vocal Music
  • Instrument: Vocals, Main Performer, Performer
  • Representative Albums: "Makin' Whoopee with "Banjo Eyes"," "Rare Early Recordings (1919-1921)," "The Columbia Years: 1922-1940"
  • Representative Songs: "Makin' Whoopee," "Mandy," "If You Knew Susie (Like I Kno"

Biography

No other entertainer proved successful in as many fields as Eddie Cantor during the 1920s and '30s. Nicknamed Banjo Eyes and the Apostle of Pep for his endless reserves of energy and showmanship (he would literally jump around the stage while performing his favorite numbers), he began his career touring in vaudeville, was promoted to the more legitimate theatre of Florenz Ziegfeld's Follies, recorded many hits for Columbia, translated the success to film during the late '20s, became the biggest radio star of the 1930s with the Chase & Sanborn Hour, and later moved to television as well.

Similar to many stars of that period, Eddie Cantor was born into humble circumstances on New York's Lower East Side. The son of Jewish immigrants from Russia, he was orphaned at the age of three and sent to live with his nearby grandmother. While working odd jobs for local merchants, Cantor began singing and juggling in the streets for money, and soon moved to talent contests early in his teens. His first professional spot was on Gus Edwards' vaudeville youth act, Kid Kabaret, where he began doing an impression of Eddie Leonard singing "Ida, Sweet as Apple Cider" (he later revived the standard continually as a tribute to his wife, Ida Tobias). Cantor began working the vaudeville circuit and while in Los Angeles, he caught the eye of songwriter Earl Carroll, who found a job for him with his theater show Canary Cottage.

Cantor's next step up was a big one; Florenz Ziegfeld, one of the most important stage producers in America, convinced him to come back to New York to take a part in his Midnight Frolic (the energetic Cantor even followed his nightly performance with a vaudeville show elsewhere). After graduating to the popular Ziegfeld Follies of 1917, Cantor soon became one of the most successful actors in the country, and his recording of "That's the Kind of Baby for Me" on Victor (from the Follies) became popular late in 1917. Cantor also appeared in the Follies of 1918 and 1919, and though Ziegfeld abrubtly fired him in 1920 for his part in a strike by the Actor's Equity Association that forced closure of Broadway theaters, Cantor proved that he didn't need the producer to stay successful. Recording for Emerson Records from 1920 to 1922, Cantor remained in the spotlight with several popular songs, including one of the most popular of 1921, "Margie," plus "Palesteena" and "Snoops, The Lawyer." He also starred in two productions by one of Ziegeld's main rivals, the Shuberts. All this was enough for the unusually stubborn Ziegfeld to hire him back by 1923. During the rest of the Roaring Twenties, Cantor cemented his popularity, recording several hits for Columbia Records ("No, No, Nora," "If You Knew Susie," "Makin' Whoopee") and appearing in his own production, Kid Boots -- adapted into his first silent picture by 1927 -- and the Ziegfeld productions Follies of 1927 and Whoopee!

Cantor was made a millionaire from his performances (though mostly from Whoopee!), but he was nearly ruined in the stock market crash of 1929. (He recouped much of his income by writing about his experiences in the book Caught Short.) Early in the '30s, Cantor moved into radio, and soon became one of the most popular radio stars of the decade. His movie career took off as well: Cantor signed a contract with Samuel Goldwyn to re-make Whoopee! in 1930 (it was the first in a line of early-'30s Cantor-Goldwyn teamings with show-stopping choreography by Busby Berkeley), and appeared in at least one film per year throughout the decade. Cantor also supported the war effort vigorously, entertaining troops in Europe and forming the March of Dimes with President Franklin Roosevelt. He also served as president of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Radio Artists.

Cantor's transition from radio to television was briefly successful; he guest-hosted NBC's Colgate Comedy Hour> but suffered a heart attack in 1952, the same year Hollywood produced The Eddie Cantor Story. Another heart attack forced him into retirement, though he occasionally surfaced for guest appearances. Cantor died in 1964 of a third heart attack. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
Actor: Eddie Cantor
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  • Born: Jan 31, 1892 in New York City, New York
  • Died: Oct 10, 1964 in Beverly Hills, California
  • Occupation: Actor, Writer
  • Active: '20s-'50s, '80s
  • Major Genres: Comedy, Musical
  • Career Highlights: Roman Scandals, The Kid from Spain, Whoopee!
  • First Major Screen Credit: A Few Moments with Eddie Cantor (1923)

Biography

Entertainer Eddie Cantor, he of the "banjo eyes" and boundless hyperkinetic energy, was born on New York's Lower East Side to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents. Orphaned early on, Eddie was raised by his maternal grandmother Esther, who supported herself and her grandson as a door-to-door peddler. After winning $5 at a Bowery Theatre Amateur Night, the teenaged Cantor knew where his destiny lay. He lived a hand-to-mouth existence as a vaudeville performer, singing waiter, and blackface comedian in Gus Edwards' famous schoolroom ensemble act. Though moderately successful as a comic singer, Cantor didn't truly hit the big time until he was hired for Ziegfeld's Midnight Frolics in 1916. He stayed with the Ziegfeld Follies throughout the 1920s, and also starred in the producer's "book" shows Kid Boots and Whoopee. In addition to his expertly timed comic patter, Cantor achieved fame by introducing such songs as "If You Knew Susie," "Dinah," "Makin' Whoopee," and of course, "Ida," a paean to his wife of 49 years, Ida Tobias. After making his movie debut in a DeForest Phonofilm talking short subject in 1922, Cantor starred in a brace of enjoyable silent films, Kid Boots (1926) and Special Delivery (1927). His best Hollywood years were spent under contract to Samuel Goldwyn, where Eddie turned out one big-budget musical comedy per year between 1930 and 1936: Whoopee (1930), Palmy Days (1931), The Kid From Spain (1932), Roman Scandals (1933), Kid Millions (1934), and Strike Me Pink (1936). Unfortunately, most of his post-Goldwyn films seemed like hokey, outdated rehashes of his earlier films. Though his movie career faltered, Cantor remained popular throughout the 1940s on his long-running radio program, where he clowned with such stooges as announcer Harry Von Zell, violinist Rubinoff, and Bert "Mad Russian" Gordon. The offstage Cantor was not perfect, but most of the man's character flaws have been forgotten in the light of his inexhaustible work on behalf of dozens of charities, most prominently the March of Dimes. He also regularly put his career on the line through his union activities with Actors Equity, the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Radio Artists, and flew in the face of bigotry and anti-Semitics through his work with the B'nai Brith and Jewish Relief. Though slowed down by a heart attack in 1953, Cantor kept his hand in whenever possible, even hosting a 38-week syndicated TV variety series, The Eddie Cantor Comedy Theatre. In 1953, Eddie Cantor was the subject of the Warner Bros. biopic The Eddie Cantor Story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Wikipedia: Eddie Cantor
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Eddie Cantor

Eddie Cantor
Born Edward Israel Iskowitz
January 31, 1892(1892-01-31)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Died October 10, 1964 (aged 72)
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Occupation Actor, Comedian, Dancer, Singer-songwriter
Years active 1907–1953
Spouse(s) Ida Cantor (1914-1962)

Eddie Cantor (January 31 1892 – October 10 1964) was an American comedian, dancer, singer, actor, and songwriter. Familiar to Broadway, radio and early television audiences, this "Apostle of Pep" was regarded almost as a family member by millions because his top-rated radio shows revealed intimate stories and amusing anecdotes about his wife Ida and five daughters. His eye-rolling song-and-dance routines eventually led to his nickname, Banjo Eyes, and in 1933, the artist Frederick J. Garner caricatured Cantor with large round and white eyes resembling the drum-like pot of a banjo. Cantor's eyes became his trademark, often exaggerated in illustrations, and leading to his appearance on Broadway in the musical Banjo Eyes (1941).

Contents

Early life

Cantor was born Edward Israel Iskowitz[1] in New York City, the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants, Meta and Mechel Iskowitz. His mother died of tuberculosis two years after his birth, and he was abandoned by his father, left to be raised by his grandmother, Esther Kantrowitz. A misunderstanding when signing her grandson for school gave him her last name of Kantrowitz (shortened by the clerk to Kanter). As a child, he attended Surprise Lake Camp.

By his early teens. Cantor began winning talent contests at local theaters and started appearing on stage. One of his earliest paying jobs was doubling as a waiter and performer, singing for tips at Carey Walsh's Coney Island saloon where a young Jimmy Durante accompanied him on piano. He adopted the first name Eddie when he met his future wife, Ida Tobias, in 1903, because she felt that Izzy wasn't the right name for an actor. The two married in 1914 and remained together until Ida died in 1962.

In 1907, Cantor became a billed name in vaudeville. In 1912 he was the only performer over the age of 20 to appear in Gus Edwards' Kid Kabaret, where he created his first blackface character, Jefferson. Critical praise from that show got the attention of Broadway's top producer, Florenz Ziegfeld, who gave Cantor a spot in the Ziegfeld rooftop post-show, Midnight Frolic (1916).

Broadway and recordings

A year later, Cantor made his Broadway debut in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1917. He continued in the Ziegfeld Follies until 1927, a period considered the best years of the long-running revue. For several years Cantor co-starred in an act with pioneer African-American comedian Bert Williams, both appearing in blackface; Cantor played Williams's fresh-talking son. Other co-stars with Cantor during his time in the Follies included Will Rogers, Marilyn Miller, and W.C. Fields. He moved on to stardom in book musicals, starting with Kid Boots (1923), Whoopee! (1928) and Banjo Eyes (1940).

Cantor began making phonograph records in 1917, recording both comedy songs and routines and popular songs of the day, first for Victor, then for Aeoleon-Vocalion, Pathé and Emerson. From 1921 through 1925 he had an exclusive contract with Columbia Records, returning to Victor for the remainder of the decade.

Cantor was one of the era's most successful entertainers, but the 1929 stock market crash took away his multi-millionaire status and left him deeply in debt. However, Cantor's relentless attention to his own earnings in order to avoid the poverty he knew growing up caused him to use his writing talent, quickly building a new bank account with his highly popular, bestselling books of humor and cartoons about his experience, Caught Short! A Saga of Wailing Wall Street[2] in "1929 A.C. (After Crash)" and "Yoo Hoo Prosperity."

Films

Cantor also bounced back in movies and on radio. He had previously appeared in a number of short films (recording him performing his Follies songs and comedy routines) and two silent features (Special Delivery and Kid Boots) in the 1920s, and was offered the lead in The Jazz Singer when that was turned down by George Jessel (Cantor also turned it down, so it went to Al Jolson), but he became a leading Hollywood star in 1930 with the film version of Whoopee! in two-strip Technicolor. Over the next two decades, he continued making films: "Palmy Days" (1931), "The Kid from Spain" (1932), "Roman Scandals" (1933), "Kid Millions" (1934), "Strike Me Pink" (1936), "Ali Baba Goes to Town" (1937), "Forty Little Mothers" (1940), "Thank Your Lucky Stars" (1943), "Hollywood Canteen" (1944), "Show Business" (1944) until 1948, with his last film, "If You Knew Susie."

Radio

Cantor appeared on radio as early as February 3, 1922, as indicated by this news item from Connecticut's Bridgeport Telegram:

Local radio operators listened to one of the finest programs yet produced over the radiophone last night. The program of entertainment which included some of the stars of Broadway musical comedy and vaudeville was broadcast from the Newark, N. J. station WDY and the Pittsburgh station KDKA, both of the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing company. The Newark entertainment started at 7 o'clock: a children's half-hour of music and fairy stories; 7:[35?], Hawaiian airs and violin solo; 8:00, news of the day; and at 8:20 a radio party with nationally known comedians participating; 9:55, Arlington time signals and 10:01, a government weather report. G. E. Nothnagle, who conducts a radiophone station at his home 176 Waldemere Avenue said last night that he was delighted with the program, especially with the numbers sung by Eddie Cantor. The weather conditions are excellent for receiving, he continued, the tone and the quality of the messages was fine. [3]

Cantor's appearance with Rudy Vallee on Vallee's The Fleischmann's Yeast Hour February 5, 1931 led to a four-week tryout with NBC's The Chase and Sanborn Hour. Replacing Maurice Chevalier, who was returning to Paris, Cantor joined The Chase and Sanborn Hour on September 13, 1931. This hour-long Sunday evening variety series teamed Cantor with announcer Jimmy Wallington and violinist Dave Rubinoff. The show established Cantor as a leading comedian, and his scriptwriter, David Freedman, as “the Captain of Comedy.” Cantor soon became the world's highest-paid radio star. His shows began with a crowd chanting, "We want Can-tor, We want Can-tor," a phrase said to have originated when a vaudeville audience chanted to chase off an opening act on the bill before Cantor. Cantor's theme song was his own lyric to the Leo Robin/Richard Whiting song, "One Hour with You."

Indicative of his effect on the mass audience, he agreed in November 1934 to introduce a new song by the songwriters J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie that other well-known artists had rejected as being "silly" and "childish." The song, "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town", immediately had orders for 100,000 copies of sheet music the next day. It sold 400,000 copies by Christmas of that year.

His NBC radio show, Time to Smile, was broadcast from 1940 to 1946, followed by his Pabst Blue Ribbon Show from 1946 through 1949. He also served as emcee of The $64 Question during 1949-'50, and hosted a weekly disc jockey program for Philip Morris during the 1952-'53 season. In addition to film and radio, Cantor recorded for Hit of the Week Records, then again for Columbia, for Banner and Decca and various small labels.

His heavy political involvement began early in his career, including his participation in the strike to form Actors Equity in 1919, provoking the anger of father figure and producer, Florenz Ziegfeld. He was the second president of the Screen Actors Guild.

In 1939, at the World's Fair, Cantor publicly denounced hate monger Father Coughlin and was dropped by his sponsor, Camel cigarettes). A year and a half later it was his friend Jack Benny who was able to get him back on the air.

Television

In the 1950s, he was one of the alternating hosts of the television show The Colgate Comedy Hour, in which he would introduce variety acts and play comic characters like "Maxie the Taxi." However, the show landed Cantor in an unlikely controversy when a young Sammy Davis, Jr. appeared as a guest performer. Cantor embraced Davis and mopped Davis's brow with his handkerchief after his performance. Worried sponsors led NBC to threaten cancellation of the show; Cantor's response was to book Davis for two more weeks.

On May 25, 1944, pioneer television station WPTZ (now KYW-TV) in Philadelphia presented a special telecast featuring Eddie Cantor, which was also fed to the NBC television station in New York City, WNBT (now WNBC). Cantor, one of the first major stars to agree to appear on television, was to sing "We're Havin' A Baby, My Baby And Me". Arriving shortly before airtime at the Philadelphia studios, Cantor was reportedly told to cut the song because the NBC New York censors considered some of the lyrics too risqué. Cantor refused, claiming no time to prepare an alternative number. NBC relented, but the sound was cut and the picture blurred on certain lines in the song. This is considered the first instance of television censorship.

Books and merchandising

In addition to Caught Short!, Cantor wrote or co-wrote at least seven other books, including booklets released by the then-fledgling firm of Simon & Schuster, with Cantor’s name on the cover. (Some were "as told to" or written with David Freedman). Customers paid a dollar and received the booklet with a penny embedded in the hardcover. They sold well, and H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) asserted that these books did more to pull America out of the Great Depression than all government measures combined.

Cantor's popularity led to merchandising of such products as Eddie Cantor's Tell It to the Judge game from Parker Brothers. In 1933, a set of 12 Eddie Cantor caricatures by Frederick J. Garner were published by Brown & Bigelow. These advertising cards were purchased in bulk as a direct-mail item by such businesses as auto body shops, funeral directors, dental laboratories and vegetable wholesale dealers. With the full set, companies could mail a single Cantor card each month for a year to their selected special customers as an ongoing promotion.

Cantor was often caricatured in magazines and newspapers, and he was occasionally a character in Warner Bros. cartoons, including Billboard Frolics and What's Up Doc? He was the only living person ever to be depicted as a balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which first occurred in 1940[4].

Tributes

Cantor was profiled on the popular program This Is Your Life, in which an unsuspecting person (usually a celebrity) would be surprised on live television with a half-hour tribute. Cantor was the only subject who was told of the surprise in advance; he was recovering from a heart attack and it was felt that the shock might harm him.

In 1953 Warner Bros., in an attempt to duplicate the box-office success of The Jolson Story, filmed a big-budget Technicolor feature film, The Eddie Cantor Story. The film found an audience but might have done better with someone else in the leading role. Actor Keefe Brasselle played Cantor as a caricature with high-pressure dialogue and bulging eyes wide open; the fact that Brasselle was considerably taller than Cantor didn't lend realism either. Eddie and Ida Cantor were seen in a brief prologue and epilogue set in a projection room, where they are watching Brasselle in action; at the end of the film Eddie tells Ida, "I never looked better in my life"... and gives the audience a knowing, incredulous look. George Burns, in his memoir All My Best Friends, claimed that Warner Bros. created a miracle producing the movie in that "it made Eddie Cantor's life boring".

Something closer to the real Eddie Cantor story is his self-produced 1944 feature Show Business, a valentine to vaudeville and show folks that was RKO's top-grossing film that year. Probably the best summary of Cantor's career is in one of the Colgate Comedy Hour shows. The Colgate hour was a virtual video autobiography, with Cantor recounting his career, singing his familiar hits, and re-creating his singing-waiter days with his old pal Jimmy Durante (Jimmy's wearing a lavish toupee!). This show has been issued on DVD as Eddie Cantor in Person.

As talented as Cantor was, he is an excellent example of the mega star who virtually vanishes with the passing of time. His biographer, Gregory Koseluk, wrote in 1995 that Eddie "is all but forgotten". Eddie Cantor: A Life in Show Business (introduction).

Family

Eddie and Ida Cantor had five daughters: Marjorie, Natalie, Edna, Marilyn and Janet. Cantor’s autobiographies, My Life is in Your Hands (with David Freedman) and Take My Life (with Jane Kesner Ardmore) were republished in 2000, thanks to the dedicated efforts of one of Cantor’s grandchildren,singer, songwriter, author Brian Gari.

Following the death of daughter Marjorie at the age of 44, both Eddie's and Ida's health declined rapidly. Ida died in 1962 of "cardial insufficiency". On October 10, 1964 in Beverly Hills, California, Eddie Cantor suffered another heart attack and died. He is buried in Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery. Cantor was awarded an honorary Academy Award the year of his death.

Filmography

Broadway

  • Ziegfeld Follies of 1917 (1917) - revue - performer
  • Ziegfeld Follies of 1918 (1918) - revue - performer, co-composer and co-lyricist for "Broadway's Not a Bad Place After All" with Harry Ruby
  • Ziegfeld Follies of 1919 (1919) - revue - performer, lyricist for "(Oh! She's The) Last Rose of Summer"
  • Ziegfeld Follies of 1920 (1920) - revue - composer for "Green River", composer and lyricist for "Every Blossom I See Reminds Me of You" and "I Found a Baby on My Door Step"
  • The Midnight Rounders of 1920 (1920) - revue - performer
  • Broadway Brevities of 1920 (1920) - revue - performer
  • Make It Snappy (1922) - revue - performer, co-bookwriter
  • Ziegfeld Follies of 1923 (1923) - revue - sketch-writer
  • Kid Boots (1923) - musical - actor in the role of "Kid Boots" (the caddie master)
  • Ziegfeld Follies of 1927 (1927) - revue - performer, co-bookwriter
  • Whoopee! (1928) - musical - actor in the role of "Henry Williams"
  • Eddie Cantor at the Palace (1931) - solo performance
  • Banjo Eyes (1941) - musical - actor in the role of "Erwin Trowbridge"
  • Nellie Bly (1946) - musical - co-producer

Watch

Listen to

Quote

"It is nice to be important, but it is more important to be nice."

Sources

Goldman, Herbert G. (1997). Banjo Eyes: Eddie Cantor and the Birth of Modern Stardom. New York: Oxford University Press. 

References

  1. ^ Who's Who in Musicals: Ca-Cl
  2. ^ http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Caught_Short
  3. ^ "Radio Operators Hear a Good Concert," Bridgeport Telegram, February 4, 1922.
  4. ^ New York Daily News (2008-11-28). "Floating back in time with Macy's balloons". http://www.nydailynews.com/news/galleries/entertainment/entertainment.html. Retrieved 2008-11-28. 

External links

Search Wikimedia Commons Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Eddie Cantor
Search Wikisource Wikisource has original works written by or about: Eddie Cantor
v • d • e
Presidents of the Screen Actors Guild

Ralph Morgan (1933) · Eddie Cantor (1933) · Robert Montgomery (1935) · Ralph Morgan (1938) · Edward Arnold (1940) · James Cagney (1942) · George Murphy (1944) · Robert Montgomery (1946) · Ronald Reagan (1947) · Walter Pidgeon (1952) · Leon Ames (1957) · Howard Keel (1958) · Ronald Reagan (1959) · George Chandler (1960) · Dana Andrews (1963) · Charlton Heston (1965) · John Gavin (1971) · Dennis Weaver (1973) · Kathleen Nolan (1975) · William Schallert (1979) · Edward Asner (1981) · Patty Duke (1985) · Barry Gordon (1988) · Richard Masur (1995) · William Daniels (1999) · Melissa Gilbert (2001) · Alan Rosenberg (2005) · Ken Howard (2009)

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