Entertainer, born in New York City, New York, USA. A rolling-eyed actor with a high-pitched singing voice, who often performed in black-face, he appeared in Kid Cabaret (1912) with George Jessel. He worked for Florenz Ziegfeld (191628), where he sang his best-known songs, including Making Whoopee. A radio host and film actor in the 1930s, he helped found actors' unions and to promote the National FoundationMarch of Dimes.
Eddie Cantor (January 31, 1892 - October 10, 1964) was an American comedian, singer, actor, songwriter, and one of the most popular entertainers in the United States of America in the early and middle 20th century.
Biography
Cantor was born as Israel Iskowitz in New York City, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants, Meta and Mechel Iskowitz. A misunderstanding when signing her grandson up for school gave him her last name of Kantrowitz (later Americanized to "Cantor") instead of Iskowitz. In 1907, Cantor became a billed name in Vaudeville. For some time Cantor co-starred in an act with pioneer African-American comedian Bert Williams, both appearing in blackface; Other great co-stars of Cantor during his time in the Follies included Will Rogers, Marilyn Miller, and W.C.
Cantor started 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.
He moved on to stardom in book musicals, starting with Kid Boots in 1923, Whoopee! in 1928, and Banjo Eyes in 1940.
Cantor was one of the era's most successful entertainers, but the 1929 stock market crash suddenly took him from multi-millionaire status to being broke and 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 search quickly for more work. Cantor soon bounced back thanks to Hollywood movies and radio. Cantor had appeared in a number of short films and two features (Special Delivery and Kid Boots) in the 1920s, but became a feature star in 1930 with the film version of Whoopee!.
In the 1930s he also began hosting The Eddie Cantor Radio Show. This hour-long Sunday evening series, sponsored by Chase and Sanborn from 1931 to 1934, established Cantor as a leading comedian and his scriptwriter, David Freedman, as “the Captain of Comedy”. Soon, Cantor became the world's highest paid radio star. His shows began with a crowd chanting "We want Cantor - We want Cantor", said to have originated when a vaudeville audience used that chant to chase off an opening act who was on a bill before Cantor. Cantor's theme song was the 1903 pop tune "Ida, Sweet as Apple Cider", dedicated to his wife, Ida.
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. Cantor also served as first president of the Screen Actors Guild.His heavy political involvement began early in his career, including his quick rush to strike with Actors Equity in 1919, against the advisement of father figure and producer, Florenz Ziegfeld.
Cantor's career declined somewhat in the late 1930s due to his public denunciations of Adolf Hitler and Fascism. Wishing to distance themselves from any political controversy, many sponsors dropped Cantor's shows. appeared as a guest performer, Cantor embraced and mopped the brow of Davis with his handkerchief after his performance. Worried sponsors led NBC to threaten cancellation of the show, though Cantor's response to the controversy was to book Davis for the rest of the season. (Other sources claims that NBC threatened to cancel the show when Davis was booked for two weeks straight.) Cantor left the show in 1954, due to failing health (he had suffered a heart attack following a 1952 appearance).
Cantor wrote or co-wrote at least eight books, including Caught Short!
On October 10, 1964 in Beverly Hills, California, Eddie Cantor suffered another heart attack and died.
Cantor was awarded an honorary Academy Award the year of his death.
Filmography
Widow at the Races (1913) A Few Moments with Eddie Cantor (1923) (short subject made in DeForest Phonofilm sound system) Kid Boots (1926) Special Delivery (1927) A Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic (1929) (short subject) Glorifying the American Girl (1929) That Party in Person (1928) (short subject) Insurance (1930) (short subject) Getting a Ticket (1930) (short subject) Whoopee! (1930) Palmy Days (1931) Talking Screen Snapshots (1932) (short subject) The Kid from Spain (1932) Roman Scandals (1933) The Hollywood Gad-About (1934) (short subject) Kid Millions (1934) Strike Me Pink (1936) Ali Baba Goes to Town (1937) The March of Time Volume IV, Issue 5 (1937) (short subject) Forty Little Mothers (1940) Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943) Show Business (1944) (also producer) Hollywood Canteen (1944) Screen Snapshots: Radio Shows (1945) (short subject) American Creed (1946) (short subject) Meet Mr. Mischief (1947) (short subject) (appears on poster) If You Knew Susie (1948) Screen Snapshots: Hollywood's Happy Homes (1949) (short subject) The Story of Will Rogers (1952) Screen Snapshots: Memorial to Al Jolson (1952) (short subject) The Eddie Cantor Story (1953) (Cameo)Work on 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 & 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-producerListen to
Eddie Cantor Show Christmas Special EpisodeQuote
"Do you know why Henry Ford so dislikes the Jewish people?
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