Eddie Cantor

Eddie Cantor, born Isidore Itzkowitz on January 31, 1892, in New York City, was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, composer, book writer, film producer, screenwriter, and author whose Broadway career spanned from 1917 to 1941. His parents, Mechel Iskowitz, an amateur violinist, and Meta Kantrowitz Iskowitz, were a young Jewish couple from Russia. His mother died from complications of tuberculosis in July 1894, and following the unclear fate of his father, his grandmother, Esther Kantrowitz, took custody of him. Due to a clerical error, his surname was recorded as Kantrowitz and later shortened to Kanter. The nickname Edward was given to him by his future wife, Ida, in 1913, though his 1957 autobiography and his New York Times obituary both record his birth name as Isidore Iskowitch.

By his early teens, Cantor was winning talent contests at local theaters. Among his earliest paying work was a dual role as waiter and performer at Carey Walsh's Coney Island saloon, where a young Jimmy Durante accompanied him on piano. He made his first vaudeville appearance in 1907 at New York's Clinton Music Hall, and in 1912 he was the only performer over twenty years old in Gus Edwards's Kid Kabaret, where he created his first blackface character, Jefferson. He later toured with Al Lee as the duo Cantor and Lee, and critical attention from that work brought him to the notice of producer Florenz Ziegfeld, who placed him in the Midnight Frolic rooftop post-show in 1917.

Cantor made his Broadway debut the following year in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1917, and he continued appearing in the Follies through 1927, a stretch regarded as among the strongest years of that long-running revue. During his time in the Follies he co-starred with pioneer comedian Bert Williams, both performing in blackface, with Cantor playing Williams's fresh-talking son. Other performers who appeared alongside him in the Follies included Will Rogers, Marilyn Miller, Fanny Brice, and W.C. Fields. His contributions to the Follies extended beyond performing: he served as co-composer and co-lyricist for songs including Broadway's Not a Bad Place After All with Harry Ruby in the 1918 edition, and contributed lyrics and compositions to the 1919 and 1920 editions as well.

Beyond the Follies, Cantor appeared in a range of Broadway productions across multiple formats. He performed in the revues The Midnight Rounders of 1920 and Broadway Brevities of 1920, and served as co-bookwriter for the revue Make It Snappy in 1922. He contributed sketch writing to the Ziegfeld Follies of 1923 and co-wrote the book for the Ziegfeld Follies of 1927. His transition into book musicals brought him starring roles: he played the Caddie Master Kid Boots in Kid Boots in 1923, and Henry Williams in Whoopee! in 1928. He gave a solo performance in Eddie Cantor at the Palace in 1931. His final Broadway acting role came in Banjo Eyes in 1941, in which he played Erwin Trowbridge, though the run was cut short when Cantor suffered a major heart attack. He also served as co-producer of the 1946 musical Nellie Bly. Additionally, he appeared in the 1935 revue Earl Carroll's Sketch Book.

The nickname Banjo Eyes originated in 1933, when artist Frederick J. Garner caricatured Cantor with large round eyes resembling the drum-like pot of a banjo. Those eyes became his trademark and were frequently exaggerated in illustrations throughout his career.

Among his best-known songs were Makin' Whoopee, Ida (Sweet as Apple Cider), If You Knew Susie, Ma! He's Making Eyes at Me, Mandy, My Baby Just Cares for Me, Margie, and How Ya Gonna Keep 'em Down on the Farm (After They've Seen Paree)?. As a songwriter, he also wrote Merrily We Roll Along, which became the Merrie Melodies theme for Warner Bros. cartoons.

Cantor's radio career began as early as February 3, 1922, and a 1931 appearance on Rudy Vallee's The Fleischmann's Yeast Hour led to a tryout with The Chase and Sanborn Hour. He joined that program on September 13, 1931, replacing Maurice Chevalier, and was teamed with announcer Jimmy Wallington and violinist Dave Rubinoff. His scriptwriter David Freedman was dubbed the Captain of Comedy, and Cantor became the world's highest-paid radio star. His radio sidekicks included Bert Gordon, known as The Mad Russian, and Harry Parke, known as Parkyakarkus. Through his radio work he discovered and promoted the careers of Dinah Shore, first featured on his show in 1940, as well as Deanna Durbin, Bobby Breen in 1936, and Eddie Fisher in 1949.

Cantor was also credited with helping to develop the March of Dimes and with coining its name. In 1956 he received an honorary Academy Award for distinguished service to the film industry. He died on October 10, 1964.