Eddie Cantor

Eddie Cantor
Background information
Born as:	Isidore Itzkowitz
Born	Jan 31, 1892 New York City, U.S.
Died	Oct 10, 1964 - age  71 Beverly Hills, California, U.S. Heart attack
Spouse(s):	Ida Tobias (1914 - 1962) d.
Children:	5
Occupation:	Actor comedian dancer singer-songwriter
Years active	1907–1962

Eddie Cantor (born Isidore Itzkowitz; ✦January 31, 1892 – †October 10, 1964) was an American "illustrated song" performer, comedian, dancer, singer, vaudevillian, actor, and songwriter. Familiar to Broadway, radio, movie, 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. Some of his hits include "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)?" He also wrote a few songs, including "Merrily We Roll Along", the Merrie Melodies Warner Bros. cartoon theme.

His eye-rolling song-and-dance routines eventually led to his nickname "Banjo Eyes". In 1933, artist Frederick J. Garner caricatured Cantor with large round 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).

His charity and humanitarian work was extensive, and he helped to develop March of Dimes; he is credited with coining its name. Cantor was awarded an honorary Oscar in 1956 for distinguished service to the film industry.

Early life

Reports and accounts of Cantor's early life often conflict with one another. What is known is that he was born in New York City, the son of Mechel Iskowitz (also Michael), an amateur violinist, and his wife Meta Kantrowitz Iskowitz (also Maite), a young Jewish couple from Russia. It is generally accepted that he was born in 1892, though the day is subject to debate, with either January 31 or Rosh Hashanah, which was on September 10 or September 11, being reported. Although it was reported Cantor was an orphan, his mother dying in childbirth and his father of pneumonia, official records say otherwise; Meta died from complications of tuberculosis in July 1894 and the fate of Mechel is unclear, as no death certificate exists for him. There is also discrepancy as to his name; both his 1957 autobiography and The New York Times obituary for Cantor listed his birth name as Isidore Iskowitch but articles published after the 20th century list his birth name as Edward Israel Itzkowitz. His grandmother, Esther Kantrowitz (died January 29, 1917), took custody of him, and referred to him as Izzy and Itchik, both diminutives for Isidor, and his last name, due to a clerical error, was thought to be Kantrowitz and shortened to Kanter. No birth certificate existed for him, not unusual for someone born in New York in the 19th century.

Personal life and family

Cantor adopted the first name "Eddie" when he met his future wife Ida Tobias in 1913, because she felt that "Izzy" was not the right name for an actor. Cantor and Ida (1892–1962) were married on June 6, 1914. They had five daughters – Marjorie (1915–1959), Natalie (1916–1997), Edna (1919–2003), Marilyn (1921–2010), and Janet (1927–2018). The girls provided comic fodder for Cantor's longtime running gag, especially on radio, about his five unmarriageable daughters. Several radio historians, including Gerald Nachman (Raised on Radio), have said that this gag did not always sit well with the girls. Natalie's second husband was the French-born American actor Robert Clary, who was best known for his role as Corporal Louis LeBeau on "Hogan's Heroes". Janet married the actor Roberto Gari.

Following the death of their daughter Marjorie at the age of 44, Eddie's and Ida's health declined rapidly. Ida died on August 9, 1962, at age 70 of "cardiac insufficiency", and Eddie died on October 10, 1964, in Beverly Hills, California after suffering his second heart attack at age 72. He is interred in Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery, a Jewish cemetery in Culver City, California.

Stage

Wikipedia article: Eddie Cantor Stage

Radio and recordings

Wikipedia article: Eddie Cantor Radio and recordings

Film and television

Wikipedia article: Eddie Cantor Film and television

Books and merchandising

Wikipedia article: Eddie Cantor Books and merchandising

Filmography

Wikipedia article: Eddie Cantor Filmography

External links

• Eddie Cantor at the Internet Movie Database
• Eddie Cantor at the Internet Broadway Database
• Eddie Cantor at Virtual History
• FBI file on Eddie Cantor

Wikipedia article: Eddie Cantor

Note:   Eddie Cantor was a volunteer at the Hollywood Canteen

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