The Eddie Cantor Story

A Jewish Life in Performance and Politics

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by David Weinstein

Type

Biographies

Subject

Actor > Eddie Cantor

Keywords

Eddie Cantor, Jewishness

Publishing date

2017

Publisher

Brandeis University Press

Collection

Brandeis Series in American Jewish History, Culture, and Life

Language

English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Hardcover • 304 pages
6 ¼ x 9 ¼ inches (16 x 23.5 cm)

ISBN

978-1-5126-0048-3

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Book Presentation:
This absorbing biography chronicles the life and work of one of the most important entertainers of the twentieth century. Eddie Cantor (1892–1964) starred in theater, film, radio, and television. His immense popularity across a variety of media, his pride in his Jewish heritage, and his engagement with pressing political issues distinguished him from other headliners of his era. Paying equal attention to Cantor’s humor and politics, Weinstein documents his significance as a performer, philanthropist, and activist. Many show business figures quietly shed their Jewish backgrounds or did not call attention to the fact that they were Jewish. Cantor was different. He addressed the vital issues of his times, including acculturation, national identity, and antisemitism. He was especially forceful in opposing Nazism and paid a price for this activism in 1939, when a sponsor cancelled the actor’s radio program. In this carefully researched book, Weinstein uncovers sketches and routines filled with Jewish phrases, allusions, jokes, songs, and stories. Cantor frequently did not mark this material as “Jewish,” relying instead on attentive audiences to interpret his coded performances. Illustrated with thirty photographs, The Eddie Cantor Story examines the evolution, impact, and legacy of Cantor’s performance style. His music and comedy not only shaped the history of popular entertainment, but also provide a foundation for ongoing efforts to redefine Jewish culture and build community in contemporary America.

About the Author:
DAVID WEINSTEIN is a senior program officer at the National Endowment for the Humanities. He holds a PhD in American studies, has taught at the University of Maryland and George Mason University, and is the author of The Forgotten Network: DuMont and the Birth of American Television. He lives in Rockville, Maryland, with his wife and two daughters.

Press Reviews:
"A thorough, incisive biographical study of Cantor." (Josh Lambert, Journal of American History)

Weinstein's "prose is clear and sophisticated, and he marshals extensive anecdotes and Cantor one-liners to spice up the narrative." (Lauren B. Strauss, American Jewish History)

"David Weinstein manages to make the story of Eddie Cantor's career timely, instructive, and really rather remarkable. . . . This reconsideration of the career of Eddie Cantor provides an unexpected look at a pioneer in the art of being publicly Jewish. As the old saying goes, 'Try it, you'll like it.'" (Bettina Berch, Jewish Book World)

"A valuable addition to any performing arts library." (Trav S.D., Travalanche)

"This book will delight radio studies scholars and, also, those interested in history of vaudeville, Broadway,radio, film and TV entertainment, Jewish studies, and ethnic and racial representation in U.S. cultural history" (Kathryn Fuller-Seeley, Journal of Radio & Audio Media)

See the publisher website: Brandeis University Press

See the complete filmography of Eddie Cantor on the website: IMDB ...