The Eddie Cantor Story

Best thing: the music Worst: Keefe Brasselle pouring on his Cantor expression at every moment.

He's still over the top when Eddie is on stage, but in the scenes of his private life?

It's not acting. It's an impression. It's way over the top. Too bad Cantor deserved a better film. Blame the director I suppose.

Cantor had one dynamic career. He was on radio, tv, films, and records. He was a hit on all of them. In the early 1950s he felt that his career was mostly over. He retired. That takes discipline. The guy is a forgotten legend.

Now, he and Jolson did blackface. Yes, it's a minstrel show holdover. It's horrible. I didn't like it was a kid seeing the Jolson story this film and the WILL ROGERS bio pic in the early 1960s. Today, it's a crime You have to try to look past this if that's possible.

Was this film a hit? Hey, Martin and Lewis were the top act. Their films pulled in early 1950s money 2.5 million on average. This film grossed that too. It was a huge hit.

Watch it if you can. It's not was good as the first Jolson film, which suffers similar problems.

Not to be out done by his late rival Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor got a biographical film of his own. It's no more true to life than The Jolson Story in fact it may be less true. Cantor had his faults, but on the whole was a nicer person than Jolson. But in fact these films are only an excuse to hear the many songs identified with Cantor over the course of his almost 50 years as an active performer beginning with him as a child working in one of Gus Edwards productions for talented kids.

Keefe Brasselle is superficially suggestive of Cantor and the lipsynching of Cantor standards is performed well. I don't think he came close to capturing the inner Cantor. Best in the film is Aline McMahon as Eddie's fabled Grandma Esther who raised him after he was orphaned.

At least the Jolson Story got it right that Al Jolson was not the man's birth name, he's presented to us as Asa Yoelson the cantor's son (no pun intended) from the beginning. Eddie Cantor's real name was Izzy Ishkowitz, but that was never brought up at all. It's the biggest error of the film.

The film stops in the early 30s and Cantor had at least 20 more years of active performing. It's adequate, but catch some of his films if you want to know what a marvelous performer Eddie Cantor was.

Wildly popular in his lifetime, entertainer Eddie Cantor is difficult to understand by today's standards, and Keefe Brasselle's portrayal of Cantor offers little insight into this legendary comedian with the bug eyes. Hearing some of the songs he made famous helps a little, as they are a lot of fun: "If You Knew Susie," "Ida Sweet as Apple Cider," "Oh, You Beautiful Doll," and Makin' Whoopee." ---from Musicals on the Silver Screen, American Library Association, 2013

While this film is not as good as The Jolson Story, it is nevertheless very entertaining. Eddie Cantor dubbed the songs for Keefe Brasselle, and it is Cantor's great voice and the exciting songs that make the movie. Songs like Ida, Sweet As Apple Cider, If You Knew Susie, Potatos Are Cheaper, Margie, and I'd Like To Spend each Sunday With You are just great. Brasselle has taken criticism for his portrayal of Cantor, but he really does a pretty good job. Parks was better in the Jolson bio, but in fact, Brasselle resembled Cantor in appearance more than Parks resembled Jolson.

Having loved the Cantor sound from my childhood, listening to 'Maxi the Taxi', I've been hunting for a copy of "The Eddie Cantor Story" and have at last made it before I die. After reading numerous negative reviews and distaste for Keefe Brasselle's interpretation of Cantor, I have to say I love everything about him. The brilliantly staged musical numbers could not have been better performed and I could watch repeatedly the highlights ; 'Row, Row, Row', 'How you gonna keep them down on the farm?', 'If you knew Susie', 'Ma, He's making eyes at Me' etc. No problem with Keefe's off-stage acting either and my only reason for 9 and not 10 is the film could have done with some pruning with the domestic scenes e.g the Sunday breakfast scene invaded by reporters. Ninety minutes duration would have made it all perfect.