The Eddie Cantor Story

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.

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.

Someone who knows how to make a musical in Hollywood should take a look at the career of Eddie Cantor and give it the FUNNY GIRL treatment. Now before you all roll your own banjo sized eyes, we are edging closer to a time in this clever new century where good nightclub/theater musicals are being released: DE LOVELY, CHICAGO, BEYOND THE SEA, RAY and WALK THE LINE are each quality musicals that are creative screen musical biographies and each are successes. Some even won a clutch of Oscars. The public like them all. What the public do not like now days is Rogers and Hammerstein style screen musicals (pity, though)... but will happily embrace a showbiz musical with songs sung in places people sing and perform in real life; in a nightclub, a theater or in a movie/movie. THE EDDIE CANTOR STORY as made in the 50s is a revered bio pic hampered by the conservative 'musical style' of the time. Keith Braselle creates a passable imitation and the tinkly songs from vaudeville are fun in a Doris Day or Betty Grable way... which suits 1953. Cantor's own ribald 1944 comedy SHOWBUSINESS is a faux life story of himself anyway, and more closer to the real vaudeville tawdriness than his own biography here. . However, if someone has the sense to license the hilarious musical films Cantor made from 1930-1937 produced by Samuel Goldwyn, lift all the original musical numbers whole as directed by Busby Berkeley directly into a new production.... get Caroline O'Connor from DE LOVELY who already does a great Ethel Merman, find an actor to play Cantor in the story scenes.. there is a spectacular and hilarious musical ready to hit audiences right in both the funny-bone and box office. If you have seen THE NIGHT THEY RAIDED MINSKYS and THE PRODUCERS and maybe even SHOWBUSINESS you will get the picture. The thing with the original Cantor films of '30-'37 is that the songs are so good, hilarious and well staged. As BEYOND THE SEA and DE LOVELY proved one does not need to tinker with the songs, just show them in situ as written. The bonus with any Cantor idea is that the film musical sequences from WHOOPEE or PALMY DAYS or KID FROM SPAIN are modern enough still to be lifted straight into a new film. STAR! the bio of Gertrude Lawrence did the reverse: color musical numbers burst from a B/W newsreel of Gertie's life as watched by Julie Andrews. The EDDIE CANTOR STORY follows that format.... but if remade today, prefer the reverse: make a new color movie story using original Cantor b/w screen musical movie footage from the 30s is the way to go. And it's cheaper! The music numbers are already in the can still fresh from 70 years ago! They are so spectacular, rude and hilarious they will translate to this century and a young audience very well.

I don't know where to begin except with George Burns quote on this movie "They managed to make Eddie Cantor's life look boring". From the misconceptions (he is called Eddie at age 13 in the movie wen in fact, he didn't change his name to this until he was 21.) as well as the very bad Jimmy Durante imitation that seemed like something out of a Saturday Night Live sketch (replete with the fake putty nose that looks even faker with a big screen high def TV). I couldn't get into the movie because of Keefe Brasselle's crazy eye rolling at the most inopportune times. I finally got through the movie thinking "Here's two hours of my life that I'll never get back". Eddie Cantor had a much more interesting life than what was shown here from his work with the March of Dimes as well as his film work, which was never even mentioned!!! Hopefully someone will do a much better biography on his life one day.

The story of Eddie Cantor with plenty put in and taken out by 1950's Hollywood standards. Here Eddie grows up in a tough part of New York City, living with his grandmother. He catches a break when he wins a local amateur contest and gets a part with a group of young performers in a traveling show. When he grows out of the role, he marries his girlfriend Ida and struggles in getting new parts. Pal Jimmy Durante gives him a break in a show out in Los Angeles and leaves Ida pregnant with his first (of five) daughters. He comes back from LA and manages to get a part in a Ziegfeld show and his career takes off despite the loss of his grandmother and the strain it puts on his and Ida's marriage.

Plenty of liberties were taken with Cantor's life here, but the film is entertaining. Brasselle looks like Cantor but his performance isn't acting, its more on the line of an imitation. The fact that Cantor dubbed in all of the singing and the cameo by Eddie and Ida at the end of the movie are nice touches. It would have been nice to make more of Eddie's charitable work rather than condense it to 3 minutes at the end.

Like I said, a good film, but one I would have liked to enjoy more.

Rating 5 out of 10.