The Eddie Cantor Story

I love Eddie Cantor and was looking forward to finally seeing this biopic. I really enjoyed the musical numbers, but I have to say the dramatic scenes were painful. I'm sure Eddie Cantor didn't carry his stage personna into his personal life. I'm sure he didn't mug and roll his eyes when conversing with his friends and his wife. But that's what Keefe Braselle did. It got pretty annoying. On the other hand, the musical numbers were tremendous and Mr. Braselle nailed the moves and the facial expressions. Of course, hearing the voice of Eddie Cantor was wonderful. I'm wondering if the songs were recorded for the movie, (as in The Jolson Story) or whether older recordings were used.

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.

It is not a good movie. But it is leaps and bounds more entertaining than "The Jolson Story." I found Brasselle to be grotesque most of the time during the dramatic scenes. The poor guy was directed to do the bulging eyes even when he was not doing a song. That isn't true to what Eddie Cantor was. Just look at him in an interview and he never looks freakish unless he is clowning. Keefe is great in the musical numbers and actually quite believable in the dramatics. Marilyn Erskine is very fine and underrated. "She doesn't look Jewish"??? is a rather insulting comment to make. Aline McMahon is great in a role that is now completely clichéd. She approached every line with complete seriousness. It has that sort of el cheapo Warner Brothers musical look and should have been a lot shorter, but this was a sincere attempt and it really is never boring. Had the approach been original instead of trying to do a scene for scene match of other biographies of the great vaudevillians, this could have been something.

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.