Pop-eyed and boundlessly energetic, Eddie Cantor was the first of vaudeville's top stars to take radio by storm. This high-spirited singer and comedian changed the rules of radio by encouraging participation from the studio audience, something that had always been strictly prohibited. The talents of his fun-loving co-stars, including Harry Einstein (as the Greek, Nick Parkyakakas), Bert Gordon (as The Mad Russian), and Hattie McDaniel, helped to make the show the success that it was. Occasionally, Cantor would show his range as a performer by taking on a serious topic, using his show as a platform to explore difficult social issues and matters related to the war. Cantor, a bit of a talent scout, also used his show to host the first radio appearances of Gracie Allen, Dinah Shore, Esther Williams, his own co-star Harry Einstein, and a singer named Bert Parks who Cantor seemed to think might make a good husband for one of his five daughters! Originally Performed on 02/19/1941
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