Tuesday, January 29, 2013

THE CHILDREN OF EDDIE CANTOR


One of the longest running gags during the old days of radio was Eddie Cantor and his five daughters. In reality there was no Hollywood father closer to his daughters than Cantor was. However,  Eddie would joke on radio that he is going to trade his five daughters for Bing Crosby's four sons. I wanted to look into his five daughters, and see what became of them and what they did in their lives.

MARJORIE CANTOR (1915-1959)
Marjorie was the first daughter, and although she never sought the spotlight she and her other four sisters became a big part of their father's radio act. Marjorie never married and unfortunately, Marjorie suffered a long time with cancer. After a valiant battle against the disease, she succumbed to the disease at the young age of 44. All four other sisters were with Marjorie when she passed away. Eddie and Ida were inconsolable, and they never were the same after her death.

NATALIE CANTOR METZGER (1916-1997)
Natalie was the second Cantor daughter and truly the hardest one to find information on. She was first married to a Joesph Lewis Metzger and had a son Michael on October 18, 1939. Michael was Eddie Cantor's first grandchild. The marriage ended in divorce. In 1965, Natalie married actor Robert Clary. Eddie helped to give Robert his start, and he was most widely known for his role on television's "Hogan's Heroes".

EDNA CANTOR MCHUGH (1919-2003)
Edna was the third oldest of Cantor's five daughters -- all of whom became household names during the many years the comedian starred on radio, stage, film and TV. She was previously married to theatrical manager agent Jimmy McHugh Jr., who predeceased her. He was the son of composer Jimmy McHugh. Edna never was in the limelight as much as her other sisters, but she wrote several cookbooks including "Chocolate Kicks" and "Happy Endings." Fran (Mrs. Ray) Stark credited her with finding Barbra Streisand to play the Fanny Brice role in "Funny Girl."


MARILYN CANTOR BAKER (1921-2010)
Marilyn was the fourth daughter and the one that did the most work in the field of show business. Fiercely independent and known to her friends and family as irreverently funny, she enjoyed a long and fruitful life as an actor, singer-comedienne, theatrical producer, TV writer and performer. Cantor Baker performed with her father on television's Colgate Comedy Hour, What's My Line, and in a variety of television and radio appearances. In her twenties, Cantor Baker performed a night club act at Le Ruban Bleu and Blue Angel in New York, and in the Loews Circuit, including Las Vegas. In the early 1940's, she became the first woman disc jockey in New York on WNEW radio. She created "Sidney Shore," which in 1981 became the innovative sit-com "Love, Sidney," starring Tony Randall. Cantor-Baker worked tirelessly in the 1950's and 60's to raise money for State of Israel Bonds, also narrating the Israeli fashion shows. She was married for over fifty years and left behind her husband, son, daughter, and five grandchildren when she passed away.

JANET CANTOR GARI (1927-2018)
Janet was the youngest of Eddie's daughters, and the last surviving one. She was a songwriter who has collaborated with Toby Garson, the daughter of composer Harry Ruby, on children's shows and an off-Broadway musical. Janet was married to actor and artist Roberto Gari (1920-2008) for seventeen years, but they divorced in 1968. They remained friends their whole life. Her son, Brian Gari, is a talented performer and songwriter himself. He helps to keep his grandfather's name alive almost fifty years after Eddie's death. Her daughter, Amanda Gari, is a very popular performer on the west coast. Janet has written three books as well. My favorite of her three books is her first book. Titled "Don't Wear Silver In The Winter", it was the story of her elusive mother Ida Tobias Cantor. It was published in 2008.



33 comments:

  1. Janet Gari has written another book quite recently as well. It's about her Dad called, Themes of My Father. You can get a signed copy by emailing her (lyricook@verizon.net). They are $18 including shipping!

    Here is the link to buy Janet's new book online: http://www.bearmanormedia.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=598

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  2. This is very interesting. You must have done a lot of research for this. Thank you.

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  3. It was very hard to find info on all of them. Eddie's grandson Brian Gari contacted me and helped me correct some of the errors I did have. Eddie Cantor was a remarkable man - who deserves to be remembered, and he has a remarkable family.

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    1. Thank you for your hard work

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    2. 'Don't Wear Silver In The Winter' is a pretty strange title, but the book may explain it. I'd love to learn more about Ida. She made an appearance toward the end of her life as a mystery guest on WHAT'S MY LINE. You can watch a kinescope of the show on YOU TUBE.

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  4. I've long wondered what became of those five daughters referred to in the Eddie Cantor radio programs I listened to as a chile. Thank you for doing the research and putting this site up.

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    1. Same here. Always enjoyed Eddie on radio and TV. The question is 'Where have they all gone to'. To bad we don't have them any more or any one like them.

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  5. EDDIE CANTOR WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED AS ONE OF THE GREAT SINGERS OF ALL TIMES, LIKE AL JOLSEN WHO CAN FORGET THEM.

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    1. Eddie Cantor was much more than a singer. He was on of comedy's greats and he helped found The March of Dimes.

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  6. As great an entertainer as he was, with his googly eyes and bubbly personality, his humanity and his dedication as a husband and a father was an inspiration to my own father who related his joy in having ever met and having known such a wonderful man. Steve Apelman

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  7. What happened to the son NATALIE CANTOR METZGER had before she married Robert Clary ?

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  8. They are showing the Eddie Cantor story on the TCM channel today. His life story peaked my interest. Thank you for posting this blog.

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  9. That was a ridiculous, embarrassing movie! Because my father's biggest hits were for Goldwyn, Warner Bros. just skipped over them altogether. They also concocted the absurd idea that he didn't care about other people until he had a heart attack, when he had been an extremely active humanitarian his entire life: created March of Dimes, financially supported Surprise Lake Camp, was one of the founders of Actors Equity, championed for civil rights.

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    1. Janet, in the late 40's, I used to buy my clothes from a store in Dallas named Morris Men's Wear. It must have been Jewish owned and they were proud of your Father because they had scads of pictures of him hanging on the wall! We listened to the Eddie Cantor Show regularly in the 40's! Remember The Mad Russian! Hope you are well! Bill Barnes

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    2. Worry not. Even my baby boomer generation knows your dad was a national treasure.

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    3. I love your Dad and hope all is well on your end!

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  10. Was on TCM yesterday singing "Making Whoopee." Had to look him up today, as he was before my generation. What a talent.

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  11. Check out the internet archive for a large selection of complete Eddie Cantor radio shows - both his own show and his many guest appearances on other popular shows. These programs can be listened to and/or downloaded for free. Enjoy!

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  12. The girls all looked like there mother.....they had there fathers eyes.

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    1. I don't think I've ever seen any pictures of Ida. The few times she was actually part of an on air skit, they used an actress to read the lines. I do know that in the mid-late '50's Eddie & Ida were interviewed on Ed Murrow's PERSON TO PERSON TV show but all I've ever been able to locate of that broadcast is the audio track.

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    2. I saw her on YouTube on a early 1950’s show of What’s My Line?

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  13. I just saw Thank Your Lucky Stars, and Mr. Cantor was nothing short of wonderful in that picture. He had to be a very good sport, as the film cracked joke after joke at his expense! I have been long curious about his five daughters, thank you tremendously for this article. Mr. Cantor was absolutely, positively, one of a kind.

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    1. If you haven't already seen it, get a copy of Eddie's first movie WHOOPIE! (1930). It's filmed in Technicolor's experimental two-color process. (Red and green). Despite the color limitations, the process is quite stunning. The music is provided by George Olsen and His Orch. (One of my favorites.) Ethel Shutta ('Shoe-tay') who was Olsen's vocalist (and wife at that time) plays Eddie's nurse, Miss Custer. I can't say enough good things about this delightful movie.

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  14. Fascinating i just watched Kid Boots for the first time and wanted to find out more

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  15. I have old newspaper clippings of Eddie Cantor giving me a Bulova watch in Nantasket Beach, MA in 1948. Would gladly share the story. Oh yes, still have the watch.
    Following WWII, Eddie Cantor surveyed conditions of displaced Jews in Paris. There he met Aunt Stella Maisner to whom he promised he would purchase a watch and give it to her nephew (me) when he got back to the United States.

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    1. I'd love to hear more. Did you ever get to see him doing his radio show live?

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  16. Grandson Michael Metzger worked in television production predominantly game shows. Now lives in Massachusetts.

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  17. My grandmother graduated 8th grade with Ida. I cherish her 1908 autograph book. Would love to share it with Janet. How can I contact her?

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  18. Not including other ‘newer’ labels, Eddie Cantor
    made many commercial (78 r.p.m.) recordings. Commencing July 12, 1917 he recorded two ‘sides’ as they were then known)for Victor (later known as RCA Victor and Bluebird). The two songs ‘waxed’ on that date were from the Ziegfeld Follies of that year.

    Other U.S.A. labels recordings he subsequently made
    and / or released included Aeolian – Vocalion, Emerson, Pathe, Columbia, Hit Of The Week, Banner, Melotone, Oriole, Conqueror, & Decca. These refer to recordings made for Decca up to March 19, 1942.

    He subsequently made recordings for Pan American, Capitol, Musicraft and RCA Victor reprising his prior Victors with anecdotes added.

    One of his significant radio appearances was on the promotional CBS broadcast for the 20th Century Fox feature film “Alexander’s Ragtime Band”. It aired live on August 3, 1938. It ran overtime to 76 minutes. The program was performed in New York City, Chicago and Hollywood. The portion to which I’m referring is a precious sketch of Eddie, Al Jolson, Sophie Tucker and Irving Berlin mugging, reminiscing and singing about their early days in show business.

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  19. Just watched an old cartoon in which a stork got a call from Eddie Cantor asking when the stork was bringing him a son. Had to look up the details. How interesting!

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  20. Why does no one mention the black face performances that I don’t understand or appreciate.

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