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The Microphone Speaks ... By George Silverman R ADIO has given us a new channel of propa ganda, a new medium of entertainment, and a new source of pain. But has it evolved a nrw technique of amusement? Has it developed its own talent to keep pace with its own peculiar possibilities and handicaps? A canvass by “Va ried the Broadway weekly newspaper which fathered the gossip column and led to the origin of VVinchell slanguage, of more than 150 cities show rd that radio had not yet developed a star of the first magnitude in its own ethereal envi ron'. that veteran Jewish stage favorites were its most popular e n t e rtain- ers. Heading the list of ce lebrities is Ed die Cantor and in the or der of popu lar appeal the other popular Jewish per formers are: Ed Wynn, Jack Pearl, Burns and Allen, Ben B e r n i e, Ar- t h u r Tracy, and A1 Jolson. The lives of these personal - it i e s (except that of Ar thur Tracy) as stage lumi- naries are more or less f a m i 1 i ar to many of us. T h e radio chapter in their careers may or mat' not have brought about some transfor- RUTH ETTING m a t i o n in • . Started her musical career on a their art. I he ‘ hicago radio station . . . brief sketches of their his- Tur \ are presented here in order to permit the -eadf-r to judge for himself to what extent the new medium of radio has affected the style of their art Since Jack Pearl’s story has already ap pealed in these columns in the form of an autobi ographical account, the “Baron” has not been in- uu<.“d ,* n the following biographical notes. 1 UDIE CANTOR: Owes his stage success to l! » iucer-sized eyes and to his antics in blackface. his unusual radio popularity to the dynamic H w ^ antor delivery of songs and to his five at enters, his board of critics. Cantor rose from lewalks of New York’s East Side. Got his theatrical chance in a moving picture theatre a> 1 usher in a trio whose other members ( iforge Jessel and Walter Winchell. Joined Komn'i Not*— The Jrtrtth Stand ard, •/ Toronto, Canada, has been kind month to al low ni to reprint the follovrsnt arti cle that should he of treat internt to those interfiled in onr present-day ra dio protrams. It it throngh the tooprr- ation of the Colom bia Hroadeaslsnt System that toe nse the pictnres of Ar- tknr Traey and Ruth Klimt. ARTHUR TRACY, Jr. . . . He is Ed H'ynn's [.andtman (ius Edwards, trainer of the world’s most famous stage prodigies; then toured in vaudeville. Came revues, the Ziegfeld Eollies, and the rarefied at mosphere of wealth and security only the m stage luminaries can enjoy. Shortly after Eddie announced his intention of retiring from Broad way and settling down in his Beverly Hills home with his wife and daughters, the stock market col lapsed. Stockbrokers called for margin. Cantor’s millions dwindled. Undismayed, Eddie went into harness again, made several talkies, sang and wise cracked for Chase & Sanborn. Offstage, or away from the “mike”, Cantor is a level-headed, mod est man. Regrets he has no male heir and calls his home the Cantor Home for Girls. Takes an active interest in Jewish charities; is a director on the board of several Jewish institutions in New York. His children are his severest critics. From the oldest daughter, Marjorie, who is eighteen, to his youngest, Janet, only five, all five sit in judg ment on his jokes and stories. Experience has taught him that their reactions are the best key to the taste of his enormous invisible audience. He is just "Ed” to his children and to his one and only Ida. ED WYNN: The "Perfect Fool" on the stage. The “Fire Chief" with the shrill “S-o-o-o” laugh on the air. Born Israel Edw'in Leopold, the son of a hat manufacturer in Phila delphia. At the age of fourteen his comic genius first expressed itself in a Y. M. H. A. play. En couraged by success, young Israel Leopold became a member of a touring stock company w'hich paid him $12 a week for playing small bits and acting as porter and valet on the side. Made extraordi nary histrionic progress, displaying ingenious ver satility. But all this (Please turn to Page 13) Eddie Cantor in Atlanta By Joseph A. Loewinsohn D uring the famed comedian’s recent visit to Atlanta, a Jewish restaurant on Capitol Avenue was a riotous scene engen dered by an unexpected ar rival of Eddie Cantor, George Jessel and a party of seven. After the afternoon per formance at the Fox T heatre, a fine-looking closed automo bile stopped in front of the modest entrance of a “kosher” restaurant located in the teem ing neighborhood of the South Side. George Jessel’s dapper fig ure, followed by that of Eddie Cantor and their guests, en tered the unassuming interior of the restaurant. “We want a regular Jew ish dinner, herring and all,” spoke up Jessel, as the propri etor emerged from the kitchen to meet the colorful group. The man’s face lit up as he contemplated the hun gry guests. Totally unaware of the identity of the diners, he hurriedly retreated to the mysterious recesses in the back of the room to make prepa rations for the feast. Appetizing and unmistakably native odors per vading the place gently assailed the nostrils of the animated band of strangers. Tantalizing aroma of the Jewish cuisine wafted in the air as Cantor’s party noisily settled round the table. The owner of the restaurant, a taciturn, hard working businessman, was innately shrewd and guileless. When Jessel informed him that the banjo-eyed little fellow was none other than Eddie Cantor, U. S. A., the restauranter smilingly re torted: "Oh, Yeaah ?”. While the diners ravenously devoured “gehakte AT THE “CANTOR HOME FOR GIRLS” Ida and Eddie Cantor with Marorie, Natalie, Edna, Marilyn, the pup and Janet herring init tzibules" (chopped herring with on ions to you!), “Gebrotcne katchka, "gefilte kish- kes”, etc., news of Cantor’s presence electrified the temperamental neighborhood. The place was quickly filled w'ith eager-faced youngsters and grown-ups. It was a motley, heterogeneous crowd bent upon seeing the popular American en tertainer. Soon the entire city block was dark with laugh ing, pushing, jostling, gyrating masses of the south- side citizenry. Somebody in the disturbed neigh borhood phoned the police headquarters, and a few minutes later the air was rent w ith piercing shrills of the police siren. The crowds formed a lane for the approaching police car. When the police, ploughing with difficulty through the dense (Please turn to page 13) ™ E SOUTHERN ISRAELITE * [9]