Eddie Cantor
Who Eddie Cantor is
Eddie Cantor was an American vaudeville, Broadway and radio comedian from New York City. He made his stage debut at the Clinton Music Hall in 1907, won a vaudeville talent show at Miner's Bowery Theater in 1908, and from 1917 starred for Ziegfeld in the Midnight Frolic and the Follies, then on Broadway in Kid Boots (1923) and Whoopee (1928).
He recorded "That's the Kind of Baby for Me" from the Ziegfeld Follies of 1917 for Victor in 1917, and his "Makin' Whoopee", from his Broadway show, was a hit record in 1929. In September 1931 he began his first network show, The Chase and Sanborn Hour on NBC; by the early 1930s, in the Radio Hall of Fame's words, he had become the highest-rated star on radio, and on television he starred in The Colgate Comedy Hour from 1950 to 1954. He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2000.
Vote for Eddie Cantor
Put Eddie Cantor in My D.O.C. Legends: your twelve for their era, counted with every reader’s on the Legends page.
At a glance
- Born
- 1892
- Died
- 1964
- From
- New York City
- Albums
- That's the Kind of Baby for Me and Makin' Whoopee
- On screen
- Midnight Frolic, Ziegfeld Follies, Midnight Rounders and 20 more
Specials, shows and podcasts
Albums
- That's the Kind of Baby for Me 78 rpm record, Victor 18342, 1917
- Makin' Whoopee record, 1929
On screen
- Midnight Frolic Ziegfeld revue, 1917
- Ziegfeld Follies Broadway, 1917–1919, 1927
- Midnight Rounders stage, 1920–1921
- Make It Snappy Broadway, 1922
- Kid Boots Broadway, 1923–1926
- Whoopee Broadway, 1928–1930
- Kid Boots film, 1926
- Whoopee! film, 1930
- Palmy Days film, 1931
- The Kid from Spain film, 1932
- Roman Scandals film, 1933
- Kid Millions film, 1934
- Strike Me Pink film, 1936
- Ali Baba Goes to Town film, 1937
- Thank Your Lucky Stars film, 1943
- Hollywood Canteen film, 1944
- If You Knew Susie film, 1948
- The Chase and Sanborn Hour radio, NBC, 1931–1934
- The Eddie Cantor Show radio, 1935–1954
- Take It or Leave It radio, 1949–1950
- The Big Show radio, 1950–1952
- The Colgate Comedy Hour television, 1950–1954
- The Eddie Cantor Story film, 1953
Comedians like Eddie Cantor
Each linked to them by something on the record — a stage they both came through, a bill, a show, a style or a home town.
- W. C. Fields also in Ziegfeld Follies
- Jerry Lewis also in The Colgate Comedy Hour
- Jimmy Durante also in The Chase and Sanborn Hour
- Will Rogers also in Ziegfeld Follies
Career timeline
- 1892Born
- 1917Midnight Frolic (Ziegfeld revue, 1917) On screen
- 1917Ziegfeld Follies (Broadway, 1917–1919, 1927) On screen
- 1917That's the Kind of Baby for Me (78 rpm record, Victor 18342, 1917) Album
- 1920Midnight Rounders (stage, 1920–1921) On screen
- 1922Make It Snappy (Broadway, 1922) On screen
- 1923Kid Boots (Broadway, 1923–1926) On screen
- 1926Kid Boots (film, 1926) On screen
- 1928Whoopee (Broadway, 1928–1930) On screen
- 1929Makin' Whoopee (record, 1929) Album
- 1930Whoopee! (film, 1930) On screen
- 1931Palmy Days (film, 1931) On screen
- 1931The Chase and Sanborn Hour (radio, NBC, 1931–1934) On screen
- 1932The Kid from Spain (film, 1932) On screen
- 1933Roman Scandals (film, 1933) On screen
- 1934Kid Millions (film, 1934) On screen
- 1935The Eddie Cantor Show (radio, 1935–1954) On screen
- 1936Strike Me Pink (film, 1936) On screen
- 1937Ali Baba Goes to Town (film, 1937) On screen
- 1943Thank Your Lucky Stars (film, 1943) On screen
- 1944Hollywood Canteen (film, 1944) On screen
- 1948If You Knew Susie (film, 1948) On screen
- 1949Take It or Leave It (radio, 1949–1950) On screen
- 1950The Big Show (radio, 1950–1952) On screen
- 1950The Colgate Comedy Hour (television, 1950–1954) On screen
- 1953The Eddie Cantor Story (film, 1953) On screen
- 1964Died
Questions and answers
What TV shows and films is Eddie Cantor in?
Midnight Frolic (Ziegfeld revue, 1917), Ziegfeld Follies (Broadway, 1917–1919, 1927), Midnight Rounders (stage, 1920–1921), Make It Snappy (Broadway, 1922), Kid Boots (Broadway, 1923–1926) and Whoopee (Broadway, 1928–1930), among 23 credits.
Where is Eddie Cantor from?
From New York City.
How old was Eddie Cantor?
Eddie Cantor was born in 1892 and died in 1964.
Who are some comedians like them?
W. C. Fields (also in Ziegfeld Follies), Jerry Lewis (also in The Colgate Comedy Hour), Jimmy Durante (also in The Chase and Sanborn Hour) and Will Rogers (also in Ziegfeld Follies).
The D.O.C. letter, free
Who’s on the road, festival dates as they are announced and entry windows as they open, with the news of the comedians, rooms and towns you follow: one short comedy newsletter, free every Sunday.
The full SUCDb record
The full record — the career in order, the specials and credits, and the sources for each — is on SUCDb, with a button to vote them into My D.O.C. Legends.
Sources
- Museum of Broadcast Communications — Radio Encyclopedia entry, Eddie Cantor ↗ U.S. radio comedian; born Isidor Iskowitz, New York City, 31 January 1892; stage debut at the Clinton Music Hall, 1907; vaudeville talent show at Miner's Bowery Theater, 1908; stage list (Midnight Frolic 1917, Ziegfeld's Follies 1917-19 and 1927, Midnight Rounders 1920-21, Make It Snappy 1922, Kid Boots 1923-26,…
- Radio Hall of Fame (Museum of Broadcast Communications) — Eddie Cantor inductee profile ↗ Born in New York City in 1892; a hit in vaudeville; Ziegfeld's Midnight Frolics and Follies; Fleischmann Hour 1931; Chase & Sanborn Hour on NBC; the highest-rated star on radio by the early 1930s; inducted 2000; died 10 October 1964 (as of 10 November 2026)
- Library of Congress, National Jukebox — That's the kind of baby for me (Victor 18342) ↗ Eddie Cantor, vocalist, with King's Orchestra; Victor 18342; recorded in New York on 12 July 1917; from the Ziegfeld Follies of 1917 (as of 10 November 2026)
- Wikipedia ↗ died 10 October 1964
Updated · the record checked 10 November 2026