Banjo Eyes: Eddie Cantor and the Birth of Modern Stardom (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

Goldman, author of acclaimed biographies of Fanny Brice (1992) and Al Jolson (1988), continues his excavation of the Jewish stars of the 1920s and '30s. The saucer-eyed Eddie Cantor (18921964) is all but forgotten today except to historians of the musical stage and film, yet he was a master of every medium he attempted, from vaudeville to television, and his variegated career represents a microcosm of 20th-century American show business. Indeed, as Goldman argues, Cantor's success on radio was unprecedented and pivotal in the rise of that medium. Yet his origins were humble indeed. Born on the Manhattan's Lower East Side as Israel Iskowitz, the boy was quickly orphaned and raised by his doting grandma Esther in Dickensian poverty. The boy learned that he had a natural gift for making people laugh, and that this gift could win him approval (and deflect potential beatings in the tough streets of turn-of-the-century Jewish New York). He dropped out of school at 13 but didn't truly enter show business until he was 16, when he worked as a waiter and singer at a saloon, teamed with an equally young Jimmy Durante. Gradually, he drifted into a career in the entertainment business, slowly climbing the ladder of vaudeville success until he was starring in the Ziegfeld Follies. From there his stardom grew steadily, predicated on his boundless energy, boisterous comedy, and way with a song. At the same time, he remained committed to the people he had left behind, a tireless worker for good causes (including the March of Dimes, which he founded), and a powerful advocate for the burgeoning unions in the entertainment industry. But Goldman tells Cantor's story in overly elaborate detail. At times it seems as if he has listed every public appearance the star ever made. This volume is thus unlikely to resurrect Cantor's memory, although it captures some of his appeal. Interesting reading, but ultimately a book for the already committed fan. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review

"Because Eddie Cantor was the star of the first musical I was taken to, I've long had a special affection for him. So it's very gratifying to find he has at last received a full-scale biography--one that is irresistibly written, competently researched, and compassionate but not uncritical."--Gerald Boardman, author ofThe American Musical: A Chronicle and The Oxford Companion to American Theater

"This book is an excellent viewing companion and more, what with its many "ographies" (bibli-, film-, disc- and stage-), not to mention its being invaluable for elucidating the proper punctuation of Cantor's later anthem, `Oh! Gee, Oh! Gosh, Oh! Golly, I'm in Love.'"--Booklist

"...as a record of that 'nursery of entertainment' that was the lower east side, this book stands as a proud tribute."--Herbert Goldman,Vision Magazine

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 440 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 1ST edition (November 13, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195074025
• ISBN-13: 978-0195074024
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,644,334 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Forgotten star poorly remembered, July 11, 2001

By	Doug. Mason (Knoxville, TN USA) - See all my reviews

Herbert G. Goldman, author of biographies on Eddie Cantor's contemporaries Al Jolson and Fannie Brice, can only be commended for reviving the memory of a great star, now sadly and unfairly forgotten. "Banjo Eyes" remembers Cantor, but fails almost completely at presenting a portrait of the life and career of this star of stage, screen, radio and television. Instead, Goldman offers a mundane laundry list of performance dates and far too much of his own armchair psychology. The book is poorly researched, badly written and atrociously edited (factual errors, typographical errors and misspellings abound). Goldman repeatedly takes a step down biographical roads, only to detour. For example: near the end of the book, he refers to Cantor as a serial philanderer. Yet, previously he has written about only one possible but unconfirmed affair (with comedian Joan Davis). Since Cantor's public image was that of a devoted husband and father, a proper biographer would have devoted considerable time to the topic of the star's fidelity, or lack thereof. But Goldman seems more interested in endless lists of Cantor's public appearances. When he does offer some intriguing nugget, Goldman's poor scholarship doesn't properly back it up with sources(Footnotes, Mr. Goldman. Footnotes). It's impossible to believe much of anything the author has to say. For instance, a reference to poor ratings for Cantor's radio show, will be followed up a couple pages later with a statement about how popular the show is. Did something happen in between? Goldman doesn't say. He meticulously records the large sums of money Cantor makes from various enterprises, but says he left only a modest estate after his death in 1964. Goldman half-heartedly guesses at where the money went, but offers no facts. This book is important only because Cantor was important and this is the only serious (!) biography of him to date. Hopefully, something better will come along.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Cantor's greatness lost in book, May 28, 1999

By A Customer

There is little doubt that Eddie Cantor was among the towering giants of the 20th-century entertainment industry. It is difficult to imagine a book about Cantor being boring, but Goldman has done it. Goldman likes to engage in armchair psychology and seeks to apply it to Cantor, with little success. Although Goldman's thesis -- that Cantor created modern stardom by cross-selling himself in different media -- is interesting, Goldman fails to articulate or support what is undoubtedly a very defensible thesis. Instead, he becomes mired in largely meaningless details of Cantor's life and does not capture the enormous impact Cantor had on American society.

The pictures in the book are poorly chosen, sometimes inaccurately described and abominably reproduced. Cantor's later life is given short shrift, and we get little sense of the poignancy of Cantor's final years.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Long Overdue and Greatly Welcome, December 17, 1997

By A Customer

Well-written, entertaining look at Eddie Cantor, which really brings the performer to life. Unlike in so many biographies, the reader here really gets to know Cantor as a (not always likeable) person and performer. We feel his growth, which is a difficult thing for a biographer to achieve. My only caveat is that there are very, very few photos, and those are badly reproduced. Having said that, I must add that is probably the fault of the publisher, rather than the author.