Of course it's offensive on many different levels but a good social history lesson & indicator of how far we have come in the 21st century (and how much further we still have to go) Perhaps ironic that Eddie cantor epitomises the 'isms' here and was himself Jewish ?
@TheTedgale Also, it is comedy. He is all washed up when he is shown clean. He figuratively drowns at the end. So it saying the opposite of what it appears to be saying.
@TheTedgale Well, it is not just that he is white, but that he lied~ so, maybe, it is in keeping with the superficialness with some concepts of beauty. The women are putting on makeup to be considered beautiful, taking the advice from someone wearing make~up to appear to be someone different. One superficial concept of beauty is a sham, another is deeper. Perhaps.
By the time he was making movies in the 1930s, Eddie Cantor already had been performing for years. In his earlier, on-stage days in the teens and '20s, he'd often done blackface routines. So even though it was outdated by then, some of his '30s films had plot elements to get him back into blackface - as seen here.
this is such a charming look at how innocent we were back then! I remember when my grandma told me about how people got a perm back in the day...you got your hair wrapped around metal rods and these wires hooked to the ceiling to electrify your hair into curls. Hell, back then a good way to get a guy was to know how to bake a good cake.
FYI (Christmas Night), was created in 1922 by Ernest Daltroff. It is a floral-woody-amber (oriental) eau de toilette or parfum with notes of jasmine, ylang-ylang and rose, heart notes of violet leaves, lily of the valley, orris and tuberose, on base notes of sandalwood, vetiver and mousse se saxe.
I, for one, think that this number is great. It exposes the 30's female vanity excesses, and, depicts the color barrier in a refreshing way. In the end, Eddie suffers the wrath of both black and white women. His transgression was for being in blackface and being exposed as a white person. This number is kind of a Hollywood apology for the Jolson era. It's a lot of fun and shows that blackface was finally about to be put to rest.
@Yuffie3982 That took a lot of guts and shows a great deal of decency on your part. I admit that African American history is not my main subject! and through our exchange of messages I can now understand how you feel that this film can be insulting and so I apologise to you too for seeming unfeeling and for not accepting your opinion straight away. I wish you the very best of luck in your work and in your personal life. Best Wishes from Little old England!.x.x.
@Yuffie3982 i make assumptions about you?... you are the one who called me an idiot... said that I was uneducated... that I didn't care... all wrong... so I would like an apology from you before I go any further with this. You are the one that looks like an "ass".......
@Yuffie3982 You are not awesome in any way shape or form. You do not come over as a very like-able person, you insult people in first contact and are very self opinionated. As a lecturer in sciences I find that these traits often cease as people become educated, I see you are/ were at uni.. so obviously its not always the case. maybe you are nicer in person. If not then at least you probably look ok if you teach tennis, but of course beauty, just like colour, is only skin deep.
@Yuffie3982 idiots eh? well, if that is how you feel then you're entitled to your opinion, but as long as you insult people then you get no respect from anyone. Racism has moved on. If you can't see that then it is you who needs to "Take your ass back to class". You will NEVER be free until you let go of the past and embrace the present. You have serious anger issues that you need to address if you want to live a full and normal life. Yes holocaust survivors, and their offspring need to move on.
What would it take for them to produce anything remotely close to this today?? Including the black face. Not a racist or anything, I always thought it was such a special treat!
So what you Gonna moan about when genetic engineering really kicks in and you can be a black man one year then chinese for a year then whitey then eskimo ect ect ethnicity will be a fashion accessory I'm gonna be a Japanese with a massive Black Dick
@SuzLa1 back in the day it was racist. instead of painting someone why didnt they just hire a black man to play the part? it's harmful because it perpetuated the idea that black people are idiots and that it's ok to make fun of them
I want to thank many of the responders for their insightful and well-informed comments. It made me consider aspects of blackface that I'd never been exposed to before.
. . .
P.S. Some years ago, I saw a commercial for women's sneakers featuring this song. After seeing it several times, I noticed they altered it and replaced "if you wanna be loved" with "but do it.. do it for you." :p
@TheTedgale Has evreyone overlooked the 20 or 30 beautiful black girls, though the servants they were, doing their dance routine. Eddie Cantor was a very Civil Rights motivated individual even before it became the fashion.
Ethnic humor is just that...not racist, unless one is a racist & will interpret it as such..
It's not racist because of him being painted black, its racist because of -how- he's painted black. It shows the fake idea of how you look when you have a dark skin, makes a joke of that look, and makes it a main theme in the setting. It's good, though, and as long as you are aware of the racism and the sexism I see no reason not to enjoy it.
Was it Farrah Fawcett or Raquel Welsh who said "Women would rather be beautiful than smart because men can see better than they can think?"
This is a funny clip, a bit racy, with them looking under his skirts and seeing his dingdongs!
People say his painting his face black is racist, in that case it's racist for Western actors to play Asian parts, or even for a Brit to put on tan makeup and play the part of a Spaniard.
Busby Berkeley coreogr ...in 83 found it in Tower Records London VHS of Roman Scandals and take it with me back to Johannesburg .SouthAfrica..In School was a tremendous sensation but teachers said it was pornography
when eddie went into the steam spa he became a little boy running out 'keeping himself also 'young and beautiful'. though he had to give a finale with the song as his own made up adult self in the production.
@birdmanofbooze he is a white man named Eddie Cantor. Very popular in his day. He did black face on occasion, but was a stand up comic and singer mainly. If you have seen Boardwalk Empire on HBO, he is portrayed as the regular performer at Babettes, the night club owned by Nucky Thompson.
I think that Eddie Cantor is great, but if you think that the offensive elements of this video should be dismissed as "merely entertainment", then "you got some learnin' to do." "Birth of a Nation" was merely entertainment. Take a class in media studies. Look up the term "cultural hegemony." But be warned: you'll never be able to watch a Disney animation (in which cultural stereotypes abound) with the same relish. But maybe you shouldn't ...
Well said !! .... A 1930s movie cannot be judged according to the dictates of the ridiculous political correctness which sadly seems to be permeate all aspects of modern society.
@NachoMac1936 Thank you for the compliment; I thought I was going to get blasted for my comment. Seriously, there are some people nowadays who would take the joy out of morning sunrise.
So thinking racism is unacceptable is "ridiculous political correctness"? I can enjoy it for what it is, but to think there is absolutely nothing objectionable about blackface or the racial dynamics in this is truly delusional.
@PisceanBeautyy No worse than the Wayan's putting on White-face in "White Chicks" (2004 movie). I remember a Sanford & Son episode where Fred says: " There's nothing uglier that an old white woman." Reverse that and what would happen? Racism is a two way street and it not right in either direction.
Totally wonderful. Look at all the social taboos this cat crosses. White guy pats the bottom of a black chick, :38. At 3:34 we are going into a dramatization of racial segregation. 4:04, "Hah! Look and me I'm a white guy dancing on the black side of the segregation line. Take that you racist bastards in the audience." 4:13 integration is a social problem that needs to be addressed on both sides of the seperation line. 4:32 expression of forbidden inter-racial romance? 5:24 liberal w. guy. Bravo!
i think this vid is fatastic,, please appreciate it for its design,, sets costumes and sheer power of eddie cantors fantastic voice,, and remember when it was filmed,, almost eighty years ago....
Round about 3:35 this whole routine starts to resemble an animated chess set with all the white pieces on one side of the board and the black pieces on the other. Strange how the one male piece seems most like the queen.
@voglesque89 thats right, so mant people make comment without seeing or understanding the whole picture..... everything just MUST be some kind of racist insult.
Hey! Guys and Homos, it's entertainment for goodness sakes, why you have to pick pick pick i fail to understand! Enjoy it for what it is, soething that could never be made anymore, thanks to "the man" Huzzah!
@causabon99 you saw that women were being exploited..that it..abahahabahahbah...racism it make one such brainless numb nuts...no offense...or perhaps your just not that brite...so I'll give you a way out...
Cantor is hiding from thugs in a vestal virgin's bathhouse, posing as a Nubian (black) eunuch. When they discover his "secret" (4:12), they "steam him down to size!" This number could NOT have been released a year later, when the Production Code was fully enforced.
So wrong on so many levels. Aside from the humour, it's still ageist, racist and sexist! But hilarious lyrics and glamourous! Look closely: how many of the black girls are actually (naturally) black?
you may call it racist, sexists or other political correctness nonsenes, but in fact this is just a sweet little tune and quite true really. Better relax and enjoy the music and pretty girls :-)
Thankyou Rifforaff. Atleast someone here appreciates that classics for what they are and were.
And if some of you folks can not look past the end of your nose, in the 30's there were also movies starting African American painting whiteface in movies and in theater as a spoof for comedy.
Just watch the movie and enjoy the song and dancing.
@RIFF0RAFF actually, the message here is that women lose all their value if they cease being conventionally beautiful. It turns women into objects. Shit is whacked.
Lucille Ball is recognizable in at least three close ups in this number. Also, visible is Barbara Pepper who was about 16 years old. She was a close pal of Lucy's for many years.
Well look at all the products on the market today to keep "young and beautiful" Are you really shocked. Infact we are worse now then we were back in the 30's to how we we are now: Least back then people left their houses, got sun, exercize and socialized. Now we sit at home in front on the freaking tube and try to look like all the actors we see on the tube.
This song is the very quintessence of sexism... I wouldn't be offended if I wasn't completely sure that there's still many, many people who feel like this.
Well, with all the fat asses waddling around and so many people that don't give a shit about they way look maybe more people ought to pay more attention to this!
i feel safe here Folks. The skum who has this other EDDIE CANTOR webpage CENSORED me for my defence of CANTOR when a young punk poked some fun.Here I xan say it again EDDIE CANTOR THE GREATEST ENTERTAINER ever. I met him at age 5. BANJO EYES we STILL LOVE YOU. TOMKES
Valid comments about the black stereotyping - no one can argue that the whole minstrel thing was an indignity to African Americans - but how about the refrain "Keep young and beautiful if you want to be loved"? That's just as offensive. Eddie Cantor did a lot of great work that didn't offend - then or now.
Everyone's always screeming racism. I think this is a wonderful clip and dont see racism. It was the era where that was ok and I dont see one thing wrong with it. They should start making these type of films again.
There was a time when actors made their money doing minstrel acts. Eddie Cantor was the foremost minstrel artist of his day. All the Cantor movies I've seen have always had a minstrel number, which is probably why they stopped showing them.
Before accusing Eddie Cantor of racism , remember he was Jewish, banned from clubs, hotels etc throughout his career, and he was appreciated for his support of performers on Broadway. He well knew what real prejudice was.
Youre talking about being banned from clubs reminds me of Bert Williams.He was a great balck entertainer in The Zigfeld Follies. He was a loved hit on stage-but he was not allowed in many resturants or hotels - unless no one saw him .He said the hardest thing about being banned was that he "Could Still Hear The Applause "
At a flea market 2 wweks ago-I found and bought an Eddie Cantor book from 1934. Words music and photos from this production are in it,with a photo of Lucille Ball whose name is not mentioned as shes just an unknown chorus girl .
Why is it that everyone thinks this is racism?? Its not. You have to watch the whole scene and not just this clip to understand why Cantor is black-faced. He is trying to get away and posing as an African slave in ancient Rome. He is mimicing what all African Americans had to do back in the old days of film. The reason they put white about the mouth was film back then could not distingush a dark persons skin tone. The white showed that the actors mouth was opening while singing. NOTHING MORE.
Yes,Lucille Ball is here. Eddie Cantor (the blackface male interloper) sings his version of how bleached-blonde white females should look after themselves, all while they're being taken care of by black attendants. The great equalizer in this number is when the women of both colours share in his humiliation. Not a great number for us guys, superlive98.
Frankly, I interpret the way all the women (Blacks and Whites) teamed up against the interloping man at the end to convey a post-racial feministic message.
Most of these girls did very well...VIVIAN KEEFER (1909-1978)(1.10-1.14] lived in Florida with her husband...........BONNIE BANNON (1913-1989) (1.15-1.19) first married actress Alice Faye's brother,Her 2nd husband was wealthy,she had one son....MARY LANGE (1913-1973)( 1.48-1.50)married a rich man and was married to him till her death in 1973..She lived in Florida..had one son,Daniel...Two grandchildren.......
(1915-2004)..(2.06-2.12) ..middle...Married twice...both times to wealthy men... and lived in wealth for the rest of her life...Two children.....BARBARA PEPPER (1915-1969)..(2.06-2.12)...Left...Had a long career,but a tragic life....problems with alcohol and later obesity....but played in films and on TV till her death in 1969.
If you think this is racist, check out the trivia for the Marx Bros. film from 1935 "Day at the Races." The scene of the African American song and dance was cut by a number of Southern states.
i feel sorry for the people who think this is racist. They are blinded by their stuck-up PC BS that they cannot enjoy the music, the parody, the lighthearted fun this was supposed to be almost 80 years ago. Lighten up
Obviously, it wasn't intended to be hurtful at the time, and it is a fun number. But that doesn't change the fact that that was a racially insensitive time in our history, and that this song might bring back unpleasant memories for some. Why would you think their feelings are less valid than your own wish to avoid controversy?
(The term "PC" is just a bogus way of belittling concern for others' feelings.)
Interesting how the black girls hold up much better for the modern viewer in both appearance and the dance numbers. All the women were chosen for their looks, but the white girls had their appearance mucked up with peroxide, marcelled perms and identical makeup, while the blacks were lucky to avoid all that artifice.
"Christmas Night," or in French, "La Nuit de Noel," was the name of a perfume, created in 1922 by Ernest Daltroff. The perfume was discontinued in the early 1980s.
Great song - wonderful singer . Not sure what racissm your reading into this but blackface was still commonplace inthe 1920s / 30s. Nothing unusual. People ofthe 21st century sem to be hypersensitive to this sort of thing. No one comes off looking bad here. It's a comic number - Eddie C. is the foil. It is wrong to judge a differrent generation based on your own values. Would it float today - no, of course not - this was nearly 80 years ago.
Hmm the colored fellow at around 2:12 is actually a good singer!
Quite different from the rap we hear these days.
Arbaal 5 days ago
Of course it's offensive on many different levels but a good social history lesson & indicator of how far we have come in the 21st century (and how much further we still have to go) Perhaps ironic that Eddie cantor epitomises the 'isms' here and was himself Jewish ?
20mbarry 3 weeks ago
great., we love america.
bluedoris88 1 month ago
one can totally tell that the hay's code wasn't enforced yet when this film was made
koboy1996 2 months ago
Look for Lucille Ball in this number!
RayPointer 2 months ago
so offensive ..its great
mmann66666 2 months ago
Every one of those ladies wanted Eddie.
Reginolde 3 months ago
Its of its period...Great
GeoffRogers 4 months ago
@GeoffRogers You mean it's having its period...Great
JRCrowley 3 months ago
@TheTedgale Also, it is comedy. He is all washed up when he is shown clean. He figuratively drowns at the end. So it saying the opposite of what it appears to be saying.
FelixAtrox 4 months ago
@TheTedgale Well, it is not just that he is white, but that he lied~ so, maybe, it is in keeping with the superficialness with some concepts of beauty. The women are putting on makeup to be considered beautiful, taking the advice from someone wearing make~up to appear to be someone different. One superficial concept of beauty is a sham, another is deeper. Perhaps.
FelixAtrox 4 months ago
@FelixAtrox Aside from the irony and present-day awareness, perhaps were is far too much analysis here. It's only entertainment and nothing more.
RayPointer 2 months ago 2
@RayPointer Much as one's own views of the same thing are tempered by time.
FelixAtrox 1 month ago
By the time he was making movies in the 1930s, Eddie Cantor already had been performing for years. In his earlier, on-stage days in the teens and '20s, he'd often done blackface routines. So even though it was outdated by then, some of his '30s films had plot elements to get him back into blackface - as seen here.
hebneh 4 months ago
i went to my prom dressed like that
ah happy days
i still get death threats to this day
jesustonight 4 months ago in playlist jesustonight's favourites
I tell ya what-if anyone put facepaint on like that THESE days the NAACP would be all over it.....no sense of humor anymore.
BlacklightSunshine72 5 months ago
what's the name of the movie it's from?
PereyaslovK 5 months ago
@PereyaslovK
colinjwatts486 3 months ago
@PereyaslovK roman scandals?
colinjwatts486 3 months ago
@TheTedgale What they get schocked at is his white tighs.. His deception... But see it as you like.
svengogar 5 months ago
funny little tune but....the video is almost creepy.....I like annie lennox's version better :P
Cellolife97 6 months ago
The girl at 1:16 is frightening!
DoctorRStrangelove 6 months ago
this is such a charming look at how innocent we were back then! I remember when my grandma told me about how people got a perm back in the day...you got your hair wrapped around metal rods and these wires hooked to the ceiling to electrify your hair into curls. Hell, back then a good way to get a guy was to know how to bake a good cake.
pika23 7 months ago 2
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pika23 7 months ago
I Love Lucy, especially at the right of frame at .23 to .25. She truly was young and beautiful in this film clip!
rgsfield 7 months ago
@rgsfield I was just about to post that she was in this!
pika23 7 months ago
FYI (Christmas Night), was created in 1922 by Ernest Daltroff. It is a floral-woody-amber (oriental) eau de toilette or parfum with notes of jasmine, ylang-ylang and rose, heart notes of violet leaves, lily of the valley, orris and tuberose, on base notes of sandalwood, vetiver and mousse se saxe.
pika23 7 months ago
@pika23 bollocks
RobbieTyler1 5 months ago
I, for one, think that this number is great. It exposes the 30's female vanity excesses, and, depicts the color barrier in a refreshing way. In the end, Eddie suffers the wrath of both black and white women. His transgression was for being in blackface and being exposed as a white person. This number is kind of a Hollywood apology for the Jolson era. It's a lot of fun and shows that blackface was finally about to be put to rest.
errolfan 7 months ago
@Yuffie3982 That took a lot of guts and shows a great deal of decency on your part. I admit that African American history is not my main subject! and through our exchange of messages I can now understand how you feel that this film can be insulting and so I apologise to you too for seeming unfeeling and for not accepting your opinion straight away. I wish you the very best of luck in your work and in your personal life. Best Wishes from Little old England!.x.x.
RobbieTyler1 7 months ago
@Yuffie3982 i make assumptions about you?... you are the one who called me an idiot... said that I was uneducated... that I didn't care... all wrong... so I would like an apology from you before I go any further with this. You are the one that looks like an "ass".......
RobbieTyler1 7 months ago
@Yuffie3982 You are not awesome in any way shape or form. You do not come over as a very like-able person, you insult people in first contact and are very self opinionated. As a lecturer in sciences I find that these traits often cease as people become educated, I see you are/ were at uni.. so obviously its not always the case. maybe you are nicer in person. If not then at least you probably look ok if you teach tennis, but of course beauty, just like colour, is only skin deep.
RobbieTyler1 8 months ago
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RobbieTyler1 8 months ago
@Yuffie3982 idiots eh? well, if that is how you feel then you're entitled to your opinion, but as long as you insult people then you get no respect from anyone. Racism has moved on. If you can't see that then it is you who needs to "Take your ass back to class". You will NEVER be free until you let go of the past and embrace the present. You have serious anger issues that you need to address if you want to live a full and normal life. Yes holocaust survivors, and their offspring need to move on.
RobbieTyler1 8 months ago
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RobbieTyler1 8 months ago
What would it take for them to produce anything remotely close to this today?? Including the black face. Not a racist or anything, I always thought it was such a special treat!
GarySpatzScam 8 months ago
This is what I like to call 19 kinds of wrong.
haruhistnumber5 8 months ago
@haruhistnumber5 Do odd wrongs make a right? Or evens?
errolfan 8 months ago
I prefer spas a litlle less athletic!
MrJesusrodeaharley 9 months ago
So what you Gonna moan about when genetic engineering really kicks in and you can be a black man one year then chinese for a year then whitey then eskimo ect ect ethnicity will be a fashion accessory I'm gonna be a Japanese with a massive Black Dick
chitlika 9 months ago
It's more sexist than racist, as it says keep young and beautiful if you want to be loved.
SuzLa1 10 months ago
I think it's sad that a person can't be painted another colour for a part without people going crazy about racism. It isn't as if it's harmful.
SuzLa1 10 months ago
@SuzLa1 back in the day it was racist. instead of painting someone why didnt they just hire a black man to play the part? it's harmful because it perpetuated the idea that black people are idiots and that it's ok to make fun of them
franzzypants 9 months ago
P.P.S. As many pointed out, this song is so catchy!
The ad dept. of the sneaker company I mentioned before knew what they were doing to use it; because years later, I still remember that commercial!
4thel0ve 10 months ago
I want to thank many of the responders for their insightful and well-informed comments. It made me consider aspects of blackface that I'd never been exposed to before.
. . .
P.S. Some years ago, I saw a commercial for women's sneakers featuring this song. After seeing it several times, I noticed they altered it and replaced "if you wanna be loved" with "but do it.. do it for you." :p
4thel0ve 10 months ago
@TheTedgale Has evreyone overlooked the 20 or 30 beautiful black girls, though the servants they were, doing their dance routine. Eddie Cantor was a very Civil Rights motivated individual even before it became the fashion.
Ethnic humor is just that...not racist, unless one is a racist & will interpret it as such..
MrCommonsense743 11 months ago
It's not racist because of him being painted black, its racist because of -how- he's painted black. It shows the fake idea of how you look when you have a dark skin, makes a joke of that look, and makes it a main theme in the setting. It's good, though, and as long as you are aware of the racism and the sexism I see no reason not to enjoy it.
Diovobirius 11 months ago
OH Christ people get OVER yourselves....this IS NOT RACIST! Political correctness or "Social Terrorism" as I call it , is rampant in this country.
Just have a Coke and a smile, sit down and enjoy the SONG!
MonkeyDlux 1 year ago
Annie Lennox covered this song on her "Diva" solo album. Check it out.
Jupiter2PA 1 year ago
Was it Farrah Fawcett or Raquel Welsh who said "Women would rather be beautiful than smart because men can see better than they can think?"
This is a funny clip, a bit racy, with them looking under his skirts and seeing his dingdongs!
People say his painting his face black is racist, in that case it's racist for Western actors to play Asian parts, or even for a Brit to put on tan makeup and play the part of a Spaniard.
SuedeNyme 1 year ago
Oh , the brilliant Eddie Cantor;
Love this film!
ozzymandi 1 year ago
Busby Berkeley coreogr ...in 83 found it in Tower Records London VHS of Roman Scandals and take it with me back to Johannesburg .SouthAfrica..In School was a tremendous sensation but teachers said it was pornography
vertxxgg 1 year ago
How many people recognize Lucille Ball in this number?
ikill4klondikebars 1 year ago
@ikill4klondikebars I was wondering when somebody was going to mention Lucille Ball as a Goldwyn Girl here!!!!
Mendy7952 11 months ago
when eddie went into the steam spa he became a little boy running out 'keeping himself also 'young and beautiful'. though he had to give a finale with the song as his own made up adult self in the production.
tdfoolery 1 year ago
Who's the Black guy staring in this ? he's a good singer, very talented..
birdmanofbooze 1 year ago
@birdmanofbooze he is a white man named Eddie Cantor. Very popular in his day. He did black face on occasion, but was a stand up comic and singer mainly. If you have seen Boardwalk Empire on HBO, he is portrayed as the regular performer at Babettes, the night club owned by Nucky Thompson.
pika23 1 year ago
The young lady at 1.36 reminds me so much of one of the older nuns in Sister Act!!
KylesSweetie 1 year ago
The woman at 1:47 looks like Elaine from Seinfeld....
anyways, love me some good ol' cantor
KidEllington 1 year ago
Is that lucy at 1:28?
mumbaijunkie44 1 year ago
This song would be perfect set over really degrading footage of plastic surgery and things of that nature.
Elfinesmom 1 year ago 2
I think that Eddie Cantor is great, but if you think that the offensive elements of this video should be dismissed as "merely entertainment", then "you got some learnin' to do." "Birth of a Nation" was merely entertainment. Take a class in media studies. Look up the term "cultural hegemony." But be warned: you'll never be able to watch a Disney animation (in which cultural stereotypes abound) with the same relish. But maybe you shouldn't ...
sarge103 1 year ago
like this song good song
ChristmasSurprize 1 year ago
a very young Lucille Ball appears in this clip.
woodears 1 year ago
black or white... that was fun At the end was eddy the little person or not...
SuperMrduncan 1 year ago
I don't think this clip should be taken so seriously. It seems like Eddie's taking the piss out of the whole cosmetic industry.
(Boy, and he thought things were bad back then!)
ALOTEF 1 year ago
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MaceMn 1 year ago
Oh, get over it. A classic movie song that's harmless fun, and you have to pc it to death. Get a life.
olddude521 1 year ago
@olddude521
Well said !! .... A 1930s movie cannot be judged according to the dictates of the ridiculous political correctness which sadly seems to be permeate all aspects of modern society.
NachoMac1936 1 year ago
@NachoMac1936 Thank you for the compliment; I thought I was going to get blasted for my comment. Seriously, there are some people nowadays who would take the joy out of morning sunrise.
olddude521 1 year ago
@NachoMac1936
So thinking racism is unacceptable is "ridiculous political correctness"? I can enjoy it for what it is, but to think there is absolutely nothing objectionable about blackface or the racial dynamics in this is truly delusional.
PisceanBeautyy 1 year ago
@PisceanBeautyy
We all have our opinions on political correctness - you stick with yours if it floats your boat.
NachoMac1936 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@PisceanBeautyy No worse than the Wayan's putting on White-face in "White Chicks" (2004 movie). I remember a Sanford & Son episode where Fred says: " There's nothing uglier that an old white woman." Reverse that and what would happen? Racism is a two way street and it not right in either direction.
MaceMn 1 year ago
I'm shocked. Lucille Ball @1;25 and 2;48. Hmm... she must have dyed her natural Technicolor red hair. That's it.
errolfan 1 year ago
Fun number. I've never seen more blondes with dark eyebrows in one movie together. By comparison, Cantor in blackface looks normal.
errolfan 1 year ago
Totally wonderful. Look at all the social taboos this cat crosses. White guy pats the bottom of a black chick, :38. At 3:34 we are going into a dramatization of racial segregation. 4:04, "Hah! Look and me I'm a white guy dancing on the black side of the segregation line. Take that you racist bastards in the audience." 4:13 integration is a social problem that needs to be addressed on both sides of the seperation line. 4:32 expression of forbidden inter-racial romance? 5:24 liberal w. guy. Bravo!
1noblegent 1 year ago 2
This is a bit risque, isn't it? All that bare flesh!
Pwecko 1 year ago
i think this vid is fatastic,, please appreciate it for its design,, sets costumes and sheer power of eddie cantors fantastic voice,, and remember when it was filmed,, almost eighty years ago....
flakyace 1 year ago
Round about 3:35 this whole routine starts to resemble an animated chess set with all the white pieces on one side of the board and the black pieces on the other. Strange how the one male piece seems most like the queen.
IDLERACER 1 year ago
@IDLERACER Good point!
newrochellephoenix 1 year ago
identified two of the black chorines: Theresa Harris and Carolynne Snowden
djmbm100 1 year ago
@TheTedgale I'm pretty sure he wasn't a eunuch. If you watch the movie he's just an "Ethiopian beauty expert" or something.
voglesque89 1 year ago 4
@voglesque89 thats right, so mant people make comment without seeing or understanding the whole picture..... everything just MUST be some kind of racist insult.
RobbieTyler1 1 year ago
Hey! Guys and Homos, it's entertainment for goodness sakes, why you have to pick pick pick i fail to understand! Enjoy it for what it is, soething that could never be made anymore, thanks to "the man" Huzzah!
glueonhair100 1 year ago
Id love to see RuPaul do this as a production number -just meant for drag queens,dontcha know ?
newrochellephoenix 1 year ago 7
@newrochellephoenix
Haha, that'd be pretty great!
voglesque89 1 year ago
@newrochellephoenix Its not Ru Paul, but here it is in drag:
/watch?v=dc6XFSoOHa0&feature=related
HConstantine 7 months ago
The racial overtones are rather disturbing, however, the the song and musical arrangements are outstanding. A VERY Camp number!
luckypianocat1 1 year ago
I keep on thinking Fred Astaire would sing this song nicely.
BlackMagnumFilms 1 year ago
Yeah, I didn't really need to see my grandmother's side-boob today, but thanks anyway.
Cluin 1 year ago
no women and NOT free!!! they are quite expensive!!! But I do like the OVERT sexuality of the clip especially the "baby" near the end.
ToweringInfernoOrch 1 year ago
Actually I think this scene was WAY ahead of its time. The dance number showed the black women in a MORE than equal light.
And what happens to the blackfaced performer singling a horribly sexist song?
He ends up drowning, with his blackface makeup washed away.
JimboUSofA 1 year ago
Brilliant , harmless in its way, but reflective of a general culture of exploitation. Women are still not free.
causabon99 2 years ago
Boy ain't it the truth.
voglesque89 2 years ago
@causabon99
Sexism forever
Olkidzh 1 year ago
@causabon99 you saw that women were being exploited..that it..abahahabahahbah...racism it make one such brainless numb nuts...no offense...or perhaps your just not that brite...so I'll give you a way out...
TheMoneycometh 5 months ago
This is a great Pre-Code Number!
Cantor is hiding from thugs in a vestal virgin's bathhouse, posing as a Nubian (black) eunuch. When they discover his "secret" (4:12), they "steam him down to size!" This number could NOT have been released a year later, when the Production Code was fully enforced.
VictrolaFan 2 years ago
I'm not sure how much of this is satire... After all, this comes from the age of "glamor".
The way the girls roast Eddie in the steam room does imply a rebellion against the message he's singing about.
BradiKal61 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Nigger stole my bike
KautoStar25 2 years ago
I haven't seen so much phony platinum in one place since the jewelry kiosk in the mall closed down!
2:23 are those giant snifters of milk?
shandamoon 2 years ago
Lucille Ball discussed this clip on the Dick Cavett show and accused Dick of being "queer for Eddie Cantor". :D
KidMillions 2 years ago
Lucy accused Dick of being queer for Eddie ?! OY!!
newrochellephoenix 2 years ago
So wrong on so many levels. Aside from the humour, it's still ageist, racist and sexist! But hilarious lyrics and glamourous! Look closely: how many of the black girls are actually (naturally) black?
supermaxim109 2 years ago
you may call it racist, sexists or other political correctness nonsenes, but in fact this is just a sweet little tune and quite true really. Better relax and enjoy the music and pretty girls :-)
RIFF0RAFF 2 years ago 11
Thankyou Rifforaff. Atleast someone here appreciates that classics for what they are and were.
And if some of you folks can not look past the end of your nose, in the 30's there were also movies starting African American painting whiteface in movies and in theater as a spoof for comedy.
Just watch the movie and enjoy the song and dancing.
thesagebrushkid 2 years ago 3
@RIFF0RAFF So true! I wonder how many women think this, in some way, when applying makeup and/or doing exercises?
mbabist01 2 years ago
@RIFF0RAFF actually, the message here is that women lose all their value if they cease being conventionally beautiful. It turns women into objects. Shit is whacked.
DeathKnitter 1 year ago
@RIFF0RAFF this may be a nice tune. how can anyone ignore the obvious. a white man in black face. how is this okay?
mr5341 7 months ago
JUST LOVE ALL THESE BLONDES!!
GRAYGRAY53 2 years ago
1:52 - Jane Wyman?
1:56 - Paulette Goddard i think is one of the girls
mookindahouse 2 years ago
Anybody spot a blonde Lucille Ball in this?
Biancawithrow 2 years ago
Lucille Ball is recognizable in at least three close ups in this number. Also, visible is Barbara Pepper who was about 16 years old. She was a close pal of Lucy's for many years.
stlgtrace 2 years ago
@stlgtrace - Barbara Pepper was 18 when this was made ... she was born in 1915.
mkrobinson95 5 months ago
Wow. People actually think like this.
MattActorGordon 2 years ago
Well look at all the products on the market today to keep "young and beautiful" Are you really shocked. Infact we are worse now then we were back in the 30's to how we we are now: Least back then people left their houses, got sun, exercize and socialized. Now we sit at home in front on the freaking tube and try to look like all the actors we see on the tube.
thesagebrushkid 2 years ago 14
This song is the very quintessence of sexism... I wouldn't be offended if I wasn't completely sure that there's still many, many people who feel like this.
belteshazzar293 2 years ago
this is almost more sexist than racist,lol.
bawoman 2 years ago
Well, with all the fat asses waddling around and so many people that don't give a shit about they way look maybe more people ought to pay more attention to this!
stlgtrace 2 years ago 2
you're blocked :)
voglesque89 2 years ago
hahahaha this is so fucking racist.
IWalkOnBothFeet 2 years ago
i feel safe here Folks. The skum who has this other EDDIE CANTOR webpage CENSORED me for my defence of CANTOR when a young punk poked some fun.Here I xan say it again EDDIE CANTOR THE GREATEST ENTERTAINER ever. I met him at age 5. BANJO EYES we STILL LOVE YOU. TOMKES
tomkes100 2 years ago
Valid comments about the black stereotyping - no one can argue that the whole minstrel thing was an indignity to African Americans - but how about the refrain "Keep young and beautiful if you want to be loved"? That's just as offensive. Eddie Cantor did a lot of great work that didn't offend - then or now.
drjkraut 2 years ago
I could cry in the face of a perfect USA. I wish it could be 1928 forever.
SeeburgMusic 2 years ago 2
This is funny ...clean fun
BarbaraMParis 2 years ago
Really?
GRIFpenguin 2 years ago
Eddie was a very entertaining multitalented actor & singer. This clip happens to stereotype blacks.
one must undersrstand that those days this was still aceptable
dan7435 2 years ago
Everyone's always screeming racism. I think this is a wonderful clip and dont see racism. It was the era where that was ok and I dont see one thing wrong with it. They should start making these type of films again.
FriendofVestal 2 years ago 2
Yep, it's racism.
It's also great showbiz.
Sort it out yourself!
GrenvilleT 2 years ago
There was a time when actors made their money doing minstrel acts. Eddie Cantor was the foremost minstrel artist of his day. All the Cantor movies I've seen have always had a minstrel number, which is probably why they stopped showing them.
streamingmad 2 years ago 2
1:52 Mmmmm what a woman :)
Adamodevadam 2 years ago
At 38:00 Eddie's copping a feel!
hemming57 2 years ago
you mean 00:38 ?
traderboi2 2 years ago
Before accusing Eddie Cantor of racism , remember he was Jewish, banned from clubs, hotels etc throughout his career, and he was appreciated for his support of performers on Broadway. He well knew what real prejudice was.
swallin19 2 years ago
Yeah, he was banned from clubs, but he was let to dance with goyish blond girls... Two faces of "antisemitism"...
Adamodevadam 2 years ago
Youre talking about being banned from clubs reminds me of Bert Williams.He was a great balck entertainer in The Zigfeld Follies. He was a loved hit on stage-but he was not allowed in many resturants or hotels - unless no one saw him .He said the hardest thing about being banned was that he "Could Still Hear The Applause "
newrochellephoenix 2 years ago
At a flea market 2 wweks ago-I found and bought an Eddie Cantor book from 1934. Words music and photos from this production are in it,with a photo of Lucille Ball whose name is not mentioned as shes just an unknown chorus girl .
newrochellephoenix 2 years ago 2
That's great! 5 stars!
SLanima 2 years ago
Why is it that everyone thinks this is racism?? Its not. You have to watch the whole scene and not just this clip to understand why Cantor is black-faced. He is trying to get away and posing as an African slave in ancient Rome. He is mimicing what all African Americans had to do back in the old days of film. The reason they put white about the mouth was film back then could not distingush a dark persons skin tone. The white showed that the actors mouth was opening while singing. NOTHING MORE.
thesagebrushkid 2 years ago
If nothing else, fantastic music!
vinylseat 2 years ago
Yes,Lucille Ball is here. Eddie Cantor (the blackface male interloper) sings his version of how bleached-blonde white females should look after themselves, all while they're being taken care of by black attendants. The great equalizer in this number is when the women of both colours share in his humiliation. Not a great number for us guys, superlive98.
errolfan 2 years ago
Frankly, I interpret the way all the women (Blacks and Whites) teamed up against the interloping man at the end to convey a post-racial feministic message.
U Go Ladies!
superlive98 2 years ago 4
I prefer the Annie Lennox version...
top37ccs 2 years ago
ha ha, now that's art.
thekaiz48 2 years ago
jaw-dropping racism (and sexism)
Gzarnanplat 2 years ago
why does this clip remind me of Karen Walker 4rm Will and Grace lol anyone notice Lucille Ball in this? :)
daris89 2 years ago
Be interesting to see how all these girls turned out 20-30 yrs later.
davidperi 2 years ago
Most of these girls did very well...VIVIAN KEEFER (1909-1978)(1.10-1.14] lived in Florida with her husband...........BONNIE BANNON (1913-1989) (1.15-1.19) first married actress Alice Faye's brother,Her 2nd husband was wealthy,she had one son....MARY LANGE (1913-1973)( 1.48-1.50)married a rich man and was married to him till her death in 1973..She lived in Florida..had one son,Daniel...Two grandchildren.......
NorbertR33 2 years ago 2
JANE HAMILTON
(1915-2004)..(2.06-2.12) ..middle...Married twice...both times to wealthy men... and lived in wealth for the rest of her life...Two children.....BARBARA PEPPER (1915-1969)..(2.06-2.12)...Left...Had a long career,but a tragic life....problems with alcohol and later obesity....but played in films and on TV till her death in 1969.
NorbertR33 2 years ago 2
I wanna see this redone with fellas.
newrochellephoenix 2 years ago 3
me too
voglesque89 2 years ago
He is totoally Jewish
NiftyNataliePollock 2 years ago
That is so drag....shows that even staights do drag.
NiftyNataliePollock 2 years ago 2
strange, he doesn't look jewish. . .
hooweelewis 2 years ago
I used to watch this movie every weekend when I was about 7 or eight or nine.
rollingcube 2 years ago
This is the original version of the classic tune which was later remade on The Benny Hill Show 5 decades later.
yogafan6500 2 years ago
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mookindahouse 2 years ago
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Dutchfan33 2 years ago
3.29 is not Jane Wyman...It's Mary Lange
Dutchfan33 2 years ago
@Dutchfan33 is Jane Wyman even in this film as a Goldwyn Girl, I know that Lucille Ball and Paulette Goddard are.
mookindahouse 2 years ago
If you think this is racist, check out the trivia for the Marx Bros. film from 1935 "Day at the Races." The scene of the African American song and dance was cut by a number of Southern states.
sayward12 2 years ago
i feel sorry for the people who think this is racist. They are blinded by their stuck-up PC BS that they cannot enjoy the music, the parody, the lighthearted fun this was supposed to be almost 80 years ago. Lighten up
bobstony 2 years ago
Obviously, it wasn't intended to be hurtful at the time, and it is a fun number. But that doesn't change the fact that that was a racially insensitive time in our history, and that this song might bring back unpleasant memories for some. Why would you think their feelings are less valid than your own wish to avoid controversy?
(The term "PC" is just a bogus way of belittling concern for others' feelings.)
toilettduckk 2 years ago 4
Annie Lennox covered this song on her 'Diva' album (last track).
mookindahouse 2 years ago 2
Oh dear.
bobbobato 2 years ago
Interesting how the black girls hold up much better for the modern viewer in both appearance and the dance numbers. All the women were chosen for their looks, but the white girls had their appearance mucked up with peroxide, marcelled perms and identical makeup, while the blacks were lucky to avoid all that artifice.
margotdarby 2 years ago
hehe the end is funny. ^^
charliegirl6 2 years ago
"Let him get a sniff of Christmas night"...
Hah! Is that a euphemism?
Ah no, great track all the same.
geasparjons 2 years ago
"Christmas Night," or in French, "La Nuit de Noel," was the name of a perfume, created in 1922 by Ernest Daltroff. The perfume was discontinued in the early 1980s.
victoriaphibes 2 years ago 2
Wow, thanks! I always wondered what that was referring to!
voglesque89 2 years ago
Great song - wonderful singer . Not sure what racissm your reading into this but blackface was still commonplace inthe 1920s / 30s. Nothing unusual. People ofthe 21st century sem to be hypersensitive to this sort of thing. No one comes off looking bad here. It's a comic number - Eddie C. is the foil. It is wrong to judge a differrent generation based on your own values. Would it float today - no, of course not - this was nearly 80 years ago.
Shelton1967 3 years ago 3
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