Eddie Cantor in 1923 | 2 vaudeville songs

[sixela25sexy]

lol these lyrics are funny. i didnt know they talked like that back then

[MrsNatari]

Mr. Awesome, would you play something for Eddie?

[thedelta88]

guys got some moves



[MrBRREEETTTT]

Lol Boardwalk Empire. This exact song is in first or second episode.

[aleksandraWTC]

gratz to the uploader for uploading this in 2007 when almost no one knew about him! and YES,I'm here because of Boardwalk Empire.

[MrDukemeister]

Was Edie Cantor gay or did all men act like that in teh 1920s?

[facecheek]

@MrDukemeister that was a male comedian, dude.

...in ninety years dane cook will look like a faggot.

[tpaladino]

@facecheek 90 years? Dane Cook looks like a faggot right now.

[aconite2b]

How can this be 1923 when talkies were invented in 1927?

[Diaredd59]

@aconite2b Edison did a talkie in color in 1900. It took over 20 years to perfect the technology and to get Hollywood to accept the change-

[Hellninio]

They had Youtube in '23???

[toemeraldcity]

Okay then dumbing myself down!!!

[Tillhammer]

Eddie always tells it like it is.

[TheGrunge619]

I thank you for putting the great showman eddie cantor on video.Fascinating to see.I must admit that I found out about him from listening to tiny tim.He used to sing some of his tunes! I wonder how he would do on American idol?My mum and dad had some of eddies songs in songbooks that they used to sing around the piano.

[HeinrickXI]

This is simply GREAT ! Most of our younger generations could learn something about music with these type of "reminders"1

[jackwasjmansk8r]

we can thank this man for panic at the discos style.

[Sodhats]

@jackwasjmansk8r You mean he influenced them musically, or his having sex with dumb girls eventually resulted in their popularity?

[vladdrac88]

Heeheee I love the music and the dancing. I hate the philosophy.

[gassi15]

some smart girl disliked this cause she wasnt good in bed ps awesome song

[E2theSamps]

@KidMillions

Stephen DeRosa does an excellent job in portraying him. When he first appeared in the series, I immediately recognized the character, having heard him on my grandmother's old records.

[woodears]

They had the recording technique for sound on film in 1923 (this is the Lee De Forest system) but the playback equipment and speakers were not good. We are hearing this better than it sounded back then.

[yuritim]

How true- the dumb girls know how to do IT.

[superkraft2]

Wow, I guess people never change. Only pop culture, trends and political views do. While the hearts of man will always stay the same. Great music!!!!

[jaywhofan]

"The dumber they come, the more that I like 'em, 'cause the dumb ones know how to make love". Wow. lol Just....wow. lol

[tpaladino]

@jaywhofan Is the message really any different from pop music today? Sure, they don't come right out and say it, but things have not really changed all that much as far as what is expected of women.

[nicodagger]

I love his deli in L.A. , been there many times.

[IBetYouWillFemales]

HOT DANG-I JUST HAD AN EPIPHANY!

We watched a video on hist. back in highschool, and it did the beginning of sound films....they showed a clip of this (I didn't know it was Eddie Cantor then) and I LAUGHED MY ASS OFF IN TEARS..this is great! Thanks.

[BlitzkreigYYZ]

Whats the name of the song at the beginning? I need to find the instrumental version.

[nicodagger]

And don't forget the wonderful deli he founded on Fairfax Ave. in L.A.! The best pastrami ever!

[Wehategod]

Mazeltov Isreal Iskowitz!!!!

[swallin19]

Yes, it is George Olsen, and the problem with all early sound films was amplification, the valves required were new and very expensive. It took RCA to commercialise Amps for theatres, and that was in 1927, when Vitaphone hit the headlines. Sound was in use in the UK at the time, but only for newsreels, and strictly in big cinema houses.

De Forrest had a UK division, bought out from him, that made hundreds of short sound films before Hollywood got into the act..

[RayPointer]

It was Western Electric, not RCA who had the lead in theatrical sound amplification.

[pianolasociety]

the conductor must be George Olsen to whom Cantor is addressing...you can just catch the name.

[Crosis2814]

Play me off Johnny...

[oggendoggen2]

2:20

"When you're around I get so EXCITED!"

hahahahahahahaha!!!!!!

[racingrubberbiker]

Eddie Cantor, in fact ,made several fims in the early 30's for Samuel Goldwyn (for whom he was under contract), not MGM. Goldwyn had his own company by then, and distributed through United Artists, which made him a partner, with Fairbanks, Pickford, and Chaplin

[racingrubberbiker]

Whoopie was Cantor's first film for Goldwyn (1929) in partnership with Florenz Ziegfeld (who subsequently was ousted) in the early two-strip technicolor. After leaving Goldwyn he made some picutres for Fox, but these were less successful

[tuxguys]

I'm stunned. They had the technology in '23, and they didn't really use it commercially until '28? Unbelievable.

[KidMillions]

tuxguy, there were successful experiments with sound from the very beginning, in Germany as early as 1905. Edison in 1913. But if the projectionist would crank the film at slightly the wrong speed the voices sounded very weird of course (a girl would open her mouth and sound like a man) and audiences would boo these "talking pictures", while nickelodeon pictures with music became very popular...

[0marianlibrarian]

It's funny, they had the technology to create excellent sound films, but not to watch them. Watching this film on YouTube is probably a hundred times better experience than it would have been to see it in the theater in '23. They say the speakers in those days sounded worse than cheap phonographs. No wonder it took so long for sound to catch on with audiences.

[sayward12]

Kiss me Hot Lips, I'm Asbestos?!

Who wrote this stuff??

[Wehategod]

This song is so Funny.

[Willtap]

Eddie Cantor went on to prove he was a great entertainer, and brilliant star.Excellent.

[GeorgeGilbertMagic]

brilliant, i love eddie!

[Xmchord]

Imagine how eerie this must have been to watch it back then.

[azqrlaf]

De Forest had just started testing Case's modified AEO lights on Jan 9 1923 and was still getting poor results as of that date according to Sponable. De Forest was having difficulty finding a suitable microphone in that period as well. It would seem that this film would be later than 1923.

[TheVelvetUnderdog]

1923? I could have sworn this was 1926 when Warner Bros were experimenting with the Vitaphone system. I could be wrong though, the dates regarding sound invention are quite muddled considering the mutt like fashion that it eventually came to fruition. De Forest, Movietone, Edison and all that malarky.

[KidMillions]

It's a DeForest film and the story is that it was first shown at the opening of the Rivoli Theater in NYC in April of 1923. But it's probably being confused with other phonofilms, since 1924 is much more likely: the songs were registered in early 1924 and "Kid Boots" started on Broadway in December 1923. (opening title card is cut but says "Eddie Cantor: Star of Kid Boots")

[TheVelvetUnderdog]

Ahhh it's all a bit clearer now. Thanks for the information sir, much appreciated.

[LazlosPlane]

This is an extraordinary document. Thanks so much for posting.

By the way, those interested in Cantor's amazing life story a MUST read is Herb Goldman's "Banjo Eyes," a masterpiece of research.

[Xankudo]

And it's thought that rap music evolved in the 80's. LOL he is literally rappin' parts of those songs.

[mtrott1]

I first became interested in Eddie Cantor after hearing a snippet of Cheer Up Smile Nertz in the movie Cinderella Man. I'm glad we can still get some video on him. He was truly a master. Thanks for posting.

[stefakamelpash]

I am fascinated by these historical films and recordings. They are a real gateway to the past, and it is easy to imagine what 19th century vaudeville was like, because these approach the time very closely. One thing that always stands out is the extraordinary diction and the carrying power of the voice, absolute necessities before the electronic age. Cantor was a master. Absolutely brilliant performance!

[KidMillions]

I don't know if this represents 19th century vaudeville, with its freaks and magic shows, but what it clearly shows is the free spirit of America in the 1920s. This couldn't even be made in the 30s anymore.

[stefakamelpash]

You make good points. As a linguist, I am always fascinated by the oldest sound recordings I can find, to study the evolution of language. The oldest I have found is an 80-year-old man who made a record in 1901. His speech patterns carry us back nearly to the Revolutionary war. Imagine if we could go back 500 or a thousand years. In the future they will be able to do so. It seriously effects our sense of time, and our proximity to great distant events.

[KidMillions]

A great resource for very early wax cylinder recordings is the site

tinfoil . com

but I'm sure you're aware of it already. The oldest recording is from 1878.

[stefakamelpash]

Thank you very much. Yes, I check them periodically. I have a very early Edison cylinder player, about 1903 or so, and I'm always on the lookout for good cylinders. I assume the l878 is the talking clock, which is a fasciating recording, even though much is indistinct. I'll check them out again. Thanks, you have a great site.

[betteroffsingle]

you might be interested (tho it's very hard to hear it all) in a recording I believe in the Natl.Archives of Wm. F. Cody I think made late 1800's. I believe he's making a comment on the war with Spain. ? Not certain because it's been so long since I heard it.

[tuxguys]

You titillate me... could you possibly post something so old for us? I am absolutely fascinated by this...

[betteroffsingle]

"One thing that always stands out is the extraordinary diction and the carrying power of the voice"

Indeed and before electronic age this was a must as you point out. Listening to the would be vocalists today, (and I try not to) I am struck by how often they throw away vowels and in fact whole words. It's considered "cool" but most of the time ya can't make out what they're singing anyway. Which might be a plus. Also, these old timers really understood the term, Show, in Show Business.

[stefakamelpash]

You are so right. When I think of the old time singers: Ethel Merman and Sophie Tucker in this country, music hall singers in Britain, like Florrie Forde and Charlie Coborn, I always think of that sparkling clear diction and intense rapport with an audience that was hanging on their words.

Also, I'll see if I can run down the Buffalo Bill recording. Thanks for that--much appreciated.

[KidMillions]

Filmed at 318 East 48th Street in New York City.

[freddykaren]

I've been chosen to perform Eddie Cantor songs for an upcoming Yiddish Cabaret evening here in Las Vegas. What an honor!

Frederic Kahler

[KidMillions]

Including "The dumber they come, the better I like 'em"? Please post a video if you do. :)

[freddykaren]

I'll do my best to post video coverage. That shouldn't be a problem. The show's slated for September. I'm gonna check out the song you recommended. Thank you!

Keep young & beautiful!

Frederic Kahler

[pegcage]

I remember him on the radio. He would lament his five daughters, and Bing Crosby would lament his four sons. Those were the good old days.

[pitabrews]

Correction: The Vitaphone process was developed by Western Electric, in what is now the WestBeth apartments in NYC's West Village.

[bertskoi]

Truly Amazing, thanks!

[daisybelle1910]

I wish I could have watched him from the wings while he was performing somewhere. They don't make 'em like Eddie anymore.

[Rollich]

Something is amiss here. Kid Millions was made in 1934. I'm doubtful these songs are from it. There not on the Kid Millions soundtrack.

[kevnet100]

This is an experimental film using Lee De Forest's Phonofilm process. This short was shown at the Rivoli Theater in New York City in April 1923. It the two songs: "The Dumber They Are, the Better I Like 'Em," and "Oh, Gee, Georgie" are probably from the revue Kid Boots.

There were patent issues with Phonofilm so the RCA Vitaphone process eclipsed it for the 1927 feature film The Jazz Singer, the rest they say is history!

[Rollich]

Thanks for the explanation.

[kymlore]

Obviously an experimental "phono-film" short. Mr. Olsen is George Olsen, house band leader of the Ziegfeld Follies. They could'nt sell talkies till 1927.

[voglesque]

My gosh, I really don't appreciate this first song. But I've learned to take this kind of stuff with a grain of salt. Goofy vaudevillians..... I still love 'em.

[JackWarren2]

lol the 20s