The problem with your smartass response is that this performance was from 1948. Not many people - black or white - enjoy analog performances, especially in blackface, any longer. The thing is: Eddie Cantor was hugely popular for over 40 years and blackface remained popular from the 1850s until the 1950s. Eddie Cantor put his career on the line for Sammy Davis Jr. in the early 1950s but an ignoramus like you would know nothing about that…
Like a live action cartoon staged by Busby Berkeley, with set design by Salvador Dali. Absolutely surreal. And that elastic purse strap -- brilliant! Of course, the sociology hasn't aged well.
Joan Davis shows some of her multiple talents here....that high kick and cartwheel done on a moving stage a sample of her acrobatic ability. Bye the way, nice shape she had especially great looking legs.
@oxofro That is definitely Joan Davis' voice. Joan was a talented comediene and singer, much like Lucille Ball. She even had a very successful sitcom on at the time of I love Lucy in which Jim Backus played her husband, that was called I Married Joan. And as for Eddie---just a great, great talent.
Looking at Joan "I Married Joan" Davis in some of the other clips, I'm shocked at how ravishingly beautiful she was. And that forward flip in this clip! Whomever actually married Joan must have been a lucky man. Jim Backus played the role in the television series and Davis used to tell colleagues, "This will be our legacy." Unlike with "I Love Lucy," that prediction hasn't yet panned out but I suddenly have a feeling that in the long run, it will.
Hi I'm black myself and I totally agree with you! It's like people have forgotten what racism actually means! This performance is great and there's nothing in it that says black people shouldn't be treated with respect! Go figure!
The people who object to this simply show how IGNORANT they are of history: Eddie Cantor was one of those entertainers who worked for civil rights, equating the suffering of HIS people with that of African Americans. Black people then had no problems with HIM or what he stood for and he helped a number of black entertainers along the way..... GET OVER IT!
Genessa: This is a cute and adorable clip. I'm glad someone posted it. I was totally unaware of this song. This clip shows the enormous talent of Eddie Cantor and Joan Davis. Minstrel shows were very popular for decades. Cantor was portraying a talented song and dance man. There is nothing in this material which demeans blacks or anyone else. As for a white man performing in black face, Cantor was only playing a role. He was trying to entertain everyone and not trying to offend anyone.
Research is simple; read Mr. Cantor's books; Bert Williams was a class act in whatever he did. He taught Eddie Cantor all that was necessary to make him as big a star as Bert Williams was. Bert Williams, after all, was the first black man buried in the Masonic cemetery in New York State! Like it or not, that was one of the biggest honors that could have been given at the time he died...
As a black myself, I find Cantor quite the misunderstood hero’s of his time. By doing this, he was trying to spread black talent...and I mean TRUE black talent around Hollywood. Call this awkward, but I can honestly look past the blackface and say...thank you for trying Eddie, but you were hella awkward in the attempt.
As a middle aged White male, I have been puzzled by blackface. With few exceptions, I don't know why it was considered appropriate and not insulting. (For an exception, I was thinking of Fred Astaire's tribute to Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, where darkening of the skin at least made sense.) However, I am pleased to see all attempts to break the color barrier in place those days, and rejoice in reading about stars who forced the issue. Fred Astaire and his respect for the Nicholas brothers, Clark Gable who was pals with Hattie McDaniel, and many other examples.
Genessa: You say that no one was listening to Blacks at that time. This is not totally true. Bill "Bojangles" Robinson was a Black Super-Star in the 1930"s, and he was also a very close friend of Eleanor Powell. Robinson personally coached Powell in how to impersonate him, in Blackface, and -- in her movie "Honolulu" -- Powell gave a brilliant Blackface performance as "Bojangles", which is available on You Tube. Absolutely Terrific, and done with Robinson's guidance and blessing.
The actor who plays Cantor on Boardwalk Empire is really good--I'm sure that he watched clips like this one. I like Eddie Cantor, but didn't know much about him until Boardwalk Empire came on HBO.
Social baggage follows around the blackface performance. I think it perfectly reasonable, however, to view this through a historical perspective. This IS entertainment. Even today it is entertainment. Eddie Cantor puts on a show to match his reputation as one of the highest talents to come from the vaudeville tradition of song/dance/humor. This particular use of blackface is not offensive aside from the exagerated features. It may just be unnecessary; it plays as easily with a white man.
One can engage with a work and still be critical of it. I’m Black. I like Eddie Cantor’s singing. Blackface is and will always be racist. Why? Because it has racist origins. T.D. Rice put burnt cork on his face and wore tattered clothes to imitate Black enslaved people. This was so popular in the States that it became our first form of entertainment. To blatantly state that “blackface isn’t racist” and “Black people were fine with it,” creates misinformation-blatant misinformation. The Birth of a Nation, America’s first movie that had an abundance of blackface, was met with intense backlash from the NAACP and other Black people in various cities. To erase Black people from the narrative of history, is racist. Nobody is saying Eddie Cantor is untalented. This production, while abrasive with its usage of blackface, is still technologically brilliant. But denying basic facts is disheartening and wildly annoying when POC and Black folks of the classic film community try to engage with these works.
Your post is fascinating and on the money. I think you have shone unequivocally that blackface was indeed 'racist', and generally perceived as racist at the time this movie was taped. But you specifically avoided referring to Cantor as racist or denying that he was racist, for making the decision to recreate this exactly as he would have performed this number in a minstrel show. Is that because you simply don't know enough about the man, and the context surrounding his decision, or is that you feel that the decision itself is justified as a reflection of historical accuracy? You can conclude that he was dead wrong for making this decision, and still be far away from deciding he was racist, or you can conclude that his refusal to take into account its impact, is in itself evidence of racism or a callous indifference to same. Respectfully, which reflects your view?
This is actually my grandpa. He did 99 % of Eddie's dancing. Back then it was all about blackface unfortunately. All I know is this man didn't have 1 prejudice bone in his body .
They did this in boredwalk empire but the guy who played cantor didn't want to do black face which I could understand but most times they weren't being racist well atleast cantor wasn't he was more wholesome of the black face singers
@@Vintage_Ambience After listening to it again it does sound early 40s but I didn't know that the subject matter would be still happening then. When I say this I get backlash. But I see nothing wrong with blackface or minstrel shows like Eddie Cantor did. It's funny to me. I know it continued through the fifties in the US but it didn't stop completely until the 80s. Because they thought it was "offensive and racist". But it's a great song and Eddie Cantor is great.
@@GlennMillers-qo7zh many people are calling eddie racist but he didn’t mean to make it racist using blackface here. Some people don’t know their history and are interested in taking action with little information. Eddie is great and his music as well. Big fan of his musical film “Whoopie.”
@@Vintage_Ambience I just found that movie last week! Best movie of the 30s hands down. But I'm having trouble finding another cantor film palmy days I believe that's what it is called. But people need to do their research before ranting about blackface. It actually promoted black people but they ignore that. I'm glad that I found another person that actually appreciates this. And blackface
People can be as insulted by stereotypical portrayals of a group by insiders as by outsiders. People can find a creative work offensive without wanting it banned. People can even be offended while being entertained overall. And the viewpoint that blackface is patronizing mockery has existed as long as the artform, just as there are still people who see it as affectionate imitation, or as plain entertainment with no social baggage.
I am sick and tired of everyone being upset by everybody. Blackface was pretty much done 90 years ago. People please shut up. It is not one now. Maybe all fat people should protest against films bt Fatty Arbuckle.Please shut up and find something worth complaining about. Some people are just miserable.
This is my grandpa and he didn't have 1 prejudice bone in his body! He was the most fun loving and generous man I had ever known. This man dancing here is not Eddie, but infact while in black face he had a dance double and this is my grandpa Irving!! Eddie wasn't a dancer. He was an actor, singer and Comiedian.
ftsjr If it wasn't important, they wouldn't have done it. Racial caricature was the main stylistic feature of the performance. It had meaning(s) for its audience, and it has meaning today. Which is why we're still talking about it.
@Howdybub9 tiny quibble: "people" then did not find... demeaning to blacks. that would be WHITE people. the verdict is not in from blacks of the time, because no one was listening to them. however, you make a fabulouslty accurate observation in suspecting that cantor was recreating oe of his old hits, and it looks as if in this film his character at least is doing just that. blackface will always be controversial but perspective is important too. g
@louiscaponecchia What black face? I see two excellent singers in a duet about two lovers taking too long to part for the night. With six accompanying singers. It's insulting to think that ALL many see is that there is black makeup used in a style refered to as "blackface" and therefore the whole thing must be racist somehow. Isn't just as racist to assume that black people would be so shallow and find anything about this particular clip insulting?
I'm black, I enjoy it in itself but it is still racist. I understand the historical context of this period so I'm not particularly offended, but is is at its core racist
Since black folk weren't part of mainstream entertainment, it was Cantor presenting blacks as sophisticated articulate entertainers. This isn't "mammie" bullshit, it's pop culture of its era. A culture blacks were excluded from. Context of the times is everything.
I haven't seen the movie so I'm not sure the reasoning behind. However, Cantor was mentored by a black man if I'm not mistaken. Since Hollywood didn't want black to share the same scenes with whites, I think this was Cantor's way of trying to say that black entertainers belonged on the same stage. I think it was probably a missed point bug from the best I understand Eddie Cantor was the furthest thing from a racist. Truth is, most people see this stuff and just can't comprehend how and why it was so different back then.
I think it's a cute number. However, I'm glad blackface has gone out of style as I never cared for it. Too bad it's not likely to be re-shot without that gimmick. (use the Eddie Cantor singing, though)
I have been Wondering about something Did any black Actors and Comedians ever wear WHITE FACE in Any MOVIES OR TV shows? I read on the internet that PEE WEE HERMAN wants to Do a remake of the EDDIE CANTOR movie KID MILLIONS I like Both EDDIE CANTOR and PEE WEE HERMAN Movies.
its still offensive that he was in black face. everybody in the comments are saying that he was doing it just to entertain... meaning they’re are taking arm skin color as a joke- ya’ll should not be okay with this and its sad.
I know these are different eras, but it seems to me odd they wouldn't let an african american perform these songs on screen, but it was okay to have some white guy paint his face black and prance around
You are absolutely right! There’s a saying that “They love our rhythm but not our blues”. They loved to and still love to capitalize off of our talents and heritage but won’t share the true financial wealth of it all, and damned sure wouldn’t have traded places with black folks in real life. Blackface was one thing to entertain themselves at our expense but being open minded enough to try and understand the harm and racist tropes it engendered? No, that would be too much like right.
I like this number a lot, but there is a slight dig. The last two chorus girls the camera focus on as the girls mount the steps, have had their butts padded. That was a slur, along with watermelon, blacks had protruding rears. Superhartline
Oh please! You’re looking for problems. Get a life and try coming up with something creative and original line Eddie Cantor and Joan Davis did. You wouldn’t make a pimple on Eddie Cantor’s arse❗️❗️❗️
There was nothing racist about routines like this ... it was all intended as a bit of fluff to while away the wartime blues. Eddie Cantor was a great performer after all.
hello with what i know about the 1920s and 30s, the movie was considered racist for the time because they thought the story of a black man is worthy of telling yet he himself is not worthy of being in the movie therefore a white man painted his face. this portrayed the majority of racist people at the time judging black people just because of the colour of their skin and not their characteristics. now that all races are equal its a classic.
Obviously your not educated in the 1920s and 30s your wrong it was the norm to see black face. And it was considered not racist by most people even though it is. There was segregation all the way up to the 50s dummy.
The black face is an interesting subject. As a multiracial person it doesn't really bother me especially taking into account historical context but i can understand the aversion people feel for it looking back on it from now. The funny thing though is that despite sticking with the old vaudaville cork routine longer then his contemparies Eddy was a pretty forward looking progressive fellow and being jewish a minority himself. He helped setup the march of dimes, and the screen actors guild, fought back against anti unionism in the industry and after being treatened with cancellation from NBC after embracing sammy david jr. on an episode of the colgate hour he in response more or less told them to * themselves and instead invited sammy back on for the following two shows. He pokes fun at race relations and segregation quite a bit, the "keep young and beautiful" video is a good example of that, his interactions with black actors in my opinion were all positive on his films. The non segragated children eating icecream at the end of kid million for example. The guy was Huge back in the day. 'The kid from spain" film (if I remember correctly) selling a number of tickets mid depression era that was on par with the titantic ticket sales. He'd be much more remembered still I think if not for the black face schtick. The irony being that many of the actors from this era that remain popular were far more bigoted than he was. Anyway forgive the rant, this here isn't one of his best numbers but I like the fellow. He had some great numbers and films back in the late 20s and 30s.
He's inspirational. So is Joan Davis who is the singer, dancer as well as comedienne performing with him.
The problem with your smartass response is that this performance was from 1948. Not many people - black or white - enjoy analog performances, especially in blackface, any longer. The thing is: Eddie Cantor was hugely popular for over 40 years and blackface remained popular from the 1850s until the 1950s. Eddie Cantor put his career on the line for Sammy Davis Jr. in the early 1950s but an ignoramus like you would know nothing about that…
wow! joan davis!
Let’s not forget his work with the March of Dimes.
Love it!! This IS singing & dancing! Talent!!! Plus! Just look at those legs!!! Wow!!! Thank you so very much for posting! God bless! 👏👏👏👏👏♥️♥️♥️♥️
Like a live action cartoon staged by Busby Berkeley, with set design by Salvador Dali. Absolutely surreal. And that elastic purse strap -- brilliant!
Of course, the sociology hasn't aged well.
Dancing on a treadmill! A metaphor for life.
Best comment.
what a great song!
Love the number, a big fan of Joan Davis and I found this pretty interesting. I never saw Joan do a cartwheel.
Love the spats! You wonder if the song could go over as well without the Blackface.
I love the treadmill set so much
Joan Davis shows some of her multiple talents here....that high kick and cartwheel done on a moving stage a sample of her acrobatic ability. Bye the way, nice shape she had especially great looking legs.
Perfect performance.
@oxofro That is definitely Joan Davis' voice. Joan was a talented comediene and singer, much like Lucille Ball. She even had a very successful sitcom on at the time of I love Lucy in which Jim Backus played her husband, that was called I Married Joan. And as for Eddie---just a great, great talent.
Looking at Joan "I Married Joan" Davis in some of the other clips, I'm shocked at how ravishingly beautiful she was. And that forward flip in this clip! Whomever actually married Joan must have been a lucky man. Jim Backus played the role in the television series and Davis used to tell colleagues, "This will be our legacy." Unlike with "I Love Lucy," that prediction hasn't yet panned out but I suddenly have a feeling that in the long run, it will.
Hi I'm black myself and I totally agree with you! It's like people have forgotten what racism
actually means! This performance is great and there's nothing in it that says black people shouldn't be treated with respect! Go figure!
Lol thanks for this. It’s literally just teasing and making fun, and people pretend it’s horrific.
This is wonderful! I love this!
even back then ladies hsd gams for days....
What fun staging!
The people who object to this simply show how IGNORANT they are of history: Eddie Cantor was one of those entertainers who worked for civil rights, equating the suffering of HIS people with that of African Americans. Black people then had no problems with HIM or what he stood for and he helped a number of black entertainers along the way..... GET OVER IT!
Calm down, dude!
Thank you so very much!!!
Anyway, this is a great clip. I love '30s musicals, but it seems that the '40s and '50s Technicolor ones are shown more often.
Genessa: This is a cute and adorable clip. I'm glad someone posted it. I was totally unaware of this song. This clip shows the enormous talent of Eddie Cantor and Joan Davis. Minstrel shows were very popular for decades. Cantor was portraying a talented song and dance man. There is nothing in this material which demeans blacks or anyone else. As for a white man performing in black face, Cantor was only playing a role. He was trying to entertain everyone and not trying to offend anyone.
Great performance 🎭 👏 👌
Research is simple; read Mr. Cantor's books; Bert Williams was a class act in whatever he did. He taught Eddie Cantor all that was necessary to make him as big a star as Bert Williams was. Bert Williams, after all, was the first black man buried in the Masonic cemetery in New York State! Like it or not, that was one of the biggest honors that could have been given at the time he died...
As a black myself, I find Cantor quite the misunderstood hero’s of his time.
By doing this, he was trying to spread black talent...and I mean TRUE black talent around Hollywood.
Call this awkward, but I can honestly look past the blackface and say...thank you for trying Eddie, but you were hella awkward in the attempt.
Awkward? Why awkward? He was totally terrific. He was in his mid 50s and nearing the end of a brilliant career.
As a middle aged White male, I have been puzzled by blackface. With few exceptions, I don't know why it was considered appropriate and not insulting. (For an exception, I was thinking of Fred Astaire's tribute to Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, where darkening of the skin at least made sense.) However, I am pleased to see all attempts to break the color barrier in place those days, and rejoice in reading about stars who forced the issue. Fred Astaire and his respect for the Nicholas brothers, Clark Gable who was pals with Hattie McDaniel, and many other examples.
Genessa: You say that no one was listening to Blacks at that time. This is not totally true. Bill "Bojangles" Robinson was a Black Super-Star in the 1930"s, and he was also a very close friend of Eleanor Powell. Robinson personally coached Powell in how to impersonate him, in Blackface, and -- in her movie "Honolulu" -- Powell gave a brilliant Blackface performance as "Bojangles", which is available on You Tube. Absolutely Terrific, and done with Robinson's guidance and blessing.
Yes. Let's drop this race crap and get on with our lives. BTW, I am black.
The actor who plays Cantor on Boardwalk Empire is really good--I'm sure that he watched clips like this one. I like Eddie Cantor, but didn't know much about him until Boardwalk Empire came on HBO.
that bordered on bizarre but was absolutely beautiful.
Joan Davies had some killer legs. She was talented
Social baggage follows around the blackface performance. I think it perfectly reasonable, however, to view this through a historical perspective.
This IS entertainment. Even today it is entertainment. Eddie Cantor puts on a show to match his reputation as one of the highest talents to come from the vaudeville tradition of song/dance/humor.
This particular use of blackface is not offensive aside from the exagerated features. It may just be unnecessary; it plays as easily with a white man.
Love it 👌
"He's inspirational OMG"
*Video shows him in blackface*
@louiscaponecchia In short I agree full heartedly.
My!
That was Al Jolson
No that was Eddie cantor but Al Jolson did blackface as well
The beginning part is creepy, but the rest is great.
Hey, at 3:34 that treadmill is moving forward instead of backward.
If I want to convince some of my black friends that old movies are worth watching, I'll be showing them stuff that isn't this...
One can engage with a work and still be critical of it. I’m Black. I like Eddie Cantor’s singing. Blackface is and will always be racist. Why? Because it has racist origins. T.D. Rice put burnt cork on his face and wore tattered clothes to imitate Black enslaved people. This was so popular in the States that it became our first form of entertainment.
To blatantly state that “blackface isn’t racist” and “Black people were fine with it,” creates misinformation-blatant misinformation.
The Birth of a Nation, America’s first movie that had an abundance of blackface, was met with intense backlash from the NAACP and other Black people in various cities. To erase Black people from the narrative of history, is racist.
Nobody is saying Eddie Cantor is untalented. This production, while abrasive with its usage of blackface, is still technologically brilliant. But denying basic facts is disheartening and wildly annoying when POC and Black folks of the classic film community try to engage with these works.
Your post is fascinating and on the money. I think you have shone unequivocally that blackface was indeed 'racist', and generally perceived as racist at the time this movie was taped. But you specifically avoided referring to Cantor as racist or denying that he was racist, for making the decision to recreate this exactly as he would have performed this number in a minstrel show. Is that because you simply don't know enough about the man, and the context surrounding his decision, or is that you feel that the decision itself is justified as a reflection of historical accuracy? You can conclude that he was dead wrong for making this decision, and still be far away from deciding he was racist, or you can conclude that his refusal to take into account its impact, is in itself evidence of racism or a callous indifference to same. Respectfully, which reflects your view?
This is actually my grandpa. He did 99 % of Eddie's dancing. Back then it was all about blackface unfortunately. All I know is this man didn't have 1 prejudice bone in his body .
what is that costume??
They did this in boredwalk empire but the guy who played cantor didn't want to do black face which I could understand but most times they weren't being racist well atleast cantor wasn't he was more wholesome of the black face singers
Kinda like Al Jolson
What year was this recorded?
I would say in the 30s-40s
@@GlennMillers-qo7zh as a 1920’s fan i can tell this is from the early 40’s due to the trumpets and trombone and microphone quality
@@Vintage_Ambience After listening to it again it does sound early 40s but I didn't know that the subject matter would be still happening then. When I say this I get backlash. But I see nothing wrong with blackface or minstrel shows like Eddie Cantor did. It's funny to me. I know it continued through the fifties in the US but it didn't stop completely until the 80s. Because they thought it was "offensive and racist".
But it's a great song and Eddie Cantor is great.
@@GlennMillers-qo7zh many people are calling eddie racist but he didn’t mean to make it racist using blackface here. Some people don’t know their history and are interested in taking action with little information. Eddie is great and his music as well. Big fan of his musical film “Whoopie.”
@@Vintage_Ambience I just found that movie last week! Best movie of the 30s hands down. But I'm having trouble finding another cantor film palmy days I believe that's what it is called. But people need to do their research before ranting about blackface. It actually promoted black people but they ignore that. I'm glad that I found another person that actually appreciates this. And blackface
Hweh this looks very rough out of context
Black Face NEVER offended me.
You've got a bit of a point there. Eddie's Goldwyn films were better. This was Eddie's last film.
Nope, it's goning to be people tap dancing on large convayor belts.
People can be as insulted by stereotypical portrayals of a group by insiders as by outsiders. People can find a creative work
offensive without wanting it banned. People can even be offended while being entertained overall. And the viewpoint that blackface is patronizing mockery has existed as long as the artform, just as there are still people who see it as affectionate imitation, or as plain entertainment with no social baggage.
I am sick and tired of everyone being upset by everybody. Blackface was pretty much done 90 years ago. People please shut up. It is not
one now. Maybe all fat people should protest against films bt Fatty Arbuckle.Please shut up and find something worth complaining about. Some people are just miserable.
This is my grandpa and he didn't have 1 prejudice bone in his body! He was the most fun loving and generous man I had ever known. This man dancing here is not Eddie, but infact while in black face he had a dance double and this is my grandpa Irving!! Eddie wasn't a dancer. He was an actor, singer and Comiedian.
A very enjoyable little tune, done by two very talented performers. Who cares whether or not they were in blackface?
ftsjr If it wasn't important, they wouldn't have done it. Racial caricature was the main stylistic feature of the performance. It had meaning(s) for its audience, and it has meaning today. Which is why we're still talking about it.
Blacks in blackface did it then all of a sudden it's over. Can't find a black vaudeville movie for nothing😩
@Howdybub9 tiny quibble: "people" then did not find... demeaning to blacks. that would be WHITE people. the verdict is not in from blacks of the time, because no one was listening to them. however, you make a fabulouslty accurate observation in suspecting that cantor was recreating oe of his old hits, and it looks as if in this film his character at least is doing just that. blackface will always be controversial but perspective is important too.
g
I don't have much of a problem with Cantor, it's those girls in blackface that push it over the top
I have To agree with you:… The Girls Bother Me More
I’m multiracial
did i say too? woops :o over and out.....
@louiscaponecchia What black face? I see two excellent singers in a duet about two lovers taking too long to part for the night. With six accompanying singers.
It's insulting to think that ALL many see is that there is black makeup used in a style refered to as "blackface" and therefore the whole thing must be racist somehow. Isn't just as racist to assume that black people would be so shallow and find anything about this particular clip insulting?
DracoFamiliar They were in blackface? Damn, I missed that. I thought they were all African-Americans.
I'm black, I enjoy it in itself but it is still racist. I understand the historical context of this period so I'm not particularly offended, but is is at its core racist
Why are they even in blackface for?
You obviously know nothing about history & show biz. Racist.
@@BuckyBrown-lt4ry I thought they only used black face when they were portraying black people.
Since black folk weren't part of mainstream entertainment, it was Cantor presenting blacks as sophisticated articulate entertainers. This isn't "mammie" bullshit, it's pop culture of its era. A culture blacks were excluded from. Context of the times is everything.
I haven't seen the movie so I'm not sure the reasoning behind. However, Cantor was mentored by a black man if I'm not mistaken. Since Hollywood didn't want black to share the same scenes with whites, I think this was Cantor's way of trying to say that black entertainers belonged on the same stage. I think it was probably a missed point bug from the best I understand Eddie Cantor was the furthest thing from a racist. Truth is, most people see this stuff and just can't comprehend how and why it was so different back then.
Because blackface was the oldest form of live entertainment in the United States. Dat why.
BLACKFACE LIVES MATTER
Um hey UH OKAY HE IS IN BLACKFACE OOPS WOW WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE
Was that Justin Trudeau singing this tune.
Al Jolson? Nope. Mr Cantor in blackface with women in blackface with one looking like Lena Horne
he reminds me of shoopdawoop...
I think it's a cute number. However, I'm glad blackface has gone out of style as I never cared for it. Too bad it's not likely to be re-shot without that gimmick. (use the Eddie Cantor singing, though)
I have been Wondering about something
Did any black Actors and
Comedians ever wear
WHITE FACE in Any MOVIES
OR TV shows?
I read on the internet that
PEE WEE HERMAN wants to
Do a remake of the EDDIE
CANTOR movie KID MILLIONS
I like Both EDDIE CANTOR and PEE WEE HERMAN Movies.
its still offensive that he was in black face. everybody in the comments are saying that he was doing it just to entertain... meaning they’re are taking arm skin color as a joke- ya’ll should not be okay with this and its sad.
You're sad. Really sad.
Dawg read the comments better. I can buy you a pair of glasses if you want 🤣
Dang! Sorry, I don't mean to offend anyone of any color, shame on me too :(
I know these are different eras, but it seems to me odd they wouldn't let an african american perform these songs on screen, but it was okay to have some white guy paint his face black and prance around
Not the kind of vocals they wanted
That so called white guy was one of the most famous entertainers in the world.
What about Bill “Bojangles” Robinson? Fats Waller? Cab Calloway? Know your shit before writing imbecilic comments for the world to read.
You are absolutely right! There’s a saying that “They love our rhythm but not our blues”. They loved to and still love to capitalize off of our talents and heritage but won’t share the true financial wealth of it all, and damned sure wouldn’t have traded places with black folks in real life. Blackface was one thing to entertain themselves at our expense but being open minded enough to try and understand the harm and racist tropes it engendered? No, that would be too much like right.
I like this number a lot, but there is a slight dig. The last two chorus girls the camera focus on as the girls mount the steps, have had their butts padded. That was a slur, along with watermelon, blacks had protruding rears. Superhartline
Oh please! You’re looking for problems. Get a life and try coming up with something creative and original line Eddie Cantor and Joan Davis did. You wouldn’t make a pimple on Eddie Cantor’s arse❗️❗️❗️
There was nothing racist about routines like this ... it was all intended as a bit of fluff to while away the wartime blues. Eddie Cantor was a great performer after all.
I agree 100 percent
hello with what i know about the 1920s and 30s, the movie was considered racist for the time because they thought the story of a black man is worthy of telling yet he himself is not worthy of being in the movie therefore a white man painted his face. this portrayed the majority of racist people at the time judging black people just because of the colour of their skin and not their characteristics. now that all races are equal its a classic.
Obviously your not educated in the 1920s and 30s your wrong it was the norm to see black face. And it was considered not racist by most people even though it is. There was segregation all the way up to the 50s dummy.
Huh? You're nuts.
that was overdone and insulting. Eddie Cantor was a class act who eveloped the stage with his presence and voice not with corny staging.
Insulting?
OMG!! i'ts so embarrassing to watch! At least they learned painting your skin dark won't make you dance any better!
The black face is an interesting subject. As a multiracial person it doesn't really bother me especially taking into account historical context but i can understand the aversion people feel for it looking back on it from now.
The funny thing though is that despite sticking with the old vaudaville cork routine longer then his contemparies Eddy was a pretty forward looking progressive fellow and being jewish a minority himself. He helped setup the march of dimes, and the screen actors guild, fought back against anti unionism in the industry and after being treatened with cancellation from NBC after embracing sammy david jr. on an episode of the colgate hour he in response more or less told them to * themselves and instead invited sammy back on for the following two shows. He pokes fun at race relations and segregation quite a bit, the "keep young and beautiful" video is a good example of that, his interactions with black actors in my opinion were all positive on his films. The non segragated children eating icecream at the end of kid million for example. The guy was Huge back in the day. 'The kid from spain" film (if I remember correctly) selling a number of tickets mid depression era that was on par with the titantic ticket sales.
He'd be much more remembered still I think if not for the black face schtick. The irony being that many of the actors from this era that remain popular were far more bigoted than he was. Anyway forgive the rant, this here isn't one of his best numbers but I like the fellow. He had some great numbers and films back in the late 20s and 30s.
Embarrassing? Really? It's fine musical number performed by two of the era's most popular performers. Jeez Louise!
Even the dancers are in blackface