We want Cantor, We want Cantor!

This week we are starting a special 9-part interview with Janet Cantor Gari, the youngest daughter of Eddie Cantor and Brian Gari the grandson of the legendary, “Apostle of Pep”. Janet and Brian will be sharing with us their stories and special memories about the immortal "Banjo Eyes", Al Jolson, Bert Williams, Margaret Whiting, Sammy Davis Jr., the August 2006 Jolson Festival on Long Island and their ongoing efforts to keep the memory of Eddie Cantor alive even 42 years after his death.

Jolson and Friends Trivia Challenge:

Unfortunately no one had correctly guessed the correct answer to Jolson and Friends Trivia Challenge.   I did get some interesting responses including Martha Raye and Harry Einstein, also known as Harry Parks or "Parkyakarkas”.

Question:

Name the famous radio and TV personality that appeared with Al Jolson in “Hold Onto your Hats” as well as Eddie Cantor in “The Kid from Spain”?

 Final Bonus Clue:

This legendary radio and TV personality was a child when he appeared with Jolson and Cantor and is strongly associated with one of the most famous bands in the history of sixties ‘Rock n Roll’.

Correct Answer

The correct answer is Murray Kaufman who was better known as Murray the K. Kaufman’s love for rock and roll and its audience led the Beatles to seek him out when they first came to America in 1964. Kaufman’s friendship with the group earned him the nickname “The Fifth Beatle.”

Murray Kaufman was a showbiz kid. His mother and aunt played in vaudeville, mom as a pianist, his aunt as a performer, and Murray himself appeared (as one of many child extras) in several Hollywood films of the 1930s. Murray Kaufman, a child actor, appeared with Eddie Cantor when he was five and with Jolson when he was nine. According to Murray,” I did nine pictures and a couple of shorts and I became a has-been at 11.” 

 



I'm Murray “The K”,

reminding you that music is the soundtrack of our lives

Upcoming July Jolson and Friends Trivia Challenge

 Two winners will receive a FREE Al Jolson, “The Singing Fool” T-shirt who can correctly answer the July Jolson and Friends Trivia Challenge.

Part I Interview: Janet Cantor Gari and Brian Gari

Brian Marcus Decker:  This is Brian Marcus Decker for JoslonBlog.com, the first blog dedicated to the musical influences of Al Jolson and Friends. 

Today I’m here in New York City at the apartment of Janet Cantor Gari, who is the youngest daughter of Eddie and Ida Cantor, and joining us today also is Brian Gari, the grandson of the late Eddie Cantor. 

First of all I want to welcome my special guests for taking the time to talk to JolsonBlog.com.  This should be a very informative and engaging interview.  I have always been a tremendous fan of Eddie Cantor.  Along with Al Jolson, I would certainly not hesitate to call Eddie Cantor one of the truly great musical and comedic performers of the 20^th Century.  Cantor, sometimes referred to as the “Apostle of Pep” has made an exhaustible and numerous accomplishments that transcend vaudeville, records, radio, film, television, as well as being a published author and composer, as well an outspoken humanitarian. 

I find it interesting that both Al Jolson and Eddie Cantor are more than just icons of another era in the cultural history of entertainment.  Although Jolson was six years older than Cantor, they both have a significant number of things in common, starting out in vaudeville performing wearing burnt cork make-up, achieving unparalleled success and notoriety in radio as well as film, and both actually had biographies made out of their lives, although many of the stories were certainly fictitious.  They were also very active in raising money for war bonds and entertaining soldiers during World War II. 

Janet, in January of 1999 you sent a letter to the Editor of the New York Times, thanking them for their kind words about your father and addressing some differences between your father and Al Jolson.  Can you talk to us about what some of those enormous differences were between these two legendary performers?

Janet Cantor Gari:  Well I think the real difference can be summed up very quickly by saying that Jolson performed to an audience and my father performed for an audience.  With Jolson it was always, "Look at me, look at me".  With my father it was, "Are we having fun together?".

Brian Marcus Decker:  Janet, what memories do you have of Al Jolson?

Janet Cantor Gari:  Well I was a little kid when he was around the house.  My memories are I was scared to death of him.  He was very gruff, and he was always very tan and his dark face, I don’t mean like a black person, because that was normal, but his kind of tan was so unusual and, as I say, he was very gruff.  He certainly did not have a way with children.

Brian Marcus Decker:  Jolson certainly was a complicated and ego-driven personality, but Janet how would you describe the nature of Al Jolson’s relationship with your father?

Janet Cantor Gari:  Well I think my father idolized him when he was … when my father was just coming up and Jolson was the star; I think he aspired to be like that.  My mother always talked about the Sunday nights at the Winter Garden and how magical they were.

Brian Marcus Decker:  My understanding that your mother and father did socialize with the Jolson’s during the time Al was married to Ruby Keeler and living in California? Do you have any memories of that?

Janet Cantor Gari:  Well, I would very quickly go to bed with my dinner when Jolson was coming over because he scared me so much, but I often heard my mother saying, because I liked Ruby so much, she was such a lovely person, and I used to hear my mother who never gossiped about anybody, but I used to hear her say, "What does he want from that girl?  He has her followed all the time.  He’s so jealous.  She’s so nice.  What does he want from her?".

Brian Marcus Decker:  I seem to recall a story; did he actually give you a dog?

Janet Cantor Gari:  Yes.  One year he gave us a Christmas present of one of those honey-colored cocker spaniels, which of course, we called Joly.

Next Week

We Want Cantor: Part II Janet and Brian Gari Interview

• When was the first time you saw your father perform in public?  And what was that experience like? 
• How different was Eddie Cantor with his show business persona versus his private family life?
• What was it like growing up as the youngest member of the Cantor family?
• Was your father really being considered for the scarecrow in the version of The Wizard of Oz?

The Tenth Annual Long Island Jolson Festival

A Tribute to Al Jolson Saturday, August 12 (9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) in Oceanside, New York featuring Margaret Whiting, Tony Babino, Richard Grudens, Janet Cantor Gari and Brian Gari.  For reservations or more information, go to http://www.jolson.org/ .

This is Brian Marcus Decker and thank you for joining us on the Jolson Blog.  This is the first blog dedicated to the legendary life and musical influences of Al Jolson, The Worlds Greatest Entertainer and Friends and don’t forget to visit us weekly at www.JolsonBlog.com .

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