A Vaudeville Classic : Eddie Cantor in "Moe the Tailor" (1929)

Eddie Cantor (1892-1964) had a long career as a comedian, actor, singer, dancer, and songwriter. Born Edward Israel Iskowitz, he got the name Cantor through a misunderstanding when his grandmother Esther Kantrowitz signed her grandson up for school and the clerk shortened the name to Kanter.

In 1917 Cantor signed a long term contract with Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. to appear in the Ziegfeld Follies. He appeared on stage in comedy skits, including one called Moe the Tailor in 1923. This skit was so popular that it was included in a 1929 film about the life of Ziegfeld.

Cantor went on to become the highest paid comedian of the 1930s, making several hit movies for Samuel Goldwyn (Whoopee, Palmy Days, Roman Scandals, The Kid from Spain, Kid Millions, Strike Me Pink) but was primarily a radio comedian. Today he is largely forgotten, but he was one of the biggest names in comedy in his day.

Here's the video clip from the Ziegfeld film showing the complete Moe the Tailor skit. Enjoy!

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