The Eddie Cantor Show

Universal Studios official, Rufus LeMaire had the idea if he could get little Deanna Durbin on radio it would help promote her first movie THREE SMART GIRLS. So Rufus suggested to Eddie Cantor that he should hire Deanna for his radio show. Rufus invited Eddie to the Trocadero Club to hear Deanna sing, but even though Eddie was very impressed with Deanna's voice, he didn't think she would be entirely suitable for his show. Rufus was even willing to pay Deanna's fee if Eddie would give her a chance to prove herself to which Eddie agreed. Deanna sang Il Bacio on The Eddie Cantor Show on 20 September, 1936 just after she started working on THREE SMART GIRLS. Listeners were amazed by Deanna's voice and sent 4000 letters asking her to sing again on the show.



It wasn't always easy for Deanna to work on the show. The orchestra leader, Jack Renard had his own ideas about tempo. He would sometimes go too fast or too slow for Deanna. She would beat time to the music as she sang. That habit became her unconscious attempt to direct the orchestra. When the orchestra did not play as required, Deanna would clench her fists and beat time furiously. There was no chance for re-takes, so Deanna didn't want to make any slips. She was the type of girl who always gave her best!



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It's a proven fact that singers cannot sing nearly so well after a heavy meal - sometimes their top note is as much as a tone lower. So when Deanna sang in the evenings on The Eddie Cantor Show, she had a glass of orange juice at 4.30 pm which was the last thing she had before her 8.00 pm broadcast. Usually by the time she finished broadcasting it was past 9.00 pm - and it was too late for her to have a good meal as she was too tired to digest it properly. Often Deanna would go to bed with just a cup of hot chocolate!

EDDIE CANTOR SAID THE FOLLOWING:

"Deanna possesses more charm, more poise, more personality than a half dozen of the biggest feminine stars in Hollywood today. To hear her is to adore her. To both see and hear her is to take her to your heart for all time."

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Al Jolson, Irving Berlin, Eddie Cantor, Deanna Durbin, Sophie Tucker, Ruby Keeler Jolson, and George Burns.

Here is a photo of Deanna and Edith attending a special anniversary dinner to celebrate Eddie Cantor's 25 years in show business:

This is a photo of Deanna Durbin with Charles Winninger and Jimmy Wallington who was Eddie Cantor's radio announcer:



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On the 9th of March, 1937, the title of "Tejanita Honararia" (Honorary Little Texas Senorita) was bestowed on Deanna Durbin by Texas Governor James Allred with Eddie Cantor acting as his ambassador.



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Deanna Durbin travelled extensively to various locations with The Eddie Cantor Show:

Deanna Durbin was a close friend of Eddie Cantor and his family.

THE EDDIE CANTOR SHOW

- TEXACO TOWN -

SONGS PERFORMED BY DEANNA DURBIN

Il Bacio - 20 September 1936

A Hearts That's Free - 27 September 1936

Will You Remember - 4 October 1936

Let Me Call You Sweetheart - 4 October 1936

Italian Street Song - 11 October 1936

Ciribiribin - 25 October 1936

Make Believe - 1 November 1936

My Hero - 8 November 1936

Carmena Vocal Waltz - 15 November 1936

Alice Blue Gown - 22 November 1936

I'll Follow My Secret Heart - 29 November 1936

Someone To Care For me - 6 December 1936

Il Bacio - 13 December 1936

Someone To Care For Me - 20 December 1936

Please Mr Piper Play For Me - 27 December 1936

Kiss Me Again - 3 January 1937

Giannina Mia - 17 January 1937

A Heart That's Free - 24 January 1937

I'll Follow My Secret Heart - 29 January 1937

Two Hearts In Three Quarter Time - 31 January 1937

Seal It With A Kiss - 7 February 1937

Blue Danube Waltz - 21 February 1937

When You’re Away - 28 February 1937

May I Have The Next Romance With You - 7 March 1937

Someone To Care For Me - 7 March 1937

Mother Macree - 14 March 1937

Did Your Mother Come From Ireland - 14 March 1937

Italian Street Song - 21 March 1937

Carmena Vocal Waltz - 18 April 1937

Il Bacio - 9 May 1937

Make Believe - 16 May 1937

Never In A Million Years - 16 May 1937

Alice Blue Gown - 23 May 1937

Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet - 23 May 1937

Love Here Is My Heart - 30 May 1937

It's Swell Of You - 30 May 1937

One Fine Day - 29 September 1937

The First Time I Saw You - 6 October 1937

Brindisi - 13 October 1937

Afraid To Dream - 13 October 1937

Giannina Mia - 20 October 1937

The Merry Widow Waltz - 27 October 1937

A Heart That's Free - 10 November 1937

My Hero - 17 November 1937

Vieni Vieni - 24 November 1937

Summertime - 1 December 1937

Make Believe - 15 December 1937

Brindisi - 29 December 1937

In The Still Of The Night - 5 January 1938

Carmena Vocal Waltz - 12 January 1938

Chapel Bells - 19 January 1938

Ave Maria - 26 January 1938

Summertime - 9 February 1938

Zigeuner - 16 February 1938

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes - 2 March 1938

When The Pipe Organ Plays - 2 March 1938

Oh Promise Me - 2 March 1938

You're A Sweetheart - 2 March 1938

Summertime - 9 March 1938

Love Your Magic Spell Is Everywhere - 9 March 1938

The Merry Widow Waltz - 16 March 1938

In The Still Of The Night - 23 March 1938

Did Your Mother Come From Ireland - 23 March 1938

Mother Macree - 23 March 1938

Thanks For The Memory - 28 March 1938

Deanna Durbin soon became a radio star on The Eddie Cantor Show:

In march of 1942, Deanna attended the Broadway show BANJO EYES with Eddie Cantor in the lead role. Eddie couldn't resist introducing Deanna, in the third row, to the audience. Applause greeted the announcement, with requests for Deanna to sing. That wasn't possible as she did not have music with her, nor was the orchestra prepared. However, in response to the demanding applause, Deanna stood in the aisle and made her bows. She later kept a luncheon date with Eddie, whose radio program introduced a non-famous, beautiful soprano voice!



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Deanna Durbin would sing duets with the very popular Bobby Breen:



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Deanna Durbin & Bobby Breen made a great team:

In November of 1936 to be on The Eddie Cantor Show, Deanna Durbin missed the eastbound train three times. After missing it for the 3rd time she boarded a plane hoping to intercept the train in Albuquerque. On hearing the news, Charles Rogers became nervous because Deanna was travelling by plane instead of catching the train.

Deanna Durbin boarding the plane at Union Air Terminal on her way to New York City:



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Here is photo of Deanna Durbin which was taken in November 1936 as she is leaving from the LaSalle Street Station in Chicago on the 20th Century Limited bound for New York City to be on The Eddie Cantor Show:



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In 1936, Deanna Durbin made her first stage appearance with Eddie Cantor's radio entertainers at the Keith Boston Theatre:



Deanna said: "In radio, you have to get new numbers ready every week and Sunday seems to creep up very quickly. On stage, you do the same numbers and the same routine every show, which gives you a confidence you never get in radio."

When Deanna made her first trip to New York with The Eddie Cantor Show, Eddie asked her, "Aren't you a little scared broadcasting from New York?"

"No," she answered, "It goes into the same homes."

When Deanna arrived in New York City she was most keen on seeing the Statue of Liberty:

Some 1936 photos of Deanna Durbin's first ever trip to New York for The Eddie Cantor Show:

A 1937 photo of Deanna Durbin with "Mad Russian" Bert Gordon on The Eddie Cantor Show:

Deanna Durbin with her parents preparing to leave for New York City for The Eddie Cantor Show in February 1938:

Deanna Durbin & Eddie Cantor arriving in New York City in 1938:

Historic 1938 video clip of Deanna Durbin arrriving in New York City for The Eddie Cantor Show:

Deanna & Eddie enjoying some refreshments:

Deanna Durbin with Eddie Cantor and Olive Major:

A comic strip from a 1937 issue of THE FUNNIES in which radio fan Scribbly unwittingly meets Deanna Durbin and Bobby Breen:

Deanna loved being on The Eddie Cantor Show, but her parents, teaches, and Universal Studios were against her doing anymore radio because she was way overworked, so Deanna finally stopped performing on the show in 1938.

For the show, Deanna did two afternoon rehearsals each week, one evening dress rehearsal with an audience, and on the fourth day two broadcasts on a split network for the East and West!!

Deanna did do radio work at a later date, but certainly her workload wasn't as crazy!

TEXACO TOWN SHOW SAMPLES