CANTOR: SAME NAME - DIFFERENT SONG

Eddie Cantor - "Banjo Eyes" was a talented comedian,actor,singer, dancer, and songwriter. I still remember watching one of his many movies,"If You Knew Susie" co-starring comedienne Joan Davis, back in 1948.

The title song became a hit.

Cantor could do it all clear back from the days when he was a singing waiter at Coney Island with Jimmy Durante playing piano.

He later becoming an alternating host of The Colgate Comedy Hour, a Sunday evening show that made the comedy team of Martin & Lewis famous.

He was a beloved entertainer whose only outstanding mistake was turning down the lead role in the first talkie, "The Jazz Singer" which will forever be remembered as a defining role for Al Jolsen.

Cantor co-wrote the song "Merrily We Roll Along" which was adopted as the theme song for the "Merrie Melodies" Warner Bros. cartoon theme.

After other singers of his time turned down a Christmas tune as being too "silly" and "childish", Cantor agreed to record it in 1934
The song was "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town."

A good man, well respected, he was also remembered for this quote:

"It is nice to be important, but it is even more important to be nice"

Ah, if only his namesake, politician Eric Cantor, had adopted it as his own theme song.

Alas, this Cantor, the House Majority leader, would have Eddie Cantor fans rolling in their graves had they discovered how far away from the original was this man now carrying on the Cantor name.

If you're old enough to remember, the song went "If You Knew Suzie- Like I knew Suzie - Oh, Oh, Oh what a girl", you have to be repelled by the successor Cantor's version.

Some of his critics might uncharitably suggest Mr. Cantor seemingly decided to substite the word "sleazy" for the given name "Suzie" in this popular song of the late 40's and early 50's.

But, it's a different time and a different mentality - particulary if you're not an entertainer, but a politician with a far different agenda. And, there are a lot more critics out there.

Eric Cantors latest "hit" was his recommendation, prompted by politics, related to handling the cost of all the natural disasters that we have recently experienced.

Traditionally, the costs have been borne by not only the Government via FEMA, but by all the many contributions that came in from both "the big and little people". These folks were appalled by the horrendous losses their neighbors in other states and distant parts of the country have sustained mostly through no fault of their own.

This Republican "leader" insisted that federal disaster relief for flood-ravaged states such as Vermont and New Jersey be "offset' with spending cuts elsewhere. Eric is from Virginia.

As the USA Today editorial staff so accurately put it: "The bigger question about Cantor's pay as you go approach (for natural disasters) is why he picks FEMA to make his point when much more costly items - wars, health care and tax cuts, to name a few - routinely get a pass, and not just from Democrats."

Yep, this Cantor is singing a different song.

In the opposing view written by Senator Bernie Sanders, an Independent from Vermont, he points out a few things about Eric:

- Cantor is one of Wall Street's biggest supporters.
- Cantor's influence lead to the $800 billion effort to bail out
the largest banks.
- While the richest people are becoming richer and corporate
profits are soaring, Cantor has fought to maintain and expand
tax breaks and loopholes for the wealthiest people in this
country, as well as the largest corporations.
- While all of this was, and is going on, the word "offset" never
passed over Cantor's lips.

Eddie Cantor did much for those considered "the little people" in his time. The names included Dinah Shore, Sammy Davis Jr, and Eddie Fisher; just to list a few; none of them rich or famous at the time.

Eddie's charity and humanitarian work was extensive and he was credited with coining the phrase,and helping to develop, "The March Of Dimes" to fight the battle to combat polio.

His long running radio shows made people in this country laugh at a time when they truly deserved a few laughs. But, perhaps his greatest asset as an entertainer and comedian was his impeccable timing.

It's an asset that politican Eric Cantor apparently so desperately lacks.

So Eric, is it time to "re-Cant"?