FINALLY CATCHING UP TO COMIC'S TIMING.Byline: DENNIS McCARTHY Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
You want to smile? The president of the Eddie Cantor Appreciation Society is 28 years old. Michelle Malik was born 10 years after the popular radio and TV comedian died in 1964 without an active fan club to keep his memory alive. She had never even heard of Cantor until she was about 18, sitting home watching the American Movie Classics channel on TV. ``They were showing a montage montage (mŏntäzh`, Fr. môNtäzh`), the art and technique of motion-picture editing in which contrasting shots or sequences are used to effect emotional or intellectual responses. of Eddie Cantor films, and I couldn't believe I had never heard of this incredibly talented man,'' Malik said Monday from the den of her Sherman Oaks home - headquarters for the 220-member international Eddie Cantor Appreciation Society. ``At the end of the montage, it said he had passed away in 1964, and I thought, no wonder I hadn't heard of him,'' she said. ``He even predated my mom's generation. He was from my grandmother's era.'' But talent - real talent - transcends eras and generations. Cantor's popular radio show had kept people laughing through the Great Depression. Making an 18-year-old laugh more than 60 years later was a piece of cake. Michelle started to look into Cantor's life, and what she found there only made her want to dig deeper. Cantor was a star for more than two generations, leading bond drives during two world wars and working tirelessly tire·less adj. Not yielding to fatigue; untiring or indefatigable. tire  less·ly adv. for Zionism. He also coined the phrase ``March of Dimes'' while helping raise money for the birth-defects foundation started by his friend, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. So where was the statue? Where was the Eddie Cantor Day tribute? Where was the postage stamp postage stamp, government stamp affixed to mail to indicate payment of postage. The term includes stamps printed or embossed on postcards and envelopes as well as the adhesive labels. and museum of radio and TV retrospectives? Nowhere, Michelle found out. The only thing she found was a little fan club in West Virginia West Virginia, E central state of the United States. It is bordered by Pennsylvania and Maryland (N), Virginia (E and S), and Kentucky and, across the Ohio R., Ohio (W). Facts and Figures Area, 24,181 sq mi (62,629 sq km). Pop. run by a woman named Shiela Riddle. ``Shiela had come to us in 1993 wanting to know if it was OK for her to start a fan club,'' said Cantor's grandson, Brian Gari, whose mother, Janet, was one of five daughters of Eddie and Ida Cantor. ``We told her we would be grateful if she would,'' the New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of songwriter said by phone. ``The whole family has been very supportive of Michelle and the society for honoring my grandfather.'' Michelle took over leadership of the society in 1998, and found there were plenty of younger people out there, watching those old black-and-white movie and musical classics on TV and wanting to keep alive the legacy and memory of entertainers like Eddie Cantor. ``People want a focal point focal point n. See focus. for their love, and being part of a society like this does that,'' said 39-year-old Dave Griem of North Hollywood, who belongs to the Cantor society and also heads the Al Jolson Society in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . ``It's important to support and keep these societies alive because the Cantors, Jolsons, Laurel and Hardys Laurel and Hardy, American film comedy team. The duo consisted of Stan Laurel, 1890–1965, b. Ulverson, England, whose real name was Arthur Stanley Jefferson; and Oliver Hardy, 1892–1957, b. Atlanta, Ga. , Jack Bennys were a big part of the cultural heritage of this country, and we should honor them,'' Griem said. Because talent - real talent - transcends eras and generations. For more information on the Eddie Cantor Appreciation Society, call Michelle at (818) 907-8895, or e-mail her at cantorfan(at)aol.com. Dennis McCarthy, (818) 713-3749 dennis.mccarthy(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Michelle Malik, 28, of Sherman Oaks, is president of Eddie Cantor's fan club. The popular comedian died in 1964, decades after his heyday hey·day n. The period of greatest popularity, success, or power; prime. [Perhaps alteration of heyda, exclamation of pleasure, probably alteration of Middle English hey, hey. . Phil McCarten/Staff Photographer |
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