We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.
Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.
RADIO STARS THROUGH THE YEARS Did you know he sang for nickels on the East Side? And survived gang fights? . . . Almost ran away with a Russian girl? . . Read about Eddie's early years (Left) His early years really made him the swell comedian he is today. And that make- up (below) was invented by him in those days to win audiences. By EDWARD R. S A M M I S THERE was a new boy on Henry Street, selling papers. He was a skinny little kid, with a head too big for his under-sized body and great rolling pop eyes. They said he wouldn't last. Henry Street was one of the toughest streets in all of New York's tough lower East Side. Selling papers there was a privi- lege which you had to be ready to de- fend with both fists, doubled, at the drop of a hat or even sooner. The big boys came down on him. "Scram!" they said. Or its equiva- lent in slang current at the turn of the century. But the skinny boy with the pop eyes lingered just out of reach, howling, hopping, jeering and kidding. The big boys grinned. And the skinny boy stayed. The old East Side is going now, al- most gone. They have cut. a wide swathe through its middle for the erec- tion of model apartments. No one re- grets its passing. Yet, with it goes a hard, but potent training school. The East Side made Al Capone a gang lord. It made Al Smith a leader of men. And it made Eddie Cantor a great comedian. Each according to his talents. It was, in fact, the cradle for many comics: Ben Bernie, Phil Baker, Jack Pearl, the Howard Brothers, Jimmy