It's Time To Smile 1941 02 26 (22) Guest John Barrymore

# It's Time To Smile — February 26, 1941

Picture yourself huddled around the radio on a winter evening in 1941, the warm glow of the dial your only companion as Eddie Cantor's instantly recognizable voice crackles through the speaker with his signature greeting: "It's time to smile!" This particular broadcast marks a remarkable convergence of vaudeville royalty and Shakespearean legend, as the legendary John Barrymore—the "Great Profile" himself, at the height of his fame—steps before the NBC microphone. Listeners are treated to the electric chemistry between Cantor's rapid-fire, character-driven comedy and Barrymore's theatrical gravitas, as the two titans of entertainment spar with wit and charm. The program brims with sketches, musical numbers, and improvisational humor that captures the relentless energy of early 1940s American entertainment, while Barrymore's mere presence lends an air of theatrical prestige that transcends the typical variety show format.

The Eddie Cantor Show stands as one of broadcasting's most enduring institutions, a weekly appointment listening that kept American audiences entertained for nearly a quarter-century. Cantor's ability to attract Hollywood's biggest names while maintaining the intimate, immediate appeal of live radio made him one of NBC's—and later CBS's—most valuable commodities. This 1941 episode exemplifies the show's golden period, when radio comedy still boasted the unpredictability and spontaneity of live performance, before tape recording would later sanitize the medium.

For devotees of classic radio and entertainment history, this broadcast remains essential listening—a time capsule of an era when Hollywood legends commanded the airwaves and comedians could make audiences laugh without a script. Tune in and experience the magic that drew millions to their radios each week.