It's Time To Smile 1941 04 30 (31) Guests Ezra Stone, Adelaide Moffat

# It's Time To Smile - April 30, 1941

Step into the glowing warmth of Studio 8H on this spring evening in 1941, where Eddie Cantor's infectious energy crackles through the airwaves like electricity. As the orchestra swells with that unmistakable jazzy opening theme, listeners across the nation settle in for an evening of rapid-fire comedy, snappy musical numbers, and genuine vaudeville magic. Tonight's guests—the young, earnest Ezra Stone, fresh from his success as Henry Aldrich on radio, and the sophisticated Adelaide Moffat—promise lively banter and unexpected comedic moments. Expect the unexpected: Cantor's famous ad-libs, his trademark physical comedy translated through vocal performance alone, and those signature high-pitched shrieks that have made him a household name since the golden age of Broadway.

By 1941, Eddie Cantor had already reinvented himself multiple times, from Ziegfeld's Follies to silent films to becoming one of radio's brightest stars. His NBC variety show represented the apex of American radio entertainment—a golden age when families gathered around their sets the way they would later huddle before television screens. Cantor's formula was deceptively simple: comedy rooted in Jewish-American immigrant experience, clever musical arrangements, and an genuine affection for his guest stars that listeners could feel through the speakers. In an era when war clouds gathered over Europe and America braced itself for change, these Tuesday nights offered something precious: laughter, music, and the reassuring presence of an entertainer who had spent two decades perfecting his craft.

This is vintage radio entertainment at its finest—a snapshot of an art form in its prime, performed live before a studio audience whose reactions you'll hear between the jokes and the songs. Tune in and discover why America couldn't get enough of Eddie Cantor's infectious spirit and infectious laugh.