It's Time To Smile 1943 04 28 (112) Guest Fred Astaire

# It's Time To Smile - April 28, 1943

Picture yourself settling into your favorite chair on a Wednesday evening in wartime America, the warm glow of your radio dial glowing softly in the darkness. Eddie Cantor's infectious energy crackles through the speaker—that unmistakable voice, those rapid-fire jokes and comic timing that have made him a household name—as he welcomes a very special guest: the legendary Fred Astaire. For the next half hour, expect the kind of magic that only live radio could deliver: witty banter between two entertainment titans, musical interludes that showcase Astaire's silky crooning, and comedy sketches that capture the spirit of a nation finding humor and hope in uncertain times. The orchestra swells, the studio audience roars with laughter, and you're transported to NBC's broadcast studio, a live witness to genuine star power and spontaneous entertainment.

This episode arrives during a remarkable moment in American broadcasting history. Eddie Cantor's show had already become a cultural institution by 1943, a weekly escape for millions of listeners seeking respite from the anxieties of World War II. Astaire's appearance represents the kind of top-tier entertainment that justified the radio's place at the center of American home life. Both men were already legendary—Cantor for decades of vaudeville and radio success, Astaire for revolutionizing cinema dance just years earlier. Their pairing creates an irreplaceable snapshot of the Golden Age of Radio, when stars of the highest caliber performed live, without nets or safety, for audiences they could never see but deeply connected with.

Don't miss this chance to experience what made radio the most intimate mass medium ever created. Tune in to *It's Time to Smile* and hear the genuine laughter, the carefully crafted comedy, and the star power that defined an era. This is radio at its finest.