It's Time To Smile 1943 06 23 (120) Guest Vera Vague

# It's Time To Smile – June 23, 1943

Step into a radio studio on a warm summer evening in 1943, where the unmistakable voice of Eddie Cantor crackles through the airwaves with infectious energy and that trademark laugh that made millions of Americans forget their wartime worries for thirty glorious minutes. This week's broadcast welcomes the brilliant comedienne Vera Vague, whose deadpan timing and rapid-fire wisecracks promise fireworks when she shares the microphone with Cantor's frenetic charm. Listeners can expect the full vaudeville spectacular—snappy banter, musical numbers, audience laughter that feels like gathering with neighbors in the living room, and comedy sketches that poke gentle fun at everything from home front rationing to romance. Vera Vague's particular gift for physical comedy, transmitted through voice alone, creates an almost visible electricity as she trades barbs with Cantor in the finest tradition of radio's golden age.

By 1943, *The Eddie Cantor Show* had become an institution, a weekly appointment that transcended mere entertainment during America's darkest hours. Cantor himself—the legendary song-and-dance man with the enormous expressive eyes—had already conquered vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures before bringing his gifts to network radio. This episode arrives during the height of World War II, when comedy served a sacred purpose: maintaining morale and reminding Americans of the joy worth fighting for. The chemistry between established stars like Cantor and gifted guest performers like Vera Vague showcased radio's unique power to assemble talent instantaneously, creating spontaneous magic impossible to replicate.

Don't miss this sparkling June evening with Eddie Cantor and Vera Vague. Tune in for reminder that even in wartime, laughter remained America's most vital resource.