It's Time To Smile 1945 03 21 (185) Adoption

# The Eddie Cantor Show: "It's Time To Smile" – March 21, 1945

Settle into your armchair and prepare your heart for an evening of laughter tinged with unexpected poignancy. This March 1945 broadcast finds Eddie Cantor in fine form, his signature rapid-fire patter and infectious energy filling your living room as he tackles one of America's most tender subjects: adoption. Against the backdrop of a nation still engaged in global warfare, Eddie guides his audience through a comedy sketch that somehow manages to be both hilarious and deeply moving—mining humor from the anxieties of parenthood while celebrating the profound bond that transcends biology. The supporting cast delivers perfectly timed exchanges, and the orchestra swells at just the right moments to underscore the emotional stakes. This is Eddie at his finest: the consummate entertainer who understands that the best comedy often sits closest to the heart.

By 1945, Eddie Cantor had become an institution in American entertainment, his weekly variety show a reliable refuge from wartime worries. The "It's Time to Smile" era represented the show's golden period, when Cantor's versatility—part comedian, part social commentator, part genuine humanitarian—was on full display. His willingness to address domestic themes like adoption reflected a postwar America beginning to reimagine family structures and values, even as servicemen were still overseas.

Don't miss this remarkable episode, a pristine artifact of radio's greatest age. In thirty minutes, Eddie Cantor delivers what the show's title promises: reasons to smile, even in uncertain times.