Marilyn Cantor Baker (September 16, 1921 – September 17, 2010)[1] was as American actress, author, writer, producer, and comedian. She appeared on Broadway and smaller theaters, in nightclubs, on television, and on radio.
Marilyn Cantor Baker | |
|---|---|
| Born | Marilyn Cantor September 16, 1921. |
| Died | September 17, 2010 (aged 89) |
Early life and education
editBaker was born in New York City on September 16, 1921[2] to Eddie Cantor, a star of stage, screen, and radio as well as a songwriter and singer, and his wife Ida.[3] She was their fourth daughter,[1] and named after actress Marilyn Miller, whom Eddie had acted with.[4] The family was Jewish.
Baker graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York in 1945. While studying, she supported herself as a secretary, and as a radio announcer during World War II.[5]
Career
editUpon graduation, she got bit parts in small productions the summer of 1945, and briefly worked in musical theater under the stage name Marilyn Curtis in the fall. She was also worked during that period as a disc jockey catering to children on New York's WHN radio station,[6][7] becoming the first woman disc jockey in the city.[1]
By 1950 she was headlining at nightclubs[8] and producing her own shows.[9]
In 1956 and 1957, she appeared in some of the early telethons for United Cerebral Palsy.[10][11][12] She started her long-time volunteer work promoting Israel Bonds around 1958, an effort to help financially support the new Jewish state of Israel.[1][13][14][15]
She appeared on stage and television with her father a number of times.
In 1970, she produced the off-Broadway musical Lyle, based on the Lyle books by Bernard Waber.[16][17] Her sister, Janet Cantor Gari, was the show's music director.[16][17]
Baker wrote the short story Sidney Shorr, which in 1981 was adapted into a film and a television show called Love, Sidney.[18]
Personal life
editShe married Michael Baker in 1960. Newspaper accounts gave her age as 33 at the time, but she was actually 39.[19] Together, they had a daughter, Lynne, and a son, Jed.[1] They were married for over 50 years at her death in New York City on September 17, 2010.[1]
Daughter Lynne married Andrew (Drew) Eichner but later divorced him. They have three sons.[20]
Son Jedediah married Beth Sklar on January 9, 1999[21] They have a son and a daughter.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "Marilyn Baker obituary". The New York Times. 2010-09-19.
- ^ "Notes of the Theater". New York Herald. 1921-09-20. p. 11. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
- ^ Obituary Variety, October 14, 1964.
- ^ Record Research. Record Research. 1971. p. 9.
- ^ "Marilyn Cantor, Guest of Honor". The San Francisco Examiner. 1959-04-29. p. 17. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
- ^ "Here's Soot in My Eye; Marilyn Cantor Shuns West, takes New York". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 1946-04-19. p. 11. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
- ^ "Listeing In with Sid Shalit". Daily News. 1946-03-06. p. 96. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
- ^ "Marilyn Cantor at Monte Carlo". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 1950-04-21. p. 22. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
- ^ "Off the Cuff?". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 1950-06-23. p. 16. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
- ^ "Cullen to Star In CP Telethon; Replaces 'Cop'". The Springfield News-Leader. 1956-04-01. p. 39. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
- ^ "TV Stars Don't Dread 18-Hour Camera Stint". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 1956-05-13. p. 7. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
- ^ Kidder, Karl M. (1957-08-19). "Palsy Fund Raising Drive Success Remains In Doubt". The Fresno Bee. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
- ^ "Marilyn Cantor Will Narrate Israel Fashion Show for Hadassah Program". The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle. 1958-08-08. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
- ^ "Comedian's daughter to be guest". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. 1958-09-01. p. 60. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
- ^ "'They Fussed, then Ignored Me' - But Marilyn Cantor Undismayed". The Toronto Star. 1958-12-16. p. 33. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
- ^ a b Dietz, Dan (2010-03-10). Off Broadway Musicals, 1910-2007: Casts, Credits, Songs, Critical Reception and Performance Data of More Than 1,800 Shows. McFarland. p. 272. ISBN 978-0-7864-5731-1.
- ^ a b "Eddie Cantor Daughters Shepherding a Musical". The New York Times. 1970-01-28.
- ^ Whitfield, Stephen J. (1999). In Search of American Jewish Culture. UPNE. p. 129. ISBN 978-1-58465-171-0.
- ^ "Eddie Cantor Gets a Son". Daily News. 1960-02-29. p. 24. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
- ^ Schorn, Daniel (2006-09-13). "Making Divorce Easier On Kids - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
- ^ "WEDDINGS; Beth Sklar and Jedediah Baker". New York Times. January 10, 1999. p. 7 (Section 9). Retrieved 2024-02-07.