Veteran comedian Eddie Cantor today laughed off the announcement by the Arab League this weekend that all of his films would be banned from the League’s member countries in the Middle East and North Africa because of the Jewish performer’s “Zionist affiliations and material support of Israel.” Mr. Cantor, who will shortly celebrate his 70th birthday, today repeated a statement he had made during the war about the Hitler regime: “I have no desire to make any people laugh who have made my people cry.”
Celebration of Mr. Cantor’s 60th birthday nearly ten years ago was marked by the sale of $2,616,000 worth of Israel bonds. His 65th birthday was also the occasion for an Israel bond benefit. Other Hollywood stars boycotted by the Arab League for similar reasons include Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, Jerry Lewis and Edward G. Robinson.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
