CANTOR IN LONDON.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 192, 16 August 1938, Page 7

CANTOR IN LONDON.

A SERIOUS MISSION.

JEWISH REFUGEE CAMPAIGN.

WANTS TO FILM WITH ORACIX2.

(Special.—By Air Mall.) LONDON, July 22. Eddie Cantor arrived at Southampton this week on the Queen Mary and the fun began at once. "It's 0.K.," he said to .the ticket collector, rolling those famous eyes, "I'm Eddie Cantor." "Maybe you are Eddie Cantor," retorted the man at the boat train gate, "but, you can't get on this train without tickets." Making funny faces, Mr. Cantor complained to his smartly black-furred wife Ida: "I figured this face would get me any place." Another shock was the discovery that English people do not eat roast beef for ted. He ordered "Large helpings and make it snappy, eon." The restaurant attended replied: "Only tea and biscuits, sir." The whites of Cantor's eyes turned upward: "What a joint!" he said, and took refuge behind the largest cigar Southampton has seen for a long time.' His greatest, ambition is to make al film in England with Gracie Fields—not a musical "but one where we can be two ordinary folks." And he's keen to look at Blackpool and Lancashire generally, to see where Gracie Fields absorbed her "unequalled knowledge of! >the language of humanity."

Eddie Cantor's visit is to be a brief one. "It's true I'm staying only 16 days. Yes. I know we've brought 2S j trunks. And 28 of these are my wife's. She let me have a corner of due of 'em for my shaving tackle, though." But the famous film comedian has come to England for a serious purpose. His brown eyes were solemn and his face was almost grim when he «sid: "I have come here to push forward with all my power my scheme for the re'ief of European Jewish -refugees. I am

ready to sacrifice my private fortune if I can bring relief to these unfortunate people.

"Already I have raised £30,000 to help refugees from Germany, Austria and. Poland to Palestine. It is my earnest hope that during the Iβ days I am in England I shall be able to raise another £20,000. That would mean that 300 refugee children could be rescued.

"We in the United States want to ward off this European madness. The world's going crazy. Hundreds of thousands of refugees pushed around —for what? And no one seems to think it is anybody's business. The world simply must be responsible for the innocent victims of tyranny. "What is the use of opening churches next Sunday if not to practise the teachings of Christ. How dare people teach the concepts of Christ and say: "Yes, but we can carry them out only up to' a point.*

"We are no longer civilised people if we do nothing or next to nothing, ah.ut solving the refugee problem. Nations outside the brutalitarian States have got to get together and forget diplomacy, and the tricks called statesmanship."