Kane was born in St. Louis, Missouri. His early career was in vaudeville as a member of the two-man team of Kane & Herman. Some of his more famous films include The Public Enemy (1931), The Mummy (1932), Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Meet John Doe (1941), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), It's a Wonderful Life (1946), and The Ten Commandments (1956). Kane appeared in three Academy Award for Best Picture winners: The Broadway Melody (1929), It Happened One Night (1934) and You Can't Take It with You (1938).