Variety (December 1950)

Wednesday, December 6, 1950 House Reviews Hall, that staid citadel of concert culture, at H top; now he’s doing a four-day 30-mins. stanza whose only unsatisfactory aspect is that he has to hegoff on time limit. Paranioiiiit^ N. Y« Jimmy Dorsey Orch (16), with Kenny Martin & Pat O’Connor, Tong Bros. (3), Mickey Deems, Nat. King Cole & Trio; **Lefs Dance” (Par ), reviewed in Variety Aug. 9, ’50. • - ■ Paramount’s 24th Anniversary show is a fairly low-budgeted affair, with only three acts plus the Jimmy Dorsey organization. None- theless, it’s a nicely paced and pleasant bill. Good deal of the load falls in the Dorsey Unit. Band opens the _ show with a rhythm version of j Barkleys (grandfather, daughter, “Sweet Georgia Brown,” and then j firandspn and granddaughter) get over neatly on nostalgic response UBIETY ’‘Yuck-a-Puc,” all winning neat hand. Three Stooges have a neat walk- on. Comics appear, almost unrec- ognizable, in tails and top hats. They vocal about the old-way’s-the-, best-way, then discard the classy COMPAGNONS raiment for the old garb and antics. _ SIQUE (8) ! Stooges still get the bellv-vocks. Songs 55 DE LA MU- THE BROWNLEE SISTERS Songs 7 Mills.; One Sisters are a quartet who won a Horace Leave Me,” “Thinking of You” and ! iP . ^^e “Cakewalk” with Franks, other disclicks, plus his spckj Ed-i show pacp and rate die Cantor imitation of “Makin' ®°^^ ^h^^man Hayes band Whoopee.” [backs in ok^ fashmn. Orch opens ’ vocalist Kenny Martin comes on to sing “Just Say I Love Her.” Martin has a good voice and a personable delivery, but the song is a bit too heavy for him. Trumpet- er. Shorty Sherock combines with chirp Pat O’Connor for an amusing version of “Kiss Me,” in which the trumpet echoes the chirp’s with Les Compagnons de la Chan son, entire group remains anony- - - ^ j one taking : too many featured I spots. This is the original singing combo formed in France before the war and from which stemmed last week doing upwards of. 30 l a novelty tune. They are for the songs at every 2-hoUr showing. As i most part a standard femme vocal ^ ■ • . 11 _ ■ 1 ' ; _ij • _ • 1 • in their three-generation dance con- trasts and energetic challenge. Ar- MeX. PalsicK IV* Y. , , _ j , , „ - ... George & Ann OHucr, Koss i the piaf group, Les Compagnons nold Dover had to begoff on his Haruei/, Brownlee Sisters (4),,!de la Chanson, Split occurred in authentic , .imimtions 0 . Jimmie I Fo.rx ^ White Frederica - Rey Sc \ May, ’46, and although similar in Stewart, the Fred Allen’s Alley ipiiar Gromez, Fritzi, Scheff, Bcnng appearance and Style, the,original characters, Arthur Godfrey, Billy iMefoff (2), The Sandys (4); Don ioutfit have remained ' entirely Eckstine and a rev rent tribute to the late A1 Jolsoh. The SherwbOds pleas. Gal shows lots of poise in ' (two men and a girl) do their acro- her turn. Dorsey’s Dixieland unit 1 bgtics in the modern manner with does a number, but it could have used some microphone rehearsals, since a couple of instruments were drowned oUt and the acoustics gen- erally were bad. Nat King Cole and the Trio, who currently are riding high with a couple of their Capitol recordings, score solidly ii' their stint. Adroitly mixing rhythm numbers and ballads. Cole commands complete Albert House Orch; “FdrctaeU to French, featuring the old folk Yesterday” (20th ) , reviewed in ; songs of France, up-to-dating oc- Variety Oct. 13, ’50. casionally with such items as — Treriet’s “Lai Berceuse,” et al. Palace’s current bill is a mixture Staging throughout is solid and of old ahd new faces. There’s i clever use of lighting heightens ef- graceful tiniing marked by non- chalance that glosses over the ap- parent ease of their triple mounts i Fritzi Scheff and Benny Meroff i fect of offerings. Team hasn’t the and smooth throw-aboiit catches MeStay from the old Palace days, and a ’ slickne$s and flash of the la Chanr ! flock of newcomers. Bill conse- son group but they redeem by ' quehtly is a varied and pleasing ! keeping the hoked-Up comedy ar- !one. , rangements to a minimum. Voices I Reviewed in New. Acts are i blend superbly and only musical ’ George & Ann Oliver, Ross Harvev ' ^ccomp is the odd drum beat and Chicago* Ciit . GhicagOj Dec. 1 /c \ ^ ^ T • ^ the Brownlee Sisters, in the i flute solo.. Injection of. femme uui.iuuo* v.v./iiiiiJLaiiu9 lc 1 . f-'amO, first three slots; Froderico Rey & ohirper does little to act even attention all the way, registering. Basil Orch; Harriet Craig ^ ( Col )..ipHar Gomez; and the Sandys in; though gal has small but true set I 3 O St OTJ l^i S ^]V[ 02 ^ 3 Ij i Scl d n d ” ^ a l*. _ J.. • _ 1 .P 1 n AO . • a IA'IA a ^ ' t ■‘Orange Colored Sky.” He’s amus- /^Present onO-weeker reflects need ing on " a calypso tune called;Ofinarfluee u^^^ , —, — “Calypso Blues.” and bows off-with acts _ are well received, with Gil j in the bill. They have tired ma- ti'equent spots and is overshadowed his seasonal discJick of a couple Lamb doing a nifty job as emcee j terial, basing most of their gags on ! by showmanship of other Compag- of years ago, “The Christmas'.fbd breaking up his routine i plays on words, and their pacing is uens. " ^ong.” I throughout the revue, sparse^ audi-[ slow. Perhaps their best bit is one ; Current layout has group, with harmony and arrange- ments nothing out of the ordinary. One' gal who carries the solos, though, shows a good deal of promise.- Girls seemed a bit stiff and self- conscious while singing the pops. On the novelty, however, they showed a good deal of personality and verve. They might try more of this type of number, both to pull themselves out. of the ordinary run of Vocal Units aihd to puTa bit more life into the turn. With some re- vamping, ' they’ll be okay for vaude dates. Chan. ANN LEWIS Songs 12 Mins. Blue Angeli, N. y. Recehtly in the “Jazz Train” re- vue at the :.ow defunct Paradise nitery on'Broadway, Ann Lewis is doing the same yocal routine in this class rtitery spot, but, as a single she hasn’t the same effec- tiveness. Netro songstress has a lowdown attack and sings with Miss, Lewis’ repertory com- prises standards that are asso- ciated with such great blues sing- video and j ers as Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters click ; and Mildred Bailey. Unfortu- aUdiences : nately, such a selection forces her an An-i to suffer by comparison. Her ren- dition of “Empty Bed Blues’’ is « » ** * _ _ _ ^ , ^ ^ ^ ^ _ ... - more . . of the couple before and after ception for solo efforts. Tandem Kathleen McLoughlin, scores solid- French tunes. . Newt i.not an adequate “carbon of Bessie marriage. He’s got good delivery, Uyork with half twists and catches ly with his comedy stint. While it’s ■ —- I Smith’s classic version, and she also a personable appearance and hep makes for stiong closer. Alphonse simply a man-and-wife team now, JOAN DEXTER with his three eye-filling,' Meroff hasn’t given up using some; Songs. material. However, as he gets Berge around more and more, his ma- 'scantily, draped models, is still a of his fanta‘?tij musical. in.stru- 17 .Mins. teriaT is beginning to wear, and good flash actor. Working nimbly, ment.s. including one saxophone Empire Room, Albany . he’ll need some new routines be- he flings bolts of cloth around as he. that he has to stand on a stool to [ Joan Dexter voune coloratura Dorsey’s Orch does a fine job backing the show, especially Cole’s arrangements for accompaniment. fails to hold up on Mildred Bailey’s “Down-Hearted Blues” and a show tune of Ethel Waters. Her in. PREDERICO REY & PILAR Here’s a dance act that’s a sure better vaude situations upper level of*niteries. Rey and Pilar Gomez ... ... .. . W . rhVn canf- And in spite of her a'sTher'voke' operate aria at 0^^ Birds; "Killei Stalked Ncu> York” j f^XfLTord” ter neat returns introduced are still tops for • runs and repeated high notes, ■ dances with flair and vividness. \Coiy. brishlneSs and charm, she had to yj’emngly , projected, a Jcronie ■ Rey Obyiously has had a ballet Dramatic lighting gets this show Lainb gets yock with Ws du ck: brighIneSs and charm. She had to f<=rringly, projected, A, Jerorne ■ Rey obylously. Lamp gets yOCXS yiin ni^s quici^ . Kern medley. Bewitched, My; background, si les, and works with the gets and . Albert and the house orch Hero” and “Indian Love Call” since much of his terping has ballet overtones. Miss off o a fast s^ md it seldom panflieader, i.ouis ^^sii to iiven; ba7kin- the o^Aers offered to vociferous ! Gomez is goodlooking and smooth slack°ens Opening' coiiS i “ show" Chan' * appreciation Her pianist-arranger-j on; the, floor._Rach do joiO^stints, „ , .scores. In place of his traditional Of a medley af Duke Ellington num- ! jm,e pfe house seatholder. he has bors_ on a blacked-out stage, 'vith ; aj,d almost as hilarious bit soloists being spotlighted. husband, Lou Kosloff, and Van but their duets ate best. With lit- Smilh’s orchestra, furnished ca- ! tie pantomimes forming the basis pable accompaniment. Jaco. of the dances. Routining Is intelli- ——— gent, costuming good and perform- progiani on an.original, •:Happy Go ^jetraddUioA'a! irughs Av'ith paAto 1 cifA"*-007010700Ai^eTop^,- 'Tato^ l^^ . ANN CAROL : ‘h^li^d’f.^Ai them in' the^tutu^e.”* Lucky, IS the high point of the orioain sans uartnerl and for finale' & Julia, El Grinao. Janies Cnrrv. . of nonsense, a take-off of a tele Ellingtons pianistics midway in^ ^ j seeing the average fare. nrrtPi’am nn nn nricnnnl * Hiinnv fin ^ . a -a a. .i. . rirelle^ lind|!»ls. Indianapolis, Dec. 2. .Xavier Cugat Orch, with Carvieur 1 rnu ^ T^ii- 4 4 .adagio, sans partner, and for finale'& Jiflia, El Gringo, James Curry, show. Then five Ellington trumpet- ^^Qes variations on nursery rhyme, i Abbe Lane, Eddie Kozak; ”Hit Pd- „ ei\s give out in “Blue Skies,” and ..t hho .TppV Hnmpr ” with his be- Ynrln nf f Rpr>) give out in "iiiue ,bKies, ' ana “Little Jack Horner,” with his be- radc of 1951” .(Rep); saxophonist Johnny Hodges does j|jQp character copping the majority some ultra-fancy improvisiiig on applause. Sunny Side of Street for pienty - - ■ of cheers from the hep cats. Featured act is The Orioles three singers, a piano, a guitar and a bass, fiddle. ’They boast a tenor Mins. vana-Madrid, N. Y, nwAowVk * AnDTAxi Lily Ann Carol former vocalist; Aero-Dance rllA T Dv *1 *V 1 n VirhMrl Vhr\r«'^. Chan. Xavier Cugat is back here after Hie Louis Prima band, has | ly iviins.* pull -_ 1 ' _ .. 4 ;.■ hp 4 >n 9 C ii cincflp ertririA • _ . ... who specializes in abrupt phrasing Most of their ballads are well re- ceived, not so their rendition of Oriental, riii Chicago, Nov. 30. mixed team, who re- made most of their ices in the west, skillfully (rhythms. While he spots a dance or the band-Vocalist mores and ; execute a .series of lifts, spins and ; novelty here and there, its the ^ i balances, with a few dance steps 'splashy playing of the orch, sur- be her, v^^ears sexy green rounded by dazzling color, that sells floors. , 'costume, with lad in tight-fitting •-■'“ts . tan irou,sers, green halter and _on her volume ^and leather boots. these moments that . .. 4 . M. 1 . 4 - 1 Stunts are permormed with indicates bei’ possibilities.! gi-ace and ease, the male one or . - ^ p®fl®^Hvity ! unusual feats of strength with ennement during these his left arm and hand; Spectaeular CoiiABaSfte^'Sr ” ^d h^d"te“eSl’^: 01717 bAst.-OtiS^e' h^'mtos I | spiAAiAg “of al^Afl-AeAk Boy!” *" S^"- n"X«s‘’'rJ?s,:me'deo?^7hm «P. varying his LatiA specif Nuthin’ Till You Hear From Me,” 'along Avithout its headliner, Dick! Jalousie il j(p^ 2 »P 0 • i’.JIA 11 |.^* JllO . J.JClieA 14 . I 4-4 4 * V«xii . lAt^Al MC 4 i.~ Mok^ &>oke, ;a comic danee i R-sixers witlv,the ppiacei^r^os^,^^ u:n ' rfDitinn Pli'antjnHv Hp riinc flip ■ fpr A 31 ICty. and Contl ast,. but , /.aiif/J-if With added tiOll.sh art team, get plenty of laughs and aP“ • the . Skylarks. Vocal team (thr__, . rn i u n plause for their routine. - Ham- males and two feihmesV fill bill garian Rhapsody.^ He runj the ^ lumn]^ uuwn cou inond’s'Birds, a troupe of perform- in neat fashior., with a wise fboice show achieve optimum effectiveness, cockatoos, were well received, of material, but they re handi- toiitlisuave good humor, Abbe Jose Tew. [capped for lack, of stage acunicn,; Lane liis girt singer, impresses,.es- • - - ■ ■ ' ■ iG^D. obviouslv got its tutelage pecially m Bolero, .which she han- , , 1 4 .. J ! caught. With added polish; act a general toning down eould ' siiould click anywhere. nig rasinii, Toronto Toronto, Dec. 1. Group, obviously got us cuieiage ; jjcviaji.) m uvii=* v, .wjuviii uai.- HU I haves before the zoomars and is show- dies nicely. cPMP-e casing videow^se by tightly hugging: Audience giy^ a warm response^ liie'-banastand Group'opens'with to Eddie Kozak’s magic on the JS Mips. GEORGE & ANN OLIVER Roller skating : 6 Mins.; Full / . Palace^' N. .;Y.^ . • George & Ann Oliver are a talv j ented roller .skating pair. Most the Stint conipriscs male’s Dunningen Eddie Fisiier, The clever treatment Of: “When ; You marimba arid George Lopez s ex- . Barkleys (4). Arnold Doiicr, The and 1 Were Young,” tlien a _slow perf truniocting^pf The Peaniil Bi|l, Hayes, .perisonable smger of „,i*h ,rm Sherwoods (3) Bob Goodman belabored version, of “Danny Boy.” Vendor.” James Curry’s imper.sona- who has been a regular on the whjrnng around with, aim Archie Sme ^isfo^Cliy^Johrinv ThPy pick up solidly with “Vaude- tipns, the flashy dancin,, of Tato NBC-TV“Saturday Night Revue” and ieg holds. Also docs a solo One-eye” (UA). ’ ville IsvBack,” in which each 2 h per- arid Julia and the tricky rhythms of makes a nice impression in his stint that points up the grrice that 'form standard vaude turns between Caimencita and Garcia also get New York nitefy debut A good- > can be achieved on roller.skates; For the hGavicst business in sev- the vocalizing good hands. Attendance opening looking lad with fine tenor pipes;-- have one trick, however, ei4l weeks Dnnninffei^ is slotted in closing flay wasn’t up to pace of Gugat’s Hayes .shows promise. At pre.sent that is solid;; Man, with girl m a .c ai weeks, Dunninger is luiing Skylarks are slotted in j _ j i^ut was better than however, his style lacks distinc- lcghold, .spins around a cocktail ‘ . while she drinks contents Turn has good visual the customers into the Casino on ^pot, which seems to be poor bal- , nnw hie rmnnpri«mc avp eiass wbiie general entertainment appeal, with aAce here. De.Mre to .split the group ;.ivorage for band shows heie thiv mn an^ aie wmic. Mdic Fisher in for th-i bobbysox from.' Havis' tetectiomdf tunes. more7appeal, and a SAT.T.Y-R charity STINT over, is not the wise.st, ' His work- Fisher in for tlu _ J But it’s Dunningcr’s showas .menc’able. -- ihis master showman calls up vol- be achieved if Miss Barton unteers frorn th'e audience, (and. an- pushed back to the Closer. .Gal nounces his long-.staiiding offer of registers Strongly with a slraighl a good .bet for vauders, Chan. SALLY’S CHARITY STINT . . _ , „ ^ . 4 A ii rwi r. t over of Lady Be Good and a cur-■ z— . Port Arthur. Tex., Dec. 5.,^^ number, “I Don’t THE SANDYS (4) Sally Rand will appear at the U the Sun Don’t vShine,” Trampoline “ 9 in a show up his stylistic deficiencies 7 Mins*; Full ' ?mng He registers far better. Palace, N.'Y. School on such numbers as “Wanderin’” The Sandys combine some fine end “Gone With the Wind” Where aerp work on the trampoline with Arison the quality of voice gets more of good coniedy for a workmanlike j a clvance.' ' * v Hermt 1 - (Continued on page-61-) '