Variety (November 1954)

REVIEWS P&niEfr Wednesday, November 10, 1954, Hotel St« RegiSf . Fernanda Montel; Milt Shaw Qfcft; $2 and $2.50 convert. There’s agag about the British beinfi such intensive overseas trad- ers that when a merchant became the parent of triplets*, and his Wlie asked with, true mptherly concern as to their future, he said. Oh. don’t worry} we’ll, keep one of them and export, the other two. The French are now rivaling the English as international trades- men; exporting French singers to America seems to be .the No* 1 industry. If they’re of the stripe of Fer- nanda Montel, there apparently Will always be an, England,- an America, a 'Brazil, an Argentine arid kindred markets for. the; Mo.^t i-v-i a no ‘ didoi icoc Thppp’s nn ril' _Saliara,Xas Vegas Las Vegas, Nov. 2. Esther Williajns & .Ben Gdge ; , Joey Bishop, Romano Bros. (3), Cliff Ferre, Saharem Dancers (12), Cee Davidson Orch ;(11); and his present date is only a fort- "’lleS is aboard actively or mWmm. nearly all the 80. minutes his re- vue scopes, demonstrating what he i. 1 . e. i oi-llt says repeatedly-—that: there’s still, some life in the old dog yet. He essays those- dramatically rhythmic, monologs that are ageless, talk- sings his perennial, lyrics, engages in corriball banter that harks back to the old. school of . burlesque, fronts his orch with clarinet on a rowdy ".Tiger Rag,” and of course vaunts: his trademarked battered hat and cane. Lewis’ present "shadow.” Elroy Peace, gets leave to execute a brace of fancy tap., steps during, the course of the show,, and., pert Sue Evans handles the distaff side of martre diseuses. There's no civ tion but that they offer something speciai'for the international saloon market which.seemingly the.home- grown brand of song delineators lack:: This is , another return, to the Maisonette of the St. Regis for Miss Montel, and she’s better than, ever. She is marked .for her chic style and. Commercial brand of songalog, in itself a marked con- trast to the severe approach that Genevieve gives herself at: : the nearby Plaza Hotel, Both Gallic gals opened on the same ’ night, and by further coincidence under the me Barron Polari manage- ment.. Genevieve is of the Piaf school of suffering songstresses; Miss Montel is a tall lissome blonde with a plus chic brand of haut couture and not so haughty songs. She is tailored to the Manhattan njpriner, which means, that she may have broadened her commercial sorigalog appeal, but there’s noth- ing wrong with not- handicapping yourself if: .primed for a certain market;. From “Rue Lepic”—Paris sorigsmiths write with beaucoiip passion about Place Pigalle; the rue.de Rivoli, St . Germain-de-Pres and contiguous* quartiers and rues like George M. Cohan writes about the Grand Old Flag—to the lament of "Pauvre Jean” she is a bell-: ringer all the way. By' the way. a sort of "French Danny Kaye,” one Philippe . Clay, of the Paris bistros, .first introduced . “Galante Pauvi'O Jean” in the French capital last spring, and .it’s a tune to which sume Yank publisher should attach himself—:it has all the ingredients for an offbeat international suc- cess., : .Intersplicing her songalog with brief American lingo intros, Miss Montel runs the gamut from songs by Michel Emer (France) to Har- old Rome ("Wish. You Were Here’’). She, even kids herself with a re- prise of what she calls " corny medley, of surefires,” meaning the now somewhat ovei-ly familiar •f fains.' - of. "La Seine,” "Mile, do Paris,” "April- In Portugal” and the like; Not corny is. her salute to Charles Trenet’s "L’aine des Poetes” (“At Last,” in the U. S.. •ver» ‘lazy” song solidly. Darice team - Of-' Manor. & ■ Mignort . .executes, fluid baliroomblogy in two moods with proper flourish,' and the Dewey Sisters attractively dish aero fcrp.in rapid synch. Midge and Bill Haggett are the- hit of the show, with their imagin- atively modern terp exposition of a sprightly' tour about : New York. On the mirth side, Bert Gordon of the popping ears., standup hair and "Mad Russian” accent oc- casions a smattering, of laughs for his rejoinders with Lewis. The three trumpets, three reeds, trom- bone, violin .and rhythms .which make up ttie Ted Lewis orch back the 'show aptly and play for the ballroom" besides. Ironically, the fare healthy biz this layout forecasts has come in time to ring down the curtain on the Marine Dining Room’s 35 years as a talent showcase. When the Lewis group packs up r this hotel nitery will get. a complete over- hauling in decor, and. present pl'aris are to reopen for the new year with a straight dine and dance policy; Les. Hot of Bilt inoro, I,. A. Los Angeles, Nov. 4, Romo Vincent; Tippy & Cobina; Norton & Patricia; Bit tinore Star- lets (12); Hal Derwin Orch (10); Cover., $1, $1.50. . With Romo Vincent as marquee bait, Joe Faber has dished up an- other confection of comedy, chore- ography arid color to sate the tour- ists who comprise, the bulk of his l rade. It’s a good show, albeit not up to the standard of. some he’s had in recent months. Vincent does: his usually fine job with some comedy material that j garners •registers, strongly and he sells his ; chores stuff for constant laughs. He’s whittled away some 50 pounds but he’s still no stringbeari, and he makes use of his . bulk for some added laughs, Best of his stuff is a discourse on the wonders of Paris; and a “Deacon Jones”, rou- tine that, gets an audience hand- clap parlicipatioh. Monkey .act of Tippy & Cobina seems to have slowed somewhat. Their stuff doesn’t appear to be Esther Williams makes a beauti- ful picture in her nitery act with husband Ben Cage. The pair work together in an act that is top-heavy in songs and dialog, and it must be admitted, a little light on the tal- ent side. Tightening of their , turn and the inclusion of more, suitable material is necessary before, it can justifiably be taken” seriously, Miss Williams is a picture of grace and charm ..in her striking gowns that set off a figure better known to her pic fans in a swim suit. As a matter of fact, she even parlays her swim-suit-draped shape in water— it’s actually a fountain streaming upward in vari-colored lights—as she stands under a many-pointed headdress for beautifully nauti- cal effect seen, only in her MGMers. The acquatic filmstar is making her local cafe bow in a three-framer which won’t, pile up the turnstile click of the preceding Marlene Dietrich show. No less than a dozen songs en- velope, the. overlong turn of , 45 rriinutes that has the tendency to lag as the couple lay it on too thick with: windy discourses of their do- mestic bliss. Miss Williams does display a neat , sense of showman- ship and is in nice command, of the act;, singing in a pleasingly nat- ural voice. Gage shows a good personality and a nice baritone in “Hey There.” The best work by thb duet is "Don’t,”; with lyrics that are socko. Hal Bell and Jerfy Rush work well with Miss Williams in dance sequences, while the . trio of Don Carson and Brian and Lin- da Peters render good vocal back- ing.. Gerry Dolin leads the Cee Davidson orch for the stars in effi cient style, Joey Bishop is back with bpffo comedy material* Satirical joke- s.ter builds his material cleverly arid socks the purich lines with good timing, to net big returns. Bishop has long been one of Vegas’ more, popular comics. The Romano Bros, are three i aero artists who tomfool around while thrilling with somersaults and flips and balancing stunts that evoke plenty of mitt-stinging in a fast opening*routine: The George Moro Saharem Dancers do without the four walk ers this time out, the 12 chorines display nice; terps in edifying roii tines. The costuming and lighting are excellent. Cliff Ferre is a tal-. ented song and dance emcee who a big hand, with tap Bob. a hard-working, showwis® pair of hoofers and singers, with a warm, amiable approach to the fablers that establishes rapport within a short time. This time but they again mark up a click with the hep trade here, via a 'fast-paced ses- sion of: nimble heel and toe work, climaxed by spjit slides and plussed by their version of Latino tempos. Spanish lyrics are handled authen- tically, ditto the hip-weaves inject- ed to add color to the routine: They top matters with a jive session that keeps the aud happy, sending; them off to. heavy, plaudits. Young George Hopkins is a local product who, in the past. several years, has had several chances to start the climb up, thanks to a shot with Godfrey and bookings at the better Miami clubs, such as the Vagabonds. , He hasn ? t, however, hit the route, although equipped with a pliable pan and sharp sense of timing. Fault, mainly, lies in the material. The gags; are pick- ups, while some of the visual ma- terial is not in the,'best of taste, such as a carbon of a monkey. Best of his catalog is the series of im- preshes. They’re smartly handled, although in the standard. vein as regards characters chosen; He rises above that, facet to display definite talent in the metier. With proper material and disciplining in; routining, he’d add up as a po- tent bet. _ Sacasas and his orch, in them- selves a draw here, are one of; the best units around for show back- ings. On the dansapation side they boast a sock library of brillantly afranged Latin. arid American mu- sic. I.’Anilral, Paris Paris, Nov. 1. Maurice Mesle presents "Chdeo- lat-Show” revue in two parts (24. sketches) by Roger-Pierre. Staged by Roger-Pierre: music , Michel Emer, Dary Cowl; Jean Delbecco, With Cowl, Pierre Mondy, Jacquel-. ine Maillan, Christi Duvaleix, Ariick Tanguy, Jean . hefebvre; $3 Mmimum. Majpcs Skyi'oom, Head Reno, Noy. 5. Helen Forrest, Dave Barry, Dorm Arden Skylets, Eddie Fitzpatrick orch. No cover, $2 minimum. “Paris Canaille”; and a | as sharp as in previous visits, al-i mbef. Her generally an- : though they still build to a good tlibritative .style is as fetching as | ,)a yoi'f with the "People Will Say her repertoire, and makes for ; We re In Love” instrumental by solid 40 mi utes, j Tippy on the electric organ. .. Here is a real sleeper. It may be hard .to sell but word .travels' fast in town. It’ll be up against some j big name attractions, too.. Helen Forrest, vet of the swing j bands, shows, the advantages of her fine training. Her mike treatment is a technician’s. Her honey- smooth voice does a job of spell- She .„ a towering sUm blonde. j ( ,b*pcn> & |T & \vlrose' contrasting black dress and ! ^ |>hfh S ai!>^hihg m more !n than straight easily and have a freshness and appeal. particularly in- their •'.Dancing in the Dark” inter.preta- high-rieck are an arresting floor effect. As attractive^ is maestro- violinist Milt Shaw’s slick accomp; always a big plus to any performer in the class Maisonette. He goes with the lease—and should—be- cause his sympatico musical iriter- pret.atioris are no small force in the excellent results. Same goes fdr maitre d* August and his crew The. captai , like their head-man at the tape,.: are to ; the manner born jn service and knowledgabil- i ty, frequerttly, in marked contrast to the new, type of hotel - help which is more and inore. encouri* tered, ,with the tempus fugil dor pai-tmerit filling T in fronv the ranks. Savvy veterans are amazingly ef- •Jective buffers and - antidotes to some of the waitering help with which many a hotel arid restaurant must fence on occasion. Abel. song-selHhg sans dramatics and gimmicks. . Very effective is a Gordon Jen- .L/qnv MiE, ah me ,x<(u n, mevi. i^a evu i. ; . • , • , . « . • n *i i • i tion. They'll be out of the, opener i klI ? s . special material entry which • ■ outlines her band career, with the themes' of the big : bands as a back- soon. Moro-Landis productions Involv- Three talented young comics, Roger-Pierre, Jean-Marc Thibault and Jean Richard, have made this cellar club, off the Champs-Ely.sees,. into a mecCa for the hep. cafe crowd and show biz circles desir- ing neat offbeat and topical revues. All three have graduated to the big time, but have written this new show, which keeps in the same old zany vein. Though familiar, its pacing, agile crew arid good timing give this, enough laughs to keep up the prestige of this Left Bank- type club on tire Right Bank. Biz was, solid . when caught. . Show starts With a drunk and plant arid then goes, into its tumb- ling skits as- one is piled upon the other. Twitted are cli ical sex pix in a takeoff on a. recent film on nymphomania, abstract painters, camping, explorers, clippo niteries and beachtime. Standout is the riitery bit with a howl sketch of a harassed client; who gets the full treatment in a supposedly, chichi nitery. This is almost a training film for wary tourists. Christian Duvaleix emerges as a comedian of excellent timing and corriic sense, with Pierre Mondy a fine straight man, and Dary Cowl, in His fey antics and droll dialogs, a definite comedy find. Pulchritude is amply supplied by Ani.ck Tanguy and i*est of the troupe is excellent. This looks in ; for a good Gallic season and is worth a tourist look- see, provided a French friend is along to keep the gist in mind. Mosk. Shorcham Hotel, p, C. Washington,, Nov* 4. Tippy Stringer, Nancy & Michael Mann, Harp Quartet (4), .Shore* ham Ballerinas (6). Singing Vio- lins (10), Barnee & Orch; cover 50c, $1 Fridays and Saturdays. The Shoreham’s big Blue Room is .contiriuirig the production style entertainment which Mernie Bra- love originated early last summer at the hotel’s outdoor Terrace. Current bill features two novel- ties—rf our gal harpists whose. string-plucking ranges; the gamut from classical to boogie-woogie, and six ballerinas who start off on their toes in the classical manner and. wind up doing a Cancan* Rounding out the. bill are Tippy. Stringer, who has been singing in Shoreham Shows for the past few months; the,dancing duo of Nancy: & Michael Mann, with the unit since last August, and the 10 Sing- ing Violins, group of male violin- ists whoi haye.novv become a kind Of signature for Shoreham enter- tainment;. > The dinner show has a strong Parisian accent, with its finale fea- turing the cancan, in which, the ballet girls rip off fancy garters and toss them out into the audi- ence. There is a. solid, fast-mov- ing 35 ..minutes of entertainment here which could stand . lengthen- ing fpr another TO minutes. Audi- ence eats it up. Late show is not quite up to the earlier one. It is completely different and is built around music: from. "St. Louis Blues” to "If I Loved You,” with a medley from "Carmen.” One of the novel features of the Blue Room entertainment is th appearance of a small revolving stage near the rear of the room. Action nioves between- this little stage and the large dance floor arid occasionally both operate to- , gether,. to keep the heads turning and necks straining to watch what’s next*. Success, of the new.-style enter? tainment, which 'hotels in .other cities are reported scouting, is the fact that Blue Rboni business is up substantially over what it was a year ago when the former policy of straight acts, without produc- tion effect! were used. Lowe. Club Dos Aiitours* Paris Paris, Nov. 9. Noel Guyves, Florence Veron, Jean Constantin, Trio Mexico, Maya Medwar, Orch (-4) ; $4 mini- 7 hum; drop to her-narration. Then she .• 'ii . .ri'ii • i * •» ^ IVA.vfc' yv. wuvm, •* nun guv in rt the Biltmore Stailets; include &> goes into w.k. disks-such as Artie toreador number, and the .inevi- | s ha w'c ‘‘Honorable.Mr. So & So,” table black light presentation. Garr NelsPri handles vocals and the Hal Derwin orchestra does its usual good job of showbacking and providing the. dance beat* Kap, |]ilgoivator Btoach. Clil Chicago, Nov. 5. Ted Lex vis R exrue, .with Sue E-vahs. Elroy. Peace , Bert Gordon; .Manor & .Mi non, Midge & Bill Haggett; Dewey Sisters (2), Ted Lewis Orch (10); $1.05 cover, no .Viinimum. So von Soas* Oiualia Omaha,. Nov. :4.- Shecky Greene; Al Lamm Trio; no., cover, or minimum.. Shecky Greene is back from the Chicago , and. Vegas yvai f s and boni- face Don Hammond reports -he’s "doing as much, business as the last tiirie;” Since the. hard-work- ing comic set a house record the last time, that’s an indication of IV vv busy Hammond and his maitre cl\ Harold Fisher, are these nights. At show caught Wednesday (3), the house was, packed with 48 standees. And Greene, even more polished after playing the big spots, responded with another of his topflight- shows;. He opened With a new sock football stint, worked in a hilarious takeoff on a Shaw's w ; hieh she warbled' for him, and Harry. James’ "You Made Me Love You.” Dave Barry has returned with a fine.load of new stuff arid Will have no trouble keeping his opening slot filled With ybeks. The Donn Arden Skylets .are gla- morous fbr their opener, and flap perish foi* a closing "Roaring •20s” number which is a. fine wind- up for this show'. Costuming is of the. eta, even to the rouged knees and cupid-bow lips. Eddie Fitzpatrick handles Helen Forrest’s, arrangement just fight. . Mark; Sans Souci, bllinml B 9 cli Miami Beach, Nov. 5. Nicholas Bros., George Hopkins; Sacasas Orch; $2.50^ bev. minimum. No other act in this room! this year has had such • a strong open- ing night turnout as Ted Lewis, who had .the ropes up for both the dinner and liate.Shows. Evidently,^ , . w the market is still very good for 1 ^.eench singer, did his fighter roii- this trouper who represents, more I ^ ine and rounded out matters with than nostalgia, some of the con- • a botfo ..ad lib session, stancy arid tradition of show biisi^; Al Lamm Trio expertly .backs« ness. He’s been absent from the Greene and shines, in 'hetvvCen--. 13'l’os.-,. and. Arthur Blake to follow. Chi. nitery scene over, four years,. show sets. Trump. | The vet Nicholas duo are. always The Blue Sails room, in this ocean-fronter is entering its early Winter booking schedule With a po- t.ent lineup of acts set for the- en- suing Weeks, most of them for one- week stands. Previously estab- lished draws, - however, are some- times booked in on a two-fraine deal, such - as current - Nicholas EriilysYK. r. Kansas City; Nov. 5. Mello-Larks (4), Russell Swann, Tony DiPardo's Orch (8'; $1 cover. Conibo of musical comedy four- some and magico-comic is a some- what riiodest bill at the Eddy es- tablishment. Entertainment is sat- isfactory. , in 40. minutes, albeit against heavy coni petition from the gathering ; Of conventioneers and other noisy patr.ons at show caught. Opening wedge by Russell Sw'arin, who claims he still is a magician, more or less kids the trade, fum- bling a rope, trick,, a bit. with , a customer and the "disappearing” napkin, and turn at hypnotizing a rabbit, who Won’t, sit still. He gets a degree of humor out of it all, but could stand with a bit livelier pac- ing. Works with a comely assist- ant, Virginia. Oaks, a neat trick in her own right. Four Mello-Larks add . one more to the lengthening list of musical groups to have played Eddys’ re- cently, COnibo, of three lads and a gal makes it first stand in town and comes off well enough. They run through a list of standards and some special material in good mu- sical, style and with* suitable chore- ography to marry their portion of; the show in good shape. Quin. Small boite, off the Champs- Elysees,' was formerly called the Night Club. New policy opens show, to young songwriters, Who perforin their own ditties, and hence the new. club monicker. This is a laud- able attempt, but lack of names, and: lagging nitery biz of late, is not helping this house, and though .word-of-mouth is good, biz was low When caught. Next show goes back to name status, With Leo Mar jane iri for her first Paris sing stint in two years. Npel Guyves opens show with a guitar accomp of self-cleffed dit- ties, Songs are fresh and clear, but he adds nothing definite to the myriads of guitar acts springing up here, and would be more at home in a Left Bank bar. How- ever, Canadian folk aspects of his turn make for neat offbeat interest and listening. Florence Veron brings no voice but a pleasing in- souciance and comic patter aspect to her well-known ditties, made famous by the bigname chanters. She gives them a personalized ren- dition that makes the club aims plausible, and is in for big mitts too. Jean Constantin, is a fey type in- dividualistic songwriter who goes in for the musette styled songs. His patter is good and his songs have the street appeal arid twang of Paris for pop appeal. Trio Mex- ico add an authentic carioca note to. proceedings: and Maya Medwar supplies the exotic with a neat bellydance. Mosk. (jinlineniu Ottawa . Ottawa, Nov. 3. Four Guys, Ted & Diana Peters, Juvelys (2), Harry Pozy Orch (8); $1 admission. : Usual switchover day at the Gatineau Club is - Thursday but manager Joe Saxe brought in t\v riew acts - arid held over Four Guys last ’ Tuesday (2). The Guys ai’e still top-billed. . Ted and; Diana Peters w 0 ™ a clicko adagio session to good re- turns; Their slight touch of Com- edy is effectively underplayed, giv- ing: most of their time to the flashy terpsing-. Juvelys have a standout balance and juggling act, work di- vided nicely and evenly between male and femme. Act goes smooth- ly and shows .top'savvy. Harry Pozy band plays for Cus- tomers‘to dance and bncks sho\ys. Al'Co«?ti chants and 88s in lounge. Gorin.