Variety (December 1954)

54 xreiT an reviews WfdnfdiT, Dfffmbfr 22. 1954 Wal4«rf*Atl»Ha. X. Y. Jose Greco Spanish dancers, writh Paul Haakon. Lola de Rondo* Lupe del Rio. Anita Ranos, Rostia Torres. Do.oret del Carman. Luu Olivares. Jose Mancilla. Angel So- lera. Ar.:or io Jimsnez, Roger M achcdao. Miguel Gama. Sat Bntnd trynne Orch. Mischa Rjtt E*um5>; $! >>S2 50 carer Tuas the »wk before Christmas and all through the room hardly an empty table wis showing a: the 9 30 performance That indcau* the boxoffice draw of the dynamic Jose Greco. It's a second engage- ment at the Empire Room for the Spanish artist, long established as a legit-concert attraction in the U. S. His capsule 40 minutes of vanegated ‘and sophisticated* flamenco flew down the ‘.racks Thursday <16 like a diesel locomo- tive. Beautifully costumed and gowned all the way. the troupe has solid musical support, not only from the well-rehearsed B~and- wynne houre group, but from Roger Machado. Greco’s regular pianist, and guitarist Miguel Gar- cia. These, a.ong with the high- voiced flamenco singer. Joie Man- cilla. are the minimal require- ments for backgrounding a big hotel room 1 ke tms with the mood and idiom of Hispanic tradition. Greco has added that superb technician of the dance and long- time favorite of the L\ S. presenta- tion bouses. Paul Haakon. He ap- pears only in the first number. “Caprechio Espanol.” but brings a fillip of added distinction to Gre- cos company. Greco, of course. is the center- piece. piece de resistance, dynamo and master showman of this gor- geous terpsechorean paella. He takes the second spot solo for a Cana Alegrias and is seen again in the exciting choreography he’s set to Ravel's “Bolero.” The solo, duet and quartet movements gen- erate great dramatic power and draw spontaneous outbursts. Greco closes off his floors how with the Cortijo. in which be is horseman and Luis Olivares. An- gel Solera and Antonio Jimlne/ are prancing horses. The four girls. Lola de Ronda. Anita Ramos. Lupe del Rio and Rosita Torres who earlier offer an equestrienne routine. “Zapateado.” musiced by the Greco pianist. Machado. al*o come into the finale. Three strong, sharp, saucy spe- cialties are studded through the fast-moving lineup of events. Anita Raipos- Lola de Ronda and Jose Mancilla thus introduce the necc.— sary chance of pace. The show opens with vigor and continues that way. climaxing with those spirited “horses.” The astonishing vitality and grace of the star al- ways predominates. Nor do the ladies in the audience fail to re- mark Greco's beautiful long less and slender hips, and his ability, second only to the late great John Barrymore, to wear “difficult pants.” In keeping with the stellar at- traction. booked for the Dec. 16- Jan. 13 period. Nat Brandwynne and Mischa Borr provide a very ; heavy dose of hot rhumba, samba tango and other hisoansapation The guests use uo all the floor space pronto. Land. Beverly Hill*. A*en|H»rl Newport. Ky.. Dec 18 Benny Fields A Blossom See'ey. The Goofers <5". Dick Hyde. Firi Lindsay Dancers *10*. Gardner Benedict Orch 1 10»; S3 minimum, $4 Saturdays. Billed as “Mr. and Mrs. Show Business.’’ Benny Fields and Blos- som Seeley are reunited ar.d selected this Greater Cincy swank spot for the break-in New Acts . Engagement is for a single week Fields is a perennial fave here and on numerous visits always was accompanied by his bride of 32 years, who was made known to the customers from the ringside. Teamed again after six year*. they spell a double treat of song and dance entertainment. Miss Seeley has lost none of her charming personality and know- how despite the long layoff And the modern microphone makes her voice sound almost as testy as in those yesteryears when she was a flaming red hot mrmma of caba- ret. vaudeville and musicals. Fields retains some of his stand- ard minstrel song and dance rou- tine. with high hat and cane, and duets with his partner when she is spotlighted alone. Miss Seeley’s comeback has a twist. For quite a speli she has been try-ng to persuade Betty Hut- ton. who played Blossom Seeley in the Paramount biopic. “Somebody Loves Me”, not to retire Now Bloss is back in the business. Opening performance here clicked without a single hitch but three-quarters of an hour running time could be trimmed to advan- tage. Fields does a neat bio intro of Miss Seeley. Their specialties are well divided. He sticks to the cream of his standard top hat and stick song-and-dance man rou- tine and inject* appropriate new lines and pieces of business. Miss •Seeley registers with talk and the ’ songs ?ne did through the years. The> re mostly torch?. several sentimental. Changing to bright red dress ar.d gloves. Miss Seeley, with F.e!ds at the p.ano. is socko with a med'ey from che Some- body Lo.es Me” iY. musical. “Mr. and Mrs. Show Business.” as they’re billed, again fill an lm- 1 portar.t place m the entertainment world to which they have given plenty. They pued up hefty applause, which means more because follow- ing is the show stoppJig Goofers. These five young men do everything but wreck the place with zany in- strumentals. acrobatics, singing ard dancing. Smash finish is upside playing by the trumpeter and trombonist while suspended from their fee: on a trapeze The line -of Lindsay lovelies turns in three polished and swell , costumed routines, topped by "Jmg’e Beils.” With them is smg:ng emcee Dick Hyde. KoIL San» Sumri. Miami IT Hi Miami Beach. Dec 17. Lenny Maxrcell. Riviera* '2», Sacascs Orch; $2 50 bre minimum. Young Lenny Maxwell impresses a< an upcomer in comedian ranks with this, fc.s third date in the area within a year (Five O’clock. Clover Club played previously’. He returns a much smoother act. with fresh material injected in tighten- ed routines to mark up a sol.d score with the hep Blue Sails Room audiences. Maxwell’s blend is carefully con- trived. the mixture of gags and impressions turned out at a fast pace to keep the laugh mood sus- tained. Running gag on arsonist tendencies adds to gtggle-garr.er- mg. asides on psychiatr.sts aiding in the build. The car boning se- quence is incisive, the topper a sock takeoff on Louis Armstrong, complete to the growly song-sell- ing and lusty trumpet work. Vir- tuosity on the horn is also dis- played via a Harry James bit and some funny arrangement-entangle- ments with the orch, to add to overall impact and enthusiastic payoff from the tablers. The Rivieras spoof Apache dance ideas in a pattern.ng that exploits mayhem, with the femme half toss- ing her bu’ky partner all over the floor. It's a palm, gasp and laugh rousing idea, the distaffers in attendance leading in the milt- ing earned. Saeasas and h s orch are adept, per usual, on the show- backings and keep the dance- minded happy with their bright Laiin-Amencan tempos. L&ry. Statler. Hartford Hartford. Dec. 14. Tony Martinet O r ch. w'th Carlo* Valadcr, Michael & Si.da Terrace, Fabian Dancers 3 1 : Carl Sand* Orch, truth Marilyn Evans. George Cool. Joseph Tortscelli: SI cover Monday through Thursday; Si.50 Fr.day and Saturday. Current layout is all mambo beat, with the Terrace Room show- casing a Music Corp. of America package tabbed * Mambo At The Stat’.er.” Unit is being bicycled about the various supperclubs of the Statler hotel chain. Show is a fast 45 minutes with a windup of a Quintet from the Tony Martinez orch sending out w r.h the mambo music for a se>h of aua dancing. Maestro Martinez spends as much time performing in front of the band as he does in conducting it. A versatile chap, the pir.tsized leader gives with a heavy tiosaze of varied instrument playing a la mambo. Carlo Valdes sells solidly with his baritone offerings done in Eng- lish and Spanish. Michael & Nilda Terrace are also top sellers with their fast-paced latin hoofery. The Fabians <two femmes, one maie' showcase some flash dance special- ties for okay returns. Carl Sands and his orch are on tap lor pleasant before-and-after dansation. He has a trio of chirp- ers for vocal accomp. Marilyn Evans, a blonde orbful. pleasingly dishes out her vocal assignments. Two of the sidemen. George Cool and Joseph Torricelli, aid and abet the song department quite effec- tively. For the aficionados of the mambo. the Terrace Room *« the spot . Eck. ■•Id Pierre, !f. Y. Denise Darce!. Arti*i A Con- suelo. Stanley Melba and Chico Relit Orchs; $2. S2-50 cover. Denise Darce 1 is back at the Pierre Hotels Cotillion Room for her sixth foray or so since lam- ming the land of the francs for tne domain of the buck mat goes out . fast and funoso to Ine Gaikc ex- ports of whatever s^ape. Miss ! Darrel—w ondrous shape and a.<— is among the topmost of the oo.ala cuties disporting on the L'-S. mow | bu circuits who. truth to teil actu- ally represent a slightly car.ca- tured rather than la.tmul rep.ay of aa American s version of wnat a Frencn cnanioosie should be like. Toe mademoiselle ain’t harming nooocy at rmgsiae. or in any oi the , visio.e reacaes oeyano tns;, w.tn that nandsome structure of hers, nor witn tnose iar^e come- hiiner orbs wmefa she employs as a strategic prop; nor for mat mat- ter witn tause t>ams winch sue ails into clow nm* nign kick on occasion to punctuate a song, or mark her reentry to tne tioor auer a waikoli. A good oeal of the DD route is re- served presumably ior Couli.oa nabitues privy to ine imported lingo, ana w rule the room s gen- era, customers are not especially noted for pahing around wan tnat idiom, tne savvy in teas pan.cu.ar is not important, since Miss Dar- cel is nothing if not tongue-in- cheek about her Frencn corpus- cles. In a way. that’s part of her act. She s an ingratiating creature wno. with tnose oigleague appo.n.ments mated to a cnarm that just oozes and oozes, has learned long smee that many an operatic p.per is putting a lot less money in the (bank than sne is tor her, tne race is to the lookers. In a purple gown that was cot maue to oeemphasue her struc- tural virtues. Miss Darrel does a run-through of plenty of thisa and much of lhata. some of it more narrative and indicative than song- aiog. but with lots of nerve ana a iam endowment of personal mag- netism. Gets close to the tao.es. too. in a strolling mute that's snrouaed by a big beaut of a rose, to nit individuals in a ser.es of in- tone capers. In a spot w here the estnetes don't p.ck up the cneck. Piushy Cotillion might be de- scribed as custom-bui.t for a Dar- cei. For the purer form of entertain- ment. it's tne Arum A Consue^o bailroomoloejsts. who flashed some 20 minutes as the opening turn last Wednesday <15 to score a resound- ing begot!. Tneirs is a big. bouncy and interesting library-on-the- hoof. spliced effectively with humor, from Brazilian to Argen- tine. Cuban to Viennese, witn the Charleston tr.rown in along with a couple oi examples from tne van- tage shelf of the Castles, latter with a sizzling whiriaway finish. Polish polka for their return number is just as socko as the rest of th<».r higr. action stepping, all of it carried off with ease, charm ar.d wit by a couple repeating in the room after about a four-year lapse. Maestro-host Stanley Me.ba. along with the Chico Relli contin- gent. furnish examples of show- back ana dansapation music that's tops in town, and for that alone rates high in reservations. Trau. Moulii Hvnge, Paris Paris. Dec. 15. Annie Co**dy, Little John. Portia To-'.cs Sailer 9 , 5 Peres. Kan- yots 2 . Hollywood Marionettes ■2 , B. Mills end 5 Chimpanzee*, Carer Girl 8 . Charles Carlier O-ch i!2 ; $1 carer. With the dynamic Annie Cordy and her bouncy songaieg m top spot, and a roster of excellent to fair acts, this big. reasonably- priced house looks w for another good stanza. Listless production numbers, surrounding acts, cry out for a change, but the cancan chor- us is ever fresh and zesty. Miss Cordy is a delicious, hoyder.ish type who immediately belts the aud with a rousing offbeat num- ber. and follows up with upbeat baiiaos ar.d interp in which she utilizes her expressive phiz, mobile body, and becomes everything from a frolicsome Charleston dancer to a zany cowgirl by the means of a few props and malle- able chassis and face. She s of star proportions and a fine nitery or revue find for the C. S. Add a well-timbered voice to her other attributes. Little John, the 14-year-old aero phenom. goes through his balanc- ing act with a finesse, suppleness and sureness that belies his age. Perfectly-proportioned youth makes for gales of pa'.rns. Pacita Tomas Ballet <9» is a flamenco out- fit that adds color to t e spec, but v »s more professional an vibrant rand rates only fair in the canoe a department. A natural is B. Mills' and 5 Chimpanzees, w hose moo- j key shines make for chuckles and' mitts. Tne 5 Peres are a harmony group, in multicolored dress, who take a iitt.e from the more well-known dealers in this genre and nothing to il Though harmonizing well. , they lack the material and mime knowhow to take this out of the filler category' Thcv are more at home in offbeat spots. Hollywood Marionettes *2> have two men ma-j nipulating a group of stringed characters from a clucking hengio- mg opera to a skeleton, etc. His is always a good filler here. Tne i Konyots <2» are a com;to darce 1 entry whose pratfalls and timing are perfect to make this an ebulli- J ent turn and a savory knockabout routine. Jfost El^jfaife, I rao klv I. Billy Shepard. Arthur Ellen. Jes- sie Elliott. Melino Lane A Russ , Curry Qrchs; $3 minimum. This operation on a far corner of Brooklyn is one of the tony cafes of that borough. It's a spot accessible without too much diffi- culty by auto, and a sleeperjump for those trying to negotiate this distance by the underground. Like other spots of this kind, they do best witn the disk names, which aren't always available. However, they seem to do com- i paratively well with promising | singers. The Brooklyn youngsters seem to be able to sense a bit of potential excitement by scanning the program In the local press. The current singer. Billy Shep- ard. has recorded in England and has been active on the nitery cir- cuits in the U.S. A diminutive, nea!-appearing lad. Shepard shows a set of well-developed pipes and carefully wntten arrangements. AL though the routine displayed here seems to have been devised pri-! manly for theatres, it's potent enough for niteries. He opens with “Hey There” and sets himself sol- idly w ith a medley of sturdy old- • timers. “Little Things” doesn’t seem to be a tune for him but be i does it well enough. Act brings him hack for a pair of encores. The novelty of this session is Ar- thur Ellen, a hypnotist, who is con- sidered a name in the club date field. Ellen works rapidly and lit- erately with a set of audience vol- unteers. At session caught, te suc- ceeded in getting a sailor under, ar.d put him through the set of tricks that seem to be standard for hypnotists. It sometimes isn’t an amusing kind of entertainment, but ? it seems to do well wherever it s displayed. Elien’s work passes mus- ter in this respect. Jessie Elliott, who combines sing- ing and comedicg. with reliance on the change of pace to provide im- pact. doesn’t give herself a chance to register in either department. For example, she goes into “Bill Bailey.” gets a nice and charming gait, only to spoil the effect with raucous comedy. Miss Elliott hasn't reached that state of expertness in which these transitions can be made to hit the desired effect. She needs playing time to reach that status. Russ Curry »r.d Me’.ino Lane baton the bands here. Jose. Sbmr+ham Hotel, Wank. Washington. Dec. 17. Frank & Lola Levis. Ttppy Stnnger; Shoreha^n Sestet, Shore- hem Ballerinas '6*. Singing Vio- lin* '10*. Barnce A Orch; cover 50c; SI Fri.-Sat. Current revue in the Blue Room is probably the best of the series of new style entertainment which the Shoreham has been offering since early last summer. Bernie Bralove has put together two fast- paced. shows, widely different for thg dinner and supper crowds, and. once again proves that the whole can be a lot bigger and better than the sum of its parts, if it is smartly- produced. Youthful warbler. Tippy Strin- cer. delivers “Idle Gossip” in the first and “I Have to Teil You” in the late show while the dance team of Frank A Lola Edwards come through handsomely with a pair of numbers. The Shoreham Bal- lerinas 6‘. now almost as much ' as fixture as the Singing Violins, are looking a lot better and brigh- ter in their offerings. For a change of pace, this time, they work part of the time with a new unit, a male sextet which not only* sings welL but also dances with the girls. The j Singing Violins who. by now, have become a trademark of the hotel, remain a feature of the entertain- ment. working both with the show and out near the tables. Show continues the recently- adopted format of working from two stages, one directly before the band and the other a small rotating stage set back among the tables. Lowe. I Blae Amgel, X. Y. John Carradme. Pat Carroll. Mart Sakl, Susan Johnson: Jimmy Lyons Trio, Bart Howard; %5 mini- mum. Per usual, a good show at the Herb Jacoby-Max Gordon plush bistro on East 55th although it's a shade on the cerebral side with legit readmgs by John Carradme and the unusual Mori Sahl. from the Coast, likewise a bit too aca- demic in his funstering. Sahl is a holdover, as is Susan Johnson, with her offbeat, low-key vocal fol- de-rol. in the folk song idiom. Pat Carrol! is a pert comedienne whom NBC-TV has latched on to —she’s been on several top shows —and her brand of songalog is likewise solid. Carradme should mix his stuff more and groove it into a more “popular” payoff. He’s an authori- tative reader, and perhaps a sug- gestion of something from the Barrymore school could be geared for broader nitery appeal. He’s no novice now in the saloons, having had his prep schooling in Gordon'* downtown Village Vanguard. In- cidentally. while co-bonifhce Jaco- by is in his native Paris, with fam- ily etc. for the holidays also audi- tioning a possible summer branch for l’Ange E'eu’. Gordon is on a bicycle minding the store uptown as well as down. The Jimmy Lyons trio <bass. pi- ano. bass and guitar* gives the parade of specialists tiptop instru- mental support: Bart Howard is the affable conferencier. Per irsc- al. mlitre d’ Arturo makes the B’.ue Angel a warm retreat and not for nought is it one of the more appealing bones around Gotham. Abel. Vaadfi, Lu Ve^ai Las Vegas. Dec 15. Dar.ny Tnomas. Jirimy McHugh '♦.rizh Juzfw Collins. Chuck Xelson A Linda Dawson 1 . Renee Sheran- ian. Copa Girls (12>. Awxomo Mo* elli Orch «15»; no cover or mini- mum. For the Sands' second anniver- sary show, a one-weeker. Jack Entratter has brought back Danny Thomas, who opened the Copa Room. During this extraordinary engagement the headliner features, during his 75-minute stint, high- light excen>*.s of his nitery career, all of which produces a rousing reaction from a room that will be jammed the entire week. The twist in the “Make Room for Daddy” comedian’s stint comes with a surprise opener, the story he usually reserve? for the last— the “Jack Story.” The Irish-Cath- olic priest yarn is still a laugh buster ar.d his greatest Yiddish story is about the praying parrot. The star brings back his “Ode to a Wailing Syrian.” during which he shows the magic he can wield over an audience even at a dinner show. As always he winds with “II] See Y'ou in My Dreams.” dur- ing which the audience participates by lighting matches in a darkened room With everyone paying tribute to the hotel's second anni. an unusual note in the show is the hotel’s kud* to songwriter Jimmy McHugh. Nice vocals by Judy Collins. Chuck Nelson and Linda Dawson blend in a McHugh array of melodies that gamer a big hand. His latest tune, written with word collaborater Sid Kulier. is "Anytime's the Right Time for Love." a song that »:m popular favor at the opener. Mis* Dawson, one of the three vocalists, was plucked from the Copa chorus ranks to make her professional singing debut and the beauteous m:ss displays a nice set oi pipes ir. “Sunny Side of the Street" to rate solid support. McHugh makes his entrance to take bows at the end of the song presentation and is given a lusty ovation. In a brief chore at the harp, Renee Sheranian give? an interest- ing account of herself in a Chri?t- m25 medley and several classical numbers. The Copa line, in a pair of holdover production cumbers, proves popular window dressing and the music of Antonio MorelU and his orch blends smoothly with the show. Bob. HatH Statler. >. Y. Dorsey Bros. Orch f 154. irtxH Lynn Roberts, Bill Raymond, Bnice Snyder; Si 50 cover after 10 p."i. < Jfan.-thra-Fri. >, $2 54 cover after 10 p.*n. * Sat .». There should be a steady stream of tablers and terpsters coming in- to the Statler's Cafe Rouge for the next six weeks. With Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey as marquee lures, room should hit peak biz during the holiday weeks. The Dorsey f re res have played this mammoth room (solo and in tandem* often enough to know the (Continued on page 55»