Variety (Jan 1935)

Tuesday, Januai^ 1,1935 IQGHT aUB REVIEWS NIGHTCLUBS VARIETY 109 (NEW YORK) Freiicli Caisiho (the old Earl Gar- mU later the Gaslrib theattie) on iBth and 7th feVenue, New York, iM lhe latest In caharet-theatres, and Uke^se the last word In BinR.rt en- iSonmont and nocturnal dlvertlwe- ment. It should do a landofflce : buslnees. •Bevtie Fblies peree'reB' and the French Casino conotitute a natural •ffliilty tor bUilhg purposes. In the lavishly done-over thieatre, the show which Cllftord C. Plscher (and J; C, Stein of the Music Corp. ol Amer- lea, as silent partner) ; brought In, they have, an attraction geared to do well at between $20,000 and »30;. •00 and at 40 G's the attraction Is good for $15,000 tor Its end alone. It's guaranteed $7,600^ Fischer and Stein put up nothing, Just the show, -while Jacl^ Shapiro and the^ Harlng & Blunienthal people, controlling the theatre; have Invested $125,000 to completely ^renovate the house. It looks it, ' .r, ■■ ■ ,■■ ^ ^ ■ . Show is a giasp on artistry,, tal- ent, color, flash, dash and daring ^ Nudity : Is as Frehchy as vintage champagne, a;nd some ; of it should have 'em talking by the time this sees print. That sensational dance , by jean. and Jeahette—satyr and ; nude—is a wbw; The apple dancer Is another jpanlc. Ditto: the neoh- Jight effect on the anatomy in ain- '-other portion. XjikewlseJHatpld and Lola's siriubus snake dance. • As nude -and daring as it ,is, it's not blatant: or offensive.. It's all ■ . done ■ with, tkste ,ln costumes, seen ery and production effects. Some of the costuming is new to the de- gree that it covers more than; in Chicago; from where the. revue "iebmes after-4 lengthy -run at, the Chicago French Casino (nee Ballnbo • Garden's), where. It has- been suc- ceeded in turn by, another ' show headed by Johann Strauss 3d. . ' Jacques Charles, who produced at • the Moulin Rouge, Paris, and also for the Paramount and other pres eutation houses In the French capi tal, put on this show under Fischer's^ •upervlsion. . Dances are by Mme, Komarova of. the Folies Bergere, Paris;- musical arrangements by Komaroff; scienery, Peljegry; cos- V tumes, Gaston Zahel, all Paris ., Other credits read; like a Broadwiay production POST-REPEAL NITERIES ferred io the f5ibsblute ringside, which strains the neck a bit. Car pacity lis 900 oh the lower floor and 500 flankihg the Bides a:hd on the. mezz and- upper balcony. .Mezzanine has been rijpped out and nia,de shallow so that those at the big bar:4whicb,>lhcldentaliy, did a bull' rtarket,blz the bijening night -.-^jan see' the stage and the show from Where they're standihgr. Busr .sell Pa^ttersbn's marionettes on the hiezz bar further encourage lingei:- Ing in that spot at .75c a shoti. Show performs on :an extended circular platform Which .cbmeS: put generously from the stage proper so that a neat ringside effect Is fur-, thermore crieatedi :. ^: ■ Show opens conventiphally with a tour bf 'Paris and a femme dlis- play.' Mile. - Karene's jockey toe. dance precedes the Rue de la Paix frivolity number. Deisty; Delsb and Jiian click with a; tarigo specialty followed by the Manglnis, a couple of Grecian athletes who, besides their gymnastic hand-to-hands, arc very'BaVrymore on profile. A- Montmartte fete Introduces the canrcan specialty, in which Olyrhpe Bradnii stands but with her. spilts. Then the Apache number, featuring Drena; Katja, Freddy Roberts, "VVIt- man khd the^ Rue -Delappe charaic- fers. All very well executed. For a change of pace, Caveau Gaucaslen Inlroes Hella Slavin- ska and the Kbmarbva ballet., Gbs- tumes here are tricky and hbvel. Fbllows Bbreo's second specialty do- ing 'Dark v-^^yes' in--Beveral.. diar lects, all hbke, but a show-stopper opening night. . Cabaret 'Hell' frbm the Place Blanche is the flnalei : Second^half Is even stronger,.,A. novelty 'beauty spOf Idea which, by: means of the black dots, eniphaslzes the most distinguished features of the anatomy in the ballet piarade. stands buf. Here Is where the neon- light sauclnessg:ets a play. ■ Then Jean and Jeahette's sensar. tional faun and nude number.' She wearing a skinny leopard skin and a; smile. • -: ■. ■ • Fbllows the Lime.; Trip's novelty contortlve number. Three-man: com- bo, two are baggage men arid the trunk contains a gollywog in blacky face mask. The c^ontortionlst makes the act.." It's. :?4;40■ pfoductlon tini- bre^ ■ < • ■ ■ : Olynipe Bradna's ballet taps Gloria Gilbert's wbw Whirlwind bal- let spinner; Boi-ieb again; a ballet n ymW nt thfl onera: Desty. Delso By Abel Repeal spelled bonanza tor a new night life. It also spelled the knell of the post-prpblbltion hot spots. It turned the New Tork nltery nnap, with the Influence extending, into every other Key cl|y, topsy- turvy. The paying public seemingly manifested a preference to patron- ize legitimate «nterprlses and dis- ported itself In saner environments than the hectic hotcba.l6m of the decade following Volstead.: ' - ! Repeal most Blgnlflcantly meant the resuscitation bf the hotels. It saw them come back, starting with the cocktail hour as thb fulcrum to focus public interest In the smarter hostelries. ■ ■' ■ rOQUOUon . , . —: ■- ■ , ■ ^ nV'"^""' «f ^np, nnera: j-feBLy. ^f*"" Talent is all new arid Imported, K^^^ Juan .yalse in a terp specialty; In New TOrk, hotels like the "Wey r lin, Madison, Park lane, Pierre's, Ambassador, Tuscany, Berkshire, Elysee and others, heretofore given to conservative residential patron age, became, the centre of a social life that started at luncheon arid carried through' the cbcktall, dinner and suppei: hours; Repeal unques- tionably re-established the Waldorf- Astoria.- The . management brags that where formerly the Waldorf was forced to shut off a number of floors' at a time to trim the over- head they are now 86% rented, plus the sundry bars, cocktalleries and other /rooms' doing extra biz. T1ie, ..femmes .beating a patli : to the - more' refined 'atmospheres'' of the fashionable east side spots nat- urally brought their escorts for din- ner; and- supper. XAtter apparently. saw in the hotel envlrpriment a cer- tainty of safety aa to vintages and viands. • As biz boomed, ^the hotels responded accordingly by . adding attractions, name bands, etc., and .in_general re-eBtabllsblng. the__at-. mosphere of the last days of the prohibition era. The class speakeasy Influence on the sundry cocktail bars Is well evi- denced. The 'drinking restaurant' of '29 to '33, especially In the last couple of years, with Urbanesque rboms and artistic decorations, has been recreftted by the 1934 hotel in its_ various retreats for the : social sessions. ..'' That's one phase of nite life. on ft rostrum, iarid that (2) the ring- side table . equation—where every-: body v^avcd to everybody else—rhad tbb strong a grip on the nltery pub- lic .to make them content to jalt away' from all the action, as In a theatre, and view a cabaret enter- tainment on * : stage. ; v ^ r . These arid all, other theories werit by the boards. :The Casino grossed as high as $40,000 a week, which Is plenty of food and drinks for a less- than-l,O00-capacity place,, and conr slstently- sWs around $20,000 with- out much of a struggle. The new- est and most . elaborate of - these spots, the French Casino, opened tb an $8,000 take, did $3,000 the sec- ond night, arid between $5,500 and $6,000 the third ■ night. ; Where the audience was Wooed to dance on. th§ stage behind a scx-im curtiin, and further camou- flaged, in cellpphaneous wpodland setting, all that's been stripped; They now like ;the idea of mounting, the rostrum and /hoofing; to the bands, sheltered only by the ■ sub- dued (usually purple) lighting sys- tem. Where the dope was that the spenders battled for ringside choice tables, the same thingi^till goes (the down front locations are the most ultra); but now all the peasants coming into the establishment can see the show, due ifi the, w^ell .ter- raced sea,ting arrarigemerit. with the exception of Krriile • Borep is cbnfiM-encIer (who has been around and is Ideally suited for this ■how), and Gloria Gilbert, whirl- wind American steppeuse wlio, how- ever, came to important attention In the Folies Bergeres, • Paris. Rest of the cast is recruited from the sundry French revues, music halls and boites, including the Ca- iBino- de Paris, Les AmbassadeUrs, Cabaret MOnthiartre, .Bal Tabai-in and Moulin Rouge. Personnel is not 100% , French, including recruits from other Europeaii countries. There are three .- bands. Noble • Sissle's Hciriemites give put snappy dansapatibn, mixing In a tango' or- two in nice style; Carl Hoff maes-. trbs for the show,''arid does ,exceed- ingly well, considering that an en- tirely new New York combo had to be recruited for the local engage- ment, and Jean Drena, who partici- pates in the Rue Delappe n umber tApacne quarter)^ ana r^glHters with his apache comibination., Maria Desty, Harald and Lola, Qlympe Bradna, Les Mangiril, Lime Trio, Drena, Roxanne, Ballet Ko- marova, Nina Chatalovfti Elsie Guit LplitJC Benavehte and a Place de la Concorde flash for the finale. ~ No couvert or minimum; dinner, $2.50, which is a bit more than the advertised $1.50 and $2 table d'hote of the other big Bi-oadway niteries, but the difllerence is plenty worth ^ • Aoci. it. ta r , ' B e;,-,, Freddy Roberts, Hellai Slavinska, iiix mannequins, four can-can danc- ers, 13 showgirls, and a ballet and chorus line comprise the personnel, which totals about 100 people alto- gether; . __ ' : ■■ -•■ ..' ;, , ' "GiriB "are lookers on the wlible and If some pulchrltudinously are lack- ing the French flavor more thart oompensates. '' ■ ■' . For Broadway consumption al most all the superlatives about the reyue in Chicago can stand. It Was trie wow of Chi nite life and shbUld RED LION INN (CHICAGO) . : Chicago, Dec. 17. Occupying one bf Chicagb's nite life corners of former years, this attenipt tb revive the StaterMonroe basement—spot looks doubtful. Formerly was know as the North Airieflcari'"festaurant-land—had-'r^^^ long and ■ successful life until a couple of years ago . when it be- came a straight eatery. This venture is an , effort to, carry over a World's Fair , idea, the Red "Hon Inn htCvltrg^beeii » prettjrsuc- cessful spot in Merrie England Vil lage dui^ng the 1934 Fair. Spot now operated by Ernest J. Stevens and son, former hotel and Insurance magnates . Po p Pric e Plaoca' The popular aspect, for mass at- tendance, revolves In Manhattan about the Hollywood,: Paradise, Ca- sino de Paree, Manhattan (nee Billy Rose's) Music Hall, Palkls Royiale, the; very latest French Casino ('Folies Bergeres'' revue), and kindred type of elaborate floor shows at no-coiivert and pop prices. Of this group the Casino de Paree set a vogue, with the cabaret-the- atre idea, when it ripped out the seats of the New Yorker (nee .!Gallo) theatre. Installed. tables On' a" ter- raced floor,, utilized the stage and Its lighting-systjem for an elaborate show presentation, placed two bands in-the stage- boxes, and -made- the audience go up on the stage to dancerr-and llke It. That was the sole hitch, accord- ing to the wise bunch. The theory waa-<J.) that none wanted to make-l show of her or blihself dancing Then followed the Billy Rose Mu- sic Hall with a No. 2 plan of the same-calibre. - • Meantime Joe : Moss and , Jacob Amron's Hplly woo.d Restaurant, with a cabaret-show eritertainment of ultra proportions, and the J>ITGr Nicky Blair: policy at the Pariadise, -Ben Marden at the Palais (alsb at his Riviera roadhpuse), et al;, like- wise found that it paid heavy divi- dends to give 'em ,a big money's worth. • ■ For the public, w^hile it all- was an advertised $1.50 table d'hote din- ner. it meant an average $3 check per person for which a boy could take his inspiration and stay many hours — from dinner until going- home time. The elaborate, shows run beyond the normal legit the pseudo-exclusive spots probably learnod mbre about the snobbish- ' ness of New Yorkers in that period than they ever dreamed existed. They- were quick to "fibize the op- ' porturiity. They made exclusivei. ness. pay, :Men>bershtp ^aBs cropped. ■ V ' up, 'ranging from $25. to $150, for . , 'club' cards which ■ gave you. the ■, priviiege of patronizing the prerhr - ises and spending money there. The known spenders received cuffo cards, just to keep 'em coming. In : a measure it; served; its purpose of .'; restricting ari uhdesirable element Which, vfhiie possessed of ari. eias-, the b.r. was . frianldy , ;barred be- '■ cause, the calibre of the' welcomed patronage might be jeopardized. As it eventuated this proved the . . undoing of many a so-called exclu- sive boite-;de-nuite.W ar- rival bf; the'-: hotel-repeal era, the class speaks especially should have , known how flckle is the drinking public, the regulars whom the joints protected more or legs deserted 'em. . Too many interesting rooms popped' , up among the class hotels. And the tottering; ispeaks (and this takes in the best known; of 'erri) couldn't get the other type of patronage. Many a pre-rcpeal spea'-easy is'i. bemoaning those good ole- "Volstead days. Even with the headaches bf ;, prot<ctlori-^and-tUe-^mobs;-th allure, adventure, ;and good, grosses..... . Now the. door is open, but while no ; peephole opens , to ..the riiuggs . wJio / used to say 'Joe sent me,' • they just don't cbme. . y. ■ The restaurateurs, on the pther , hand, are frank.Un. their grateful- ness tb legalization of Open drink- ing. It saved mbst of 'em. lanr-Katja,- —Everything—s€ worry some of the competitive Brb&dway niteries not a little. Theatre itself is not^the least of the attractions. Unlike the other i cabaret .theatres. Where balcony diners riiust walk down through the . rear to reach" the dance floor, the French Casino Is so built that by a ■erics of ramps everybody at a:ny of . the tables can descend. the inclines flanking both sides of the audi- torium to the" dance floor. ' For one thing it's an extremely artistic ef- fect, approximating, the Radio City Music Hall architecture, which has ■Idciof-^thie-audltorium ramps uti- lized in some of the produfctipn numbers. At the Casino the public . Can asbend and descend In the the- atre proper; not by going out Info the lobby. For another thing. It - fives the effect of a grand staircase ■!^two of 'em. In fact. This rtady accessibility .to the dance floor Jleans a lot, and the women . will He, It. because it gives them a Chance tb be seen. The seating Is pyramided nicely ■o; that there; Isn't a. bad perch in th.o. boMsf*; In fr>rt.; >nr<,if> 'of iiip rpni' Charley Agnew orchestra means little. Has one singer, Emry Ann Liricoln, squeaky falsetto. Ruth Pryor is a capable dainseuse: and a hold-over from the Fair spot. . .. Entire show and music lagged "^and~raTV-wlthDut -life-: or-rvlva. Show was interided strictly for the intimate, . sure - seater ^theatres, W;hen placed in competition witn shows such as displayed at the Col- lege Inn, Empire Boom and other spots, the Red Lion concoction doesn't stand si chance Striving fq.': a t mpsi)hert> : IB badly of a sort and keeps 'em away fro.m the boxoflSces. , —Anybody-putting $ 1 4>0^00-4nt»^ straight restaurant, of course, rates some sort of a salvo. Jack Solomon and Helen Gallagher" (Mrs. Solomori) who put over. the steak restaurant bearing the Gallagher name- now "are concentrating on an eatery with "a preoominateiy crusiacean navor. Flying Trapeze Is an arbitrary name excepting that it features a few such athletic hanging In the huge barn-like Interior^ Motif otherwise is mid-European with huge; hogs- heads arid burriished kettles as the jriotlf.flgainflt whtrti to atre time—purposely, T he best 'll ur couple can do is take in a downtown film later on. But from 7 to 10 p.m. they're dining, dancing and seeing an hour and a half show' of Zieg- feldian proportions, And" that's no, trite phrase — Zieggy never had more, beautlfui lookers than these cabaret - restaurantis garner,' ribr more accomplished talent. For once the public was getting art even break, and better. For the performer these were assured mara- thon engagements, ^ in a midtown io'catlPn,'and only two frolics night- ly—dinner and supper. ; • The customer, attracted by the $1.60 table d' bote legend, found rthat~tHefe-was-arrtiW on the meriu for $2, and that a $2.50, minimum check assured a ringside location. Furthermore the longer the show the longer they ;at-ftnd-t4ie-mope-they-ordered 75c a drink the house did. pretty well by itself. Cold Figures An example of mathematics - at Joe. Moss' Holly wood was the big It Is also: already manifesting a. reversal of form back to ultra qual- ' Ity;; With it may: crop, up again (1). the couvert charge . of yester- year, and (2) thei. exClusiveriess of atmosphere which inay bring more , membership dining clubs into being. The finer appreciation of living, - in the tgtm of authentic vintages and epicurean cuisine. Is setting up a rehewled inner circle of., catering to which a certain discriminating draw of Rudy Vallee. -The band was guaranteed $3,600 and Vallee split 50-60 above a $17,500 gross. "Vallee's share averaged $6,000 a week all winter: and spring. That . 4-he": .idea, . VSlIep j; [ at a $5,000; w.eekly guacaritee, .sans percentage; ■.. ■ , ; . The nbr couvert thing became a post-Wall Street-lays-an-egg neces- sity. Before ;1929 the Club Lido, for example, was knocking 'em off •for ■ $4 arid .$5 a cov e r . ; Texas i^iil- public |s flocking. . There are also Instances of, dis- criminatlpn, Iri clientele paying good dividends, but that's now rather re-, strfcted. John Per'ona at : a pl'ac'e like the El Morocco, In, ;lts reformed open-door policy; still makes it evi-^ dent that certain prejudices exist, and hence those who seek put 'nice' people for surroundings are keeping that spot going. , There a couvert still exists, as it dpes at such places as the Place Plqualle ($2 and $3 on Saturdays), Chapeau Rouge, Central Park Ca- sino (which has -brougHt ;its dinner down to $3 and no cbuvert if Ifn- •gerin^g-beyond-the^ lO 'prTm—de line), the Rockefellers' Rainbow Room (but it's only $1.60 and $2 on Saturdays, with diriner $3.50 and $4 on Sat., no couvert" for the din- er—^ta-ye&^xuters-),^—and—kindred other establishments. Social Entertainers The socialite equation in New York's nite life, now that the Rocke- fellers made It 100% with their. Radio City spot on the 65th floor, also evolved another curious riianl- festatlon in the' form of blueblood blues singers. Eve. Symliigton, IrSenator.- - -'VVadsworth's - -daughter,- [warhlep in the Pioualle arid started another cycle'ofsocial . Registeries. g;oirig Couvert charge. These no^vV include Lois Eilimari "at ;, the New Yoiker, a socialite warbler at the Surf Club, ditto: at the Hotel Wey- Jin'.s Caprice Room, topped by so-, fiaitfo hackers of the new Chez overdorie. , . , , Tariff on the general, food and entertainment display is high. ■ Loop. FLYING TRAPEZE : (NEW YORK) V ' When a 1 ;200 ■ capacity restaurant like the Flying Trapeze at 67th street off .Broadway debuts with nothing but food (sea and poultry specialties): to the. accompaniment of "ft '''26Ti3iece orchestra;, iriaestrpe'd by Freddy Bcrrena, th.e future is much of a guess. - ,, Superficially this would indicate a return to the restaurant glory ol yesteryear, but It; also strikes an historical note in. that, while it spells a comeback: to leisurely cul-, Inary appreciation of pre-war days, it may also have Its Influence on show business; It njay .bo a;.bobn, In that It brings the diners down- town, adjacent to theatres and cinemas, and then again It may be ■a bnnc -ln tli.Qt.ft satintps .ftnd.pnr- set off the piscktbrtal .speclaUleis of the kitchen- The Berrens orchestra, sans brass, plaving strictly concert music, in- cluding a oymballum player pf the Hungarian motif. Is perched aloft an exagiierated cask... It's the,'nt-a,!-: est thing to hiding the;-miislcl.w behind .the palnis that New Ycirk l;as .s'ceri since -before Volsteaidl.spi brought out the Jazz-beau. Into .the: open. However, It's a very satisfy-- Irig concert orchestra equipped nlf=o to play for dance. . ■ A huge bar flanks one sldo of th^ enormous interior (it was, thA former August Belmont stable and is built like an armory) which fear tures what; Solomon states is h'.K own patented 'bagatelle bar.' The glass bar is built over a scries of some 26 bagatelle (pin) games which, frbrii the nlckle revenue ftlor>, would prove no small source of Income. The; Interitlbn bf en- couraglng lingering at the - bar for liquid indulging purposes is obvious, it's a pushover for the fommes who naji'.s ■ $20-$35 for'pscudo-cliarapagne. and $10 a . pint for rye were all part of thkt ■ hectic, mad whirl of easy coin.. ' Then the folks . sobered .-.Up.: The b.r; wab' .shot. The joints ■ iiad ; to trim s&n- a.nd hold forth much ex- tra allure, 'Couverts became sorae- thlng ror the history books. Gala .divertissemerit, popular :prices,- arid lots of other little comforts came in their stead. Thus the bigger cabarg.t-teslauran'tg; could , flourish only through ma.ss turnover at p6p- ular prices. ;','-;-//;;■" • - ,'- The class; speaks, being by ! their nature" galled fory class Ipsitroriagd, meantime built up ain arlstoeracy of exclusivity which in the ■1931-33 pe r'lod'; before, Dec. B, 1933, made It all legal,' enjoyed a vogue and a still prosperous business becau.sc 'of the snobbery allure. The I^atln and Gallic (ah* not a few Hell's Kltchoii ,1,, 1 , -vtV f ■ 111. Marianne, capping it all with the plans of the .Casirib de Paree tb put In an El.sa Maxwell tcvue. . - The hotels,; besides essaying their usual name bands, \ also pepped . things up by adding floor show at- trabtioBBi-and- ;a.^*\^f bf - tbe-popular.. hostelriejg, like the . New." "yorker and, RooseVelt, even put in cabaret lloor. shows, .an altogbther new departure for hotels. From .that also has cropped up .the •lde?i-\of . bpoklhg ro- ", tatlng cabaret uiiits- among the key ..^ citlcs . by the chain ;hotels. '. ;- ":\ Amp.ng. olheif cyalutions is ■ the pas-sing;,' .Of • 'illarleni,. ' Instead, the • hoteha hidea.ways" h!iye .cotne in for a limited ; vot;uo ■amonff'; a certitih ja7,z .patronaV-', but the Connie's, Inn typo of place has passed (it's now the Ubangi;;club) while the Cotton ■ Club, ; priding It.sflf . Ill Us ada ^s ("the-aristocrat of llai'lem' has been forced to drop its $2:50 couyert arid