Variety (Dec 1936)

yAWIIE^NIlE CLUBS VARmTY 4S Night Club Reviews the the MTZ-CARLTON (NEW tOBK) IVith Clifford C. Fisher on pcene ^^or tfa« prodUQtion of second edition of the Ritz tevue, this Irolic is a brighter^ 1 tighter and emarter floor showi It's just as elaborate, but not as loose-eridy as was its predecestor, which Fischer had more or less contrived by cable and telephone. He: sent over th6 acts from abroad but' was not actually in America tot the premiere. ' This, probably exiplains why the second revue is a happier presentation for the' Ritz environment which remains the No. 1 class , room, with it$ sooth- jiig decor, in the mietropolitan sector^ There are many other lavish bbites in the top hostelries. of New York, iridium Room of the St. Regiis is something to look at^ and no kiddin', but the redecorated Crystal Gardens of the. Ritz-Cai;ltoh rates tops for its clever decor,-indirect lighting, rest- ful atmosphere and generaliy class but unobtrusive aura. . Clark Robi son did ai crack job' of the design. From the floor show aspect, Gebrgie Hale's, staging 0^ the Fischer ; revue, with Basil Fomeen's orchestra (alternating with a relief string combo) comprises 10 sequences.; They're reeled off in/one portion; ruiming . 50 minutes and can be chopjped 10 more. This difliers from the formier idea: of two p&rts, istart- ing at 8 pr.m.. Now the show tiees off at 9 p.n». and ovbr before 10, which is juist rights permitting even the quite, .late diners., to get into- their dinners a spell before the divertissie- ment distrsacts 'em; Show- is entirely new save Afriqiie, the impersonator, ^ held over. Quite a:£uropean fave, he brings to. Ameri- icah environments a' -somewhat dif* fefent repertoire.: Siaid. repertoire, likewise has been switched abound, and . to advantage, so . that the familiars iahd -the not-so-fdmiliars are nicely spaced and paced; And, pethaps even tnot& .socko\ than, ever, . he! .does his excellent'-DUke xit Wihdsoiv takeoff, against ai Changing of the .Guards staging. FormierIy .it was an impression of. His Majesty.^ Afrique—he's a native of Jbhannes- biurg, hehce that billing—looks miuch - like Ed8|ie Windso;r and his impres- sion, particularly with the eyes and the engaging boyish, nervousness .of the abdicated monarch, is very good; Cantor, Richard Tauber, Beery (hew; and' not good); Arthur Tracy (Street Singer )i George Robey and Paul Robeson finaleing with Windsor : coipprise the sequence, The range from Taubei?'s barytone, Traicy's tremolo tenor and Robeson's bass- barytone eyidehce vocal versatility. He \y6rk's in white tie and tails With but'minor assist from the pirops— chiefly hats. The Other highlight i the show are. the fotir Kraddbcks, formerly spelled with a C wheft in last year's French Csisino revue. Their knock- about. acro-comedy registers. Other specialists are Edna Janis, taps; Senor Wences, ventriloquial comedian; Durelle, Paul Whiteman alumnus, with 'De-Lovely' and ""Pick .Yourself Up,' vocally, plus taps In- terludes; Karin Zoska; Russe dancer, and tWo class production riUihfaeris^ Prmtemps FantaSi and a ihumba flnale. The girls ar^ all lookers; four show girls, Betty Kni§kerht Betty Lydm, Elsie. Oelze ; and Dorothy Pjntp, and 12 pbnies^Lbuise Arthur, Eleanor Balne, Florence Belle, Boots earroU, Evelyn Daly, Virgi ia Dona- nue, Sonya Lesac,-Vera Perry, Doro- thy .Reed, Margie YoUng, Peggy «th« tngle of the purely personal. Regwdless of person Or personal- tty, and whether they be French, English,' American or what have 5rOu In thig town of mixed national- ties, Josephine is there to give therh the , glad hand when they : arrivcj entertains them while they stay, and Is there with ^thanks' for their coming and the "boh sbir', when they' leave. she Is also the chief attraction on- •the ientertaihment side. She sings-iri French .and English, dancies in her own lahguag^, uses knock'rkhocks, and leads the band. Between tiities she hiixeis. And that; is where she scores, for 'it. is a personal touch nb other :club of :this calibre. in. town bias to offer at the moment. .With this goes Skarjiriisky, Russian singer; who composes aiiiusing verses about, the : listening customers. as. the song' comes out: .He has- been in iseveral clubs around- town but al- ways has somethmg new to present. Remainder of thei talent is^bublirig from the, Folies.Bergere show. Hfer- man Belmonte' sings and introduces Lea LogaUi Evelyn Reide and Christ tine CJarter, three American lookers, who parade and jprbsent bouquets to the lady guests.:. The idea is.a nov- elty here and. haisc Place is: large enough to hold : a. sizable. gathering •Without . losifi? the air of intimacy. . Prices charged; hit the average for this class of nitery, with a special .'Josephine Baker' champagne: offered, a :little- lower, than the others at: $7. a bottle. : Band' batoned by. '.Bersbn is all French, buit furnishes a- sufficiency of good music. Pierre-Parodi is the head waiter; Jim-' Witteried . dbing bbllyhoo.' Williams. "Costumes Brook^ Livingston, executed ;by ^ Table d'hote dinner (no cbuvert in '^'"ner show) is $4; coUvert ?^*er 10 p.m., $2 ahd;$3i Biz strbng and checks average about $8 a per^ M?^' u .^^^^d high average take, wflich. jis the- answer to why the snooty Ritz favors a girl sHow in its Plush environs. Whether Ritz^ or Horn & , Hardart, it's all the sanie thing—the: gross-^and if the floor show. Permits the $4 dinner tap ahd mduces generous wine-buying i be- cause of the femme auspices, that's the, answer. : ; ti^ ^^^"Hle, patterned, after the Hotel Plaza's Persian Room, another ve^y,.fo^m^^l boite, are the Sunday atternoons at the Ritz. This permits Jir.?-for .the tea dansahts, Sunday dinner in mufti, ;two complete Ritz revue cWfl1^*i°?^";: During the week it's ^i!.?^ tails,: and you're 'uh^^^^^y slumming • a dinner acKetv. ■:: -^ ^ ■ j^^gi S^hez Josephiiie Baker (PARIS) ' t t> 11 .TV r-arjs, Dec 19^ New v^^if m,."^ ^P*^ She dud m she^ vf° The exclusive little club Cha»v,« r..°P^"«^ ^" ^he uptown KSf ^^'ysecs district on the Rue IS J^ -^?^?^'®''^ has broucht to aSeJieSf nocturnal ftfS^^ Josepiiine nighties in •ne herself. there which differs: from the town because of Regardless of the is not another club in HOLLYWOOD (NS:W YORK) :: Belle rBaker, bpened here Wednesr day. night (30) and is • probably working harder.;than she ev6r did. before. She's duck, soup -tor a floor ^ishow and- With, her present routine of songs, and stories can't miss. .Miss Baker 'vvhbn ciaught, was on 29 minutes and;- coiild have staiyed longer. This is heavy running time for any act on a floor, here or any- where, but Miss Baker has o no trouble, sustaining interest that far.: The routine cbnsiists of-five, songs, 'a medley arrangement. of numbers from the past and several stories;, Jack Golden -arranged the numbers and is accoriipariyirtg at the piano. • Current; Holiywoiidi, show retains most of. the features'- from the previous production, ihcludihg sure fire Jack Waldrbn, master of cere monies; Del Casi , singer; Dimitri, Karel and Andrea,: -comedy ■ adagio dancers; Eleanor Knight, tap dancer; CesarO: andl Maclovia, ballroom dancers; and the Ziegfeld prbdiiction number, latter excellent.. A returner is Iris Adrian, whose number, 'I Was Born oh the Bowery' is,familiar. She has another about the old geezer with the Rolls, yacht and bankroll which is also a.palni collector. ' \ At one point *on the. show Miss Adrian works with Waldroh in a new .comedy- number develbped around Christopher Columbus arid Queen Isabella.,-A third party wprks into the number, doing a p^nsy stooge bit that increases the laughs. Waldron's .material is meiant for any- Mvhere but Sunday schools, but this is no Sunday school.' June Landis is on early in the show with a smart iacrobatic dance, while anothbr up ahead is Ruth Brent (New Acts). Miss Brent/is a throaty blues singer who is on twice for a total of three songs. She clicks. Cesare and Maclovia, doing two ballroom routines, have improved considerably since debuting here with Hal LeRoy. Diinitri,: Karel and Andrea are also stronger than they were With . some additional touches added' to their Comic adagio stuff. One of the biggeist hands on the show is for Del Casino, personable lad with ah'appealing voice. Restaurant is doing: a heavy.;busi- ness. over ..the holiday period,, with Karl Posch, at the dDor.:.havirig to put up • so niany" extra, tableis. that learning how to dance on a dime is almost necessary here at this tiine. But Posch handles: the situation well. .■ Char.' " PLAZA CAFE (PITTSBURGH) .. ittsburgh. Dec: :25,, This downstairs. spot became a hangout for the late mob several seasons back, attracting the stay- uppers and spenders, by going in for names. Then the manageirient de- cided to economize-^and the' mar.qu.ee lure Was elimiriated. . But it's back tp the old policy agai this ■Ivinter and the cash ister's ji ling merrily agai' Chief, floor, name is Pat Roohey, i with, the family, and theison of the i daughter of Rosie .O'CSraclyv for this ^ burg, he can't , miss, Ther 's : still aj bit o' magic in the name and he's ; proving it by giving tlie Plaza, a nice.: biz . during the worst wipek of the '; year, the one before Xm<is. j ' Show consists of RoOney, Pat 3d. Marion Berit; Janet Reade: (Mrs. Pat I 3d) and Claire Ray', 'ix Pei"nbrialityJ lookers, aiid specialists, each of 'em tripping out for single spots in addi- tion to their smart chorus numbers and giving the revue the appearance of being twice as extensive as. it is. Fbr the ROorieys, it's the familiar standbys, but they're sufficient. The two Pats go through their hobflng routines fbr potent returns, and then bring on Miss Bent for a wham sen- timental finish, while the elder Rooney mikes a ballad he composed On their silver wedding anniversary- Even gets the customers to join m on the last chorus, cards bearing the refrain having been . passed arouiid the tables in meantiniie. Miss Reade conies out 'near the close and torches across a: couple of tunes in sock fashion. Also on brief- ly is Eddie Powell, Three-Eye league editid.ri of Dwight Fiske;' accompany- ing himself oh'the piano. He's the Plaza's; table Singer, but ROoney js bringing him out bn the floor, too. For the Rooney engagement, Pliaza has tacked oh a minihiuiin bf $1;50 a person, in addition to small cover, but there've been no: complaints. AV Marsico has ■ the, band fbr duratibh of Etzi Goyato's (one of spot's oWn-. ers). siesta in Flbrida for the.winter, arid dishing out what it takes'for both the dancers arid the performers. Cohen. RAINBOW ROOM (NEW YORK) Peggy Fears (New Acts), Edgar Bergen with his corking, ventrilor quilisms,. a new terp team in Estelle and LeRoy and, holding bver, the crack Ray .Noble: dansapatibn, round Out into a satisfying divertissement for the^ swaink Rainbow Roorii pa- tronage; Jt's not, ostentatious, socko floor sho.w fare, but it's satisfacfory for .the conservativiei clientele that patronizes this talNmillihery nitery in the clouds, Estelle; ; and . -LeRoy'S • terps are rijatched by their youthful appeal. .Bergen, holding over, has wisely switched hi$ voide-throwing. to con- centrate on a surgical background, with the dummy, as the patient, he as ;the medico.. They engaige in efv fective crossfire which, apart. from the vocal Calisthbhics, is strbng coriiedy fare:; Dr.. Sydney Ross, magician-at^the-. table, is another; hbldover, 'and AI. Bowlly, ' vbcalizing ■ the '^ pops;. per usual, holds up his end with the smart Ray Noble dansapation. The tango-rumba band is batoned by Nano Rodrigo. Abet. FRANK PALUMBO'S (PHILADELPmA) Philadelphia, Eieb. 25. Beginning as a mqdi^st eating house jnore than half a century ago, Pa- lumbo's-has come to be . an institiir tion in Philly: night life. Popularity is so great, in fact, that State Liiquor Control Board: recently questioned management abbut likker purchases, which had grown to such .prbportioriis that the Boaird suspected the place iriust: be selling by bottle (illegal here).. ' Biehind Palumbo's ,growth in both size and prestige is a romantic, color- ful story bf an Italian: family. . It's a story of chariacter, a story for ciabaret owners. '' ' " When Frank Palumbo, Sr., opened his little restaurant in 1884.it was .an upstairs room , with only piano tor musici high prices arid :food that rapidly became the talk of town's epicures bf thie day. Btit frorii the very; first Palunibo's took; on, the ex- pansive hospitality of. its founder. His" character sbon becariie ;'associ- ated With the place and that tradi- tion has been carried on. Since Paluriibo, Sr., died in 1929,: four of his children have carried On the establishment on a scale the founder would hiardly recognize. Eldest is. Americo, usually. out of sight, generally in charge Of business and kitchien. Frank, Jr., is always in evidende,^ mOving from table to table, speaking to everyone, knpwri by everyone and in charge of; the show. Others are Josephine,, han- dlirig books :and.. accounts, arid Yo- Janda, presiding over the kitchen; From; priginal Upstairs room, ^Pa- (GiOpUriued on piage 46) Unit Reviews Disc Reviews (Continuied from page 40 15 YEARS AGO (Gor]tinued;:from page 44) plai 'pubs were paying to;o little attentibn to singers and tob much to the phonograph .trade. Before radi Harry Houdini back in vaude after an: absence OJC fiye years. Taylor HplnieS was riionolbi5,u)ng/ i Did an; eccentric .ballet master im- '' personation topped that 'ith; an imitation of ;Lackaye; in 'Trilby;' i iom. and superior to some . U,'S. combos' because, the Loridbri: maes- trbs, what with their short-wave re- ception, close study , of . American dance styles arid arrangements,. etc., take their jazz chores very seriously; : IIeiiry;;,Busse on Decca, 1076-7 has his opportunities with 'Plenty of Moriey' arid 'All's Fair in Lbve. and War' (both Dubi -Warren, out of the new *G61d Diggers') and 'Under Ybur Spell,' Arthur SchWartzrHowV ard Dietz's craick tune from the Lawr rencie Tibbettr20th filmusical of that name; paired with 'Never Should Have Told Yoii? (Dave Frianklin-: Cliff Friend), Skip Moore and Bob Hannon sharirig .the' vocals,:'. Jo.e Paradise ■ is the British version bf ; Swing ith 'MOod Iridigo' and 'I've Gbt the World on a Strinig,' and not bad; Decca 1066. Carjos Mdliria is American, but his 'Gypsy Lament,', .tango, and 'Caribbeari Star' (Moli Paul Shahin), rhuriiba-spri, are. in. the Latin idiom. JJlqre tanjgos by. Campoli and: his maririiba ore . on Decca, ,1012 with 'Rori)anesco'.::and 'Crocovad.6,* latter; a carioca; ' riade iri the Night' as a. tango ar- rangementby . Mantovani.; and, his Tipica Orchestra on Columbia . 3159 (imported, waxing) paired with 'Me^ and the. Moon,' foxtrot also "by Man-' :tovani. '" ' '.- The Vocalists Jerry Cooper, a, Bingcrbsbyesque barytone. Who is vocal-featured with Eddy DuChiri, iets sOlo billing on Victor 25485 doirig 'Gbodnight. My Lovb'- oiit of 'Stowaway' ,(20th-F0x, by Gordon arid Revel) paired, with Billy Hill-Bbb Emmerich's new fox- trot ballad, 'Timber.'. Nice style. : Dicic Pdwelt on Decca 1067-8 offers four from - the new - 'Gold Diggers,', authored by Warren-Dubin arid Har- burg-Arien, titled 'With Plenty of Money' and You'—'Speaking' of the Weather' as one: pair, and 'All's Fair in Love arid War'-r-'Let's. Put Our Heads Together'^ as .another couplet. Full orchestral a c c o m p a n i-m ci n't throughout, arid, . of course, bn the. Powell, name, a. good b.o. recording. Ulldegarde, back in America with a European rep,, vocalizes 'Pennies from.. Heaven' arid .'For Sentimental Reasbns' in nice' style on Columbia 269* backed by William Wirges' or- The Mills ros. on Decca 1082 with 'Solitude' and 'Lbndon Rhythrii' are lip . tb" par, and one wouldn't have known :the difference through the substitution- of their father for the late John Mills, victirii of prieu- monia. Anthony (Tony). Marti is another filmite- on. the wax,; this time for Brunswick, recoursinig to, 'Banjb on My Knee' for 'There's Something ;in the Air' and 'Where the Lazy- River Goes By' (Jimmy McHugh-Harold Adamson) on No. 7782; and 'So E!o I' (but of •'PenriieS -from Heaven') arid 'Rainbow on. 'the River' Xsariie film) oh Brunswick 7791. Cy Feuer's or- chestra'accomps. throughout. The Foreign Maestros Strong fbreign recording cbnti •• gent tees off: with Eoy Fox's, version of 'Serenade in the Night,' tango foxtrot which Clifford C. Fischer .first. brought Over in. last season's French Casino revue, but -which is just catching on. It's by C. A. Bixio (^Tell Me That You Love Me To^- night,' etc.), a sort of 'Isle of Capri' melody tango-foxtroti and which be- speaks similar potentialities. Denny Dennis is featured vocally in Fox's sriiooth 'interpretation. Guy Lom-: bardo's brchestra backs this on Vic- tor 25488: with 'That's Life 1 Guess,' Carmen Lombardb .vbcalizing. . Ambrose, one of England's big three aniong the darice maestros, is generously represented ori Deca's releases.. No. 1034-pairs'Two Hearts in Cuba' and 'Creole Lady,' both; coriiposed by Don Marzedd and . both rhumbas; No. 1071, 'Serenade in the' Night,'done as a fo:i this time, with 'Lady from Mayfair' (Carr), one of ;.thpse story novelty foxes; arid four turies out. of 'Head Over Heels in :Lbve,' the new Je.ssie Matthews-GB filtnusical IfV Mack. Gordon' and Harry Revei Title song, Is' paired with -ThereV That - Look-in Ybur Eyes' on Decca 1073; 'Lopking Around CJorriers'. with 'May I Have thie Next Rbmarice with You?'Decca 1072.- All smooth. , ^ Zu.. '■ . Now that Noel Cbward-Gertrade Lawi^erice .are in Ariierica, Victor. 25437 is tiriiely with 'You Werb There' and: 'The Family Album,- fox and waltz Combb out of 'Tonight at: 8:30.' expertly recorded by the N.e.w Mayfair, Qrchestra in London, all •ith: vocaiSi AI Woods got out from: Under' on I immprality .charge agai Virgi. ;' \yhich 'had its "day Permitted to continue. Most brthe B'wdy shows gave mat.s ChriStriias Aveeic with 'The Fir.st, ing a daily mat. NITERY NOTES Doris Robbi , Pierre and. Temple are new additiphs to the Gra-Bergeri iflppr show at the Club (Casanova,. Hollywood. Wagenhals & Kemper had. already 1 layod to $4,500,000 on 'The;. uV and f: Miriam Verrie at the Paramount, N. Y;,.: doubling from thie floor Shpw at the St. Regis .hotel; compares With, it from Girls; Latter a corking ensemble of playi'd had seven compani ut. M«^ll£, Kirk a,nd Howard open at the Yacht Club, N. Y., Jan. :5. linperial Hawaiian Revue , ATLANTA) Atlanta, Ga,, Dec on©, is decidedly different from; usual unit offering. Owned and produced 'Williarii ..Aldriiph;. who .acts as m.c, it has beep : spotted,, fbr .11 years on Atlantic: C^ily-s. Steel Pier. '■' "^Brief overture by house's Standby footers, esconced in pit, is followed by dulcet Hawaiian strairis from backstage, curtain opening on- dark- ened' stage with full mbon shi ing on rippling water effect, represent- irig beach at Wai iki with musicians twanging native Hawaiian instru-? nients. It's an effective opening, .With Lulu, principal hula diancer, do» irig .a rhythmic number. For variety, Aldrich has Rita, Mexican : Seriorita, who does a. rhUmba and clicks a mean pair of castanets; and the Rodicek twins, two American gfrls, ."who present a snappy guitar number. , . Featured is the Electro Orchestra, in which the stringed instruments are: wired for sound. . Joe Lopez, composer and steel guitarist, does A solo, number and then is joined b^ four other members of the. band for 'St. Louis Blues.' • ' Lulu does a song : and dance to 'Bali Ball' and, , while she cannot sin^ her cellophane- hula; hula outfit and her combination hula-tap Jroutin» scores. .; Mme. Neolani, sings 'Hawaiian Serenade,' one of Lopez' composi* -tibns, . and is followed .;by; Baby WiUna, six-year-bid," 'dressed as a ragamuffin, who does 'Shoe Shin^ Boy.' She looks like a boy until; sh4 pulls off her cap arid reveals a mop of black hair. Wilma comes back later for a song and hula dance with Baby Meliai, flve-year-old^ Johnny DeLebn's solo on the electric mando* lin also gets a nice reception;' ^ Closing is similar to opening, witR Mnie. Neolani singing 'Aloha^' ana foUr hula girls: doing their stuff. Show runs 50 minutes,' but should be tightened' up as it drags: ih spotsV House p.a* system wasn't.plugged in. at start here and nobody could heair what Aldrich. was saying* JjCids hi show should also dp their vriumber* in' front of'mike as their "(wices;ar« too weak. Show- carries some, expensive elec- trical equipriient, along. -., With 17 members in thp company. 'Miuch of the show goes .on backstage, since- that's where the apparatus that riiakes the electric ini)sic < is- hidden, watched over and supervised by Chief Electrician Tommy Matsumoto^ a Japanese. Bowes All-Girl Unit (ORFHEVM-LINCOLN) Lincoln, Dec. 27.. ippi ine girl turns in here two days befbre .Xmas, Major Bbwes has been plugging this show, re- heairsed and built here, bn several of his recent programs. It. started Xmas day after^ two days of playing prisons, orphanges, ., for practice and. to. give the inmates a treat. It'5- -' how in good shape arid will be fast mailed to the west coast, where time is lined up for it during the next two riionths. Production was worked out by Harry Young, and Lloyd Marx,-who jumped in from Gary, Ihd., where another of the units was being born. Marx left (2«) for N. Y; Staff, be- sides Young, on . the show includes Jill Dennett, as m.c; Mabel Staple- ton, .piano; and Ann Palmer, who will also sit; at a piano on those stages the unit plays, which are big enough for two ivory keybo'ards and the acts. Otherwise she'll just do her ■singing.:'. Talent Incluidbs the Van Zandt Sis- ters, accordionists; Frances White, a. hoofer; Lillian ; Turner, : soprano; Helen Diller, a hillbilly from Can- ada!; Sarah Berner; inripersbnatbr; Starlite Dixie Trio' (Jane' Payge. Mae Meyers, and Billie Wright), and the Tri-Gity, acrobatic daricers (Sylj^^ via Stein, Jane Boyd, and pearl Kbr- dae); This is in order, of appearance* Finest of the lot is the imperson- ator. Miss Berner. She has a lineup of. word ciaricatures: consisting of Gracie Allen, Fanni Brice- Una,, Merkei, Edna Mae Oliver^ arid oth- ers. The aero trio, especially Sylvi Stein, went well with the finish. The Stein gal is a seeriiingly tireless per- former. ■ ■" Miss Dennett, the m.c, although her figure is an eye roller^ and she's pretty fetching before the foots, needs to; lea.rn some new stories, or do without 'em and get.the announc- ing biz over quicker. Her final trick, becoming though a bit salivary, is'an excellent bit of femme comedy. : Whole ..show carries a heavy, person- ality load and lays off of ;those bor-j^;, ing . amateur. life, histories,: another commendable feature. Time, ,55 min Business fine. Barn.