Variety (Sep 1938)

46 VARIETY VARIETY HOUSE REVIEWS Wednesday, September 21, 1938 STATE, N. Y. Duke Ellington Orch, Cass Daley, Fred Lightner, Don Francisco; 'Sing You Sinners' (Par). Excellent entertainment from bill to feature.film here. Friday eve- ning's (16) show was a solid draw. Just four acts but enough for a 70- minute performance, punctuated by several show-stoppers. Cass Daley is a fireball in the deuce. Wonder is that Hollywood has passed her up this long. Girl has heavy pipes, does tricks with the microphone and sports a contor- tionistic style to get over big. - Sing- ' ing comedienne araws laughter with 'Gypsy in My Soul' and the medley thereafter. Called back several times, Miss Daley gives with 'I Can't Dance—Got Ants in My Pants.' Duke Ellington supplies a whole show with his crack, colored sup- porters. He delivers what will prob- ably be the main diversion at the Cotton Club, N. Y., nitery, which soon reopens with his aggregation. Since the management asked, none of the acts chop, the bandsman gives the whole routine, staying around 45 minutes (performance ran 10 min- utes over schedule when caught). Band opens with 'Rocking in Rhythm' and closes with .Ellington's increasingly popular 'I Let a Song Go Gut of My Heart.' Ellington announces Dolores Brown as a pew discovery, and she warbles 'You Go to My Head.' His stellar songstress, Ivy Anderson, opens with 'Alex- ander's Ragtime Band' and wins the house with the conversational 'He Talks But He Never Makes Love.' The asides of drummer Sonny Grier do much to plant the number firmly and both seem to have a good time with it. Miss Anderson does well, also, by 'You Gave Me the Gate and Now I'm Swinging.' They don't want to let the girl exit, for she's just that good. Ellington's toppers for entertain- ment, however, are Stump and Stumpy, singing-dancing lads, who are also comedians, and they tarry long because the patrons want it that way. Act possesses unusual trick dancer, Jigsaw Jackson, a hoofing contortionist. 'Bragging in Brass' is one of the instrumental numbers that click,, three muted trumpets playing at the mike. Fred Lightner is another standout. Quarrel bit with Rosella McQueen is okay and the kidding about her doll hats is comic. His joshing as she- warbles 'Once in Awhile' tops it off. Don Francisco, crack wire art- ist, opens the bill. Ibee. STANLEY, PITT Pittsburgh, Sept. 17. Jan Garber Orch, Lee Bennett, Fritz Heilbron, Rudy Rudisil, Pa- tricia Norman, Serge Flash, Lor- raine & Rognan; 'Valley of the Giants' (WB). Flash announce it as impossible. Brings on a high platform, balances himself on a basketball, plays a mouth organ and at the same time knocks out 'Yankee Doodle Went to Town' with three billiard balls on a trap drum connected to the upper deck of the stand. It takes a speech to get him off. Lorraine and, Rognan next-to- close and make their spot an event. Among the. best of the ballroom satirists and a knockout comedy turn all the way. Start with some lively talk and then gal comes back with Rognan for a classy waltz. Minute later the hoke gets under way and they're a minor riot. Garber's violin bit finals trails off into his radio themer, too slow a curtain for his type of show. Cohen. APOLLO, N. Y. STATE, HARTFORD Hartford, Sept. 16. H\igh Herbert, Renee LaMar Trio, Charles Carlisle. Evelyn Wilson, JVelson's Novelettes, Bryant with Raines & Young, Eve Barry, Sam Kaplan house orch; 'The Show Goes On' (G-B). Hugh Herbert is heading a seven- act bill of standard vaudeville. Show opens with a pop medley by house orchestra, followed by several acrobatic numbers by the Renee La- Mar Trio. Get healthy applause. Charles Carlisle n.s.h. as m.c. but clicks heavily when he warbles 'There's a Far Away Look in Your Eye,' and 'Donkey Serenade.' En- cores 'Now It Can Be Told.' Evelyn Wilson, singing come- dienne, a winner also. Portraying a drunk, she warbles 'Rhythm' and 'Happy Days Are Here Again.' Nel- son's Novelettes, a marionet show, rings the bell. Herbert, at opening show- Wednesday (14), in a skit^ with his wife, devoid of his woo woo clown- ing, isn't so clicky but later, when he goes into the familiar Herbert stock in another skit with his wife, there's a heavier audience response. Bryant, Raines and Young click with adagio and waltz offerings as does Eve Barry, dancing violinist. Biz fair opening day. Eck. EARLE, PHILLY Musically, Jan Garber's still on the upgrade. Still a topflight show man, too, but he's been getting care less. Routining, here all wrong; what's more, most of his orchestra numbers need a flashy punch. They're swell at the start, stand up in the middle but. fall flat at the tape. Correction, however, should be easy for a fellow who's been around as long as Garber. Could stand a few more instru- ments for the deluxe spots. It isn't very noticeable in the playing—ar- rangements look after that—but for a maestro, Garber's 11 pieces look pretty skimpy on a big stage. Line- up has two pianos, three saxes, four brasses, drums and bass horn. For the dance spots, it is just the right combo, but a little weak for the presentatidn houses, chiefly on looks.- Garber keeps injecting his own engaging personality into every- thing and has a slightly- antic ap- proach that gives the whole layout a lift. Aside from the patter and by-play with other turns, he brings his Addle out for an amusing few minutes near the close, doing the old violin-talking routine and get- ting the bird-from the boys on the stand when he tears into.a classic. Only change in personnel is his femme vocalist, Patricia Norman (New Acts), vocal dynamite and a tonic for the organization. Other- wise, Garber's specialists are last season's faces—boyish-looking Fritz Heilbron, saxist, and growing in stature as a comedy song stylist; Lee Bennett, lanky baritone with slick pipes, and bald Rudy Rudisil, still clocking laughs with his nut stuff at the keyboard and that be- wildered toupee. Stuff is here, it's only that Gar- ber must fashion it differently. Doesn't get half the returns to which his band's excellence entitles him. Definitely needs a sock novelty of some sort and instrumentations should provide some of the old ta-ta tor the finishes. Show has two outside turns, both clickers, with Don Shoup, Garber's assistant, taking over the baton for the extra-curricular acts. First of them is Serge Flash, veteran jug- gler end standard for years k mop- ping up as usual. One a bit too long, however, and should get around to his new finale earlier. It's a neat trick and nobody would be -surprised at the- start should Philadelphia, Sept. 17. Kay Kyser Orch (13), Ginny Simms, Harry Babbitt, Ish Kabibble, Sully Mason, Glee Club, Lou Schra- der house orch; 'Freshman Year' (U). _ Kay Kyser's zany crew this week provides one of the best shows to which the Earle boards have rocked in moons. Minus outside acts, which are usually provided for name bands here, Kyser presents 70 minutes of solid entertainment. Show is based on quizzes. First half is strictly the band's, while in the latter "portion, the 'college' gates are thrown open for a quest into the musical knowledge of six kids from the audience. First prize of $5, sec- ond of $2.50 and four sets of ducats to the Earle are passed out each show. Major credit for keeping things moving at a slam-bang pace goes to Kyser. He combines the attributes of a born clown with the dignity of a college president, smearing on .each as needed. Conducting the 'college,' he's trigger-quick on quips and ad-libbing and handles as well as possible the problem.of oyer- anxious kids in the audience prompting his 'students.' Thirteen-piece band is strong mu- sically as well as visually. Choice of numbers and arrangements are swell and there's plenty of swing without every tune sounding alike, as was the trouble with some of the recent jitter crews at the Earle. In addition, the well known scheme of having titles sung is showmanly. Kyser starts right off at a fast pace, bouncing onto the stage, just managing to give a cordial greeting and then swings right into 'A-Tis- ket.' Follows with 'I've Got a Pocketful of Dreams,' Harry Bab- bitt, . who also chirps the titles, singing. Femme warbler with the band is Ginny Slmms, who starts off with 'Music, Maestro,' showing a fair voice. In addition to Kyser, plenty of comedy provided by couple of the bandsmen, Sully Mason, sax footer, and trumpeter Ish Kabibble (Mer- wyne Bouge). Mason foghorns 'Mulberry Bush' and chunks of sev- eral others, while Kibibble deadpans poetry. Curtain closes on the first half and couple of s.a. femmes bring Keyser his cap and gown. House ushers, incidentally, are also in the collegiate garb. 'Prof pulls stubs of tickets, which are handed .to kids as they enter, from a bowl* to select thouse for the quiz class. Curtain opens when six have been called, the 'students' taking their seats on the stage, which has been given a schoolroom touch. Mopfpets are di- vided into two groups, winner is each class meeting at the end for the fin prize. Interspersed with-the college quiz are band numbers and novelties, best of which is 'Don't House Line (16), Ethel Waters, Eddie Mallory Orch (16), Teddy Hale, Mayes & Morrison, John Mason, John LaRue, John Vigal, Leroy Hill, Flash &' Dash; 'Hunted Men' {Par). The Apollo Is striking a prosperity note this week, and rightly so, due to the appearance of Ethel Waters, Harlem's popularly accepted prima donna of all colored warblers. For Miss Waters, backgrounded by hubby Eddie Mallory's orchestra, Harlem is her bailiwick and Harlem accedes to her every gesture. It's a particularly lively show,, made that way primarily because of Miss Waters' labors and the talented youngster, Teddy Hale, who loojcs eight but whose is age is double that. Young Hale, despite his youth, has been around, and shows the experience of trbuping. He struts, sings and just about shares the major laurels with the show's star. The youngster taps with con- siderable skill and sings with equal dexterity, though it's not so much the skill that gets home to the cus- tomers as his engaging, toothy per- sonality. He showed three times when caught; 'Small Fry,' from Bing Crosby's 'Sing You Sinners' (Par) bringing the smiles, with his Robin- soneque strutting and taps unearth- ing belly laughs. Miss Waters is on in several spots, first warbling a none-too-impressive number in 'a washtub scene. She shows well in a conservative lace dinner gown midway in the show, warbling 'I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart.' Later, when she goes to town in 'A Tisket,' with the line, et al., dressed appropriately, some of the effectiveness of the number is lost due to her childish getup. Her standard 'Frankie and Johnny* is still her best Mlallory's orchestra shows up rather unobstrusively, serving mostly for show backgrounding. It's in the pit for the opening acts, then moves to the stage for a couple of num- bers. While Mallory plays several instruments, he only trumpeted opening night (16). Mayes and Morrison are a couple of girl tappers who appear in a couple of spots and, while they're out of time; manage to get off with some hand-patter due to their earn estness. Then, too, there's Leroy Hill, with Mallory's orchestra, who pounds the vibraphone to a fare- thee-well to click handily with 'I Surrender, Dear' and 'Honeysuckle Rose.' A frequent trio at this house, the three Johns, La Rue, Vigal' and Mason, are in their usual small- time sketches that would fail to get across elsewhere. Here, however, they're in the foreground. Flash and Dash are youngsters .who top well, though without much verve. HIPPODROME, A. C. (HAMID'S PIER) Atlantic City, Sept. 20. Major Bowes' Collegians with Dave Barry, International Shag Champions, Pearl Bobbins, Rita Julio, Louise Boyd, Tony Russo, Three Rhythmettes, Jack Lyons & Panky, Oscar Petters orch; 'Call o) the Wild' (UA). The collegiate Bowes show is long on variety and talent. The Interna- tional Shaggers are the big guns, however. They are on for only a few minutes and go through a siz- their hoofing, Lathrop Bros, and Virginia Lee score in clean-cut fash- ion with their struts and straight tapping. Jerry Adler harmonicas well, though he's rather stolid and would do well to revert to his for- mer flashier style. On performance and appearance he has the basis of a surefire variety turn, however. From New York come Ginger Harmon and the six Lindyhoppers. Miss Harmon warbles the current jitterbug fav£ with suitable truckin' and Suzi-Q acrobatics. The colored shagsters also come in for a few minutes. Miss Harmon is out of Phil Spialny's troupe of specialists., Sullivan introes well but he sat- fles best with his 'Film Firsts* reel, with its 'Hearts and Flowers' over- tones. Gold. LYRIC, INDPLS. Indianapolis, Sept. 17. Schnickelfritz Band, Sylvia Froos, Al Gordon's Racketeers, Robbins Bros. & Sister, Flying Marcos (3); 'Four's a Crowd (WB). A short but entertaining bill of five acts turns in 52 minutes of fast stage fare this week, as house again sandwiches vaude between band bookings. Flying Marcos open with two of the three brothers perform- ing dizzy acrobatic feats on triple cross-bars. Other brother stands by and does^a few flips as his contribu- tion. One, in comedy getup, garners a few laughs. Robbins Bros, and Sister acrO-tap as trio. Then girl does high-kick number. Close with whirlwind somersaults. First two acts take Ave minutes each. Al Gordon's Racketeers, trained- dog turn, follovj. Gordon gets plenty of laughs when the canines ignore his commands.. Dogs finally come through, however, to win en- thusiastic salvo. Sylvia Froos swings out on several pop tunes, including 'What Goes On Here in My Heart,"Pocketful of Dreams.' and then her 'International Parody,' in Which she medleys bits of foreign tunes. Finishes with 'O, Ma-ma,' in which audience joins. Sehnickelfritz Band closes with 15 minutes of music-making. Each number is done in comedy style, with six bandmen wearing screwy outfits. Play 'Latin Quarter,' 'Colo- nel Corn,' 'Turkey in the Straw' and 'Solitude,' done almost straight, and finish with 'Wreck o* 97,' in which a cardboard train-is- pulled across stage for. final curtain. Rates plenty of laughs and applause. Biz good at last show Friday (1C). Kiley. JUBILESTA, K. C. zling routine to the latest swing tunes by Oscar Petters* orchestra. Dave Barry m.c.'s and scores in ule of one matinee and two evening Kansas City, Sept. 18, Joe Cook, Nick Lucas, Jimmy Grier Orch, Connie Boswell Line (16), Julie Gibson, Jean Bernhardt. The 1938 Jubilesta opened Satur day (17) with Joe Cook, Nick Lucas, Jimmy Grier and Connie Boswell heading the hour and a half bill This year's spell runs nine days with five different shows and closes Sun- day (25) The opening two-day show drew 11,000 and as many on Sunday. Show is headed towards a gross of $100,000, which includes the take from the Tiny Town exhibit in the Little thea tre and the Variety Parade in the exhibition hall. Advance sale, which was run off as a contest with a flock of valuable prizes, brought in around $40,000. Past experience has shown sales at the wicket to equal the ad- vance. Remainder is brought in from the Variety Parade and Tiny Town, with the latter having the edge. The Arena shows work on a sched- his imitations, getting off to a slow performances daily. > Cook m.c.'s in start but gathering speed. Tony addition-to working, in his own gad- Russo gets tunes from inner tubes,! ^ts gags and juggling. He's not too pumps, etc., to click. Jack Lyons I we " k™wn here and registers more plays instruments gathered from hisj w . lth hl % m.c. gags than with his com: clothing, providing, fast interlude. ed y. aD ^ Rubegoldbergish stunts. Pearl Robbins, Louise Boyd and' ° f *£e headmers^ Miss Boswell the Three Rhythmettes, with their j "f^fte receptive edge despite her dance routines! are all dance school gl^al handicap added to an ex- types, without much new to offer.! n?oh«^!^ a i, w ge £ 5' Panlrv is -iust smnthor liarmniiici rects tne orchestra from her wheel player. another harmonica j chair and ^ the temp(? for her Qwr CHICAGO, CHICAGO own songs in which she registers solidly. Opening-day crowds greeted the singers best since Lucas likewise registered strongly although his ap ■ • 1 pearance midway in the show forced Chicago. Sept. 17. j him to decline strong encore calls. Ed Sullivan. Benny Rubin, Lath-' Grier's orchestra near the middle rop Bros. & Virginia Lee, Jerry Ad- of the show presents a swing num- ler. Ginger Harmon, Lindvhoppers ber, a current pop, a novelty and a (6); 'Spawn of the North' (Par). I caoable vocalist in Julie Gibson. | In a hall of this size, where a After this week Balaban & Katz seven-ring circus would be more at may be finally convinced that swing i home than a standard variety bill, stuff is not relished by the over- J even though it's greatly enlarged, all whelmingly adult type of patronage, performers are under the handicap this house gets. Business is far be- j of losing intimacy with the audience, low- normal and due, evidently, to, The Grier crew suffers most on this the attempt to sell the 'Harvest score, although on this scale the in- Mooners' and the other acts as a ] dividual performers have to give up swing show. Benny Goodman's dis-; hope of getting personality across appointing fortnight here at the box- and must depend solely on talent, office and the indicated toboggan, which is sufficient, currently emphasize the likes of these I Bill enhanced by a line of 16, a customers. | double male quartet, with supporting It doesn't add up to much of a acts including jugglers, acrobats, a show. Benny Rubin is in for com-1 dance duo, a production number edy and finds, it sufficient for this. based on the song. 'Beautiful Lady,' week's booking to just do his moth- and Jean -'Bobbie' Bernhardt the eaten girdle routine. When Rubin <"~--~*,k-.ii. -~ e—1_ was in vaude some years ago he had some swell stuff on "news flashes,' PALLADIUM London, Sept. 14. Teddy Brown, Billy Caryl & Hilda Mundy, Rosetta & Vivian Duncan, Tom Mix, Two Cossacks, Jack Hol- land & June Hart, Nicol & Martin, Ben Jade & Jean Rama, Tony Bo- relit, Leslie Strange, Diamond Bros. but now doesn't bother with it. Ih , between he clowns with Ed Sulli- Drop Slugs in a Slot,' hill billied in j van and winds up with a special the tune of 'Old Apple Tree' by lyric comedy song ihat gets over. Ish Kabibble. Herb. I Always class and distinction in cannonball' girl as the finale. Shows to follow will see Hugh Herbert. Uncle Ezra. Eleanor Whit- ney. Billy House, Burns and Allen and Tommy Dorsey.. with Rudy Val- lee to close. House already two- Ihirds sold out for his next Saturday (24) and Sunday (25) show. Quin. English vaudeville is not exactly flourishing but it is surviving. And that, compared to the sad story in the U.S.A., is sufficiently remarkable. An American who remembers the happy era of vaudeville that was climaxed in the old Keith's Palace, Times Square, must inevitably ex- perience a whole gamut of nostalgic reactions as the bill—any bill—un- folds. And this feeling* will be in- creased when many of the acts • on view turn out to be conscripts from the disbanded American vaudeville battalions. Not the least of the reactions of an American sitting in on an English bill is the bawdy nature of the com- edy. Gags that in America would never get by outside a burlesque house or a night club on the indigo side are prevalent throughout. A monologist like George Doonan en- joys a liberty in Lonaon that makes American stage censorship seem very rigorous, indeed. Even the excellent xylophonist, Teddy Brown, who surely has no heed for such pieces, of business, evi- dently knows what the English audi- ence wants and inserts three or four touches, gags and exchanges with his accompanist that would be out after the opening matinee in America. Again Billy Caryl and Hilda Mun- dy, in a comedy turn that is con- versationally controversial in char- acter (irate wife, drunken hubby), bring in a sequence wholly incom- prehensible on the score of humor and taste to Yankee ears. It con- cerns the wife's remark that he is so worthless that he might well bury himself in the garden under a layer of manure—yes, the word is men- tioned and reiterated again and again. London, it is stated, has two audi- ences, one for the vaudeville shows, another for its more subdued legits. On the whole, all subtleties omitted from consideration, the vaudeville audience is warm, appreciative and by now so accustomed to American :turns that they go over easily on merit without much need to square a prejudice before getting under full steam. At the moment, London is rather pro-American, anyhow. Rosetta and Vivian Duncan scam- per across to a facile victory. The Palladium thinks it delicious when, the sisters toss bouquets of carrots, onions and cabbages into the audi- ence. And when Rosetta Duncan presents a strand of celery to a gent in the first row it's a high point. Working with their customary au- thority and steady buildup, the Dun- cans take charge immediately. On the same bill, holding over for his second week, is Tom Mix. He opens and closes on a huge white nag, the new and handsome Tony. Mix personally pops the clays off a target with astounding accuracy and nonchalance and a pint-sized stooge spins ropes for an interlude. ^ It's good novelty all the way, presented with quiet showmanship, and very much liked by the Londoners. It's generally agreed that the Pal- ladium is a pushover for acrobats. On this bill there are several sock- eroos, notably the Two Cossacks, skaters on a raised and revolving platform, whose daring technique are last gasps. Jack Holland and June Hart, the American touch, streak across the full stage in two furiously fast routines of ballroom adagio. Nicol and Martin recall to the observer the almost forgotten variety bicycle turn, once standard in the states, as still apparently in the United Kingdom. Ben Jade and Jean Rama opening and Toni Borelli and Lady closing are „ other good examples, Leslie Strange also brings back memories. He is that lost phenome- non, the No. 2 act. Strange im- personates the well known. Well known to England, that is. G. B. Shaw, Lloyd George and Neville Chamberlain among them. And finally, as he announces, a fanciful, mental picture of a BBC announcer. Like most of the comedy dealing with radio in England this one is de- vastatingly cruel to the dignity of BBC. As the latter seemingly never, under any circumstances, deigns to notice criticism, ridicule or mention, the organization serves as a stand- ing theme for humor. None of the American turns apparently ever al- ludes to radio, however. Diamond Bros, appeared night caught with the middle member sporting a full-closed eye, presum- ably the result of the terrible phys- ical abuse they inflict upon them- selves. That routine with the fall- ing piece of lumber from the wings doesn't register. And, as a matter of fact, it doesn't seem funny when the boys are too aware of its approach, as they were this performance. Land.