Variety (Dec 1938)

84 VARIETY REVffiWS ti^ednesday,'December 14, 1938 New Acts Night Club RSmetvs SMiE PICKENS Soqjrs 11 Mins. Jack 'Xiynch% Phllly Lpng familiar in films, vaude, mu- sicals and radio as a member of a sister act, JBine Pickens is now solo. Nifty ash-blonde looker is tops on class and personality. Pipes are -^vyell, with clarity, range and flexi- ' bllity; Has two principal weak- ' hesses, however, both of which can be'easily overcome. First is sheer unfamiliarity with work in the swiag-and-swallow parlors. Accus- tomed to getting pretty much undi- vided audience attention in other types of places, she becomes -lightly upset at waiters moving, dishes rat- tling, patrons eating and drinlcing, and, most of all, slightly stewed hecklers. Time and experience will ■ Uttdoiibt feeHiMate. carp, of th at r ^^" Second defect is -weak choice of numbers. While those she did might be ok^* for a quiet spot, snappier ones are needed in a big. joint lilce Lynch's. Starts with 'Must've Been Beautiful Baby,' good; then into 'Gypsy Makes his Violin Cry,' n.s.h. for here. Finishes off the turn with an imitation of a diva in an outdoor summer concert,, swinging at mos- quitos as well as high 6hes. Failed to mesh with any great strength. Encore is another dreamy set where flash is required, medley of 'Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,' 'Stardust' and •Night and Da-.' Femme • undoubtedly is, topnotch for hiteries catering to* carriage trade. Herb. the No. 1 money-getter of the blue book bluesters, earning up to $750 and $1,000 a week, because she be- came a smart spot draw. Current crop of socialite singers are in the $100 to $350 brackets. Adelaide MoSett, opening at Harry Richman's new bistro, has been get- ting around that top figure and a shade stronger in certain locations. Miss Moffett is now about the most seasoned of that brand of song pur- veyor. In the case of Anne Francine she's strong on musical comedy and op- eretta ballads. She delivers well, at the mike, looks" poised and not un- gainly, despite her generous height, and withal. makes fine impression. She could further help herself along by assimilating a good ryhthm num- ber to break li. •r",. Abel. THREE MACK BROS. Acrobatic 6 Mink. HoUyweod Rest, N., Y. A kn6ckabdut' tumbling act of fair merit which reminds .somewhat .of the Three Sailors. The Mack Bros, dress, as gobs, also, but- do not in- dulge, in any talk. Act would be worth more if it included some chat- ter. Acrobatics are capable and fast, turn being highly suitable for cafe floors or theatres. Char. SIX VARSITY KIDS Dancinip 4 Mfns. Hollywood Rest., N. Y. A sextet of jitterbugs (three men, three women), specializing in shag dancing and Big Appling. Kids, of the collegiate' type, dress in the ac- cepted campus manner and work fast. Their b.' a. routine is ably ex- ecuted. Act' probably can be stretched farther to fill a spot respectaibly, though, as working here it is used as part of a production number, with the stint done amounting to not much more than an atmospheric bit. Chdr. BOB RUSSELL Stosins:" 10 Mins. Hollywood Rest„ N. Y. There-is nothing modest about Bob Russell pretensions to vocal calis- thenics. He does a cavalcade of singers and songs, pegging them by name, -which includes Caruso and Tibbett, no'less. Russell has a good, husky voice, but he takes on a rather healthy order in trying to sing like CatusO' did. Gets aways with it, however. He opens his stint' here with a popular number that is somewhat aged now. He could drop . that in favor of something newer. Follow- ing the cavalcade arrangement, Rus- sell closes with another pop, as well sold as his opener. A pleasing per- sonality figures in the singer's equip- ment. Char, EDDIE SHAYNE and CHARLOTTE ARMSTRONG Ballroom Ottncers 7 Mins.; Full StAgt Roxy, N. Y. Not enough novelty to this ball- room team's lineup although both work, smoothly. Charlotte Arm- strong is unusually petite but needs more to do. One outstanding bit is the dive Eddie Shayne takes over outstretched limbs of femme partner as she is doing a cartwheel. For an encore they add a bit of Gay '90s eccentric stepping which depends- too much on a trick mous- tache and girl's bustle. Further novelty to their routines, would help make turn more appealing. Wear. EMMETT OLDFIELD With Eddie Ware Comedy- Acrobats 6 Mins.; One Roxy, New York Pair of clever acrobatic perform- ers who work with finesse are old- timers, but not in. Variety's New Act files. Limber, loose-muscled athlete,- probably Qldfield, furnishes long procession of spontaneous laughter as. he curls himself into uncanny positions and takes the rough knocks on the hand-to-hand stunts. Other male plays straight. Rubber-limbed, smaller Oldfield wears modified clown makeup. ClimajJ is a startling fall into the orchestra pit and rassling with stooge musician. Combo wowed a lukewarm house here. Suitable for stage or niteries. Wear. DEBONAIRS (6) Son^s and Dancing 12 Mint.; Two Palace, Chicago Six well-dressed and well set-up • young men in. white ties to get them off to a fine start on appearances. They have an air of smartness that they strive hard to retain at all times, but' which occasionally slips through their fingers. They are a good danc- ihg combination, neatly routined and well executed. But they spoil the effect by trying tp dpiible as' vocal sextet. They sing a pop. song and slice it to pieces. On the vocal end they do better with two special numbers which demand only a sing-song mono- tone from these good dancers. . The initial number is a vocal rib on the WPA and repeats all the moth- eaten gags about leaning on a shovel. Corny enough, however, to get over for a startei^. Another special lyric on modern mechanized civilization leading to a mechano .dance, routine that is a good novelty. Act would do better to build up its dancing, which is solid stuff and indicates surefire possibilities. . Gold. SOLOMON GEDEON Ventriloquist, ac'robatios 6 Mins. . State, N. Y. Negro kid ^ has something on the ball,,.JthoiJgh;^.he certainly..ivasnt-a' 'If&utihe. ' Mixing "ventriloquism with an acrobatic exhibition of batting around one of those hi-li balls is an oddity, not an act.' But the young- ster has ease on the stage, an innate sense of showmainship, and sneaks through to great results with the aplomb of a typical street urthin. He looks like the latter, even as to his clothed. First part of- the stint is a really good turn with, a dummy, coal black. Sings 'Tislcet' in lazy fashion, accom- panied' by a^'little business between himself and the dummy that creates attention. Finishes by grabbing up a paddle with ball attached via rubber string, and batting this crazy thing all over the place. It's comedy, too, since he uses his head for bat as often as the paddle itself. Kid's size, garb, and obvious' enthusiasm go over. Here with the Calloway band. Edga. WHITEY'S LiNDY HOPPERS (6) Dancing 5 Mins. State-, N. Y. Appearing with the Cab Calloway aggregation, this troupfr of young- sters (Negro) Lflashes 'a lot of the vio- lent rugrcutting associated with the Itindy Hop. Three gals with male partners are colorfully garbed, and go through practically the. entire routine in paired specialties. Troiq)e. radiates the McCoy. It's a frenzied sessiOhj progressing at ut- most steam pressure. Pairs fling each other around after a series of holds that would lay Strangler Lewis on the resin. Fit in nicely'with the stage show here as' opening specialty, and are on briefly at the finish for more. Act looks good for work of this type; and assignments in dance halls, etc. Understood they started thus at the Savoy, N. y. ~ Hdga. , HARRIS and SHORE Dance Comedians 10 Mins. Rainbow. Room, N,.YJ Harris and Shore have been around in cafes and theatres. This notice primarily for New Act files, from whence-they're absent. Comedy terp team works effec- tively in the standard manner of The Hartmans, Moore and Revel, et al., with a few niceties of their own. She has a particularly comic stance, and apart from the hoke ballroomology, which differs from others only so far as varioiis conceptions are con- cerned, they iop it off. nicely, with a Cakewalk. It's announced as the forerunner of all big. apples and makes for a new exit. Abel. VIRGINIA SISTERS (2) Singing '9 r'ins. Leon Si Eddie's, N. Y. A classy singing act of two. girls who are assertedly Spanish but look anything but, being blondes. Mak- ing a good appearance* and powered with a lot of personality, the Vir- ginias are also long on singing ability. With the routine offered here they suit admirably for floors or theatres. Team opens with a Mexican num- ber, followed by 'Siboney' and a special arrangement of 'Reverie.' They sell their songs cleverly; voices above average. Char. KING Dog 6 Mins. Rainbow Room, N. Y. King, a clever police dog, does some effective tricks. He barks the usual count-up. routine,..jor 'how many ladies at that table?' He does a disarming bit with his trainer, is only mildly cued, and rather im- perceptibly, everything considered. His master is in dinner jacket and a good pacer. For a class inviron- ment like the RiR., he might refur- bish his wardrobe for . each show, to maintain an impeccable exterior. It's not easy, considering one or two bits of pseudo-wrestling with King, or where the latter jumps on his shoulder in the disarming business. But the intimacy of the room, and particularly^ a class spot like the Rockefeller nitery, necessitates nj'ore than passing attention along those lines. Abel. Hollywood Restaurant (NEW YORK) Bob Russell, Serge Flash, Thr^e Mack Bros., EUse Cerf, Pepper Janu- ary, Al & Honey Abbott, Six Varsity Kids, Ames & Amo, Seger Ellis Orch, Lee Shelley Orch, Red Stanley Orch, The Rimacs, Mofichito Orch. Closed down early this year after being • plunged into 77b, at which time Joe Moss, its operator, swung over to the nearby International Ca- sino, the Hollywood Restaurant is back in action. Cpmpetition from hiteries of comparable • importance is not easy to contend with, but the rebuilt Hollywood, affording a fine view of the, stage from nearly all parts of the house, will be able to stand the gaff il its shows' are stout enough. Inaugural bill offers a novelty of five .bands and action at all times, plus supplemental floor show values. However, punch is lacking. Just one big-clicking act would do the trick. Bobby Sanford, who produced the show,' .billed '• jitf '<'Hollywood Revels of 1939,' has done a fine job, but no act is quite strong enough to push the show to the- top. Sanford apparently relies mostly on 'the knockabout comedy act of Ames and Arno, long around vaudeville, to do the trick but the turn falls consid- erably, short of such expectations. It strains to smash through. After about two minutes, when the stall- ing sets in, the team ceises to be' so funny. ' ^ • Sanford put on floor shows in former years but more recently im- presarioed his Midnight - to - Dawn Showboat, -which folded after a short try this summer. In Serge Flash,' Bob Russell (New Acts). Three Mack Bros. (New Acts), and others, he has rounded up good body of talent. Routining is.sinootb, while for color, he has done well in cos- tuming, etc. The-line girls (12) and the showgirls (8) are all lookers. Their routines are. refreshing ahd, to a considerable extent, novel. One number, in which the showgirls play nurses to the line ladies, as. babies, with diapexis among the. costume equipment, is notable in this respect.. Show could use a little more com- edy. It has sufficient dancing, sing- ing and acrobatics, plus plenty, pf or- chestral background to suit all tastes. Flsish goes over sti:ong. with his juggling, capped by a new balanc- ing and drumming trick. In the acrobatics. Three Mack Bros, and Elis'e Cerf, provide very salable en- tertainment. Macks are remindful of the Three Sailors. Indulge in no talk, however. Miss Cerf is on early, in a flashy single, very ably per- formed. Other specialists are Pep- per January, singing a nursery rhyme special as a fronter for one of the better, numbers by .the. line; the shag team of Al and Honey Ab- bott, not new, and the Six Varsity Kids (New Acts), Big Appiers, The Abbotts are flashy shagsters. ,A single by Al Abbott is particularly hot. Show has no m.c. and this is a perfect spot for one.. Also a good opportunity for more comedy if the right m.c. and material are obtained. Russell has ■ a : vibrant, pleasing voice and engaging personality. He opens with an old pop and also, fea- tures a cavalcade of singers and numbers, suggesting them from Ca-, ruso and Tibbett down. That's a. big order but he gets away with it okay. The bands relieve each other fre- quently. Stint done by the Rimacs amounts to a show, of Latin flavor, in itself. Seger Ellis alone doubles, from dancing to show. This is a comparatively new band, featuring what Ellis calls his 'choir of brass.' An excellent show and dance band. Lee Shelley, who "has been around Westchester^ heads a band play^ ing sweet music, while Red- Stanley has a swing organization. The ..Ri- macs and the Monchito band are rhumba outfits. Latter doubles be- tween .the downstairs bar arid' up- stairs. Rimacs carry n'uiherou sing- ing and dancing' specialists, while Ellis has a soloist, Irene Taylor. Entire architecture of the Holly- wood is suggestive of a boat. Stage, shaped like a horseshoe, is raised and tables are terraced in such a - man- ner that vision is obscured at only, some tables by two posts that could not be eliminated. -Nicholas Weiss heads the group operating the Hollywood. Nat and Joe Moss are also in. Most of the help of the old Hollywood are back; Char. OLD ROUMANIAN (NEW YORK) Murray & Alan, Line (8), Sadie Banks, Wilma Novak, Ethel Bennett, Mara, Ronnie De Camp, Joe La Porte Orch (5). This intimate spot on New York's lower east side has come a long way since Jack Silverman first opened the spot as little more than a plain eatery 14 years ago. Silverman is currently celebratmg its annivei:- sary by enlarging it for the second time. Fourteen, years ago it opened as a 75-seater. Currently, it can hold 500. For the entertainment there are several standbys who've been at the spot for some years, and they con« tinue to be the prime favorites, Sadie Banks, a fave here for five years with her hotcha songs, is the buxom type, and for years was « favorite of the Yiddish theatre, a greater reason for her continued popularity here ^ince this spot caters mostly to that type of clientele. She' does no Yiddish chansons, however, since it's been the policy of Silver- man to escape that idiom for the Yanlcee flavor. Miss Banks is a cross between the Sophie Tucker-Mae West type in personality and show- manship. Ethel Bennett, sprightly brunet, here., for seven years, gety in a few Yiddish songs, which is a de- parture, top, from the old style in that she swings them, and smartly. . Murray and Alan, brothers, long a standard vaude act, are the gag- sters, with Murray also filling in as m.c, which' he does satisfactorily. However, when the fteres get to- gether for their gags, they miss fire. Routine iis old business. However, their stuff has sufficient variation to wai-m up these customers. Mara is a Russian gypsy singer, and a Ipoker. She does a couole of native numl)ers and chimes in in- termittently, with pops. Okay. The line - of eight girls is snappy and ^well-lookingj. Joe La Porte's band plays well 'for." show and dahsapa- tion. Ronnie De Camp is on a couole of times for taps to'okay results. Wilma Novak, -hot. hoofer,, grinds r the bumps for all they're worth and dicks big .with .the males though her terps are just ordinary. LEON & EDDIE'S, N. Y. Eddie Davis, Iris Adrian, Kiii &' Roy Paige, Renee Villon, Jerry Kru~ ger, Dorothy Jeffers, The HoUywood Horse, Virginia Sisters,' Wally Wan- ger Sextet, Ford Crane, Lou Martin Orch. Leon & Eddie's new Xmas show, with Eddie Davis and Iris Adrian finally changing their , act, is one of this bistro's- best It's fast and socks all the way. Plenty of body repre- sented in the- supporting bill, with Ken and Roy Paige, knockabout comedy, act; the Virginia Si.$ters (New Acts), Jerj;y Kruger, formerly with Gene Krupa's band, and The Hollywood Horse. Davis, who' always clicks, is do- - ing several new' songs written for. him by Billy K. Wells, plus" a sketch, with Miss Adrian, 'The Gay Des- perado.' 'CJood, Old Reliable Jeeves,' a number built around a trailer; a* ' clever arrangement of pops and S' new 'Schnitzelbank' special, plus ar-L rangements of two new pops, cpm-r prise Davis' new routine. The trailer- song is a pip and .the 'Schnitzelbank* number has a surprise twist.' Davis'' selling of 'Get .Out of Town* is-lOOyo,, Additional singing weight is lent by Miss Kruger. who does two num- bers, one very not, and the Virginia '• Sisters, carrying three songs, ably, sold. The Virginias lend particular strength to the bill, as does the Paige twain. Dance 'specialists include Renee v Villon, in a fast Spanish number, and • Dorothy Jeffers, who does a rhythm hard-shoe .effeoiively. ' The Holly- wood Horse act has been around for years, mostly in vaudeville, and. is nothing more than a couple fellows' inside a skin. Further dancing is .provided by .the Wally Wanger Sex- tet, a holdover. Ford Crane, m.c, is also a holdover. • Lou Martin's orchestra plays well! for show and dancing. Chor. Saranac Lake By HAPPY BENWAY Sidney Stuart, who served his time at the Will Rogers, is in Bermuda. Lillian Mansfield, bx-Ziggy 'Follies* girl, to be sliced. She's been airing •here for three years. Thanks to Riga Konova of Chicago for another load of books for this Actors Colony. Dr. Karl Fischel to New York. Will bring back goodies for the holi- days when the Rogerites will cele-. brate. Bede Fiddler and Hazel Smith playing Santa Claus, preparing toys' for the kiddies downtown, a salute, from the Rogers. Dorris (RKO Boston) Andrews now filling in as telephone operator at the Rogers. Isabelle Rook, Rose Clark, Fred Schrader and Walter Hoban giving up their allotted exercise time to shop, for the boys and girls downtown. Ted ReiUy, who licked it here, to. Pittston, Pa., and work. He's an old- time musician. Edward McDonald and Teddy Bod- well one year older. Kenneth Lindloff, who got that good rep'ort, now an assistant to.. Rudy Plank in the Rogers X-ray de-- partmfent. Write to those who are IIL SHIRLEY ROSS Singing 10 Mins, Paramount,.N. Y Shirley Ross, making her first ap- pearance, here, is under contract to Paramount as a featured player and is in the cast of 'Thanks for the Menw'ry,' cturent on the Par screen. One of jPar's mPre promising young players, she is a eockful act oh her p.a. and'is stopping, shows regulai'ly. . Althou^ suffering, from a cold.. Miss Ross'scpres decisively in a rou- tine of four numbers. She has a pleasant voice and nice swing in- selling .^ongs. Opening, with 'What Have You Got That^s Gets Me,' she. follows with' 'Reverie' and clicks for" an- encore with a medley of num- bers bdt ot Par pictures In which she has appeared. A tune from a new Par film winds up, but no men- tion made of the picture title-source. ' CHar. FRANK JENKS and DOROTHEA KENT' ;'• ' Comedy, Songs, Panclhg 13 Mins,;: One Palace, Chicago Example of a -good performer' laboring under the weight of hope- less material. Give Jenks even a fair comedy script and hejs a great bet to wham home with any audi- ence. Jenks knows what the stage is all about, despite the la^t- few years on the-picture lots; But he, and nobody else, can do anything with a routine of chatter that con- tains no giggles, Jenks opens alone and gets over • comedy song , about 'a little Hebe who wants to be a 'foreign legion* general. Not a'-particularly funny ^> idea, but' Jenks manages to squeeze more out of it than the lines them- selves contain. Miss Kent on for some crossfire talk with Jenks and it is pretty sad stuff,. About pictures,'and full of that facetious ' self-panning that doesn't come off: Tough break, since the pair of 'em indicate that they could redlly entertain with half a chance. Sooner or later the team of Jenks and Kent decide that the^ have to have a finish for'their act They go into a dance as-the tried-and-true method of scramming. It's not a great dance, but it fills its purpose. Gold. ANNE FRANCINE Socialite Songstress Coq Rouge, New York Blueblood blues singers are in vogue again, but this time Anne Francine is heralded oh the crest of a highly showmanly exploitation stunt. She was the winner of a debutante and post-deb amateur con- test staged by this smart East 56th street hitery, with a month'is con- tract to the winner. Miss Francine evidences she warrants continuing a bit beyond that, and especially since she's also manifesting a good petsonaL draw. Which is how socialite songstresses were'born; Idea is that they'll .come and pay a couvert for something their friends get for free, in their drawing rooms. But such-is the cafe society trend that the fashionable east 3ide bunch entertains in public. As a performer. Miss Francine is by no means a deb, or even an early poet-deb. She's in her mid-20's, evi^- dently, a charming petsonality with a thtoaty voice that reminds '^f Mrs. Eve Symington style. Latter, <2auehter of Senator Wadsworth, is