Variety (Feb 1939)

Wednesday* Febraory 22, 1939 ▼AUDE-MIGHT CLUBS VARIETY 4S NEW iACTS. J. HABOLD MDBKAT - ■ < . « ■ . . Lean'4 Eddie's, New Tork J. Harold Murray, of course. Is not new. This Is principally a come- v-clt but not in tlie same sense as iSother former Ziegfeld alumnus, K Steel. With Murray it's be- MUse 'I'm stagestruck,' as he puts it, Svlne been out of the business for feveri ySrs. He's now the head of a brewei7 in Hartford, Conn., and 5an for Democratic state senator this uast elecUon (and lost, despite an • a and radio-vocalizing campaign). in show biz annals Murray en- loyed a rep.asrone of the few 'real he-men' tenors In the ZJegfeld mu- sicals. His voice now is more bary- tone, however. Murray, of course, Is best known for his long run in TUo Rita.' Whatever his problematic real age may be, Murray still looks polished, trim, suave and juvenile, belying his years, despite the closeup view on a cafe floor, and he rates quite impor- tantly for nitery attention. Espe- cially so when cafe names are so few and far between. Murray brings back to this field of show business a good ntime and un- ouestioned ability and personality. He handles tunes like Without a Song,' 'Romance' (introduced by him in an old film, 'Cameo Klrby'), two •Rio Rita' excerpts, and 'C'est la Guerre' in commercial style. All but the last are surefire; 'Guerre' might be more in the groove for the Rain- bow Room, customers, for example, than at Leon & Eddie's. Incidentally, Murray would be ah ideal Rocke- feller nitery booking. Vabiety's ' records show Murray reviewed at the Palace, New York, in 1924.° and at the Palace, Chi. in IS29. No professional record of him since, presumably because the ex- Ziegfeld juve went into commercial biz. But back in the field he's still a suave personality with consider- able charm and b.o. appeal, narticu- larly for cafes, although adept for general work In the varieties. -Abel. DICK BABSTOW With Bonnie Bradley Dancing 4 Mins. Music Hall, N. T. •Dick Barstow only recently split with his sister, Edith, with whom he. worked for seyeraV years in. the va- riety houses. On his own, and in white tie and tails, he's a definite hoofing click. ■ . , Barstow's dancing soecialty at the Music Hall, exceptionally well staged in a ship's stateroom. Is a dose takeoff on Fred Astaire's bal- let-hoof ology. However, there's enough originality in Barstow's dancing, plus his grace and expert tapping, to remove the onus of an Imitator. He's definite show mate- • Bonnie Bradley, a stately blonde, assists Barstow here, but she does practically ho dancing. She's strict- ly a pleasant touch for the eyes. Scho. GENE AUSTIN . With Candy and .Coe» Slngliig, Inistrnmental 7 MIns. Casa Manana, N. T. - Gene Austin, a disc fav« for years, is aided in his latest p.a. turn by hillbillies Candy and Coco, guitar- ist and bass whacker, respectively. They give' Austin's singing a nice rhythmic and comedy touch, latter coming via the contrast between the dead pan of one and the infectious smile of the other, Austin is- being held down to but seven minutes here, singing tunes he has been identified-with on records. Naturally, these include 'My Blue Heaven' and "You're Nobody's Sweetheart Now.' Seated at the piano and wearing an Esqiilrish sports ensemble, Austin's act is a pleasing if not sensational vocal ses- sion. The support .Candy and C^co lend rates 'em billing mention, something they aren't getting at the Casa. Scho. . ■BAGS' BAGLAND and CO. (2) Comedy 10 Mins. Leon -tc Eddie's, New Tork They've been trying to' 'discover' Ragland for a couple seasons,, but until he ' gets the presentation that will most effectively highlight him, this veteran burlesque comedian must recourse back to the peeleries, season after season, in order to keep going. liast year a pretty tired Leonard Sillman-EIsa Maxwell re- vue, titled 'Who's Who,' almost took 'Rags' Ragland out of burlesque ob- scurity, excepting that the legit mu- sical collapsed of its own Inertia. At Leon & Eddie's, a smart book- ing incidentally for this 52d street nitery, Ragland is highly effective with .his 'magic box cure machine,' out of the burley annals. Like many another biirlesk comic, Ragland must have 'a million of 'em' when it comes to surefire comedy bits and business. The libretto, while fa^ miliar, doesn't matter as much as ]the interpretations, and Ragland proves that' concept handily; ■■ : Ably foiled by a . stuttering straight, Russell Trent, who' also manages more thaii just a few inci- dental laughs on his own, Ragland and his cure-all box naturally veers to the s.a. angle, in traditional keep- ing with ° burleycue standards. One of the gals,-out of Wally .Wanger's Sextet, Is the femme vis-a-vis, emo- tionally reacting to Ragland's pseu- do-electric box. Trent alternates with her. and the bits and business are surefire for laughs." Ragland is a funny man, of the timber. that projected a Bert Lahr, for instance, into the big leagues, and he's about due for important 'discovery. He's been cleaning up his fluff, and himself personally, right along, and manifests a progression that's worthy of strong managerial Attention. The Leon & Eddie's show- casing should turn the trick. Abel. 6EAB WABING MImlo S MIns., Slate, N. T. ■Eight minutes comprise a lot of space in which to imitate buzz saws, model T Fords, and other assorted rackets, but Waring is not stretch- ing during the course of his act His imitations are clever, and are abetted by nice use of gestures. Starts off with vacuum cleaner commotion, buzz saws, and cross- cut saws, working into a lengthier model T-bit whicli has wallop. Last- named has all the business about flat tires, horns, cranking the wheezy engine, etc., and It's arran.eed so as to command attention. Windup is an Imitation of an airplane ascent. Waring uses a prop umbrella (para- chute) in this bit, a useful gadget to get him off the sUge gracefully. Well received at the State, where he's appearing with Rudy Vallee, spotted No. 2. Act ha= good vaude and radio possibilities, though the latter medium would unfortunately, eliminate his gestures. Edga. GOWEB & JEANNE Ballroom Dancing e MIns. State, N. T. This mixed team is slightly mis- labeled in the category of ballroom terplng, Xhey Whip- up a concoc- tion of their own with novelty steps an'd suave tempo, unique enough to fall into several' classes of terplng at once. They stopped the show When viewed here with Rudy val- lee (16), Opening bit is more or less straight stuff, gracefuUy executed, but seen often enough to need no comment. After this routine start, the combo swiftly goes Into a nov- elty to the tune of 'Dardanella. Steps are flashy and trickily exe-, cuted. Third number is a Dixie march, a speedy windup, enhanced by coy steps and musical comedy gestures. General pattern of the turn is strong, and In the departments of appearance, go'wning and execution, forte calibre prevails. Edga, LOLA JENSEN Sonos, Dancing 4 MIns. State, N. T. Miss Jensen l.<; the opener of Rudy Vallee's show at this house, ade- quately filling' the niche. She's a comely blonde miss, neatly gowned in a blue costume which fiares at the right times to show off her gams. Mainly a tapper, she starts off with a song ('Chopsticks' in this in- stance), which is delivered peppily and pleasingly enough. Real forte, however, is her hoof- ing. It has speed and generates flash in a series of fast whirls. Girl sells herself on appearance, neatness and obvio.iis attempts to work hard. She's excellent nitery material on this showing. Her voice is not dis- played enough to determine much as regards her singing. Edga, OBAT GOBDON Orchestra .Wtth CUff Onus,-Bath Bradley Edison Hotel, N. T. Current incumbent at the Edison's Green Room is a sweet combo in contrast to the semi-swing band at the Blue Room: of the around-the- comer Hotel Uncoln,. sister enter- prise. Idea of contrasting bands is part of the scheme of things devised by the enterprising Mrs. Maria Kramer, wife of Max J. Kramer, who now actively directs the des- tinies of both hostelries and who, through assiduous attention to the dansapatlon policies, has been able to out over both rooms. The Lincoln, with its succession of bands such as Artie Shaw. Jan Savitt (incumbent) and Charlie Bamei due In next, has become a klller-diUer hangout The Edison, after starting off with Blue Barron, has been more 'sweet* Current combo is Gray Gor- don and his Tic Toe Rl^thm, another in the school of 'stylized' dance Ex- ponents. A chronometer controls the tic toe' style, and, of course; insures a steady dance beat It's a smooth combina- tion, not unknown via the ether and waxincs. Cliff Grass, baritone, and Ruth Bradley, s. a. songstress, break it UD with vncals. Gordon h^S three or four air shots so the snot has also become a songplugger's hanp'"-*. ilbel. GINGEB MANNEBS Comedienne 8 Mins. Leon & Eddie's, New York Ginger Manners is an energetic blonde who's trying to get away from being just another cafe floor Interlude. Seasoning should achieve dividends for her efforts. She's not quite as hefty as Mae West but her build fits well into her Westian take off. She also does Barrymore, Gar bo, "F.D.H. Jones' and just F.D.R., to off 'n' rhythm accompaniments, vo- cally and otherwise. Miss Manners evidences some cafe training,-but is-new-to-the-New Act flies. She manages neatly here. Abel. JONES-BOONEY TBIO Singing, .Dancing, Comedy 9 MIns. Bivera, Brooklyn Combo of two personable males and little dark-haired femme has potentialities, but routine wanders aimlessly about as now. given. Two lads are acrobats and stress knock- about clowning. Taller boy tries a fling at warbling and eventually the girl comes out for a fahrish tap num- ber. Then the boys wind up playing guitar and clarinet Their forte, the roughhouse acro- batics, lacks originality and needs plen^ of polishing. • ' Weor; AILEEN COOK ■ Songs Le Fnban Blen, N. Y. A'li'-.en Cook is a comedienne with a rich sense of show values. For one thine .she's insured herself with some skillful material authored by one Jimmy Lee, said to be known around the Greenwich 'Village Ca- sino where she. too, first came to uptown attention. Miss Cook does risque songs in a class manner, so that she's acceot- p.ble in most class nlterles, unle.<^ they're deflnitely too staid in pol- icy, which the Ruban Bleu isn't Her manner is as informal as Ker lyrics, not bawdy but definitely si)ucy. There's no mistaking the double entendre, for examole. of her 'I've Got a Crush on 'the Ful'er Brush Man,' or "Major Bums.' Her com- edy strlD-tease is likewise a fertUe CQiicept of nom.ed.7 values, skillfully sold. ML<;s Cook is .an engaginx gal in a sleek satin outfit that well fits thf o.erterel .<!cheme of things. She's the hlghli<?ht of the ar~" of talent at this snot Abel. JEAN ELDBIDOE SonfTB 8 Mlns.° Apnllo, N: Y. Though tabbed by Duke Ellintrton as a new songstress discovery, Jean Eldrldge h»s played this Harlem spot before. She's a first-rate chlrrer, though singing 'Prelude to a Kiss' so long that it tends to wear out her welcome. The band is obviously pluegine this number. Her 'Get Out of Town' Is done In higher ke.v, with 'Stardust' finale plainly Indicating her vocal noten- tialitles. She looks like a fixture with the band, and a commendable one. It's nrobable that her present rather awkward stance before the mike will be improved as she ge's more accustomed to theatrp audi' ences. Weor. FERNANDE saala Songs Le Bnban Blen, N. Y. French' dlseuse Is a personality songstress with a nice cafe fioor front and a commercially Frenchy style of neddlinc her ditties. She mixes 'em up in French and English, but re- gardless gets over on the personality alone. Like All artists at this class bistro, her stuff is brok«>n un In a succession of specialties all through the evfr nings. Culling the best six or e'oht minutes from her rfioertoire. Mile. .Saala should be surefire on an'" f'U floor. Abel. Saranac Lake By Happy Benway Harry Martin (Stewart and Mar- tin) in from Chicago to attend the skating raceis and to ogle Eddie Vogt who just mastered another operation, The address of Adolph Singer, who ozoned here, wanted by William Nel son, manager of Nelson's Drug Co., here. It's very important The Will Rogers' hospital now has 82 patients, the largest group since its existence. . .Marcel Thrapaly.,..jCQimeily^with. the Family theatre, Philadelphia, is a newcomer at the Rogers: . Leo Abbott from New York, here, eyeing the hilltop lodge and. his sis ter, Sylvia; who has been here five years. Margaret Newell, a fiive-year ozoner, again okay after ailing feet (Write to those who are III). Chaancey Cromwell band opened at the Paxton hotel, Omaha, last week,, featturing Gloria Davis as songstress. The Smoothies (Babs, Charlie and l-Litae),; tato-the Glass Hat, N. Y. Night Club Reviews STORK CLUB, N. Y. Richard Warren Orch., Jose Lopez Orch., Eleanor French. ' Sherman Blllingsley's East 63d street bistro is one of New York's big three' class cafes, which means among the nation's tops. Doing a bullish biz, it's a bit of an education to watch major domo Joe Lopez weed 'em out at the dc^r. It calls for all the.tact and charm and diplo- macy of an Anthony Eden, sqme- thnes, on how to separate the wheat from the chaff. And while the! human element, being what it is, makes no one infallible, the law of averages is highly creditable for Senor Lopez. Now a well established landmark; the Stork, along with the other w.k. niteries that choose to be discrimi- nating, or, more actually, see that there's some room for the regulars, will be faced with an extra head- ache when the Fair influx arrives. But that's a problem they're all girding themselves for. There's many another cafe that could use such actual or potential embarrass- ment of riches right now, but then that's an old story with night dubs. Prime purpose for this review are Eleanor French and Richard War- ren's orchestra. Miss French is a socialite songstress with a load of s.a. dnd a deft mike manner of vocalizing the pops. Warren's combo is the. new incuml>ent, vice the very popular Sonny Kendis, now on tour. Warren, after a rather slow start, has smoothed out his tempos and is clicking nicely with the young smart set that the Stork draws. Jose Lopez's rhumba combo holds over—no' relation to maitre Lopez at the door. 'Whether it's a combination of Miss French's socialite background or the midwinter season, the Stork has I>een very white-tie and dinner- gown the past few weeks. Never al fresco, Billingsley still was rather informal, but of late the room has turned very dlass and dressup. He must be giving the other spots plenty of grief, incidentally, by the manner in which he pulls 'em in. Abel. Leon & Eddie's, N. Y. J. Harold Murray, 'Rags^ Ragland, Russell Trent, Maurice & Betty, An- drew Sisters, Ginger Manners, Wally Wanger Sextet, Ted Elder's Boxing Kangaroo, Balabanow Ensemble (5), Haines, Beal & Simpson, Three Plav- hoys (Mills, Starr & Tracy), Lou Forman orch. Tark Ave. Meets 10th Avenoo Re- vue' is the caption on this variety lineup at Leon & Eddie's, presum- ably predicated on the J.: Harold Murray-Rags' Ragland top bookings. Murray, Ziegfeld alumnus, contrasts to Ragland's rowdy burlesque com- edy in great style. Both OX, for sound, and both under New Acts. Show is one of the fastest assort- ment of variety specialties assembled here. Russell Trent, who foils for Ragland, m.c.'s. Specialists include Baiabanow Ensemble (5) Russe family of accordionists and hock dancers; Alda Alvarez, castlnet dance specialist; Andrew Sisters (2), okay tapsterlng pair, not to be confused with the scat-singing Andrew Sis- ters (3); Maurice and Betty (Whelan), presumably brother-sister, youthful acro-adagiolsts In ultra streamlined attire; Ted Elder's Box- ing Kangarooi a novelty, chiefly be- cause of the pugilistic animal, and a bit of a departure for a cafe floor; Wally Wagner Sextet, With their different, comedy strip-tease, from 1890 furbelows into 1939 abbreviat- ed under-dressing. Ginger Manners, comedienne, under New Acts. The 3 Playboys (Eddie Mills, Bob Starr and Roy Tracy) are also re- turners, with effective comedy, songs and business. They're more them- selves now than smacking of the old Clayton, Jackson and Durante style, and as such should progress still more. The intervening months evi-. dence seasoning and commensurate 'Bdvancenrent "In^'sho'wmanship; " Haines, Beal and Simpson, mixed colored trio, also continue ad lib here, deftly plugging the waits with their pianology. The girl is a dusliy looker, and their peripatetic piano routines are the proper interlude to give the Lou Forman band Its neces- sary time-outs between shows and dance sessions. It's a tough grind for the musicians. Eddie Davis Is vacationing so his partner, Leon Enken, aligned this ex- ceedingly strong talent array. In anticipation also for the World's Fair crowds—as who isn't—the blindrspot pillars have been knocked down and the interior done over so that It'll be a vastly different L&E's when the interior facelifting Is finally com- pleted> .Abel. Grace Hayes . Lodge (Los ANGE LES) Los Angeles, Feb. 16. • Joe Frisco, Charlie Foy, Graea Hayes, Lynn Hayes, Earl Hatch orch. W. The .l>est fun in town is to be found at this haunt of the profesh in the vtrlley, hard by Hollywood. Everywhere a showmanly touch is; evident which accounts for tum- away biz nearly every liight. There's a lesson here for nitery operators, who. wall about the sad state of trade. Piece de resistance of the night's hilarious entertainment is the audience participation, discreetly maneuvered by Grace Hayes, one- time vaude fav, who has a way at>out her and can still give most of the bistro warblers a few pointers on how a song should be put over. Her personality dominates the spot and keeps the convivial spirit of the cus- tomers at a .high pitch right up to closing time. Room accommodates around 200 and the fun really doesn't begin till around midnight Joe Frisco is all over the place and his racetrack bits are plenty guffaw- ish. With Charlie Fov (of the Foy. tribe) who also m.c.^s while Miss Hayes is spreading around good will, Frisco does a dance turn that's a sureflre dick with vauders, who flock here in droves. Miss Hkyes' boy, Lynn, uncorks bis impersonations, which are stock socks and heard many times on the kilocycles. He 9lso vocals with the Hatch crew.' Broad burlesquing of 'Gone with ■ the Wind,' by three characters picked from the patronage, is laugh-loaded. On night caught, Edgar Rergen played Rhett, a non-pro beaut vol- . unteered for Scarlett, and one of the Dead End kids filled for a third. 'While a prop script is being gagged, a recording is made of the Bkn on the stage and played back imme- diately after. Table sitters also have a part, that of barking like dogs.- Rest rooms are designated Rhett and ' Scarlett Another natural for getting the payees worked up is the micro- phonics of Miss Hayes, who warbles 'Irish Eyes' and then by her sheer personality lures the customers into pining the refrain Into the mike>, which she totes around from table to table. Not one turndown and the house was full of celebs. Gag |s to spot a picture or radio notable and call out the name. Informal gaiety of the room spreads 'with an infec- tious sweep and therein lies the sue- - cess of the lodge. Minimum of $2 is. slapped on for weekends, to be chewed up or im- bibed. Other days It's $1.50; It's the best buy in town, aside from Earl (^rroll's, and the night owls are catching'on fast Helm. MAYFAIR (BOSTON) Boston, Feb. 16. Dorothy Stone & Charles Collins, Betty & Sue Carlyle, Barbara Long, Line (8), Rannv VfeeW orch. Good shows are the rule rather than the exception here, but this week's entertainment, due chiefly to the presence of Dorothy Stone and Charles Collins, is above the May- ' fair standard. Ranny Weeks, most popular of the home-town maestros, is one reason why the club crowd likes the dancing at this spot, and he is now doing a marathon run Here. Weeks is also a smooth m.c., with a minimum of horseradish in the buildups. As a vocalist with his band, he's a very pleasing, baritone. The George Llbby line of eight girls, practically flxtures at the May- fair, swing out three Sparkling num- mers: a swing version of 'Martjia,' a 'Gaucho' rhumba routine, arid a hotsy 'Boogy-Woogy' flnale. In the last offering several of the girls show off Individual talent Betty and Sue. Carlyle, smart dance duo, have two spots In the show. One is a rhumba turn, the other a cavalcade of every swlng- and jitter step now current with a little waltz clog and buck added. Their greatest asset Is their routines. Barbara Long, husky-voiced vocal- ist, sells her songs solidly. 'Ole Man River* and 'Chloe' are apparently Jier. -forte. Sh<t nlso swings—3V^- Heart Belongs to Daddy' with plenty of verve, but In this particular num- ber she might click better if she chan.ged pace more often and articu- lated the lyric, which is half the battle In the song. When caught, she was being shut out occasionally during 'Daddy' by loud band ac- companiment Dorothy Stone and Charles Col- lins, in their club debut here, offer one of the most .diverting and clever dancing acts ever seen oh a local nitery floor. Already established as topflight performers in Oieir field. Stone and Collins have Ideas, and they uncorked two of their new numbers in the show caught A timely one. Inspired by the air (Continued on page 47)