Variety (Apr 1939)

Wednewlay, April-19, -1939 VAUDE—MIGHT CLUBS VARIETY 81 PA. OPENS NEW CAFE DRIVE INPHILLY Philadelphia, April 18. Hegular semi-annual drive of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board to clean up the night club situation is under way here. Nitery owners have become as accustomed to the drives as they are .to the seasons and have been in the habit of yawning and saying, 'Oh, that again?,' when they hear of what's going to be done. This time, however, the situation la said to be different and the ennui la tinged with fear, for a new state administration has already given every anti-rum indication. Start of the new drive last week resulted in the Issuance of 40 warrants for al- leged violators. Agents of the Control Board are now rounding up those for whom they hold warrants, but are having little success. Most of them, it is leported, have fled the jurisdiction while they arrange bail and counsel service. Hildegarde Opens at N.Y. Pierre Hotel on June 16 . .Currently at the Savoy-Plaza hotel. New York, Hildegarde, the songstress, opens at the Pierre hotel, N. Y., June 16, for four weeks. On July 27 she returns to the Savoy for three months. The Hartmans also set for the Pierre, plus Enric MadrU guera band. Singer is on the air currently for U. S. Rubber. Pkkens Plays Atlanta -»— Jane Pickens, the singer, is set for the week of May 4 at the Roxy, Atlanta. The Georgia capital is her home- town. Von Grona Broke Eugene Van Grona, also known as Eugene Von Grona, dance director and professional dancer, at present unemployed, filed a voluntary peti- ' tlon of bankruptcy in N.Y. federal court Friday, (14). He lists liabili- ties of $1,676 and no assets. Owes Ann R. Silver, p.a., $324; American Federation of Musicians Local 802, $288, etc. HARRY RICHMAN Sext *LORD & STEWART, 19, Albemarle Street, LONDON, W. 1. An EnglavA's Best Tailors.' ALWAYS WORKING 'WHITEY' ROBERTS Opening at the 'PALOMAR,' Lo* Angeles, April 19 A( Uasi«r of Ccramonlea wUh ' Artie Shaw Booked In Enrland with Will Uahoney Show 1b Sept. Unit Review MIKADO IN SWING (OBPHEtJM, MPLS.) Minneapolis, April 14. This Is one of the biggest unit productions ever to play this thea- tre—^from the standpoint of person- nel. There are nine principals, a mixed chorus of 44, 12 dancing girls, eight feminine jitterbug step- pers and six male hoofers. In addi- tion, there are 16 musicians in the pit, including the four and the con- ductor carried by the .oinpany. As far as size and performance quality are concerned, the show can't rate far behind the orielnal full-length WPA creation. With a feature photoplay and the usual shorts tossed in, Harry Rogers' 65-Tntnute condensation of the 'Swing Mikado' is considerable show for 55c.—in many respects an entertainment bar- gain. On the credit side, too, the pro- ceedings provide a jolly lark for Gil- bert & Sullivan devote' and others. It's a lot of fun, also, for those who get a kick out of the enthusiastic stage capers of Negro singer-i. dancers , and comedians. Much of the entertainment Is spirited and lively. It's . colorful, too, with its gaudy and strange assortinent of cos- tumes and Its picturesque scenic background. The sin.ctlng is fairish and the dancine good. Judged by .accepted vaudfilm standards, the comedy may seem lame, but' the mirth is engendered by the audacity of the thing and by the earnest, noisy efforts of the dusky perform- ers. No need to rave about the Gil- bert & Sullivan score. However, the story and the dialog, as worked out here, detract from.the entertain- ment—they could be foregone en- threly. The unit, of course, represents an effort to cash in on th publicity at- tendant upon the succer3 of the WPA show in Chlca^ o and New York, and Michael Todd's 'Hot Mikado' production in the latter city. But from the financial stand- point, judging bv the audience re- sponse at the initial performance here, the offering may prove a mis- guided venture, paradoxical as this may sound. On the one hand, it must involve plenty cost: on the other. It apparently doesn't offer a highly acceptable enough type of entertainment to provoke the word- of-mouth raves needed to sp?ll super-grosses in vaudflli houses. Show's main trouble from a vaud- film boxoffice standpoint is that it's too much twixt and between— neither fish nor fowl. Most of the Gilbert & Sullivan satirical humor goes over the vaudfilm customers' heads; the delightful melodies, even when they're swung, seem unappre- ciated. The novelty or freak angle doesn't have much bearing because th. hot dancing is accepted as such— on its face value ratlier than as a saucy intrusion into the classical G. St S. realm. The show in its en- tirety sizes up for too many auditors as lacking in variety. Even for some of the most confirmed hep cats, there's a superabundance of jitter- buggery. And along with this is a plethora of singing; the comedy bogs down and reaps only a mild laugh response, whilo story and dialog mean next to nothing. As for the so-called better class of theatregoers and the G. & S. fans, there aren't enough of them to count for much at the boxoffl . More- over, their reactions may not be en- tirely favorable. The swinging of the revered melodies and the general jazz treatment may grate on some. Also, while the sin»/mg may prove moderately acceptable to' uie dis- senters, they're likely to regard the acting as amateurish and to find fault with the fact that the brilliant lyrics are warbled in such a fashion as to make them undistinguishable. AU of the "Mikado's* outstanding musical numbers are included In the condensation. Big ensemble num- bers are made out of 'Let the Pun- ishment Fit the Crime,' "Three Little Maids,' 'Flowers That Bloom in the Spring" and "Tit WUlow,' with the entire large company, which crowds even the huge Orpheum stage, going through all sorts of snappy dance gyrations. Billy Mitchell, as Ko-Ko, is en- trusted with most of the comedy and proves a hard and efficient worker, getting a great deal out of his ma- terial. LeRoy "Sparkplug' George carries off the title rol*- adequately, and Geraldine Overstreet is a suffl-' ciently petite Yum Yum. Lonny Jackson, as Nanki Poo, sings well, but his acting leaves much to be de- sired. Other principals are Jackson Smith, John Bourdette, Nodella Trotter, Hazel Williams and Mabel Lewis. Jimmy Stanton, who staged the show, rates a bow. "Oklahoma Kid,' Cagney western, seems a poor choice of feature to go with this stage show and undoubtr edly is holding down matinee at- tendance. Little more than half-a- house when caught Friday afternoon (14), opening day and first show. Rees. Hudson Auto to Set 160 Acts, 20 Orchs At $20,000 for 20^ity Sales Parleys 15 YEARS AGO< (From Vahjeiy) Jitterbug Joints (Continued from page 1) to keep things moving in the lulls. They get paid off in as much as they can eat for free. All the other alli- gators are merely regular customers, while the large majority of patrons o: the-joint just YioV their seats and watch the others, which they con- sider plenty entertainment. Topper collects two-bits from each customer at the door. Tabs worth 20c. In food or drinks are given for the other quarter, nickel being held out for the coin phonograph. The other and even more successful joint of this type here. The Click, makes a straight two-bit co^'er charge. Topper is located in the old 31 Club. Original nitery seated about 450, but the present spot, with large tables and greatly increased dancing space, holds only 200 or 250 when pushed. Crowd changes, however, much more rapidly than in the alco- holic niteries, three distinct groups usually being in before closing at 3 a.m. Average tab is 30c. per per- son. Prices are not hypoed, and standard soda fountain rates obtain. Net profits on the food an. drink are better than 75% and the rent is paid wholly. by the owner's take on the coin phonograph mach *< Result is a small-size gold mine for the owner, Bernie Lavin^ who turned to this when an injury, to hi: hand pushed him out of his job in a paper mill. Jitterbug spots have large quanti- ties of advantages over standard likker-serving niterler First and foremost is that they have no heavy license fee ($750 a year is the local tap in Pennsy), and consequently have no worry about the state's strict booze laws. Also there's no show or band nut Paul WUteman orchestra opens a five-day stay at the Paramount, Springfield, Mass., tomorrow (20). Week of the 28th at the Paramount, Newark. Springfield date is the first flesh for that house in several years. Next best to an ocean voyage for a true taste o* Scotland is a sip o' gude auld Johnnie Walker. Try it and see! USD LABEL, 0 yean M BLACK LABEL, IZyeanoU BORN 1820... mil going ttnttg Vincent Lopez ordered to quit broadcasting by the Keith circuit Lopez' vaude, for which Keith had him under contract was drawing fewer people, Keith's said, because they could hear him over the radio. Lawrence, .Mass., censors forbid "The Temple "of Venus' film, to "pro- tect the Innocent girls of the city.' The 'innocent' girls were insulted. Shakespeare was being jazzed up. Los Angeles was to' see 'Julio and Romyette.' 'Strike talk'—Equity and the man- agers—was hitting Broadway pro- duction. London was preparing for a har- vest during British Exposition. Prices all over were way up. William A. Brady was seriously considering a Keith offer to play a condensed version of "King Lear' in vaudeville. Los Angeles screenwriters were complaining they had to sue every company With which they did busi- ness due to breaches of contract' Screen companies we^e going in for new talent contests.' Film as- pirants had to pay $20 for screen tests. Detroit, April 18. The Hudson Motor Car Co, has contracted for about 160 acts and 20 bands to be used May 2-4, at a $20,000 cost at spring sales drive meetings in 20 key cities. Contract was obtained by Abe Schiller, local booker, who must line up eight acts and 10-piece band for each of 20 cities and towns. First day calls for shows at meet- ings of Hudson dealers, distributors and salesmen from surrounding ter- ritories in New York, Detroit Pitts- burgh, Rochester, N, Y.; Bioston, Columbus and Washington. Second day shows will be held in Chicago, Minneapolis, Des ° Moines, Kansas City. St Louis, Oklahoma City, At- lanta and Dallas. '*Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Ore., and Denver will be played the third day. George Bernard Shaw's 'Saint Joan' opened In London. Limited stay predicted. Sybil Thomdike was the star. Ben Bard and Jack Pearl did 15 zippy minutes of comedy at the Pal- ace, New York.. Ten-year-old Miriam Battista and Charles Eaton, 12, held down the No. 4 spot in 'Romeo and Juliet,' also at the Palace. See L A. Cafe Fold Los Angeles, April 18. Unless biz takes a spurt in the next two weeks, Beverly Wilshire hotel's Florentine Room will go dark until fall. Dick Barrle's orchestra - is on notice. Teairarden Cot* for ABC New Jackson Teagarden orchestra was signed to a one-year recording contract by American Records last week. Band starts It off tomorrow (Thursday), cutting four sides, at World Broadcasting studios. Teagarden's outfit goes into the Blackhawk Cafe in Chicago May 8. It's currently at the New York Rose- SanmacLake By Bappy Benway Chris Hagedom has had another setback. Edward Scarfece, late of 20th-Fox, in comeback at Trudeau sanatorium. Emmett Allen, who came up 'her« a long time ago ,is now the driver of the Higglns local bus line. The colony thanks Lynn Meade, Putch Morley, Ken Walte, Mel Nel- lis, Cliff Japhet and BiU aark, known as the Musical-Busters, who have contributed musical entertain- ment to the actors' colopy, Thomas Brady, formerly with the old -NVA sanatorium, is now audib. Ing In Plattsburg, N. Y. Helen Arlund, recently at Warners, is a newcomer at the hilltop lodge for a checkup. Harold (will Rogers Fund) Rod- ner in and out after quick looksee at the Rogers. Cliff Heather, former trombone player with Mark Wamow's orches- tra, has hit the Rogers for a ishort routine. Just a little run down. Out of bed and back to work goes Walter Hoban, of New York, who did the trick In less than ayear. Chick Demmo and Jean wolf Into the general hospital for treatment Frank Howard and Anne Comerford successfully weathered operations. Write to those who we IIL JOE TERMINI with JEAN HAMILTON and BOB DU HART WOODGREEN, EMPIRE LONDON APRIL 24 TheJHEATRE of the STARS IT S SENSIBLE TO STICK WITH Johnnie JJalker BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY CANADA DRY GINGER ALE INC, SEW YORK N Y SOLE DISTRIBUTOR