Variety (Aug 1939)

38 VARIETY VAUDE—NIGHT CLUBS Wednesday, August 30, 19.*J9 Night Club Reviews GLEN ISLAND CASINO (WESTCHESTER, N. Y.) Woody Hcrvidn Orch (10) witfi Alary Ann McCall. Following on the heels of Glenn Miller's'orchestra, whhh it rephicod Thursday night (24), Woody Her- man's crew is in a tough ?pot. Miller is currently 'hot' and • as perhaps the heaviest fave with the West- chester crowd of any of the outlils whic:. play at the Casino. Herm;in's iv. 'til the place shutters some time next month. Since leaving Meadowbrook sev- eral months ago, Herman's bunch has improved greatly. Band has gained the conHdenct it lacked. Sec- ond, it has added men wh ;h give it something almost totally lacking originally—standout sc oists. One of the most important of these addi- tio. s is Toby Vylor, trombonist re- cently with Red Norvo's crew. His is a sweet trombone which adds a ncxibility to the band as a whole, and litstre to the sweet and blues ar- rangements. Another is Bob Price, tenor sax. Band gathered a wealth of new material while out on the road and it's used in good stead here. One is a neat arrangement of 'Beer Barrel Polka.' Still socko, an enough to halt dancing traffic opening night, were Herman's slandbys, 'Woodchop-- per's Ball' and 'Old Man Mose.' Rflfavy Anil McCall and Herman were both hindered by a poor mike on vocals when caught. Outslanding Comedy Hit of Netv York World's. Fair WALTER DARE WAHL BILLY ROSE'S AQUACADE SHOW BOX, SEATTLE Seattle, Aug. 17. JiDimie Murphy Orcli with Betty Taylor; Fifi D'Orsay; June and Jack Boyle; Sluter; Hanlon and Clark; Dub Taylor; Jack Russell. Recognized by all at tha Leading Tailors to Americans SIDNEY FISHER 75/77 Shaftesbury Avenu* PICCADILLY, LONDON, W. 1. Show Box is a new 1,000-seater night spot, recently completed by Mike Lyons, operator for a number of years of Lyons Music Hall, located almost across the street and still holding to its old policy of band and floor show, Both places make their profit on beer, wine and cola. Prices upped around 50% over regular tav- ; erns, and there is smrll take at the I door. For this spot, it is two-bits plus 2-cent state amusement tax. I Collins has spent a reported $100,- 000, and it looks that way, with regu- , lar theatre marquee and lights out front, street-side bar, inclined en- trance, all swankily finished, plus thick carpets, decorations, and ter- raced seating arrangement inside, j No hard liquors, allowed in this ' state, which accounts for lower I average take from each customer. However, the cafe will soon be In shape to .serve food, when minimum will be established at higher stipend, but still in popular range. That way it will pay. Four showi; daily is the current schedule, including matinee. When food comes into the plan, it will be a dinner show, with others later. Show caught packed 'em and had 'em standing. It ran G.i minutes, about 15 overtime, for the folks held on and liked it. Joe Daniels is book- ing exclusively, and Lyons is putting out plenty dough for the attractions. Jack Russell handles the emcee job very well. June and Jack Boyle open with a tap number, with their chair business best. Slyter offers a magician 'on his day o(T,' staggeriiig through some nice" illiLsions.'his cig. wine glas.ses and fmally a beer gl.nss (full) out of thin air illusion being tops. Patrons hardly let him stop. Hanlon and Clark out-goof each other, with Miss Clark leading. Their I chatter lively, but too long drawn I out. Dub Taylor shows his usual I ability on xylophone and with har- I monica, his comedy efforts earning a I cry for more. Then comes Fifi D'Orsay, who tries to make it plenty naughty, liguring it's expected of her. Rus- sell explained she planed from N. Y. and in the rush caught a cold, which damaged her pipes. But it didn't hurt her gams, which she displayed cutely. She first Rives a short French-flavored glad-hand talk about loving it in Seattle. Her dance and song numbers &re peppy,' but at times border on the ragged edge. Show went over plenty well with the clientele. Trepp. EL CHICO, N. Y. TheJHEATRE of the STARS BOOKING AGENCY GENERAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES LOEW BLDG. ANNEX 160 WEST 46TH ST. NEW YORK J. H. LU B I N OENERAl MANAGER SIDNEY H. PIERMONT SOOKINO MANAGER Moria Lrii.'sa Lopez, Los Carreno, Soledad Miralles, Jtiliaii ifuarte Orch. Benito Collada, who is now on a bicycle between the Argentine Pa- vilion at. the New York World's Fair and his own bistro in Greenwich Village, is making a feature of Sole- dad Miralles, a real Spanish bull- fighter, one of the few professional femme matadors of Spain. She has appeared in the bullring with such famed matadors as Cagancho, Do- minguez, Barrera, Ortega and others and has killed many a bull in the arena, being acclaimed by de- votees of this Castilian sport as pro- ficient in the ring as she is in doing her flamingo dances. Be that as it may, she's expert enough on the hoof—terpsichorean, not animalistic—a fiery, vibrant in- terpreter of her native dances. Surrounding this divertissement are Los Carreno, dancing pair, slated for a South American tour shortly, and a vivacious table worker, Maria Luisa Lopez, who is very adept with her intime style of songs. Julian Huarte's orchestra dishes up a choice brand of native and Latin terp tunes. Hugo Mariani, with an enlarged or- chestra, is due to come in Sept. 14, which is a tall order for a small room like this class Village nitery. However, Mariani, long an NBC fave, will lend quite a little tone (no pun) to the spot. Room remains, as ever, one of the smartest and coziest of its kind, easily the No. 1 bistro in the Latin motif. National, Det.,. Reopens Detroit, Aug. 29. With seating capacity enlarged and spot modernized throughout. National burly reopens this week with all-stage show, only one in De- troit. John Kane is producing, bills changing every Friday. Wheel shows, billed as half vaude and ditto burlesque, are m.c.d by Tony Romano and currently head- lining show is Steflfe, with Billy Ainsley topping 'Cocktails of 1939' revue. Bombay sends a cool tip to NEW YORK Btrm tSM Ml aunt ttront Im the tropics, I tall, cool JohaoM Walk«.r and Soda 18 a farorite drink. Try it whea th« mercury climbs. There's no finer Wliisl^ than Scotch and Johnnie Walker is Scotch at its smooth, mellow best It makes a grand summer driokl b't Stmibh tt Stick wkh Johnnie ff^LKER BLBNDMO SCOTCH THISKr CAtlAM MT •NMH All, INC., NIW YOMC, M. T.. tOll IMPOKIM* Ktd Ltbd 8 7t*n old BUckLabcll2 rcmoM Both a<.i ptoct .15 YEARS AGO* (From Vabieiy) Jack Dempsey was in training for the stage. Champ having his nose bobbed preparatory to launching personals. Frank Tinney was nervous a.i a June bride in his Empire, London, debut, but the comedian got a re- ception that lasted for several min- utes. Which made him more nervous. Lew Cody was glad to hear that Nora Bayes had confirmed rumors of /their engagement. No dale set for the marriage. S: Z. Poll agreed lo settle $50 weekly on Dorothy Aulell, perma- nently disabled when she fell back- stage at Poll's Hartford theatre some years before. Understood the the- atre operator acted at the behest of E. F. Albee. Gilda Cray opened in a new re- vue in Berlin, but the press hardly noticed, her. Show wasn't of much account, anyway. Jack Haley, of Craftji and Haley, signed with Jones and Green for the new Gallagher and Shcan show. Haley walked out on 'Artists and Models' because he was dissatisfied with the juve role. After a long absence from vaude- ville, Houdini was again back or the boards, for the Keith circuit. He had been playing the Chautauqua circuit for some time because he couldn't get together with the Big Time on salary. : New contract situation threatened a national strike situation involving the stagehands, operators and mu- sicians. With Fay Bainter starred and Wal- ter Woolf featured. 'The Dream Girl' was considered likely for a fair run on Broadway, though the same was not true of 'The Best People,' with James Rennie. Saranac Lake By Happy Benway Van Arnam's Merry Makers, first fiesh troupe to hit here this sea- son, held open house for the ailing artists. Irene Castle and Alex Fisher thrilled the Lake Placid natives with new and old dances. Mannie Lowy anticipating Cali- fornia air for the continued ozoning. He's flashing a mean comeback. Rex Davis, ex-circus clown, and Warren J. Warren ogling the ac- tors colony. Ann Baker, of the old Joe Wood troupe, weekended here, helloing the colony. John H. Farrington, West Palm Beach, Fla., here vacashing and ogling his old friends. He's an ex- theatre operator here. Six local night spots are skedded to fold Labor Day week. James Heagney, who saw much ozoning here, perking up nicely. Mrs. Haegney is Dr. George (Will Rogers) Wilson's sec. Town fathers have nixed all fu- ture carnivals, claiming too much gyping. Henry 'Hank' Hearn, from Char- lotte, N. C, reports his last check-up was all on the okay side. Boy did his bit with this colony. Pete Grady, ex-hoofer, who made the grade here and at Rutland Heights, Mass., now a successful news vender in Portland, Me. ^ (Write to those who are 111) 6Mos.toMardeii For Contempt In Gambling Probe Federal Judge William H. Barrett in New York yesterday (Tuesday) sentenced Ben Marden, operator of the Riviera, the N. Y. area's No. l roadhouse, just across the George Washington bridge in Fort Lee, N. J., to six months in the penitentiary for contempt of court. Marden had re- fused to answer questions of assist- ant district attorney Jerome Doyle, which sought to establish whether the night-club operator ran a gam- bling establishment on the Riviera site, prior to two weeks ago, when the Federal investigation started. Marden was released for 10 days on $10,000 bail, and if. he decides in that time to answer the question he will be purged of contempt. The nitery operator declared that the reason he did not wish to answer was that-if-his-aivswer" admitted il^" legal operations, he would be subject to prosecution in N. J. On Monday (28), Marden was sum- moned before the special grand jury in N. Y., which is investigating or- ganized crime. The nitery oper- ator, however; refused then to say whether he ran a gambling estab- lishment when questioned on that score. The Riviera is due to fold for the season Saturday (2) niglit, three weeks earlier than usual. The N. Y. World's Fair is believed to be a con- tributing cause to the speedier clos- ing, along with the political factors. Riviera show is headlined by Joe E. Lewis, with Ted Fio Rito the band. Other acts include Rayc and Naldi, Frazee Sisters, Charles Car- rer and a Chester Hale line of 25 girls. Lewis has been set for a run at the Chez Paree, Chica.go, opening mid-October through the William Morris office. Johnny Marvin wrote two songs. 'Old Peaceful River' and 'Way Out Yonder," for Gene Autry at Repub- lic. MYRTILL AND PACAUD Europe's Senaalionnl Flitfire Dancers Barnes-Carrutliers Fairs • Mot.: HENRY J. BECKMANN International Theatrical Corp. Paramount Bldg. New York Best Coffee in England QUALITY INN Leicester Square LONDON, WEST-END Frank Tracy, wishes to announce that he is associated with L^o Salkin of the William Morris agency in booking the Tower theatre and immediate territory. 610 Law Bldg. Kansas City, Mo. JOE REICHMAN • The Pagliaccio of The Piano AND HIS ORCHESTRA HELD OVER ANOTHER 8 WEEKS EMPIRE ROOM PALMER HOUSE CHICAGO Management: MUSIC CORP. OF AMERICA