Variety (Sep 1940)

S4 HOUSE BBVIBWS Br SAlA X. HUllST St, Louis, Sept 26; , 'St.. Louis Cayalcad(^,': a combo or uu "'".,"'cr7::;,:~\^^^^ PARAMOUNT, N. Y. Ja^ Sduftt; OrcH ^ (16); witH; Bon Bon, Allen DeWitt; At NQnn<in^*th Jerry Lester, Lester Oman, Andreyvs SUters m\ 'Mangers of fortune (par), reviewed in y Jan Savitt's ban^ - and cornedwn^ , „ . jerry Lester, in coTTibinatipn w^^^ equine Toutihe and the Hustries 50- ^^^^ ^^^^ ^g^^i^ up the F;ed ing into their aerial act, the attacK j^j^^j^^^ screen starver in easy on the stockade-at Bad Axe TlveI^ ■ - - ... .-^ x Williani Morris agency, but of New Y6rk, for the benefit of the St. Louis Pension & Charities Asstt.i proved a solid click when it began a fortnight s run in the $7,000,000 Municipal Aur ditorium last week. Seouts from De mate rescue by troopers from, the Jefferson Barracks. Year 1940 is .then brought into the picture, as^the final?, the stage floodlighted and the J^ffer^ son Memorial idea beinS P'^«s®^Ai^ trolt, Cleveland and other midwest Cathedral and Court^ House^oein^ 4ust as able servlc* trpnr Eddie Schcrer, drummer in Joe Pecher s pit orch ■ The Willie West and MqGihty com- pany registers solidly,, as. It has .for years. Theit demonstration of liow hot to put up a building clicks oft rowdy laughs with predsipn and, they close the show with a bang.,. Sara Ann McCabe is a singer with- out fear of the high notes^ and,she trills through 'The South Americail Way' and a Rudolf . Friml- medley without any, trouble. She waves a flag by using 'I Am an American' for 1, Gil and B?rnlce Maispn hoof it ' briefly; but their mainstay is a batch of stunt dogs-who seem to like going through their paces. A non-coopera- tive bull with a sleepy look Provides springboard for several gags. Male Wednesdaj, Seplember 25, 1940 STATE, N. Y. fashion this sti-etch. Savitt and Les^ ter riin neck and neck: for. lead honors; arid the reniaininttuvns. the Andrews trio, marioiiet nnWiipulator Lester Oman and Al Norman,, assist- ant to Lester; aren't, far behind.. ^, Savitt's bandi establishes its worth ■without questiori.from .the first num-'.^ - -w«„ kav ber. an unl^iUed iamiliat piece. th?t ,„ember of act handles pooches bet chtertainmehtidea; the' o.o. view of havihg. siniilar productions presented in their.:-cbmmunitie5^ . • ^ Idea grew out of a powwov^ held between Mayor Bernard F. Dick- ihahn, auditorium manager- James E. Darst, Williarn Moriris; Jr.^ and Lou Wolfson, of the N. Y. Morris office, ly^: -^s"-;-^-iei- ic stage last spring and a contract was signed fects register.^aTC^Danieis is siage fOT Wolfson to supei^ise. Lem Ward, riian^^^^ Lalla Bauiftan did the is preserved as a memorial to Presi dent Thomas Jeffersohi . : ■. : :, ■ T LrrH-Ward's-skillfal^blendinr an* presentation; of the entire prpduetion technique is a combo of motion pic-, tures. radio and th<! dramatic.; Mon- f oe Hackett's lighting and. tripk^ ef- his showmanship in handUng of de- taiils coming through in all depart- ranges from loM^er • to^ more boisterr j ^^^^ y\\3 added chores as in.c. of ous registers; As the outfit goes - throu<5h ; its pace.< its even, strong temnos. pep. bounce and-all-around flexibility T5tarhp -it;.::asone of-the. finest entries In the name-band sweepstakes. , It gets much more chance to show- than the .usual Par stage band due to the limited tmie consumed by each act. Show runs apiproximately 70 minutes; ; Band's two vocalists, Boh Bon tf^ Allen DeWitt, follow one ahpther hiV^shoy^aiia^ Sat^^gbtfeiv Viut of t)^ ihents V :v i pages ;bf ads- further swells : Five local radio gabbers, stationed j charity funds . ; -. -. , ■ In a bobth at a far end of. the :hall, 1 . —^ w« narrate the pantoitiiihic acUpn in the onTR r BUFF hxige arena of the Convention Hall * / ■ Bujflfolo, Sept. 20. Will bsbdmc brch (14); Eme/rold Sisters.: Masters; and RolUnis;. mck ^Stinky' Rogers; 'Ladies Must Mve iahd the shifting of action from one end of the building to the other en- ables the grippersto^ set scenes for those jULst used, without interruption 6£ the action- of distracting, the at- tention of the customers. As one scene is ended the hbuse is darkened and spots take up moire action so far away that no time is lost.: : With a wealth of historical back- ground to choose from, Ward starts nis. pageant with the Si Louis World's Fair in 1904, flashed back to early .pioneer days, bringing the story up to date just before the flnale.The first scene, IThe Pike,' thiS aihuscr -ment lane at the fair, commempratfes of the Louisiana Purchase, with< a Eseudd John Philip Sbiisa leading a and iti the tandem-bteycle, era. The Old Scout and Danny' (Steve Tam-: . many and Barry Miiieah), visitors to the fair; one with experiences of the pioneer days and the lad with his eyis turned to the future, tell this story that unfolds rapidly. To spot the: circtis acts that' abound in thei vcavalcade the story tells of the free acts seen at the fair. These include the Five Fearless Flyers, many clowns. Mile. Lalage; the Christiahi Troupe, Roscoe Anderson & Co., and the Sensational Hustries. All the warblin.«f stints, except for Vegro spirituals in the fShow Boat' scene in the second act, are carriec by Walter Casset baritone; and Leone Foley, sopranoV and they V store ail the way through. They first do 'Bicycle Built for TwO.V from the center of the arena while 24 gals, togged in the bike dress of the 1904 p^iod, ride bicycles through In- tricate formations. Froni the World's Fair the action shifts to the Pony Express days, a; flashback, as St, Louis was a depot for ihe. express riders in the, pioneer ; days- of 1860. The sighing of the treiaty with France In 1803 for the, Iturchase of the Louisiana territory, ts ratification in Congress, and St. Louis being under three flags (Soan- ish, French and American) all in one day form the basis for tableaux Eresented on. the stage under bril- ant lights. At a fur trappers' celc: , bration, Cassel wins a salvo With his warbling of "Let's Drink,'; and Bud and Rosa Carlell, whipcrackers, and the Christian! troupe gives an ex- hibition of its routines. . A pantomime Of . the volunteer biicr - Trkei- brigade method of fighting- flres furnishes the basis for displayinc; the progressive stepis made in flre-flght- Ihg, with the volunteer pump com- panies yielding to, modern abpatatus Motorized Are pumpers, ambulances, police apparatus, etc., all of ■Which ■ respond to present-day alarms, are driven into the. arena with .sirens • w:ide open and a short pahtorhime :0f what each does/ > . ; Tom Mix, still a fave, wins Ova- tions when he rides into the arena on Tonyj giving ah exhibition of •shooting skill as a preliminary to a ; . irouhfJup,. bulldQgging, roping, etc., ' of John A. Guthrie's, cowboys. Aftier Intenhissiorir; the program resumes with a'seenfr of the showboat..,Mary Lou, a chapter in Missiissippi River steamboat history,, ■ with Negroes , ' singing ...spirituals, a cakewalk . rou- tine hy the line (24) and some more . " excellent warbling by Cassel ahd Miss Foley, their . numbers .. being Stephen Foster's 'Jeanie: With the Light Brovm HairJ arid 'Beautiful Dreams.* :-■ The convention to discuss the pro- posed railr<?ad: from the Mississippi ' to the Pacific Ocean in 1849 Is an- other tableau on the stage and the holdup of the St. Louis Midland railroad train by Jesse James and, his gang follows. When this scene blacks; out, a tableau of James' grave and tombstone at Kearney* ;Mp., is pre- isented oin the, stage. . The action shifts to the disastrous tornado in 1896 which took several ; Four Holly wobd Blbndes open the bill with fast roller-skating stunts which- seem most. Gals, are all lookers, . .. . Biz. only fair Saturday (21), but sultry weather hit attendance.^ Milton Berl&, Kitchen Pirates Ginger Harmon^ Four- Step :Bros ' 'Prld^ and Preiuiice' {MrG), '. Although Will Osborne's slide band is very mUch in the milieu^ of this house, it looks as if the management: embarked upon an economy program in booking the attraction. Against the stiff competition in stage shows which Is in evidence, along the local main stem this season, a production like this can hardly be expected to hold up: Outside of the band per- sonnel, there are only two ac^, neither of which can rightfully be classed as features. Masters and RollihSi with songs, dances and patter, are hardly for a deluxe presentation. The Emerald Sisters labor through .a good, fast knockabout, turn and are about as much .of a hdvelty as the show has to deliver. Staging is; nondescript: production and lighting are only adequate. A brassy band opening is followed by 'Smile Again,' slippery for the trombis, and Osborne's baritoning of •Blueberry Hill,* with the full band blowing 'Breeze and I' at the wmd- up,; Dale Jones resurrects 'Nobody' to .good advantage, arid Tuxedo Junction' is a blaring showpiece for the reeds and drums; Swinging of. 'Hungarian Rhapsody'. is also ,okay; The. group's travestied imitations of famous radio bands hit the neak spot of the proceedings, with theif bur- lesque waxing plenty wide and hot, Dick Rogers, ominously underlined in the advertising as 'Stinky/ hardly lives lip to the billing, but the title conveys a pretty good idea of his contribution. Rogers is No. t pianist with the band; biit his outstanding offering is his dueting 'With.JoneS Of his own '18th and 19ui on Chestnut Street.' House at supper , show opening day (20) was thin,. ;, : Burton.. STRAND, SYRACUSE Svraciise, S(ept^20, Don Cummings, Nellie . Arndut and BrotherSi Roy Davis, Barr and Estes, Wintir Sisters (3); Myron Levee House Orch; ^Millionaires in Pris<fn' .fRKGQ -ond- -' H d u n ted - House (Morio). Novelty, spices the current Strand offering, and while Cab Cialloway was tops here last week; thfe audir< encei. at: this! catching, .showed com- plete approval for: the switch in the type of shoiW. Largely^: this is; due to Don Cumiivings, persoriable, smooth and good for. plenty of laughs as he doubles in the emcee role. : ^ Show loses, little tinie moving into ^high' as it -bpiehs; With Nellie Arnaut and Brothers; ^ Their dahce and aero-- bats while; fiddling - Eiway went. big. But then 'they give . the . customers' plienty more; by 'coming but in feath- ered eostumes for a clever whistling-, dialog'routine; ■ ; -.'-X . Roy .Dayis. does, what, for Syracuse, aitleast, is , a new. stunt,. a riOvelty billed as 'Phony Graff,' It's a papr tomime routine in which he uses a portable recbrd-player. The discs do. all . the. isinging while .Davis goes through the. motions, ranging from Al Jolsori ,in 'SOnny Boy' to Bbhriie Baker in 'You'd Be SurprJsied.' Click stuff.- ■ ■ >;.f ^ :■: The ■ Bari* and. Estes dahce carica^ tures. are kind of old by now,. but the gag of the guy riding the.crowded street car is done so. well that it gets over big. ^. Cummings fills a spot with some gags and. then, goes into some rope: tricks, a la Will Rogers. The gags leave Will's laurels unsullied. But it's all done very smoothly. the tweeri the leadbff Lester Oman turn and Lester: It isn't usual to bunch vocalists; the spot they hold js prac- tically the only one possible for them. Bbrt Boh does four^ tunes. DeWitt two, the colored singer clicking easily with .^Nagasaki,', the cbntroversiial 'WPA' and a fast 'Um^ brelia ! Mail,' . with this iaudience Teeoghizing: and highly appreciating '720 in the Books' particularly. H? has to intro Savitt's neat writing of •Kansas City Mbbd* to get off. De- Witt goes over with th(«- femme con- tingent, but his handling of 'I'll Never Smile Afrain ■. and 'Fools Rush In' is only sp-so, ' ■ '' Oman foUowS: the band's show- opening number. His .handling' of various puppets, in full view of the audierice, but with a small spotlight on_ the. dollis alpne,_ which_ confines attention to them, is clever and: well worth the returns garrieredi Initial attempt is with two colored doHsior a shag dance, next a skater to Vien- hese music, a phosphorescent skele- ton that provides laughs, and a clos- ing flower-selling bid lady working to the tune 'Little Old Lady.' The illusions, are perfect.: Act-gets im- mense hielips Irpm the Savitt musical jacking, top, .'. Lester Just finished as a summer replacement, with Tommy Dorsey's band; for the Bob Hope Pepsodent radio show. HiS^ zanyisms are-fast and hoisterous, so fast that at a Couple of points when caught he had to stop and wait for his audience to fcatch up. It's hard to describe everything he dbes; in fact, it's impossible^ but suffice it to say that it clicks 100%. Most of it is plain nutty, but of a sort to get howls. Thing like 'Punch Drunk Baritone* and interpolations of 'Ole Man River' and 'Roamin' in the Glpamin,' with inserted cracks and business, are strbng. ' , ' . Nbrman is on. with Lester and solo, but is really ah act in himself. Starts with a dance rbutine that alternates between soft-shoe and jitterbug. Fpriiier is a mixture of tapS and ec-. centric hbofing,'while the latter ex- hibits a pair of rubbery pins that win laiighs; Guy's educated feet air ways seem oh the .verge of tangling; they trip So. fast. Lester joins for a comical subway straphanging bit and the pair do a dance diio to finish. Commanding arrangement of a Rach- maninoff piece by the band'precedes the Andrews Sisters. Vocal trio are on their fifth trip at this house, and prove inconsistent, in' comparison to their other show- ings, here. .Beginning with a so-sb arran'gemehrbf 'Fe'frybbat Sere^ the trio roll through 'Pe-e-SOOD,' 'Rhumboogie,' from their recent film, 'Beer Barrel Polka;' on demand, and ?Beat Me Daddy.'. Second; and last two are the : most effectively deliv- ered; the others seemed to lack .the punch that the trio Vis - able to get into, for instance; their, writing of, 'Beer Barrel.' Neatly costumed, trio ride the elevator into: the pit-with Savitt, vocalling his 'It's a Wonder- ful World'theme. Wood. FLATBUSH, B'KLYN Jimmy Dorsey Ovch ioith Helen O'ConneH, Bob Eberte, Aud^M Cbrley, More Bollero, Ghucfc ond CKucklcs; Sh6ris arid Neiosrecls, ADAMS^ NEWARK Nctijdrlc, N, J,; SepU Zi. Joe Penner with Dick Ryan arid Joe. Dcvling; . Willie West- and Mc Ginty (i) . Sara, . Ann McCabe; Git and^Bernice Matron, Four Hollywood Blondes,, Joe Fecher's House . OrcH; 'Money and the Woman' (:WB)» ... ProgramvW.irids up with the three' hundred ilvS.' made more vivid by i blonde Winter Sisters in some jianc- an airplane Ian blowing clouds of - ing acrobatics, The tumbling is well- dust and toppling over a paper mache, executed and builds up to^a elimax ° building; Atterwards the storir, Avith some full twisters and oAe and shifts iSick. tpThpi V^orUfs; Ffite with > half twisters that,spoi;ed.heayUy. the ChrlstianU back for attotherl ( 5o^^ : The Adams mahagemerit gets only ho-hum ri^sults this week in passing up tempprarily. its previous :policy of having a name band oh bill, although all five acts do fairly well. Name brch on staipe Seems tb lend class to shows in this house. ' , ' Joe penner gets marquee rating. It's old-home week fbr hirn. He de velbped .much of .his stiifi when a Newark fixture back in boom days, before radio and the. flickers carried him to top. . The pattern of his oi- fering remains unchanged ~ some two-way gags, a couple of comic songs and a restaurant skit Cus- tomers thought it Was o.k. Dick Ryan and Joe Devling are straights arid latter, as hard-boiled waiter, does the riibst Vrork. Comedian gets The Flatbiish, which teed up its winter season of vaude plus shorts and newsreelS last week ^ with the Sally Rand revue arid Art Jarrett s orchestra, has built its current sho^ around Jimriiy Dorsey's band. With a few minor exceptions it s all first- rate entertainment, arid It proved very likable tia a cpirifortably flued house when ciught opening night (Thursday). \ . . . ; .„ Dorsey's band is fresh from a healthy rbad trip, Which has re- fleeted heightened interest in the outfit successive click recordings of The Breieze and V 'Madame La- Zbnga* and others, have done much to eiriphasiz^ respect Jor. the organi- zation. Occupying the major portion of the 75-minute presentation here, the band proves that its spurt was no accident. It is an outfit that has improved considerably in musical stature, and its leader has changed from a deadpan instrumentalist to a smiling, aflfable m.c. . . : . Group is carefully rehearsed, made up of solid brass and sax sec- tions and based on good tempoes Its only drawback,: and Hn annoying one, is the cymbal emphasis of its drummer. Buddy Shutz. He's a capable skiri beater, but at this catching was; entirely too loud and seemed . most of the -. time tb think that his setup consisted of only bass drum and brassware. However, there can be no argu merit with the band's work other_ virise. It's a top aggregation and its arrangements of pops or novel- ties are among the best. At this showing it clicked on 'John: Silver, an old but remade and imprbvei writing; 'On the Trail,' featuring brisk trombone 'passages by Nat Lebovsky; ^Man and His Drums, spotlighting. Shutz, and Dorsey's standard 'Flight of Bumble Bee* sav- ing. Each one of the tunes, includinf those dbne by Helen O'Connell am Bob Eberle. are treated to specia' lighting tricks, which, with the light ing of the band's stands, etc., rates a nod. Of the two vocalists. Miss O'Con nell is on first following Audrey Corley, opener. She does first 'Prac- tice Makes Perfect,' follows it with •Hep-tu Hootie,' and 'Madame La- Zonga' arid -All of Me' as encores Latter could easily have been relegated at this catching. She go': off badly and fioundered all through its lyrics. Eberle is the star bf the layout and rates it; his handling o:! 'Where Was I,' 'I'lJ Never Smile' and the expected 'Breeze' is as faultless as a foggy public address system al- lows. Burlesque of Bonnie Baker and 'Oh, Johnny,' dated, but over nicely, and .'Body, and Soul* serve for encores. - Eberle. works between Marc Bal lero and Chuck and Chuckles. Miss Corley, up front, a type of act that'; growing in popularity. She's a batbn twirler-tapstress, coriibiriirig the two at the, outset, then tapering to . the polished stiek, backed by martia music. Her handlirig of the baton is neat; though she was nervous : when caught. Finishes tbssing two batPris at a time. - Ballero has little tiouble setting his . impersonations. , He's ■ been around for some time and seems to have enlarged his repertoire. He used quite a few of them here. Starts with Fred Allen and lets that voice handle the intros of the others, which include Edward G, Robinson, good; Ned Sparks, ditto; Bing Crosby singing 'I Have Eyes,' so-so; Wallace Beery, Charles Boyer, Rochester, Henry Armetta, Joe E. Brown, Donald Duck, Jimmy Durante, Eddie Cantor, all conisistently accurate in voice, and mannerisms. On the n.s.g. side are Ronald Cblriiari, Jack Benny; Ted Lewis and Harry Rich- man; But gpt solid returns: Chuck and Chuckles, colored turn, have also ^ been around, i Both are pretty active with taps and mix it up to include gags and a bit of xylo- phone pounding by one of them. Latter also does a Stepin Fetchit takeoff at the outset Wood. Milton Berle sounding off; 'I went oyer to see Al Jolson ('Hold On to Your Hats') and laughed so hard that I drbpped my pencil and paper.' Anyone who can tap himself ijn referring to his supposed former frailty has a true sense of humor, and Berle's got it. ■ - ■ . About four months ago this ani- mated y comedianrmaster of cere- ' monies . played Locw's Broadway ■ house and had 'em all laughing. He's doing it again and the final stage show on the opening night (19) was jammed to the hilt plus. ;; He Is working through the 60- minute , bill of four turns. It's'not exactly a onermari show,-; but it seems that no. matter how gbod the . supporting .turns.may lie,_they are:, really his stooges. Berle starts and finishes the show, after a scries of. phoney but rather funny headlines ■ from rion-existent dailies are. flashed Pn the screen Such as: 'Gone With the Wind' is closing at Astbr. Milt Berle is opening at the State.' More Wind.' : 'Coiriic ojpened with- remarks about coiiscription; saying he would be glad to be drafted, if they 'let my mother go along with me.' He bursts ; into song, lyric being 'If It's Good Enough for Uncle Sam,' It's Good Enough for Me,' which blends into 'I'm an Ariierican.' Some of the gags fell flat as for instance that about gbing to dine 'six touches away from the theatre' and ;^ when they didn't giggle he wanted to knbW if there was a jury or an audi- ; erice out front Berle didn't ' have much to do with the Kitchen Pirates, ormerly called the Stuart Morgan >ancers. It is a crack adagio quar- tet, one of the best on the boards, with a rbutine that is as daring as any. Longest clowning by Berle with ah. act starts with the entrance of Ginger . larmon, whom Berle calls 'a mat- zbth ball of dynamite.' Peppy little - songstress starts with 'Do I Loye You,' seconds with a long version of Old Man Mose' arid dUring a, partial ull in Berle's clowning gets over The Nearness of You/ While she gives* the ever-acting comic is down in the pit if riot , dancing'iri the center aisle. - But B^rle isn't through yet. After the Foiir Step Brothers. Harlem's contribution to George White's most recent 'Scandals,' go through most of their routine, he joins up .for more laughs. Colored hoofers are rhythm tappers, and all have some? thing on the ball, either iri ensemble or solp. More specialties come with Berle the flfth member. First is called the steamboat (also identified as 'shine the shoes'); then followed the sailboat, tugboat arid rowboat. Berle shows his hoofing stuff and is pretty good lor a guy with his build.. He calls his routine the ferryboat. While the comic has new stuff of his own, he has neglected to flnd a new gag for mom (Susannah) and something should be done about it. They caUed Berle back after he gave a version of 'Six Lessons'and another medley. In other wbrds. Variety's mugg columnist is a wow. Ibee. ORIENTAL, CHI Chicajjo, Sept 21. Tommy Tucker Orch with Amy Arncll, Don Brown; Lewis ond Von. Joe May and Co. (2), Ross Sisters (3); 'Mysteery Sea Raider' (For). TheyVe provided a pretty good little show here currently, with plenty of entertainment and with the Tommy Tucker orchestra rating as of considerable boxbffice importance at present. Latter figured as par- ticularly suitable for this audience^ which went for the riovelty stuff. The novelty, which includes com - edy tunes identified with the Tucker band, smashed: over this mob and indicated that it would do the same . anywhere. . It points to the need of ., orchestras playing theatre dates for riovelty numbers instead of straight musical iteriis. It makes for stage eritertainment. • In. addition, the Tucker band has straight pop nuriibers, but they were singularly less appealing to this; mpp than the comedy tunes. Don Brown sings most of the pops and manages them satisfactorily. Amy Arnell has a couple of pops also and one of the riovelty tunes. . Of the acts, the big clicks were the three Ross Sisters, who have an array of dcrobatic and semi-contor- tion stunts which are Surefire any- where, any time. They do some ter- rific backbends and leg^twisting. A couple of Slow spots might be elimi- nated, but generally the act is play- able at all times. Dancing turn of Lewis and Van open the specialty portion with satis- fying taps. Work on the small steps Is effective arid they finish strong with a rousing fast challenge that sent them over solidly, with the cus- tomers. Jbey May and* hiS fcmme foil have some crossfire that occa- sionally ignites into some laughs. , Biz okay last show Friday. (20). . ■ ■ Gold.