Variety (Feb 1941)

54 HOUSE REVIEWS Pfr&IETY Wednesday, February 5, 1911 ■ By ABEL GREEN..;, . .., . Havana, Jan.' 25; .. Ernesto Smith, who, despite! his surname, is an authentic Cuban, is the No. 1 exhibitor here, and has been agitating for a comeback of vaudfilnv Idea. is .to force U. S\ film rentals 4own> create new employ r . merit for Cuban talent arid, in geh-. eral, possibly effect a resurrection of stage shows. However, as many of the topflight niterles and hotels in Havana have since found out, it's top difficult to book the local spots, al- ready, in existence Without adding to the problein. . Reason for this is that as soon as anything worthwhile clicks in Cuba,' either-the TJ. ,S. or the other Latiri-Airierican countries gobble it up. a forbidding "exterior,- with a very drab • lobby that: Would, sharne any 8th avenue (N.Y.) iridic exhib. They don't ..go for the Rbxy tinsel in. the lobbies^ that goes, too, for the.homes l which, however, on : the inside are usually colorful' with , inviting./pa- tios, greenery, etc., but you'd ;never know it from the outside. . ;'.-. Aribther mistake Ernesto Smith, and. , perhaps all downtowri Havana exhibs. makes, is stepping down the sound on films; Theory is that they read the Spanish subtitles arid don't savvy the Anglais anyway, but, sur- prisingly^, mahy natives know Eng- lish.' and, of course, the tourist Amer- inahs-rate some '-consideration, since they. dpn't jive the Espagnol,.:yet can t read the subtitles. Furthermore, both Americanos, and .Cubanas are. It's for that, reason, for. example,i trying^ to lcarh a riew language more that the big league. hotels like the Hotel .Naciohal arid, the^gaming ca- sinos must irriport Americairi talent, although that's riot considered a. wise: idea in view of the fact that the tourists come to Cuba in search of congrarhumba talent,- The sad truth of the matter is that, thei-e : is more, worthwhile Afro - Ciibana talent; around New York, Miami and other key cities than inT the entire'.repub- lic, ..- - ' ■':'.'■■{■; The freak, of -this particular show ; ■ at the Alkazar, operated by Smith,, is its frank commercial tieup with La Cadena Crusellas, which gets pro- grain billing: as - presenting' Tito th. n .n, ever nowadays, - Two: shows a day; 'matinee' at 6- p., m, and the second . show, at 9:30/ SHEA'S, BUFFALO v Buffalo, Jan. 31. . ' ■. Phil Spitaliiy Orch with Evelyn, Vivian, Mafy ] McLanahan, Three Liir Johnnie Coy, June Lor-: Singing. Strings;'*FouY tie. Words, raine,. Max; Mothers';( As if there were any room for argu- CMjfcar inl;ieup.^ Jabon ' ment; Phil Spitalny is . again demon Candado (soap), which also manufac- «♦*»♦-"- ♦»<•♦■■•»-■■»«»- ™.«™»» »n tures the Cuban version of - Palm- olive. Candado is the washing soap which gives an idea of the humble mass appeal that. Guizar must cater-to. ■ He got $5,000 for two weeks; in exchange.for which he did two com- mercials daily on CMQ arid COCQ for Candado soap, besides ptersonal- ing at the Teatro Alkazar. Here he got 7.0% of the ; gross, fantastic 'Gone With the Wind terms, to be sure, . but actually not much in money arid, besides, it's considered a great hypo for' this otherwise secondary vaud- filmer, which plays Monogram dual- " ers.and the like.. Guizar, however, proved quite a local wow. • The unusual of havirig the kids throw their autograph al- burns, on the rostrum—yes, thev have autograph hounds here also—and then clamber on the stage to besiege the.: singer, are deemed quite a per- sonal tribute to any star's popular- ity. It doesn't happen too often. Guizar, who is well known in the V. S. through his radio buildup, feeds - 'em surefires, in Spanish, of course, such as 'South. of the Border,' 'Rancho*.Grande,' etc., and whams 'em. He dresses nattily in. tropical tux and uses his self -guitar accomp only toward the end for the rnore ro-. mantic serenades. Coban Jive strating that his 'Hour of Charm' all- : girl orch .is. still the leading gal band. Here is One orch presentation that's off the beaten path and which, in talent, costuming . and general decor, offers something different for jaded pictureshow palates, aided considerably by Spitalny's smart showmanship. . ... ; For his current visit, maestro' is eiriploying 22 instrumentalistsTi' a seven-violin sectiori, two pianos, three. comets, three sax-clarinets* tromb, tuba, harp, xylophone, guitar, bass and. drums. Mary McLanahan is on. the skins arid does a job which ■many male beaters may well envy. The girls are simply-gowned and the distipctive femininity of the offering is highlight for the most'effective re- sults. Opening with 'In the Mood,' band , slips into an original drum concerto in the boogie-woogie idiom, givirig Miss McClanahan an opportunity to pound out a slick mess of drum rhythrn. Tennessee Tish Fry' intro- duces a new. vocalist, who, like her now retired predecessor; is also named Maxine. She is a smart look- ing brunet who' gets the mpst out of her solo and choral, work with the Glee Club and Three Little Words. . Johnnie Coy, the only male mem- ber of the act "besides Spitalny, offers an intricate tap routine, fitting well into the proceedings. Band's ■Bolero;' which' follows,; is neatly novelty, the gang playing the show briskly and well. If Venuti would dress the boys in uniforms arid out- fit them, too, with bandstands, they'd be even more impressive ffom the : visual standpoint. .' Show is generally, well paced; ; 'Free-'Wheeling,' Venuti's own com- r position, is, a scorching starter. Fine '.pipes,.-..looks.''.and okay diction en- hance Don . Darcy, : vocalist,- who .scores'witha-couple of pbp numbers, finishing.strongly-, with impressions of Bing Crosby. Kate Smith and Guy. Lpmbardo. doing? 'Oh, Johnny.' Ruth Barnes, cute. tricter In' strik- ing blue and . silver garb that in- cludes - tightfltting Jtrousers.' con- tributes some unusual and difficult tapping heir one-foot routines and endurance stirring; plenty of re- sponse out front.- 'A Musical Cockr ; tail' is a novelty band number, per^ mitting brief, soloing by the various musicians. Show is tied -up in; knots early' by Miss Starr,.: aces as ' a swing. song- stress: Her animated 'and expres- sive selling of 'Five O'Cipck Whistle,' 'My Blue Heaven' and *I Cvy; Over You? left, the custorners : begging for riiore/ Then- Barrett Deems, the torrid drummer, has > an inning, 1 pounding away effectively with' the sticks on a- chair::. ''- : •■•".'' Th6 Three; Stpbges ; baveh't gone to the expense or trouble to build an act. But they're, the . only comedy. On the bill. They work lackadaisical- ly and briefly, depending mainly on .the, slapstick stuff for fairly good laughs. ". ; ;-.;' ; -0 V... ; It's rib trick at all for the .Andrews Sisters, • local ites,. .to follow the Stooges.! They received ..warm wel- come from the outset and generated by far the greatest audience enthusi- asm of any act on the bill. Their nifty harmony makes such numbers as -'Ferryboat . Serenade,' 'Beat Me vDaddy,' . ?Rhumbo0gie' and ' Apple Blossom.Time' a real-experience lor those whose tastes run to swing vocalizing. They're .. great. -. show closerSi with the custome'rs'unable/to get enough arid plenty noisy in their efforts to bring the gals back for more. A well-filled lower, floor at the second afternoon performance open- ing day. Rees. STATE-LAKE, CHI Chicago, Feb. 1. Burnett Sc Parks. (3). Jackie Heller, Merle, Duval and Lee r Sid Tomack and Reis Bros. (3), Solly Rand, Dorothy . Hild Girls (16), Walter Davidson ;and. House Oreh; 'Legion of Glory' (Col). The Riverside Orchestra (12) is ah' ^ ->-.—• r - , - --- — - iZ . odd .native , combo Which; while' !; done., .segued^ by Evelyn's^. n^fty known in South and Central Amer- | viohning of .'Breeze and I,' straight lea." and. also locally.- is quite 52d i and, with . variations; .and 'Never street in its Cuban jive. It's, strong • Smile Again.' backed by the Sing- on swing, and seemingly. has-Well i in g Strings, violin section. She rates assimilated bounceapation. Four brass, three reeds, string bass, piano, drums and. guitar make for an ex- ceedingly torrid crew in this basic- ally torrid clime. The pianist is es-, pecially in the groove, and make be- lieve these daiquiri dolls and dad- dies don't dig solid-Jackson music. Ari exceptionally good combo is the Mexican Trio, a very photogenic ,-gal, her brother and another man,- \yith unusual native Mexican dances, of peasant and rancherb genre. They double into the local Tropicana, new outdoor nitery, under same manage a special bow also for her hovel and striking arrangements; . Comedy of Three Little Words is questionable, particularly the corny hokum. On the melody Side, how- ever, their efforts are more accept- able, especially. Tavern iri the Town' and their encore trickrtitle medley. June Lorraine clicks with her im- personations of ■ Charles Laughton and Edward G. Robinson and her finale of the '1001 Nights,' a la Hep- burn and Durante, is uproarious, Vivian holds down the closing spot. a oeak of the performance. Aside ment as the established Eden : Con- ; from her highly personable appear- cert, downtown nitery around the j ance, striking blonde has a superla- comer from Sloppy . Joe's. Serior I tive soprano. Does the j 'Bell Song' Correa took over .an estate in Mat- ; from 'Lakme* in facile; fashion and ..„. ,,,ui~Y. ,.,i*u „ anzes. away from downtown Havana, closes the preceedings with a smash ' ffisS^w^-^^ r ^- ^/ which for two years was the home rendition of 'God Bless America,' iTt^ „ d J 0 ^ e i, S ^ of the U. S. Embassy; that gives -the - Glee Club, instrumentalists,'J ^^tl^nf^ w an idea-of the attractive Tropicana.: special backdrop and; even the. audi- .;l n «^W W i*- °!j £ r Sally Rand b back, again at the scene of her original ; triumphs, and despite the passage of a few years, she. continues to wield a powerful wand over' the. wicket. Week has gotten away to a fat start and indi- cates one of the best money sessions here in a long while. Miss Rand remains a glamorous item for the showgoers and currently is holding them at attention while she comes up with the fan and bub-, ble dances. Little has changed in either of, these two- numbers, and there is no reasori for any change, because Miss Rand has routined them to the hilt. A change of note is the replacement of the song 'In : The Shadows,' with'which the Rand fan dance was identified for so lonf;. She can come back here repeatedly arid be assured of boxoffice response. Also' well-liked is Jackie Heller, the little guy with a big voice.. He m.c's this show. and. handles the as- signment niftily. Delivers solidly on. the tonsils, too. Has a varied vocal routine that was highly pleasing to this mob. Opening are acrobatic Burnett arid Parks. Two men and a girl start with some fine , skating and wind Up with hand-to-hand work and tum- bling. Girl has a tumbling specialty' STATE, N Y, , James Barton, Kilty Carlisle, Dixie, Dunbar with Four Rhythmettes, Frank Paris, Knight Sisters (2), Lew Parker urith.Std Gold, Ruby Ziberl* trig Orch; 'Comrade X' W-G). It's bid home-ween'at the State for legit expatriates. There are three of them, topped by James Barton, who, however, long before the days of 'Tobacco Road,' was: a vet vaudeyil- lian.:. Others are Kitty Carlisle, last seen on Broadway in 'Walk With Music,' and Dixie Dunbar, who was in 'Yokel Boy.' All three, incident- ally; have: done Aim work. With two other acts arid m.C; Lew Parker reigning -the: proceedings, the com?, binatipn adds up to a fairly enter- taining session; ; Barton, to, at least part, of the au- dience wjio've seen his turn count-, Jess' times, must turn out to. be a bore—although paradoxically it's the audierice's.. own fault.' He ! r forced by. shouts from-the. house; to db exA aclly the same thincrs he's been doing for years—'The. Mad Dog/ 'Anna-, belle Lee* arid the. others. With a tremendous repertoire to draw frpm. Bar tori himself must be weary ■ of: the lengthy routine of the drunk •bit- ten, by. the irhaginary pooch. He Would do well, to avoid it unless ab- solutely forced into it—as he is here; Otherwise he's as sock an entertainer as. everi and . that goes for his nifty tap terps and warbling of 'Annabelle Lee.'. - .-. : ■< ■ ■,. ..Throaty cOntrailo. Kitty Carlisle- clicks well bri the more pperatic- type of stuff, only so-so on the pops. That's eviderit from-Ferryboat Ser- enade,' witlj which she tees off, and a light operatic medley- which is No. 2. 'There'lr Always Be an England,' with which she winds'.up. is interest- ing, has appeal arid is well done. She's quite a looker in low-necked scarlet .couturiering. . Givirig Dixie Dunbar, a quartet of tajl guys iri tails as tapstering back- ground, is an excellent idea that makes her appearance a heap sight ihore of an event than were she a single, although there can be no c.omplaiht about Miss Dunbar's top rank ; as' either a .terper or an- eye- appealer. ; Boys,, billed as Four Rhythmettes, work in nifty precision with the tiny hoofer and their conga line finale with her is a' pip.. frank Paris and., his marionets have .become bretty much standard Paris continues'to work in full view, of the audience, dressing completely in black, however, against a dark stage with the dolls spotlighted. There are still Sonja Henie. skating around at the end of Paris's strings for excellent results, arid the rhurhba dancer^ Two new figurines are also introduced: One. the. ostrich from Walt Disney's 'Fantasia.' is weak, while a jitterbug dancer'is one of the best. . Parker Is the average well- grounded introducer, handling -the buildups well and Keeping the per- formance moving expediently. He adds a bit on his own hook— r idiosyncracies of restaurant diners— which, is much like a Paul Ger.rits turn. Parker carries, with him a stooge, Sid. Gold, who works with a. auartet of musicians from Ruby Zwerling's hous; band (they're on the stage) in a mild comedy bit. ; \ Knight Sisters, attractive dub, open the . presentation, with ;acfo-terping that wins approval of - the : house. Also garrter laughs in a hunk of tom- foolery with Parker in whibh they balance on his thighs. It makes for a pleasing getaway; House w_ell filled when caught. Herb. PARAMOUNT, N Y. locale. Now an outdoor patio. setr | -en^e jbihing. Big : b.o. ting the Eden show doubles into the { . _ i Tropicana. with exception of the- supper show j . Mexican Trio which, because of its ' i current . Alkaiar..: ,booking, only j doubles into the one joint. Act has f ; been at the N. Y. World's Fair; ajso. ',.; at El Chico, Havana-Madrid and La Gonga in New ; York, but is better than ever and ripe for a shiart nitery |.i like the Rainbow t Roorri. N.; Y„ .the ff; Waldorf-Astoria, where Antonio: and S-i Rosario did so'well, or the.M".rti'ri- |« ique'. They:-hail from El Patio, 4 Mexico City* Staart OK for Locals at . o|)ening day's (31) Burton.. ORPHEUM, MPLS. ; specialty can assume greater im 1 portance. Two men are also ex- cellent with their hand-tb-hand work, arid: especially click with their work on a harid-pple, the top-mounter do- ing some, fine spins. Act. is [basically , a topflight acrobatic turn and with proper, dressing and handling cati go far. .-•;.• :.::, . •': ;' :"•;■■ When they, finally:; decide upon a ■ Minneapolis, Jan.: 31. joe Venuti. Orch (14), Don Darcy. Rui/i. Barnes.-' Kay Starr,. Barrett routine, Sid' Tbhiack and .the.:Reis Deem$, .Three Stooges, Andrews Sis- ters (3); 'Second Chorus\ (Par). Bros. are jfbing to be a :walloping I comedy trio. As they, stand now they indicate inherent ability, • but This show is loaded with both box- they are still wandering arbuhd with _ -office arid entertainirient. dynamite, but- a. real plan of comedy attack; Dblng T a~specialty with Vhe band is ' . The' Andrews Sisters, topping the They .have some neat little comedy iiNonhah Stuart, nee Selby when.he ari-ay, in themselves are-probably all: sbn!»s' and some good clowning, but 12.was with Paul Whitemari. Stuart is ' that ariy doctor . would wish tp : pre- they need some identifying routine. 3a versatile, gent, doing a hot song, scribe for b.o. ills; ;hPwever, they're .•'and'-.they can really go frori) there, a hot horn specialty and also a neat bulwarked by Jpe Veriuti!s orchestra ! Duval, Merle' and Lee halted the J acro-dance,all of which, being, of ^"Yankee, idiom, makes it extra good |)for:the. locals who are. more than ii favorably . inclined to and >the. Three Stooges.. Then there proceedings with their laUghi-getting are Fred Astaire. Paulette Goddard, i burlesque on ballroom dancing. Have ATtie Shaw's band, Burgess Meredith! a flock of laughs for the mob anything and Charlie Buttetworth>. 6ri the ' screen. • . . ♦;.':■• With the'Andrews Sisters, Venuti's favorably American^ But the main lure was Guizat .arid he's .of a calibre that is rare either j boys arid Kay Starr swinging out on here or at the other, major -valid- ; all cylinders, the jive addicts en- filmer on the Pradb (main street),.! joy a . Roman. holiday.. Veri'uti the- Teatro : Nacibnal.; Unlike theS emcees, conducts and fiddle's, heing Rartd and sets the stage: nicely.• for jNacional, the Alkazar, while charm- j okay in every capacity.. He has '*: the fan and .bubble Headl'iner, rlrigly decorated on its interior; re- plenty torrid swing outfit; with ef- | •Business' excellent at the supner |«embling a Spanish street scene, it's I fective arrangements; and enough I show Saturday (D*. - Gold: ' throughout and finish with some ne'at; straight adagio which had this au- dience asking for more. . ' Dorothy Hild line is .pn .three times and- turris in capable routines, It's ort in opening prpductiPn for $ally MICHIGAN, DETROIT Detroit, Feb. 2. : •Foliej Bergere' with Gloria Gil- bert, Martels and Mignon, Red, Donahue and Vnp, Karin • Zoskaj SenOr Wences, Carr: Brothers; 'Son of Monte Crtsto' (VA). Since the Shuberts' were; In last fall with their short-lived operettas, the lower-priced trade here hasn't ;had;,as much lush scenery- gals and costumes tossed at theria as 'in, the Michigan's current tab reyuei wrap- ped around conventional vaudeville acts. Stage shows, in the: picture houses: here' have been running to bands and acts working on pit stages; present, showi sinking back into full stage and- providing all the: triirri- •mings,^is being well received. Male trade running heavy for this bill, full of lookers In the line and among the showgirls, plus lavish sets.: Drew nice response here on the pro- duction, numbers, particularly the Undersea and ballet sets; : .Karin Zciska does'her Russian sit- down strike dancing, well enough re- ceived, but she disappoints dir.eri- •c.ore„ Following are Red Donahue and his mule, garnering a few laughs with their familiar routine. -..■After- the elaborate uhder^the-sea number, Senor Wehces, .with his ven- triloquist turn-arid his juggling neat- ly combined, goes over. Extreriiely. well received were Gloria Gilbert. With her swift -toe.' dancing spins: l Martels and Mignon, with their dar- fing adagio tossing, and the Carr- i Bros., with their burlesque acros. I Standing in -lobby at 8 pini. show I caught Sunday (2). - . - : - Pool. Glenn Miller Orch, The Mod- ermires, Dorothy Claire, Ray Eberle, Dean Murphy, Cass Daley) Lane and Ward, Don .Baket at jthe organ; 'Vir- gitiia' . (Par), reviewed. i?i Variety Jan. 15. ■. ■ . A delight of the . jitterobs, Glerin Miller is back here,-for the third time and. again has 'em daridihg in the aisles. ; Troriibonist, seeiriiiigly not the kind of fellow, who warms much to. his audience; may have a screwy arrangement- in . 'Anvil Chorus' and.: some of the. rest, of his wacky, taxi-horn swing rnay not' be to everybody's;taste but majority of, the mobs attracted here go for it, as attested' by the big morning crowds.. . Miller, recently at the Cafe Roiige of the Pennsylvania hotel, features two numbers—'Anvil Chorus' and Tuxedo Junction.' Arrangement of the former is so far afield frpm 'An- vil Chorus' -as. originally composed that.it could be called anything else and the Miller barid would get away with it. On Tuxedo' the ie^-piece orchestra digs deep to break down the resistance, of the j itterbugs, being a, sure-shot thing to prodifce hand- clapping in jungle.;time. ■ Miller Scarries with him Dorothy Claire ann Ray Eberle. soloists, plus the Mbdernaires, a harmony quar- tet, On early, Modemaires do a number, theri. wait for Miss Claire ta feature a couple; Teturnmg- down- stage to work a third with her, 'La Cucarachau* .which gets over' nicely. Miss Claire, novelty swing singer. ; '\s anything but a strong entry. Her voice is so low > she's almost a whis- • per.: y /■•• - v ' . ' Eberle, by contrast, has a very iap- pealing ; softly-toned melodic voice, but. he doesn't put much selling ef- fort into his'-work. . He's alrnost im- mobile all the wav. 'Nightingale Sang; in Berkeley Square.' through the surefire value of his voice/ and that of the song, gets him a quick following, however; He winds up with 'Somebody Else,' done with the Modemaires. Sock of the show is. the dynamic Cass Daley, who has also worked this house before; Robust songs in a thoroughly hovel manricr are what Miss Daley, dispenses, . making faces "as she goes along and contorting her body- into comical poses for effect. The, way' she shows those teeth every now and then adds a lot to her unique, style. . Pictures should be able to use this fine entertainer. Added potency is lertt by Dean Murphy, impersonations, and Lane and Ward, novelty aero dance com- bination. Latter pair have been here before; .they opened Thursday night (30) in. 'Crazy With the Heat,' doub- ling from that show for this engage- ment. A; great little act:' Murphy also has played this house previ. ously. He; is, doing a flock of im- pressions, . very good being his President Roosevelt. One, of Arliss* who's been out of the spotlight a long time,: is dated. ZaSu Pitts also has been overdone. Business very strong oh all shows- but heavier' in the morning, with management havirig decided after the opening day to hold for three weeks.. ,..-■ . Char. EARLE, WASH. . Washington, D. C., Jan. 21.. : . The Stapletovs (2), Fred Sanborn, Roxyettes; and Jo Lombardi Pit Orch; 'Virginia' (Par). Because bf the big doings and con* fusion surrounding the President's Birthday Ball here, house produc- tionist Harry Anger comes up with a short revue this week, depending on the ; Technicolor 'Virginia' to carry the load. , Revue ought to be titled 'All Out for Britain.' Pit orchestra gets the Show tinder way with 'Pornp and Circumstance,' going into lengthy, arrangement of, There Always Be An England,' with Gene Archer Vocallirig. Then • travelers show shallop drop of No. : 10. Downing street. Single lfnegal cornes but to announce \ presentation of line's •'Americanized'; Version of; the,-Eng- lish Johnny,' precision dance made famous by .the Eight .'Tiller .Girls from London. Line comes put in tophats and tails for routine. Same line has done easier- version here previously, and. the riinriber always gets excellent hand.. This .one is, more intricate arid represents a real accomplishment. ,; Linegals fade back for entrance of the StapIetons;vguy and; gal in eve- rilrig dress who go irito straight ball- room routine -for good hand. Then four of the line but in vihite shorts to •introduce stooge and Fred Sariborri, xylophonist with excellent magician- gag sideline that goes over. He's little, short guy with - amiable puss that keeps natrons .chuckling while he goes through two fast numbers on the instrument. After he's off linegals crime oh. tor most effective, routine seen -here in weeks.... All the. gals are . in black, from; head -to foot,< with luminescent painting helping their figures and 'forrhation ori the dark stage. They, work iri four, eights, arid, finally whole line.- Weird effect had the customers sitting on-seat-edges and brought down the house. ; Biz SRO at show caught.