Variety (Feb 1941)

46 HOUSE REVIEWS VARIETY Wednesday, February 19, 1941 MUSIC HALL, N. Y. 'On the Banks of the Sein e/ pro- duced by Leon LeonidofJ, with. Corps de Ballet (32), Les Juvtlys: (2), Henry Caluiiii Choral Ensemble (.36),. Rockettes 136), Earl Lippy, .House Symp/i directed by Enio Rapee; ■'This Thing Called Lore* (.Col),, re- vtcji'Pd !« VAHiEiY-.JDec. .25 i; , ,. Music Hall this week, for the third time in its seven-year history, holds over part of its : show. A* in the two cases previous, both more than five years ago, the extended stay was .instituted, as . the result . of numerous requests,. according to an explanatory program note, : • Numbers held. over are a Senti-. mental French bit, consisting of peasant songs 1 followed, by the/IMar- seillaise' and a repeat of the routine, ■which won the Rockettes a prize at. the Paris Exposition of :1?37. : Ballet is new. Another switch has bal- ancers Les Juvelys replacing, dancer Paul Haakon, * Show follows. the ' same general theme. Last week's was labeled 'The Last Time I Saw Paris' and the present one is 'On the Banks of the Seine.' Ke'rn-Hammersteih . tune, from which last week's. presentation took its name, is repeated .by ;Eafl Lippy and the- choral ensemble to finale the current extravaganza. Show is divided into five, parts on the Paris theme: 'At the Opera,' in . which the ballet turns the. tables. .On, the famed French artisti DegaS, arid dances one of his; paintings; !At ; the Folies Bergere,' ' in which Les Juvelys do: their acrobatics; -'On the Champs Elysees,! in which Henry Calvin and the chorus do the repeti- tion of the peasant songs and the national anthem; 'The Rockettes in Paris' and the 'The Last Time I Saw Paris' finale. Two numbers which ate repeated are well worth that honor. Not only are they . smasho, • .in . themselves, carrying a nostalgic timeliness, but they are excellently produced. Pro-, dueer Leon LeohidofE arid, set- designer Bruno .Maine have outdone themselves. In the 'Arc de Trir omphe' sequence chorus is seen sing- ing the 'Marseillaise,' swinging Its arms in military fashion, with cloud effects projected ori'a scrirh. Lights gradually come up "from behind to reveal that the .men are marching under- the Arc, . while: painted on drop behind them are hundreds of other troops to give the impression of a parade down the Champs Elysees.. '■- 'Rockettes. in Paris' is likewise showmanly presented. It's preceded by a screen prolog explaining the. gals' trip and the prizes they. wbn. This is followed-by newsreel shots of their leayetaking on the He de France, their arrival in Paris, arid finally pictures of them doing the routine which gave them the award. Curtains: break away and lights go up to reveal ih-the-flesh Rockettes doing the number on a replica of the locale in Paris. Routine is some- what more complicated than usual at the Hall, but done with the ac- customed skill. Ballet number is performed against the background of a large replica of a Degas painting. It's ex- cellently done, the 32 girls individu ally and en masse being moved about under the. direction of Florence Rogge to maintain all . the delicacy of a small, intimate group despite the large number of femmes and the tremendous size of the M. H. stage. Juvelys, man and woman, are socko in thrill stuff. Finale has femme balancing on her head on four balls, piled-one on top of the other on the head of the man. Biz opening night (Thursday) just mediocre. .■" Herb.. 'Night and Day' setting her as an outstanding soprano. Taradiddle', gives Cozy Cole a swell spot for his skin beating, which he utilizes to top advantage. The Cab Jivers, Chu Berry in the ,van, grind out their fa-, rhiliar; bounce contribution. Cook and Brown hang, up "a comedy dancing knockabout which, is so fast, flashy ind funny that it looks, impossible to continue; on .this four ^a-dajr. basis.-: Mills Bros, are on in the next-to- closirig niche, their. . trademarked. hdrrriorifzihg bt .'Strawberry Fair.;' 'I. .Hear: :a-. Rhapsody,'. 'Sweet Lucy. Brown' and 'Tell Me Your Dream' drawing strong returns. The entire ensemble' shows up in South Ameri-. Can dress for a congarhurriba finale.. ■ Better than ' average crowd on tap for the opening (14);' Burton. ' COLONIAL, DAYTON KEITH'S, BOSTON Boston, Feb. 13. Tommy -Wonder and Betty, Frank -Paris, the Kidoodlers (4), Herniun Timbers with Judy Kelly, The Ar- nolds (3), Larry Flint House Orch; 'Dead Man's Shoe*' .'(Mono) and 'Ridin' on a Rainbow' (Rep). It's a sort of 'eimion .week, here with Herman. Timberg coming onto; the local boards ..for first. time in years,, arid' Tommy Wonder., reunited; with his sister - Betty; Every act- clicks like a million arid extra bows arid begoffs are- the rule. /'-.• '-•■■■ Timberg is virtually playing straight .to Judy Kelly.,. a very talented and versatile comedi- enne. Results are"' every- satisfac- tory, for when they; fail to '.■■"get socko response to a gag, they zip into the next-one' until , they get a belly laugh, Timberg gives-a sample Dai/ton, Feb.- 15.- of his eccentric hoofing and accom- : 'Songwriters oii Parade' {Charles parties the singing of Miss Kelly Tobias, Peter De Rose; J. Fred Coots, \ with the hokum "fiddling." She sings'- Jack Lawrence and Jean SchwdrtzY;. 'Stairway to Stars' and 'RhUmbbogie,'. Fred- Saiibom, Five Caiiestrellys,| and does.a neat tap to Timberg's Allen and Kent,.' Ginger -Manners;, 1 piarib-playihg. '. When he dances. •Hudson's Bay' (20.th);' .'"'; | Miss Kelly handles the piano, ',.> ■ ■ ■ | They're a good duo, and Miss,Kelly .Refugees from the air lariesV five, looks like & good prospect for' big- sbrigwriters frorn. Tin, .Pan..'Alley; time musical or .revue iwork; c -v-'-• with some of the biggest hits to their credit, provide a swell climax to a rather good vaude performance. Peter : De Rose. J. Fred. Coots, Jack Lawrence and jean Schwartz.;stick to the ivories at grand pianos ranged Tommy Wonder opens- with' Betty in a jitter idea, follows, with a clean- cut slow strut and wows 'em with his fast ballroom dance with a life-- sized doll. Wonder has made a care- ful study of. the showrhanly angles appearances locally, Franklyn D'Amore sttll amazes by his. enor- mous strength during. th« balancing of his feminine partner. The three Merry Macs harmonize nicely and have some corking ar- rangements, but they. need a better mike; The accompanirnent of bells, which they have had ori the air, also would help" to embellish, their act. However, they land- well with *You Made Me Love You,' *I'nv Forever Blowing Bubbles,' 'I Hear a Rhap- sody' and 'Ragtime Cowboy Joe,' the, audience responding enthusiastically to their efforts. Huge lower floor about two-thirds- fllled at the last performance on opening ■ ■ day. •'•' :'• .;■'■'■ Rees. EARLE, WASH. Washington, Feb. 15. ; ■Lbpef -. and Barrett, the Three Pttchmfen, Calgary Bros';, Gae Toster. Girls; 'Arizona' (.Col). across the back of the. stage, while j 0 f; this novelty -and- has apparently Charles Tobias, as a. sort of emcee, I missed none. He easily grabbed off aids occasionally irv vocaling- for l, an encore, a .slow ! waltzy routine ""Twith a suggestion of s.a, in. the turn; some of the boys Act opens with . Tobias : singing That's a Popular Song" to~ siipf. posedly inform the audience how; to write a. tune,' then introduces the boys and next sings one of his melo- dies,-'Gee, But You're Swell.'. Next trie boys, go into ""a medley .of Victor Herbert. From then on, each com- poser in turn plays snatches of his best known numbers. While apparently an. ASCAP ges- ture, mention of the trouble which keeps these songs off the air is made in respectful and inoffensive manner. . Fred Sanborn repeats the hit he has always made . previous ap- pearances locally . With, his ; lively xylophone playing, most of it. punc- tuated by his socko panto comedy. Miss Wonder solos with a' dizzy vdcal of 'Minnie the .Mbocher,'; done to accompaniment of screwy , gestures.. Gets a few laughs. Wonder looks better than ever and has plenty of class to go along, with his. ingratiat- ing personality. Frank . Paris, deuce, gets- across very well with his : marionet act, using only the dolls and no special stage or set. Paris is right up- to the minute, for bne : of his puppets is an ostrich, patterned after one of the Disney: characters in 'Fantasia,' doing a ballet .burlesque. ; Paris has by no means exhausted, the possibili- ties of this awkward bird. A skater and; a skeleton jitterbug both im- press, and a. truckin'. collegian doll The Five Cahestrellys open the bill r is. also good. Paris, had to make a with their standard balancing turn. ■> *i—■—.^^—v, a^.hv.* okay as usual. Allen , and Kent do modern taps and then bring on Maude and Jim Kennedy, oldsters who illustrate steps of days gone by. The old . folks prove considerably more, effective than, the youngsters; , Ginger Manners : has a screwball session,, singing snatches: of various songs, drumming a bit on th'e piano, dancing here and there and finally finding herself in the footlight gutter. She - acknowledges it's corny, but perhaps that's what a modern audi- ence likes, judging from thg encour- agement she-received, • Kanty TOWER, K. C. SHEA'S, BUFFALO Buffalo; Feb. . 14 Cab Calloway's Orch (16), Mills Bros., Avis Andrews, Cook. and Brown, Anise and Aland, Chu Berry, Cozy Cole, Cab Jivers, Six Cotton Club. Boys; 'Rpdd Show' (17A). It!s old home week; at the Buffalo for the local jitteroos. Cab Calloway is back for his annual stopover with a full crew of hepcats and a choice assortment ■ of sepian talent.. . The: word's out and the 'gators are gang- ing up at the b.o. The Calloway bacaphpny continues plenty torrid,' with heavy accents oh. the jungle rhythm, while the special- ties are exceptional and include some of the fastest-moving legmania caught here in some time. All in all, for . those who like it in bounce and bumps, it's a tbpdrawer show of its particular genre, For the teeoff, the gang, abetted by the. maestro's acrobatic direction. J znachineguns .'Minnie the MoOcher,' j yfgM creditably and shows even b*^'' *Dark Eyes' and 'St; James Infirmary tet tapping to 'Beg'uine^ . She 'en- Kansds City, Feb. 15. The Claytons (2), The Olympid Boys (31, BrooJcitis and Van, Lester Harding, Carolyn Gargottai House Line, Herb^ Six. House Orch.; 'Let's Make Music' (RKO). The assemblage of acts , at the Tower currently makes up the in- gredients of a good variety bill, but show is. put together on the regular revue formula. followed here and titled 'Broadway Rhythm.' Each act more than does its part and the en- tertainment offered was attested, to by encores at the Friday night (14) finale; which ran the show five oyer its .allotted. 38 swift minutes. Leadoff is handed to the Olympia trio, with the bar apparatus fill- ing center stage. Take turns at a routine of snappy turns, flips and handstands on tha bars. In the deuce are Robert and Maxine. Clay- ton in a found of tapping in which they do. modern steps, a minuet in .'swing,.-' Lambeth Walk and a snappy can-can. Couple have had a fling in celluloid and. do. creditable, work. The. housecoat costume in which the femme partner opens the act is .shown to be greatly but of place, when she doffs it mid-act to reveal a heat and attractive figure in a .ballroom gown. , : . > Stepping out, of his m.c. role, Lester Harding baritones. 'You Walked'By' and draws applause to warrant his encore on ?J.ust One More Chance/ He: gives way to the line- ih an accentuated; arm-waving to Matty Malneck's 'Park Avenue Fantasy. Rounding out the. mid- show section is Carolyn {Jargotta, 11-year-old amateur ijvinrierv young- ster has. mora on the ball than the usual am, sings 'Down Argentine thank-you speech when caught Kidoodlers . are in the. trey spot, clicking as they always . have on previous singing appearances. here. Quartet offers little new material, this'lime, except their tricky ? version J of 'Maybe,'but this rates below their , standards of 'Chinatown,'. 'Old Mac- Donald' and *When Circus Comes to Town.' Boys are tops in timing and very aware of possibility of milking layghs and sight gags: There was a demand for more when they finished. The Arnolds, one of the best aero acts ever caught here, closes the show, rather unusual for this type of turn to wind up a bill; . Two men and a girl inject a bit of comedy into their act,;which features excep- tional risley balancing. Most of their stuff is in triplemount formation, and the almost impossible ways they scramble from the floor into a three- high human totem pole pose, in a flash bring out the gasps and ap- plause. ' Fox. MINNESOTA, MPLS. With two-hour feature, house concentrated bh a revue calculated to please 'em after they arrive father than exert any particular ? lure; 'Valentines of 41/ the handle used in the ads, succeeds just as intended.. Clever plug for next film, 'Straw- berry Blonde,' is put over in an old- fashioned overture, with tenor. Gene Archer and Roxyette Eileen Ritter warbling sentimental: ditties of yes- teryear. Show ; proper gets under way with line trotting but im short white shirts and red velvet' heart muffs for heat formation tap stuff. Gals fall back to form background for Loper and Barrett in standard, but smoothly effective,, ballroom spins and lifts. , , • ; iFqllowing another; line : number, The PitchmeTi, , with their small piano and array of dope musical in- struments, : come on. Trio iri tuxes arid tramp hats go immediately info fast succession of . rhythms, presum- ably Upon the collapsible skeleton trombone, etc., but actually vocalized via small, tin mouth gadgets. Boys work in plenty of by-play, fast pan- tomime and incidental chatter and hold 'em throughout;. They finish strong with imitations' of top band themes. V.;- ; .„■' -' •"■ Line appears, each , gal holding big Valentine envelope,- turning thehr around to spell out 'Calgary Broth- ers.' Tramp Comics are bld favorites here arid their '- drunk. ■ pantomime, their slowTmotion fight, the swinging punching-bag, etc., click as solidly* as ever. Line finishes with Its pre- cision Highland Fling,., tricked up in Valentinesque kilts arid tapped Out while Archer does an offstage vocal Of 'Loch LOmbnd' in swingtime. Biz good at show caught. Craig. : Blues' iri bang-but succession. Anise arid Aland are a: neatly dressed boy and gal with a slick, kaleidoscopic acro-tefping, turn; The band's jump arrangement of 'Some of These Days' is solid with the . jivers, as is Callo- way's standard sending of 'Jumpin* Jive', later .in the proceedirigs anjd 'Back Home in Indiana--finally. • The Six Cotton Club Boys are cored, too. In the .closing niche Brookins and Van - are a creditable pair for any bill,, the two giving "out music, taps and chatter in the sepia rhanner. Brookins' high tenor' on .'I Hear a Rhapsody' starts the act off well while he picks a rhythmic piano, to his partner's . equally . rhythmic dancing.to- close the act. -Midway . clicko tappers with a snappy, precise they have a nonsensical chatter rbu routine. Avis Andrews' vocals are I tine for laughs. Wind-up . of the, distinctive, her clipped enunciation I show is left to the line stepping off on 'Handful of Stars'and her fnelo^ some modern taps as they carry dibus volume against the^band's eerie ' huge'^Valentines.. . ; > Qum. Minneapolis; Feb. 14. Rollte Altmever, House Orch. (14), Dennei and Dayes (3), Ray Vausrhii; Mardo and Kaye, Franklyn D'Amore and Co. (2)* The Merry Macs (3); 'Drwms of the Desert (Mono). ■ . This Is & pleasing, well-staged presentation with - the house orches- tra working on the stage. It has the Merry Macs, home-town, singing tfio which has achieved radio and screen prominence, as its headliners. The fact that two of the other four acts are acrobatic turns arid that there is a minimum of comedy may count against the show, .but each number deserves plaudits regardless. There isn't any emcee and the acts .are an- nounced from offstage, nqne too ef- fectively, a bad p.a, system probably being mainly at fault,- ' ; , Rollie Altmeyef, the house organ-r 1st; - turns out-some well-liked pop tunes. Dennet and the: Dayes, two s men and a woman; first of .the stage offerings, perfoffn 1 - thrilling pyramid balancing feats. Considerable novel- ty is incbrpbrated into Ray Vaughn's xylbphohe arid bottle playing.- He dances .while he xylophones, uses il- luminated sticks for one number'and produces the impression of tap danc- ing by beating the instrument ytith padded pieces of wood attached to his hands. From ah afray of empty whis- key flasks he pounds out 'Beer Bar- rel Polka'' and it's, good-sounding music; .On empty water bottles he produces. 'Man ; With the Mandolin' and had these customers singing for him. His pop- numbers have been wisely chosen. . ;. . - .. - ' ; Mar do and Kaye, man and woman, combine -fun and harmonica playing. Thettnan gets plenty of laugns with a' big bulldog that refuses to perform tricks and which is the . butt ' of his jests. However, much of this ma- teria! is in bad teste. He also does a neat bit of eccentric dancing and join?,with his feminine partner in a fling' at the harmonica for good re- sults. Remembered from his previous EARLE, PHILLY .Philadelphia,..Feb. 1.5. Johnnie ('Scat') D.avis Orch with Julie Sherwin, Joe Martin, Jfick Harper,. Earl : Rqndall, Sue Ryan, Johnny Downs, Diamond Bros. (3); 'Honeymoon for three' (WB).' For those who like their entertain- ment louder and funner—mostly louder—Johnnie ('Scat") Davis' band is just the thing. Davis has lost none of the bounce that brought him to the fore' some years back and his peculiar type of vocaling still has its appeal for the jitterbug trade, as evidenced by the crowds of the sweater set that packed the aud at this catching. , Taking the play away from 1 the band, however, is blonde Sue Ryan with her comic chirping running the gamut from 'Little Red Fox' to opera. Best bit is her rendition of the ballad, 'You Made Me Love You' done in 1913 style and in 1941 ; rhythm. Another turte that clicks is her noyelty encore, 'Bach to Back.' Johnny: Downs -, makes the ' same mistake he made when he appeared here about a year ago. He sings in- stead of sticking to his hoofing. The cjnema player is okay when it comes to, the hoof, but is definitely,weak on the . vocal chords. His songs are from his pictufes, which he plugs to a lafe-thee-well. during his stay onstage; They're 'Minuet in G'.and 'Day by Day.' The Diamond Bros, are a slapstick, knockabout edition of the . Ritzes. .■Fairly'; fuhriy; and well-liked' by. the: pew-holders.. - Davis, with his w.k. perpetual griri, puts plenty of - zing into his emcee chore as well as his trumpet-tooting and scat-singing; ' Julie Sherwin, attractive blonde in a revealing, sweater and short skirt, tees off :the proceedings ■ with the vocals ori 'Who.' Her second appear- ance is ill-chosen, however;, it's an Hawaiian number with hip-weaving to match. She just isn't the type. Earl Randall, handsome .baritone, rates a. couple bit ,bows with his' 'We Three.' Joe Martin netted a'flock of palm-pounding for a BMI medley of .'Frenesi' and T Hear" a Rhapsody,' encoring with 'Night and Day/ Nick Harper, band violinist, makes :the strings sing .with a swing version of a selection from the opera Thais/ House was nearly filled at this catching (Saturday afternoon). Bhal STATE, N. Y. . ■Alf W.- Loyat's Dogs, Hal LeRoy, Belle Baker. Walter Dare Wahl (?) Her pie Kay's Orch with Ellen Con- nor and Vera Kern, Ruby Zuierlinp'j Pit Orch; 'Buck Privates' (U), re- viewed in Variety, Feb. 5. ■ For four^flfths of the way, Loew's^ State's current stage layout is good vaudeville. .. The fifth, act is Herbie Kay's band,' on inuclv too long, arid'.: which- has two singing specialties who conflict with. Belle. Baker, smash- in the trey spot. ' It's Kay's -: first appearance in New York. Considering the ^hb.w: is furihihg ytay byerboard at fSi rriihutes, Kay-a band perhaps innocently suffers ' front of ah over-tired audience. Miss Baker, wKo hasn't been at the : State in some time, is as good, as ever. " At : the last show opening night, ■ after singing. two of - three specials, \>ne of 'erri too blue for fam- ily theatres, and a long medley of past hits, she still had- difficulty in getting away from an audience"that;, kept applauding for more. Miss Baker Is. sandwiched between Hal LeRoy, click solo hoofef, .and Walter Dare Wahl, whose acrobatic . cbmedy 1 with his dead-pan; wizened' stooge scores: " the next-tb-closirig spot. LeRoy was held for four • routines ThuEsday night (13), .all'of' them his own originals, and; is as. socko a hoofer, as he was sofne years back as a kid getting his first break at the. then, two^a-day Palace. ■■-He should polish his rntroes, however; especially learn to speak more slowly and understandably. Wahl's act is familiar and apparently always, okay with audiences. Vaude. portion's opener is Alf. W.; Loyal and his dogs, also a veteran turn iri the varieties. His pups and their varied tricks present a nice novelty. ■ /,;,' Kay's band is fair musically and appears better suited Jor ballrooms than theatres.-. One 'Of ; his twb pianists steps to .the mike with.' accordibrt. and' sings two numbers in . a wavering tenor. Anothef vocalist is Ellen Connor, a cute trick and nice vocally. Kay also sings, but slightly, and Vera Fern does some fast acro- batics, but her dancing in between is ■ awkward. • Her 'followup acrb conga is hardly striking. ■ . The first-run- 'Buck. Privates,' star-' ring Abbott and Costello, helped • draw, a good house at this catching. ' " ' 5cho. HIPP BALTO Baltimore, Feb. 15. ■■: ■Fraday . Dancers (6), Dotri Bros* and Mary (3), Ralph ' Edwards' A trulh or : Consequences': (3), Phil Larnpfcin house orch (12); 'Plaii Girl' (Colj. Plenty of laughs iri this layout. . thanks to the application of the old theory that everyone is - an actor at heart arid that cash prizes will cause many ah otherwise conservative hombfe to Jet his»-haif down. Ralph Edwards has a stage -natural in his 'Truth or Consequences' radio pro- gram. Anticipated stymie in getting contestants went right out of the window, on opening day with volun- \ teers to be had by the handful. Time consumed in. lining them up is also nicely handled by Edwards, who has a flip and breezy way Of handling himself and his would-be stooges. Edwards' stint is closing the doings here, which is as it should be. Up. ! ahead is the Fraday Dancers, in the opening niche, .and a nice starter. They're three mixed couples, open-. ing with a well-routined ballroom tap* after which the three boys sell a modernistic mechanical-man rou- tine helped by silhouetted effect on specially-lowered drop. Closing waltz is in* keeping and an okay chaser to •nice response.. Started, things extra well here. In the deuce are Dorn Bros; and Mary, trio of vocalists who give out with smart arrangements of 'The Latin in Me? and 'Ferryboat Sere- nade.' Essay some imitations of': radio notables and close with swing - version of 'Nellie Grey.' Youngsters look well, sell smartly and rise above the. average: such trios.. .; Edwards next and on to rousing f espbhse to offstage announcement of his show. Uses two assistants In get- ting his stint under way, with some gags worked in to break lulls. Is sporting backdrop emblazoned with eye-filling and selling message of his radio sponsor: (Ivory Soap) and makes an exaggerated salaam In its direction upon entrance. Following roundup of candidates for the quiz and the succeeding con- sequences upon failure to answer the questions, \ Edwards sends them through some .hilarious stunts which has the stubholders giving out. . When caught, responding stubhold-r ers walked blindfolded over paper bags; sang 'Down by the Old Mill Stream'.'while v. stuffing blackberry pie into partners' mouths, etp. . Awards are packages of Ivory Soap and $2 to participants and $5. to the biggest. applause-getter. Show, is drawing them ih; with extra doihgs thrown in Saturday (14.) by way of two public broadcasts, , art: extra, money-getter. Layout -presents a ,riew angle in. vaude houses away from the regular layouts of singers, dancers, acrobats and comics; . HaS been building daily, with, final count due to .reach impressive stature. ... -. ( BUrm.