Variety (Apr 1941)

88 RETIBW8 Wcdneisdaj, April 9, 1941 evision ^ ' tarrip Upton, L. I., April 8. . Al MoTtison, Diana NobUi. Bobby Cart £ Co. (3), Rutft MolUr, Sfcat- iTio Carter (4), Nosh A Evans, Betty Reeve, Rose Marie Flyrin, All-Girl Orcfi;X10),;Lin«::(8), .Although, oil|: thevright track, this Initial iyvQ-hotir unit to igb orf tour. 6£;th» Army .canips heedfi^'p^^^ rWisirig :it' it is to nab In any :grcat qiiantily " vthaA !;am6unts to . half a day's pay ibr a sbidiferi- With an siilT (emnie;^ band, and Ja vline' ol eight ponies,' it nicely^ tahjes . care 'of th?; girl angle, but liecids a sock comedy turn, or preferably .a strong. mXi-^ tpmic, to sew it Up. ' : ■ ■ tliiit played its'first engagemeiit, two days," at Camp tJpton> ,L,. I„ last Thursday (3) and Fridiay (4). Ad- mish was 50c., .which was at least ,twice as much the show was . worth in break-in form; Operators of the .unit waiited to m'akie it 35c. or 40C. foi:. ehlistied ihen and 50c.. lor . ofTicers,. but Arhiy ;balked at the double scale. . Admish: is expected .to: average about ;35c; at . other camps; which the show "has been bookedi to tour until June 15;: Commanding officer at eatSh. post sets the sCale; Show's producer Is H. E, Booker, former British impresario whd's also firoduced shows aH over the "n^orld. t was staged by. Al Morrison, who also doubles as .^.c. and tbiaestfo. 6/ the orch. His wife. Betty, Reeve, sings and :6l6wni5 In the show. , They formerly were together in ai turn billed, as: Al Morrison and the Thrieie >Reeve-,SiSters.-. \ v : .-,-;- Conditions under 'Which the unit wais presented at Upton werfr about the worst imaginable, even more de^ plorable than those under which oHelliapoppin' recently suffered at .Fort Dix, N. Ji -Theatris Is a trans- . formed garage seatingr about 600 on various levels. If s very narrow and long. Stage, on which orch . was. placed,' with acts .working in front, ia only 24 feet deep. Unit hiing its own drops and drapes, but it was impos- sible to stf ihg a frbnt curtain and all preparations, perforce, went 'on right ■before the audience, making for an entire lack of showmanship. ' No dressing rooms were available, except in ai, btiildinig some 100 yiards away, so; the unit's bus was backed up to a rear exit door, and the. gals iisCd that for quick changes. Only, a few of tiie lights carried by the unit could beT)lugged Iii. ,power being so weak that When all were turned on at once nothing more than a dull yellow glow resulted.. Li addition, portable public address system to be taken ,on. this camp tour broke down, and; the songstresses, accustomed to crooning Into a mikc, were virtually inaudible! ' Any appraisal of the entertainment qualities of the unit must naturally be made, with' that dismal back- ground of difficulties in mind. .How comics could fail to be funny against such odds is understandable, but they are troubles the unit is going to meet repeatedly on its tour and the humor must stand up. Recent hegira iaround the camps by the. Lucky Strike show; with Jerry Lester as m.c. and comic, prdvM . that a superior funny man can hurdle any odds. Morrison endeavors to supply laughs with gags between his introes and also does a bit of a turn on his own. He's definitely, however, not a comic and not much of an m.c. Quality of the music he gets out of the femme band and. a couple of! original tunes, he, provided proves that .that's, his forte, rio|i Comedy; Miss Rieeve, who works In the con tortedrface, humptyrdumpty style'of Cass -Disiley, clicks fairly well, prob- able best of the lot for laughs; She's also strong on low-^down vocalizing. Depended on> foi: further comedy are Nash and Evans; boy-girl team. . IjacI does, some mirigr work with a rope and gags ,a: la WilJ Rogers. Also Inr dulges in .some cdmy cross-talk with the femme. It doCsii't Jell a bit.;;:■ Anbther comedy act that * skids badly lis Bobby- Carr arid Co., two boys and an elderly femme. One'of •the lads opens wim straight cirobn- : Irig.; followed by the bther, short ajid cbiuiky and in an Aimy- Uniform, . cbniing In to clown- wltb the dame. There'i absoliitely no routine dis- ' cernible and ho .ihaterial, although Carr has possibilities as a cbtnic had he .something with which to work, fop turn is the Skatihg Carters-^ : husband, wife, son and: daughter. Very showmanly, With the two kids —they look about 10 years old-^ working with thieir elders and' all dressed the same. . It's a neat thrillr turn, with the small space on which the skaters were forced to work pro- viding-some added end unscheduled breathtakers. Diane Noble; qtiJte a looker, heads the vocal, contingent, while Ruth Moller does a standard aero dance routine and Rose iCarle Flynii cob- trlbutcs ■ . fair, daough tap session. Eight line gals are oke on gams and flgureS' arid .'exhibit theni; . through satisfactory:routines. , ■■; Costiimirig: of line and the orch gals is comparatively elegant Togs, are plenty revealing but well within bbunds to excite' no official Army comirierit.: Original. riiusical, nurii- bers by Morrison, neatly contrived to fit the, occasion, provide applaUse- drawink- curtain-raiser and finale. MAID 'N^M ORPHEUMv BBS MOINEi :; ■; pelt M(fines, 'April 3.: v Hermdn Tiiiiherg-, Dow 'Pppifcoif Td7wien, < Judy. Kellj;, Three Macfc Brothers,: Dot, DasJv and: Dusfct The Conrodsi Maurice ond Betty Whelan, Staples and'Cei^ey. -Katherine Perry, The Adorable ConscHpters', 'Bloridic Goes Lofin-' CCpU •Maid 'n Anierica' had its premiere here today (Thursday) and got off to. a. fair~':start with five prpductibri' numbers and nine acts running ap- prbximately 70 - minutes. ;Tie show win ..run -a full, week and is. plenty giay, arid colorful, but the comedy, isri't as clean and iattractivC as the costumes, arid-settings; Off-color: jokes are; a thtowback to old Vaudeviile days,, and the cos- tymers who: have been raised bn:flliri ceiisbrship aren't jUSt strong enough tb stand the 'wallops.' ,Unit was pro:- duced by Antoihe Nolle and is headed by Herman Timberc There's plenty of able talent that just doesn't seem to make' the mbst of its" oppor-^ tunities and , leaves the priricipals secondary to: the excellent line of 16 wellrtrained; attractive pony girls and , eight showgals. Costumes and Settings are modern, sniart and cai^ry a patriotic thieriie ^in a niunber of. the productions. ^ . Emceeing, Tiinberjg shares head- line : honors With Don .'Popikbfl' Tahnen and Judy Kelly, a Timberg 'find' from radio who looks like ft good bet for coinedy If she isn't gagged by too many. old vaude gags Girl has personality, can sing, tap and play the piano. A splendid introduction with ain airliner backgrbund introducing the full chorus gives Katherlne Perry a. brief but okay ^ acrobatic chance thafs alihost lost in an overdose of acrobatics: by the Three Mack Brothers as tumbling sailors and -Dot, Dash and Duisk, Negro, tappers, who add plerity of novelty tb make their act stand out. The Mack.- Brbthers not only do some breathtaking stunts but their wholesome comedy stands out. ■ .■■.',.- • The Conrads, ballroom team, stand out especially. ih a. slow-motion dance, Maurice and Betty. Whelan do a neat adagio: that's sufficient in itself withbut a background of .the full chorus. ■■ ..i The vocalizing, of Staples and Cemey is another feature that is almost lost in its spotting. It de- serves a bcttep shbwjngi Tarinen's temperamental ■ Russian Satire is slow.^but his. George Arliss imper- sonation is okay. It's too bad Timberg. doesn't do something better with his turn, fea- turing a tall gal who is a. looker and would make a swell foil for him in a smart routine. But It's just anotiier opportunity lost. There's pleh^ of talent, a swell'line, production bacfc. grounds and all the niakings for a good layout. But it hasn^t Jelled yet. Orchestra Is just another orches tra In the pit. .Business good In this show-hUngry area, » , .MdoteheqA, Latin Qiiartefr Reyue (STAtE-LAkE, CHICAGO) . Chicagb, April 5. Singer Twins, Ifelen CiifroU, Frank, Jwozzonc, Troupe (5), Emile Bo^eo Eela'Moore, Rxlby Ririgi Henri Ther- ,rien, (jriscjia and Brojuii Wihp arid Lenora, Ballet C12)i ^Bloiidie Goes Latin' (Col). . acrobatic dancing, displayed aroubd .these parts in aome time.. There's isome interpretative dancing .bv: the gold-palritcd Grlscha and Brona, shapely and suitable'enough for this unit ■.. •'■ y ■„ :•■. Comedy is delivered by theThree Sailors, who have' enough. hoke clowriipg to keep any ihob satis- fled; There's some seml-acrobatlc stuff which was, no: doubt;- the, orig. inal: basis of the act, arid froni which ■the, Sailors .work .out: some gob^, iaugh business. : • - ■.. Getting rather played-ouit is Emilc Bbreo, who; indicates .a desperate need .for new material. Often ma- terial: becorines sharp and Seritiriien- tal 'with age, but this Bbreo stuff is showirig the ravages of- tiriie. He'r still doing his 'Chauve Souris' arid 'Parade . of the .Wooden Soldiers.' " Henri Therrlen would,: perhaps have made a great actojr if he only had lived - in the gay '9d's, when over-acting was in style; but. these days, Therrien's overly, broad his,- trionics,: are ludicrous; and out of place.- He has fair ipipes.^ but they're wasted; on poor diction; Orily the propaganda strAigth of- such a song as The Last. Time ,1 Saw Paris' helps him to escape. complete dis-' :aster. ;.::'-:■; Sipger Twihs are In the line bf girls, :,but double for a " nice spe- cialty bit. Helen Carroll is a singer with good appearance and an abil- ity-to handle lyrics well. - Line' of girls is- good basically: and is aUgriiented with 12) girls from the Balaban & Katz brganizatiori; arid [Qgether : they come up with" some (effective and Satisfying work: Ninb and Lenora . are^ a - gobd^lbbklrir rhuinba tearii and went well. Business was, fair at the first show Saturday ^ (5); :, Loop; Bed, Hbt aiidf Lovely : (BROADWAY, ChABLbXTE, N.;C.): ChorIo«c, April 4. The Three Ross Sisters: Perry Twins, Nixon and Sands, Star and Lee, Petite Annette, Milt Henkin's Out of a Miami nitery, this unit shapes Up as fairly satisfactory with a. couple :of, good acts tluit manage to make Up ,for a good .deal that is slow^ linihteresting and generally poor; eritertaihmerit for the-average .customer. ■';„ : ; ■' ,■■■■■■■■;:■■■ ;.■',.--■ There: are soirie; .staridard txirns that \ are.: nifty no ; mattef where caught or no :matter what there: Is surrounding . 'them. : For instance, Ijela Moore, with her excellent: nbv^- elty of halt-man arid half-wbnian. This is a flrie stunt for any audi- ence and Miss Moore handles it well, spicing it up just, enough to; give this mob a minor tickle arid to fit In with the general atmos- phere of; the unit's title. Frank Maz2one troupe comes up with a splendid knockabout turn. With a number bf powerful falls that: had this audience gasping. One fall, in particular, down • long flight of stairs, 1* • real sock. A little blonde control dancer, Ruby Ring, unveils some of the best CARROLL'S, PHILLV Harry Clark's "Red, Hot and Lovely,' caught here with Its star act put IS Just another fair unit; With another sock act It could haVe been sock.. As is, with . the Juggling of acts to fill In, the result Is somewhat off balance. The Three Ross Sisters, youngsters 14, 15, and; 16, open with the sble nifty turn, They come on in full attire to harmonize 'Down By the Ohio* iri sb-so fashion, then shed down to tights and come back to put bh one bt the best exhibitions of pretzel-bending. acrobatics ever seen here. Possessing plenty of Showman- ship, the girls go through a routine of precisiori .acrobatics, winding up with Betsy oldest of the trio, doing a backbend tb pick up a hanky" with herteeth. It stopped the show cold. - The Perry Twins, brother tappers, have a nice routine, but are on so often the : audience, tires of them. They are on for a briejt. darice spot with the line; in the curtain-raiser, come back after the Ross Sisters with a comedy skit about baseball, and are back a few' minutes later in a rieat tophat arid cane routine. They follow with a novelty turn iri which they don: bbxihg gloves- and go through a nifty tap-slap routine, but by this time the house has seen so much of them, that they're ready for them-to kayo each other. The boys apparently Were filling in for Star and Lee, out dUe; to Miss Lee being stricken .with ptomaine.. Perrys are pleasing dancers and' accompariy their terping with a lively and amus Ing line of patter. Star ts on for a solo accordion turn, but can't covier for his hefty partner. , Nixon arid Sands, cornedy duo; clbse the show': with a mediocre comic turn. Carl Nixon, who erijcees, ;handles comedy with his partner, portraying a Spanish senorita^ handl- ing him: the lines: . Turn Includes singing, dancing, comic woo-tossing, a dummy act arid a bubble dance. Nixon gets big laugh with dummy act In which he starts working with dummy; and winds up with dumriiy singing while he, Nixori, stufts him- self with food. It turns out that Miss Sands, who; Is standing; neatby, has beeri ■ doing the voice-tossing. I^ixori closes with comic bubble dance iri which he holds a nude: dummy in front of him and gets plerity of laughs. . Petite Annette;: frbm llne, sings 'Baby Me' with line doing Parisian "number in background and winds up with a novel peel in !whicli g&ls from line strip her. Line Is pleasing iu threer appeararices;. .Wind up with- torrid Conga.: It: also coriies on for an extra. 'CJlbrifying the American Girl,V which it walks: through in SO-SO; fashion.' ' Fair biz, but hampered bjr. rain. "; ' '.'_•. ■ ' Just- ABB6tTS ADPT HEElS ^ Abbjjtt Dancers who' were riien- tioned in last week's issue of'\;ARtETY concerning the thiBatre Authority citing: them for contempt appear- ance at a Nassau (BWI) benefit are not hers, says Merriel Abbott Chi- cago line producer. States' she had nothing to do with the git-ls named in the case. • Philadelphia, ApHl 4..: • iWlbtir ■ Ronee,; Donna! p'annellc, Grace Gordon,. Jean Dean. fTddie Jnncs,; Bobbj/ Vdil> Lcn Jjcnihani Cari-pUcttcs (10), Charlie Gaines Orch (8)i.|l ininimum. No spot to take, yout maiden AUnt jenriifer is " Stanley Carroll's base- ment bistro iri riiidtbwn; Philly, but if ybii have a yen for cbrriy ballads, blue :gaigs and gal. peelers, it's the place to go. Riding the crest of the local wave of popularity for this type of eittertainmCnt -the. place Is filled nightly "With the - middle, class burghers..-■ Headlining Is Donna. Darrielle, shapely brunet who doesn't; leave much, to the imagination as she sheds the works under a bliie spot Other stripper " is Jean Dean. Like Miss Darnelle, she unveils rapid.ly down to the G-strlng. Both of these gals ha*e been held over for Weeks on. end by demand of the patrons. Grace'Gordon, a platinurii blonde looker, is the soUb'ret who foils for cbriiics Irines: and "Vail; while m.c. Wijtbur Rarice sttalghts. The. sltua- tibris are standard . burlesque.. stuffy but seem to be just what the custpm- ers want. Ranee, dolled up in White tie and tails, :1s a throwback; to. the '20's With his riasal balladeering dur- ing the Showgal production numbers leaturirig the 10 Carfbllettes. The gals are above the avefage iri looks and dancing ability for this type of isiibw...!'.•-'; ; Leri Lenihari is an added starter, an aero hoofer;who Wbrks hard arid pleases. Charlie Gaines' sepia bands- men are lorig-time faves iri' Philly. They're holdovers from the tiriie when Carroll's featured black^aind- tan.'shows.-' Biz at this eetching near capacity. .'■•',;■• Shal. : YACHT club; PITT -Ptttsburflh, April 4.: Slapsie Maxi* Rotenbloom, Jackie Heller, Cully Richards, Sanimy Lewis, Patti Moore, Shirley Heller, Joe PloUkl, Al Kline, Archie Tarshis Orch (7); .|1.9.0-$2.50 minimum. Few weeks :ag6 the Yacht Club had to move to a neW location, from the Allegheny to the Moriongahela river, because there was a new wharf prbject coming up on their old. front ... Biz Iniriiediately nose-: dived. It always does for' a few weeks around: here "whien any spot takes up other quarters. But' Sol and Jackie Heller, Who own./the place, warited to do something quick; they didn't feei like Waiting for the customers to find their own way casually to the slightly hidden dock on the Monorigahela. - So all they: did—and against prac-^ tically " everybody's, advice-— was book . in the . highest-priced floor shoW (the Slapsie Maxle Roseri- bloorii) unit the Yacht Club has ever had during what are proverbially the worst two weeks in the year:fbr night clubs, those immediately pre- ceding Easter. The results have been little short of spectacular. "There' hasn't been an empty table in the place any midnfght since Slapsie and his crew dropped in, arid on Monday night (31)^ when any Pitts- burgh cafe will settle for a cash clientele of 75, the . Yacht Club counted 325 heads. For the engagement, spot has :raised its minimum from $1 and $1.50 to $1.50 and $2.50 and what started out to be a get-acquainted- With - the - new - location idea and 'We'll - be r satlsfied r to - break- even' state of niind is winding up a bonariza. ' ^ ■ ■ iShow is the same screWy, heckling frolic Slapsie Maxie arid his crew have been peddling at their:. Beverly Boulevard (Hollywood) spot: and which they transferred iritact to Miariii: for -the Winter : season 'this yean ■■ ■ .' . liosenbloori) .Is;; stni doing his Harry Richman arid his Tm arivAc- tor,' a la Dwight Fiske, tb the razzr berries pf the other menibers of the troupe spotted strategically around the room; the clever Cully Richards flicks his rii.c; chbres with an easy, engaging mariner, also spiiiinirig his familiar routine With 'Count', Joe Plotskii who bldWs but the matches; Sammy : Lewis arid Patti Mbore, While riot doing blackouts on ah up-, peir-leVel stage built right above the bandstand, get off, an occasional bit of hooflrig, and Al Kline roves from pillar tb post leading the' Bronx chorus.:; Ifs rowdy fun but not quite ' as furiny in the rather ample Yacht Club as it is in a smaller room,; where intimacy With such hoke as this give It an added effectiveness.: Troupe; is using Shirley Heller for the singer Who, gets kicked around, and her :birother Jackie himself is sDotted in the middle bt all the shenanigans for his own sock song cycle. , Does:'about half a dozen numbers arid it's no easy trick to walk out in the middle of such a screwball entertainment and give but with something legitimate. But half-pint Heller does it . easily. Yacht Club has a new band. Seven-piece outfit headed by Archie "Tarshis, one- time sax player for Herman Middle, nian,: former maestro here. Tarshis is okay on .dansapation but still a bit:roUgh for show purposes; .:The Slapsie Maxie ilriale is his old' standbyr.the bubble ballet, with au the gUys diressed iri sKlrts .and wigs , that make them ..Ibbk like" Something out of :,:bad :dreahv It's funny, though, and that's the payoff. How- cver^ it's evident that El-Slapsie and his partner, $ammy LeWis, wilt have to; took up somethiniB:;new."for theiir Hollywood return; Here, it's; some- thing neW and over big. But On the Coast it's,been a steady , diet: ; '■':,-:■ -•.•■■-■■ ■.. .■:•■■■, :,:: •■■ ' -'Cohen;. • RancliQ: Crfittde; HVo«^ ,lfolli/uipPd, April 3. : Jbe Coppo, ,Chie/ You)latchie, Jacfc ond Bobby Knapp, Four Simp- Phonics, Jan Rubini, Darryl Hdrpa's Orch (6); Wo Miniitium or cover, . : , Hollywood night lifers, ho: buy- ers of atmosphere " with their food;: fluid arid frivol, wUi give this ciea-. tion of Maurice Gebber a fast shuffle. It lacks what it takes to bring them , back or talk it up. that's fatal to. ariy eriterprise cateririg to the loose» spending gentry In the. sprbcket belt. Orily thing, in; its fiavor is . the Ipca- . tibn in dead?center of town., easily spotted by the heavy flow; of . traffic along; Suhset; bowL • Atriiosphere. lis .strictly western, with the grotto decked but in all manner of . cowboy - trappings.; Idea for this" type -of tavern, took form when Gebber. furrier ^and dabbler in films, made a deal with;. Paramount for'the bar set In 'Las Vegas Nights.' It's an- prriate: affair, but picture sets .. are no novelty: to this . town's gay dbgs. . •: -■; ■ '■ ■ .; ,Out on' the : floor Gebbe^,. has dumped, a ntbtley crew of entertain-; ers who fail to entertain, save for Joe Cappo," «mcee arid Imitator. His routine is fast/but dogreared; from years of use. Chief Yowlatchie,; a. massivie Indian With a massive war bonriet of feathers and a massive voice, booms a tune or two, and The Knapps, Jack and Bobby, do a lasso turn that must be yippee stuff at the, rodeos but way oft the course here. The Simp-Pbonles play trick Iristru- ments thiat must be; great stuff around the chuck wagon. For con- trast, Jan Rubini; / who whips a wicked . horsehair, fiddles aWay at a number that's miles removed from the sagebrush; Salvatbre Santaella^ erstwhile band leader, piayS along on the blaok-and-whites. Darryl Harpa's crew, accoutred In western fashibn, dishes up the dansapation, more to the motif than for hot-footing. Gebber's associates In the - promo- tion are Noah, Beery arid a few silent partners. Sppt accbmniodate.s. around 300. Considerable. shbWnianship wilt have to be injected/Or the trail will soon grow cold. Helin. New Acts In Cafes sContihiied from page 36; tune-shows there; His Lon Chaney number may be a bit, hbkey, but his zany impressions of an m.c, a gum- CheWing chorine and gail with a; cry- ing jag are sizzlers that had the ringsiders rolling with; deen belly- laughs. There's a lusty air; of pro- fessionalism about hirii and his zippy routine that clearly Indicates: De- Wolfe's ready for the big time. Pullcn. ADftiENNB Songs 10 MIns. Cafe Pierre, N. T. , Adrienne (MatzenaUer) Is the; daughter ,of opera diva . Margaret Matzeriauer: and iri private life: the ' wife;of Michael Myerberg, Leopold Stokowskfs businejss :riianagen: But despite such imposing: musical back- ground it's peirhaps. the, more sur- prising that she la not as pedantic in her song style as the above bibiioS- rai)hy would suggest , A photbigenic personality, of nice carriage, Adrienne swings operatic excerpts and does lighter stuff that ruris the\ gamut from .'Chi-Ghlr : Casteriarigo*, to Luclenne Boyer's. SI Petitie,' She's not altogether new.;*": class cafes', having appeared at-Place,: Pigalle, a chi-chi N. Y.' boite some ilve.yeara ago before she went tb: the Coast on a Metro film contract that jresUlted in her nevei-' making any pictures. However,: this bobkmg marks her professional coriieback, Which is, -impressive. With Leo.: Dryer's brisk .band for accomp, she has excellent musical assistarice. : Tlhie Cafe Pierre (in the Hbtel Pierre) leans to 'smart''song stylists, and has had a succession of these ail- though Carol Bruce Was the most. successful; "When Felix Ferry first took ovei: this room. Adrlenrie, {> fresh personality, had a good chance ■ to repeat' that signal impression.