Variety (May 1941)

46 HOUSE REVIEWS ^ Wednesday, May 28, 1941 MUSIC HALL, N. Y. swap gags with Charles Kaley as prelude to their song, 'Foolish, But Fun.' Tykes are a little ragged on T.,«» fnr^^ct PnhPT/ lhanlpu Joe ' this, but become more at home when Jjfcison^Wynn m™,^&H<S. ! they, grab accordi^on and bass fiddly r^iJl riuh Ropkettfs Music Hall stagmg an okay ]am sesh. Act has Co^3 d'i^Xt Er^o Se and a certain amount of^awkwardness MiS2 Hall Symphony Orch, Richard : which could be ^oothed, by m- Leibert at Organ; 'Penny Serenade'. cl"S'°" °' » good foil, , , ^ CCol), rcuietued in Variety, April 18.' Nick Lucas, held over from last i week, is on next with 'Wise Old mi- - * T>!.k.,.j -D^^^r^ Owl' and 'My Sister and I.' Dis- STATE, N. Y. Allon Cross & Henry Dunn; Frank Libuse roith Margot Brander, Nan Rae <b Mrs. Waterfall, Ben Cutler and his Orcft, Gloria Gilbert; 'Jlood to Zanzibar' (Par). One test of a goo4 show Is the rapidity with which time passes. By tlie clock this bill runs 70 minutes, but things happen so expertly and amount of vocalistics, but in Joe Jackson, for relief, the show goes pretty far afield. Strictly oldtime vaudeville and one of its oldtimers. l^orenz nan inspireo uiis w<«k j jj__„ dui uunes nai^i/cw stage show here tha^t "aturaUy: "^^^^^^^^ IT morVTthe" calls for more .than the. average the Tulips'\nd 'My W Heaven,' ^'eTghb^.^S^ minute" Eve?^ K'"°S?L.''^J?\*^f"«„'i?H vaudeville Item is stamped with 'Side by Side; which Is 80«.d for,, acceptatice and solid quaUty, vauaevme ana one ox o.au™«^ b'er aid"l?^he o^ner had to Some ^^""^ ^en*^ Cutler's dance aggrega- JatJtson, however, is anything but, f» assort- a misfit for a house like the Music' Amapoia to qmei xne moo. j^^g^^j ^^^^^ alway? smart, smooth HaU; not anymore than he was in i Closing routine is best worked in ^^d insinuating, days gone by at Keith's Jefferson or, weeks, line parading in Alice blue ^uUer's big suit is that in place of the Coliseum in the Bronx. I ga?-den_ .?r«mmin» eccentricity and flash he gives 'em The tramp cyclist has played here You Walked By. then fcranmrng, . ^^^j^ ^j^i^^ ^_ before, last date being Easter week. | *? make way Consoia and Melba., composition's melody and 1940. They liked him then and they; pate has had a lot of ballroom [ ^.^^^^^ ^^ captured. His variations still like him. Somehow or other | teains, but few sjnoother than this, ^^^^ the Beguine' make sweU the folks don't seem to mind his Pa'f. They do a fast baliroo^ burlesquish stunts, such as getting POl"^* »"<*„Y'^:and mother spot in which he the handlebars of hU bike mixed up i"fij.<'*[^^^e) with gra^^^ and his group do themselves proud in his pants or picking up what looks ■ ^oWmg^the J^ks^f"^ the^close.^^G^t their_t^atment_ot^'I'll^Bj Wlth^Y^^^ like a quarter laying on the stage. The way Jackson works there's nothing offensive about his pan- tomime. Leon Leonidoff staged the pres- entation and calls it 'Words and Music' The. symphony orchestra provides a prelude of Rodgers-Hart music as a starter, with June For- rest and Robert Shanley as a double doing two songs, "There's for bows since curtains close in on final whirl of waltc Wem. STANLEY, PITT in Apple Blossom Time.' From an interlude that features eight vio- lins and a cello, this orchestration suddenly undergoes a shift in mood that is to the far side of swing and the all-around affect is showmanly entertainment Cutler also gives his alma mater. Yale, a pleasant musical whirl. The selection is The Pittsburgh, Afay 23. Abe Lyman's Orch (16). Tom, Whiffenpoof Song.' Cutler heaves ^ ^. Gleason's Royal Guords (6). Three an easy-to-take baritone and the Smaii" Hotel' and "My Heart Stood SaiJors, Henry Kinfl & Artina, Rose i boys offer equally easy-to-take Still.* They stand behind a scrim' Blane; 'Pot O' Gold' (UA). I choral support representing the entrance to a travel i t To the Cutler bunch also falls the bureau. Not a fancy set, but ef- , . x i *^sk of taking the rest of the biU fecHve. II* ^ an okay show Abe Lyman has ■. through Its musical romps and the c^TMi.^ <a.ifts to an notel lobby which' JV^VSH ^TSWIi^ ^ hw.annual visit job they do is aU to their credit. On ^''^,1^"°^rith nuSS I i^ll":* ?.y.«P .^"I.*?..^^. .the teeoff there's_Gloria Gilbert, who ought to g& placeg. He's' dean-cut and so Is hii deliveiT. He sella well and builds to a smash reception with fast multiple taps in which move- ment of his feet is barely noticeable. He is followed by Carroll and Howe, whose comedy patter and challenge dancing are only mildly humorous, being something less than neiV. Bert Frohman is along in next spot, not being used as m.c. for the show, but merely as 'Fifty-second street's favorite swing singer,' He gets along well enough with 'Cant Brush Me Off,' 'Stepping Out With Memory' and a medley of George Gershwin hits, which would win better reception without patter .that Frohman nominates Gershwin to hall of fame. Gershwin's merit needs no further identification. Rhythm Rock- ets punctuate the «how. opening, fol- lowing Frohman with elaborate fan routine, and closing, never becoming outstanding. Business less than fair opening, day matinee (Friday). Mac. CHICAGO, CHI Chicaoo, May 24. DicJc Jtirfiiens Orch (13), Oehmann Twins (2), Lane Bros. (2), Bob Weller; 'Penny Serenade' (Col). ^5-^f_^8!lZL**'JT'£!2!J^I film actress who was to have ieen binj herself as 'The Human Top' but 69^! lUn^/Vage>«nt d"e;iid^^^^^ graceful as it is dynamic and "the n^^iK mostiv in resort carb heln-i ^ v * "ms nerseu as xne Human Top' bu R^Jwe^t Ufe' ^tSnc is backl! co-starred with the maestro but can- ^ho rates more as a one-person en I ceUed out week ago on account oi j durance contest. Her pirouetting is to town on 'Johnny One Note,' with the glee club backing her. Miss Murray socks home. Same scene in- cludes Bobby Lane and Edna Ward, novelty acrobatic dancers who register solidly in a routine in which they use a funny paper, passing it back and forth between themr as they go through their dance. They ap- peared in 'Crazy with' the Heat* Miss Murray, of course, is the one who created 'Johnny. One,Jl0te'..in "Babes in Arms,' the R-H stage musi- cal which first brought her to Broad- way attention. Miss Murray Is on again with the Rockettes, singing 'Lady Is a Tramp.' another 'Babes* excerpt that she merchandises' in smash fashion. A '~re\v of hotel room doors provide Ingress for the. Rockettes. costumed as chamber maids. They do a familiar tap routine, but good. Finale brings on the baUet girls in ■ tileasing number. One of them executes clever cuts in a brief specialty. Entire company farries the show to a fitting conclusion singing liover.' 'Blue Moon.' "Blue Room' and 'I Didn't Know What Time It Was.' At performance caught show in- cluded an organ number during the spill period and a Donald Duck (Disney) cartoon, but no newsreeL Chor;' replacing her with another name,, figuring Lyman to hold up the stage' portion on his own, which he does With room to spare. Maestro had a lot of good bands in speed with which she performs mounts so fast that the spectator wonders how soon it will be that she will be flying'headfirst in any one of 10 directions. Miss Gilbert's novelty his score of years as a maestro, but | went over big at the performance current one's about the best of the i caught lot He's kept abreast of the musical I Before they went on the Eddie styles, keeping an even balance be- j Cantor- (Bristol-Myers) program this tween present, past and even the past fall the twosome lollowing Miss coming trends. Sweet or hot, or a! Gilbert were known as Nan Rae and sensible combination of both, he has Maude Davis. Having borrowed the a brass and reed section that com- name .whl^ brought the comedienne pares favorably with any the swing of the team some fame on the Cantor maestros have to offer and also a show, and later the Kate Smith pro- -vlolin section that's right In there | gram, the act is how billed as Nan with the best of the singing fiddle outfits. Lyman has merged them in- telligenUy ■with a flock of sock 'ar- Rae and Mrs. Waterfall. By any name Miss Davis still ranks socko when it comes to churning up laughs. rangements and result is music that's Attendance out firoi\t wasn't any too consistently full of pleasant surprises and liever grows trite or monoto- GOLDEN GATE, 3. F. San Francisco, Moy 27. Ella Looan. Butch & Buddy, Nick Lucas, Bob Hughes. Emerald Sisters (2), Cotuola te Jtfetba, Charles Kal- ey't house orch (13), Peggy O'Neill line (12); 'Little Men' (RKO). heavy, but the response to the gags was consistently auditorium-filling. Curiously one bit that didn't set 'em howling in this spot was the one about uie guy who got banged on the head while sprinkling himself -with toilet water. . Cross and Dunn find it as easy as ever to work up the .payees at this stand into a thick lather. The two-: some's repertoire of specialty songs is as fresh and crisp and as emo- [ tionally effective as ever. With them ifs good melodic punching I every minute they're on. They stiU ri.i;«'n...<._ I. rfjii ....^.i-.. rn„_ commute from ' comedy to senti- ,^S-'rr„,S ^».raJr.i--i5^ ru?etran'd°-fiTe!fe': ^fd nous Band's made up of four sax, five brass. Qiree violins,' guitar, drums, piano and. bass, and emphasis is sel- dom too long on any one of the divisions. Orch's change of pace is swift and svelte and whole' impres- sion Is one of happy medium. What's more, Lyman carries more men than the ordinary stage band and it looks like a - real aggregation stretched across the stage rather than the usual sparse union settlement Dick Jurgens' orchestra has been an outstanding name and favorite around these parts for several years, on a buildup from the Aragon ball- room and over WGN-Mutual. Cur- rent date is the band's first stage ap- pearance and business is zooming. Group, a pleasure over the ether, comes through on the stage equally as interesting and, in addition, is an entertaining aggregation to watch. Outfit indicates a likelihood to grab a place right at the top. It Is basic- ally well-trained and arranged. Musically it's a sweet aggregation* playing the type of stuff that will ap- peal to a wide range of audience. On stage it reveals a certain youthfulriess~anff"freshness, which impart good showmanship in these days of phoney sophistication and wise-guy attitudes. Without being college-boyish, unit catches a certain brightness of performance that this audience ate up. In addition to a number of straight renditions topped off .by Ravel's 'Bolero' clicks are made by the two song soloists'. Buddy J\Ioreno, doub- ling from the guitar, and Harry Cool. Moreno, still a fugitive from a talent scout looking for a surfire leading man, wowied this mob with his war- bling, especially with his cbmiedy handling of Hawaiian tunes. Cool has the ballad assignment Of the three acts, the initial offer- ing is by the Oehmann Twins, who StiU lack big-time flavor. Their lit-* tie dancing, and singing routine is meant primarily.. for the smaller clubs and the lesser theatres. X«ne Bros, score solidly on their novelty acrobatics and hand-to-hand work, working with considerable cleverness and comedy. Bob Neller's ventriloquism remains basically a tonsil stunt act instead of a crossfire routine. He has double- tone and pronunciation stunts, etc., and leaves the laugh-getting for the in-between spots. Business great at the last show Friday (22). Cold. ^.. Gate, bill Is a standout this week, with the lesser acts delivering as qiuch entertainment as the names which sell the ducats. Opener Is Buddy Hughes, who. , „ does some slelght-of-hand with silks,' gent their inning with *Yes, My Darl handkerchiefs and a dollar bill, then 1 ing Daughter,' 'Scrub Me Mama WitlT Gleason's Royal Guards, whom he had all season -at Royal Palm, Miami, and they're a great help. Six good- looking;, h^dsomely^ostumed young men with booming voices, they click heavily on their own at the begin- ning of the show, later come back in same uniforms as bandsmen to give the Lyman glee club a lift and wind* up the show-in sock fashion with their 'God Bless America,' a cut-off spot catching them 6nly from their chests up for a mighty effective pic- ture. Band's ^ieatured vocalist Is Rose Blane, en^ she's a distinct as- set, giving the killer-diller contin- they're still in the class of enter tainers deluxe. Two numbers that got over in a particularly powerful way at the show caught were 'He Happens to Come from the Other i T, ORPHEUM, L. A. Los Anoelei, May 22. NTG's Hollywood Revels unth Nils Granlund, Cully Richards, Bob Side of the Track' and 'Where are I Hughes, YvonTie de Carlo, De Luxe the .Stars . of Broadway.' Eddie Trio, Line (17); AI Lyons House STRAND, N. Y. Wayne King's Orch (13) uiifh MoTiacled Ambassadors (2), Randall Sisters (3), Tom A. Betty Wonder Don Cuniminos; Dennis Morgan; 'Ai- fectionatelv Yours' (WB), reuiewed in VABiETy, May 7. There may have been better shows on the Strand's pit platform since it Instituted its band policy, but there couldn't have been very 'many. Nor is it probable that Harry Gourfain has often eclipsed this week's excel- lent lighting' and scenic job, which contributes to the all-around whammo entertainment Wayne King Is standard as k- band name and exceptional as a show-pacer and ringmaster. His in- troes are as clear as a bell and as suave as his music. He has also pro- vided a nifty package entertainment Including all the acts except Dennis Morgan, screenplayer also co-star-' ring in the current 'Affectionateley Yours' .with Merle Oberon and Rita Hayworth. Morgan (New Acts) is WB's out- side act contribution and his fine I stage manner and nifty vocalizing help greatly to allay the sour impres- sion left here by 'Victor McLaglen, the theatre's previous Hollywood vis-, itor. Morgan has talent and.an act— McLaglen had neither. King uncorks soma showmanship from the very waltz medley teeoff, when a comedy trumpeter takes the curse off the corny music by heck- ling the maestro and insisting on swinging the King trademarks. From here the show segues into the routine of the Monocled Ambassadors (2). very English in white-tie-and-tails and the eye-windows, and effective In an original delivery' of difficult hand-to-hand balancing. Band's arrangement of the Mexi- can 'Escapada' then furnishes a neat interlude between the comedy harmony' of the Randall Sisters, three kids who do well with a special version of 'Alexander's Ragtime Band,' 'Sadie Hawkins' Day* and •When Pa Was CourUn' Ma.' Latter was an encore at this catching forced by show-stopping applause. King's tenor sax solo with a med- ley precedes Tom and Betty Wonder, nice-looking dance team which has been circulating among the Times Square stage show houses for the gist few yea-rs;- Tom's Cakewalk and city's eccentric delivey of 'Minnie the Moocher' land but it^s about time the boy dropped the dummy dance. It's, been overdone by too many acts for years. Don Cummlngs is another of the show's outstanding clicks. Once chiefly a rope-twirler, he's now principally a comic, and an excellent one, with the rope work very much secondary. He got howls at the last show opening night (Friday) and then topped himself by taking what looked like an accidental pratUall on the bowofl. With material, there's no reason why Cummings couldn't be a big-time radio possibility-— Prior to Cummlngs. King Sings two ball&ds, 'one of them 'I Wonder Whose Kissing Her Now,' and this later sets the stage for Morgan's opening by-play with the band leader on their respective vocal abilities. Without any discredit to 'King, Morgan, who 'was a singer in the midwest under the liame of Dennis Momer, leaves no doubt as to who is tops. Show ran 71 minutes at this view- ing and still appeared fast. Business was nice. Scho. Weber, veteran piano accompanist Is at the keys, and is effective as unsual. In the next-to-closing niche Frank Libuse, assisted by . the statuesque Margot Brander, commits his usual amount of damage on the customers' midsections. His mugging and -clowning- at the piano and general roughhouslng provide a solid laugh produces a dog from an empty box.'a Boogie Beat' and 'Boogie Woofde «„„;;.iaM»_ fk-'ti. d "> kct Uien switches-from hiLnan to' Bugle Boy Vf Company B.' Mob ^ w^^SSS^ ^L^w^f^*??*' "\ ^^"^ animal legMdemain, first pooch be- aftlmoon couldn't get^enou^ of hS. to?so'^^ hl^U the rotine mirtt ng rep.laced by a wlrehair of amaz- Orch's individual high spots '^Te}^^^^^^^^^^^^'''^'^^^- _ . . , high spots ing balance. In addition to hand- , 'Amapola,' the perennial 'Melancholy stands, dog reveals a new one in Baby,' with the glee club, and the abilit/ to hold itself horizontal in midair with only shoulder support Tura~ Warms audience up nicely. Band then goes into an okay ar- rangement of score from 'Sunnv' (a' musical trailer for next week's bill), after which the Emerald Sisters roll on. i ■Pair, garbed in snappy white sail- orized costumes, one short, treats tj..^„ „u„„,j - <„ ^..^z. customers to star'uing deluge of falls. ' }htKnl^^^\,X^.t!5S^^ Tumblers toss each other about Ti* l*!„'dL^^i'Jl'^'IS^f.'^^^^ Irving Berlin medley latter a stand- out " Comedy Is supplied by three Sailors, still over big with an act they could practically do in their ^eep by now, which is almost what they're doing. Boys haven't altered CAPITOL, WASH. Washington. Moy 27. ..The Nonchalants. Bert Frohman. Carroll and Howe. Johnny Mack, 4 . . - ,, .House Line (16), Sam Jack Kauf- a gag, trick or line in aU of 10 yeaw, man Pit Orch; 'Pot o' Gold' (UA). and obviously there s no reason why , ; Whatever else there Is to be said xuiiiuicia iu» cawii uuici avuui x xu j ii. i. it " • . . ■ about this One. there is one thing unmercifully. Routines are fast and 1^'^ «.f»''i!ffi1f'Jr°.SP^„SS^=i"'^rf "»"st be said first-It certainly smooUi-it's one for tiie books, or at ^^^l^ Eifl, tiJ??^ fel™ Stage revue itself clocks at least the bookers. Payoff comes" 2J^®- f^* ^\ Henry 50 minutes and this is preceded by. -with a wrlst-to-ankle nil across Arlina, couple of young 20 to 25 minutes of overture and Art stage, boUi over and under a prop ■ 0°°„fL2?° , communibr-sing organ-log. table. I Knowledge of-legltimate-legmania Beyond a couple of handsome back- This week the Gate again tries and also the showy Jitterbug variety, drops, no special attention seems to spotting its top act in the middle, ■ 1^^^ could dress and seU the turn have been ' given • production this Ella Logan following. Breezy Scots; better. I week either, turns just following one lassie goes right Into snappy 'version I Lyman himself keeps in the back- another in what finally seems an of 'Bonny Blue Ribbon.' Garbed in! ground, without effacing himself too endless procession, floor-length black short-sleeved completely, and handles the show; . Consiaered singly, the acts are gown, which goes nicely with the with ease and plenty of assurance, good enough. Nonchalants almost: figure ^ week's black-and-gold theme colors. He's experimenting with an audi- seem to have taken-up permanent 1 packs a wallop, winding up with a Miss Logan follows rapidly with' erice stunt, "Sing a Song with residence in town, but their clever salute to the color?. Yvonne de 'Sunny Side of Street* and 'You Lyman,' in which he invites people kidding of their own gymnastic Aor,\ Carlo, in a Spanish dance routine. Made Me What I Am.' Took the up from thp audience to warble a ings sets them apart from other fills the bill nicely while the De matinee crowd « little time to warm chorus, idea being to present cash 1 acrobatic acts and makes alv^ay^ for 1 Luxe Trio, roller skating act, is em- up to Ella, but when they did, they prlie to best one at end of week, surefire comedy. They're in next-1 ployed for comedy as well. In the didn't stop asking for more;* She Those who cahne up were too ama- to-closing spot here and wind things• latter case a portly femme from the . encored with 'My Bonnie'and 'Loch teurish and' they slowed down the up to a Uvely finish. audience, obviously a stooge, is Lomond,' and still had to beg-off. I show to a walk. • • • J Most Impressive of the others to called on to earn $3 by permitting Butch and Buddy, -youngsters,' ■ Cihen.'" ' Johnny Mack, yoim8"tep dancer who herself to be swung around. Mori. " Orch; 'Rookies on Parade'. ,(Rep). Bringing NTG's floor show over from the Florentine Gardens. Holly- wood nitery, into this downto'wn Los Angeles house looks like a good move for operator Sherrill-Cohen. Revue appears to be headed for pay dirt wiUi house near capacity in the orchestra oh a sultry Thursday after- noon. This Is contrary to the gen- eral trend of 'wilting grosses preva- lent in majority of straight picture houses in this territory. Color, flash, pleasant tunes and effective comedy are the b.o. aids. Granlund, as always, presents his troupe with an affable, informal Tine" of banter that takes the stodglness out of m.clng.- Equally at home here is Cully Richards, a first rate comic whose style is reminiscent, but not a carbonr-of -Bob Hope's. Richards impresses here primarily on delivery. His material is okay but what he could do with a stronger brand of patter is no guessing matter. NTG introduces several colorful production numbers, notably 'March of the West Point Cadets' and 'Memories of Ziegfeld.' In addition he has a socko vocalist in Bob Hughes. He scores heavily and re- peatedly with standard ballads and adds lustre to the 'Ziegfeld' number when he warbles old favorites from ziggy musicals. Young tenor should hit the highef notches. Cadet number, in which the girjs for precision hoofing also ROXY, N. Y. Nellie Amaut and Bros., Mary Dooley and Vikings (4), Scott and Sodjo, John W. Tiebor, Cae Foster Girls, Esquires (12), Paul Ash and Orch; 'Blood and Sand' (20fh), re- viewed in 'Variety, May 21. Stjige bill paired with the highly, ornate film, 'Blood and Sand,' is only moderately diverting. There are ho positive dead spots, nor any solid punches. It merely runs along with passable effectiveness and winds up with a colorful and lively South American . ensemble routine. Paul -Ash and the house band are on stage throughout After a novelty opening by the Gae Foster girls and the .{horus-boy Esquires, in which the girls hop up and down to jingle bells fastened to their belts, wristiet? and anklets, thus playing tunes, NeUle-Amaut- and Brothers offer their standard -end rather impressive act of fiddling- while-tumbling and comedy bird whistling. It's good, but over-famil- iar'and somewhat lost in the huge, almost-empty house when caught Mary Dooley and the Vikings (New Acts) follow with vocal har- mony, marring a nice visual Impres- sion with too much volume on the house amplification system. Scott and Sodja (New Acts) are next .with a comedy novelty music turn, okay but needing a punch finish.- Thats followed by the ever-familiar John W. Tiebor and his three trained seals, doing some remarkable flipper-bal- ancing and the usual tune-tooting on horns. That's all, except that gals from the Foster troupe are used to dress up the various acts. Miss Dooley and the Vikings join the Foster girls and the Esquires for the finale. Hobe.