Variety (Sep 1941)

Wednesday, September 24, 1941 HOUSE REVIEWS 47 STRAND, N. Y. JEddv DucWft Orchestro (12) /ea- tiirino Lew Sherwood, June Hobbtrw, Tony Leonard, Johnny Drake, 3 Ear Benders; Roy Davis, Lynn, Royce & Vonva, Merriel Abbott Dancers (8) fentiirtno Valerie Thon; Navy Blues Sextet {Katharine Aldridge, Georgia Carroll, Peggy Diggins, Loraine Ccttrtian, Marguerite C h a p m o n , Alice Talton); 'Navy Blues' (WB), Tcuieuied in Variety, Aug. 11, '41. Back from three months In Rio de Janeirtf,' Eddy Duchin smartly points that up In his able style of Ingratiating emceeing, without over- doing the samba influence. The new cariocan importation Is a brisk tune, in melodic swingo style, punctuated by the Brazilian manner of orches- tration, but for the rest Duchin does a standard, surefire, 100% Yanqui band show. Per always, the fetching Duchin pianology, with emphasis- on the melodic, keynotes the general run- ning of the show.- His team of four reeds, four brass and four rhythm gives him able support, from which are culled comedian-trumpeter Lew Sherwood with his 'Pants Too Long' and 'Daughter of Jeanie' specialties; Tony Leonard and Johnny Drake with their solo opportunities; June Bobbins' 'Kiss Boys' and other pops; plus three neat supporting specialties. Of these, Lynn, Royce and Vanya are socko. Their Hartmanesque ballrooipology, for once, assumes the pattern of the legit. They have class, look like they could do their terps 100% according to form; hence, their stuff comes with a bit more surprise than usual. They're a cork- ing comedy turn. Both Vanya and the two men are impeccably attired, and are apparently reformed straight ballroomologists who realized their greater dividends via the laff route. Duchin tees off by kiddingly call- ing attention to the Columbia Re- cording easels as a frank plug for his wax works. Following a brisk opener, the batacuda samba number brings on the Merriel Abbott Dancers, with Valerie Then fea- tured, doing a nifty acro-dance. The Abbotts were with Duchin at the Copacabana, Rio, and they click again with a miniature piano rou- tine, all eight performing on the miniature uprights. Roy Davis' hoke with records, simulating Dannv Kaye's 'Dinah'; Miranda's 'Ay Ay,' including comedy fruit-basket turban, and Cyril Smith's madrigal proved a show- stopper. The Navy Blues Sextet, compris- ing the prize lookers from the WB fllmusical concurrent, are ' brought on from a rising pit where the Wur- litzer used to be. It's a novelty Intro, and gives the • customers a good closeup on the lookers. Most or all of them being ex-models, they have carriage, grace and poise, and what's more, handle themselves well on lines (dialog; not physical) and vocalization. Loraine Gettman is credited for the musical arrange- ments, which, even if it ain't so, is a good showmanly touch, Appro- eriately they're in hula costuming > match their cinematic decor. Ducbin's pianology ties it up some more after Davis, Sherwood and the dancers' specialties; thence the octet of miniature pianofortes by the Ab- botts, and the stage portion clocks off as a nifty 50-minute presenta tlon. Abel. OLYMPIA, MIAMI Miami, 5ept. 18. Sima St Bailev, Lester Oman, Dannv Dravson, Ade Duval, Ray & Harrison, Cnarlte Sahy House Orch; •World Premiere' (Par). Manager Al Weiss can click his heels and take a well-earned bend on this one. With the September slump setting in, this layout staoks up as one of the best of the summer, and with the film combination impresses as having excellent b.o. possibilities. In a sense. It's a personal triumph for Lee Sims and Ilomay Bailey, who are celebrating their 10th anniver sary as Mr. and Mrs. by stopping every show. Pair are just back from Rio, this being first workout here. For o. turn that's been on the boards so many years, they are an amazing couple. Sims has loosened up, getting to be quite a comic, and . his keyboard virtuosity has never been showcased to better advantage, Miss Bailey, is a gracious and charm- ing songstress. Arrangement of Ra- vel's 'Bolero' la tops, likewise 'Tea for Two' and the (Jcrshwin montage, Had tough time making getaway. Few marionet manipulators are even In the Same league with Lester Oman. . He's possibly the smoothest operator ever caught on these boards. Working In full view of house, blaclfed out except for pin spot On dolls, he scores heavily. Manipula- tions of a batontwirling majoret and a double of himself working the strings of a still smaller character are uncanny. He is a class attraC' tion and warrants plenty of atten^ tlon. An agile hoofer, Danny Drayson clicks both in his single, and as em- cee. He's a talented young tapologist, and, with an expanded routine will go places. Ade Duval Is a suave prestidigitator who completely baf- fles the house with his slick sleight- of-hand. Stage presence Is bolstered by smart line of chatter, delivered in strong limey accent. For those affected with a nostalgic yearning for gas-light hurley, Ray and Harrison are just 'the ticket. They're slightly out of phase with the rest of this bill though, being cornbelt comics from way back. She's a balloon ballerina, weighing appar- ently around 250, but certainly man- ages to get around. Clown hoofing is good for guffaws, but they can de- lete the duets and the patter needs paprika. B.O. remains boffy. Leslie. COURT SQUARE (SPRINGFIELD, MASS.) Spring/ield, Mass., Sept. 18. Louis & Delita, Johnny Galvtn, George Watts, Larue & Corol, Micro Maniacs (3), Broadway Starlets (8), Bert Green's House Orch; 'Sweet- heart of Campus' (Col). STANLEY, PITT Well-balanced and clicking from start to finish was bill selected for resumption of weekend (18-20) vaude at Court Square here after a summer layoff. Only marked flaw was in dancing of the line; its num- bers were well-planned but at open- ing performance several of the girls missed their cues. Louis and Delita opened after a hoop number by the line. Pair pre- sents some topnotch aero balancing, notable for its apparent lack of ef- fort. Playing three clarinets at once is most notable of Johnny Galvin's performance in a turn which ends with a sax-clarinet duet in which he plays the two simultaneously. Stunt stuff is generally okay. George Watts, Negro comedy-song- tap turn, beats it out a la Bill Robin- son. His singing is passable, but it took a bit of time for him to get his chatter warmed up. Next to his nimble feet, his biggest asset Is a mouthful of Ivory that flashes in a wide grin at slightest provocation. He took several calls and then re- turned for a bit more stepping. New here were Larue and Carol: Dressed in brown cover-alls and a black mask, Larue, comes onstage and proceeds to 'crack' a safe in its center. From it he takes a mailsack, out of which Carol steps. The pair duplicates some of the balancing stuff previously performed by Louis and Delita, then 'Strips off the cover- alls and appear in scanty costume for some top adagio. One of the best acts ever to ap- pear here is the Micro Maniacs, three young fellows who pan the daylights out of newsreels in one song and radio advertising in another. Their tunes are funny, but their facial con- tortions and sound effects double the punch. House about three-quarters full for opening show Thursday (18). _ Lvnch.' EMBASSY, N. Y. (NEWSREELS) Scenes of suffering and destruc- tion, interspersed with lighter hu- man-interest shots, pace the usually massive roundup of world events. Paramount and Pathe share top honors with impressive German- Russo war scenes. Par is releasing spectacular films of the Nazi drive into Russia, released by the British censors. Pictures show stuka raids on Red air fields and artillery at- tacks at the outbreak of hostilities in the north. Films of an actual attack by a combined British-Soviet naval force on Nazi supply ships in the Baltic, showing two of the cargo vessels sunk by torpedoes and depth charges (Par) and official German films of tank, artillery and infantry attacks near Brest-Litovsk (Pathe) further highlight the program. Embassy theatre's own compila- tion of the American rearmament program, under heading of 'Ringside Seat at World War No. 2,' with run- ning commentary by Reagan 'Tex' Mc(5rary, is a five-minute subject graphically showing conversion of auto factories to plane and gun man- ufacture. Par scores again with splendidly recorded episode of the British-Canadian invasion of Spitz bergen. The human-interest department offsets the serious stuff with a raft of incidentals, all good for laughs. There's the American Legion hijinks and parade in Milwaukee (Pathe and Par); runaway kid joining army (Pathe); a home-made auto which runs on crude oil (Universal); Red Cross clothing French babies (Metro); father joining his seven sons in the navy (Pathe) and arrival in N. Y. of European refugees on Spanish ship (Par). Several other worthwhile news events, such as the U. S. war games in the south (Movietone) and re- lease of ,army over-age seleqtees from camps. Usual flock of hardy perennials round out the balance. They include grape harvesting In California (U an* Pathe); prize- fight training scene of Joe Louis and Lou Nova (Metro); horse-racing (Pathe); girls' snowball fight on Vir glnia beach ^(Movietone) and the cus- tomary fashion show. Pittsburgh, Sept. 19. Vaughn Monroe Orch (14), Anita Louise, Ziggy Talent, Joe & Jane McKenna, Marilyn Duke, Trixie, Max Arkins Orch (16); 'Father Takes a Wi]e' (RKO). This is really a homecoming for Vaughn Monroe. He hails from nearby Jeannette, Pa., and went to the Carnegie Tech music school here for three years before g6ing to Cleve- land, where he got his start with the Austin Wylie outfit. The usual chamber of commerce thing is to give any local boy who made good in the big city a great big hand, but Monroe would rate the same thing here if he hailed from Twin Falls. Easy to understand why he's gone far and fast. Handsome maestro looks like the leader of a modern dance band should look; he has a swell platform manner; a good bari- tone that's way above the contempo- rary norm, and, what's just as im- portant, perhaps more so, is that he lias an outfit that makes sense. Arrangements • are out - of the* beaten path, and Monroe has a gang of musicians who know how to do them justice. When band goes sweet, it isn't that cloying sweetness that sends a customer out of the theatre dripping with molasses, and when it goes hot, it isn't the blast furnace of the low-down brasshats. Rather, the Monroe crew strikes a' happy balance in both mediums and result is music that's both listenable and intelligent, a fine and unfortunately rare combination these days. ' Num- bers are picked wisely and not from a hat, with preference naturally go- ing to the tunes Monroe has recorded successfully, notably that 'Pagliacci,' which first won him attention. On the vocal end, leader, too, has a de- cided edge on most of the other sing- ing maestros. Band carries two other singers, Marilyn Duke, who knows her way around a song, and Ziggy Talent, more of a novelty scatter, however, than a conventional lyric peddler. Mob this afternoon couldn't get enough of Talent, who will one day work himself into a good case of St. Vitus dance if he doesn't watch out, Anita Louise '^lad some trouble first show getting the band together with her harp playing, running a race with her accompaniment most of time. Screen star is really some- thing to look at and, with or without harp, could just stand there for the audience to feast its eyes on and earn her salary, in spades. Does three numbers, a semi-classical, then 'Star Dust,' finally 'Fresnesi,' and turn does slow down the show some- what, but that was expected, sacri- fice being well made in view of the vision of loveliness she presents. Presentation gets away fast with the juggling by the blonde Trixie, who can keep the stuff going in mid-air almost as. well as Stan Kavanaugh, only she's much prettier. Show moves into the wallop stage with en- trance of Joe & Jane McKenna, McKennas are Stanley stand-bys, having played WB deluxer at least a dozen times, and while doing the same dance act they've been doing for years, they get funnier by the season. Murdered 'em here today and could have stuck around for an- other 10 minutes, wind and limbs permitting. Monroe had to crack in- to their applause for his closing medley and even then Joe McKenna had to come out and con the crowd into silence with one of those home- town sendoffs for Monroe. Biz not up to expectations. Down- stairs was full at getaway but upper perches were pretty slim. Cohen. APOLLO, N. Y. Night Club Reviews YACHT CLUB, PITT Pittsburgh, Sept. 17. Herman Middleman Orch (8), Jerry Cooper, Lionel Kaye, Charlo & Dupree, Alice Kavan, Shirley Heller; $1.50-$2 minimum. With Little Jackie Heller, brothei:, part-owner and star of show, away fo a few weeks on a theatre tour, Sol Heller has brought in Jerry Cooper to fill the vocal chores at his Yacht Club. What's more. Cooper fills 'em. Vaude, musical comedy and radio performer is making his first appearance here, and judging from the way he's going across. Cooper can come back any time. Guy has a nice style, pipes are great and he's a smart picker of songs. Goes through repertoire of usual pops, adding numbers with which he's been identified over the air, and thumbs back the pages for a socko finale. One of biggest hits- Yacht Clyb has ever had is Lionel KAye, who calls himself "The Daffy Auctioneer.' Folks who have been clamoring that there's nothing new in cafe enter- tainment haven't seen Kaye yet. He's got something, and it's socko. For dinner'show he does a good magic act, but at the late session he goes into the auctioneer's spiel, sells some pretty good articles to ring- siders, for as little as 5c and up to a buck, and buys unusual stuff from them at a fair price. Works the customers into a regular bidding fever and punctuates the whole turn with a flock of laughs. For a finale, he offers $2 for an undershirt, gets three guys on the floor and then three gals, offering a buck to the femme who can get one of the gar- ments off first anc'. the deucer to the feUow who takes It off. It's a ter- rific howl. Kaye's act is not only different, it's also good, and should be surefire in any cafe. Alice Kavan's a crack, dancer. She's a striking looker, wears white tails and topper and raps out her taps a mile a minute, telling a little story in pantomime all the while. Encores with' some swell cape work, working it around like they ^o in a bull ring for a great flash. Kavan gal's strictly class. Dance team of Charlo and Dupree needs some routines. .They're a cute couple, although that gray eton with shoes to match the boy wears is a little too affected, but their hoofing is too . one-keyed. Make a good original impression, but they don't follow through. Kaye serving as m.c, getting his own introduction for the auction from (hooper at the end of latter's turn, and music is by Herman Mid- dleman, with Shirley Heller, also in the family, doing the vocals. Good show band, performers swear by it, and okay on the dance end, too. Cohen. LE RUBAN BLEU, N. Y. Fats Waller Orch (14), Candy & Pepper; Bobby Cossey, Apus & Estrelita, Myra Johnson, Sinclair & LeRoy; 'Sign of the Wolf {Mono). Apollo is still not ready to put forth its best efforts on its usual type of colored shows with girl line, etc. So, this week.'s bill is another vaude- ville show. Acts are all billed as part of Fats Waller's revue, and while few of them are professional turns rated from a big-time stand- point, the stuff they 40 clicks handi- ly here. Major objection to the 80-minute layout is that Waller himself is so wrapped up in helping the various turns that he devotes too little time to his own forte, the piano and organ keyboards. Cuts loose on piano all by. himself only once on 'Honey- suckle Rose,' which he and Andy Razof wrote. On organ he' plays background music for Bobby Cos- sey, a- shy youngster with a good voice which he doesn't yet know how to use. Kid clicks, however, on 'I Got Plenty of Nothin.' 'Without a Song' and a third unbilled melody. Doesn't know how to use a mike either. Candy and Pepper, brace o^ gals dressed in male finery, open. They dispense a wealth of energy in fast tap work, and while the pair goes over \?ell enough there's a lack of thought in their routines. Male at- tire gives them a fresh, crisp appear- ance. Apus and E^relita, comedy- dance-song duo, are on too long. Some of the lines they use ^re effec- (Continued from page 53) ..Harry's New Yoricer (CHICAGO) Chicago, Sept. 20. Dolly Kay, Ralph 'Cookie' Cook, Jules & Joanne Walton, Darlent Walders, Muriel Kretlow Dancert (6), Ame Bamet Orch (6), Al Milton Orch (4); $1.50 minimum. This show, opening the fall and winter season, is apparently a com- bination of acts which scored best in previous engagements. There is plenty of talent, and it is routined to get the most out of them. Headlining is Dolly Kay, long a favorite of Chi club and theatre- goers. Miss Kay does five songs, but could knock out 25, if the patrons had their way. Comic Ralph 'Cookie' Cook m.c.s and has a fine spot on his own. Unique style of comedy is based al- most entirely oi\ satire, which is smart in text, but brought down to earth by his hokum touch. Nifty personality fits this room well. Jules and Joanne Walton offer dance routines in the Tahitian man- ner to good results. Man is an especially fine terper and team is well costumed. Good appearance aids them materially, and they have little trouble in getting across. An aero tapper, Darlene Walders' is im- pressive in two routines. . Gal is a nice looker and possesses ability and stage presence. Rounding out the show are the Muriel Kretlow Dancers, holdovers from the previous show. Gals open and close with two colorful and ex- cellently costumed numbers, which reveal Uiem to be tall, attractive and shapely. Arne Barnet's band plays for- show and dancing, with Al Milton's group, assisted by femme vocalist Patsy Gale, filling in with the rhumbas. Loop. New Act in Theatre Corrie Finnell, Anita Sevilla and Vitlarino, Richard Dyer-flennet, The Sophtsttchords (6), Stuort Ross, Her- man Chittison; $2 minimum. Herbert Jacoby calls this the V season of his Ruban Bleu, smart East 56th street boite, which has the dual connotation of marking the fifth year of a policy he created at Les Boeufs sur le Toit in Paris. It's in the polite, drawing-room style of in- time entertainment, sans dance fioor, with succession of specialists punc- tated by ' Stuart Ross' and Herman Chittison with their pianoforte inter- ludes. Since Felix Ferry brought strip- pers into his snooty Monte Clarlo, anything could happen and does at the Ruban Bleu with .Carrie Finnell doing her acrobatic heaves. It's a far cry from a carny pitch for Mike Todd at the World's Fair to this spot; but from Minsky to Fefe Ferry's covers about the same scope. Miss Finnell is a very buxom exponent of muscular control above her waist line that puts her in a niche all her own. There have been contortive and abdominal coochers of all shapes, styles and sizes, but Miss Finnell has no competition through her unique and quite Ripleyes(}ue prowess, which she accompanies with ap- propriate lyrics. It may not be for Aunt Deborah from Dubuque but it's great stuff for the debs and post- grads who patronize Monsieur Jacoby's snooty saloon. At $2 a head minimum she's big boxoffice. Inci- dentally, Jacoby continues to capably emcee his own bolte. Anita Sevilla aided by Villarino on the guitar is more polite with their flamenco son^s; ditto Richard Dyer-Bennet, singing Elizabethan and early American madrigals and roundelays to self-accomp on the Swedish lute. The 5 Sophistichords (New Acts) Include two femmes In this rhythmic vocal group. The colored group swing-sings French, German, Italian, Spanish and 52d street ditties in the Delta Rhvthm style.- Ahpl. TUNE TOPPERS (4) Mnsic'al 10 Mins. Paramonnt, N. T. This is a punchy musical quartet, making its first stage appearance, doubling from Rogers' Corner 8th Ave. (N. Y.) restaurant, and seven nights-a-week sustainers on NBC- Red. Instruments are a trumpet, ac> coiCdion, bass and guitar, with the boys playing hot, corny and in th« pantywaists' groove. At this catching they did 'Summer- time,' 'Dark Eyes' and what sounded like a medley of pops, with the trum- peter and accordionist most promi- nent. Both are top musicians, though the latter should stand a ^little fur- ther away from the mike\ since he picks up the click of the keys to tho detriment of the musical effect. The bass player and guitarist are likewise clicko, especially with that two- handed whacking of the big-bellied instrument. They'll fit most anywhere that music is liked in jump style. Scho. New Acts m Niteries JOAN ROBERTS Singer Rainbow Grill, N. T. Joan Roberts is more, than the usual vocalist with a dance band, although she officiates here with Russ Smith's crack crew. As is the policy at both Rockefeller niteries, the vocalizing femme is given solo opportunity and invariably she clicks. Laura Deane Dutton, for ex- ample, in the more formal Rainbow Room, is registering with Ozzie Cas- well's band, and ditto Joan Roberts here with Russ Smith. Given entr'acte spotting, her 'Chocolate Soldier' excerpt clicks, and her 'Samson and Delilah' ex- cerpt, which starts out legit, be- , comes more zingy as she swings 'My Heart at Thy Still Voice.' Miss Rob- erts, besides being possessed of vocal authority, backs it up with a fetch- ing front. She's reported slated for Shubert operetta contracting. For class cafes she contributes solidly. AbeL THE SO.PHIS'nCHORDS (6) Rhythm Songs Le Rohan Bleu, N. T. Colored quintet, with pianist-ar- ranger Lloyd Pinkney accompanying them, is a mixed Harlem combo of which two are femmes. Their forte is swing-singing in French, German, Italian, Spanish and, of course, Eng- lish. And while their Teutonic- Harlem brogue, for example, is a. curious admixture as they rhythmize 'Wien, Wien,' they're a very compe- tent group that should make its mark in the cafes and on the records. From the waxworks they should ex- pand into theitres, etc. Their style Is in the Delta Rhythm and Ink Spots idiom, plus their own novelty of h-nf^lin>» ditties like 'Parlez Mol H'Amo-r,' 'Vesta la .Guibba,' etc., with a 52d street touch. 'The.v alsn nit up with p""' /!>><»'.