Variety (Jan 1942)

Wednesday, January 21, 1942 BOUSE REVIEWS 47 ROXY, N. Y. . Bob Hannon, Frank Goby. Equtllo Bros (2). Leirfs kVo", Ben Yost Si-ilr. Hoi««tt«s. Paul Ash Houic ^^'"iwt^e UP Screaming' (20th). uprff Is a pleasant . litUe blU that «?erllly pleasSr Individual acts *!? ill okir though it's the some- Soves the lone snag. At that, how- Ktf/the program's variety and m- SrtSining factors tor compensate for Jhelminor distractions, such as the IffrJotvocd. dull routines turned In e^tt^ette line, the Roxyettes. Heading the biU for name value •nd eeneral all-around effectiveness S'^bIS HMnon. from Frank Fay's TL^s-sponsored network radio pro- iSn He's reviewed more ex^en- S^y under New Acts. Frank _Gaby_and the EquiUo brothers follow closely on entertam- m«ot values, the former a standard SilAu'^t and the latter a duo of IS)ba£^ Gaby and his dummy, as iSall the rest of the program's cast, Se garbed in western . attire, m teepiSg with the stage's ranchero at- ^Mphlre. Gaby's delivery and Srffiod of presentetlon.is expert, but needs better material generally. ■ The EquiUos, though dicky on the str^^t acrobats, win the playdits Srtkularly on novelty. They come 5ut in standard western attire, sing- Ine a ballad, and one suspects that Sev they arc a singing turn. And Set voices are sufficiently good to warrant that first impression. How- iiec. after the first few bars they rSS to shorts, all the whUe keepmg m^e same tune, and go into their • Sbw-moUon acros. SUU continuing fte same tune, they finale in much the same way in which they start, but in reverse, as they resume their original atUre In time to walk off in the last bar of the seU-same ballad. The audience went for them Ug. Lewis and Van, hoofers, are also reviewed under New Acts. Biz moderately good at the last diowing Frid ay (16). Noka. PALOMAR, SEATTLE Seattle, Jan. 16. Eddie Bumette & Lucille, Kittv MIIHffan, Val Setz, Lloyd & Willte, DuBarry'a BirdUind, Jerry Ross, Ale ■ Ules house orchestro (6); 'Lody jor a NIflhf (Rep)^ Jerry Ross smcees a well rounded thow at the Palomar this week, with EUdie Bumette and Lucille clicking wildly with a' combination of triclcs •nd taps. Eddie comes on for some deltht of hand with lighted .cigar- ette while tapping. Lucille pleased \rfth a fruit, egg and bird trick, pair winding up with a trunk trick that vowed 'em. Kitty Milllgan warbles llose ODay' and-"Basin Street' pleasantly, ending with her own composition, •Well Take a Tuck Out of Toklo.' On third, Val Setz, juggler, always liked here, defUy blends patter with bdancing juggling routines. Throw- ing of duml^Jls got a big hand. For a cllmaxer he comes back and tosses four coins oft totf, catehing and balancing them on his face. Uoyd end Willis, young ballet tapsters, followed with terping which was well received. Lloyd dances as of 20 years ago while WUIie shows how it is done today. Closing spot holds Madame Du- Barry and her Birdland, with an un- billed helper. Her cockatoos per- fonn creditably, particularly one Bamed Mike who adds, subtracts and multiplies with a beak-operated bell. Jerry Ross brings 'em. on In his twial breezy manner. Good house at MOW caught. f = EMBASSY,, N. Y. (NEWSKEELS) llo action footage on the Japunks' •5*5* and U.S. counter-measures Is 2™ie in the newsreels, but this wyeiTB issues contain plenty of ex- citement nevertheless. Chief pulse- Qttickener Is the fine reel a>ara- ttount) on a British Commando raid JO ^Norway. While stressing more ™ destrucUon of Nazi property ™n blood-letting, it's clear-cut that r^H.^ vsty KT'm business. Also 5^ heartening, though, that the wtlsh show fine training for offen- nve warfare. , Another exciting clip is Metro's lootaee on the recent N. Y. spy luw "5- ^''^l and convicUons. High- mt of this is the actual motion pictures made by the FBI when the JPles were negotiating with the Gov- gnments counter-espionage agent, oome of the methods of the spies appear ahnost juvenile, but that ttiey SfPPened Is a matter of hrrefutable .•'m_evl(jence. uP^I^If footage by Par on Mw. Colin Kelly, widow of the Phll- S*^. hero, as she took part 9 8 Red Cross drive. Canal 2;one aeiense measures (Par), Japunks' plane wreckage In Hawaii, Navy gwips on Atlantic patrol (Fox), New •f?pand anti-aircraft batteries (U) we among the lesser war-type foot- o,J'*''"eels' output for the week Is otherwise mild, with Paramount missing a good, exploitation bet by not tieing up Its travelog, "The Jungle,' with the Malayan war scene. Scho. STANLEY, PITT PIttsbureh, Jan. 16. Phil Spllalnu Orch (23), Maxine, Vivien, Beatrice Howell, 3 Little Words,. Eoelyn, Rosa Linda, Mary JlfcLanohan; 'All Through the Nioht' (WB). There's something perennially fresh and exciting about Phil Spltalny's band of femme musi- cians. Maybe it's just the idea of finding a gang that's pleasant l>oth visually and audibly. Whatever it is the Spitalny standard grows more secure throu^ the years; his pres- entations are out of the top drawer and bis~pToductioiT stufl'is iust aboutr the best there is in the delux movie houses. Spitalny has always been a master of lighting and what he does here with spots lieightens the effect of good music immeasurably. Of course, it's perfectly true that he has several pretty faces to light up properly, which also helps. Opening flash with .two dozen girls, bright and shiny and attrac- tively gowned, gives the unit a wedge with the audience at the outset, and the showy compactness of what follows clinches the sale from there on. In actual orch line-up Spitalny has 6 violins (the Singing Strings), 4 saxes, 6 brasses, 2 pianos, harp, flutes, guit&r, bass and drums and, most of them double into the Glee Club which, added to the crack solo voices under Spltalny's wing, gives, him some choral effects easily the femme counterpart of the Fred War- ing brand. Show gets away ifast with collec- tion of semi-martial airs, featuring "Tenting Tonight On the Old Camp Ground,' highlighted by voices of Maxine and 3 Little Words. Maxine then coming back to punch over "To- night We Love' In her attractively husky pipes For an encore, she mops up again on "Boogly Wooely,' backed by the ensemble, and then for a sock novelty drummer and flute player team up In duet that niearly ties up the show. Evelyn, Spltalny's crack vionlinlst, cleans up solo with 'Marie Elena,' then brings out the five other strings for a swell arrangement of 'Inter- mezzo.' Customers are by now in mood for a few lauglis and 3 Little Words flU the bUl with their hoke "Tavern In the Town,' a standby with them, and later some semi- operatic high-jinx, all sold with a neat balance between legit songa- loguing and comic overtones. Rosa Linda, at the piano, gets an inning next with an original com- position based on four notes, and show-stopper follows her. She's Beatrice Howell, a clever impersona- tor who tops the general run. of mimics by keeping her routine out of the convenUonal groove. Starts off familiarly with Lionel Barrymore takeoff, but then switehes into a dialog between Myma Loy and one of the Dead End Kids; Barbara Stanwyck, amazingly autlientic and best of the lot; a kid singer and the hotcha torcher she grows up into, and finally Katharine Hepburn and Jimmy Durante. Miss Howell has an A-1 flair of vocal mimicry and material is flrst-rate. .Mob wouldn't let her get away and at first show afternoon caught and Spitalny had to ask audience to let the perfoim- ance proceed. "Madelaine' is presented after an understandable buildup by Spitalny, who explains that it's his own tune and points out that it's currently No. 4 on the Hit Parade. "Hour of Charm's blonde Juno, known as Vivien, cracks them wide open again with the 'Bell Song' and brings on the curtain leading the whole gang in 'God Bless America.' Cohen. TOWER, K. C Kansas City, Jan. IT. Lang & Cravat, Doris Dupont LaJlfarr Ic Martin, Charley Althoff, Jimmy Bunn, Waydeen Hayworth, Herb Six House Orch; "Tuxedo Junc- tion' (Rep). Stage fare this week Is a variety bill, interim booking between series of stage band attractions Tower has been running and has set up for near future. A few standard acts With house band and an amateur entry fill out 40 minutes for average resulta. Needing an emcee for the vaude lineup, manager Barney Joffee is working Jimmy Bunn in that niche. Bunn, 17-year-old, who has a good baritone, has had some experience in a night sustainer via station WOW, Omaha, on NBC red. On the speak- ing-and "personality side, boy needs more polish but possibilities are favorable. His warbling of "This Love of Mine' and "C6wboy Serenade' in the second spot are okay. Herb Six band opens with a pop song. Act following is aero team of Lang and Cravat, combo of straight man and Jimmy Savo type comic, for usual response. Bunn s turn is followed by Doris Dupont, terp single with fast tapping in three nifty modern routines. Team of LaM.arr and Martin comes through with extensive acro-adogio routines, Herschel Martin being a. one-time local athlete whose name strengthens the billing. Waydeen Hayworth is the juve am entry. Closing spot holds Charley Althoff in his standard solo character bit, the Yankee fiddler. Octogenarian ex-soldier with his fiddle and soap box chair remains an entertaining characterization. His best piece is 'When You and I Were Young, Maggie,' played straight Film entry sole b. o. draw this week, resultmg in mild seven days. QUin. Took a Waw jCoBtlBaed from page Is piro, are back In their old places prior to every performance playing "The Star Spangled Banner,' as an overture. When "Arsenic and Old Lace' came into the house Wednesday (14), Voll- mer Dahlstrand, head of the mifei- clans' union, served notice that from then on the orchestra would have to be used regularly, at least once every performance, to play the national anthem. Both Cy Grody, house man- ager, and Herman Bernstein, com- pany manager, protested that music of any kind was not wanted for this attraction, and that it would be a detriment and distraction preventing propef presentation of the produc- tion. Dahlstrand told them they had better change their minds aiid use the band, or else. Wednesday night the show opened and the orchestra did not play. Thursday matinee,came and the mu- sicians did not get into the pit, but Dahlstrand then threatened to get the stagehands to walk out and the operators permitted the musicians to play. . tempo and is rich in entertainment. Honors are equally divided between south-of-the-border and gringo style of entertainment Only three acts, but all good. Lee Sims and Homey Bailey, cele- brating their 10th anniversary as Mr. and Mrs. Sims have never been bet- ter at the keyboard. Miss Bailey is easy to look at and charming song- stress as well. Their arrangement of "Tea for Two' and Gershwin's "Rhap- sody' netted plenty of palm pound- ing. Cheena de Simone jlanceis, mixed sextet is a versatile conga line, taste- fully costumed. The girls, dark-eyed, and shapely, get attention with torso- shaking to the accompaniment of zingy rhumba tunes. Finale, in which the three men lock arms and lift the girls into dizzy whirls, is a smash and cleaned up. Chick and Xee, zany .comics, do takeoffs on radio entertainers, opera stars and celebrities, shout all over the place, play a couple of instru- menta, and clich in general. Ravazza' emcees snow nicely. Liuzza. New Acts LENNY KENT Corned IsD Kitty Davis' Airliner, Miami Beach Lenny Kent Is of the Youngman' Berle school of emcees, but not par ring them in quality, although he should develop. He's a' potential, right now In the minor leagues, but possessing the capabilities that will ripen with proper material and gen' eral seasoning. . He's at ease on the floor and han dies the general emcee potentials In good style. But when he gets Into his own specialty he waxes braw and goes overboard with a dirty parody on 'In Argentina.' To begin with, it's part of a routine Eddie (Leon &) Davis has done before Kent aind then onty as one part of a general parody medley; Kent makes It the major burthen of his specialty. He does better with his arrangement of 'Sea Food Manna,' in which he had a hand in author- ship. His major specialty is a'take- off on Cardini, simulating his man- nerisms in bro.ad manner which even the Icky customers that congregate here get even though they may never have seen the original subject With this, Kent blends a Chaz Chase ciggie-swallowing routine as the prime feature of his act. But In the main, while Kent has been around in lesser N. Y. spots like Butler's Tap Room and is pro- gressing into rooms like Kitty Davis' Airliner—a tourist trap a la the old Hollywood and Paradise on Broad- way—he needs more polishing and grooming before being ready for the faster company he will eventually travel with. Abel BOB HANNON Singer 12 Mins.; One Boxy, N. Y. Bob Hannon has established "him self in radio via the Frank Fay pro gram, as its featured tenor, and now the tall, good-looking, personable warbler has extended his ingratiat- ing songstering to the rostrum Whether It's radio, vaudeville or cafes, Hannon has enough on the ball to click in any one of those fields. Hannon's Irish tenor Is plenty sturdy for the ballads to which he leans, and with his neat phiz and easy deportment in front of the mike, whether It's lilting a tune or just em'ceeing, he has what it takes, par ticularly for the femmcs. Haka. LEWIS AND VAN Dancers 8 MIns.; One Boxy, N. T. Lewis and Van are whirlwind tapsters excellent for the ■■ type of work they do, but they seem limited because of a lack of novelty. It's standard, straight hoofing—and that's all. For vaude, as bill-openers, they appear In the groove. Naka. New Portland (Ore.) Click Portland, Ore., Jan. 20. Fanciest new night spot In the Pa- clUc Northwest is running to S.R.O biz. It's the new 'Pago Pago,' with Eddie Valencia band current Night Club Reviews ^Continued from page.44s BLUE ROOM, N.O. most of the name bands which have played here, starts the show with a novelty number, "The Band Played On,' as it would be interpreted by the famous bands. Maurice & "Maryea, ballroom dancers, are a classy team. Difficult spins and whirls are plentiful In their turn. Doraine & Ellis, youthful singers, in second engagement here, put over lighter operatic numbers to sock re- sponse. 'Donkey Serenade' duet is a snow-stopper. Rees. CLUB BALL PHILLY Philadelphia. Jan. 19. Val Iruing, Andrew Sisters (2), JVitza & Ravell, Delta Rhythm Boys (4), Robert Bruce McDougall, Bali- Lovelies (6), Allen Fielding Orch. (6), Los Cabolleros (5), Penny Davis; No cover, $1.50 minimum, u>eefc nights, $2 Saturday. Ball has embarked on policy of screwball thows which, from sample gendered this week, appears to be the answer to war blues. • Comic Val Irving, who takes charge of the wacky proceedings, almost knocks himself out dashing around the place. Everybody is In the show, from the proprietors (there are five) to the spotlight operator. Latter, a huge sepia lad tagged Robert Bruce McDougall, Is one of the show's best laugh-getters. The show tees off with all the boys in band togged In white coats, chas- ing Irving onto the stage with a prop straitjacket The customers then be- come part of the show, with Irving doing a workmanlike job ad libbing as he keeps show moving at a fast pace. _ ., Standout in the supporting cast-are the Delta Rhythm Boys, four colored lads with plenty of voice and rhythm. Quartet of expert ttme-salesmen clickwith their package of zingy tunes including "Darktown Strutters,' "Yes, Indeed,' "World on Fire' and "CHioo- Choo.' Had trouble getting off at show caught. In the hoofing department, Nitza and Ravell and the dancing Andrew Sisters (not to be cAifused with the singing Andrews Sisters), are pleas- ing. Nitza and Ravell specialize in Castillian terps for whch they have a distinct flair. Andrew gals, blonde lookers are expert terpers with effec- tive swingtaps. Ball-Lovelies, sextet of gals above average In looks and dancing ability, appear In three production numbers. Penny Davis handles the conga- teaching department Allen Field- ing's band and the Los Caballeros, rhumba quintet provide the rhythm. Fielding, also an excellent comic, helps Irving in several screwy skits. For the windup there's a "Boomps- a-daisy' routine with audience parti- cipation. House near capacity (Fri. dinner) when reviewed. 5hal. MINNESOTA TERRACE (HOTEL NICOLLET, MPLS.) Minneapolis, Jan. 17. Sev Olsen Orch (15) with Jeanne Darland, Maurice & Maryea, Jack Marshall, Doraine & Ellis; $l-$2 minimum. Current layout in this Hotel Nicollet room lacks the usual name band, but holds three excellent acts that provide flrst-rate entertainment Even without the name band, it's one of the more pretentious and satisfy- ing night cluD presentations in sev- eral seasons here. Local Olsen orchestra fllls the bill even for those with whom dancing comes first ~ Jack Marshall, erstwhile Benny Meroff horn tooter, now a comic, tops the performers and scores a hit He'll bring patrons back for more and stimulate word-of-mouth. Marshall's brand of eccentric comedy depends largely on the mug- ging added to clever handling, of comic songs, gags and stories. In song "Oh for the Life of an Old Sea Lton' he Imitates a seal. Dur- ing another number he manipulates a hat into a wide variety of shapes reminiscent of the top pieces worn by a number of historical personages and typical of different periods. Ma- terial seems msde to order for inti- mate night clubs. Olsen orchestra, on a par with REMBRANDT (BDENOS AIRES) Buenos Aires, Jan. 14. Bob Stewart Orch (7) uiith Ismar Guimaraes, First of the suburban after-dark spots to open for the summer season, which here as in the rest of South' America runs from December to April, the Rembrandt strikes the in- formal note and seems set for a hefty share of the better hot-weather trade. Located in Olivos, about half an hour from the center of Buenos Aires and adjoining the wide Rio de la Plata, spot also has advantage of being close to the grounds of the Circulo Militar. Garden, with trees rigged up with fliiorescent lighting as at the New York World's Fair, is a big attrac- tion. Outdoor dance fioor faces a tropical type bandstand holding Bob Stewart who plays the winter sea- son at the Alvear Palace hotel. Gar- den and terrace seat 500 comfort- ably, but additional 200 on fiesta days can be accommodated. When the breeze from the river gets too strong, there' is an Indoor series of halls, built Dutch style, which can hold 400. Stewart a personable leader, em- phasizes the, lackadaisical al fresco mood, wandering around the garden with his accordion, while the band plays, offering request numbers. Stewart was among first here with arrangements of 'Hut Sut -Song,' "Kiss the Boys Goodbye,' 'Sand in My Shoes' and other pops. Also strong with Latin numbers. Also featured is Ismar Guimaraes, Bra- zilian singer, who also plays the guitar. His handling of sambas is neat. Stewart's septet Is made up of Francisco Mazzeo, trumpet; Ma- riano Rolter, sax; Mario Cesarl, piano; Luis (Savinovich, bass; Mario Pages, drums; Guimaraes, on guitar. Band is drawing many of- the younger people, who'ye developed a taste for boucne a la Broadway as the result of DX tuning. \ Rembrandt specializes in Duteh dishes prepared under direction of the owner, Heeren Nicolas De Bidder. . Ray. Unit Review VICTORY JAMBOREE (BBOADWAY, CHAKLOITE, N. C.) Charlotte, N. C, Jan. 10. ■ Bee Ho Gray b Co. (2), Keynot- ers (3), Bronlee Bros. (2), Mason li Hutchinson, Senorita Cubanola, All-American Beauties (8), JamhO' leers (5); "Mr. Celebrity' (Indie). Dan Fiteh's 'Victory Jamboree' is strong in comedy, music, and mus- cles, but the line is not up to the usual Fiteh standard. t Bee Ho Gray, sagebrush humor • ist, got off to a strong reception in an expert western turn. He unfolds plenty of cowboy stuff, including whip-cracking, knife-throwing, rope- splnnlng and banjo-twanging. Fast pace maintained throughout. Gray uses a femme stooge Hester, winding up act by bringing out a baby coyote. The Keynoters, on twice, pleased with warbling far above average for here. Boys, out first In tuxedos, open with a medley of college songs, followed by neat arrangement of 'Siboney,' into which they inter- polate Latin atmosphere that seta the scene for a rhumba number by the line. Keynoters return later in khaki with a bateh of patriotic favea, Bronlee Bros., comic aero turn, are also above par. Boy$ work In full dress, opening with some hilari- ous drunk clowning. Then go Into some snappy gymnastics on the bars, also sandwiching in some magic with colored drinks. Turn drew big results. Mason & Hutehlnson, comics, are on twice. First appearance is weak, but they present some goo^ material In second attempt with a skit on army life. Mason, a diminutive comic, handles material well, while Hutehlnson' doubles as emcee and straight. Senorita Cubanola, stripper, fails to jell. Appearance and dialog poor. I,ine is weak on looks. Its best is a military drill, costumed in khaki, with balance of cast In flnalc. Also good in a standard rhumba. Band back.? up show nicely. Biz gnod at .•show caurht. Just.