Variety (Jan 1942)

Wednesday, January 28, 1942 HOUSE REVIEWS 47 MET, BOSTON Boston, Jan. 22. Pat CBrten, Harry James Orch tuith Jimmy Sawder}, Corky rSco^n. Helen Forrest; Ray & Trent, Austin: 'S«lH«on's Travels' (Par). Both Pat O'Brien and Harry T.mes' band are new for Boston JSTde and the combination Is a SSSef tor this deluxer. Band takes ^nost of the running time .and ten cloVs 'he bill without the 2o« orch Film star makes one of SSTbest showings among the plrture J^ormers who have come east on Se tours. Whae he has only an Se 01 an act, he gets^over im- Stely through lilceable stage SSenM An advance trailer show- KTbrlel bitsirom his starring roles TCnute Rockne' and 'Ffghtrng Sth' serves as a buildup. n'Rrien cets a good hand for his ^Mmatic bit from 'Knute Rockne' Sfm then goes into, a recitation of &ricl" with due credit to Helen ^es who originated the idea. In ^hinds of a'^less^ skillful player Sta bit might have been slgPPy. but Ssrlen makes it count. His finish wows 'em. Going all-out Irish he d^several rounds of a ditty called S?|ie__Hpnds with Your Uncle Mike,' neaJry~suppoftea-;tr-«en^ KaS and the house b^nd in the pit. Hetelks?sing6, jigs and waltzes in McCoy Irish, the local clan catching m instantly, clapping tempo and calling him back for encores. Morton Downey and O'Brien are the only performers caught in the It several years who can sell the ish to the Boston Irish. Harry James brings in a top swingeroo outfit and. as a group, they click best in 'Blues in the Nlgnt.' Two o'clock Jump' a/ii Trumpet Rhapsody.' a sort of bed- lam in brass. Virginia Austin, piip- peteer, and Ray and Trent, risley .irtlsts^jwre^valuable assets^on Jhe bill AustmV'acf Tias sSWrSl" novel twists, among them trick of making a large puppet manipulate ■ a smaller one which lifts and car- ries a third doll. Ray and Trent demonstrate their exceptional rou- tine of straight and comic risley, latlng plaudits every time they pause for breathers. Helen Forrest, band vocalist, does four numbers and a short encore of 'Apple Blossom,' clicking nicely. is 'I Said No.' Jimmy Saun- ders sings three tunes, all in limpid style. Two numbers would have been sufficient, judging from recep- tion. His 'Everything I Love' is okay,, and a change of pace would improve the general effect. Jtating attention are the scenic designer, who turned out a stunner for the band, and Henry Kalis, for his special music for the 'March of Oipi^ collection. Fox. EMBASSY, N. Y. (NEWSKEELS) This, is Connie Boswell's return to the stage after nearly two years. Judging, from reception here, slick song stylist remains exceedingly popular in vaude. Opening show she delivered six numbers, three best being 'Blues in the Night,' 'I Got It Bad' and 'White Cliffs of Dover.' All her vocal arrangements are tops without going too far on the flashy side. Glen Gray and his crew came through with' a swell accompaniment, without any rehearsal, combination sounding as if they had been work- ing together for weeks. Miss Bos- well was booked in sometime after the band for this date, and the orch had no opportunity to play her tunes -with—her—before—the—show-opened. Glen Gray ■ band show is very much okay. They do a stand-out job on 'Concerto' and 'Chattanooga,' lat- ter fronted by Pee Wee Hunt's vocal. Hunt also clicks in 'Strutters' Ball.' Kenny Sargent skillfully fended oft heckling down front and turned it into an asset when he hit a medley which included 'Shepherd Serenade.' The muggs out-whistled him, at his invitation, and then rewarded him with a big hand for his smooth warbling. Sunny Rice is on early for stylized taps, touched with semi- ballet movements, and comedy turn on the bill is provided by Sid Tomack and the two Reis Brothers. 'Latter-take-sorae-time -to-get-gqingr bogging down in the patter depart- ment. Trio indicates hoofing skill and might do well to cash in on this in*- stead of sluiTing so-so comedy. They build to a good finish however, get- ting over nicely with impressions of the Mills Bros, and a clever slant on 'Sonny Boy.' One of the boys is 'Sonny,' shooting questions to the other two lads who answer them with the lyric, as it progresses. Closer Is a nutty Schnitzlebank idea, with a wide range of illustrated arti- cles, including one for Hitler, on their chart. Okay biz morning show. Foi. , lUs is a sad commentary, either on quality of news coverage or same- ness resulting from censorship. About 30 minutes of running time is not from the newsreels, consisting of Tanks Are Coming,' -Warner Bros, two-reel short; Truth or Conse- quences,"Kaltehborn Edits the News' and Tex McCrary war editorial, all embassy specials. Paramount has generally shown originality in editing and coverage. One clip covers Singapore (not very grelUng), another is a glimpse of the Susalan front where cold weather aw been a factor in the Nazi retreat, wnlle third is about the Allied vic- tories in Libya. Par also has the enilolt of a Long Island navy man Wbo sank a Jap ship with a mosquito txiatNarratlon is wobbly in some of tliese clips. Again, with interviews of rescued "wmen from the S. S. Malay, Par nwsreel comes up with a bright Wm. Same reel claims the story rathe Free French seizure of islands ot Pierre and Miquelon off Canada M an exclusive. It is obviously a newsreel emanallng from the Free noiai crew, being vivid and crisply ParamounPs treatment of msMent Roosevelt's birthday and !?* «arch of Dimes' for paralysis dramatic bits. . Movietone chips in with ■ pcruhent lineup, showing doseups riS?"!''?^ WaveU. Admiral Hart and wneral MacArthur, in the Far East 5™Wle. Same newsreel depicta S^ara FaUs frozen by sub-zero ^eratures, and some passable ™MTS shots. R.Sj'w'PJ makes something of the ^ood Neighbor Pan-American parley So.7c"l°°5 Aires; some acJdiUonal 2r»i S""? Honolulu show heroes of oSf 5*."?°'' onslaught being hon- on 4>; "'"^ has a newsworthy yarn do»2\5S'."="* P"ties trying to bring 1b Jai u'^i ^^O"" the wrecTced plane jn^vriUch Carole Lombard lost her hl?^'*^?^"" continues strong with J« intelligent replies on why Vichy K^u*°^i* lier navy to the SS*t' situation, and why Uifrli!?'' "P so well against Ihan^^^'"- McCrary is better ceSklv^?*.'' Henry Taylor, re- pffi„/etunied from Eurbpe. ex- nte u*''** stories of Nazi weak- "taMa propa- Ncwsrecl theatre's coverage on what purporta to be a typical Truth or Consequences* radio broadcast is surprisingly unfunny. Tanks Are Coming,' In color, is timely, showing what had been accomplished as early as last June in mechanizing a com plete army unit. Wcor. KEITH'S BOSTON Boston, Jan. 23. Glen Gray and Casa Loma Orches- tra (16), Connie Bostuell, Pee Wee Hunt, Kennv 5argent, Sunnv Rice. 5id Tofluich & Reis Bros. (2); 'Call Otit the iVfarines* (RKO). Shubert, New Haven New Haven, Jan. 23. Claude Thomhill Orch (17) toifh Lillian Lane, Martha Wayne, Buddv Steuiart, Dicfc Hardinp; Tryon Sisters (2), Jack McCoy, Lime Trio, Nora Williams, SharJccv the Seal; Harry Barman. House Orch; Shorts and Newsreels. After popping in and out of band- vaude sessions with one-day (Sun- day) stands, Shubert has brought in the Claude Thornhill aggregation for a three-day spell, opening night (23) biz indicating that the take this weekend will be more than satis- factory. In addition to emceeing the show, ThornhiU is extremely adept in his own department at the piano. He makes no attempt to put himself across per se but he presents an A-1 troupe of musicians in a polished routine that hits about every type of arrangement. Alternately pacing the show and backing the various turns, band turns in a swell job. Working in blue outfits against blue lights and props, color reaction is favorable and fits nicely as background for such numbers as 'Autumn Nocturne,' 'White CIlRs of Dover' and 'Blues in the Night.' While band is primarily brass, excellent variations also come from a six-clarinet setup. Featured vocalists with the band are Lillian Lane, Dick Harding, Martha Wayne and Buddy Stewart, who register fairly well individually and score nicely in a quartet ar- rangement of 'Blues in the Night.' Five acts comprise the vaude por- tion of the bill, these being woven into the band pattern. Tryon Sisters (2) open with a cape-swing intro- duction, then go into rhythm acro- batics including a variety of neck spins. Tiirn has color, speed and skill. Jack McCoy is number two with a hodge-podge of offering that includes a magic bit. impersonations and a dance. Lad fumbles through early moments of his act, does a high school dance bit that's too long but closes okay with a trick bottle dance. For novelty, next on, the Lime Trio standard contortion routine gets over big as usual. Nora Williams, who popularized 'Piccolo Pete,' shows how she did it and clowns a couple of tunes for a good reception. Sharkey, the sea], rolls up a good laugh score with an entertaining combo of tricks. Show runs 95 minutes, plenty long, but time doesn't hang heavily. Harry Berman's house orch overtures. Bone. STRAND, BROOKLYN Martho Raye, Berry Bros. (3), Franfcie JVfasters Orch (16) ujith Phullis Mules, Lou Hurst, Buddy Shiffman, Swingmasters (4), Woody Kessler; 'Public Enemies' (Rep). Martha Raye added to her rep as a potent picture house draw here this past weekend. She got a royal wel- come from Brooklynites at show caught. Clicked with a couple of vocals and cleaned up, as usual, with her eccentric comedy. 'Mr. Paganini' continued to be one of Miss Raye's best comedy song bits, while she handled hecklers and in- opportune requests for tunes with skill. Wound up with '5 o'Clock Whistle," gagging that she hoped to make audience forget the Ella Fitz- gerald version. Backed by smooth, rhythmic Frankle Masters orchestra on stage, lineup ran with clock-like precision and ease. The colored Berry Bros., only other outside act besides Miss Raye, panicked 'em with their socko hoofing. Their flying splits and spins, plus leap where one of boys lands leet first around neck of partner for. a climaxer, confirms them as first- rate musical .timbre. For the rest it's the Masters band, which is good musically, though -weak-on-special Ists.—Phyltis-Myles; • vocalist, by far the best, comes through with 'Blues in Night' for a big score. Louis Hurst misses with a sure-fire number such as 'White Cliffs of Dover,' which drew ap- plause at mere mention of title. Masters emcees amiably and warbles too. On occasion he's the fourth of the Swingmasters, billed as a quartet. Swingmasters, conven- tional in style, are in for a couple of numbers with band, impressing mildly with 'Polly WoUy Doodle,' in which Miss Myles also appears. 'Ten Little Bottles' is an okay band novelty, illuminated instruments be- ing presented against dark back- ground..^— . Woody Kessler, pianist, is spotted for 'Concerto in B while other bands- men, such as Buddy Shiffman, clari- net, also get the spot briefly. 'Business capacity. Mori. * COLONIAL, DAYTON Dayton, O., Jan. 24. Laurel & Hardy, Chester Fred- ericks & Co., Judy Starr, Herzogs (5), Deval, Merle & Lee; 'Go West, Young Lady' (Col). First of a series of name-act line- ups brings Laurel and Hardy, with a sequence such as they do in pic- tures. It's a piece where Hardy at- tempts to fill application for a driver's license for Laurel and, of course, meets with the usual screwy answers. It panicked audience that howled for more and got Laurel's weeping reci- tion of his 'beautiful garden onions.' Another Hollywoodite on the hill is Judy Starr, effervescent youngster who brings forth a number of pop. tunes including 'Hi Neighbor,' 'White Cliffs- of Dover,' 'Elmer's Tune' and her own double-talk version of 'Three Little Fishes.' Five Herzogs, opening, has four young ladies swinging high on a triple trapeze, the fifth joining as a volunteer from the audience. Plenty of thrills during daring catches, the last with one leg as fifth member of troupe swings far over' the orchestra pit- Chester Fredericks and company, the latter a pert young woman, of- fer eccentric soft-shoe taps and a fast tap called 'Speeding It Up.' Then they give slap-happy, idea of a high school jitterbug on 'first trip to a dance hall. Deval, Merle and Lee, two men and girl, close with a nutty ballroom dancing routine. Th.ee become en- tangled as they go into an adagio that develops into a burlesque. Old stuff but neatly done. Kany. TOWER, K. C. Kansas City, Jan. 24. Ted Weems Orch (12) uiith Elmo Tonner, Perry Como; Margery Daye, Mardoni & Louise, J^onchalants (3); •Perfect Snob' (20(h). 'Ding Dong Daddy' and 'Darktown Strutters Ball,' self-accompanied on bass fiddle, gets by but should have more volume. Margery Daye, in a recent Universal film short with Weems, follows with her standard turn, a polished acrobatic and kick terp. Band does some special work on 'Piccolo Pete.' by jhil Baxter, a Kansas City boy, which was intro- duced here by this same band a decade back. Parker Gibbs' vocals and Rosie McHarg's piccolo playing send it across. Weems then calls another of bis vets, warbler Perry Como, whose repertory of 'White Cliffs of Dover,' 'Shepherd's Sere- nade' duo-ed with Tanner, 'Chatta- nooga Choo Choo' and This Love of Mine' are solid entries. Standard turn by the three Nonchalants works towards a strong finish, clever cross- fire of patter lifting their aero tricks considerably. Band handles closing assignment nimbly with drummer Orm Downes featured in a jivey 'Gambler's Blues,' Bud Dant's re- arrangement of 'St. James Infirmary.' Stage attraction should help Tower to a good week. Quin. Disc Reviews sContlnued from page 41'; rangements thenliooteci tnem DotlT by using Miss Kelly for vocals. Not even his clarinet saves them. llDit Reviews DUDE RANCH FOLLIES (BROADWAY, CHARLOTTE, N. C.) Chorlotte, N. C, Jan. 17. Gerard & Gordon, Nestor & Rollins, Chief Little Bear & Robert, Fenwich ti Coolc, Princess Tahlcta, Ranchero Stucethearts (8), Ray Cassel & Cow- boy Band i5); 'Buy Me That Town' (Par). Harry James: 'J. P. Dooley, 3d'— 'Jughead' (Col. 36487). This release won't help James' cause and since he has had very recent clicks it doesn't seem a wise one. Originals, they're okay, particularly the first, but there's nothing outstanding in them. 'Dooley' sides' best point is its smoothly jumping tempo; James and Helen Forrest vocal. Coupling exhibits some good ensemble work, .but.side..as a whole Is unexciting fare. . Ted Weems' band unit returns the Tower to string of bands and other unit attractions which began with the holiday season and will continue for next few weeks. In line with Improved attraction prices were tilted to 50c. top and the Weems unit is a good buy at this scale. The 55- minute show is a well paced com- bination of music.and standard acts. Orch swings' into lead with 'La Rosita' and 'Concerto' and Weems designates first solo inning to Elmo Tanner. Whistler rolls off 'Ciri Biri Bin,' 'Stardust' and 'Nola' is familiar and highly acceptable style for hearty applause. As m.c. Weems calls on Mardoni to deliver his bag of magic tricks with aid of partner Louise and trio of audience aides. Mystifier carries off his turn with monologue which dresses up his of- fering which includes a clever rope and knot trick and a guillotine stunt that also registers. Novelty singing portly Billy Blair, newest addition to crew, also doubles as bass thumper. Comic chanting of Jimmy Dorsey: 'Arthur Murray Taught Me Dancing'—'Not Mine' (Decca 4122). Tunes from Dorsey's film, 'Fleet's In,' give solid promise on records. 'Murray' arrangement, a good light novelty. Is neatly worked and remindful of band's early "Madame LaZonga' click. Helen O'Connell's vocal and band's ace rhythm accompaniment form very salable machine and counter le-' lease. Coupling is even better, an Impressive ballad bespeaking a solid sales future; it's feelingly interpreted by'Bob Eberly and Miss O'Connell,- who does her hest lyrlcing to date. Dorsey's releasing 'em in pairs cur- rently. Tangerine,' also from his film, and 'Ev'rything I Love' are backed on second (Decca 4123). Former Is another outstanding po- tential, a swell ballad melody done in band's dual-tempo style tising Eberly and Miss O'ConnelL It'll sell easily. Reverse is late, a beauti- fully arranged and played version of strong tune. Eberle vocals. Alvlnb Bey: 'Sing Your Worries Away'—King Sisters: 'How Do You FaU In Love' (Bluebird 11420). Don't blame iis tor a possible fog, but first side is Alvino Rey, with King Sisters; reverse is King Sisters with Alvino Rey; first time the as- sociated, but usually separate on wax, names are backed up. Tunes are froiVi film 'Sing Your Worries Away' and not too good as counter or box possibilities. First, a mild rhythm tempo tune, is unexciting, but nicely played by Rey and sung by Kings. Reverse is better. Backed by Rey combo it totes likely coun- ter strength but lacks the punch for boxes. 'Dude Ranch Follies' is a so-so western unit that pleases as long as it sticks to its sagebrush setting, but becomes indifferent away from it. Western theme is carried out nicely in drops and settings, with bandsmen garbed as cowboys and the line in western regalia in some numbers. Best perfomance Is turned in by Gerard & Gordon, above-average pair of acrobats in a strong act featuring high pole and hand-to-hand balanc- ing. Boys have clean, fast-moving routine, their high pole finish a shriller that draws heavy response. In only western act on billing. Chief Little Bear and Robert, -please-with-'COwboy-and-Indian-feate,- Act opens with Robert giving a standard whip-cfacking turn. The Chief then takes over with, novelty rope-spinning and dancing of sock' proportions. Fenwick and Cook blow hot and cold in an acro-comic turn, their best a brief unlcycle bit. The remainder of their turn is knockabout comedy with mediocre balancing. Nestor and Rollins, comics, hardly drew*a laugh in their overlong routine. They are on first In a lengthy skit, with a' girl from the line, that ends is a fizzle blackout Boys later try again with weak Im- personations and poor gags. _ Princess Tahleta one of the big- gest showgirls ever to appear here, pleases in an Indian dance. Well- proportioned gal also scored in two numbers featured with line. Line is generally poor, girls not bing suf- ficiently familiar with routines. Nicely costumed, they open in a cow- girl number, following with a pro- duction number, a Princess Tatueta number with Indian atmosphere, and a snappy, but somewhat out-of-place can-can. Band is so-so. Good house on show caught. Just Youth and Beauty Revue (BROADWAY, CHASLOTTE, N. C.) Charlotte, N. C, Jan. 23. Relter & ODay, Al Samuels, Healy & Macfc, Prosper & Wolf, Jean Andrews, Connie Cella dancers (10); Harry Waiman Orch (5); The Per- fect Snob' (20th). Charlie Splvsk: 'I Surrender Dear' —'Stardreams' TOkeh 6548). Spivak made smart move in cutting the strong standard. He built what's likely a good counter and box seller on a neat arrangement supported easily by Stardusters and his muted trumpeting. Tempo is slow. Re- verse is band's theme, a capable tune in' itself. Orrln Tucker: 'Do Somethin'—'She Don't Wanna' (Col. 36490). There's good sales possibilities in^ these two corn sides by Tucker, in areas that go for that stuff. They're cleverly done. First is perhaps most potent, a lively side nicely played and vo- called by Tucker himself. Reverse is handled by Eddie Rice at same bright tempo. Cab Calloway: 'Nain Nain'—'Tap- pin' Off' (Okeh 6547). Calloway sealed counter and box possibili- ties in first, a neat novelty in easy rhythm tempo. He handles vocal with occasional 'hi de ho' style touches and inserts a comical accent twist in last line. Side has salable lilt and band puts up good backing. Coupling is instrumental .sizzlcr ringing in various brass and ip.ed solos. It's-, okay. His best show in the last couple of seasons, Frank Taylor's 'Youth and Beauty' revue Is a fast-moving, well-balanced, unit heavy on lafls. Every act is slanted for comedy. Dezso Better and Polly O'Day de- liver a sock performance in a novelty turn opening with a comic rhumba. Retter then solos with a parody on jitterbugglng. Miss O'Day comes back for a snappy solo dance whirl, and Dezso wli\ds act up with a hilari- ous turn, wrestling with himself for a strong climax: Healy and Mack open with a standard bar act, accentuated by comic treatment. Antics atop bar on chair, sure-fire, are enhanced by Healy's ad-lib patter. Healy stands on hands on chair balanced on bar, then draws heavy applause balancing in chair with Miss Mack climbing on his shoulders. Prosper and Wolf clown thru a hand-balancing routine with dead pan mimicry and do a nice job of selling what might otherwise be a mediocre turn. Jean Andrews, tall, striking redhead, pleased In two dances. Her first, a svelte aero turn is done with commendable grace. She winds up by picking lighted cigarette in her mouth from an ash tray, on floor in a backbend from her perch on chairs. She returns later for a classy strip. A] Samuels, dancing comedian also handling emcee chores, clicks on both counts. He's on for three brief skits, and though his first try built around eccentric tap was weak, he came thru solidly in last two efforts. His second, a military dance Is In con- junction with song 'Here Come the British,' while his last skit brings him on in a Chaplinesque black out- fit. Here he opens up with, a double entendre treatment of 'Why Don't We Do This More Oflen,^ winding up with zany version of 'Old Man River,' all good for laughs. Line, attractive in four times out opened with 'Hi Neighbor,' going amongst audience to welcome pa- trons. Second is a snappy Spanish number with tambourines, clad in colorful Latin garb. Third, a produc- tion number in smart plumed cos- tumes, sets the stage for Miss An- drews' stripperoo and they finish with a fast Conga. Harry Waiman's band provided okay musical back- ground for acts.. Grod house at show cnucht Just