Variety (Feb 1942)

Wednesda^r February 11, 1942 Night Club Reviews COPACABANA, N.Y. •Flying Down to Rig—and Back,' rffloed and costumed by Don Loper, with Joe E. Lewis, Loper and Maxine Barrat, Walter Long, Estelita, Betty Jane Smith, Carol Dexter, Sambo Sirens (7); Not Brofldu>»nne's Orch and Fronk Marti's Samba Bond; $2.50 and $3.50 mini mum. Highlight of this talent-studded show is Don Leper's genius for cos- tume designing. Evidently catching Monte Proser on an offbeat, Loper got permission to- shoot the worlis. Plus his own glod taste and origi- nality, very evident is some $14,000 that was spent in executing Loper's designs into sill<s and stuff. That the getups drew applause at each new Sppearance opening night (5) was voluble praise for the dancer's ex- cellent Job. ^ , . , Besides the designmg, the male half of the fine Loper and Barrat dance team did a good job staging the Copa's new show, and the team continues as an important part of the .nitery's entertainment itself. 'Fly- ing Down to Rio—and Back' is a two- pert extravaganza, the depiction of the trip south of the equator coming at the dinner show, with the return to the states at suppertime. For the i a.m. performance, the cast is in a melange of both parts. In toto, it capably cashes in on the conga- rhumba fad as well as serving as an- other manifestation of goodwill oper- ations. Show comes close to carrying book roles for everybody except Joti E. Lewis, who is aloof from the South American hiatus, but not as the cus- tomer's favorite' entertainer. In a spot of his own at the finale, Lewis continues to smack through a re- markably high laugh average. The" terriflc business done and bemg done at the Cope since his opening some weeks ago stamps Lewis as the No. 1 cafe entertainer in America. As comedy talent, with or without his Seat stock of special song material, :wis needn't take a back seat for anybody. For the new show Proser went out and signed three new (for the Copa) acts, and all of them are in the smash category. Betty Jane Smith, an al- most toy-sized blonde, cute, pert and pretty, is a hoofing and toe-dancing sock, working as vis-a-vis for Walter Long, good-looking ]uve who is him- self one of the better tap dancers around. They're a cute and expert team and look like cinch clicks in stage or flim musicals, either teamed or Individually. Third newcomer Is Carol Dexter, Sulchriludinous blonde who has lose boudoir-type eyes and voice to match. She has a good delivery for the torch-type pops and is a fresh face for the nitery scene. Copa's holdovers, besides Lewis and Loper and Barrat. are Fernando Alvarez, suave Spanish-slinging m.c, and Estelita, the Latin-American fire- ball who puts a good part of her muscles into most of her songs. She gets over, per usual, but an added asset In this production Is an espe- cially striking costume designed for her by Loper. In skin-fitting white, with one large floral effect, Estelita can never hope to look better. She wore this outfit for the 'Carioca' num- ber, which also featured the Samba Sirens, now augmented to seven beauts, who drew particularly loud applause on their entrance because of their standout costuming. Proser has presented a series of fine shows here, but this effort by Don Loper may rate as the Copa's best to date. Credits are given in a special program for the contributions of all the hired hands and all the music, with a special note for Billy Heed, Proser's special production as- sistantt for a new patriotic tune, 'Swing Out for Victory,' which is Jised as the midnight show's finale. Other tunes are standard pops, chiefly from former stage and film hits. If business here continues as big M it Is now, the Copa may corral all the nitery customers in town. As Is already the case, most of the nitery ops are crying the blues and won- dering what It is thai Proser has that they need. Joe E. t,ewis Is one an- swer. Another is the Copa's top- notch service, decor and other at- mospheric effects, which importantly Include the Samba Sirens. Scho. HOTEL VERSAILLES (Gnltstream Room) (MIAMI BEACH) _ , ■ Miami Beach, Feb. 5. Dwlght Fiske, Estelle & LeRov, Sara Ann McCabe, Charles Murray O'ch (8); $3.50 minimum. a paradox cafe. Featuring J?,?."nartest divertissement, coupled wiin an extraordinarily good cuisine un a resort where the kitchen facili- Siiiif'® " problem), the Hotel Ver- «"les with its peculiarly un- American policy of restricted clien- «le easily has the best show m ' ff.ll*'' JJ'ami. Housed in the Gulf- "'ream Room, Bruno (and Albert, his aide) jealously guard the portals, so that cafe patronage is likewise as much under wraps as is the hotel register where,' if you're technically non-'Aryan' — as it's laughingly called—you can't buy a room and bed. A new high (or low) in snob- bishness are the ads in the dailies, 'Reservations by Recommendation.' Recommendation of whom? However, that curiosa Ameri- cana is frankly rampant in Florida— where It's a state law that Negroes in public conveniences, like buses, must ride in the back, and 'Gentiles Only' is a frequently seen billing on certain 'restricted' hotels. So far as this bolte is concerned, it's the best $3.50 to $4.50 buy in Miami Beach. The dinner is superb; and the selective scale is - worth it alone, sans the class entertainment. Under the law, dance music must stop at midnight in hotels, so it's strictly a one-show job. Spot is a cinch for the acts, doing their stuff at around 9:30 or 10, and thence to bed or the other whoopee parlors. No wonder the kiddies get up early for that sunning, thus making it the healthiest saloon job in the world. With Dwight Piske's advent, the management staggers the show to keep them on the scene. He comes on at around 11. First Estelle and LeRoy, nifty dancing couple, do their stuff. They've progressed far. Their orthodox ballroomology is now punctuated by the proper light touches, such as that conga jitterbug routine on the heels of 'Por Que? tango, and an unusual Neapolitan waltz. Estelle is a looker, flashing a nice. back and an erect carriage, while LeRoy (who's a double for Max Hoffman, Jr.) Is an equally personable vis-a-vis. Sara Ann MoCabe (since shifted to the class Whitehall in Palm Beach) is fine for this room. Of ex- cellent personality and finished voice, she clicks with her spirituals, a Friml medley, 'I Said ^fo' (cute filmusical excerpt), 'You Are Every- thing' (Cole Porter) and 'I Am An American.' This latter seems a curious clash in its American Way lyric content with the general atmosphere of the Versailles^ hotel policy. That likewise goes for the billing which accompanies Mme. Claude Alphand, who's heralded. as 'the voice of Free France,' her hus- band, Alphand, having been a pre- Vichy official in Paris. Aflso in^ coming is Russell Swann, but hold- ing over are the dancers and the tiptop Charles Murray orchestra (Band Reviews). Fiske, zany of the Steinway, with his frankly ribald style of son^alogs, is more risque in his polite inuen- does than in actual lyrics, with result he can play the smartest and most conservative rooms without offending. What the customers choose to read, into his wordage. is something else again. His 'Clarissa the Flea.'. 'Mr. Webster,' 'Why Should Penguins Fly?', 'Riding Hood' and the like, with their liter- ate phrases and observations, are smart-spot delights, ideal for so- phisticated and cosmopolitan audi- ences. Fiske long made the Savoy- Plaza's Lounge Cafe in N. Y. a sea- sonal stop and, with his new ma- terial, looks likely to play the circuit all over again. Abel. BEACHCOMBER, N.Y. REVIEWS 41 Hennv Youngnuin, Lenore Lem- mon, Manor & Miffnon, April Ames, Lee Sullivan, Beachonners (8), Lou Salazar Orch, Machito Rhumbo Band; $2.50 minimum after 10:30 p.m. Topped off by the Initial profes- sional appearance of Lenore Lem- mon (New Acts), debutante person- ality from cafe society, and helped vastly by Kenny Youngman, the Beachcomber packs appeal for so- cialites as well as all-round trade. Plenty of show is wrapped up in the current array (well over an hour opening night because of celebs and guest appearances). Manor and Mignon, April Ames and Lee Sulli- van also are featured in the 'Beach- comber Nites' revue. Additional potency, is given by the eight Beach- armers, line of lookers. Much of Youngman's repartee is confined to good-natured banter with guests. The few nifties he employed click neatly and the veteran emcee and comic handles the whole per- formance with eclat. Manor and Mignon, ballroomolo- glsls, lend plenty of class, brunet impressing with her looks and grace. Besides the waltz opener, mixed team does a tango conceit and a speedy twirling finale. They were forced to bow off. April Ames, for- merly of the stage 'Louisiana Pur- chase,' Is solid. Her deft tappinf! and daring whirls are combined with a fanciful routine. Good looks. Sullivan, doubling from 'High Kickers,' current Broadwajr musical, impresses with his rich voice, doing 'You're Walking in My Sleep,' 'White Cliffs of Dover' and' 'All in Favor Say I' for solid returns. Unbilled trio does a semi-strip specialty, two of girls being toe dancers. Beach- armers' opening number starts out as a typical tropical dance and then swiftly shifts to a strip, with the chorines wearing red-white-blue ab- breviated costumes after the strip- peroo. Line also has a high-hat rou- tine, a parade in nightgowns and a partiotic finale. Lou Salazar's band plays the show with polish while this csmbo and Machito's rhumba crew alter- nates in furnishing music for the dancing. Joe Frisco, from his 52nd Street spot, went over trimly with his fa- miliar comedy routines when called on at the opener. Wear. MOTHER KELLY'S (MIAMI BEACH) Miami Beach, Feb. 6. Mvlcs Bill, Jerrv & Turk, Jerri Kruger, Kretlow Girls (6), Pat Clayton, 3 Guesses; Jack Eby's Band (5) featuring Flea Madden: no cover or minimum. Robert A. (Mother) Kelly is a product of the prohibition era, and there s nothing maternal about him though he has a fatherly interest in his customers and his joint on Dade Blvd. in Miami Beach. His billing was born of a catch-phrase to lone Volstead gals that 'I'll mix you a drink just like your mother would like _ It,' and thus did Mother Kelly cafes in Saratoga, an abortive at- tempt in New York three seasons ago, and his institution here come into being. Acts work on a platform flanked by a huge circular bar, akin to tlie Bill Jordan's Bar of Music idea, which is another local spot (also in Hollywood). Tables, on a raised bal- cony, are for the rltz trade. No cover or minimum, but the tariffs average up well around $1.50-$2 a head which is standard in Miami. Show is no cheater. In Myles Bell, a suave emcee. Mother Kelly's has a good conferencier. The band is headed by saxist Jack Eby and his Ave men, including featured drum- mer Flea Madden, and t&ey produce a good brand of dansapatlon, beside; playing the show well. General theme of the room is a r09d company 'Hellzapoppin,' with much madcap and zany comedy, blackouts, etc. In these Bell works with - Pat Clayton, ex-Howdy Club disciple, the latter doing the dames. The blackouts are rough, but not too raw. Surrounding everything are some excellent acts, notably Jerri Kruger (she spells it with a final 'i' now), who is making progress as a song stylist with her special arrangements. Neat looking brunet is easy on the eyes and ears, which isn't a bad par- lay for anybody's saloon. Kretlow Girls, sextet booked out of Chicago, break it up with their ensembles. Also present ere Jerry and Turk, whose standard comedy some how doesn't. get over in this room; and then come the Three Guesses (New Acts) for the finale. Disciples of the Radio Rogues, new trio 'has "a' bright' filture. Incoming as new headliner are Owen & Par' ker, local faves. Abel. LEON & EDDIE'S, N.Y. I\ew Acts Eddie Davis, Susan Day, Noel Toy, Spencer & Foreman, Eddie Manson, Letitio, Eric Thorson, Don Scott Dancers (6), Bobby Sanford Line (8), Lou Martin Orch (6); minimum, $3.50 week days; Saturday and Sun- day, $4. Current lineup is not likely to alienate affections of out-of-town trade. Eddie Davis remains the hinterlander's delight and his de- livery on occasion extorts squeals from native New Yorkers as well. Davis, as ever, continues the talent mainstay of this 52nd street bistro, selling his double-barreled blue gagging and lyrics with in- fectious enthusiasm. He achieves the spot's major objective, which is to keep the laughs rolling hard enough to lure 'em in at three and end a half simoleons a copy weekdays, four on holidays. What would happen with- out Davis is something else again, but meantime he's surefire with a fetching repertoire including such tidbits as 'Deficient in Vitamin E,' 'In Argentina.' an a.k.'s lament, and a comedy tune about 7-Up, the soft drink, with operatic and pop musical interpolations. His stock 'Rollin' Down the Mountain' was cut short at show caught owing to vociferous in- terruptions from an audience in high. Davis more than made up for any lapse here, however, with his staging of the 'Boomps-a-Daisy' number when he brought McCoy soldiers, sailors and aviators from the Amer- ican, Australian and British forces on stage as partners for the showgirls. The martial theme is again apparent in warbling of 'England' and 'God Bless America,' as also the blaring loudspeakers prior to start of show urging patrons to buy national de- fense stamps on way out For the rest, Susan Day (New Acts), nifty vocalist, is about the most interesting turn on the lineup. Noel Toy. Chinese fan dancer, a long-time holdover, is in for obvious reasons as is also Letitia (New Acts), dancer elso attired in a G-string. Eddie Manson (New Acts), har- monica player. Don Scott Dancers (New Acts), mixed sextet. Spencer and Foreman, conventional mixed CHARLES WEIDMAN With Katherine Lltz and Peter Ham- ilton Ballet 12 MIns. Balnbow Room, New York This Rockefeller nitery has intro- duced a number of ballet dancers into the cafe division, and it's worked out well on almost every try. It's a frank endeavor for something orig- inal in nitery entertainment end culling Cherles Weidman, who, with Dorothy Humphrey, constitute one of the topflight ballet exponents in concert, again proves no mistake. Weidman, who heads his own school of dancers, has Katherine Lltz and Peter Hamilton as aides in his cafe act. Highlight is a clever routine, along triangle lines, to Ray- mond Scott's 'Penguin,' with the trio aping the penguin style -of walk in their terpsichorean interpretations. A flnal routine of Three Brazilian Sketches sees the trio attired In un- usual, authentic native dress, with Elsie Houston, herself a Brazilian, singing the accompanying lyrics in Portuguese. It makes for a quite different conclusion. Weidman can go into eny class room like the Pal- mer House, Waldorf, etc., and click as he does at the Raintiow Room. Abel. LENORE LEMMON Slnrlng S MtDs. Beachcomber, N. T. Lenore Lemmon, cafe society deb- utante, looms as a likely songstress and mimic for smart niteries. Even on her first appearaace, with plenty, of her Park Avenue coterie in the audience, she hinted at being a prom- ising new personality. She gained notoreity as Mrs. 'Jakie' Webb, so- cielite, from whom she quickly parted. Miss liCmmon has a lyrical, if small, voice, leaning toward bal- lads. Her quick repartee with Youngman helped sell her with the initial night's crowd. Miss Lemmon packs e wealth of personality, chooses her clothes with discriminating taste, and employs in- telligent makeup. Simple white eve- ning dress with white beads and high neck accentuate her coal-black hair worn In a long bob. Further set herself in solidly with e quickie imitation of Katharine Hepburn. Wear. EDDIE MANSON Harmonica 7 Mins. Leon and Eddie's, N. J. Manson Is a harmonica player who has worked In radio. Style Is fa- miliar and hardly effective on night club floor. Flays a few pops, at one point .using . two harmonicas alter nately. Then uncorks a routine that might have been done '35 Years Ago.' Onl(r change is'that he wears a Ted Lewis topper, without any apprecieble difference In pace or de livery. * Mori. SUSAN DAT Songs 7 MIna. Leon and Eddie's, N. 'Tr Blonde vocalist. Introduced as a Celifomlen, is a distinct asset for. spots of this type. No distinctive style of delivery but has pleasant voice. She clicks with such tunes as 'Don't Let Love Go Wrong,' 'How About You' and 'Can a Lady Resist.' flash- ing smooth delivery. Appearance Is good. Mori. team of tap dancers, and Bobby Sanford line of eight fill in. Eric Thorson has a comparatively negligible assignment as emcee, with Davis handling the major portion of the show. * Mori. 3 GUESSES Mlmlc^ 124Iins. Mother Kelly's, Miami Beach The 3 Guesses—two boys end a nice-looking girl—are protegees of llie Radio Rogues, out of 'Hellzapop- pin' and 'Sons o' Fun,' and work in a bright end original style with their mimicry of radio end screen person- alities. They do standard stuff like Vallee. Groucho, Billle Burke, Boyer, Bing, Bette Davis, Bergen-McCarthy, Bonnie Baker, Donald Duck, a some- what devastating rib on Dick Pow- ell, ditto on the Inksoots, Henry Aid- rich, Johannes Steel and R. G. Swing, March of Time, Hitler, Rainer, et aL All of it is staccato, concise, pithy and punchy. The two boys are the bulwark of the turn, by majority of numbers, anyway, plus native ability, but the girl, Shirley Martin, is no slouch. She does her stuff with au- thority and is not merely a decora- tive addition. Roy Davis is the straight of the boys; Stanley Sheer does Groucho and kindred comedy. Davis is not to be confused with the vaude pantomimic of the same name. Sole missout Is a needless, unfunny and distasteful emphasis on Castoria in a commercial plug, utilizing Ray- mond Gram Swing, and Is probably out by now. Act Is doubling into the local Mami Paramount theatre, the . Olympia, end is just es edept for presentetion house bookings as lo niteries. Can't miss in the letter. Abel. LETITIA Danclne S MIns. Leon and Eddie's, N. T. Letitia is introduced at this spot for a numbeir called a 'Hot Night in Harlem' and described es an. 'exotic' dancer. It's e gross understatement on both counts. The Minskys have another word tor it. Letitia, who arrives decorously covered in a fiowing evening wrap, quickly comes to the point, throws the wrap aside end goes into slick cooch. She's shapely in bra and G-string and displays all the 'finer' points of torso-manipulation. Her future is re- stricted to the less-subtle type of cafes. Went big at show taught Mori. Downbeat Room, Chi (GARRICK STAGEBAR) Chicago, Feb. 6. Fats Waller Orch (7). Jimmy Noone Trio, Sinclair Mills, Ascot Boys & June Price (4). This Is a new room and may well become the jive heaven of the ter- ritory. Since Fats Waller opened at Downbeat Room it has become the hangout for the town's musicians. Waller, of course, is tops in his line. But he's something more than a great pianist and musician; he is an outstanding performer and a natural showman. In this intimate room Waller has a perfect setting for his talent And when his boys let them- selves go the walls hum. Jimmy Noone is a fine clarinetist and with his trio dishes out a high quality of jive at the interludes. Sinclair Mills is another pianist- entertainer, working at the Stagebar upstairs. He has plenty on the ball, with an exceptional ability to hold an entire barful of customers with just his piano and his solid jive vocal style. Ascot Boys are a standard in- strumentel trio, with June Price es vocalist Girl particularly Impresses. Cold. DON SCOTT DANCERS (6) Dancing 5 MIns. Leon and Eddie's, N. T. Mixed hoofing sextet essaying ball- roomology were perhaps handicapped by' small floor space when caught It's a moderately effective unit how- ever, with a chicky flnish; Opening routine is merely a time-killer. Group consists of three boys and three girls, former in full dress and latter also uniformly gowned. Mori. Unit Review GAGS AND GALS (BROADWAY, CHARLOTTE, N. C.) Charlotte, N. C, Feb. 8. Three Kings, Prince & Princess of Selandia, The Cirillos, George Nei- sen, Joanne Rich, Trudv Russell Girls (7) Frank Silvo's Bond; 'Moon Over Her Shoulder' (20th). Trudy Russell'^ 'Gags end Gals' features Prime and Princess Selandia in smooth ballroom turn with take- off on stage and screen celebs. They satisfled. They open with e fault- less performance of a standard ball- room whirl and come beck to draw laughs with their Impressions of Mae West dancing with Kay Kyser, Garbo with Stokowski, Carmen Miranda with a Latin. Hitler and a girl friend and Snow White with Charlie Mc- Carthy. Both have pleasing person- alities. One of best balance acts to show, here, the Three Kings stopped the show with a sock turn. Team con- sists of man and two girls. The Cirillos^ two men end a girl, draw laffs with their zany routine. It's plain old song-and-dance stuff, but handled cleverly. Spiced with a little clowning and slapstick, it scores well. Their tap at the flnish is plenty okay, George Neisen scores solidly in a comedy solo, although some of his -naterial was too fast tor this au- dience and his tendency to muffle delivery detracted. His monolog was too lenghly. He wound up with a demonstration of doughnut dunking that started off In an orderly depic- tion of the various schools of dough- nut dunkers and wound up in a hilarious sloshing and splashing riot that left audience limp from laffing. Trudy Russell Girls please in three standard turns. Girls are trim look- ers and dance passably. Joanne Rich vocals pleasingly, selling 'Blue Moon' and 'White ClIlTs "of Dover' In an opening single and comes back later with the line to pipe 'Montevideo' in costume on conga number. Show carries seven musicians, two OS spares In preparation for draft blow. They back up acts nicely. Good house oh show caught. Just