Variety (May 1942)

46 noVBtt KBvnsws Wednes^jt l|!*y 27, 1942 6 USO-CSI Sinmner Units Indicate High Quality Camp Entertainme»t [Some recent reports to 'Variety' that VSO-Camp Showt, Inc., units jilaying Army and Navy bases this post winter were not of top-/liyht calibre, and not generdUy meeting with approval from the servicemen, resulted in this wide coverage by 'Variety' staffers of the new summer units just bepinnlnff their tours. From the six reviews herewith, it's etrident that the new crop of summer shows are of high standard and well-booked. At around $3,000 each, the talent is unquestionabit/ being bought cheaper than when playing theatres.. One wit CRoxy Theatre Revue'), in fact, would cost at least $4,500 in a regular theatre; on the VSO-CSI tour, its cost is $2,900 per week.—EdJ '-■ ■ HOLLWOOD FOLLIES San Diego, ISay 23. 'Hollywood Follies' with Al Stone <6 Potricia Lee, Dick, Don * Dinah, £t>ers <fe Dolores, Lewis Sisters, Dave & June Hacker, Frank Gaby, with Billy Curtis, Roe 4 The Rudels, Three Stooges, Fanehonettes (16). . They tried unit 30, 'Holly.wood Follies', of the summer series of U.S.O. Camp Shows on the guinea pig here tonight (Saturday) before an assemblage of 4,500 soldiers of the anti-aircraft replacement centre at CaUan and It clicked and big. It's pretty tough for any, show out in the open to prove its value, espe- cially when most of Its presentation on its 20-week tour will be Indoors. Show opened Its tour at Mareh Field Monday night and, up to here, on the first five- nights of the week has been presented indoors. There were two shows a night, but here just one. It runs .one hour and 45 minutes and, 'besides the regu- lar routtiie of acts,, is augmented by the Three Stooges, who are ap- pearing with it sans pay for two weeks of its tour in the Coast camps. Nut of this uiiit, which has an act- ing personnel of 35 people' and a com^ei^ent of .42, is ^,300. From the entertainment it presents, it's plenty worth it and, In comparison with ai» eight act, lO-girl-Une show in commercial theatres, it's a great buy and possibly under what they could' stage a presentation of its kind. Callan was a good guinea pig, ber cause .here ther have a fast turn- over of men; It's the melting pot of ' the anti-aircraft branch of the serv- ice and boys come from aU over the country. Many of them previously to coming here have never seen a vaude- show, sit In awe of what Is going on, but at the same time are ungry for laughs, girls and people who entertains And this unit gave them entertainment which they went for hook, line and sinker, and kept applauding and cheering for quite « time, after the finale. 'Hollywood Follies' proved itself a typical unit that will entertain and give satisfaction. Headline names are absent. Glamour and film names likewise, but what Is presented , by the unit Is a fast moving 105 mlnut(» of entertainment that flUs the bill thoroughly with entertainment values. ' Majority of the acts were recruited In the east, with a few added to-it from Iios Angeles, Including the 16 Fanchonette girls. They open the show with a fast stepping ensemble daiicing number that makes way for Al Stone, master of ceremonies, and Patricia Lee. Stone has fast line of patter patterned for the Army audi- ence and be and Miss Ijee present a hoke comedy turn that got the boys in most receptive mood for the bal- ance of the program. , Dick, Don, and Dinah, comedy knockabout acrobatic turn, came through to smash results with their ' antics, followed by Evers and Do- lores, tight wire wafers. Dolores scored smash with her hula and toe work on the wires, and. the duo ended Its chores with Russian folk stepping. Lewis Sisters chanted' a trio of rhythm and blues tunes that evoked cheers from the boys- for encores. Dave and June Hacker,, with ribald grotesque ballroom dance' routine, scored almost equally as well and made way ior the Fanehonettes, who did a Northwest Mounted Police drill and tap number. . Then along came Frank Gaby with his Mickey Finn dummy and the ventriloquist tied the. show up in knots during the 17 minutes he occupied the rostrum. Gaby was the class of the unit and It might be a shownoaniy move to have him m.c. the show. Billy Curtis, a diminutive chap from around Hollywood and Vine, is used by Gaby as stooge. Rae and the Rudells probably showed most of the boys an enter- tainment feature they had never seen before, bouncing and tumbling on the trampoline. The lads out front could not get enough of them. Then came the TThree Stooges with their varied comedy talk and knock- about routine to climax a fast mov- ing show. They also scored hl^ Finale has the Fanehonettes do a fashion model parade with costumes worn by stars in recent films. Boys did not get over-enfhuslastic about the parade ensemble, but when the Lewis -Sisters came forward to sing the Anthem they joined in huskily and heartily and cheered the unit as it started fading off the stage. Unit will play one, two and three-ittgnt stands along Coast and then head east. 17111 have number of outdoor shows to play and these will be qne nightly, with two nightly presented where they show indoors. Show carries four musicians with from nine to 12 added'from camp person- nel. BUI Blair, formerly manager of Hanna, Cleveland, is manager of unit, with Tom Kilpatrick ahead. . Vngar, ilOXT THE&TBE BEYITE Camp IVolters, Texas, May 21. Dave ApoUoTi, Stan KavanaUgh, Belett & English Brothers, Barbara Lomorr, Linda Moody, Eleanor Tee- man, Vfeason Brothers, Sixteen Honeys. Camp Wolters, Texas, ain't Broad- way, but on the Broadway yardstick the 'Roxy Theatre Revue* would be Slenty acceptable. To the soldiers of amp 'Wolters it was a socko smash, and perhaps the first stage , show many of the khakl-clads from the hinterlands had ever seen,- Top billing goes to Dave Apollon, but the soldiers preferred Stan Kav- anaiTgh, who drew blitz applause. Kavanaugh's juggling, as usual, was matchless, and bis pantomime point- ed up the act and made it standout comedy. He evidently could have scored just making faces across' the footlights. Apollon was okay, thou^ not sensational, on gags and music with his four Filipinos. His solo spiels were short, which was just as well, and his expert mandolin playing got over nicely. Line of Sixteen Honeys (Gae Fos- ter Girls) gets by on appearance, though s.a. is well draped in non- revealing costumes which must have passed stiff USO censorship some- where. Girls are clean-cut and fresh-Iooklng, and even In ordinary routines they give tne yardblrds. 16 female forms to look at—which Is 'what most of the soldiers -want, any- °way. Line had opening, middle .and closing spots. Routines are fair. Ralph and Teddy English and* Marlon Belett, fine Imockabout com- edy act, were a hit bere^ Army .em- gbasis on rough-and-ready agility elped put act over. and prpbably gave calisthenics Instructors' some new ideas. The 'Wesson Brothers are likewise good, but not appreciated here in pantomime and impersonations. Eleanor Teeman and Linda Moody, dancers, are about average. Ditto- Barbara Lamarr, pop singer. Show is free and played to full houses in l.OOO-seat indoor theatre. Unit assembled few days ago in Lit- tle Rock, Ark.,, where it opened in C!amp Robinson before commg here. Train was nearly' &vfi hours late and company reached Camp Wolters at 6:15 p.m., with first performance scheduled at 6:49. Soldiers stood In line outside for over an Rour and ciirtalns finally parted at 8:10. Late arrival and lack of 'time for run-through with soldier musicians, who made up most of the pit orch, made first performance ragged, but second show was better. In first per- formance footlights and spots did. a sudden blackout while Kavanaugh was juggling three dumbbells', hut he was still tossing and catching 'em when the lights came back .on a,few seconds later.- Dressing rooms and space in wing^ here are Inadequate, 'With men dressing behind an old backdrop hung, across a hall'way. Show runs 85 minutes and should be shortened. Berger. ^ FULL SPEED AHEAD Fvrl. Benning, Ca., Moy 26. Sybil Bowan, Ben Berl, Shirley Van, Beverly. Page, Shea <& Ray- mond, Harold Barnes, Ross Wyse, Jr., Gae Foster Girls (16), First 'of a schedule of shows planned for the summer months in army camps, USD's 'Full Speed Ahead' measures up In every way as a path-paver for soldier enthusiasm. Essentially, this Is mostly due to the Gae Foster line of 16 girls, who are in the show for three big numbers, and some of them double back to lace the edges of Introductions. Maintaining a better than arms average for appearance, plus rou- tines which are novel and fairly cute, the girls cut the problem of keeping the uniform-wearer interested. According to advance fnfo, all the .shows from here on out bearing the USO stamp will be larger and more liberally cast with girls. Hie smaller, over-manned units of the winter sea- son will be abandoned. It's reported. That's good news up and down bar- racks row, because dog acts, ama- teurs and opera got a bit tiresome while It lasted. Although 'FuU Speed Ahead' baa all the earmarks of making the grade, end did that here, it can still stand a few more dates before pre- cision and a -well-knit program will be the result It broke In at Nor- folk, Va, opening a new post theatre there, then came here for four nights, which is .hardly enough to get the people acquainted and the cues straight The line opens the piece -with some patter about whether there should be scenery or girls, with bare stage, and leave it to the house, which decides on the lookers. They then do their initial flasher, 'Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree.' Midway they do a Southern Belle number, which Is well costumed and staged, and, for the finale, a novelty with bells on ankles and waist to 'Don't Want to Walk Without You.' Long-time single and standard Sibyl .Bowan,' vet vaude apd night spot mimic, is the m.c, tossing gags, ^arp talk and her own act into the hopper as the clock hands wind. She figures but slightly in the early portion, and her turn lights the next- to-close, wiUi Bee -LUUe, Carmen Miranda and Grade Fields imper- sonations doing best She uses Grade Fields' as the mechanics of working up a community sing (and community sings are very popular with soldiers if a - girl Is leading them), which gets the whole house very much on the side of the show as it neara the fade. Ben Beri's juggling turn gives the house a chance to settle dowit bnd ready for the remainder of the opus. He Is one of the ace acts of its kind touring today, and the soldiers gave remunerative response for his efforts. Shirley Van, With a mixture of pop and operatic, is the first of two girls to sing, and she has a quality set of pipes. Show's producers were wise to have her mix up the repertoire, becdUse it usually takes nothing less than a sweater ^1 to keep drinking fountain pilgrimages to a minimum during high-note spasms. Other girl Is torchy Beverly Page, who scores with 'Blues in the Nlghf and she stays all the way In -that groove— and good. Between the girls come Shea and Raymond, two dancing clowns, whose comedy stands the remaining girl chores In relief. They win laughs. Former Cole Bros. Circus tight- wire sklller, Harold Barnes, delivers his smash routine and, when caught here, was one of the most talked- about features of the presentation. His 'wirie flips, in this land of tum-. bling to make parachutists and tank- ers, put him on familiar ground with the soldiers,, and his accomplishments rated sincere applause. Miss Bowan's act, inserted at this point is followed by Ross Wyse, Jr., knockabout comedian. His gal assist larger than her partner, does the tossing, aiid it's an Ideal blo-wofl. Standard procedure of - units, the cast-on-stage at curtain. Is done with house and stage singing of the Na- tional Anthem. Company staff Includes Dave Rog- ers, manager; Al Dalzell, agent and Maurice Jafle, conductor. Running time now is about 85 minutes, but that should slide off about 10 when the seanis are tightened. ■ If "FuU Speed' Is a sample of USO effort from here on, the soldiers will probably listen to Sibyl Bowan's re- quest that if they liked the show, to write home to relatives and friends to look kindly upon the USO cam- paign. Oldfleld. tired, register with hand-to-hand and three-high stuff. Parker foUowi ■wilh a apot of his own, rapping out foma fuzmy im- pressions of radio programs spliced into a vocal Audience went for him in a Ug way. He hds the speed and manner to bold bis auditors, and ex- p^ence shows itself in the timing «f every punchline. Three Swifts give out with their standard club swinging, with the deadpan member pointing up the comedy. . Unit smartly staged by Fanchon li Marco, with line routines, by Gae Foster, entirely up to scratch. Se- lection of acts by Harry Delmar was adroit and niMly contrasted. Bbrm. HUNinr 90BT Charlotte, N. C, May 26, Benny Ross It Moxine Stone, Three Smart Girls, Sid Marion, June Lor raine, Annette Ames, Four SamuelSi Sid Blake. This. USO-Camp Shows, Inc., "B' unit caught at Morris Field here last night (Monday), was strong on talent and pleased plenty. Morale officers declared it the best troupe to play here to date, expressing dis- sabsfactlon with previous units. Despite the fact, bad weather forced the show indoors, handicap- ping it with a small stage, most of the acts socked over handily, with clean but P^PP^ry routines. Four Samuels were the show's smash, clicking as much with' their pre- cision terping as with their clowning. Comic Sid Marlon 'also scored hea-vily' as a single and working in bits with -various meinbers of the tr6upe. Benny Ross did a neat m.c, job and also a tum with Maxlne Stone, in which he gave - out -with gagging and piping. Bliss Stone, nifty looker, confined herself to some high kicks. Sid Blake was on for several bits, mostly to heckle Ross. Three Smarts Girls opened, getting across okay with their tap routine although cramped \iy the siaall stage. They followed with a challenge round, drawing strong plaudits. on abiUt? and personality. June Lor- raine was strong -with a half dozen impressions, including Jimmy Durante, Bette Davis and Lionel Basrymore. Annette Ames, .-half- Jilnt vocalist turned In a solid piping ob, but was iust fair in a tap sequence following. Justice, HOT FSQH HABLEU HDLLABAIOO Camp Meade, Md., May 26. Lew Parker Hollywood Blondes (3), Dorothy Keller, Jean Carroll & Buddy Howe, Phyllis Colt, Del Rids (3), Three Swifts, Gae Foster Roxy- ettes (16). . Nicely conceived and smartly re- cruited, this unit has a wesilth of talent and variety and would serve as topflight - entertainment in any theatre. Designed for large audi- toriums and possible outdoor stages, emphasis Is a bit on the sight side, but potent in comedy and song nevertheless. Post theatre was cramped for size, but tr.oupe clicked regardless. . Opening with an offstage vocal of '3 Little Sisters,' enacted in panto by trio of mixed couples; femmes in- volved (Hollywood Blondes) don roller skates and go to town With some sensational spins and throws. Bring on Lew Parker, who gags knowingly throughout as emcee. Keeps material away from the blue stuff and paces matters briskly. Dorothy Kel)^ tmcorks some swift tappery bringing on the line, which is nicely costumed in pink and blue rufljes and feathers, for smart preci- sion stuff leading into two added routines by Miss Keller, a tango tap and some straight hoofery, all bell- ringers. Makes nice niche for Jean Carroll and Buddy Howe. Latter pair does smart crossfire, a vocal by Miss Carroll of "Lady Be Good,' In which she- gives an impression of Ixiuls Armstrong's trumpet, and some closing hoofery decidedly In the groove. Standard tum takes command and registers from the tee- off. Phyllis Colt next with some spe- dally arranged vocals, delivers ' Portland; Ore., May 26, ButterbeoTis and Susie, Ada firown, - Earle and Frances, June Vines, Orch (6). 'Hot from Hadem,' one of the USO 'B' units for smaller camps, opened at the Air Base here last night (Monday) and smacked over solidly. All-Negro troupe proved the best re- ceived USO-Camps Shows, Inc, unit so far, contrasting with some of the Indifferent shows of .the past. As implied by the name, it Is an evening of jive all the way and that was exact]^ what the boys here wanted. - Six-piece orch fits the bill, while Individual performers dis- pensed good Harlem rhythm and comedy, Torchy warbler Ada Brown earned a response that vas Exceeded only by comics Butterbeans and Susie. Hoofers Earle and Frances and chirper June 'Vines likewise clicked. Noble Slssle produced' the show for USO-CSI. Wyott. EMBASSY, N. Y. (NEWSREELS) Jimmy Doollttle's s^alghtforward account (Fox) .of how he led a bomb- ing squadron against armament cen- ters in Japan Is about the outstand- ing newsreel dip this week. He's spotted ip front of a mike, talking to another officer, telling how inilitary objectives and a nearly completed Jap cruiser were blown up. Doo- little seems to lapse Into baby talk when he refers to a Mccoy Jap air plant called the Mitzl Bitzi, and he gets a laugh when he related that his squadron couldn't stay very long to see the complete effects of the bombing because 'we were in a hurry.' Also shown In this clip Is F.D.R. pinning the Congressional Medal of Honor on Doolittle. The H. V. Kaltenbom special is, as usual, interesting and stimulating. He deals 'with -a query regarding pos- sibility of war ending by nfext year and, like President Roosevelt warns that premature optimism Is unwar- ranted and might prove damaging Kaltenbom. points out that there Is a possibility Germany may collapse by the end of 1943, or following fee first major military, defeat, but that Japan Is stronger and will stay In the field longer. Approximately 35 out of 42 clips in the current newsreel issue deal with the war. The 'I Am An American Day" rally in Central Park, New York (Fox) with a turnout of about 1,250,000 shown, sees Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black leading the crowd in a dedication of faith in the flag, with shots of Lt. John Bulkeley, Pvt. Joe Louis, Governor Lehman .- . , . ,• „ - others on the rostrum. Irving pert style and good voice. Del Rios, Berlin leads the crowd in singing his two men and a femme; formally at-I'God Bless America.' Mori • i MUSIC HALL, N. Y. Ben Dova, Oxford Boys, Di Gatanoi, Jack Kilty, Sehna Kaye . Nicholas Daks, Muriel Cray, Rodk- ettes, Glee Club, Ballet Corps, Music Han. Symphony Orch under direction of Emo Rapee; Tortillo Flat' (M-G), reviewed in •Variety April 23, '42. Broken up Into six parts, this stage presentation, productibn by Russell Miarkeit and aptly titled 'Accent on Color,' provides acceptable, ll^t en- ' tertalnment ' It affords nice relief from the picture. Tortilla Plaf (M-G), a somewhat different type of booking for this house,- but one Whicfa^ seemingly means boxoflice. On top of the orchestra overture of Georges Enesco's 'Roumanian Rhapsody,' stageshow goes into . ac->' tlon with Selma Kaye, soprano, do-* ing a rather heavy aria in one. Al- though she gets across -well, it might be better to top the overture wltji something- else, -spotting Miss Kaye farther down. , ' liCS. Papillons.' the ballet session, could open. This is the Pierrot ddnce fantasy, with Nicholas Daks and Muriel Gray featured. With choreography by Florence Rogge, it is one of the best numbers of its kind staged here, while the two :Nat ', Karson settlnes are also effective. The-ballet group itself is maneuvered -through the number In-'an Ingenious fashion. The Oxford Boys, trio, appear in one with their unique vocal impres- . sions and singing. A heavy hit here. Also appearing downstage, is Ben Dova, u'e down drunk with the swaying lamp post House has pro* vided' a night street scene for him. Dova's business with the paper while sitting atop the street lamp Is a lit- tle too suggestive for the Hall, but it got a big laugh. - Jack KUty is on twice with his singing, bringing on the Rodcettes i^ one Instance and the glee. dub.in another. Markert's line of precision dancers appears In red -wigs and car- rying small umbrell?^. Theirs Is a very good number currently. Following the highly Ustenable session with the glee clubbers, the action goes to fullstage with a sky - eye bricking. It's all to give effect to the song, 'Deep Ni^V done by Kilty and the glee dub. In the starry setting the DI Gatanos offer two ex- ' ceptionally slick ballroom routines, the beauty of which Is hdghtened by the fine lighting effects of Eugene Braun. plus the colorful costume worn by the female member .of the team. A silvery and somewhat tlnsely set piece comes up for the - finish with the girls down front In glittering costumes. Char. OLYMPIA, MIAMI Miami, May 22. Mvles Belt, Robinson & Martin, Gonhfies Trio, Barr A Estes, Cappy Barra Boys, Harry- Riitr House ■ Orch; 'Mayor of 44th Street' (RKO). What with the dbnout difficulty In grabbing first-rate turns for dates here in the summer and negative pix, manager Al Weiss has been taking it on the chm for tiie past few weeks. Current bill, however, is satisfactory summer entertainment and evidences b.o. ppssibilitles. C^hief comeon is Myles Bell, who has been running bases on local nitery circuit' for several seasons. Bell is a' comic who always Impresses as about to tap the dilme, but never quite makes It Guy is a paradox. His material, is a retake of ball a dozen comics, but on him it's funny. Even tips the house In advance that he lifted the routine, then makes 'em Uke It Most potent asset is. engag- ing personality, which has earned him quite a following in this locality. It's not socky enough, however, to overcome obvious deficiency of ma- terial. Equipped with some slick script and with. a little sideline coaching, he might step into big league. But he'll have to scram Miami to do it. A' south-of-the-border importation, the Gonzales Trio (two femmes and male) dapends largely on a mutt tagged Gaucho for mitt returns. Set- up IS slightly misleading In that the group bows on with hot rhumba, segues into tumbling sequence, and then becomes pooch act. Pups are clever, but it' all seems confusing by the gohigs-on. Eccentric hoofing of Barr and Estes is standard, but 'weir liked here. Be- tween Barr's mugging and sideline cracks he garners fair quota of gig- ;Ies. .Robinson and Martin have jeen around, but hoofology does not impress as being particularly novel or flashy. Apparently Cappa Barra Boys' top billing is solely on strength of one of their members dubbed the har- monica background In a Jimmy Stewart pix. For a quintet their out- ;>ut is surprisingly weak, having lit- le semblance of harmony. If Phil King, the leader, would cut the corny comedy it would help. Bounces around as though he were mounted on springs and makes Stokowski look like an amateur when it comes to waving paws. King also has an- noying habit of grabbing all the bows. Biz fair. I ■ Leshe. ■'