Variety (Sep 1942)

44 HOU8K WnBW$ Wednesdaj, September 23, 19^2 "Sim Tone'm Smash N. Y. Deimt; New'Priorities'OK After Poor Start By JOE SCHOENFELD \'aiideville, wliicli many liad believed dead and buried these past 14 years, got two liyjios last week of varying degrees. Fortunately for the patient, the second dose was much stronger than the first, and so the two-a-day revival is resting comfortably. ClifTord C. Fisclier, in association with the Sliuberts, unveiled his second 'Priorities' (of 1943) at the 40th Street, Tuesday night <1S); the show's lack of sufficient break-in was all too evident. The drama critics ask for no alibis and thus theirmotices were far from flattering. It vas a tough break for a la.vout which two nights later played 100% better. •Show Time." presented by Fred Finklehofle and headlining George Jessel, Jack Haley, Ella Logan and The DeMarcos, moved into the Broadhurst the following night (Wednesday). It whammed. Most of the critics gave it raves, though a couple were, strangely, ot the opposite viewpoint. Regard- less, it was conceded that 'Show Time' put the bounce back into what ap- peared the nighl before to be a sadly deflated two-a-day revival. Both are doing business. > SHOW TIME (broTadhurst, N. Y.) George Jessel. Jack Hnley, Ella Logan, The DeMarcos (2), Berry Bros. (3). Bob Williams, Lucille Norman, Con Colleano (2>, Olsen & £liirlev; Wally Goodesoii lending Pit Orch; $2.75 top. After some 20 weeks in Los .An- geles and FYisco, 'Show Time' cbme into New York a socko straight vaudeville performance. The ex- perience of a long run naturally counted heavily in achieving such a finished result, but of greater value is a combination of superb acts, flne balance and the ringmastering of George Jessel, who -probably gave the finest performance ot his theatri- cal career opening night here. Jessel wraps up the show; he ties up the loose ends and delivers to the audience a finished package. The program bills him as 'conferencier,' which, in ,his case, is more another name for' 'footlights master' than master-of-ceremonies. For he Is not merely an introducer of vaudeville acts, but an artist who actually does seven acts of his own in between each of the other turns. And from his very first minute on the stage, he had the premiere crowd In bis hip pocket. In one respect, Jessel's outstanding •core is ironical. He was last in this very same theatre as star and co- producer ot the musical 'High Kickers.' It got bad notices and he was included, in a lesser degree, in the raps. Now he's back, a few months later, with the same Jokes, the same voice, the same Jessel. And he's a smash. Maybe it's because he hasn't the show's bankroll to worry al>out. but more likely it's because he's the best Jessel to date and has better surrounding talent. By the time he brought down the final cur- tain Wednesday night, bis personal triumph seemed to overshadow the great click of 'Show Time' as a *;*-ile. Tlie three other headliners like- wise came through as opening-night Individual winners. Jack Haley's comedy rang the bell loudly; Ella Logan's singing was a second-half applause smash, while The DeMarcos closed the first half all out of breath after two encores. The top dance team did five routines in all. intri- cate, but beautifully smooth, and their terrific reception was 100% de- sc^ed. "^here are some lesser ligfits who als} shine brightly. Like the three Berry Brothers, whose hangup acro- batic hoofery, in the tough closing slot, held the audience on opening night: ditto Con Colleano, perhaps the best of all tight-wire workers, who :s a seven-minute thrill right at the opening, an equally tough posi- tion for any act; or Lucille Norman (New Acts), a pretty blonde soprano, under contr?LQt. to Metrp,^ who de- livers nicely in the first half: and Bob Williams, whose "hysterical' de- livery while failine to get his dead- pan, rubber-boned dog. Red Dust, to do some simple tricks builds up audience laughter much the same way as Edgar Kennedy doing a slow bum. Also included among the clicks is the acrobatic dancing mixed team of Olsen and Shirley, two kids, but the boy is overly cute for a pants-wearer. They're OK for niter- les as well as rostrums. The difference between vaudeville In an intimate legit house and vaude- ville in the big picture theatres Is clearly drawn in Haley's perform- ance. At one point Jessel pokes fun at the seven-a-day time, but Haley is more a personal ekample. Here he is in his element His boyish. Impish personality, which It's Im- possible to get across in the deluxers, is readily transmitted at the Broad- hurst. The slightest mugging, «r a mere lift of the eyebrows, gets laughs. In the film deluxers, you cant see his mugging—and. If you ait far back, you can't even see Haley. Thus Haley Is clicking hlg here with the same material thars only fair in the large theatres. His letter from the draft board, for instance. fioi yells at this viewing, in compari- son to lesser receptions when caught at Loew's State. His takeoffs on pop . songs likewise were sockp opening ! nighl, and that sandwich'-and-beer bit with Jessel opening the .second half is strong in laughs chiefly be- cause of the championship delivery of two comics in close contact with nn audience. The DeMarcos. he of the lightning ■feet and she (Sally Craven) a lovely vis-a-vis, are an audience act, flahy and . finished. Their stint, incident- ally, represents the only 'production' in the small-cast snow. Working in full, in what is presumably a cafe setting, the smart ballroomoligists whisk through three routines that seemingly run the gamut of all dance steps, but opening night the audi- ence forced them back for a fourth and finally a fifth number. Miss Logan, a tiny brunet with a mighty voice and delivery, is dynamic in the second half. 'Strip Polka.' 'Something I Dreamed Last Night' and 'Tipperary' are her solo smashes. Later she returns, in a cutie-pie skirt and Jacket costume, to do 'You Take the High Note.' and I'll Take the Low Note' with Haley, and that also socks. The song is about the only good thing left from 'Hlya Gentlemen,' the Ul-fated mu- sical starring Maxie Baer. which never got past its break-in date in Boston last year. Jessel on his own between the acts and as the refugee 'Professor tdber- macher,' lecturer extraordinary, is an entertainment delicacy. Whether comic or sentimental, whether sing- ing or phoning his mother — and especially as the Professor—Jessel is 100%-plus. That professor gag, with the surprise blowoff bt the semi-nude dame on the slide, ia nifty come^ material and Jessel milk» from it every laugh possible. As if all this isn't enough. Jessel and Haley ^end 'em out laughing, too, with a phone iMoth afterpiece, in which each tears the other -down in respective con- versations with mother and wife. Fred Finklehofte, who is present- ing this show, is now a film writer under Metro contract. He was col- laborator on 'Brother Rat,' the stage hit of some years ago, but how he ac- quired his enthusiasm for vaudeville is something ot a puzzle. Regardless, he's got a winner here in a show that has a talent budget ot slightly less than $10,000 and is housed in a theatre than can gross around $26,- 000 if doing capacity at $2.75 top. IA mistake has been to tilt Sat. ritte to $3.30. which Ukes it out of the 'vaudeville' scale. Understood to be a Shubert 'idea.'] PRIORITIES OF 1943 (4CTH STEEET, N. Y.) Horrv. Richtmin, Carol Bnice. Henny Youngman, Bert Wheeler & Hank Ladd with Francetta Malloy, The Acromaniacs (3), Radio Aees f3). Johnny Burke, The BrieMayers, Harri'ioti tt Fisher, Imjgpen Corpcn- ter. Sally Keith, Ted Adair, 6 Show- girls, 12 choritics; Lou Forman lead- ing pit orch; $2.75 fop. Clifford C. Fischer, who last winter gave show business Its two- a-day vaudeville renaissance, brought his second 'Priorities' into N. Y. Tuesday (15) under un- fortunate circumstances. As a re- sult of limited break-in time, where the most attention had to be paid to the production accoutrements rather than the proper spotting of the acts, this layout's Broadway premiere, after three days In New Haven, was a loose and tre<iuently dull entertainment. Result was that 'Priorities' took a severe rap from most ot the daily newspaper critics, who have to make ■ deadline and can't wait for alibis. 'Variety,' with a full week before Us pext press time, figured It worthwhile, however, to give it an- other take two nights later. It proved worthwhile, niough still not a smash, the show was playing 100% better at the second catching due to ■ reshuffling ot talent and one twitch la assignments, which gave most ot the m.e. chorM to Harry Rlchman rather than Henny Youngman. The same marked ta- provement. Incidentally, attended the first 'Priorities,' which floundered a bit on opening but was a click from its second night on. The momentum of the 'Priorities title, plus word of mouth that this Is now a pleasant evening's enter- tainment, should carry this layout along to okay b.o, results for a few weeks. However. Fischer, who is associated with the Shuberts, had better figure on getting some stronger personalities in place of a few he now has if he expects this show to run as long as the Lou Holtz-Willie Howard-Phil Baker opener. Opening night, Youngman m.c.d the show with about as much en- thusiasm as a Lindy herring ap- proaching a songplugger. He dead- panned the acts on and off; gave them no lift, though some of them certainly needed that extra some- thing to get them across. Later, in his own session of clowning, Younii- man made the grade in nice fashion with his regular theatre-nitery act. With Richman now m.c.ing, the results are only slightly better, but at least the singer, who still-hasn't entirely dropped the idea that he can be a comic as well, brinss the acts on with a warm smile—even if he can't sometimes remember their names, Thursday night, somebody in the wings had to audibly shout the Radio Aces monicker to Rich- man, who was fumbling for their name on the stage. One of the most unfortunate things about this 'Priorities' is that two of its three headliners, Richman and Carol Bruce, are its weakest links. The third, however, is its strongest — Ben Wheeler opening night and on the subsequent catch- ing registering both a personal triumph and an uplift for 'Priorities' as a whole. Working with Hank Ladd. an excellent straight man. and Francetta Malloy (Mrs. Ladd) for a bit. Wheeler is a standout click. There's no question that he'll soon be grabbed by some musical pro- ducer and return to the Broadway marguee lights he once shared with ex-wife Betty Wheeler. Richman Was in very poor voice opening night—and still failed to reach the high notes at the second, catching. Miss Bruce, on the other hand, was reaching all the notes, but she's not a headline singer by a long shot Her choice of numhers open- ing night was bad, but Thursday night she switched to a Cole Porter medley, 'St. Louis Blues' and 'Lousiana Purchase,' thus register- ing better. Richman continues to stick by his standbys, such as 'Puttin' on the Ritz' and that medley ot his old show tunes. He hasn't changed a gesture. Only some of the notes. Fischer has injected a lot of pro- duction into this show, to the point that it is as much revue as it is vaudeville—if not more. Lester Lee and Jerry Seelen have written four special tunes of no special quality; Jean LeSeyeux staged in rather dull fashion, and dance director trudy McGee evidently didn't have very much time to work with the chorus of 12 and showgirl contingent of six. There are several rough spots, not- ably the 'Song of the WAAC's' routine, which, incidentally, includes the startling specialty of Sally Keith twirling tassels from her bosom and derriere. It's not an exercise that the women's army will adopt, but in this Instance evidently takes the place ot a drum major. It's a switch on Carrie Finnell's specialty. Pre- ceding this. Miss Bruce and Imogen Carpenter, who is on just this once, (Jo a special song on why they're joining the WAAC's. The ensemble is also concerned In the opening 'It's Mental' special, first sung by the showgirls and then danced by the chorus. This is some- thing of a takeoff on Gypsy Rose Lee's strip song. The fourth special is •! Like Your Style.' with Rich- man singing and cueing into the stage the showgirls in "priorities' costumes of the future, i.e., dish towels, whisk brooms, etc. Opening night this segued into one femme coming on in a war .uvings stamp getup tor a new kind of strip routine. Richman sold to the audi- ence, at their l>ase value, the stamp headress, brassiere covering, shoe clips, and so forth, until he got down to the $10-in-stamps bouquet cover- ing the girl's g-string. He then con- ducted a war bond auction, which finally went to $25,000, with Louis Marks, the toy manufacturer, getting the nod'over Jules Brulatour. The removal ot the boiu^uet disclosed the girl wearing a g-strmg riding "Buy U. S. Bonds.' It's reported that the following day the Treasury Department or- dered that piece of business stopped Immediately. Thursday night the auction was out. but the stamp-sell- ing bit remained, though the girl was no longer wearing such a patriotic flimsy. Without the bond auction, and considering that the stamp sale is no more than $50 pes performance, the very slow bit is hardly worth the effort and it would be better tor the show if removed. Another production bit, up near the finale, has two startling im- personations of Churchill and Presi- dent Roosevelt seated on the deck ot a battleship. The guy impersonat- ing Churchill is an especially close copy, both physically and In voice. but tfa* whola thing .li quite nebulous. It's mora Eden Wax Muse* than big-time theatre. Two of the acts in tha show are holdovers from the closing weeks of the last 'Priorities.' One is the ex- cellent 'Bricklayers,' Gautier's dog act, while the other is Johnny Burke, the 'World War doughboy, who also hasn't changed a word, grimace or gesture since 1918. He couldn't get the audience laughing opening night, probably because the 'smart' show crowd had only heard his material many times before. Thursday night he started slowly, but finally got the house with him and scored. The three Acromaniacs are a sock opening act with fast and exhausting' stunting and each boy a personality. The Radio Aces, another male trio, were lost opening night closing the show, but later were moved into the third slot ifi the first half and whammed with their character sing- ing of special material. Harrison and Fisher, the ballroomologists, are doing only one routine—this an in- terpretation of 'Amphitryon.' in which the man romantically chn.ses the femme all over the staije while her husband is absent. If nothing else, it proves why the Greeks were great marathon runner.s. There's no tap-dancing in the show, but Ted Adair, who does a whirling, jumping ballet-typc of routine, contributes a fair session in one of the oroduction bits. I As for Wheeler, he walks away with all the applause and talent honors. The little, mousey comic has an act that wins immediate audi- ence sympathy, a natural gravitation when a big guy, in this case Ladd. browbeats a little one. In his first session with Ladd. with the latter 'stealing' the laughs from his boss, and later in his sandwich-chewing (he formerly used an apple) heart- to-heart grouch talk with the audi- ence. Wheeler proves both an expert and clicko mirth provoker. He had the opening night and Thursday night audiences in his palm and the sendoffs they gave him were terrifi(:. Fischer has imported another old Palace touch by having Lon For- man lead the pit orch. Forman was a pit name in the old two-a-day era and he's expert in playing a show qt this type. KEITH'S, INDPLS. *■ Indianapolis, Sept. 19. 'Hi. Neinhbof with Don Zelaya, Jack, Jean & Betty, the AntaUiks (5), Hank the Mtite (2), Will Morris & Bobbv, Rolleretfes (4); 'Hi, Neigh- bor* (Rep). The double biUlng on 'Hi, Neigh- Iwr,' both stage show and pix, isn't a typo. Title of the film was spread to cover vaudeville for want of a better idea to describe a six-act bill leaning strondy to athletic and novelty acts. The headliner is Don Zelaya, making his first appearance in 20 years on this stage, old home of the two-a-day. Every other act has some muscle stuff in it. The basic Idea of Zelaya's piano humor hasn't changed in 20 years, but it's still timely, topical and good for a lot of healthy laughs. Then it was jazz, now it's jive as he tries to explain, with comedy gestures, how music affects the physical body. His key tickling, when he plays straight gets a click response. "The Nicar- aguan PaderewsU Is selling the Good Neighbor policy on the side this year, pointing proudly to the fact that his country was the first in Latin America to follow U. S. into war with Japan. The house is his from then on. Will Morris and Bobby, a couple ot baggy pants comedians, have a bunch of fUn with a bicycle. Their suspenders tangle in the handlebars, their cuffs catch in the chain, the front wheel flies around and flips them in the rump, etc., then the whole shebang falls apart. It's not new, (remember Joe Jackson?), ot course. For a topper, Morris hurtles from a springboard to the handle- bars and rides the bike upright off the stage. Low comedy makes the act. Jean, Jack and Betty, a clever trio ot acrobats, do some plain and fancy tumbling and balancing in swing tempo wl^i triple somersaults and other nifty tricks in their bag. Their killer is a slow rise from Sst on the floor, one on top of the other, to standing position, three high. They're good and know how to put their stuff across. The five Antalaks are tnore routine in their methods, but more spectacular. Three girls and two boys, they work with high standards balanced on feet - and shoulders. At the finish, one guy holds the pile while the three girls drape themselves gracefully around the top, two hanging by one foot the other standing on her hands. This gets the audience off its hands. Hank the Mule is a gal in jackass' clothing. The Maud bumps and shimmies, jumps off stage, climtra over the seats, gets chummy with the girls, sits down on a bald- headed guys lap. with a pretty good chorus of chuckles. The hee-haw finally goes down and out trying to stand on one leg. Opening act is the Four Rollerettes, a team of girls who are fast and fancy on skates. Biz is average. Corb. STATE, N. Y. £nHca & Novello, Frank Fay xoith Eddie Parks, Una Merkel, Betty Kean, Ann Nagle, Clarence Gasfcili- •Tish,' reviewed in 'Variety,' Julu 22, '42. " This is one of the State's less entertaining bills. Outside ot Frank Fay, the headliner, there's little more that can be said for this layout than has already been said many times ^efore for other Hollywood person- alities. Film players Una Merkel and Ann Nagle, who comprise the top names along with Fay in this package sUted for the picture houses, are fugitives from an act. Fay, of course, is vaudeville from way back, and consequently is never at a loss for things to do. He em- cees, does his usual monolog, engaRps in a little repartee with the girls, does his usual break-down of pop lyrics and even tries a straight tune. And all of it in his assure(j, casual, off-handed way. He remains a con- sistent attention-holder, though still possessing the faculty ot throwing away lines to a family-time audi- ence. The.'ie subtle nifties went gre.nt <i( the old Palace in front of a hep show mob. but here it's finding the greatest reception in Ruby Zwer- ling's pit band. Betty Kean, who's being billed as Republic Pictures' 'latest discovery,' is short on the comedv stuff, mainly because of the material, b'ut she shakes a mean °gam in a couple of hoofing numbers. Shf's originally from the. stage and her flne dancing ability shows it. Miss Merkel is gushing plenty ot unrationed sugar in her dialog with Fay. more or less sticking to the type of dumb character she portrays on the screerL She has good stage pre.sence, but the material isn't there. Miss Nagle is attractive up at the mike, but discussion with Fay of her Hollywood eatery is neither enter- taining nor in good taste. It is, seem- ingly, a plug for want ot anything else to say. Her attempt at singing shows little experience in that line. Eddie Parks and Clarence Gaskill are traveling with the package, the former. Fays radio stooge on the Turns program, also serving simi- larly here. Gaskill. the songwriter, accompanies Fay on the piano dur- ing the song numbers. Enrlca and Novello, colorfully costumed, are a flne dance team, long standard In the v&fteties. They combine all the ballroom terps to start the bill off with a neat recep- tion from the audience. Biz was Just fair opening; night (Thursday), with "Tlsh' suggesting little boxofflce pull. Knhn. STAR, BROOKLYN Lee Morman,' Mono Leese, Art Gardner, Mock Dennison, Joe Ross. Amo & Amette, June Boyd, Line (8), ShowgirU (6), Murray Atister House Orch (6) and shorts. This house has been the mecca of Brookl3m's biurlesk addicts for years. With Mayor LaGuardia's edict vs. nudity, the house had to fold. J>re- sumably its clientele went into hid- ing for they turned out In fo^ce last week, just a little the worse for wear, when the house reopened with a straight stage show. "The billing says nothing about burley, in any ot its ramlflcations, but the audi- ence obviously expected at least a fairly reasonable facsimile thereof. They got enough atmosphere to make them feel at home. The floor was littered with ashes, butts, crum- pled dgarets. Icecream and candy containers. The same seats were still broken and the candy butcher was still peddling 'real action' pic- tures with a bar of Nestle's. The oldtimers still came with a container of suds under their armpits and traded banter with the ushers. But burley was something they didn't get. True the comics and the blackouts were the same, the music gCK>d and loud and hot and the girls were pretty and irieasing without stripping or grinding; but there were no tableaux, no nudes, no navels. That after all. Is what these Inmmisters from the Ebbcts Field bleachers want How they'll react to the finer points of denatured s.a. is anybody's guess. From their re- action at this show, they like it be- cause at least the applause and laughs were there. Considering the budget the Brothers Raymond, who operate the house, provided for Harry Puck, the producer, and the audience yen for rough and tumble burley, the 70- minute show was a success. Mone Leese did two routines that vaguely resembled a strip and a grind, yet were innocuous enough to please any bluenpse. Lee Morman piped a flock ot standard pops and was good enough to silence the' 'take-it-off* guys. The ponies looked young and fresh and most of them danced as If they enjoyed it The showgirls looked and acted like showgirls. The big surprise were the comics. Art Gardner and Mack Dennison. They played their blackouts straight, with a minimum of horseplay and actually garnered laughs, even at the black- out. The two vaude acts. June Boyd with her xylophone, and Arno ft Amette with a mock ballroom rou- tine, worked fast and were well re- ceived. Fron.