Variety (Oct 1942)

46 NIGHT CLUB wnriEwa WedHC8d«y, October 14, 1942 Greenwich Vilb^e Nitery Upbeat Anotlier Wartime Boom Result Renaissance of Greenwich Village cafe business Is another wartime evolution. This upbeat, which is rapidly approaching the heyday of the Prohibition era, is tied in with the freer spending and Influx of thousands every weekend from nearby war manufacturing com- munities. Addition of more gridiron contests in N. Y. this yiat also is at- tracting many, because the Village always has been favored by the collegiate crowd. More or less in the doldrums for years, current uptrend is all the more outstanding now that it s here. Part of crowd which has re- discovered the Village stems from the situation in mldtown Manhattan which flnds Broadway and nearby night club areas hitting the satura- tion point in seating capacity. High prices charged at many Uptown spots also is viewed as a contributing factor, visitors figuring (though not always rightly) that anything would be an improvement over the Broad- way tap and cramped space. Aura of Greenwich Village and Its free-and-easy spirit of camaraderie also is proving a natural for the spending mob bent on having a fling. This is all reflected in capacity trade at the better known Village night clubs. In some spots, It is abattle to set a table over the weekend while near-capacity or SRO is the rule even in midweek at others. This upbeat naturally is being re- gected in better and larger shows, rreenwich Village Inn, one of the largest spots, has a real production. Salute to Glamour,' currently with Benny Fields headlining. Don Julio, Latin-American night club, is in Jnuch the same category with an in- ormal revue. El Chico, Cafe Society Downtown, Village Bam and others feelmg the Improved trade also are gomg in for better shows. Greenwich Village Inn (NEW TOBK) . Beimy Fields. Lemy Kent, Delyce I ElTifitt DtoiBht, Joan irandon, «enee & I,aura; 5hemuih-AmoId Girli (10). Enoch Llflht Orch (14), Dinorah Rhumba Quinfet (S); mini- mum, $2 weekdays; $2.50 Saturdayt Headlining Benny Fields, who Is a •olid name draw, and going in for more production trimmings than usual in.Village spots, the centrally located G. V. Inn tyi^es outstand- ingly the current upbeat downtown. New show opening Monday (12) will get 'em in, and will please once the customers are inside. Coupled with the excellent all-round show that in- cludes the Enoch Light band, this bistro is stressing the food and the atmosphere. Fields, of course, makes the show jell. His opening appearance at the first show constituted almost a wel- come back home judging by audi- ence insistence that he sing more of the older, familiar tunes. Despite usual opening show "bugs," which can easily be remedied. Fields was as much at home as if he had been playing the spot for weeks. 'Jingle Jangle' for opening, then neatly pac- ing his appearance with a string of deft gags and puns before going on to his by-now familiar "Music Goes Round' medley that rings in many favorites. A happy addition is •You re a Lucky FeUow, Mr. Smith.' Perhaps outstanding of the new crop of songs is Fields* vigorous ballading of 'Fuehrer's Face' which he does up brown. Demands for the Oldies brought out such faves as 'I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now,' •Let Me Call You Sweetheart,' •Somebody Loves Me' and ultimately •Melancholy Baby.' For the first three. Fields got ready audience re- sponse on a community sing. Med- ley of hits from "Yankee Doodle Dandy' wound up his session after Insistent demands for more. Lenny Kent does a trim job as m.c. His material and imitations click as does the song 'Shut My Mouth.' Delyce k EUlott Dwight, ballroomologists, vary the customary twirls, lifts and spins when the male drapes his blonde partner from shorts to a finished evening gown. Renee & Laura, femme adagio team, do most of their work on their toes, just to make it more difficult. They Open the show's first chorus number which is somewhat of a handicap. Joan Brandon, girl magico, winds up her disappearing clgaret tricks, with a rapid mixing of drinks from a seemingly empty cocktail shaker. It's one of those name-a-drink rou- tines with assistants serving them to patrons. Noel Sherman and Billy Arnold, who staged the show, have arranged three production numbers, best of which is the Latin-American routine in which the 10 femmes in the line strip to abbreviated garb. Patriotic miale also is spirited. Enoch Light's strong crew plays the entire show qnd for some of the dancing, pinorah's rhumba combo alternates for dancing. Inn now boasts of hav- ing Albert, chef from the Riviera, and also Bruno, from the same spot as maitre de post. 'Smiling' Lou Taylor is listed as ofTicial greeter. Wear. DON JULIO'S, N. Y. Don Julio, Los Gitanos (2), Johnny Lopez. San Miguel Bros. (2). Fay Torre)i5, Ralph Chiporinsky Orrh (7) with Luis De Soto; minimum $1.50 weekdays, $3 Saturdayit. Don Julio has moved his establish- ment from 10th street to 8th and has. a real coin-getter in the pres- ent informal spot. He does the show's emceeing, stressing the get- together atmosphere with hLs own clowning. Besides the main room seating a couple of hundred, he has an adjoining bar entirely separated from the dining and dance spot Julio stresses Mexican and other Latin-American acts and specialists, and the present layout is typical. Standout are Los Gitanos. mixed Spanish dance combo. They've obvi- ously been around and may be work- ing here under a new tag. Team looks strong enough for larger nitery spots because getting away from the standard Latin-American steps. The Castanet Fiesta number and gypsy dance are leadofT, with Farruca male solo conceit and Bulerias, done in lighter tempo and dash of comedy for encores. Girl is comely and graceful stepper while male is tall Latinesque lad of obvious long ex- perience. Cleanup here. Julio, stoutish olub owner, besides his bullfighter routine, winds up with some torrid (in Spanish) ad lib verses to the 'Cucaracha' song. He's a former radio singer, accounting for his solid click vocally. Julio's typical Mexican cowboy song is geared for the Latin-American crowd, and smash. Johnny Lopaz, youthful Mexican warbler, looks lik'e a singing find, once he adds ^ical American songs to his repertoire. Also a favorite here. San Miguel Bros., two Mex- ican troubadors and singers, give out with several typical Mexican tunes. Fay Torrens, attractive new- comer, does two Castanet terps spe- cialties for modest returns. Ralph Chigorlnsky's compact crew plays for the dancmg and show. His violin solos are standout. Luis De Soto is singer with the outfit. Alonzo is the maitre. Spanish food is out- standing. Wear. Hi-Hat Club, St. Louis St. Louis, Oct. 2. Sally Rand. JVfickej/'King, Harrv ^voV, Chesley k Worth, Princess Winters, Joy Stewart, Line (16), Lyle Griffin Orch (7), Irvinfl Roths- child Orch (6); $2 week days; $2.50 Saturday. The newest entry into the local nitery field teed on ambitiously with Sally Rand's new unit for a two- week p.a. "The melange constitutes the nearest approach to vaude here since that form of entertainment took the 10-count, Capacity crowd turned out for the clebut In the 1,200-seat room. Located in midtown, the Hi-Hat is foing to speU headaches for three of anchon & Mice's flicker deluxers and the Club Plantation, as all are located within tju'ee blocks of the new enterprise. The tag of the spot is a misnomer as the tap of $2 and $2.50 includes terping, food and set- ups. Liquor (s not sold on the premises and this policy will enable the operators to keep open all night, as the liquor closing hour will not affect it. Situated in the old William Fox Mm house, a few hundl-ed feef off this burg's best night-Ilfe street, the Hi-Hat has been dolled up plenty, with the tables arranged in terrace style and the dancing being held on the old stage. Idea of having two bands in action is new in local nitery circles although some of the ball- rooms occasionally have two gangs of footers simultaneously. Miss Rand, last seen here a year ago at the I'ox theatre in her bubble dance, reverts to the fans and peels to ilk Q-string to wind up her rou- tine. The line, reputed to have been recruited in Hollywood, is composed of lookers but in the first of thiee routines seemed unrehearsed. They did better later on. 'The two out- standers in the support are Mickey Kine, an aeriaiist, who works on a rope 40 feet above the front-line customers, and Chesley and Worth, warblers, who score solidly with ■Rose Marie,' 'Indian Love Call' and a few other semi-classical'songs. Princess Winters is a nimble- footed aero dancer who won the mob. Joy Stewart Is a batonist who closes her routine by twirling electrically-lighted batons on a blackedout apron for an eyefiUing effect. Harry Savoy Is a comic mon- ologist who is assisted by Helen Holdon, a looker. Sahu. FloTMitin* Gardens (HOLLYWOOD) Hollutvood, Oct. 8. Gertrude Siesen, ItlU T, Gronlund, Mills Bros., Diamond Bros., FranciM k Grey, Fred Seott, Jean Foreman, Sugar Geite, Muzzy Marcellinp Orch (10): corer, $1.50 Soturda^r, $1 other nightt. Nils T. Granlund's (NTG) cafe re- vues haven't changed much in three years. They're all pretty much on the Informal side and the routines not too severely -timed or pre- cisioned. Tliis one, the 16th in his string, follows the pattern faithfully and dovetails perfectly into that escapist category. Itll do alright, as have all of Granny's shows at the Gardens. Never spectacular but invariably right down the middle for the widest appeal, bis extravaganzas have that touch of familiarity and friendliness, much like Joe's lunchwagon where the gang used to take their .chow. One didn't have to scan the menu to find out what was stewing in the kettles. It was solid and appetizing and that's alMUt all that mattered. Every now and then Joe would put on something extra special just to surprise the gang. And that's what Granny has done. The new dish is Gertrude Niesen. Whether Granny has erred in his judgment remains to be seen. True, there is room in any cafe show for a choice cut of chanteuse and here la Niesen fills the bill. But she must be told or reminded that the Gardens is a night spot and not- a concert hall. She had cho»n a repertoire of songs little known to the sitters and finally condescends to do a pop with impressionistic trimmings. The artiste, no less. But, and iRre's the big BUT, she does only one show a night while everyone else does two. She's on about 10:30 and that means the late comers who dr6p in after the fights, rassling matches and house parties aren't going to hear the widely advertised and heralded Niesen bear down with those stout pipes of hers. For the highest wage ever paid a single at this tavern, she gives out with five songs, none of which strains the lady's resources. First it's a Latin ditty, then 'Annie Laurie' followed by an Irish folk song. As a finisher she does a straight version of 'Oh, Johnny,' which is howled down by the orchestra as her cue for a Bonnie Baker tafleoff. That still doesn't suit the band boys, so she goes into a Mae Westian impression. That's solid with the mob and she has to beg off. And that should be Granny's straw-in-the-wind even if he has to bill her as Gert Niesen. Indicative of the type of entertain- ment this clientele cottons to, the show is virtually wrapped up by the Diamond Bros., the wackiest team of knockabout comics and dancers around for so(ne time. They literally knock one another out with a whirlwind 15 minutes of dizzy capers and floor tumbling. Another fave with the crowd was the in- terpretirtive dance duo of Francis and Grey. Their slithering snake bit, wiUi the femme contortionist member wrapping herself up like a pretzel and imwlnding like a python, scored solidly. The Mills Bros., holdovers, were well received in their grotiped songology. Jean Fore- man is a cute dancing trick, Fred Scott booms the vocals and Sugar Geise sparks the eye-fUKng line, whidi has tb^ stately Elinor Troy back In the peacock parade. Granny's production numbers are nicely paced with a spicing of phos- l^oroscence and epidermis display. Dave Gould staged. Muzzy Mar- celUno Is on the stand with his crew and also cuts himself in for a few vocals. He plays the show capably and kept the floor packed with his dance rhythms. Granny, as usual, is the ringmaster. Helm. TERRACE ROOM, N. Y. (NEW TOBKEB HOTEL) Benny Goodman Orch (14) with Pegyy Lee, Gory McCrae; Ice Show with Audrey Miller, Ronny Roberts, Bisselle k Farley, George Banyos, Line (6), Bob Rtisselt; cover 75c-$l, no minimum. New Yorker's ice show for the new season, in conjunction with Benny Goodinan's orchestra, far surpasses in costuming and ideas any of its previous packages, but lacks the blade artistry and action that studded past performances. With Goodman, however, the thought is exactly the reverse. Happily, he is track on the track with a band that promises to round out into the Goodman of old. Don Arden, producer of the ice session, has a novel idea that cues the various routines by line and principals. In entirety the session Is titled 'Arabian Nights,' and Bob Rus- sell, m.c rubs an 'Aladdin Lamp' to "wi^' for the various turns. He han- dles his chores capably. ' Principals in the layout are Audrey Miller. Ronny Roberts, George Banyas, and Bisselle and and Farley. Only Roberts' breath- taking trick skating and the acro- batic and trick contributions by the last named team make a definite impression. Roberts, who at last seems to have dropped the billing of having been crippled earlier in life. extraordinaiy WlU». Farley an alinoit as eficcttT*. MUk MlUer and (3eorg« Banyas, however, contribute not)tips out of the ordlnarj and don't looli too juro of themaelves wfaua doing It xaoi has a spot with tho line and sola Six beauts comprise the. line. All the way through tiie show's 49 min- utes they're draped in costumes rich in color and design, and they handle the cute routines faultlessly. Goodinan's band, small in com- parison to modern top-name com- binations (four sax, three trumpets, two trombones, four rhythm), was in fine stride opening night. Prac- tically rebuilt, since Goodman has lost many men the past few months, the outfit was in a groove that was reminiscent of the original Goodman combination. Its rhythm tempi are solid, and the band is cutting every- thing clean. Lone drawback is a trumpet section that somehow doesn't blend as It should. One outetandmg accomplishment by the band since it played here last year is flexibility. In the past, Good- man bowed only slightly to commer- cial, ballad arrangements, plajring them with a strong undercurrent of rhythm. He now seems to have gone whole-hog. His softer projections are true to what the public expects. Peggy Lee, after several throat operations, is also in improved voice. Gary McCrae, newly acquired bari- tone. Opened with the band and was let go two days later. Wood. EI Morocco, Montreal Montreol, Oct. 8. Johnny Morgan, Dolores King, Pierce k Roland, Nelson's Norelettes, Millray GirU (8), Hal Hartley Oreh (10); no cover; mtnimum $lJi0. With new orchestra after mediocre intermission period following de- parture of Jack Denny, this nitery is off for the fall and winter season to a fine start. Since Sept 28, when the Hartley Orch teed off here, full and near-full houses have been the rule. Current bill, while good enough, is not anything to writt home about with perhaps one exception. Johnny Morgan with his contagious smile wins the crowd from the opening gong and hypos the show for most of its 70 minutes. The pint-size emcee has no new material, and some of It- is not too clean, but his personality carries all he does. He moves fast, backing his patter with zanyisms, imitations and hilarious ribbing of the crowd. Dolores King, svelte blues singer, has the pipes and definite posatblll- ties, filling very satisfactprily her flashily styled wardrobe. 'Miss You' and 'Don't Want to Walk Without You' are her best bets. Pierce and Roland, acro-adagio team, are standout A very person- able pair, blonde and brunet, they go through a smooth, neatly paced, effortless routine that is something new in cabaret ballroomology here. Garnered solid audience reaction. Nelson's Novelettes show puppets as fluorescent skdetons, weight i'ugglers and a drunk, all against a ilackout background. House line is standout for looks, style, wardrobing and precisicm stepping. Hal Hartley handles his orch deftly and is nicely in touch both with acts and dance floor patrons. House near-capacity this midweek viewing. Lane. Havana-MadricI, N. Y* Line (8), Trio Mixteco, Anita' Seoiila, Jose Fernandez, Terri La Franconi, Vitlarino, LiU Tosas, Froilan Maya and GlCberto Orchs; $1.50 minimum. A sprightly show that's typical south - of - the-border entertainment It asn't highly budgeted, but at least serves the basic purpose of a brisk show for all needs. • Heading the layout Is Terrl La Franconi, balladist of the romantic type. His Spanish tunes are all sock. In caballero garb, he has a neat knack for selling in addition to possessing a forceful personality. Anita Sevilla and Jose Fernandez are okay at the toe-and-heel stuff, with the girl a particularly vivid type. They're in several spots,' to make up for the comparatively few performers In the show, but they're not over-staying their welcome. A guitarist accompanies them. The Trio Mixteco are the biggest socks of the layout with their Mexi- can folk dances. Notably impressive is their comic finale whidi they had to encore several times before this enthusiastic audience. The girl is an exceptional looker and a decora- tive touch for the two men. Their two appearances at this catching were smash. They're togged in typi- cal peasant attire and are a fine booking for any Spanish-type nitery. Lili Tosas is a singer-dancer who's just in ■fo;' a bit towards the latter part of the show, and is unable to do sufficiently to warrant much of an impression one way or the other. Froilan Maya's ICi-piece orch, a vet of two and a half years at this spot, is still playing a neat show and also for the hoof. Gilberto's crew alternates with Maya for the dansapation. -Line of eight is mostly long on looks and okay on the terps. Kahn. Chicago, Oct. 10. Woody Hemutn Oreh, 3 Make-Be. neves, Carolyn Grey, BiUie Rooers Vido M«s»o. College inn Models, Rus- sian Wheat Field; $2.50 minimum. A good novel show at the Panther Room, with Woody Herman back at his usual annual stand. An all-girl revue, the town's current rage in impersonators, and a novelty, 'Rus- sian Wheat Field,' are also sock as- sets. •Kalamazoo,' vocaled by pretty Carolyn Grey, gets the show into the groove. Entire orchestra lines up in back of Herman to provide croon- ing background for •Lamplighter's Serenade,' with maestro on the vocal solo. It's impressive. BiUie Rogers, the band's girl trum- peter, gives out with the 'Cow Cow Boogie,' both vocally and on her in- strument. She smgs well, plays well, and got a hand. Herman does nice solo of 'Amen' from picture 'What's Cookin' in which orch was featured. 'Russian Wheat Field,' story of a Russian boy and girl and their life on a collective farm, is a standout Produced by Morris and Alex Top- chevsky and Sam Himmelfarb, with an all-Slavic cast, this story of Rus- sia, its wheat fields, villages, folk- lore music and dances, is a beautiful and colorful spectacle. Chuck Peterson offers a high trumpet solo of Red Skelton's 'I Dood It,' also vocalizes numtier ac- ceptably. Vido Musso ex-leader of Bunny Berigan's old band, recently joined up, also does nice sax inter- lude. A local sensation at Helsing's and the Oriental. The Three Make-Be- Ueves do their mute impersonations of Bing Crosby, Mary Martin, the Andrews Sisters singing their hit tunes, with off-stage records giving out with the actual music. They're hilariously nifty. They close show with "Pennsylvania Polka,' prac- tically tearing themselves apart to dramatically render this swlngy number. Biz excellent at this nitery, which caters largely to college kids, of which a mob were present Loop. PANTHER ROOM, CHI (SHEBHAM HOTEL) Waldorf-Astoria, N. Y. (WEDGWOOD BOOM) Grade Fields, Georges k Jalna, Mario de Costa, Emit Coleman Orchatra (8), Mii'cha Borr's Ensem- ble (6); $1 and $2 cover (lotfer Fri- day, Saturday). Oracle Fields is the big excitement at the Waldorfs WedgWlood Room, in for a limited stay with Emil Cole- man's orch^ra and certain to do business. 'The seasoned English comedienne proves anew the snow btisincss adage that there's no re- striction any more for talent; the same acts that can play saloons (as the cafes are colloquially called) can ditto on the radio; and it OK in pic- tures, ditto on the stage, and so on down the line. Miss Fields did a rousing business at the Chez Paree, CMcago, and is In here for six weeks before trek- king west for a Metro film chore. .With Jack Carroll at the Steinway— one of the best accompanists m.the business, by the bye—the come- dienne imreels a string of ditties which are seemingly not set Ever aware of tempo and tides of audi- ences. Miss ' Fields switches her repertoire at will. She runs the gamut of Thingamabob,' "Sleepy, Lagoon' (h<*ed). "Walter, Walter,' 'Nighty Night, Sailor Boy' (dandy ballad), her now trademarked 'Big- gest Aspidastra in the World.' 'Last Time I saw Paris (request number, and endowing it with new values). The Yanks Are Coming Again.' •Came to Talk for Joe,^ "Lovely Weekend,' etc. She does choruses and medleys and while it sounds like a verbose repertoire actually Miss Fields left 'em hungry. Georges & Jalna are now standard at the Waldorf with their finished ballroomology that ranges from the usual Latin and waltz to rhythmic formations. Pair have been re- turned to this spot and the Starlight Roof several times, clicking always. Georges is a finished terper, capably handling his vis-a-vis. Unlike Miss Fields, who only appears for the sapper sessions, team works both dinner and supper. Mario de Costa, a South American vocalist, is the dinner interlude. Emil Coleman's crack dansapation oRlciates throughout the evening with Mischa Borr as relief ensemble. Borr is a Waldorf standard also, as alternate to whichever is the nnmc guest band. As for Coleman, he's a finished maestro of the terps, long established with his 'society* follow- ing, and he shaped up even better than ever with his sprightly octet in support. Abel. Dale rieree. 17-year-old Coast trumpeter, joined Tommy Reynolds' band at Rainbow Randevu, Salt Lake City.