Variety (Dec 1942)

WedneRday, Decenilier 2, 1942 HOUSE REVIEWS 4T STANLEY, PITT. PiitshvLTgh, Nov. 27. Cub Collouioy Orch (17), Paul, Dinky & Eddie, Honi Coles, Chollv & Dotty, Rug-Cutters (6), Anise Boyer, Cabalieri (4), Jonah Jonej, J. C. Heard; 'Seven Sweethearts' (M-G). St.ige was jumpin' this afternoon (27), and so was the audience. Big- gest opening WB deluxer has had in a long time, the day after Thanks- giving bringing 'em out in droves. The ropes were up at first show, an unusual sight at this spot of late. The Cab Calloway unit is 60 minutes of blazing heat, and about as good as any he's ever marched into town. Talent's always been there but it's the lightning speed at which every- thing comes off that marks Callo- way's shows. Of course, he sparks the layout himself with an energy that's dynamic and the rest of the gang takes their cue from the Cab. Present band is on the button, made up of five saxes, four trumpets, four trombones, piano, drums, bass and guitar and starring Jonah Jones on the horn and J. C. Heard on the skins. Pace shifts sharply right after get- away with 'White Christmas.' Benny Payne stepping down from the key- board to take a vocal chorus, the whole thing smartly arranged. Char- lie and Dotty follow with some snappy Jitterbugging, the gal reveal- ing a million-dollar personality that sells the act as much as anything else. 'Strip Polka' has Jones scatting the lyrics while Calloway does the hoke peeling for an interlude that's a howl, and that brings on Honi Coles, who's been with the Cab for some time now. His tapping im- proves with the seasons, 'Praise the Lord,' with Calloway singing and backed up by the male quartet, could be arranged a bit faster; it's too funereal here. Then follows the swing' sextet, trumpet, clarinet, drums, bass, guitar and vi- braphone, which goes to town on a sizzling 'I Found A New Baby.' Next Is a medley of three of Calloway's best-known numbers, 'Minnie the Moocher,' 'Kicking the Gong Around' and 'Minnie's Wedding Day,' built into a minor production and with ' Calloway bringing on Anise Boyer for his Minnie. She's an oomphy bundle of sensuous dynamite. J. C. Heard gets an Inning on the drums here in a skin fantasy tagged 'A Wild Man's Dream.' And that it is, also being unusual and different for a tympani specialty, and a bit too long as well. Paul, Dinky and Eddie, three boys, fill next-to-closing berth in a comedy dancing turn that's more active than polished. Threesome doesn't have too much on the ball but they disguise it in gro- tesque costuming, mugging and a lot of vitality. Curtain's a sock, with the Rug-Cutters, three men and three femmes, pounding the floor in 'Pushin' Sand' and being joined at the end all the principals. Cohen. a Yankee Doodle Dandy' and 'Over There:' Gilda Gray, albeit here for about 10 years, revives her shimmy routine, wearing a flashy silver shredded dress. She won a nice hand. Jemima, back for the second time, clicks in a medley of Gershwin tunes and four heavyweight femmes come on for a hilarious tap routine. This is one of the be.st vaude shows pre- sented in here in some time. Biz terrific. Sahu. AMBASSADOR, ST. L. St. Louis, Nov. 27. Ben Rader Orch (20), Billy Rose's Diamond Horse Shoe Revue with Gilda Gray, Awt Jemima. Charles King, WaKer Dare Wahl. The Great Yacopis, Pansy The Horse, Harry Meehan, Jack Spoon, Arlhur Barry, George Roland, Laura; 'Wiohtmare' (U). For the second conisecutive week the Ambassador. Fanchon & Marco's downtown deluxer, features a stage extravaganza, and although the ad- mish scale has been upped to meet the heavy nut for this one, the cus- tomers are flocking in. Running time of the show is 53 mins. and the variety of entertainment packed Into it clicked handsomely. A local band maestroed by Ben Rader is supply- ing the music. For the flrst time in many moons the footers are using the elevator platform, giving the entertainers plenty of working space on the boards. It's a fast moving show that opens with the Mayo Brothers and their Pansy the Horse routine, work- ing with Harry Meehan, who war- bles 'When Irish Eyes Are Smiling.' Most everyone takes a turn at m.c- ing and Meetian introduces the Great Yacopis, an aero troupe that scores soIidG'. Aunt Jemima, In the flr.st of two routines, does a Texas Guinan stint and trills a medley that includes 'Broadway lyiythm.' The line (12) is composed of all lookers who go through a so-so dance routine, albeit presenting a flashy appearance. Jemima introduces Jack Spoon, who beats all parts of his anatomy with a pair of spoons to produce music. The act clicks with the customers. George Roland, juggler, also scores. Meehan comes back to repeat his 'Irish Eyes' and is followed by Arthur Barry, tenor, who contributes 'Rose Marie' and 'Do It Again.' A produc- tion number follows with Laura, a ballerina, out in front. Wahl and the high .school horse come back for another routine which ends in a blackout. King was a heavy sock in his interp of the late George M. Cohan singing 'Give My Regards to Broadway, Mary,' 'I Am ORIENTAL, CHI Chicago. Nov. 27. The Aferry Macs (4), Three Stooges, Saul Graunian & Co. (5), Frank Payne, Maurice Rocco; The Troifor Within' (.Rep). TOWER, K. C. Kansas City, Nov. 27. Ghe^zis, Catherine Harris, Jimmy JVfarIc It Lucille, Bonniedean Hedges, Tower Orch with Don Tiff, Mike Carle & Marilyn Bollinger; 'Dr. Re- nault's Secret' (20th) and 'Undying Monster' (PRC). A real vaude bill is on tap here this week, replete with solid enter- tainment, and : pleasant respite from the succe.ssion of bands that have occupied the stage week after week. Show gets off to fast start with Saul Grauman and his 'Musical Stairatone' employing the talents of four girls and himself. Preliminary tap numbers by the girls led up to the feature of the act, the playing of such tunes as 'Bells of St. Marys,' 'March of the Toys' and a portion of the '1812 Overture' as the girls pro- duced bell tones dancing on the stairway. Grauman ha.<: a praise- worthy novelty that elicited much applause. Maurice Rocco. colored pianist, is a boogie woogie keyboard artist. For several months a feature of cocktail lounges here he made his vaude debut on this bill with several low- down piano aod song numbers and had to beg off. Frank Payne, who also emceed the show, is a clever impressionist and in this spot had the customers in the palm of his hand with delightful imitations. Far above the usual im- gersonator, he did versions of Elmer lurt, a Polish radio announcer; two of the Four Inkspots, Hal Totten, Henry Aldrich, Dr. I. Q.. Bob Hope and Jerry Colonna and left to a big hand. . The Three Stooges were a riot in next to shut. Their talk, slapstick comedy and lowbrow antics had the patrons hollering and whistling for more. The Merry Macs, playing their second engagement here within four months, did six numbers and could have stayed on for six more. Cus- tomers were loath to let them go. Acts all played in front of the Oriental theatre orch under baton of Ray Lange. Loop. RKO, BOSTON Contrasting sharply with mystery themes of dual screen offerings, the Tower stage show accents comedy and surprises, and rounds out an- othec entertainment combo which is a bargain at the 3S-cent top. Eddie Cochrane, magician fea- tured with his partner in the next- to-closing spot, doubles as m.c. and flrst introduces the Tower Orch and a special arrangement by Don Tiff, pianist, of 'Mr. Five-by-Five.' Mari- lyn Zallinger. petite young singer heard regularly with the band, does two choruses of the pop and earns a nice hand. First of the standard acts on is Catherine Harris, a toe dancer. Fol- lowing a .snappy toe tap number, she does a toe specialty up and down steps to 'Doll Dance.' and flnishes with a fast toe tap to. 'God Ble.ss America.' Next on is Jimmy Mark, clever cyclist of the Joe Jackson hobo school. He is assisted by a partner billed as Lucille. She assists with several tricks on the handle-bars. The 'Discovery Night' winner this week is Bonniedean Hedges, who does two choruses of There's a Star Spangled Banner Waving Some- where.' flnishing with one of 'I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy.' Next-to-closing goes to Eddie Cochrane, who has a smooth magic routine and a fa.st line of patter. He works with a pretty partner. The Anish is a quick-growing rose bush trick. Le.s Ghezzis. hand-balancers who have been seen in other houses here in earlier years, close the show with a neat, precise turn of stunts. Near capacity house at show caught. Earl. Boston, Nov. 27. George White's Scandals 1934, speciolties; 'FaIco7i's Brother' (IfKO). The latest of the George White layouts to bear the name 'Scandals' consists primarily of standard variety turns embellished with a beauty pa- rade. The acts are plenty solid, though, and the parade is sufficiently pulchritudinous to maintain the con- tinuity, so the customers are happy. Business at the opening show, in fact, augured the biggest week since the hectic days of autumn. The George White Giris. 14 of them, lead off with a clever patter song on 'talent,' and several of the girls do purposely clumsy dance rou- tines while stripping. They get a hand, of course, while the girls chant that it's talent the public wants. Carol Adams then appears in a light- footed tap session, and the Nelson Sisters do their acrobatic stuff on the high apparatus, both acts clicking nicely. Following the flrst comedy bit by the Slate Brothers, the girls go into a production number with 'Begin the Beguine.' This brings on Buck and Bubbles, who, as always, regiS' ter heavily. Another production follows in a Brazilian mood and the whole company combines for a comedy sketch on the old 'stand-in' formula. Linda Ware, personable vocalist and a good one. sings 'All Need is You,' then induces a soldier and a sailor onto the stage with her for a cute version of 'I Said Yes,' the climax of which is a kiss from both the lads. Their embarrassment is not acute enough to mar the fun, and it goes off in sock fashion. Nan Rae and Mrs. Waterfall, whose routine is well-known by now, remains a potent pair as their tim- ing and delivery are perfect, and they go over big. The Slate Brothers and Fay Carroll with the entire company wind up the show in a patriotic vein. So far as a 'production' is concerned, it's a fairly casual affair, but it con- tains a generous 80 minutes of en- tertainment, and the audience went for it. Frank Cork conducted Larry Flint's pit band. Elie. Panl Moorbead who took his band into the Paxton hotel.- Omaha. Thanksgiving day for a month will replace Morton Wells as studio band at WOW on Jan. 6. Wells took over Freddie Ebener's outfit when Ebener went into the army. Moorhead replaces Larry Funk at the Paxton. STAR, BROOKLYN Manny King. Milton Fromc, Bemie Miller, Pot Paree, Ginger Layne, Ray Douglas, Shirley Lynd, Showgirls (6), Line (8). Mike Lorraine Orch (6); 'Roiie Harf (20th). With Manny King, house comic who opened at this house last week, getting into stride, comedy is on a par with the theatre's best laugh producing material. .Milton Frome, Bernie Miller and Shirley Lynd share the straight chores. King does four sketches, all of which he milks plenty for laiighs. Production numbers continue to stand out, especially this week, when there's a good specialty to go with the costumes and routines. Ginger Layne is the ballerina and does a fair job in her two appearances. She is by no means a Zorina, but so far as this audience is concerned she'll do until they learn who Zorina is. Frome, now in his seventh week, had to beg off after a baritone solo. Roy Douglas, ventriloquist, is the other soloist. Doubling from one of the Brooklyn bistros, he provides routine chatter that's effective if not too original. Miller, singing at this theatre since it reopened nine weeks ago, has been inducted by the Army. Frav. Burley Back With A Bump Continued from pate 1 ROCKEFELLER, N. Y, (NEWSREELS) Newsrcel house in Rockefeller Center, one of theatres operated by the Embassy Newsreel group, con- tinues to go heavily for war items. Far out in front in the matter of enterprising newsreel compilation, presentation and editing is Para- mount's special, 'Pattern for Victory,' covering highlights in the flrst year of global war for the U. S. This is one of the most concise, vivid re- sumes of the present conflict, as it affects Americans, produced to date. Par's newsreel special emphasizes the 'inside' story on the African move. Angle that Hitler's stooges were led to believe the Allies would attack via Norway is stressed. Lat- est highlights of U -British land- ings and attack in North Africa brmg 10-minute story to a close. The deft editing and a superb recording job are helped by flne narration. The whole subject is dedicated to Ameri- cans serving the colors. RKO-Pathe's story of the North African flghting represents tight editmg and neat photography (cred- ited to U. S. Army Signal Corps). High-pitched spieling mars the whole effect, however. Same news- reel also covers the action in Libya, with unusual battle action marking the British onslaught against Rom- mel. News of Day depicts new phases of the Solomon Islands' flght and has an excellent novelty plugging the Arnvy Air Corps song. Universal's coverage of a Madison S(4uare Garden basketball game is helped by adeptly spoken narrative. Lew Lehr gets some real chuckles f:'i-n his description of an odd air- pl:ine. Private Smith of U. S. A.' (RKO) and -Hep Cat' iWB) round out the ••how here. Wear. bear in a carnival, the caster comes up with Betty Grable, Janet Blair, Barbara Stanwyck, Ginger Rogers or June Havoc. Can he lose? Can any- one lose? The answer is that even the writers go on to their next pic- ture with inflation of the paycheck. Gold Leaf Edition Yes, burley under the Hollywood dispensation is far from the good old institution of yore. One cannot say it isn't better. Because if you put out a million or more—usually more—and you don't come up with a better show than we used tt' see on 14th St. at an investment of Ave or 10 grand, something is haywire somewhere, even with Hollywood overhead counted in. These current Hollywood dames do not do their own laundering, they would scorn to shove their tapering tootsies into a set of fleshings with patches in the knees, and the pro- ducer would flre the wardrobe mis- tress who would presume to think in terms of less than $10 » yard. The modern or cinema school of burley dame will expose proportionately a larger expanse of epidermis, and in censorable portions of her geography too, but you can depend on it, brother, it will not be the hardy, pioneer kind of epidermis that you and I were brought up to consider delectable. The Hollywood wench, vintage of 1942-43, is not the gal her great-aunt was. The soubrette of the John W. Gates heyday may not have visited her masseuse three times a day but she was upholstered with an overlay of good, solid meat and muscle, plus more adipose than current standards of pulchritude allow. She may not have looked so fetching posing alongside somebody's tiled swimming pool but she could do her 40 weeks on the road without a whimper, as often as not with an offspring or two crawling out of her prop trunk backstage. Yet, who are we to crab because the world grows effete on us? We will take burley as we found it and be glad is it not totally dead. And Hollywood this year has dug deep to revive the ancient gags and the old ways. Some of us may even sur- vive to see a day when a femme can weigh over 108 pounds in her brass- 'iere and still get by for looks. Skin Game Sprackeled The situation as of today is prom- ising. Hunt Stromberg has already reported desultory sniping in his di- rection growing out of his well blurbed project to translate Gypsy Rose Lee's 'G-String Murders' to the screen. Under the Stromberg aegis, 'G-String' can be depended upon to weight the burley angle more than the whodunit. He has uused up more coin in testing than an oldtime burley wheel impresario would sink in a major enterprise. To lop it all he is going to uncover Barbara Stanwyck in the stellar role, and un- cover is probably the right word in this connection. Film fans .saw a iood deal of Miss Stanwyck in 'The Lady Eve' and more probably In •Ball of Fire.' but in 'G-String.' un- less soaped, sapolioed and .scrubbed within an inch of its thoracic cavity, her fans are predestined to know al- most as much about Barbara as Barbara does, or her trainer, any- way. This year's fashions in straight drama take a proper cognizance of the trend, as in the instance of a .somber piece called 'Unconquered.' being made by Arnold Pressburger for United Artists. When word .somehow slipped out that there was an 'Ecstasy' .scene in 'Unconquered.' Producer Fritz Lang hit th« rafters in his dudgeon. May- be he flgured he qovld ease a thing like that by the cen.sors with le.ss trouble if he surrounded hi.s teas- ingly draped femme with Gestapo- ites and made her the central flgure in a romance of war-torn Prague. Well, be it burley or Shakespeare, or Lang, a femme is still a femme and a curve is a curve, and Lang's throwing 'em. There are plenty others that tool into the burley class. Bob Hope takes a burley bride in Sam Gold- wyn"s 'They Got Me Covered.' not surprising in view of the fact that the director, producer and coauthor is Dave Butler, a walking encyclo- pedia of ancient gaKS and a burley maestro at heart. Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray are doing a warm burley routine in P;ii'.s 'No Time for Love.' Which incidcntiilly also Is further heated by the pres. ence in the lineup of Madpmoit'>'le Havoc, who Is Gyp Lee's not so li,.;e si.vter. Hal Roach's finale stream- liner. 'Taxi. MI'Icr,' PxhihKs 1hf> torso of Grace Bradley In black tights, black for some reason being credited with a heftier allure than the kind we're used to. Trimmed-Down Buxomo One shall see a slimmer Alice Faye cavorting in 20th-Fox's 'Hello, Frisco, Hello.' a film carrying a strong perfume of the old Barbary Coast, if that is perfume. She sings a little, dances a little, and wears a little, and does all three quite effec- tively. Another 20th-Fox number with a burley odor is 'Coney Island.' in which the piece-de-resislance is Betty Grable. Come to think about it, when in Grable's career wasn't she doing something that smacked of gilt-edged burlesque with expensive trappings? The one to really watch for. the picture that is being bruited as the pure quill, guaranteed to produce a painless nostalgia and tickle bald old domes, is 20lh"s 'Police Gazette Girl.* A studio that selects a title like that has deliberately i.ssucd a challenge to itself to make good. The catch and the out is that 'he censors will have the last word—but by the time they get around lo this one maybe all the scis.sors will be worn dull and there's a priority on new .shears. Look also for Mono's 'Rhythm Par- ade' and 'Queen of the Honkylonks.' and RKO's advertised 'Cavalcade of burlesque,' titled 'Queens of Bur- lesque.' PRC-Pathe wants lo get in line and has ticketed Betty Rowland, the L. A. Burbank theatre's 'queen of burlesque,' billed as the 'ball of flre.' PRC-Pathe already has featured stripper Ann Corio in 'Jungle Siren,' amply over-exposing the lady's cuticle, and Monoiirnm will follow up with another Corio. 'Sarong Girl.' Steve Broidy. just in from a tour of the .stix. reports that flesh shows are on the up.swinp. Mono's Margie Hart having done oke with 'Lure of the Islands.' CMetro, Par, Fox | — Continued from page 3 sssj players. Julian Johnson, studio story department head, arrived from the Coast last week -to discuss the plan with Bert Bloch, eastern story head for 20th. If the plan materializes Joe Mos- kowitz would head up the new de- partment. Paramount has also been ap- proached by Equity to establish stock companies with a view to de- veloping talent but the proposal has not gone beyond the talk stage. Irving Thalberg suggested estab- lishment of stock companies when Bloch was with Metro but the idea was not followed up after the for- mer's death. 20th is angeling three shows on Broadway this season—'Highland Fling." 'Flare Path' and 'Something For the Boys.' Those .showing prom- ise will be filmed. The studio yw- terday (Tues.) closed for the pur- chase of Maxwell Anderson's 'Candle in the Wind.' which starred Helen Hayes on Broadway. Otto Premingef is to direct. This is the second buy by 20lh of an Anderson play this season, the other being 'Eve of St. Mark.' 20th has acquired the film rights to six stage plays in the past two nronths. Raids B'way , Contloned from page 3 were given youngsters in 'Janie,' which is backed by Columbia Pic- tures. Denied that the offers came from that Aim Arm, however. Of- fers have been made to young play- ers in soldier parts in "The Eve of St. Mark,' Court, and they may appear in the picture version. The talent situation seems to be somewhat confused what with the salary ceiling edict unsettled. In- ference was that there might be a rush back to Broadway by legiters but, if there is not enough produc- tion, that's que:>tionable. As Holly- wood raided the legit field when silent pictures switched to sound, there were managerial lamentations. The more notable showmen did not really have much trouble, and in the past few seasons the inlprchange be- tween the Coast and N. Y. has been fluid both ways. The studios have always been intent on securing .lew faces and the .stage is looked upon for as that source as much as Ire- fore, but currt-ntly the cull of fight- ing mon ha» murtfllcd ihc ^itu.-i'ion.