Variety (Sep 1943)

24 HOUSE REVIEWS PtLnttifr Wednesday, September 22, 1913 Fourth Ice- 1 es in N. Y. Click; s $6,025,994 'Icc-C'npfldes of 1044! Y4lli edition).* produced and- maiiapecl- by- Jce- Capades; Inc.;- choreography- and singing'. .Chester Hale; costumes- de- si 'ued by Mary '.Grant Mid executed l>y. : Brooks Costume Co.; . Western Cos'liinie. . MaWn'eu,- H.. Macintosh':, music director. Jerome Mauhall; set ' designed by Fre.ddy Wittop; produc- tion lighted by Carlton Winckler. . . Cast: Donna Atwood, Joe Jackson. Jr., -Jamie .Lawrence,. Pint 1-aylor. Mary Bbhland, Don Condon. Ovin MariJi'ns' ■ and Jrmti : Thomas, Red McCarthy. Befty^ Bfou:ii Lee, Leo L'oeb, Patti Phtlippi, Norma Halb, Ted Me'ra,' Marilyn Qninit,- Nate. Wallcy .and Chucfcie Stein; Tlie Beiioits <2), Eleanor Afeister. Eric Waite, Edythe Dustman. Henry Lie. Ellene McKay, Kinder Sisters Eleanor 0:Meara and-Jack Richard- ton. Robert D.ench and Rosemurie '■ Stewart. Joe Selia: O'rch .'conducted by Jerry Mayhall, '. Ice-Capets Opened at Madison Square Garden, R -Y-:, Sept 14;"'43; $.3.30..lop: : KEITH'S, 1NDPLS, Indianapolis, Sept. 18. Jessie Rogers, Gene Corey. & Roberta. Claude & Andre'/ Stone ■& Lee,' Billy King, 'Tommy Mnllinix, Ed Reseller's 'House-- Orch; 'London- Blackout Murders' (Rep). '■'.'' John H. Harris and his Ice-Ca paries outfit have another ice-show nit.' Their latest - Ice-Capades.' . . foiir-Uvedition'of which debuted last I trombone! while the .gal steals his ' " " • -—-■ - pant?: All -adds up to Rood fun, well : Music, comedy and novelty. are blended (his \veek. in just .the right proportions to mak'e.a, smooth run- ning show and give the customers a good time. Management was lucky enough to come tip with three laugh acl$ : that get their full quota; . The vaude' crowd here likes nothing bet- ter, than having its . funny bone, tickled. Top man. on the light side is At- Stone, Who gets, big re-; suits with his own atl after handling the m.c assi nmehl in a highly ac^ ceptabl.e manner. ■ Stone draws chuckles in a comedy interview with his partner. Kaye Lee;, who poses-as: a reporter for the Daily .Bulletin, shooting him a line of silly --questions- to which -lie has appropriate answers jwheh given .timet.' For a finale, he plays the PARAMOUNT, N. Y. Vaiiflliu Monroe Orcli (17Ji VrilJi Phyllis. Lynne, Ziggy Talent, Mur r phy Sisters i2); Dorothy Keller, Bob Erans, -.'A .Lady, takes a■". Chance'; •t'RKO) rei-ieiced in .'Variety,' Aug. 18. '43. week at New Ybrk's Madison Square Garden preliminary to a long tour,' is hot one of their best, but it be-' speaks a large prbductibiial ihvesti-; ,ture and enough spectacle to satisfy at the b.o. < ,'- - Opening.night admission' was by Defense Bond only; and more than' 14,000 paid $6,025,994. .... 'Ice-Capades' is reported by the management to have cost in the nc ighborhodd of -$200,000. Whether or not it's a-press agent figure is in- cidental; if;it doesn't cost that much, it at- least is sufficiently opulent to: suggest a figure close to it. -It's niflily costumed and heavily peo- pled, -with a,flock of short special- ties that should; make it compara- tively easy, to cut its opening-night over-length.' This edition had a number of.slow, spots at the premiere, but. they've undoubtedly been ironed out by now. The show .didn't break until 11:35 opening night, indicating that . it would have to be cut about a half hour. A comparatively dawdling'first half'was.a contributing factor to the slow pace,-but that-second half, when the. best specialties show, i$a nifty. : Topper of the .latter., is a boff en- semble routine in which assembling of a ,bomber comprises Ihe focal spot. The latter still, required'... realer speed at the opener, . but-the over- all, result. When the giant prop: bomber is rolled along the huge Garden .ice rink, with- its effect heightened by the-trick lighting and the .unfolding of a giant American flag from its wings, is something that does much credit to the producers. It's the show's closer.,and rightly so. Nothing else can follow it: . ■.'; ■ The first half is outstanding for few routines, notably that of Trixie. the cute little blonde : juggler, the. ensemble in a" neat rodeo :nurnber. Eric Waite in some, comedy skating and Nate Walley and Chuckie Stein, in. additional comedy skaling. There's: the usual fabled production as the first-half climaxer, but it isn't near ]v as effective as the one used in last year's 'Ice-Capades.' This sea 'son the show's 'story' Is Hawaiian- thfmed. being called 'Song :ot the is- lands.' and is' remarkable for the himinisc'ent-lighted selling: at the close. 'The. entire number, of "course, is done in pantomime with the voices supplied by Tom .Barry, who Is excellent, and Evelyn Mantsch. Laller'S monotonous voice: fails to ignite any'of the dialog. . Barry's emceeing. incidentally, enhances the layout throughout. : Big sock of the show, s with last year's, is Joe Jackson, Jr. -For sheer versatility-there probably is. none in the current edition".who rates with 'him. In the first-half. Hawaiian piece Jackson steps out of character for, : a' strictly dramatic part, that's well' done, and following the inter- mission he's contributing his "stand- ard trahirj bicycle act. At this catch- ing it got hefty guffaws, and to' the vaudeville diehards the .-act's; a grim reminder.: of the same roliliiie done for.-several, decades by his father. regarded by; the oulfronters. Gene Gorey 'gets a nice reception for his versatility, as a concert vior lin'ist who ends up by' eating hit« fiddle. His eccentric-didoes with the fair Roberta, femmc.'assistant,: are much, .appreciated. -With' the audi- ence in a,happy frame'of mind, he slips in a couple of light classical numbers. 'Ave Maria' and 'Flight of the. Bumble' Bee' and. makes them like it. .Claude'' and .Andre, add to the good' time with their hilarious burlesque of ballroom dancing, in which they make the most of the fact" that the six-foot T six Andre- towers abbye. Claude,.' who is of average height. ■:' ...Jesse ! Rogers, ' in . closing; spot, pleases, with'.his line-up of senti- Tnenlal. westerns, including .'Theretll Always Be a Red, White and Blue.'- The Tatooed Lady.' 'and 'Sing Me' a Song of the Saddle.' sung, in barn dance style to: the tunes of his own guitar, Billy. King opens and. gets thershow. away to a good start with his' novel -'-juggling routine. After, playing -.ball- with the audience (catching ■ the 'bouncing sphere on the'eiid of his stick), he gives his impression of ;a busy man by . spin- ning a :globe- bri : top of' his head, a plate- on ,a device stuck in his mouth and two hoops; on. an .arm. and a, leg. while' he juggles three clubs with his free hand: Tommy MUllinix. winner of the finals in Keith's home talent contest, makes, his professional debut with a nifty, solo .on the trumpet, " Biz. was average: when caught. '- ■■■■' : -,'.. . Corb ^ TOWER, K. G. . Kansas City. Sept. '..17. Tlie Chords, Monte Sudbiii)/. Johnny. Faust. Lester- Harding, Sliirley Bertram & Marjorie Dmicail. Tbicer' Orch.'. <9) with' Jack Parks tt Marilyn Bailingcr; .'Sleepy Lagoon' (Repi and 'Nobody's Darling' iRep). With Sinatra, .ilayro.es. Comoj et a)., hogging the spotlight to-tlie ex^- clu.'jioh of almost ail other band' vocalists ' iincl singing, leaders, Vaughn Monroe has. lately been heavily overshadowed. ;He made quite a splash .a- couple years ago. uporr his debut and uhtil-the soloists took .over liemade great pi'ogress oh -the strength of his voice only; his band was -.never jnoi'e' than.:^ac- companiment, .:•■'. ; Of course, .the., baritone..putsch should also' pick' up Monroe, but iii the face. of such competition he could not depend entirely on his voice. His band had to be-improved; And it has been to the point that it makes a fine, impression here. It's 'not a really, outstanding combination yet. but in comparison, with -war- time's standards- it is /highly satis-, factory.' -Today,, a ; band cannot- :be rated •'••eitti'rclj- on . enseriible per-; formancc:. nrrangements, beat, and soloists figure- more - imporlantLy. And in' arrangements and -better tempi:- is where Monroe's outfit has. made grciit strides; it ."always had. the soloists in Monroe': himself: and Ziggy Talent, saxmnn.. whc>.. ratts high as a entertainer. He and Butch Stone, with Les : Brown, are in a class' by themselves in. this jcate- eory. ;.''.-. . ;• -.. Lone sour, impression made ^by Monroe's group .at perforriiance caught was the opening "Harvard Square,'-jump arrangement that was Stiff arid sloppily- played. From there, however, every other tffort' was neat, . including a. jived.' up 'Pagan Love Song.' .Monroe, him- self clicks, easily, with. 'If You Please,' "AH. Or. Nothing' '. and. :Pagliacci' at - the finale and a duet, earlier with Phyllis Lynne. of 'Peo- ple Will Say/ Miss Lynne, slight blonde, is a fair singer but sells her stuff nicely and so.got over easily with,'In Mv. Arms' ip addition to the bit with Monroe. Talent, did' "I'd Like To" Be a'G-Man.'...And ..'I Can't Dance' and the audience forced Monroe..'to-half, a band number after being well in to it. with, demands-for more. Talent begged off: however. Murphy' Sisters, also with the' band, are on ' near the close - with 'Pistol Packin' 'Mama', aiut 'B-1=-Bi.! 'standard-with them. Since one' sis- ter is hospitalized and the remain- ing two miss" her loo much, they should be- kept off. - There's enough entertainment, without them. Acts with Monroe afe satisfactory, though each : could be .improved: Dbrdthy Keller, lapstrCss. is on early with two.cleverly executed routines whiich : are- loo fast I6 .be really appreciated;' -It might be a good idea' to.; break it up with .2 fhythm lap; as it is her taps are blurred frequently by speed.- She goes over big. though; Bob Evaris tickles the audience He starts slowly and builds to strong appreciation. - He. could im prdve. his material without' too much trouble, however: Some of his best la'ughs came' as a result tit an- swering a heckler.arid,the exchange didn't seem planted. He intersperses gags with songs frequently, among them, 'Indian Love Call.' 'Write Myr «- , t.»ii««-' and 'Irish Tf"-^* Lester Harding is held over as m.c. and, is out in front of a fast-: moving 50-ininutc >lage show, with a dual screen bill rounding out- a. nice buy for the 50-ccnl top. Teeing oft": Ihe Tower orch gives out with- 'Sunday. Monday. ,ov Al- way..' Marilyn Ballinger,- the petite songstress featured with the band, takes' the vocal nicely. First.act on is Mpnte Sudbury, hand balancer who-goes through n smooth-routine on table and other props:. Tlie -'deuce- is taken -over, by 'a team of "Discoveiy Might' : .winners', Shirley Bertram aiid Marjorie Dun caii, teen-age girls who do ah ol'ig inal ■ combo of ballet and tap steps with precision. Lester Harding fol- lows wit.h a group of songs, in his lUsly barilone voice. He opens with 'Paper. D'olK' follow.s through with a medley ; from 'TJie Firefly.' and then goes inlo : itiodlcy of George M. Cohiin songs. For a finale,', he. re- vives -'Somebody: Loves' Me.' with Also nbtable as applausc-,wihners;:j sdnve Incidental: hot trumpet t work as I hoy were' last yctir;" are Ol rin \ by . Jack Park's, - front niari of the Mnrkh'us and -Irma. Thomas^ billed";Tower-' orch. Harding., registers as 'Those Old Smoothies.' They're . a couple of a.k.'s, he a haldish giiy with, a - paunch and ' she a .slim.. al- - tractive blonde; :bbth are . Hie es- ' sene-c, of grace' in. their ballrooiii-rdti- linrs. arid they , had trouble getting away. . ; - . v . Red McCarthy/is back ajiain.'with. his ballet type of skating, and this ' •(line-he's in black paint iii an orig- inal turn' depicting a - world freed', from the'dictators.-- Eric Wailc re- turns in "this portion for. some more comedy skating, while: other .Clicks in this part, arc Bbbcrt- Dench- arid Rdsemarie Stewart, in their fantasy. on'-'Flcdei'maus.' Phil Taylor in his si ill "skating; Edythe DustmaiT.; Ted Meza and Joe Sella in the 'Pansy Die Horse' sequence: Jamie Law- rence in some neat rhythm skating. ■ and Donna Atwood. in her usually fine sold work. Notable, 'ton. is the .orchestra conducting-of.Jerome May- hall... . K«hn. . solidly' vvith iiis' voice and':his choice of n'unibei'S. ' lie begged oil'' arter three bows. ..'.:•-' .- Nexl-io-closing■■ is. Johnny .atist. who has ii clever tiii n ! with puppets.' His best \voi k is InV liiial • number. •\v>U>;.a : bushyr.h^fod' concert pianist scaled.at a grand.pi;iiip in ininiaiiire.- While he .piills■ the'.strings,'. -Ray Iliighes."'.. ianist: with the Tower orch.. ties in with appropriate wdi k .on I he keys.- • ••■■'•"• :' • ■- Closing slot has The Two Chords, male duo who open with a series of Imitations of pop orchestras. Tliey take-off Clyde McCoy; Horace Heidt. Henry. Busse.' Toiiiiii'y Dorscy. and ■Hari'y James.. using . vocal chords, and hands only to effect the Iristru- menlalion. They close with Hawai- ian guitar effects. Their .work, is okay and clicks, with the stub- holders, .'• Strong biz.opening day and nighl. ■ :•: Earl. ; self a Letter' Biz s.r.o. EyesT Wood: ADAMS, NEWARK JVctcarif, Sept; 17 . Cab Cnllou-ay.-0.rch. U5) ititli the Cabaticrs,- Frances Brock,' Paul. Dinky and Eddie. J. C. Heard, Jonah Jones. Cholly -and Dolly. -Ralph Brbicn. Hie Cab Ji'vers; 'The West Side Kid' >Rep), Format is standard-Calloway fare and is virlual.ly a. reprise of the set up that played this: showcase- last "January. Band has': undergone' Tew changes ■ and is. seemingly; luckier in side-stepping the draft than most of the .major ofay outfits, only noticeable. addition is Illinois J ac- quets Who' holds- down the tenor .-sax spot and is a-Ibrte looter, although a long way from filling the shoes. Of- the late.Clin Barry.' :.' Show gets '..under way with -Cal •lpway's theme chant, 'Minnie, the Mdocher.::. and then seq'Ues into -Rhythm Cocktail.' with Jacqtiet.fea- tured in it sax obbligalo.that's plenty: •Jbwdown and. is-caliiip:fo the 1am- nijst(>rs. Fiances Brock, to the fore i ho ii to vo^-al 'People Will: Say We're in Love.' Shels .succeeding Anise Boycr. in the feinine vocal spot arid, like her.predecessor,.doesn't fill the bill.: Thrush is on for only one number. '■■■■'■ •••Cab-;-Warbles 'Orie for My Baby' ■and 'Ju in pi i) Jive.' a- reprise of his' stint: in 'Stormy. Weather' liirii. : Band lakes: over again with a warmed-up version of "St. Louis Blues.'-then'the jive-boys step down for : a bi-i'ef-iahv scsh that features J. .C. .ilcard on the'percussions and Jonah Jones.Jiot Irumpel". . It's solid. B^ud takes over again with 'Night We Called It a Day." Benny Piiyne leaving the piano to handle the vocal. Il's.a let- down. Paynes prime .defects being' faulty diction. and uneven : tone quality.'. ' • ;.. ■. Bill proper Is lop-heavv with, dancers. Cholly arid ; Dolly lead off with their excellent hoorology and come in for resounding palmwh-''.-> ing.' Team has! improved since last caught and is now a standout,in the hooting department. ' Ralph Brown's, soft shoe stuff caught Ihe fancy of tlie mpb and raled a solid sendoff. lie's a deft Icgo.loglst and doesn't kill himself in selling his steps, a factor that too many-colored performer's, over- look': Brown's switch business with Calloway is also a iieat bit of com- edy and cuts :the iurn. nicely. - Paul, . Dinky and Eddie, on last; are . standard:" low : comedy terpers who lean heavily oh zeal arid fast pacing: Trio is on loo long, Which mars effccliverie'ss of the act, but in the.-main it's clicko; Ferinnc. palaver bit. along with the rest of the biz, is .-funny'-but overdone, Jona. ', ... • STATE, N. Y. Hardest Moon Ball Champions Willi Ed Snlliuan; i Bill Bailey, Ladd Lyon,.- Mtirchfi.'. Sisters • (.3}; ■f-'ool Foricord' (M'-Gi; .. 'Best Ed Sullivan and the: Harvest Moon Boll winners are helddv.ter" for a sec- orie week- at -.this house, which plays the champs each year after- the finals of the Daily News' 'coiUestsSat. Madi- son Square. Garden. This, week Sullivan and . his amateurs lead off the stage, show .and then sit around on stage,' in a iiilery-settiiig to help cheer the. -.accompanying profes- sional, acts.. Ruby^werling's pit band is on stage. Sullivan liricd up a. solid trio of turns for his second' week: .After showing the amateur ^champs -he leads off with Bill Bailey, track Negro* tapster who has been around a long time. - Bailey's ..footwork is great, ■ in fact there are few. con-' temporaries -who can- touch him in his style, which is akin to Bill Robinson's wlibse. -protege he is said "to be. .However, Bailey dilutes the interest in' his,/dancing: with drawn out. and frequently ama- teurishly handled dialler. His ever- growing liking for talk should be curbed.• .. Ladd Lyon, acrobat, . drew sus- tained belfylailghs with a balancing bit for which he recruits a sailor from the audience. • Two are.-well into their main bit before ■it's- ap- parent the sailor is a. stooge' and when the audience, discovers it there's a heallhy howl, Its a clever deception.' Remainder, of the turn consists of various hand-to-hand stunts exceptionally performed. . ■ Murlah Sisters, click of Ihe nearby .Fdlies B'ergere:. .• hit the . applause jackpot. Teeing off with: a version of-'They're Either Too Young or Too fjld' (he trio race through a sorig on rationing' and 'ROck-a-Bye . Baby.' interspersed, with whasky .antics' and the audience cat it all 'up'and'want more'. ■ -Wood. PALACE, CLEVE. '■' ;'. C-ie-belond, Sept. 18. .'.'Lyllle Sisters.. Nan Ray . & Mrs, Water/all,' Ytiftle. Spike Jones Orch 110) .mith'-Nilsson Sisters, Del Porter; 'Bomber's Moon' i20tli). Satisfying .novqlty bill'- is well paced by Spike Jpries' 'C.iiy Slickers' and Yvelle. both new to Palace's cli- ents, who'serve in geltiiig-de luxer but of its musical rut, • Nobody wastes-tiine. Three Lyllle Sisters have an exceedingly simple act of. aci'obatology. but, : fairly shapely femnies do their flips, double rolls in air. etc., with ziiigy agility and .get off stage in.a hurry. . Neither do Nan Ray and Mrs. Wa- terfall try to over-milk crowd for laughs, although .they are well liked troupers who could get away with murder ,in .this territory. Gabby, dumpily garbed stooge sinks her choppers into chucklesom.e femme gags as soon as she climbs up on stage. If they .weeded out their old- ies; they'd, register heavier with males. ''.. Hitting her vocal stride" adroitly, right: at : the start,. YVelle smacked collective hearts, of ' first audience wilh:' warm-lliroaled. personalized ballads. Brief announcement of her U:S.O. lours-paves: tlie way but,nifl- ily delivered arranRemeiit of 'Wing and a'Prayer' as opener put blonde thrush on own feet-,.' Malccs graceful transitions from wistful 'All or Noth- ing at All: to smooth 'Sunday, Mon- day' and a medley, breezing up to "I'll Get Lit Up' in a Bea Lillie man- ner: Latter didn't seem to set- so well with family crowd, this being a W.T.C.U. section., .Afleivinitial day Yvette said she: might-change: to an- other: closer. Also, breaking in a few short quips aboul soldiers she niel overseas'. between songs."'-. Loaded with charrii. -canary adds. more by wearing attractive, low-cut gown. . Spike.--Jones' -riVusical;bulToons are .culling'-.loose with a vengeance; .this being their last/vaudeville stop be- fore, beading back to' West Coast: : Boys cut the corn a yard wide in Tiding'- rough-shod', over a -dozeri. -tunes with washboards, klaxons, burps, blaring brasses an foolish- ness; It's manna to the tomed'y- hungry localites: who howled loud enough to nearly drown Spikes' re- volver-shots. Nothing seen like - it since, days of Frank arid Milt Brillpn's knockabout,orchestra. . Two Nilsson .Sisters, eye-flllirig look-alikes, spice the Slaphappy cir- cus with display of Irim jegs and fair chanting. Excellent attendances. Pulltn. RQXY, N. Y. . Carole Lftndis, Jerry Wuld Orch tcith Betty Bonney and Dick Mer- rick; Paul Draper, Three Sailors, Beit Yost Singers (12), Gae Foster Roxyettes, Paul Ash- House Orch; 'Holy Matrimony',' reviewed in 'Va-. riety,' Aug: 25, '43. . Formula which . has made .the ' Rox-y- one 'of Nevir. .York's top'notch' picture houses under A. J. Balaban's "■ operation is much in evidence this ■ week: It consists of a picture nafne • Carole Landis);, a name stage band (Jeri-y Wald), three solid, acts. fuV support and a fast-moving, smartly costumed - line of boys' and girls. Backed with a strong film produc- tion, "Holy Matrimony,' it spells' an- other big. money week for. the 20th- . Fox showcase. : . Roxy management, ' with Jack Partington (.who has been with the house, for -around 10" years) held over to continue in charge', of stage production under Balatfnn, is spend- ing plenty for name and production values.. Its reflected in the tre- mendous improvement in the calibre of presentations, the higher: prestige which the. theatre: how rates and,: finally, in the. .terrific increase -in. boxoffice grosses., . - . Partington, formerly held down to a weekly budget of $5,750 to cover liilcnl, production,.'-.orchestra.-:, lirie,' elc, now has considerable 'altitude in talent buying as well as'in budget- ■ ing production. Stage -shows now cost around $20,000 -weekly; a jump, of; around $15,000 over previous- fig-,. ures, while receipts- have : been hypoed $40,000 to $50,000 weekly on the average. < ! ' Current stageVprescritaljon. moves at a fast clip, Paul Draper- stands out as' .a solid ■ smash all the way. Semi-classical terper ties up the, house in 15 minute? of -interpreta- tive hoofing. Gracefulness, skill and novelty-appeal of'his varied routines ■ slopped' the show; indicating that this somewhat highbrow turn- has unusual pop appeal, ■ He winds .up with a medley, of dances',.-interpret- ing request numbers such as 'Bolero.' ' 'Beguiiie,'. 'Blue Danube,' . 'Tea ■ • for Tw'o,' elc.,. for big returns. Arthur Ferranle accompanies on the piano. Miss' Landis, separately reviewed under New Acts,-is skillfully han- dled' here.: Jerry Wald orch funclions-smooth- ly, both for show music and on. ils own: Wald is a ..personable: emcee and baton-weilder. Wc's got a corkr ■ ing orchestration,''Concerto.' as his climaxer.'- Two vocalists with, the band. Betty Boriiiey and Dick Mer- rick, are adequate. ■Three Sailors, comedy aero unit, are' sockb.- Its -a'nifty.-surefire, unit Consistently'- registering, for laughs and applause for -an impressive total. While accent is maiiily on comedy rather than acrobatics, the. ease with which they.manipulate is a tipoff oil their -intrinsic' Sbility in Ihe latter dcparlmerit -also. Their rope-skipping business for the wind- up is=n lulu. • Mori. ■ p - : - : ■' APOLLO, N. Y. ■ Earl leather:) Hiilex Or'cli t27), Sarali Vaughn, Blue Bonnets (4),. Warren Evans; Jesse: James, George -.-Wiltshire,' 'Pigment. Viriiin Harris; Babe Lau-reiiee; 'West Side Kid' iU).- Earl 'Father' Hines.' unveiled this week, for the first lime,, his new augmented band featuring an all- femme string section composed of harpist,, bass and guitar, plus, a gal vocal quartet. - All told, including; his. male musicians.:he has 27 in the- layout, unusually large for any band. It possibly is the first' time -a Negro, outfit has come up with en- terprising idea of a- string section; but also spotlighting the group js the fact thai two. of the musicians are white (sepia musicians .have- played in ofay bands, but this Is-the-■ initial known 'name' mixed band .batoned by'a-Negro leader) . .,--Unfortunately,.' tlie experiment failed to. impress on its first presen- tation -largely', due., to the' apparent- indecision of the leader "as to his type! of -music. The obvious idea of. the opening nighty. Which was de- signed lo attract advertising agency, men to*the theatre for commercial radio purposes, was therefor never gotten across because the music was a pptpbiirtx. that was - pretentious,', overbearing arid far distant frorii a medium- that was. neither, in the groove for the musicians nor for the audience. - . ■: ■ • This doesn't mean' that the idea: Is riot basically, sound. The prcsenla- lion .'-was rougli; arid displayed little, knowledge of scoring for strings so . that -they "might attain 'proper bat- ance against a: barrage: of eight brass and five reeds,. 'Srricc Hjiies is using ■the si rings to sell, the' public on a .new idea, it would he well for him ■ lo either further 'add to the strings or -else lone, the rest of the band down so that the -present strings, pear irisign.ifu nnl. Typical - of the jumbled ideas Hines is Iry.hig-to get'.across is one lUne lifled .'Jump Swing and Every- thing,' It's'just that. A harp inter- lude -doesn't achieve the.change of musical pace .Hiiics is aiming • at;' rather, it slows: the movement 1o n walk. His opener is (he same Way. a . bit of hoi. then 'strings.' and - then vice-versa, but it's rriumble-jumlile 'arid~6vcr-:arranged. He might profit by sifting overcrowded . parts-: and (Continued on page 55)