Variety (May 1945)

Wednesday, May 16, 1945 HOUSE REVIEWS 49 with Willie Capitol, X.Y. George Paxton Orch (19) Alan Dale; Jane Froman; Howard with Al Kelly: Tommy wmder; "The Clock" (M-G) re- viewed in "Va riety," March 28, '45. Jane Froman's courageous come- back just about reaches its climax with her current appearances at the £aoitol «bill now in its cecond week) Jritl she demonstrates without ques- tion her ability, to win this type of audience as easily as she captured ihe customers in the more intimate ■ surroundings at the Copacabana re^ cently> La Froman uses a nice mix- ture of special material and stand- ards socking over the timely "Let's Keep It That Way" for the finale. She stands during the entire stint after making her way. with assist- ance onto the darkened stage, while maestro George Paxton makes with her announcement. Exit presents no. problem, with singer standing along- side Paxton while the stage does its submarine descent. Miss Froman jives no visible evidence, pf. her handicap, once in the spotlight, look- ing and acting the picture of health. Opens with "Sweetheart of All My Dreams." does a special GI globe- trotter number, and then into a clicko medley comprising "I Should Care," "Locket in My Pocket" and 'Night and Day." The Froman voice and delivery spell quality and class, and she can turn the volume on when required. Response was unanimously 1 good. Willie Howard's on hand with his well-known ."PTof. Ginsbourg" rou- tine., with tlie double-talking Al Kelly present to tide . him over the rough spbtsr-latter consisting of Ex- Lax gags and a closer based on a not too subtle allusion to birth con- trol. Items win laughs, but so does the cleaner stuff, making it a bit. of ' a mystery why Howard keeps the Balzac-slanted stuff in the act for this house. His cracks about French and Chinese "maquis" also offend on grounds of taste.- Howard encores solo with Jolson, Jessel, etc., im preshes. Paxton crew, the up-and-coming band on the Broadway scene, fits in to perfection, paced by the person- able young leader, who kicks in tenor ssx and trombone instrumental bits now and* then. Band is well drilled and boasts some topnotch arrange- ments ranging from jump, stuff to a gagged-up "Yo-Yo Concerto" which develops into a spec with luminous paint effects spotlighting the pianists' money-earners and yo-yos manipu- lated by ' the footers on darkened stage. Paxtonites, however, show to best advantage in Berlin-Rodgers it Hart-Kerh-Gershwin medley, wrnp- Siag together "Alexander's Ragtime land,". "All the Things You Are." This Must Be Love" and "The Man I Love," during which brass U01 reeds (5) and rhythmasters all get their chances to shine. Alan Dale, pleasant baritone croon- er, bandies orch vocals, scoring best with "Laura." ' Tommy Wonder's flash terping rounds out the strong bill. After Cakewalk, with cane and topper, to "St. Louis Blues." Wonder returns with life-sired doll dancing partner to score with ballroom rou- tines done, straiglht and for laughs. Donu. Apollo, N. V. Hot Lips Page Orch (15); Tab Sntiih Orch (6) with Betty Mays, Gladys Bentley, Ralph Cooper, Bobbie .Goinee. Kenneth Harris, Broumskin chorus U2), "Identity Unknown" (Rep). Patchwork bill at the Harlem home of vaude this week has two bands, buxom Gladys Bentley and Ralph Cooper, featured with the six- piece hot combo fronted by Tab Smith, voted most solid by the stub- holders. Vet alto tooter is flanked by tenor, trumpet, piano, drums and siring bass, with songstress Betty Mays, a Jookcr. not a bjt of hin- drance To the turn. She zings over "Didn't Know About You," among others, and stays on for a batch of. torso slinging during Frank Hum- phries' sock trumpet-vocal feature, "After You've Gone." Band goes it alone on "Sunny Side of .the Street'Vand "Riffin' the Bass,''. with leader's horn grabbing top honors. Smith crew and Hot Lips Page's larger (15) outfit joins for finale, with line (.12) also partici- pating. ■ Debut of Miss Bentley at the Apollo, after years of peddling blue ditties in' downtown and uptown boitcs catering to. the littering and leering element, is far. from a tri- umph. Her oversize white satin top- per and tails seem as out of place as her material, with latter definite- ly not grooved- tor the house. Ob- lection isn't that its Muc—that never bothers Apollo patron.sv-it just isn't the right shade of blue evidently. Bentley routine consists of a "Fa- ther Divine" ditty which registers . enly fair, and "I Want a Two-Fisted Papa," gist of which can bp. imag- ined, She closes with a polite lap nance and applause that's even po- uter. Page crew sounds brassy, noisy and confused. Leader plays - good trumpet and sings blues acceptably, but,the arrangements for the whole band, Ave reeds, three trombones, lour trumpets (with Page) and three gass, don't let anything happen. Tune* used Are "Caldonia." "Save It, Pretty Mama," "I Got Rhythm" and a couple that can't be distin- guished, Young drummer is best solo material. Cooper's back after an extended absence and cashes in okay as em- cee, gagstcr and a zoot suit sharpie bit working with Kenneth Harris and Bobbie Goincs. Brownskin line helps out on three production numbers, none loo intri- cate or spectatcular. Domi. Adams, Newark Newark, May 10. Les Brown Orch (18), with Butch Stone, Doris Day, Dick Shanahan, Jimmy Zito; Lenny Gale, Lane ft Claire, Frank Paris 'ft Co.;. "Cisco Kid Returns" (Mono). Stale, X. Y. Benny Fields, Mario .& Florin, Caurisixilh Bros., Ruth Hughes Anrons. Lewis & Van; "I'll Be Seeing You" i(M). Back to commercial swing for sea- sonal final curtain, the Adams has whacked together a fair-to-middling entertainment. Brown puts it across with solid showmanship and a band that is currently in high gear. This 68-minute seminar, therefore, centers mainly on the orch. A good idea, too, this outfit having won sev- eral awards: this year from jive rags. Its style is smooth, verging toward the sweet, with plentiful, tonal beau- ty piled aboard a. forthright tempo beat. Brown must be proud of his drummer, Dick Shanahan, and spots nim for a long drum solo midway through routine. Brown really has something in Doris Day, a dazzling blonde, who gives out in a pleasant manner with Candy," "Fellow from Poughkeep- sie." "My Dreams Are Getting Bet- ter" and Brown's co-authored "Sen- timental Journey." Jimmy Zito's free and easy trum- pet solo, "In My Reverie," is a stand- out. . Butch Stone, husky comic-sax, draws a good hand with . "A Good Man's Hard to Find" and "Slender, Tender and Tall," besides doing crazy jitterbug.'dance with a trom- bonist. Lenny Gale, featured act, doesn't register ' with hep audience, who seem to have heard all his imperson ations before. Frank Paris has several handsful of puppets, (.tango dancers, ostrich ballet dancer, ice skater), which move amusingly, Lane, and Claire, on early, are rea- sonably bright in a comedy routine! Bran. Tower, K. C. ■ ' . Kansas City, May 11. Rudy Horn, The Quiutanes i5), St. Clare ft O'Day, Carl Thorson, Ginger Ebert, Tower Orch \6Y with Norma Werner; "The Btitl/fohters" (20th) and "Rocfcin' in the Rockies". (.Col) One of . the smoothest bills of the season is on tap at the Tower this Week, with four standard acts com- bining with the house orch and a "Discovery Night" entry to round out a 40-minute show which is top entertainment. House band tees off with a torrid arrangement of "Victory Polka," and Norma Werner takes the vocal for good returns. Rudy Horn clicks as m.c. in addition to his smartly-paced comedy and terp act. St. Clare and O'Day open with their familiar cycling, routine, deftly mixed with clever patter. Ginger Ebert six-year-old contest winner, registers with a chorus of "Is You. Is or Is You Ain't" and a bit of tap- ping. ' Carl Thorson, juggler, handles the Customary plates, balls and other props with dexterity to win heavy mitting. Horn, next-to-closing, is standout with his gab, comic biz and hoofing. ' The Quintones close with some nifty harmonica work. After such old and new pops as "Blue Room" and "I Dream of You." they continue with "Fire Dance." For a getaway, they pipe some torrid straight-eight boogie. Earl. Oriental, Chi Chicago. May 12. June Hduoc, Harmonica Rascals (7). Ray English, The Herzogs (5) Ray Lang Orch U2); "Frisco Sal" ■ U). These days bonkers discard usual practices to lineup a playable show. Of the five acts on the current State bill,.two are novelties, which would ordinarily be too heavy for a pro- gram this size. However, it works out nicely and bill runs smoothly. Current layout had to be abbrevi- ated one act because of the last- minute inclusion of the Government- issued 31-minute short, "Two Down, O'n'e to Go," which necessitated clip- ping of Patterson and Jackson from the bill. They'll play the house at a later date. Top entertainment vitamins come at the close of the bill, starting with Mario and Florin, a top ballroom pair-whose opening waltz, tango and turkey trot have elegant dance de- signs and are skilfully -executed. Chief reliance is On terping, they do a minimum of acrobatics. They take the audience for a heavy mitt. They played this .house only two months previously. In the closing spot. Benny Fields does his usual masterful song-selling job. He's performed here some 20- odd times previous to this and has always gotten top hands. In his 24-. minute stand he knocks off some oldies, gets the house to do a com- munity sing; has the. missus (Blos- som Seelcy J take two bows. A solid closer. In the novelty department, the Gaudsmith Bros, and their two trained poodles turn in a workman- like job- getting laughs and a good hand in the process, while Ruth Hughes Aarons. assisted by Chuck Burns, in a fable-tennis, turn, slows up the show considerably as exhibi- tion: match seems too stagey, and announcer, Lou Perry, fails to keep up the gab with the game.- Opener, Lewis & Van (New Acts), warms up the house nicely with a tap turn. Fair biz when caught, Jose. RKO, Boston Boston, Mat) H. Gypsy Rose Lee,. Pat Henning, Paul Remos and Toy Boys, Miiig, Ling Is Hoo Shee, Miller Bros, ft Lois, with Larry Flint's Orch (15); Betrayal from East" (RKO). through with some fair music on occasion, loo, although their forte.is the nonsense and the bedlam. Red Ingle, long a Ted Weems standby, is head man among the assistants and wows 'em on- every appearance while Carl Grayson. Giggie Royce and George Rock, latter doing some first-rate 'trumpet impressions, like- wise smack out .-sock sessions for themselves. Ttirce acts arc carried with unit and they're all solid. Black Brothers, who sit on stand ostensibly as musi- cians at the beginning, have a smash acrobatic session that packs, a lot of laughs and Judie Manners sells a couple of songs her own way and then whams over vocal. impressions of Beatrice Kav and Judy Garland. For. an opener. Mavis Mimms de- livers a vigorous . tap session arid turns.up later in a couple of side- play bits. Bjz big at getaway.' Cohen, Earle, Phllly ' Philadelphia, May 11. Cootie Williniiis' Orch (14)-'with. Eddie Vinson. Ella Fir.gerald, 4 iu/c Spots, Coke * PoU-e, Ralph flroum; "■Mouse o/ Fear" iUf. Making her first vaudeville ap pearance here. Juhe Havoc, fresh from her musical comedy successes, is just, what the doctor ordered as far as the clientele here is con cerned. The Herzogs, gals of the. flying trapeze, "give the bill a fast start with swings find iron jaw stuff by four of; the girls who then: call upon someone from' the audience to par- ticipate in the act. Other member of the group lakes the center trap for comedy antics; awkward gyrations and talk to turn the session into a comedy.mixup that has the payees howling. A hit. Ray English starts off with gags, some of which.have seen better days. He reaches white heat, however' with his falls, a dive in the pit and other sundries and manages to chalk up a. success after doing the girdle- boogie-woogie bit to heavy palming. June Havoc (.New Acts) mixes talk with .burlesque dramatics, a couple of songs and' some dance steps that stop the show. Harmonica Rascals (7) are then- usual rough-house selves. Between the horseplay, led by little Johnny Puleo, an exceptional pantoist, gang manages to put across some good harmonics, including "I . Walk Alone," "Tico, Tico," and "I Love You." Morg. ' There's probably a heart of gold under that black lace facade of Gypsy Rose Lee, but it was definite- ly not red hot at an opening in which; the "Belle of the Take-off" re- lied more upon grapevine twisting than her well-known art. Tall, wil- lowly, hourglass - shaped Gypola weaved but to the tune of cheers and yells in nifty black velvet, black fox" and' black and ' white striped blouse and underskirt, which she divested but once. There is very little reminiscent of burlesque in Miss Lee's deliv- ery, although she put over some tuneful patter about education and brought laughs -down from balcony with question period in which naughty queries were, parried with "Not that one." Her song, "I Could Die," got good mitting. : Pat Henning.got closer to popular taste with his battered hat arid-but- tered patter. His impressions of fa- mous movie stars are delightfully irreverent, to the tune of hoss- laiighs, particularly Edward G. Rob- inson mimicry* and he put across his gags with a ba*g. A new, note in international rela- tions was struck by three Chinese hillbillies, Ming. Ling and pretty Hoo-Shee. Mimicry of Frank Sinat- ra and Bing Crosby, along with a little fake juggling, some hoofing and -guitar and accordion brought friendly response. Paul Remos and his Toy Boys, contrib amazing acrobatic tricks, with little Stanley and Lester out- doing themselves on balancing bar. A short,-, snappy dance act, with ex- traordinary precision on flve-foot- high boards, is offered by Miller Bros. & Lois, all attractive. Larry Flint and his crew provide adequate musical background for acts. Dame. . It's sepia time at the Earle this week and this means six-a-day to take care of the huge crowds that respond whenever the lop Harlem crews hit Philly. Lineup this week is of the sock variety with showing teeing off at top speed and keeping pace through- out.' This is the first appearance of the revamped Ink Spots and although the new quartet doesn't stack up with the original ''Spots," they still know how to sell their wares in a fashion which nets them flocks of .kudoes from the audience. In the closing spot the Spots,' paced by elongated .Bill Kenny, polish off "Making Believe," "How Many Hearts Have You Broken?'. "I Lose a Friend Tomorrow" and "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall." They're joined in the latter tune by , Ella Fitzgerald, with combo proving plenty ear-pleas- ing- Miss Fitzgerald, spotted midway on the bill, 'whoops things up with "Saturday Night;" "Candy" and her old standbye, "Tisket-a-Tasket." Cootie Williams' hot trumpet is in' rare form and that means solid. The band keeps the customers bouncing in their seats with items like "Roll Em/ "House of Joy" (an. old-fash- ioned rocker), and "West End Blues" with Williams and his horn taking the hot licks. Coke and Poke are also in the. groovey meter snaring plenty of. ap- plause and laughs with their comic hbofology. Ralph Brown has a Swift tap routine, while Eddie Vinson, bald-headed saxophonist, steps down from the bandstand for a tussle with the mike, with "Things Ain't What They Used to Be." Standees were , five deep In the lobby when reviewed ; (Fri. after- noon). Shal. ■lop,Balto Baltimore, May 12. Joey Adams, Tony Cauioiieri, lamaiiuicj (6), Felice Itila House Helen Parrish,. Mark Plant,. Bal- Orch il2): "Tarzau and the Ama- zons" \RKO). Strand, ST. Y. . . Henry Busse Orch U7) irith Roberta; Andrea' King. Helmut Dan- tine, Lew Parker, Hartnells <2), Cords (2), "Escape in Desert," re- viewed in "Variety," April 25, '45. . 'Strand threw a lot'of acts In front of the Henry Busse orchestra this time, including two film personali- ties, Andrea King and Helmut Dan- tine, both from the Warner studio (Dantine is prominent in "Escape"). But not much happens. It's a fair show at best. As usual in the p.a.'s of Hollywood notables, the act laid out for Miss King and Dantine is .nowhere, ex- cept at the finale, when Dantine solos with a beautifully delivered . talk supposedly from a former teacher of "An American soldier." It was good; and drew strong audience response, but at its beginning the emphasis placed on killing and maiming seemed in bad taste with so many patrons possibly vibrant with >- fresh memories. ■ When . this vein of words was spilling from the actor's lips, the audience could ac- tually be' felt tightening up. As for Miss King, she was beau- tifully gowned and ' coiffured, but, unfortunately had nothing but a "happy to be here" routine. Comic Lew Parker does his best to relieve the situation with gags. He arouses a few* laughs after Dantine joins him with Miss King and they go through a familiar "how to kiss" bit that seemed embarrassing to both the girl and Dantine. Parker has his own spot up for- ward. It's okay, mostly on the : strength of a bit wherein he demon- strates the eating manners of various characters. . His other gag material is in and out in effectiveness. As- for Busse's band, the briefest comment suffices. Here's another example of a sweet bandleader going ; in for a jump style, with the usual vengeance. This is a loud outfit, a fault that characterizes all sweet-hot switches. On top of that, the only arrangement used here that shows any taste or imagination is a new one of the leader's standard, "When . Day Is Done." It's built on a choral idea by the whole band.. Busse him- self plays trumpet only in this and one or two other spots, confining himself to leading. This latter chore should be revised in view of the band's new style. Turning cart- wheels in front of a jump band may be .all right for a young leader, but not for one of Busse's girth. Roberta, formerly with Jan Savltt and several other'top bands; is Bus- se's lone vocalist. She's an. attrac- live gal and . gets to the audience easily enough with "I'm Gonna See My Baby" and "Candy." She sings in a monotone, however, that be- comes quickly uninteresting. ' Two other .acts are oh the bill. First; Fred and Sally Hartnel), is a tap learn that works hard and fast, each member taking , a solo shot. They're fair dancers, their main- trouble being a lack of pacing. Each- routine is at a whirlwind pace; Cord Twosome are musical In- strument imitators. They ape vocal- ly, the musical mannerisms of Kay. Kyser. Guy Lombardo, Tommy Dor- sey, Henry Busse, Harry James; etc. They work hard and go over'big. Wood. This is a badly selected and not too. smartly routined pickup of a few acts, all singles except one, the Bal- lamaniacs, six dancing gals whose particular routine has been cut in two to divide the succession of the one actor appearances which is in evitable. Adams takes hold es emcee and seems to be on all the time. .This may be okay on a nitery Boor but it's not vaude. Opening by three of the Ballamaniacs. a travesty on an Egyptian dance is okay but not enough to sink in for any kind of impression Mark Plant is next for a session of vocals. Has appearance; pipes and good presence and lie should stand out there and give with the voice rather than attempt some clowning which makes him little more than a stooge. Does "Too-ra-lov-ra" and a ■Gershwin medley from "Porgy and Bess" and they are both bellringers waiting only for a smash clincher to send .him in for the limit, but instead lie does "Sonny Boy" with Adams Dcrchcd on his knee. It didn't click ,„„ . , j v.i » at all. when caught- Stubholders WB deluxer rmg.ng down hrlcf want€<Mo - hear ^ 6t Ws sinftin* Iwo-weck return to stage shows with ™_ . ^ . .. . ....... Orpkeum, L. A. Los, Angeles; May 6. Allan Jones, Connie Haines, Jack Marshall, Edna Covey, Ross Sitters (3). Anita Aros; Al Lyons Orpheum Orch (15); "Forever Yours" (Mono). Stanley, Pitt Pitfsbtiroh. May It. Spike ' Jones' City Slickers, Red Ingle, Judie Manners, Black Bros. (2), Mai'is Mimms, Carl Grayson, Giggie Royce, George Rock; "The Unseen' • Par). . a solid entertainment. The Spike Jones crew packs 60 minutes of good fun-in which their practiced musical hari-kari' tumbles out in steady veins 'of rich comedy. Jones, dressed in a plaid mon- strosity, plays something that resem-" bles a siiper-Rube Goldberg inven- tion and leads the bedlam with a pleasant nonchalance. Band sticks chiefly to specialties it's, done in movies and on records but those who have-seen and heard their celluloid stuff may be a little disappointed in the in-the-flesh re-creation. "Chloe" was a- side-splitter in Par's "Bring On the Girls": here, without the multiple' props and settings, it's not nearly so amusing. However, for the most bart the Jones repci'torv is excellent corn and big opening-show crowd ate it up all the way. Boys actually lebme To break the business of bringing on another singer, this time Helen Parrish, the Ballamaniacs return with all six on hand in a sailor flir- tation and challenge which is. cute enough if not sock. Miss Parrish ob- liges with "I'm Beginning to See the Light." "While He's Home" . and "Accentuate the Positive." She is followed by Tony Canzoncri. who is okay , in his brief bit with Adams which garners some laughs and serves well enough to wind up this doings. Biz just fair. Burnt. Mose Gumble Back Vet music man Mose Gumble is back at his desk with Harms- Remick-Wilmark after a long illness. He was paralyzed'for a time, but has recuped in Atlantic City. Allan Jones and Connie Haines are offering diversity in the vocal department this week, with added acts taking care of the standard vaudeville fare. Jones knows how to handle himself on stage and, while certainly not the type of singer that usually sells big In this home of hepcats, held close attention with five tunes, two of which were well- earned encores. . He opens with "Cosl Cosa," follows with "Evalina" from the "Bloomer Girl" score, and then wraps up "Amor." He encores with "The Donkey Serenade," one of his stock songs, and closes with "More and . More." Jones is one of the few male; singers who has appeared at the Orpheum in years that doesn't need the house mike to be heard. Connie Haines does a top-notch chore with four numbers, her ballading being more in the Or- pheum style. Singer's personality and figure are no handicaps, either. Very listenable is her work on "Every Time I Fall in Love," "Clos* As the Pages in a Book." "Sunny Side of the Street" and "Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time." . Jack Marshall, mad comic, is socko with his. topical gags, take-offs on commercials, nursey rhyming and his.antics, with a grceri felt hat.brim. Ross Sisters, three acrobats, please, ' as does Edna Covey, comedy bal- lerino. • Al Lyons orch opens show with "Star Spangled Banner" for a VrE. Day touch and then plays a badly arranged Rudolph Friml medley. Pit crew has been augmented with three femme violinists for the week. One of them. Anita Aros, takes, solo spot for vocals of classical number and also for violin of "Gypsy Air." She gets plenty of palm-pounding for her contributions. Brog.