Variety (May 1946)

22 HOUSE REVIEWS WeJnewhy, May 8, 1946 Capitol, N. Y. Cum Lombflfdo Orch (13) with Jloseinnrie Lombardo, Kenny Gard- ner, Lombardo Trio; Amininarw Dickey. Willie Shore, Bob Williams; "the Postman .Always Rinj/s Twice." <M-G), reviewed- in Varicty, March. 20, '4fi. three numbers, "You Won't Be Sat- isfied." "Don't You Remember Me and "Oh, What It Seemed to-Be. ^ ticihg. skillfully handled.. Carle at the piano and individual band sec- tions score during "Missouri Waltz, and -then the band's new vocalist, Bob Thomas, a personable young chap boasting first-rate pipes, gets in his licks. All three of his' numbers, "Day by Day," a Jcroine Kern med- ley and "As.Long as I Live." land solidly. , . Most of the gags and stories let loose by Johnnv Morgan, a youthful and engaging comic, are new here, and funny. His parodies and radio satires occasionally veer to the naughtv and spicy side, but not ■ to an 'offensive ' degree. He hits the laughter jackpot and finishes strong With a'burlesque' of Tocanmm con- ducting an orchestra. .. ■ » Carle is at the piano soloing fot next to closing, and his medley, in- cluding maiiv of his own composi- tions. " has the customers bugging for more. Carle Boogie makes a lively and effective finale. Rees. ■ . Montreal, May-6. Shirley- Haywdrd, Leu) Brown & Barbara. Connelly & Rudcliffc, Hal t Renec Marquette, Marnot Maiiiuno. 3., Cliibnit'ii.. Trudtiic, Len Howard incidentally.- {Or*ch' (9>. L.ii'tc 12. goes as ihm-'n fur the "Tosca" as' it '.- ——— docs Tor "Shoe-Fly Pie." Had to beg Current Gayety layout is fair off ' enough, only thing missing is a Williams lakes the .standard run comedy emcee to spark the *hovv- of dog- nets for a tongue-in-cheek j Peter Barry, one of the rhrec Club- ride 'that's .-sock all the way. lli".h Capitol's current stage bill, while not one of its most -elaborate, pro; iliietions. is a pleasant, diverting 4a minutes of varied entertainment. With (luy Lombardo's orch as head- liner, the. house management is evi- jleutlv not aiming for the bobbysox trade and (ho inclusion ot.Annamary. Dickey helps fill out the pro- gram's more sedate aspects. Bill is wtll-ivundccl. with Bob Williams dog act furnishing a nice novelly touch and both Williams and Willie Shore contributing to the comedy. M ! ss Diekev. voting lyric soprano from the Metropolitan Opera, dem- onstrates a pleasing brand of show? manship.lo sell her son^-s for mass consumption. Steering away from the lon-.'hair stuff except for one operatic aria. she. nonetheless gives full rein to her-beautiful., boll-like voice on the standard oops. She evi- dences a line sense of humor in an- nounciiv.' her own numbers, and draws plenty of laughs with ex- planation of the story behind her "Tosca" aria. Audience men. fills the spot as best he can. but it's still not enough. Margdt Manning, who used to .be Buddy Clarke's warbler at the Nor- mandie Roof here only a tew months ago is now doing song stanza on her own. She needs, belter arrangc- ! ments, but demonstrates some okay I showmanship. She throws in., a |. Donegal" for nice lighting the routine with a running line of palter that exploits, the: do?s as Hie most talented in existence: he then puts them through some ridicu- lously simple tricks. His act with the second dog. a sad-panned ourp who acts especially dumb, has them roaring. He winds up with some good balance and rope-skipping rou- | French item and tines, evidencing that the dogs arc ! mitting. '. vcrv well trained. | Shirley Hayward does nicely in Shore in his first N. Y. vaude date ■ her acro-dance routine. Lew Brown since returning from a USO.-Camp ; allt i Barbara liVcn things. up with Shows, tour, goes through much the I comedy repartee, mostly familiar same comic dancing routine that | ^lutt, but getting over for applause, made him a top actwhen he first j Connelly and Radcliffe's musical came east back in 1942. His "Oh. My novelties have a'new twist with the Achin' Back" number, brought back kitchen angle, but the kibitzing is from Europe, is over the heads of. overdone and detracts, Strand, N» V. Carmen Carallaro Orch (14) with Frank Gallagher and Gloria Foster; Lenny Kent; Ben Rochelle & Jane Beebe; Barbara Blaine; "Her Kind of Man" tWB), "reviewed in Varicty, April 24, '46. Parlay of Carmen Cavallaro's oreli antl young comedian Lenny Kent makes for a nicely-balanced layout at the Strand this week. . Sixty- minulc show, is tilled out with two supporting acts, which though not in the top-drawer class, add to the total varicty. . Cnvallero's combination of three sax. three trumpets, and three violins, with guitar, bass and drum, is built entirely around Cavallaro at the, piano with his liquid, silky style. Even tbL band's hot rliumba and boogle-tv^ttgie numbers are waxed down to a gleaming polish under the influence of the.-.-bandleader's, keyboard brilliantinc.. Finished product is highly listcnable with the orch's repertory mastering a wide range going from chili to Chopin and Rachmaninoff-. The two vocalists with the baud. Frank Gallagher and Gloria Foster, inter- polate a couple of numbers apiece and show off solid, though' stand- ard; sets of pipes. Kent delivers' a whammo comedy routine thai completely unlaces the customers. More than a slight stain of borscht is on his vest and some of his stuff has strong whiffs, of Berlc and Danny Kaye but the individual talent r and versatility are clearly j there in his gagging, singing, terp- ing, and' mimicry. Patter material is bright and .current. Standout, is a jet-speed, double-talk recitative a la Kaye describing the progress of. the show to a bald-headed stooge in the front row.' Had to beg off. , Barbara Biainc is spotted-in opener and contiibs a high-kicking acro- batic dance that is rewarded with strong mitting. Ben Rochelle and Jane Beebe, ballroom farceurs, get across some knockabout high-jinks and the femme shakes off all the laughs- that can be shelved on a jutting anatomy. end all apache dances, take off on the standard magic act, and • bur- lesque jitterbug. Act, though tech- nically tops, gets only mild response. Weakness lies in difficulty of pro- jecting small set and figures into large auditorium. Roily Rolls seems a more obvious .Victor Borge, in a smart and varied pianolog that clicks as well in vaude as in more intimate setting, of nitery., Rolls gets his slapstick over with "Hungarian Rhapsody'' and "Poet and Peasant." then goes mildly long- hair in classy interpretation of Chopin. Gels in the groove with boogie woogie, and finishes with a wham in a series of. imitation* of "different kinds of pianists. Per- formance is versatile, plenty hep. and has just enough of the conti- nental touch to impress the custom- ers.-' ... Closing briugs Richard Adair back to Capitol stage.'Which he left U> re- port for induction 2 years ago. Adair cracks the whip over his femme troupe costumed like tigresses, with good deal of flair. Gals are grace- ful and act is solid adagio. Goes well. ■ .Lowe. the women and 4-F'ers in the au- dience but he comes back quickly with burlesqued impersonations, and his ancient act of playing five people in a restaurant at the same- time, all ■ ' which goes over big. He winds up with a takeoff soft-shoe number o» Pat Rooney that's also socko. Lombardo orch plays the same type of sit-and-knit music that's kept it at the toD for .so many years.' Combo still plugs the entire family, including Carmen, Liebert and Rose- marie, featured vocalist. Good nov- elty number in which caricatures of the family arc projected on a screen behind the'orch ' while the family sings, gets nice reception. Band backs up the : other acts in good fashion. Rosemarie. an attractive gal. sings in acceptable fashion, inost of her numbers being ■ backed up by the trio. Male vocalist Kenny Gardner features the same type of vibralto voice that Carmen uses when he handles, lyrics. Band docs n good job on "Love on a Greyhound Bus," which, it plays in a forthcoming Metro picture, and makes a nice pro- duction number out' of 'Tales from the Vienna- woods," featured by a two-piano chorus. Stal. Kadio «:lty, Mnls. Minneapolis, May 4. Frrnifcic Carle Orch (.16) with Marjoric Hughes, Bob Thomas; Tucker & Treinaine, Johnnn Morgan; "Hoodlum Saint" (M-G). Second show at this house under the present operation—Woody Her- man headed the first one a fortnight i aco—may not be calculated to raise th,e temperature,- but it should afford pleasant, auiet relaxation for, all . execp'ing the jive hounds. Its pace j and tempo probably are too slow - and tame to suit the jitterbug and. ; br>bbysoxer clement. The Frankic Carle music, of course, is soft, sweet, soothing and tuneful, instead of loud and spine stimulating, wlii'e the two extra acts also c.-'chew the boisterous for comparative re- straint. But that this type of show has a full ouota of adherents is evi- denced by the thriving boxoffice and audience enthusiasm. Carle's crew, with its six brass, five sax and four rhythm, nlus mae."- Puppeting by Hal and Renec. Mar- quette registers big. That "full view" business takes away much of the illusion. But the Zulu dancing doll is a sock bit. Three Clubmen do sonic clever patter and warbling Tor nice returns. Trudinc, in the stripper spot, really lets 'em have, it, and Len Howard's show cutting is very much on the solid side. Line up to standard. Biz okay. Laza - Tetter, VL. C. Kansas Citv, May 3.. Pat MoCajffTie, Loria Lelnnd, Hall HkJ & Loretta, Jumbo the Seal, Mut- i*iu Dcmiii, Tomer Orch <9) with Don Tiff & Beuerlu Sue; "Blondie's Lucky Day" (Cot) and "Smooth as Silk". <U), screen. Very average show at the Tower this week with quartet of acts, the Tower band and am selection. Change in the stage band brings in Beverly Sue f K. C. 16-ycar-old, ar vocalist, replacing Nell Shelton. Gal and band start show with "Laughing On the Outside." .Pat McCaffrie doubles as emcee and brings on Loria Lcland as Qrst act. She terps through three numbers, specializing in speed taps, for aver- age response. Hall Huff and Lorctta wrflk into the deuce spot with comedy, mostly based on gadgets. It's good for some laughs, but could garner much more with'bettcr continuity. Marvin Den- nis, weekly am choice, offers stand- ard magic tricks. McCaffrie takes his own inning next to closing with a comedy mono- log that clicks. Clarinet looting and dance imitations, run in at the finish, fall off pace set by his comedy. Jumbo, the seal, offers usual tricks Krtfli's.ln«l|»K. Indliiniipolis. May 4. 3 Harmoniacs. Emit & Ecvlyii. Joe Frn'nkliu & Pii/x, JVicliol.* & Haleu, Helen Houaii, Lcpu Fields; "Girls of Big House" (Rep). Variety keynotes bill at Keith's this stanza, with six well balanced acts featured in a snappy running order. Most impressive is Emil & Evelyn, leeterbcard duo. whose stunts get plenty of applause in the closing spot. Their head and hand stands, J twirls and twists'.arc spectacular.. ] Joe Franklin and Pals-get bill off to fair start, trainer clicking better with smart line of patter and clever style of presentation than educated canines in r.outino line of tricks. It's the way its wrapped Cip that sells this act. Helen Honan registers nicely in character impressions, starting with various types, of femme tipplers and concluding with gal types singing "It Had to Be You" for a screen test. Takeoff on Joan Davis is her best. Nichols and Haley click with sharply routined eccen- tric dancing. Their slant on a pair of hillbillies cavorting at a square dance, which they use to close, is especially socko. Three Harmoniacs have developed an entertaining line on the harmon- ica. Sticking to • sweet music, they work up to. sock special arrange- ments of "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" and "Russian Sailor's Dance" for a clincher. Leon Fields, who doubles as emcee, makes a nifty contribution to the comedy side with his impreshes of Edward G. Robinson. Charles Boycr. Charles Laughton. etc. Garners plcntv ap- plause. Corb. nose balancing, fish gulping, barking, and winds with musical bell ringing. Qiiih. Downturn n, Itolroit Detroit. Ma"'3. Marquis Maaic Show, Nelion Sis- ters & Bortah Mimienitch's Hdr, tnonicr. Rascals; "Just Before Dawn' i Col). OrleBlalv Cliieaoo. May 2. Jane Russell;"Allan Jones. Louis JordanS Tympany 5, Jeqii jCarroll, Manhattan Debs <2); "The Outlaw (IM). ' . ■Oriental's eighth week of "The Outlaw," with Jane Russell still on stage singing "A-Sitlin ^and . A- Rockin"' and "Shoo-Fly Pic,".teed off dubiously, despite additional name by poos of Allan Jones and Louis Jordan's Tympany Five. Rea- sons were the sudden Illinois Com- merce Commission dimout order, which kept a lot of cusloiners^away bccaiLse of uncertainty as to whether or not there'd be a show, plus bad spotting of acts, with three vocal turns in a row. • Layout limps badly.. . A ""H 00 " "smart sepia femme duo, the Man- hattan Debs, open with aimless taps and aero biz. Miss Russell, in the deuce spot, is languidly received this time, and is followed by another femme, Jean Carroll, who impresses favorably with the stuff she used in her recent Chez Parce stint: patter about Chi's wolves, olio of pop songs relating her difficulties in getting a hotel room, and takeoff on Harry James doing "Irish Lullaby.". Noxt-to-closing. Allan Jones tenors a sextet of mostly standards: "I've Got You Under My Skin." "Might As Well Be Spring." Gershwin medley ("Love Walked Right In," "Embrace- able You." etc.), "Symphony." "Lord s Prayer," and. of course, "Donkeys Serenade."' Didn't receive much as- sistance from Ray Lang's house orch but got off pretty good anyway, although his trcmulo on the high notes was working overtime when caught. Jordan's Five, who are really seven now ttwo sax, piano, drum, bass, guitar, trumpet), give the show a much-needed lift at the- end. Maestro is all over the place, peckin', muggin'. singing and leading the small combo. .Outfit's wonderful beat gets a good showcasing in "Don't Worry Bout That Mule," "Hey - Bob-a-rc-bop.". "Beware" and "Caidonia," in which thc .Dcbs come out for s6mc kick-ups and a "grand finale" with Jordan. Mike, State, N. V. Johnnie "Scat" Davis Orch tie) with Garth Andrews; Tommv Trent Diana Berry, Vic Perrw, Diamond* Bros. 12); "Gilda" (Col), State show in combination with "Gilda" is an in and outer which runs off much too slowly and is en- tirely too long (75 minutes). Since the "Gilda" film seems to. be packing the bouse a shorter stage layout would have been more desirable, but It's probable that the biz was un- expected. As it often works out, the most effective acts in ' this ' lineup . are bunched up front, as needs be since they're that type. Slow turns by. Vic Perry, English importation, and Diamond Bros,, now two: since the third was lost in the war, make the . last half a drag. Johnnie. "Scat" • Davis' band backs the turns, and neatly ties the package together. - Davis' combo,' made- up of three trumpets, three trombones, five sax, and rhythm, is a neat enough group- ing. It gets its Sunday punch from, the antics of Davis himself. Though he seems, slower than when lust seen, his. personality is bright and lively ■ enough to be yery effective in this.lineup. It must be noted, too, 'that with four acts accompanying, he gets little time to '.show off. Davis.starts off with."Cement Mix- er," current riff treat, then imme- diately brings out Garth Andrews, from the saxes, to work over "Nan- cy."' He seems able"enough.Jo handle such spotting, but gets little as- sistance from the background :ir- rangcnient, which constantly.'inter-, feros. Later, however, Davis comes up willi. a Uisly arrangement of ''Don't Blame Me." another of "Tiey Ba-ba-re-bop." ;Hc works, his own trumpet and gravel-voiced vocals iiitq the first and last, doing well. . Acts between:, band .numbers are teed off by Tommy Trent, whose standard marionette and puppet act has been about for some lime. It has lost none of its effectiveness, lie I keeps his audience howling. Diana ' Berry (New Acts) slips in next and continues the pace. After Miss Berry and a band number, however, the lull sets in. Vic Perry, of England, does a pick- pocket act. -lie's a sly guy at the sleight-of-hand and at the outset it's good stuff. But how long can any- one watch the same thing over and over? Turn needs punching up, but how it can, be done, except by cul- ling, is anybody's guess, lie. uses four, people from the audience as stooges (sometimes they seem pro- fessional), getting them onstage by tl.e simple process of goiim into the orchestra pews and picking pockets, thereafter making the owners come' up after their articles. He doesn't knock his audience over. Diamond Bros., who have been a crack act for years, now consists of only two men. Their material and the general layout of the I urn is similar to what it was when they were a trio, but it's not near as ef- fective. Another act that needs re- routining: This audience was good to them, however. Wood. OEympla, Miami Miami. May 3. Ru/c Dam's, Freddie Slri/l. Zan-o & -Beryl, Lucy Wash, Leslie & Cn'rrol,- Les Rhode House Orch 'iisi: "The Virginian" (Par). Orphttnm,' I.. A. Los A ii ac les. May 3. Ralph Edwards' "Truth or Conse- quniices"' radio show; Al Lyons Or- plicum Orch (9), featuring Eddie Ebcn; "Ju.s-l Be/ore Dawn" (Col). For sustained laughs. Ralph Ed- wards' "Truth or Consequences" tops any comedy show to play the Or- phcum. It's a fast 40 minutes that Edwards devotes to dishing out con- sequences to those brash enough 1o try answering his trick questions. A proven success for listening every Saturday night, m-ogram is equally potent on visual appeal for vaud- lilrri houses. . At show caught, Edwards had cus- _...'. / . .1 . ! tomers guffawing with such sights as This is typical Capitol bill, pitched a burly taxi driver giving his ver- sion of the hula-hula, appropriately 4 apiiol. W ash. W.axhiiif/(oii,'Mai/ 2. Bunin's Piippeis, Pat Rooney, Roily Rolls, Richard Adair dancers fS); "Walk'in-the Sun." (20//i) . to appeal to family trade house garners. Wholesale, lively layout gets ; approval throughout,', with Roily Rolls coming on to slop the show. Headlined as "the one and only.'' Pat Rooney gets the breaks the old trouper, merits. Audience cheers the along; ;uid theatre takes on A stage lineup obviously tossed together at the'last moment, when j oldster iro. turns out an car-bosuiiiiig brand ■ Frank Sinatra's appearance was dc-' that "one happy family" air for hi of melody in just the fight volume, ilaycd a week, is holding sway at the 'act. Rooney doesn't depend on sen The numbers include those that Downtown theatre and playing to, timcnt alone, however, for approval slim audiences. ! He is .still the graceful,' smooth Mincvitch's Carle has made uopular on platter or through previous rendition, and are highlighted by the maesfro's key tickling, that gives them a distinctive bounce. And, \ as usual, his solo whirl at the ivories stops the. show cold. . After Carle introduces the band to a musical accompaniment, the boys sound the sweet music keynote with tunes from Carle's "Girl Friend" album, ' including "Rose Marie," "Charma. : nu" and "Marjoric" ex- cerots. Tucker & Tremauin follow with their dance offering that hits its peak when the pair essay a comedy ballet routine. The male members' tap conceits are out of the ordinary, and also embellished with amusing touches. ■ Daughter Marjoric Hughes win? 'approval for her vocal, efforts, -hnr Bori-ah Mincvitch's Harmonica Rascals are holding top spot, with nothing, in the way of competition Which doesn't mean that the Har- monica blowers, featuring little Johnny Puleo, isn't entertaining, but they certainly aren't of top-spot caliber..' Among their numbers arc "Bopgie- Woogle, "I Can't Give You Any- thing But Love" and "Warsaw Con- certo." Nelson Sisters exhibit daring and strength in their trapeze routine. Marquis Magic Show gives the cus- tomers more fiui than magic. ■ His hocus-pocus routine is standard stuff, with group of beaut assistants- providing flash in their scant cos- tumes to give it a burley touch. /foil. . - .th hoofer he's been for over half a century. Rooney goes through his usual routine in his George M. Cohan manner, starting with "Daughter of Rosie O'Grady,"' on to "Tea For Two,", and imitation of Joe 'Frisco imitating hirh. and topping it with, a strenuous Irish reel. He makes his entrances and exits part of his act, and is smart enough not to overdo the encores, so that, he remains poised and uiipanting to end. • Show's opener. Bunin's Puppets, have a sophisticated routine above the heads of the moopcts in the au- dience. Manipulated skillfully, by. hand rather than on strings, setup is' along revue lines, with miniature stage, curtain, m.c et. al: Trio of numbers, arc hnyel-apache.diin.ee to garbed in grass skirt, etc. Driver apparently absorbed his'knowledge of island tcrping at the burley spots,, since it was more bump than sway —which made it more hilarious. A dialectic version of Mi-.s. Nussbaum had lady shopper ■ thumping bald- heads and melons in a. guessing „ game. An embarrassed sailor, who i v lorrou, - 1 . . admitted he was single, gave a , L UV1'. Shirley rather accurate pantomime of a tired housewife preparing herself - for bath. Two staid businessmen be-, decked themselves in femme undies in a race for a $2 prize and windup had a grandma reading a radio script for yuk-yuks while a previous cohscqucnccr was being, slapped in the face with lemon pics.- That's'all sight stuff that pays off big in laughs, when you're in front of the footlights watching the other fellow's discomfort. . Edwards is a glib ad-libber who rates 'plenty of chuckles even without the victims. It's a top show for the money, either via footlights or ether. Al Lyons' pit band warmed up au- dience with particularly good rendi- tion of selections from "Porgy and Bess,'! featuring Eddie Ebcn at the organ; Brofl. I Current layout here adds up as fair show. Rufc Davis is topliner doing hLs usual sound effects, hill- billy songs and humor with the radio bit socko. Audience goes big for him, some of the vocal tricks prov- ing especially effective. ■ Emceeing and working in own spot. Freddie Stritt took a bit of ■time to get the customers off llieir hands. Mixes gags with some /.any legerdemain.and adds an assortment of screwy hats to get laughs. Leslie and Carroll duel in musi- comedy manner, for fair returns. Best number is "Maytime." Lucy Nash opens with some tricky i aerial rope stunts. Solidly built gal does okay. ! Heaviest mitt iir show goes to ! closers Zarco and Beryl. Tcrp rou- tines arc different from usual with cape dance, Spanish folk steps and some breathtaking lifts arid-whirls. Definitely sock, and had to beg off. Les Rhode and orch cut show neatly. Biz good when caught. Ln nj. RKO, Boston ' Boston, M«y 3- Benin; Goodniah Orch ioiih I.i:a Art Lund; Larru Game .of (RKO). •S'lorili, Death'-' First.time here in several seasons, the Benny Goodman crew, a new one tor the most part still wows the customers from 'every angle, n s one of the few bands that brings the house down with cheers aim swoons at the behind-curtain theme nowadays, and the yells continue up to the. Quale. ' .,. „ Sharpest part of the show tor the jive connoisseurs is that offered oy the Sextet, still the lop., rhythm group in the biz. Consisting of Goodman on clarinet. Johnny While on vibraphone, Mel Powell on piano, Louis Bellson on drums and Barney Spicter and Mike Bryan on . bass, does "After You've Gone' and "Waiting for the Sunrise." Begs off i Continued on page 02) ,