Variety (May 1946)

TO Wednesday, May 15, 1946 Night Club Reviews ; Continued from page (0 ; 4.*wii»h Village Inn. IS*. Y. tends sticking to this type of work u 7 K» r»S 7nn« In. better hotels, etc.), he doesn't need a brief hit, Gumps songs wime ......'ihir.. n^t fully almost literally mangles him makes for a sadistic but fairly funny turn; This pair have made nitery his- tory in the past during their days at spots like the Village Nut Club and others, and their exploits are on the police blotter. Miss Finnell's acrobatic bosom is si ill one of the modern-day . marvels or physiology. But she's alsa restrict- ed as she doesn't display any epi-. dermis, which is a good thing as she passed the ingenue stages long ago. The remote control work: is done entirely within her gown. Others on the bill are Jan Merrill, tapster, and Ann Paige on the. vocals. Ned Harvey showbacks with; the Latinares doing the lulls. Jose. Empire Room. Chi . Cliica0°, May 9. Gil Lamb, with Bob Coffey; Nip Nelson. Smart Morgan Dancers (4), Line (12).-Ted Straeter Orcli (14) tei/li Kitly Crau>/ord; $3-$3.50 mini- mum'. With an cx-Navy generator pow- ering 10 spotlights and candles fur- nishing lighting.for the dimmed-oul Empire Room, the new Merriel Ab- bot "Springtime Revue" is nonethe- less proving not a bit of a strain on anybody's eyes or ears. Ted Strnc- ler's band, making its Chi bow. backs a show that slows down in only a few spots; mostly, it's fast, spirited and thoroughly enjoyable; • The lags are occasioned by Gil Lamb's "Jackie Horner" routine, which' is inane, to say the least, and the almost complete absence of ec- centric terping from his stint—also by Nip Nelson's overboard impueslt. es. which are strong on the brass takcoffs (Kyser, T. Dorsey. McCoy. James, Bussci but not too sharply defined when he goes vocal. Those are small quibbles, however, because the rest of it is strictly in the sock class. Line contributes two bigtime pro- duction numbers—opener in which the 12 chorines do some terrific aerial' cartwheels, and their closing "Spring Is' Here" layout, for which choreographers Dick and Edith Bar- stow deserve a bow. Straeter's outfit, with the macstro's keyboarding calciumed, mops up with a Vincent Youmans oleo — -Hallelujah," "Time on My Hands." "Sometimes I'm Happy." "Carioca" and 'Tea for Two." The 4 fiddle-4 reed-3 brass-3-rbythm aggregation is solid (but mostly sweet, of course, to fit the room's specifications), young-looking and versatile, pleasing payees with a nice, danccable beat and cutting the show elegantly, es- pecially in hacking up Lamb and the Stuart Morgan dancers. Vocalist Kit- ty Crawford is a tall gal with sweet pipes, and she fits right in with Straeter's sweet policy. .Morgan adagio crew—three guys and a gal—register sensationally in their first date out of khaki. Fern me gets bounced around like a rubber ball, and the bonecrushing act is a begoff. There's too much of Nelson's vocal impressions—Aldrich Family and Inner. Sanctum, Allen and Openshaw. Heattcr. Kaltenborn, Vandercook and Winchell. Kate Smith. Crosby and Sinatra. Tamirofi. Ink Spots. Churchill, Phil Harris' "That's What I Like About the South," etc. (and that's a big. etc.). but the youngster is good-looking and clever, and when he cuts it down and hones up on the vocal imitations he'll 'be a real threat. Horn stuff is good, but repetitive; some of it could be cut, loo. Lamb opens well with gags aboiil his stringiness, but the .Youmans. Porter, etc., versions ot "Homer" just don't get across due to an in- fantile script. His movie pest is bet- ter, although more suited to vaudc than nitcrics, but what really saves the day is ~thc harmonica-swallow- ing bit, with Lamb punching his anatomy while Bob Coffey supplies appropriate sound effects. Midway in the act Coffey does "Rhapsody in Blue' solo. Act gels off okay, but is definitely in need of editing. Mike. - Bowman Room (BILTMORE HOTEL, N. Y.) Dick Stabile Orch (14) with Janie Morgan. Russ Emery. Lathrop & Lee Mflrjorie Knapp. Phil D'Arcy 4: no' minimum, .cover ?1 weekdays, $1.50 loee/cciids. so many men. Take a pick, Stabile's combo plays well to- gether. It's been well-rehearsed. As per his. aim, it's soft, never over- bearing. And it plays with a dance beat that constantly keeps the floor crowded. No one could ask., more in a room such as the Biltihorc's Bow- man niche. Stabile himself plays sax, using a C-Melody and alio. His abil- ity has long been known. With him, Stabile has Janie Mor- gan and Russ Emery to handle vo- cals: They do a nice job. Miss-Mor- gan was new to the band when caught and not completely settled. She seenis capable. Her personality at the mike i-j unquestioned. Emery does ballads and does 'em well. There are only two acls will. Sta- bile. Lathrop & Lee is a fine dune- ing act, a hefty contender in theatres, They work well here, and prove .the highlight of the two-act layout with a half-dozen or so routines, singly and in duo. - Marjorie Knapp, musical comedy singer, heeds a safe routine badly and would be wise-to. modernize her delivery. Her gestures are amateur- ish. Nowhere in her group or past and present tunes is there, anything bright enough and novel enough to capture •attention until the fmal "Dear Old Donegal." By :hal lime the audience has lost interest. She- docs "They Say It's Wonderful, from "Annie Get Your Gun." which is loo new for most audience.:, though the song can stand on ils own. Miss Knapp opens with "Sun m the Morning." then "They Say. "Yes- Indeed," a medley of 'Why Do I Love You," "Bill.' etc.. I hen the. "Donegal" piece. She's hardly slar material lor this room. Wood. Mayfalr Room; I lit (BLACKSTONE HOTEL) Chicago, May 10. The Horlmans, Ernie Heclcsclier Orch (10); $1.50-$2.50 mill. Pint-sized class nitery continues to bring top .short-bill layouts as customer draws. Latest addition should keep maitre. plenty busy. The Hartmans ■ show consummate skill in building the crowd to a climax and then leaving them con- tent with a begoff. As always, act starts innocuously, but with plenty of laughs, and then gains momentum for a sockeroo finish. Team opens with, some new male- rial after the usual dancing teacher intro, with exercises by him and gab by her. They move into a waltz to "Moonlight Madonna," then follow with some well-cued gags built around violin solo. Next is old-time song-and-dance accompanied by an- cient gags. Closer is "Ode to Shackinup" (a military term), satire On interpretation of "Whispering." with a jitterbug finish that leaves aud limp. While Hartmans skillfully blend versatile showmanship into the es- sence of satire, Heckscher orch cuts an excellent show and-keeps the •floor packed' with customer-terpcrs. Leo Arends running band during maeslro's illness. ' Tomni. sweet side, which seems a happy choice for the clientele this room draws. Arrangements are soothing, albeit on the symphonic side, and keeps the floor crowded at all times. Stone does a neat job of fronting, offers couple of violin solos, witji Jill. Long, personable brunct wiw soothing voice, doing okay on the vocals. Fields is a youthful chap with glib delivery and plenty know-how on the hocus-pocus. Although offering some routine tricks he punches them up with steady flow of comedy gab that helps immensely. His rope and card tricks are the best. For get- away he brings oh miniature bar for "wish-a-drink" stunt similar to Think-A-Drink Hoffman, mixing any drink called for from water-pitcher and passing it but to the requestces in the audience. Bob Russell, comedian - emcee, holds over and still socko with his nifty clowning and warbling. Also Vilma Sherry, clicko tapstress, and the Kathryn Duffy line, latter fea- tured in trio of Parisian numbers, of which "Lady of Perfume" and "Can- Can" numbers arc standout. Ed On. Kilty Davis', Miami Miami Beach, May 10. Julie Oslmis, The frelaiids (2», Bertika Serrano, Frances Dent, Johnny : Silvers- Orch-'Carlos llonez Orch (5); $3 min. Kitty D3vis' has jumped the gun on the two-week, policy some local club, operators have projected for next season, and from looks of busi- ness it seems to be a good idea. Julie Oshins heads show and em- cees, and docs if all'in.an-ingratiat- ing, easy manner which lands the customers from the start. Material sounds new, based on his travels with "This Is the Army" around, the world. Fact that he works in some topical stuff anent UNO, Gro- rriyko, and other current news- makers adds to the yocks he gar- ners. Encores with some zany take- offs on school songs for sock'returns. Bcrtika Serrano, Latin: lovely, held over, looks better than when last caught. Could still use some fresh material to fit her perl, saucy style. Bit with male aud member garners best returns. Ireland^ are a pair of torpors who essay .some clever routines. Their old-world costumed midget takeoff is sockeroo. Frances Deva, sultry-looking bru- net, contribs some standard chirp- ing with a. delivery which becomes monotonous. . Could do . with some shading and better selection of num- bers. Best is the Gershwin medley. Johnny Silvers , and orch handle show in competent fashion, besides playing for dahsapation. Carlos Ho- nez and his rumbaddicts play for the latinaddicts. "' . ' Lory. • American Room. 4-hi (LA SALLE HOTEL) Chicago, May 10. Terry ' Lynn. Ga'rron & Bennett, Florian ZaBach Orch (7);. Al C/inin- berlaiit; $2-$2.50 min. l>oa & Eddie's. ZV. V. Eddie Davis,'Sonny King. Jo Ann Sommers, Christine Johnson, Tony Kardyro, Line' (10), Art Waiier Orcli; $3.50 min. New Biltmore show, with Dick Stabile's new orchestra, Lathrop & Lee and Marjorie Knapp. is an in and out affair similar 16 the prior combination of Nan Wyim, Jack Har- ris orchestra, and The De Marios: This is. Stabile's first job with a band of his own since his rlischargc from the Coast Guard (he worked the .Copacabana, N. Y., with a differ- ent band). He .believes that a big band can play pop music soHly enough to make it comforUble in a room such as.this. It's a .commend- able idea and it works out swell here, but the style of the band would not take him too far in competition with other big outfits in spots that cater to vob band-lovers. And if he in- Big moment on 52d street is the re- turn of Eddie Davis a Tier a lengthy absence for some surgery, and to celebrate the event, he's come back with a batch of new material that's surefire for the oul-of-towncis and contains much interest for the na- tives. Recuperation time has apparently been spent in adding to his reper- toire and the effect on patronage is more powerful than ever. He's'still the master showmaii on. the street, and any basic defects on Hit- .sur- rounding bill are, quickly forgiven once Davis starts his song and palter material. He has a- couple of holdovers on the bill who do extremely v.ell here. Jo Aiin Summers, a perl tapster who looks like she'll work bul after more experience, and Sonny King, whose schmaltzy lenorings hit the jackpot here. Rest of the bill with the Howells, comedy ballroom pair: Christine Johnson, singer and guitarist, and Peter Kardyro. magician (all New Acts) complete the, lineup. Sidney Sprague line (10) makes for.nico pro- duction. . Jose. Mass Hal. IV. V. (BELMONT PLAZA HOTKi.) (FOLLOWUV) Glass Hat, N. Y„ ushered In a re- vamped edition of current floorxhow. "Paris in the Spring" last week (3) with Eddie Stone orch taking over bandstand from Payson Re crew, which had cut the. shows here , for over two years as well, as furnishing customer dansapation. and Jackio Fields, comedy magico, replacing Phil Regan, mimic. Stone's outfit, comprising three 'rhythm, three violins, three brass and three reed, is strictly on the Small-budgeter has stuck a nice layout together this time, and should provide relaxing, if not exciting, en-, tertainment. Dimout won't affect this small room much. Terry Lynn is not so much a ma- gician as a sleight-of-hander with coins, cards and the old shell game Informal approach, with claim that there's nothing in his repertoire that anyone .can't do, goes over well, as does frequent aud-parlicipalibn an- gles with assurances of -'no.embar- rassment." Giveaways for shell game (which no one really wins) include cigarettes and wine. Act's closer is whip trick, in which choice card is flicked out of pack. Maestro Florian ZaBach squeezes between the acts with violin solos on Mendelssohn's E-minor concerto "Smoke ■ Gets In Your Eyes'' and standby "Hora Staccato." ; Garron & Bennett offer standard dance routines in a strictly standard manner, opening with "Grand Waltz." by Offenbach, into "Mid- night in Paris" bolero. Last numbers are a Moorish dance and Gay '90's. Nothing unusual here. All Chamberlain keeps the culom- ers entertained between' shows and dance sets with pleasant marimba tunes. Small repertoire leads to rep- etition, but no one minds. Dance limes by band okay.. Tomtit. BIRTHS Mr. and Mrs. Roy Moore, daugh- ter. Memphis, May 7. Father is band and entertainment booker at Hotel Peabody, Memphis. Mr. and Mrs. Eddy Oliver, son. Los Angeles, May 9. Father is a band leader. Dr. and Mrs. Dan Lowen. son. Pittsburgh, May 3. Mother is the daughter of William Finkel, indie circuit operator. ' Mr. and Mrs. Harry Gordon, son, New York. May 1. Mother's the former Shirley. Hellcr. : band singer, and sister of Jackie Helleiv Mr. and Mrs.. Richard. Crane, daughter, Hollywood, May 7. Molher is Kay Morley, actress. Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Bergen, Holly- wood, May 9'. Father is ventriloquist! Mr. and Mrs. Curt Massey. son. Hbllywood,; May II. Father is radio singer. - OBITUARIES ] JOSEPH (JOE) WARD Joseph Ward, 60, who as a vaude- ville performer, booking agent and nitery operator, had been in show- business for more than 40 years, died ill New York, May 9. • Born in New York City, he was belter' known to theatre-goers, as Joe Ward. He and his wife had done an act in vaudc for many years un- der team name of Ward & Schu- bert. He also had been a booker for indie theatres. Ward -operated niter rips in Now York, including the Club Swanee. At the .time of his death, he was associated with the Club . Maxine, upper N.Y; nitery. Survived by widow, two daugh- ters and a brother, Sain Ward, a writer. LADY. ORKNEY (Connie Gilchrist) Countess of Orkney, 73, who be- fore her marriage had been known professionally, as Connie Gilchrist on the London vaudeville stage, died at Slewkley, England, May 9. . She made her stage- debut when 16 at the Gaiety- Theatre; London. After .several seasons there, she branched out as dancer, appearing in other London music halls and vaude houses. After her marriage to Earl ot Ork-. ney. she had continued on the stage. Result was -that when her husband met with financial reverses she and her husband were slill in goor cir- cumstances. METRO A. SATRIANO Pietro A. Satriano, 78. trumpeter aud band conductor, died in' Denver last week. Sairiano, who as a. child prodigy played trumpet in opera companies in the. east, was' born in Naples, studied music .iii Europe, came to this country when 11 years old.".... He conducted the bands at the initial openings of Elilch Gardens, Lakeside . Park and Manhattan- Beach, Denver, where he played many years. He also conducted the Denver municipal band for several years. Survived by a son and sister! MICHAEL KEAN'K Michael Keane, 69, who headed his own music publishing firm in New York, died at Ybhkers, N.Y., May 7. Borii in. Ireland, Keane had been manager of Queen's Hall, London, before coining to New York in. 1911 as U.S. representative. of Boosey & co.. London music publishers. In I93G. he established his own firm, which publishes classical music and concert songs. He was a member of ASCAP and a former officer of Mu- sic Publishers Assn. of America. Survived' by five daughters and Iwo sons. His wife died in 1942. ELIZABETH MACDONAI.D Elizabeth MacDonald (Mrs. Ma- son) Bigclow, 58, connected with theatrical education for many years, died Sunday, May 13, in her New York home. Graduated from Vassal- in 1909, Mrs. Bigelow was a native of Al- monte, Ontario, and was executive of American Laboratory Theatre, Dennis (Mass.), Cape Playhouse Theatre School, and Max Reinhardt's Workshop in Hollywood. : -Survived-' by. husband, two sons, and a daughter. GEORGE W. SMITH George W. Smith. 53. managing director ot Station WWVA, Wheel- ing. West; Virginia and vecpee of Fort Industry chain, died in that city, May 9. He formerly operated an advertising agency before taking his radio post in 1931. He was a former president of Ohio Valley Board of Trade and a mem- ber of the National Exchange Bank. Wheeling. Fort chain has stations in Toledo, Lima and Zancsville, O; At- lanta. Miami and Fairmont, W. Va., in addition to Wheeling. CLIFFORD DEMAREST Clifford Demarest, 71, composer of church music, died Sunday. May 13. al his home in Tenafly, N. J. Demarest was past president of music department of New Jersey State Teachers' association and twice warden of the American Guild of Organists. He had more than eighty compositions published for organ, orchestra and voice. ■ Survived, by widow, son and daughter. WILLIAM R, BUTLER ' William Radcliffe Butler, 73, ad- vertising manager of Station WLS, Chicago, and the . mag, Prairie Farmer, died in San Diego May 8 Butler, whose brother, Burridc» D. Butler, operates the station and publishes . PF, began his' newspaper career as a reporter in Grand Rapids Mich. He served with the Red Cross in the distribution of food in Greece during World War I. and was also at one time ad manager of the Kansas City World. : .IOIIN W. VANDERSLOOT John W. Vandersloot, 64, pioneer radio announcer, died at his home in Stonehurst. Pa., May .11. He was known as "J.V." when he was a member of the staff of WFI then owned by the Strawbridge & Clothier store. Station later merged with WLIT to form WFIL, now ABC bullet in Philadelphia. He also con- ■ ducted kid shows on WFI under title of "Van's Caravan." CHARLES H. COLE Charles H. Cole, 60,.stage manager of the RKO Palace theatre, Roches- ter. N. Y., and president of the The- atrical Stage Employees Local 25, died at his home in that eilv last week. ■- ■ He was singe manager ot the Tem- ple theatre' for 17 years during vaiide regime, and before, thai in Hie bid Baker, Cook. Opera House and Na- tional theatre. WEBSTER PATTERSON' Webster Patterson, 30, legit aclor, died in Baltimore April 29. He had appeared in sevcral road legits and more recently had been with .lames Hendrickson-Claire Bruce company in Shakespearean, repertory- Survived by widow, two children, mother and two brothers. Julius Mayer, 76, gateman at Uni- versal for 22 years and known to two- generations of film players, died May 6 in Hollywood. Surviving are his widow, two brothers and two sisters. ,. • -.- / ■ Mother of Bill Koblerizcr, who is with the MCA radio division in Chi- cago, died May 8 iu New York afler a short illness. MARRIAGES K. T. Stevens to Hugh Marlowe, San Fraficisco. May 7. Both are ap- pearing in "The Voice of the Turtle"., al Geary theatre in that city. She's daughter of Sain Wood, film director. Mrs. .Nancy Cobleigh to Victor Payne-Jennings, New York, May 9. Groom is Broadway legit producer. Dorothy Dolan to Ralph Kcllercr,. Pittsburgh, May 6. Groom's on WWSW staff in that city. Ethna A. Higgins to Vaughn Paul, Las Vegas, May 8. Groom is film producer. Jessie Adams to Jimmy Fairfax, Dallas. May 7.. Both arc members of Wayne Babb Players, Dallas le- git group. Vivian DuBois to William R. Wil- kerson, Las Vegas, May. 10. Bride is a screen.actress; groom a trade paper editor. Viola Layne to Joseph H. Pearl- maii. Des Moines, May 8. Bride is vaude songstress. Sylvia Berk to Israel Wildman, New York. April 28. Bricfc is secre- tary to Leah Salisbury, literary and play agent. Louise Allbritton to Charles Col- ling wood. New York, May 14. Bride is screen player; groom is radio commentator. ■ Dorblliv Babb to Johnny Coy, Reddinglbn, Conn.. May 14. Bride and groom arc dance team. Levy Gives 'Over 21' To Cast But It Folds Los Angeles, May 14. Lou Levy dropped $20,000 on his legit production of "Over 21/' but agreed to let the east go on wilh the show on a co-operative basis. Levy turned over the entire pro- duction and arranged a royalty out with the author, Ruth Gordon, but the. streetcar strike wrecked the show. - Montgomery Into 'Window' Hollywood, May 14. George Montgomery draws the slar role in 'The High Window." mystery yarn to be produced by Robert Bassler at 20th-Fox, Picture is Montgomery's second since returning from the war. Hi* first was "Three Little Girls »« Blue."