Variety (May 1946)

56 VAUBEVILLE Wednesday, May 29, 1946 Coney's Nickel Empire Continued from page 1 ing on the dotted line to relieve Charles L. and. Alfred F. Feltman, sons of the late Charles, founder, of some 250.000 square feet of property covering two square blocks. This marked first time in history of Fclt- nian's which came into being in 1871, tlvt outsiders were running the mammoth comestible emporium. 1 . lu-cr Feltman, who came to the summer safety-valve for the masses in 1871, was-credited with many in- novations including importation' of Tyrelean singers and original wed- ding of hot dog and roll, inspired no doubt by old Nuremburg custom of dishing put sausages with pieces of bread. Feltman facelift In a fashion somewhat reminiscent of super-spectacle days of Fred Thompson and Skip Dundy, builders of Luna Park and New York's Hip- podrome, and other bigtimc plungers at the island, Kallman, Bechhold and SocolofT this week revealed gran- diose plans for complete overhauling of Feltman's property. Another $800,000 will be spent on rehabilita- tion of site, according to Kallman, who is listed as president of new corporation known as Feltman's of Coney Island, Inc; Bechhold is ex- ecutive veepee, and SocolofT, chair- man of the board. Ultimate plans call for complete tearing down of present structure and erection on boardwalk, side of a restaurant seating 2,500 patrons. Restaurants, with 200-feet front, will be dubbed Ocean Terrace. There will be several modern boardwalk con- cessions, as well. Feltman's carousel on Surf Avenue side, extraordinary Hal Fisher • Laughingly Yours" "One of the funnieit guyi ever to corns to Botton . . . at the May- fair . . . ii Hal Fiiher . . , Hal it terrific." GEORGE W. CLARKE, "Man About Town." JUST CONCLUDED MAYFAIR CLUB BOSTON Thank You DICK HENRY • OPENING JUNE 3 (Return Engagimenl Within Two Monthi) LATIN QUARTER DKTHOIT Thank Yuu I.AKKY LAWRENCE and TONY MORKLI.l • Dir.: WILLIAM MORRIS AGENCY money-maker at all times, will be modernized and remain on present site. In center of Feltman's property, a large dancehall will be built t<- ac- commodate 6,000 dance fans with name bands as attractions. In addi- tion; there'll be 150-foot bar serving franks, hamburgers, beer. More than 60 concessionaire booths will sur- round the dancehall. On Surf Avenue side, new outfit plans two-story steel and concrete structure, 200 feet long and 200 feet wide, calling for tremendous bar and restaurant seating 2,000 individuals. Large hot dog stand and grill will also be constructed on ground floor. Second floor will have banquet de- partment catering to parties of 1,000 and executive offices. Operators con- fident these plans will materialize by 1948. In conjunction with Coney Island project, Feltman's of Coney Island, Inc. plans to take name of Feltman's and exploit it on nationwide basis by opening similar Feltman's restau- rants in Miami; Atlantic Ci'.y and Broadway, New York. Furthermore, outfit will market Feltimn's hot dog6 in caps and Feltman's mustard in bottles, using radio and newspaper space to plug these products. Also, new organization is contemplating construction of fleet of specially de- signed small trucks to dispense firm's hot dogs, hamburgers, ice- cream, etc. Idea is to sell iiucks and foodstuffs, for small down payment, to ex-servicemen who will hawk the wares up and down byways of urban and suburban communities. Meanwhile some 60 painters are going over Feltman's, . daubing it with white, green and red paint and giving it an air of genuine festivity. Eatery has been completed re- lamped and management has some 400 hands at work, including 300 waiters and a kitchen crew of 50. Early June should see restaurant, partially revamped, and . featuring five-piece Tyrolean orchestra. Lee Scott will be restaurant manager and Edgar F. Kallman,. brother of Alvan,' in over-all managerial seat: Feltman's will continue to be only eatery on island serving a 15c bow- wow. Other spots, with Nathan's in vanguard, are getting 10c for Coney Island chicken. Luna and Steeplechase Luna Park situation is still much confused with one-time beautiful park in a shambles as result of 1944 conflagration which destroyed most of midway's rides and games. Ques- tion of Are insurance dough has Prudence Bond outfit, Bill Miller and Danzigers wrangling in court. Only portion of Luna Park operating this season, similar to 1945, is strip of exterior leased to combine of Phil Pates, Chick Guelfi and Abe Seskin for use of small games and minor concessions. Steeplechase Park is observing its Golden Jubilee this season with Frank Tilyou, out of Navy, and his brother, George C. Tilyou, Jr., oper- ating. 1946 season was inaugurated May 18. with new gate setup. Instead of usual one-price admish, park management now serves up tickets at three price levels, 25c, 50c and $1. Old arrangements called for $1.20 admish. Currently, patron shelling out two bits gets into the park and is entitled to. two rides. Top of $1 is good for entry arid 12 rides. Nothing radically new on the ride front at island save for flurry of pre-ftight trainers similar to those used by Army Air Forces. As in past, Cupid continues to be a silent partner in the ride industry,' with most of dark and flat rides appeal- ing to amorous natu.e of prole- tariat. For aphrodisiac amusements, Coney is still pre-eminent in this land. Cyclone, foremost of Coney's gravity rides, is getting two bits, as is old L. A. Thompson . stimulator, both on Surf Avenue. , Probably with an eye" on biz likely to result from large moppet trade this summer, more and more carou- sels are springing up. Even old Tilyou homestead on Surf Avenue has been demolished and a merry- go-round put up. Kids under 12 may still get on bobbing horses with lavender, eyes for a jitney, but eveVybody else shells rut a dime or more. Shooting galleries are snaring two- -bits for five shots. Sideshows Eden Musee and World, iri Wax, Coney's major ceroplaslic taber- nacles, are getting 20c admish and doing boom biz despite lack of any new sensational homicidal replicas. Ceroplastic bally at Eden Musee is a holdover, Lady Godiva astride white horse, while World In Wax is repeating - BSauly and' the Beast. Fred Meers, manager of Eden Musee, figures on : putting Red Barber, WHN's sportscaster of Dodgers games, in "Hall of. Fame" where latter will rub shoulders with late John Barrymore, Marie Dressier and Napoleon. Alcatraz Killers and Sinatra and Crosby are among visual high moral lessons on display at World in Wax. No importation of any outstand- ing freaks this semester. Two prin- cipal freakeries, Palace of Wonder and Wonderland Circus, appear to be on same level as last year. Wonderland, getting 30c gate, is valentining "Olga. Headless Girl" and "Eke wid Ike," pin-heads, while the Palace is hot and bothered over "Milo, Mule Boys" and "Anita, Elephant Face Girl—only human on earth with a nose like an elephant's trunk." Couple of girllie shows around, including Tirza's Wine-Girly Revue on Surf Avenue, holdover, and new Bowery Follies on Bow- ery, with Natcha, "Queen of the Shake" and Betty Real, dancer. Tirza is getting 38c, Bowery Follies, 46c. - Bars and grills aplenty; with Irish talent, as usual, predominating. Mousie Powell's band at Stable Irish House and Milt Britton's outfit at Atlantis on boardwalk. Half Moon Hotel has hauled down red and white hospital flag after two full years . as hospital for convalescent sailors and now reverts to civilian status. One of best-managed eat- eries on island, somewhat removed from main artery, continues to be Gargiulo's on W. 15th, where all- year round residents find relief from hurly-burly, and partake of Escof- ficr-like dishes. Fielding's Rep High License Commissioner Ben Field- ing is making good rep for him- self at island. Majority of conces- sionaires speak highly of him and thus far gendarmerie has had little occasion to crack down on opera- tions of dubious games of skill. Most of the cardinal virtues have been removed from the games at the island and there's little, if any, victimizing of Joseph Doakes. Even peep shows have been put through the incinerator so that youngsters haunting penny arcades can't be contaminated. I Last year, when it was next to impossible to obtain cigarettes in city, one could grab himself a carton or two by persistent playing at the poker-rolls. This year the numerous Coney poker-roll parlors are bally- hooing nylons as prizes and the stampede, sister, is really on.. Night Club Reviews Continued from pace 54 Hln Cabana, Chi Star." Chiaroscuro couple are very much okay. Show should end with Murray, but the Lovelies close instead with the toolong Eddie Noll-designed "Mocha- Java Jive." Also do "Man Hunt," with Don Bradflcld piping as though he were John Charles Thomas giving an imitation of Bert Lahr but with a straight face, and Ellen Terry soloed for some ballet. Arrangements and a few original tunes for the line's numbers by Madelene Dahlman are nice—es- pecially the "Hunt" background with smatterings of "Gaite Parisienne." Midway they do "Hat Parade Hits," with Bradflcld singing "Sweet, Sentimental Spring" and "Blue Orchid." Lighting here is particu- larly outstanding; elsewhere n.s.h. Davidson and Bradfleld divide emcee chores nicely, and the two orchs arc on the beam. It looks like a busy couple of weeks for head- waiter Sam Alex and his crew. Mike. La Conga, Y. Piipi Campo Orcli, Marianne, Del Casino, Diosa CostcUq; $1.25 dinner 7ii in i mum. Just around the corner from the former La Conga, on the'site of what most recently was Tony Pastor's, on Broadway, the new La Congn indi- cates it can become a rhumba one spot. Spot has been decorated nicely and has' for . its initial lure Diosa Costello, the lass with the delicate derriere. Nobody sleeps when Miss Costello is on. She tosses that chassis around with a low-down abandon that fre- quently disturbs"^ guy's conscious- ness. Her. lyricizing of these Latin tunes imparts a common under- standing to her audience even if it doesn't interpret the language liter- ally. There's nothing subtle about the Costello gal. Even if those lyrics were clean—who'd.believe it? Del Casino, recently out of the Army after a long' hitch, has a pleasing tenor voice, but there are a few things he could correct easily. For one thing, he should never stray from the mike, a la Neapolitan street-singer style, as he does on "Sorrento." A sharp distinction is obviously, drawn when one's tones are pitched high by a mike, then re- duced sharply by straying away from the instrument. Casino's choice of tunes needs improvement; on the opener he did two successive Latin- idiom'songs, and started his routine, too, with an oldie pop. Casino has a nice, ingratiating manner, and he looks not unlike the late Russ Co- lombo, being nice-looking and quietly simple in the projection of his personality, which is an improve- ment on the too-obvious personality manner of most crooners. The open- ing-night audience liked him. Marianne is a solo interpretative dancer whose forte is innumerable whirls. She's plenty graceful and clicked with this audience. Pupi Campo, Miss Costcllo's hus-. band, plays a neat show and does some fancy footwork on his own and with his wife. Kahu RETURN ENGAGEMENT IN THREE MONTHS! THE CROSBY SISTERS LOEWS STATE, NEW YORK Week Beginning May 30th Sammer Toby Akron...Columbus... Indianapolis...Chicago (2 Wits.) ... Minneapolis PaftOMl Mgt.: LOU LeHARA GENERAL ARTISTS CORPORATION RKO Bid*, Radio City, Now York . CMcog* Hcllywooo] CIbcImmH Uadon SaraiKc Lake By Happy Ben way Saranac Lake, N. Y„ May 26. Albert Guffanti of National Screen Service shot in at the Will Rogers for general checkup. John Louden back to bed routine. Joe Denicolo back at the lodge after mastering an operation at the General hospital. Jack Fanning, acrobat, (Blue Devils) is back taking the cure. Marilyn Shaw elated over surprise visit from her parents. Jack Sanson and Albert Knofla in from Manchester, Conn., to visit Al Michalak:. Hotel Alpine, which has been shuttered for the past two years, to reopen under new management. (Write to those who are 111.) Jean Ssblon, now playing musical ! comedy. In France, will open at the Mount Royal hotel, Montreal, Aug. 110. Zanzibar, IV. V. (FOLLOWUP) Combination of Eddie "Rochester" Anderson and the King Cole Trio buttresses the current Zanzibar show to the extent where it will nab the mass transient trade along with the younger jive fans. It's a parlay with guaranteed b.o. and entertainment values. Major draw, of course, is Roches- ter, the Negro comic on the Jack Benny program whose personal Hooper must be considerable. It's his first nitcry date .since hitting the bigtime, and his name on the mar- quee warrants his $5,000 paycheck. His familiar phizz and gravel voice wins the mob immediately, and from then on it's clear sailing. He doesn't have to extend himself or have a particularly brilliant act. Everything he throws at the audience is readily received. He opens with a few lines on Benny's penury, a song, "If Monej Grew on Trees," and then a series oi struts with a nifty-looking femme foil, Edie Young, It's his first p.a in years without Kitty Murray, whe added considerable rowdyism to hii previous turn. But with Miss Young it's a dressier looking routine, and one which doesn't detract from the Rochester antics; Rochester does all. right by himself and the cafe. ' The King Cole trio, one of the besl instrumental groups in the business provides further variety to the show! Surprisingly' the overwhelmingly tourist audience takes to the trio who give out with "Sweet Lorraine" and ' Straighten Up. and Fly Right." They'll most likely bring in a few juves who might ordinarily go to the 52d street swingeries. Rest of the layout is in the usual Zanzibar tradition with Marie Elling- ton's vocals, Howell and Bowser's comedy, . Maurice Rocco, Bunny Briggs and the line of Zanzibcnuts. Claude Hopkins' band cuts Show neatly. Jose. Kid Ivory Wizard To Play Concert Date Pittsburgh, May 28.: "Sugar Chile" Robinson, the kid boogie woogie wizard, and the unit he's had with him in theatres are being brought here June 12 for a one-night concert at the local home of long-hair music, 3,800-seat Syria Mosque. Kid's date is being sold at one of the highest tops of the year for the Mosque, $3.90, including tax. Gambling on the dale is Ralph Harrisoiij former Pittsburgh band- leader and now a booking agent here. He's putting up the guarantee. FOR SALE V. AT ■ LUNA PARK Coney Island, New York AMUSEMENT RIDES Rollo«Plane; Dangler; Bug; Caterpillar; Carousel; Swooper; Ghost Train; Circle Aeroplane Swing Hldei will bo nold "an It." for nil enuli only—hliln are HubJiM-t to ii|>i»riivnl or rr-Jr-rllnn by tlii. MHIrr and inuHt be In writing nnil Mr'rompuntal by crr- tlllrd clierk far 10% of hid, and rr- rdlvrd not tutor tlmn Juno. It. IMS. Rldrn mny t>o InntHM'trd at l'nrk be- Iwoon 10:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. Prndence>Bonds Corp. 10 EotMOta Streat New York 14. N. Y. STEVE EVANS Offering HAPPY TIM IS t JOLLY MOMENTS Currently STRAND. New York, FOB S WEEKS KOSETS-ANGKB ASSOCIATES WANTED Permanent Personal Repretentotive to handle girl vocal acta for radio, •lag*, bandt, clubt, etc. Box 523, Variety, 154 Wett 44th St. New York 19, N. Y. JACKIE GREEN PI nCIIIO May29thAfter8Weeks ULUOIHU The FROLICS, Chicago • f| pry in A May 30th for 2 Weeks "■■Ml IIIU ORIENTAL, Chicago Permil MaiWMat-M. B0RDE... Ctitral BMkiig Office