Variety (Jul 1946)

VAUDEVILLE Wednesday, July 3, 1946 Unit Review Hob Hope's Hollywood Show (COLISEUM, CHI) Chicago, June 26. h.ii>p. -Sfcliinny Knnla Orch (17) wiih. Cinnlm-: (>Ik* San Ju«n. Jnfk Ivupfr. Nllw.ni SiHieia (Si. Jim * Mlldml MuLahy. K.l.li- lliu. I'aiuinounl Slnrlels (VIibiiiIh Unttv A'alinorr llannnn. Minis Murray. 11,.,'Allrn. L-uira forlicillc). Ilonnie SIpwi- 41,11; ft.sii ll>|> Making his first p. a. in more than five years, except for charity and camp shows. Bob Hope is revealing lu-'s still supreme master of the art of punching a line and timing a gag. The same people who boosted him up to first place on the last Hooper- aling are turning out in droves to pay niaiustcm musicomedy prices to sue him turn the trick in the flesh. Hope is the big draw, of course, other acts proving merely fillers. Skinnay Ennis' musicrew tees it oft with "Sheik of Araby," and the maestro is soloed for his inimitable vocalizing of "Got a Date With An Angel," whereupon they tear off a hut "Cement Mixer." Hope, who knocks himself out emceeing the whole layout; makes sure at this STEVE EVANS HAPPY TIMES 1 JOLLY MOMENTS OrEMMi Jl'I.Y «TH STKl : BKV» (.'APE, BOSTON" KOBEN-ANCiKR ASSOCIATES PAUL REGAN COMIC-SATIRIS". •luaacciueBt: N.CA point that payees are aware the show nas sex appeal, too, in the person of "Five Paramount Starlets," whom he introduces one at a time and then shoos backstage to wait their turns. Chatter is fast and furious through- out the inlrocs, of course, and the Hope takeoff on Hildcgarde that fol- lows is equally hilarious. Carmine, Ennis' canary, is classy as to chassis I but not; too sharp in the vocal dept., proven via "Temptation" and "All That Glitters." Jim and Mildred Mul- cahey.- however, clean up with har- mbnicavoilings oh "Pagan , Love Song." "Second Hungarian Rhap- sody." and "Tiger Rag", to close, with assistance from Hope and his own handful of moulhorgans.. Ronny Sieverson also registers; with his "human echo" stint, in which . he says words that customers; whom he brings up on the stage, spout at ! him almost before they're out of i their mouths. At this show, a Pole, 'Spaniard and Assyrian gave with j their native tongues, just to make it ■ harder. Definite hit. ! Nilsson Sisters are only fair in a lather corny attempt on "My Bill," i but get olf terrif, thanks to Hope, | when he does the "What's My ! Name'.'" part of "Sonny Boy" with them. More gags from the omnipres- ent comic—and this is the high spot o( the show, being typical rapid-fire Hope ■ gaggeryT-and then Jack Pep- per lakes over with comedy tenor- i i/.ing of "That Hollywood Gal of i Mine." plus "Irish Eyes," straight. | He and Hope lie 'cm in knots with i impersonations of a couple of hicks, i two llsheimen. and "Coca-Cola" and ! his pal. "Popsodenl" (how'd that get ; in here'.'), with much burping. I Next segment is all the starlets', with i Virginia Doffy in a ballet item, Val i mere Barman doing a hula, Bea ! Allen singing "Make Believe." Laura ! Corbeille.lapping, and Mavis Murray I in vocals of "Shoo Fly Pie," plus some toetwirls. Gals all get a fairly j nood reception, with Miss Doffy top ping 'em all for her entrechats, and all. look their fctchingest. Olga San Juan also gets a good, nod for some torrid vocalizing of "Babalu" and "Coax Mc." Latin tunes being her forte. Eddie Rio rings the laughmcter, too. with his tap imprcshes of top sergeants, tars, and suchlike, plus the ladv-laking-a-bath bit. Trio of Hope. Ennis and. Pepper bring the house down with a wacky imperson- ation of the Ink Spots doing "If I Had i My Way," and the company comes on for a knock-'em-dead song round up of radio plugs (Chesterfield j Lucky Strikes, Bromo Seltzer, et al) And not one of the ringsiders seemed unhappy about the $4.80 top ' • Mike, The NEW IAZYBONES-HEID OVER Everywhere Boxoffice—Big Butineit—Swing Hit Contact Now 3rd Weed Don Men Caiino 3B01 Forbet, Pittsburgh, Pa. Phone: Scheneiy 6M0 Courtesy Pay* Off Chicago. July 2. For a tough racket, showbiz has some pretty soft characters in it. Mrs. Leila Gilbert, wardrobe . mistress at the Chicago theatre, closed her savings account at a downtown bank last week, withdrawing $220 which she had saved up to take a vaca- tion. She put it in her dresser backstage and. when she went to look for it. il was gone. First to hear of the loss were Hildcgarde and her manager. Anna Sosenko.- Shortly there- after. Mrs. Gilbert was handed a'check in. the full amount of her loss, "for being so nice to us during our week here.'' Bob Hope Continued from page 1 ping a worldwide sales campaign on i of $500,000, gross. Ad and promotion Pepsodent with Hope show as the costs will take a good chunk out ot mainspring. Paramount also is re- | thai, of course, with $6,000 spent in ported interested in rebuilding ils Chi alone for newspaper and car market abroad ■ through Hope's ap- advertising, radio, posting, etc. pcarances. Of course, Hope has already played most of these countries in llesh as well as lilni form but for. $19,000 In Pill Pittsburgh. July 9 Bob Hope show at Gardens Friday night (28)' drew .more than 8.000 American Service Personnel rather j peop | e anJ a gl0 ss of $19 000 Thai than the natives. Problems of Ian- | was jusl a m Ue shol . t orcapacilv for guages differences, etc.. remain W , indoor-sports -arena'■■ : be worked out before Hope can hit the "road to everywhere." t\. License Commish Sloughs 3 Coney Shows As Being Indecent' Clamping down on allegedly "in- decent performances" is now reach- ing national proportions. In two separate actions last ■ week, civic authorities stopped Sally Rand's run at a San Francisco nitery with the fan and bubble artiste held in $300 bail, and N. Y. License Commis- sioner Benjamin Fielding suspended licenses of three Coney Island N. Y.. amusement spots because of display of nudity. Fielding!* action took place on Palace of Wonders, operated by Da- vid Rosen; Leona. Duval, conces- sionaire at Tirza's wine-bath, and the "Bowery Follies," fun by Oscar Buchwald and Alfred Garto. The Commissioner found the grinds and bumps especially repugnant. To many showmen, reform wave has long been expected as a pattern of events following every war. After Worid War I, reform elements in virtually every city in the country were instrumental in clamping down on any enterprise that had the faintest blue tinge. Because of un- hampered increase of indigo motifs during war years when influx of servicemen into metropolitan cen- ters, loose-spending, and let-up of parental supervision in families of war-plant workers, cities .took on what is regarded by reform elements to be an "unmoral" atmosphere. Current' lightening of controls, is regarded as a natural consequence Joe Closer Neweit rhythm novelty for deluxe night clubi and Associated Booking theatres. Perm Add.: STEPIN' FETCHIT, 211 W. 138th Corp. St., N. Y. 30, N. V. Phone: AUdubon 3-6349. 745 Sen Ave., N. Y. Sally Rand, Fan Dancer, Beats 'Indecency' Rap San Francisco,. July 2. Sally Rand, who' was v arrested twice last week for allegedly inde- cent performances, yesterday was cleared and dismissed by Judge Daniel R. Shoemaker in Municipal Court, on a plea by Attorney J. W, Ehrlich. Complaint charged fan - bubble dancer with operating nitery where indecent shows are given, also tended to destroy morality, and that she lewdly displayed her person in public. . In dismissing case the Judge added: "Anyone who sees Miss Rand perform, and who thereby gains lewd and obscene thoughts has a perverted sense of morals." Miss Rand heads shows at her own nitery here. Hope's St. Louis R.O. Blues St, Louis, July 2. ) Hope's troupe, making its IKlh sioo on the current tour Thurs- day (27) was an entertainment suc- cess but a b.o. disappointment as less than half of the 11.000-sent Convention Hall of the Henry W Kiel (municipal) auditorium turned out for the show. Several Holly- wood press agents arrived to bally the show but they came loo late and with too little to stir the natives out of a midsummer lethargy. A last minute bally, via radio, with Hope the plugger, also failed.- The gross was an estimated $12,000 with the house scaled for $27,000. As. for the show itself the cus- tomers were wowed. Hope was all over the place, before, during and after each act: ad libbing with the performers and customers, and in- troducing some of the local celebs, among them Johnny Perkins, Dizzy Dean and Sam the Watermelon Man. Hope satirized Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, the mayor of the city and others. Of the mayor he said, "1 certainly received a royal welcome. The, mayor gave me a key to the wash room at the bus terminal—and a nickle." About Sinatra, Hope said, "Three weeks ago we sent pictures of Frankie to Europe, and now they're sending us food." The Nillson Sisters, with, whom Hope sang, scored solidly with their zany stuff dished out in fortissimo volume. Jack Pepper, Hope's old- lime vaude partner, won the mob with his interp of "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling"; .Eddio Rio. an imper- sonator recently out of the Marines, scored with his interp of service men at a dance, including a bash- ful G.I.; a drill-minded top kick, and a snooty shavetail; Jim and Mildred Mulcahy won encores for, their work wilh the harmonica, along with Ronnie Stevens, who asked customers to come onto the stage. Performance got a top of $4.20 including tax, figured prelty high' for local standards, but had no trou- ble disposing of the 'higher-priced seals right at the start. Gleason Gets Top Spot On State, NX, Date July 11 Jackie Gleason. who opens at Loow's State, N. Y„ July 11,'.is as- sured of top billing this time. Last year. Gleason. walked out of his en- . gagement at the Capitol theatre, N. Y., when house management re- fused marquee him over the Jimmy Dorsey orch. At his State engagement, no such problem exists as other acts include Three Wiles, Rae and Waterfall, Josh White, Lucicnne and Ashour, and Howard Nichols. - Hal Fisher T.niiKlilnilr Your*' NOW LOOKOUT HOUSE, Covinqroa, Ky. Tliwnlc Yon Frank anil Ton)' Srnnra lllr.: WILMAM MORRIS AfiKNCY Sew York - Chlraiso - Hollywood Chi » Wow $25,000 Chicago, July 2. Question of how the paying public would respond to. a one-night stand, at $4.80 top, by a guy who made the jokes for free during his wartime junkets around the country for serv- icemen was answerd satisfactorily last week, when Bob Hope walked out of the Coliseum here with 125,- 000 for one performance. Whopping success of Ihe tour, in- cidentally, is opening a lot of eyes in showbiz. Pix and radio, the wise- acres would have' it known, killed vaude a long time ago—yet here's a one-nighter in the best tradition of two-a-day, for which the public is paying from $4.80 to $1.10. Final count will be in the neighborhood WALLYBOAG Carrontly GLENN RENDEZVOUS Newport, Keaticky Moaaqemem: MARK J. LEDDY k Now SpecialitingV k in Refreshment 1 Service for I Tdriv e-in theatres/ rice, mc. the three RADIO ACES Held Over 12 Weeks N. Y. LATIN QUARTER Thanks to Lou Walters Ptrsonal Managtment HARRY BESTRY 1776 Broadwqy. Ntw York City Special Material BUD BURTSON