Variety (Jul 1946)

48 PUfUETY Wednesday, July 3;, \^ Variety Bills WEEK OF JULY SI Nnmi-rtil> In •nHiwclloa irllh blllt below ladlcat* •imi1h( day (how. whelhrr full or split werlt. I^llrn. la pnrrnlhralii liHllrnln rlrtnlt. <1> ludrrkriiilrnl; (I.) I.oe'w; <r> l»aranmuni: <K) KKO; (W| Waraer New Acts .\|>nlli> (I) t : The UiiiflK-rilH Capitol (I.I I (!(»(» ■ I'jxion Oru .li»i»y Adams' Jl.iik .Vlam . T.my CaiiKunerl . H.I I* Way Munlr Hull (I) 1 >*»ul 11a;tk«>n HiMllna Kuki >*. Dulol'OM Amlf i-.hoii Kilwm-d Kelclierl Jrt Andrew* Arnaul \\ro* Rn-ckettes lilce I'luli Paramount (!•> SI Dlnxli Shorr ]>lek Si.itiilf B»nil Arromanl.-n-n ■— Gil l.aml> Tummy. Smifonl ItM) (1> I C'lilco Marx Jane I'lcUens Toil I.'p.ikt (ifHCt- .lollli^lllll . Culenmii Cl:|vk i.'o HUSTON Honlnn (R> 1 . f- .lordnn T> m 5 nrth Kv'mtH l.iiwry i H.no I'llexltr Oiil|>>nn c.iin>r,x Tow*r» (1) s-4 p :4t- T 13rrrn\\tiiiil l.pnnre KoImti* Norman lln.* Nral Sianlf^ . I'cggy Taylor a CHH AfiO Chk-at-o (IN • Itl(7. llroa Knhdrn Barron Mavtllos Marlon Kranria Orlrntal (I) I Tony I'a^ior Ore Steve Evan* Hotel Tlata .l.i:in Koui'rta' I'aiH'ho.'Orc .' Mark Mom*. Ore- - HOIOI KlHHMfClt Jon. Krklnnan. Ore Hotel St. Krkia rviiity Norman I'm nl S|>arr .Ore . Tlicodoi-a Brooka Hotel Tall Vlncant Lopev Ore Hotel WnMorr-A Guy Ijombardo Ore MUclta Don* Ore ~ Ireland loe rtevue Kelly'* Stnhln Hi-nry ReA Alton O vlrkl Zlminer c.inria Data Tela Terry J C HlmtenlHiltom Ijft Conga Robby Capo Old ■omnatao l.rslit- . Ut'ou Maiiclla * .Kiclv'l'i OlBa Orlotn Ailrienne l'arker Joo La Port* Or* Mlvlern Willie Howard .lack rlarrln Ore Hetty Hellly Noro Morillea Oro Robna Hlen Ruby Hill Wally' Hlnctier Moll Howard tVilrlo Wallace 3 Norn Ravel Wally Ulacker Vrraallle* Carl RavaK-/a I'linny Itancroft Em 11 Pel tl On' Vlltafe Itara Billy Kelly • AGENCY Trie Outstanding Agency" 1V2*-1f4t taoUaq fa? Mm Mm» Dltcriialaarlna «f Manaadant. Thtarro Owim -■ 1 SOI ■rMthray-PmBOMt tM«. Naw Tark Myaat ••4U52-3-4 ; ROBERT ALDA ' Talk. Sorurs 14 Mill!!. . Strand theatre. N. Y. | It's becoming increasingly monot- : onous to say the same things about ! certain Hollywood film performers ! who hit the road for stage personals I —that is, the ones who go out poor- ly prepared. Robert Alda lias an easy-going . personality and looks— but he has hardly the act lo play a Broadway vaudfllmcr such. as the Strand. He's taking full advantage of the rep tie acquired in making one picture. Warners' "Rhapsody in Blue," biog of the late George Gershwin, in which he played the composer. Alda might well blame his' poor performance on the fact that,'prior to his opening here Friday (26), he had only a one-show break-in, at Grossinger's, upstate, resort where he was on the entertainment staff prior to his Hollywood break. But that couldn't be the reason. Alda is using bad material that no amount of talent could salvage, and much of it, especially with his unbilled stooge,' is right out of Joe ■ Milter with a little dressing-up. Alda is likewise weak on the pipes, though he carries a tune bet- ter than he does the material he gabs. But there may be a reason for that Gershwin songs can really make a singer look better than he is. . Kali it. Debonalra Harold HArnea John Guells Slate <l.> 1 Duke Art H Junior Helene A- Howard Orace McDonald Nick . Lucas Milton. DourIa* John Klrby Ore .Strand (HI t Buddy Kicli Ore Sieve Condos Bob Alda - George Lewis . The Smonihle-i IXING ISLAND Jamnlcii (I) M-W Jill Fontaine Morly Kapi>e Pamela & Louise - * linpreAslonalrea SpauldliH: :'. SI-3 Zetalne Marie Manner* Karolvn Kaye Sr . C'orier. 4- Paul Roy Roue™ 31-1 Ted T.ostcr Tampa Doya Johlinv Ladder . ATLANTIC CITY Steel Pier (1> t» Jack Leonard Jane' Russell 3 Little .sis ('oi.c.YiHr* Palace (R> i-7 Bob C'roabS* .Ore Town. -Crier* t: to All) KANSAS CIT1 Tower (I) t Frank Payne (llonson tb Sandbo'n AVIIkey It Dare Ll|>|ilur't ('.nun' MIAMI Olyoapla (I') SI BAron- 2 A- .Itonni^ .Rush Miller Co' Clillo Izar Coley Worth .lark &l)ca I'HIL.AItKI.I'HIA ' C'urnaan (l> I S Wllllanis * l>iiil Toy Sis Holiby Whaling Co (tcorce Dunn ROCKVOHH Palare (I) f 1 MixMlliK Km." XlclH.ls K- Haley . Ted Smith N'olly- Talc Sc l>og* la All) SAN FRANCISCO (iulilen Citte (K) SI Duke -Rllln^iou O Charles Dudley and Midgets JUST ARRIVED FROM ENGLAND Maying Mn for ioyle Woolfolk AMERICA—Eddi* SmMi Afltncy, 1501 Broadway, N*w York* EUROPE—Barmy Jacobs. London. Rohprli. & AHrla ■ l.iurHlne He Wood Maeltitn Oic l*upi. Campo Ore Initio PnnrfM 1>il. Lewis Ore (•eraiain*> Du Boln I'.lroy Peace .Muttnh Sis )IH * Cora Baird (5ny Hess llall Tlennrtt ShKI r»*» \ysenof I'ii.ul WliUc ■Umi-.v C!r*?y . RtUlle Oavla •Inup SI <*l»lr» Ulorin Walll* Murros Snhtitlnir 2 Hoh Wayne ■ Art Wnner Ore 31 cm!s Pn*\r> Dirk Gasparra O t:<>Ui>rip Sibonoy Carlnnda Alicia Wallacr Jteri Stoito Patsy Lnne '.llmmy. Kola Tex Fletrher Village VHMCiiart) H 1> Jicnntt Kildy ManHon ' Klrannr Bow era . I>nn t>y Hank Duncan Trl*. Wlvrl tlci'truOf Hlld ,'ft-;i»> AlnslU Kr^nclsco HiUfc Norman Vivian NlckolNnn ■ D'Ulvcro * npltn't* r»b Cnlloxvay On- ]*»arl Tlollpy (l.arloifpra Idlers Sis Miller T^roi Al:»n Dixon roe We* Mnrquett* Claude Hopkins Or- CHICAGO fiautlninlth Bros D Byloii (illla Joe )lurton 7 HAI.TIMOKK HIpiHHirome <l) 3 3 M nil dels Lll>aiin Carol .Ikshc Hlork I.uclenne A- Aah'r Stnl* (I) 1-3 Kdwanln & Law ton Dale* KIh «hiiiny .Inmorson The Graysrtna 4-1 FDsnllnd Cordon PatlerM'n i .I:h-Us*h N.'K.M.I-ltXD Cowrt M<| (I) 1-4 Uankoft ft (,'nniiun C'aHtle Sin <lVt?en £ DoolAy l*ane A C"l;tlrc ptan lrwln I'll y 1Mb ('oh wahhim;ton Capitol (1.) 1 ■Arliiur LaPlriit- Johnny 1>ukkiim .llnnny RilnuMKlaon Doiih WlnrtHor Cabaret Bills HEW TOBK CITY Itlrii-Lltn^k Del rominey Ore lti.ilDoilxon Johnny. Utrnnv Huiluon 8t Sharaa nobhiHun tt Iko t/hex Tnree .Ion K. Kwlyn ■ Hiooka . I'hyllls Clulie Consnlo ft Alolba | Ailm-abltM (U'> i Ca>' rinHd(f*' Ore I l.ucio Garcia . Ore { Coloflimo'M .Max Hownblooin I Mhx Tlaer SophlHllkfi1o,«* Allnn l>r«kfi T'lonalh I'iciJi. M«*l Cole Ore Hotel. nUmarck Anlin Jaknhl Slieimnn JIayet Or MlrlHin Sen ho Id MHHkfll Bill Burke Oell Welcome Tli" MnrllnlM Kildle Kens Ore Hotel Blark»t one The ]>e. &1hMo» Dun Richard:. !•: ileckHcher Ore H Ed (re water < ; 'Brh Henry Brandon Ore Joe Jackson. Jr Nlraku Renald ft Ruby, Item'y Grant Son* SlyllHlH Dorulliy Hlld Dcra Hotel Cons real Theodora .Aquurlum C'.miiH Bask- Ore Rex.Stewnrl Ore into Qhwlef* 4 (Dowiitovn) Tlinmle LoK^ia Sarah Vaupho CIMC JncUson I'ei« Johnson J- C. Ho.*\rd Ore Cafe Society (tptewn) Bcrnlc West Vrtdicia Bright SiHiuy Thompson Uuvld Urooku Cnrnlvni filltion Hei 1c J-Iop, Skip. Jump Klly Ardclly fctan Fisher Marion Colby Hen Ynsi Slngetr Waller John MlrlfLm Gwlnn Mhlnin lj»\»le Copacnbnnn Dep) Arimx Ore Julie Wilson "" Joey GllbciM T«ynnc rstureii Krnle . Itolsi 13d Haul ft Kva Heyes Pcler Llucl Hayes Diamond, norrtejilHH* Joe. E Hovrnrd Ho»fl ft La Pierre Wntson 61 • Frltzl Schoff Ann Pennington Willie Solnr Jacqueline. Hufley Bllclinel Edward Bill Acorn Emma Franela Jimmy Allison Bill Moore . (•"oar Rosebuds Vincent Travera Or Moriy, Reid Oic Hitvnna-r'i.UrMl Mlk'Uel ft Albarlu Jinnee Uiitry ('tfrinen ft Mol.indo C'alallno Ore Carlos Varcla Ore Hotel AmlKiHMinlui Louis nelanrourl O Jules Lande Oro Hotel Aator Tommy Tucker Ore Hotel nrlmnar I'lnxn Don C'oaK'tlo Duudlcs 'Wfiiver AWndy BIstKip KatUryn Duffy l)i-r> Lottie Slono Ore Hotel m It more Dunulnpcr N - Brnndwynhe On \ J?alnh Koni (tie \ Hrtel rommiMlnre ; iini m< r111> i t-. Oi\ ! Hotel nine | Larry VwuU On- ; l.ou Si-||Pi- llohi^rci lldllyunwl | JordHii ft i'urvlM | Hnlel l.e^inclon- Mom) Knl Tapu Kaua Tit II ma Mall* Moklhana J rinenpple Ore Hotel Netv Yorkei Chuck KiiHier Oic Hotel IVihintIi mil K Liiwroncc Oic 4 Ifolel rierr«: Myrja r - Cor.auolo . A Artinl lira I'a'iirhns S'anloy Helba Ore Gvnsnlvc* ft Men'nl I'hiicIio , Ore Julie Garxon Hotel lontlneninl Karen . Ford . Hfiuiy ltoMp Jue Vera Ore Hotel Sherman C.iri Marx Charley Mplvak 6 Hotel blevenft f.add Lyon Ciiiwy ft Ayrea The Shyreito* ttoulfVHr-Peara ■ Orrln Tucker Ore I-at In 4|tmr1er I.I ml J>rf>a Mji-evtteh naH-al> Jack Carter ItarranciiH' l k aul C:*rle(on I. Q Lovello.f Buddy Shaw Ore ralmrr Honae Ted Slraeict Ore (ill Malnon Larry Siorch- Imofrene Coca .M:*urer SIh Abbott Peru Marilyn Mnrwh Klo Cabana Harcey Scone Georvle Tnpps Rio Ttumbn Ore Mfirllynr ItoHtj The Lovelies (10* Cee DavidHon Oli- vine Garden* JeHile Rosella' f»uke Darell (Hkfbrl JollIlMOU Kvelyn Clui«ll«n Tony ft TlHy Joe Klvh Ore . Saranac Lake By HAPPY BEN WAY Saranac Lake. N. Y.. July 30. After a series of set-backs your corespondent is skedded to enter the Will Rogers hospital. It's a return date. Marie Gallagher. ex-Roger-ite. in from Philadelphia for a vucash and greeting friends at the lodge. Len Grotte back in circulation atatn. He mastered his last opera- tion okay. Sam Schulman visited by his. mother, brother and nephew who came in from N. Y. Bcnilo Collada back at his Hcllcn Hill abode after two week's in New York and will be here for the bal- ance of the summer. : The ' Mr. 4t Mrs. L. "Shaw, F. Muster and E. Bellcm in for a week- end to chat with Marilyn Shaw who is • pcrkih'g ud at the Rogers. "Hi-Lites.of 1946," revue produced by Eddie Vogt, netted the General hospital $1,071 lor it's auxiliary fund. • Benny Rcsslcr. now doing O.K., was appointed chairman of the com- mittee, that handles bottles of milk lo the Dav Nursery kiddies at.the William Morris Memorial Park/ Martha Martin and Ruth Martin visiting Dorothv Martin, who is resting nicely at the Hilltop sana- torium. ESTELI.E AND DIMAS (<) Rhumbs 9 Mlns. Apollo, N. Y." Femme in the act has been around for some time, but she's primed for a turn on the Latin cafe circuit with a new partner, consequently her in- clusion in New Acts. She first bowed in America as Rene & Estelle, one of the best rhumba acts extant, and when Rene died some years ago the team became Estelle & Papo, often seen at the Havana-Madrid, N. Y. After a sojourn in Cuba, Esr telle has a new collaborator and it makes little difference as to'her se- lection of a partner. High spot of the act still is the femme's projection of Latin writh- ings in a series of rhumba routines. Her struts and Latin version of the grinds are certain to excite cafe pa- tronage of spots, and her variations on the rhumba a cinch to be copied on dance floors. Partner, inciden- tally, is a capable stepper, but com- pletely eclipsed by Estelle. Act carries its two bongo bealers.to in- sure accentuation of the rhythms. . Jose. JIMMY JIMAE Si CO. Maslc 10 Mins. State. N. Y. Jimmie Jlmae. if you are seated far enough in the rear of the State, is a double for Cardini. Outfitted as sharply, in top hat. tails and white gloves, lie makes with the cards and cigarcts. and. at that distance with dexterity that seems to equal Cardini. He pops cards and lighted cigarcts, cigars and pipes out of nowhere Into receptacles held by a -cute blonde. That Jimae does a job is attested to by the fact that the blonde is just so much scenery. He follows the cards, etc., with a walking stick trick and closes by tearing a newspaper into strips, making It come out in one piece with a rabbit wrapped up in it. It's good stuff. The guy's clever, his presentation is class and there should be numerous bookings in the offing. Wood. STEVE CONDOS Dancing 6 Mlns. Strand theatre. N.Y. Steve Condos recently singled after being teamed with his brother Nick as the Condos Bros. Nick has quit hoofing to become personal man- ager, for wife Martha Raye but the split certainly doesn't make the younger brother have to worry about bookings. He's a classy hoofer who can play anywhere—and liow he could fit into inusicbm'edy! ■ Condos' taps are crystal-clear and effortless. "And he certainly can do more than he shows on this bill, which devotes considerably more time to Buddy Rich than seems normal for a maestro at this spot. But that may be because Rich is a [comparative newcomer, and needs , ihc buildup." Kulin. THREE RAYS Acrobatic, Comedy 7 Mlns. Slate, N. Y. ; Trio of solidly built young frmmes have constructed a turn Ihat is best described as a femme version of the Three Sailors. -They hell one an- other all over the podium between aero tricks, none of Which are tln^ usual, but the audience goes for it solidly. Some of the comedy stuff the gals do looks pretty rough and it may be that audiences . won't feci right about, seeing femmes bat each other about with such vigor since I'airjt normal. But all in all, the Three Rays have themselves an act that should get th'^.i plenty of work. They're clever—and cute. Wood. Square Dance Continued from page 1 of the old qundrille is a natural step in the evolution of American, music, whose greatest changes- have oc- curred after each war. Waltz, he points out, replaced the staid minuet shortly after .the Franco-Prussian war and, through the years, gave way to the turkey trot and other dance fads of the '90s, which sprang Into being with the inception of jazz in New ''Orleans. After Paul White- man made jazz respectable, Vernon and Irene Castle introduced the "Castle Walk" immediately after World War I. Jazz, in turn, gave way to swing, with its resultant jit- terbugging. Now, he claims,; the cycle has completed itself and the country is gradually picking up the square dance. If the crowds in Gotham's River- side Park are any indication, the in- ception of square dancing on a na- tionwide scale may well loom in the immediate future. Introduced at the Ave square-block arena over- looking (he Hudson River in 1941 by Ed Durlacher, prexy of the Ameri- can Assn. of Square Dance Callers, the event proved successful then. Given up during the war. the free open-air dance sessions were re- vived by Durlacher "last" summer. Apparently recognizing a good ad- vertising bet, Pepsi-Cola took over sponsorship of the Monday night event early this year and Durlacher, calling the numbers In accepted fashion and backed up by his seven- piece band, consistently ■ draws crowds of .more than 20,000. Tremendous Crowds One of New York City's cops, on hand last Monday (29) night, esti- mated there were at least 10,000 people out on the dance floor with another 25,000 watching. Durlacher, more conservative in his estimates, put , the figure at 4,800 on the floor and about 18,000 as spectators. As the cop pointed out, square dancing involves the dance music of the peo- ple and, despite the fact that the lo- cale is contiguous to a somewhat rough melting pot neighborhood, there's never been any trouble. Dancers, literally from 6 to 60, -gyrate, on the floor to rnusic that would be considered the height of corn at the 'downtown bistros, with even the sophisticates appar- ently having a good time. Idea of the square dance' assn. originated at the N. Y. World's Fair in 1939, where Durlacher first called together the nation's known callers. Today, Durlacher plays in and around N. Y. six nights weekly, plus another : free session on,. Saturday afternoons'in Central Park, and re- portedly draws SRO crowds every- where. Proof that the throngs don't turn out just because they're offered something for free is seen in the Tact that a 75c fee is charged at the YMCA sessions on Wednesday nights and the dancers at Jones Beach on Thursday nights must pay 25c, plus another 25c parking charge. Moreover, as the cop point- ed out, the Riverside Park arena is given over to free roller skating throughout the rest of the week and never draws more than 40 or 50 peo- ple. Pepsi-Cola pitch is made only via short announcements and small signs sprinkled around the place, with no free drinks as inducement lo the crowds to attend. Rolfe is recognized as one of show business's most astute prognostica- tors and his views on the subject lend added credence to the idea that square dancing's rejuvenation is just around the corner. One of the original seven partners, along with L B. Mayer, Jesse Lasky, etc., In the old Metro company, Rolfe produced two-thirds of Metro's output from 1916-19 and helped . originate the idea of the one-feature-a-week re- lease system. He later teamed with Lasky in vaudville '.nit productions and. on Sept. 19, 1928, led the Lucky Strike Dance Orch in the first spon- sored coast-to-coast radio show, which was aired over the newly- formed NBC web. One of the' chief reasons for the ihli.Tesl in square dancing, Rolfe thinks, is that it gives the ■ indi- I vidu.tls, both men and. women, a ; chance to "shine" and strut their I stuff, same as in jittcrbugging. |.Squai°e dancing, however, appeals to [all ages,, wheroas the jive bands j draw their main crowds from the 10-22 year age group.' He pointed out that there arc presently 500 square dance bands in the country, as compared lo the 300 name bands, and claimed the former played to inorc'lhan 10 limes as many people. fltilfe's new band, which played throughout Now Jersey. and New Krigland before shutting down for the summer, is probably the lare«i with 19 instruments and a mil. quartet, plus Texas Dave, the caller Band presently plays only »»' square dance music, mixing the beat with polkas and the modern awhw and waltz tunes. Unlike Durlactat? who concentrates only on the reels! Rol fe believes the combination w5 be the thing and is presently build- ing up his library to take that into account. Band recently played it Ivanhoe Park, ' Irvington, N. j where it reportedly had the payeej lined up at the door. Axis Forum Continued from pace □ cehtly for complete info on how U. S. meetings are run. In Denny's absence, Gregor Zle'. met', educational director at Towtf . Hall, N. Y. (and author of "Educa- tion For Death,", which was Aimed as "Hitler's Children"), sent a com- plete routine abroad, explaining how : subjects and. speakers are chosen, how Denny conducts the preliminary meeting, procedure on asking questions, etc. Ztemer, who served in Germany, in combat duty with the 4th Armored Division, is following the matter up, envision- ing someday a tie-up between the two countries and an exchange of programs. * The only other instance of a "Town. Meeting" format being used overseas was tried .recently-'.In' Ja- pan. During the war, however, such programs were conducted for GIs only by Rabbi Ferdinand Isserman of St. Louis, a field director with the Red Cross, who conducted them in North.. Africa, Sicily and Italy proper. Jap Verslepn Too. 1 A Japanese version of. America's "Town Meeting of the Air" has been tried out recently in Tokyo for what has become an unusual event. The radio forum meeting, or "Hosotoronkai," was originated by " Maj. M. Harlan of the radio divi- sion of the Civil Information and Education Section and held at Hibya Park theatre. Three hundred showed up for the first program, which ...was "What Shduld People Expect of the New Diet?" Two thousand appeared to discuss the second,, "Shall We Support the Shi- dehara Cabinet?" Four thousand Japs jammed the theatre for the third program, which was "How. Are We To Overcome the Food Crises for the Next Six Months?" Programs were unique in Japa- nese history, with, men and women participating and asking questions on public problems over the air. For the third program, which ran from 7 to 9:30 p.m., the audience started queueing tip at 3 o'clock. They in- cluded women with babies strapped to their, backs, did men with canes, schoolgirls, farmers, clerks, bank- ers.. Sansei Kasal, Jap Olympics an- nouncer, opened the food-crisis pro- gram by explaining the broadcast procedure, modeled after America's "Town Meeting." Three men spoke —Yoshio Kusumi, food director in Bureau of Agriculture; Rikizi Hir- ano, of Social Democratic Party, and Rjtsii Ito, of the. Communist Party. Then came discussions. When a young woman raised hei- hand, there were grunts of amazement, then cheers. A woman getting up in an audience to: ask questions was something unheard of. Clamor was so great, the woman had to be called, to the. platform before she could put her query. Japan's food crisis being so serious, the attend- ant excitement was expected. Programs are transcribed on the spot and broadcast following week- end over Radio Tokyo. AGVA Cleans Up Pacts With Kentucky Area Clubs Kentucky, cafes in the Beverly Hills, Covington and Newport areas, last week, signed minimum basic agreements and posted salary bonds with the American Gild of Variety Artists. Spots involved were the Beverly Hills Country Club. Latin. Quarter,- Lookout House, and Glenn Rendezvous. Spots had been dickering for sev- eral weeks, and Matt Shelvey, AGVA's national administrator, re- cently made a trip to handle the negotiations. Shelvey says the AGVA pact Is the first union contract ever signed by opeartors of these spots.