Variety (Jul 1946)

Wednesday, July 31, 1946 HOUSE REVIEWS 49 Paramount* IV. Y. nliiah Shore with Ticker Freeman, ru Lamb, Acromanias (3), Dick Sta- w e Orc/i <22) with Russ Emery; 'Martha Ivers" (Par), reviewed in Vamety March 9, w. Although Dinah Shore has top bill- in? in Ibe current Paramount lay- out and Dick Stabile's orch provides the'usual "added attraction,- it's Gil limb who has the payees buzzing. '-"".'..•T i nnmariv that s wac- Ahd it's not just comedy that s wag ring the tongues. Louis B.. Mayer fhould be more than a -little per- turbed at the going-over Lamb is riving one-of his prize Metro prop friles. Van Johnson. Ribbing a star's S™centrlcities" is accepted comedy routine, but Lamb's material fal s Somewhat outside the profession's ethical bounds. After opening with a sadpan pres- entation of "When You're Smiling,' Lamb goes into a comic monolog on Hollywood that's good for some boff laughs, but things get quieter when he starts on Johnson, asking the swooners how they can tell what the Metroite has from just his pictures, and finishing with. "Believe me, girls, he hasn't got if—with swish im- plications. Final crack comes as a climax to description of fllni-love sequence, with Johnson, Lamb and Lana Turner, when Lamb says; "There we were, the three of us, and the only question was: what to do with the girl." Rest of Lamb's act; topped by pantomine on jitterbug in a theatre* and harmonica routine, bring good reutrns for a begoff, showing Lamb doesn't need the backhanded material. Stabile orch - opens the bill with "Liza." followed by Russ Emery. In his first pro stint, crooning "All through the Day." Emery looks like a comer, although at present he seems slightly afraid to let go. Band (Ave string, eight brass, Ave reed, four rhythm) comes back later with "Man I Love," spotting maestro in alto sax solo. Lightweight music, but easy listening, with .Stabile fiont- ing affably throughout. A fast, .well-paced tumbling act that never lets up for an instant, the Acromaniacs' stanza brings an ex- cellent mittirig. With no poses or phoney gestures? boy bouncers put on a near thing to a three-ring cir- cus. , Miss Shore, who hardly needs .a stage tour to hypo her ..radio and recording b.o... might be a touch too sweet and shy for some of the nawthun boys, but has the rest of the crowd with her all the way. No questioning voice appeal in "You Made 1 Me Love You" and "Gypsy." Well-gowned and selling naturally; warbler asks for requests which are really answered, whether there's an orchestration or Hot, doing "Yes. My Darling Daughter" with the help of accompanist Tucker. Freeman and Stabile's rhythm section, brass com- ing behind quietly. Closes with "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly" and "Do It Again" for socko finish. Strong marquee keeps biz SRO. Tomm. Know Enough About You" and She's a Good Woman"—last named with his 'own piano accompaniment and very good. Lad has looks, an easy assured manner without man- nerisms, and a wholesome masculine quality. Very promising ahd very well liked by the customers. Shriner is likewise a man to watch: Does homespun act with harmonica as prop, giving out with clean, new and funny lines ot bucolic chatter. Can't help but draw Will Roger's comparlspn,- which isn't too accurate, but gives the idea. Caught a beg-off. here. Other acts,- standard but in top levels, are the Four Bvahs, the two- generation quartet of hoofers. who work in a little sentiment but. pay- off with sharp work on the deck; Bob DuPont, whose cracks fit neatly Into his skillful routine of juggling; and the Pied Pipers, who warble smooth and well-conceived arrange- ments of "Come Rain," "Route 66," and other tunes. Musical background from the Larry Flint house orchestra is never ostentatious or tending to crab an act. Just right, in short. Biz was fairly good at opener ahd customers happy. "Stranger," on screen, is h.o., but helping draw nice take on week when no big band or name is in there pitching. Elie. Oriental. Ch) Chicago, July 25. Tony Pastor Orch (17). with Stubby Pastor, Clooney Sisters (2), Tommy Lynn, Henry Riggs; Three Little Sisters. Carlton Emmy's Mad Wags, Steve Evans; "Young Widow" (CM). Strand, N. Y. Buddy Rich.Band (18), The Smoothies (3), Steve Condos, Robert Alda'; "2 . Gui/s from Milwaukee'' iWB), reviewed in current issue of Variety. Million Dollar, I~ A. Los Angeles, July 26. Louis Prima Orch. (18), with Sandy Bishop, Jack Powers, Jimmie Vincent; Tommy Trent, Bums and White; "Larceny in Her Heart" (PRC). . Overloaded vocally and instru mentally—especially in the case of maestro Tony Pastor, who gives out with vocals for the first three num- bers on the bill — Oriental's new layout is sparked mostly by Steve Evan's drunk bit, which remains a favorite with the payees. Pastor is all.over the place in the swing version of "Banks of the Wabash" to open, and again in "Sur render," backed by chorusing in the "Marle"-"Shanty Town" tradition bv the sidemen. He is backed ad- mirably by the four trumpet-three trombone - Ave reed - four rhythm group. Stubby Pastor, maestro's brother, also comes through solidly with his sweet trumpeting of "I Surrender. Dear." Three Little Sisters do okay in a. none-too-outstanding tumbling stint, and the Clooney Sisters are well: received for their vocalizations of "Hallelujah" and "Pattycake Man/' Latter duo could do with at least one pop, however. Carlton Emmy's bouncing pups are sock, as ever, and crooner Tommy Lynn and the Clooneys do nice things with "Love on a Greyhound Bus." Tailored ar- rangement helps, as do those for Lynn's. soloings of "There's No One But You" and "Once in a While." Pastor's in again for scratchy vocals woven into Henry Riggs* skin - beating in 'Taradiddle Joe" and in the closing "Hey Bob- a-Re-Bob," in which the whole cast joins. Between these two, Evans mops uti with' his Polish drunk, various types of windowshoppers, demonstration Of how television destroys illusions created by radio, and different types of customers spotted over the footlight by en teriainers. Mike. Buddy Rich and Steve Condos (New Acts) have enough entertain- ment kicking around to satisfy the. talent quota on the current Strand bill, the pity of it being that Robert Alda (New Acts) and the Smoothies cannot match them. It's a bill of dif- fuse abilities, both Rich, former Tommy Dorsey drummer now lead- ing his own band, and the hoofing Condos having'. so much talent' at their command that the lack of it by the other pair, of acts is thus that much more emphatic by analogy. When the omniscient Rich isn't banging away at the skins, he's bound to be mike-lng a tune , with a voice that's more notable for its sock rhythm rather than any partic- ular vocal quality. And the kid also, at the behest of Condos, with whom he does a turn, also tosses in a bit of terping that rounds out practi- cally all that a performer can do well in an hour-long show that must also allow for other entertainers. Rich's introductions of the other talent are handled easily, and he paces his flve-reed. four-rhythm and eight-brass 6 combo neatly, though right how the band Is. little more than a framework for Rich's per- sonality fronting than anything else, However, it's an outfit that's com- ing 'round strongly and, with the crew-cut maestro as the prime force, should be in the front ranks before long. The radio Smoothies, two guys and a gal, are none too impressive with their' takeoffs, vocally, of various show, biz personalities, their mate' rial being particularly poor. As usual, the Strand's stage back- ground is impressive in color and de sign. Kahn. Durante—and he's younger. His stuff is new here and gets plenty of laughs. He springs a batch of bright gags based on his Army experiences, followed by timely and entertaining chatter on the pay-as-you-go tax plan and other topical subjects, his pointed remarks coming close to the average customer's personal experi- ences. Dann finishes strong with an imitation of Durante. McDowall is well received in a light and pleasant monologue in which he handles himself with poise. His routine includes a couple of amusing recitations and two songs, "Now and Forever" and "They Say It's Wonderful." He talks better than he sings. Eve Mathews scores with a pair of fetching tap routines. . Wald grabs attention with his first specialty, a clarinet solo in "Trains in the Night," and holds it all the way. After Miss Nash makes a good mark with vocals in "Just the Other Day," "Laughing Come e Shine " the tamF^riK tS arol,nd 8 serles of dolls". Gets best ^ifveM ^e ffi&M ^^^^TtOSS Wald's top number is "Clarinet Hi- Jinks," a concerto for the licorice stick and drums. Band closes im- pressively with "Take Five Boys." Biz was oke Opening day. Corb. State. N. Y. Enoch Light Orch (17) with Eve- lyn Kent, Danny .Sullivan, Bobby Gilbert, 3 Rays, Jimmy Jemae, Jerry Mann; "Well Groomed Bride" (Par). Louis Prima's trumpet sets pace, for current Million Dollar stage bill. He and his cfew blow loud and hot to please swing addicts, but show puts more emphasis on novelty num- bers than music. Prima gives full display to his extrovert antics, clown- ing all over the stage and keeping program moving. Prima has imr proved since last fllm-vaude date lo- cally and doe9 an okay showmanly. job, with but one criticism. He gets unnecessarily rough with innuendo in some of his numbers, particularly when it's the juve trade such musical crews cater to. Orch's opener is "White Cliffs of Dover," followed by "Coffee Song," "Robin Hood," "Angelina," "The Dea- . con" and "Brooklyn Boogie." Vocals are in capable hands of Jack Powers and Sandy Bishop. Latter sells "There's Good Blues Tonight" and "Craziest Dream," with asides from Prima on latter: Powers pleases with "Prisoner of Love" and "My Valen- tine." Sock part of the bill is Tommy Trent, who clicks with a modern ver- sion of Punch and Judy and a bit on the rowdy side. Burns and White, dance team, please when hoofing but should drop vocals. Broff. ItKO, Boston Boston, July 26. Johnny Desmond, Herb Shriner, Four Evans, Bob DuPont, Pied Pipers (4); Larry Flint House Orch;' "Stronger" (RKO). (2d week). . Variety show against house or- chestra background proves hot as a pistol compared to usual layouts of straight variety stuff in this corner. AJ1 the acts are classy, the show is nicely balanced, and it's all made a little sharper by fact a couple of the acts are obviously up-beaf char- acters with future. These are Johnny Desmond and Herb Shriner. both back from Gl-ing. Desmond gets top billing and ful- fils, the obligation with personably Piped tunes such as "In Love in Vain, "Black Magic," "I Don't Apollo. N. Y. . Prairie View College Co-Eds Orch (18) with Donna • Finley; Tiny Crimes Orch (6), Billy Wells ft 4 Fays, Howell tc Bowser, Claudia Mc Neil, Estelle & Dimas, Ray Snead, Jr.; "The Devil's Mask" (Col). Apollo theatre comes up with an entertainment laden bill which could conceivably be one of the most entertaining this house has had in a long time. Unfortunately, orchestral backing is so sub-standard that superior effects are lost. Offending orchestra is the Prairie View College Co-Eds, organization made up of femmcs plus male leader and trumpeter of the same gender. Aims of Frank Shiftman, house operator. In giving this outfit week's work, is laudable inasmuch as the outfit's take goes toward de- fraying expenses in that institution However, they're little more than amateurs and exacting job of show- backing is too much for the inex- perienced crew. Vocalist Donna Finley similary hasn't been around .too much as is evidenced in her de- livery arid stage deportment. . However, customers here get a high degree of compensation from the Tinv Grimes six-man band. Group, vets of the 52nd street swing circuit, dish out a brand of jive that sends the pewholders. They give out with five numbers in solid style for eoually solid results. : Acts are mainly in the category of standards. Billy Wells and the Four Fays, sole paleface turn here fresh from a week at Locw's State, N. Y., as usual get the measure of the house; Howell and Bowser contrib- ute literate humor and song to go over in top style, while Ray Snead, Jr., does a brief and highly interests ine bit of jive ballet. Claudia Mc- Neil, a fixture at Harlem swing- cries, does a solid bit of songselling with her bottomless contralto. Es- tclle & Dimas, a Cuban import, are reviewed under New Acts. Jose. State has a very pleasant 60-mln- uter this - semester. Enoch Light's three-trumpet, three-trombone, six sax, four-rhythm combo is an put- fit that's hot pretentious but never- theless does a nice job of tying the layout together. Light himself is showmanly at the helm and at m.c, ing. A gummick that he calls "Date With a Disc" helps boost audience reaction. Bobby Gilbert, comic whose forte Is murdering the English language, socks over In a session of crossfire with Light. He's neatly introed, too, by arrangement purporting to show off various soloists in the band of which Gilbert is made to appear as a member; he's even garbed as a band member. Gilbert breaks it Up seeking to play a fiddle solo. "Date With a Disc" comes as a closer; it involves the - selection of three amateur singers from the audience who cut records (equipment on stage). One of the trio becomes finalist in a week-ending contest Light's only real weakness is his femme singer, Evelyn Kent who opens with a silly thing called 'Do You Do.' then sloppily works, over "Gypsy." Since she leads off the show, she leaves a poor impression of what is to come. Danny Sullivan is fair singing 'I Don't Know Why," 'Laughing On Outside,' and a spe cial that Light introes with' a spiel about tolerance. It's calledTThere Are No Restricted Signs In Heaven." Its import is thereafter smothered under a bouncey beat, Acts working in and out of Light' chores all do well with the audi- ence; They include the Three Rays (New Acts); Jimmy Jimae (New Acts) and Jerry'Mann, who has been getting laughs for years. Mann, on last, is a much-lm proved comic with an act that seems to be a hodgepodge of the style of various better names in the same field. He mixes it up enough so that nothing can be hung on him, and in the course of it all convinces the audience that he's quite a funny guy. Wood. Hippodrome, Balto Baltimore, July 27. Ross Sisters (3), Roy Benson, Chris Cross, Hugh Forgie and Stig Lrrson, Felice fula House Orch (12); "Make Mine Music" (RKO) (2dwk). Nicely routined lineup of diversi- ' fled talents adds up to satisfying j result. Flashy opening /ia acrobatics by youthful and easy to look at Ross Sisters sets a solid pace that holds throughout. Gals-score round- ly with back bends from elevations, and pitch in with contortion stuff for a punchy getaway. Roy Benson, in the deuce, Is a suave magicb who palms .with the best and utilizes off-hand chatter also, above the average. Handles golf balls and cigarettes in combination and closes with a new twist via a bottomless salt shaker. Sets mat- ters perfectly, for Chris Cross to follow with ventriloquism built Tower, K. C. Kansas Cily, July 26. . Topsy Boyde, Ferris * Triiie Robins, Sondra Barrett, Francis & Walljj, Don Taylor and Bob Hoff- man, Tower Orch (9) with Don Tiff & Beverly. Cassady;- ."One Exciting Week" (Rep) and ^Freddie Steps Out" (Mono). Spotty is the word for the Tower's variety bill with only two acts first rate and rest in and out. Opener'with Don Tiff and band is lightweight with Beverly Cassady on vocal of "Sun in Morning," but a bit of change in staging has Beverly sing- ing or. bandstand for some help. -In Topsy Boyde and Sondra Bar- rett customers get first rate enter? tainment and show their apprecia- tion. Of plumpish build, Miss Boyd looks anything but the type, but comes off strong in her head stands and balancing feats atop a. pair of 6-foot pedestals. In the deuce spot, Ferris and Trixie Robins return to vaurie after lon» trek with USO. He's Viennese, she's English, and they play oh the con- tinental flavor of their musical offer- ing. She-backgrounds with accordian while hubby vocals medley of Euro- pean faves and strums guitar. A bit of chatter belying- their native ac- cents gets as much applause as their songs. Sondra Barrett shows some top- notch work in modern tapology. A duo of routines, the first to a pop song, <and the second to a Spanish tempo, click for solid response. For the weekly am selection Man- ager Barney Joffee reached out to Wichita for Don Taylor and Bob Hoffman, pair of teen agers with a bang-up. four-hand piano boogie. On "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" kids are a pair of solid senders, but on stage presence they're creaky. Building a repertory and polishing those stage manners might give the act. distinct club and vaude possibilities. Francis and Wally close the show with the only comedy of the bill. Their turn is a hodge-podge of yodel- ing, rhumbas and ballroom terps with heavy accent on slapstick and satire. They bat a fairly' good fun percentage. Wally has the emcee chore throughout the show. Quin. a switch in working radium-lit dummies in blackout emphasizing manipulation above the usual voice throwing. Had to beg off. Hugh Forgie and Stig Larson give out with a badminton game and manage to create . considerable ex- citement 'and some '-aughs. Make for an ideal closer to this setup. Biz fair for a second sesh. Burnt. Earle, Phllly Philadelphia, July 27. . Spike Jones Orch,- with George. Rock, Red Ingle, Horatio Q. Bird- bath, Nancy MacDonald, Aileen Car- lisle, Dorese Midgely, Helen Greco; "Bamboo Blonde" (RKO). . Philly's "music-lovers", arc out in full force bringing a pre-peaoe boom to the Warner vaudefilmer this sesh. Spike Jones and his "music depre- dationists" give them plenty of the old .corn and the payees eat it up and begging for more. They're all here: George Rock doing his famous "I Wanna Get Married" and "Mairzy Doats" in his falsetto treble; Horatio Q. Birthbath, Candy Hall and his bass, Mickey Katz, George Rock and the rest helping Jones clown through platter faves such as "Black Magic," "Holiday for Strings," "Shiek of Araby," among others. " . - Only time the boys get down to serious music is to provide accompani- ment lor Helen Greco, curvy blonde who does a neat warbling job on "I've Got the Sun in the Morning." South America, Take It Away," and 'Please Take Me Home This Mo- ment." .Dorese Midgely's terping switches from a fandango to a round of straight taps, with equal grace and dexterity.' Nancy MacDonald, who sits on a rocker throughout the show knitting, comes to life at the end and plays her harp during the Jones as- sassination of "Holiday for Strings." Miss L'arlyle winds , things up with her soprano yodeling of "Glow Worm" abetted in mayhem by Jones and'his crew. ' House jammed when caught (Sat. afternoon). Shal. Olympia, Miami : Miami, July 26. . Albins (2), Martin Bros., Howard Nichols, Joey Bishop, Virginia Vaughn, Les Rhode House Orch (13); "One More Tomorrow." . Circle, Indpls. Indianapolis, July 27, Jerry Wald Orch, with Roddy Mc Dowall, Artie Dann, Eve Mathews, Lynn Warren* Mary Nash; "The Fal con's Alibi" (RKO).- Jerry Wald, making his .first ap pearance on a local stage, furnishes the music for a live combination that pleases at the Circle this week. Band crowd takes at once to his arrangements, featuring Wald's clarinet with the solid backing of a good brass section and a first-rate vocalist in Mary Nash, who has a fresh and appealing way of warbling popular ballads. -Roddy McDowall, who has grown quite a bit since his last appearance here, also makes a nice impression with an amusing line of gab about himself and other film personalities. But the standout act oii the bill is Artie Dann, a new comedian who upsets the audience with his routines. Dann capitalizes on the fact that he has a nose second only to Jimmy Capitol, Wash. Washington, July 26. Jan Latin, Yvette, Helen* k How- ard, Benny Meroff; "Diary of a Chambermaid" (UA). Though lacking topliners, layout here this week manages to please, with accent on novelty turns. Joey Bishop, nitery comic, emcees proceedings ahd does neat job on the buildups. In own spot he essays some familiar gags which dont go too well. Builds with his satiric im- preshes, though, to top turn. Best returns were earned by takeoffs on Cagney, Robinson, Laughton and Boyer. New material would help plenty. ■ The Albins. oversized guy . and tiny femme purvey clever takeoff on adagio turns. Burlesque stunts are well worked out with spins and lifts accomplished . in easy manner to earn pair healthy salvos. Martin Bros, project a marionette stint which started slowly but wound up to heavy mining. Best in their • puppeteeririg was a little clown coming put of a suitcase and twin boogie players. Clown, espe- cially was invested with.an appeal- ing quality, which brought top re- sponse. Hoopster Harold Nicols does okay with innumerable hoops, spun from all angles and extremities. Tapster Virginia Vaughn clicks with neatly worked-out routines on miniature stairs and xylophone. Les Rhode house orchestra paces proceedings with neat version of "Panama" and backs rho.w smoothly. Biz fair when caught. Loew's Capitol comes through with a neat enough package this week, scoring nicely throughout without knocking anyone from a seat at any point Benny Meroff, heading the bill, wields the baton for Sam Jack Kauf- man's house orch, and paces *how as m.c. Meroff is at home on band- stand, and makes things hum. with his steady line of comedy. Gets plenty laughs for his'gags as m.c.. but at show caught audience failed to go all out with response to his in- dividual stint. . Mefoff goes through his paces with a pint-sized trumpet a volley of gags with a femme assistant playing straight, more horseplay with the baton, and a finale of .comic juggling, climaxed by some really high class maneuvering with a top hat. He has a fast anci varied act, with rJossibly a little too much of the borscht-type humor for these parts: Yvette, song stylist who Is sharing lop billing with Meroff, has a way with a son^ that carries her over the footlights and gives impression she is singing for each person in the audience. Her numbers are hep, ahd her style top drawer. Her opener, "There's No Business Like Show Business." makes the galleries part of the gnng. She -follows with "Lit- tle Surplus Me," a timely. novelty, well, geared, for this town. Returns to score with "Doin* What Comes Natur'lly." Opener. Jan Latin, pleases with a good balancing routine. Works smoothly, and has a few good hair- raisers. Completing the usual foursome Is Hclenc and Howard, youthful team Of dance comics, who follow the usual pattern of straight ballet then break into slapstick: Team,, wearing gay costumes, do two amusing numbers, which register. Lowe.