Variety (Sep 1946)

NIGHT CUJB REVIEWS Wedni'sday, St»i»l«mlM?r 11, 1946 Snatra's Sloogery for Phil Silvers' N. ¥. Nitery Preem an Inspired Event By HEUB GOLDKN * Proems of new shows in Manhat ta,, .istros have W^^^Jf-n^^ j t^Jnit^^Xrt^^'^^ fodder for ya-la-ta^ing over that opening at Monte Proser's Copaoa- bana Thursday (&). Occasion was ti<e bow-in of Phil Silvers (New Acts) ' for a four-week stint, but on the floor with him, separately and , to-, gather, at vario-is times, were Franlt colorful and fun-producing, and should ; click in theatre , dAtes also. Line of eight Copa galis remains in- tact, too, Ernie Hoist and liis orch provide the in-bctweeh musie> Show,, as a whole, ,asirie; from , Silvors', roti- tine. is beginnhig to fedly .show signs of wear, and Prosor is no doubt musicians. Sinatra, Milton Berle, Joe E. Lewis,! ^ pending Bob Crosb,v, |rMk?e_Hyers Jaeta^ 1 outcome of the . negotiations with Gieason and B. S. Pulley. That on ■ - ' , => the flooi" can be taken literally, too, for that's where a lot of the boys were, swimming in gallons of beer that they had sprayed over each 01 her breaking the mike into a dozen scattered parts, banging each- other over the head w'ori band instrument ^ Unlike most of his , pUKiisft'c" "cOnT temporaries. Joe ,Loui.s the lieavy- weisjiit titlchplder. i.sn't .waiting for retii ement to opoii : a . restaurant.. and otherwise mixmg rt up^ m one Qt. louLs ibined the Iraternity of ^Jaclc the wildest' half-houi-s of yalf-pro- , jjivk'ey -Walkei-," Abc' At- ducing toohshne,;- ever laughed at ^^j, ^-^ ^^^^ .^^^^ Tony Galento a restaurant in Harlem, in a New York n:tery. w'n'n his unveilins; of Under it all—difficult as it- will be , and cocktail loun.!>e, for those outside wf show business to : Wednesday (4); understand—Wa': n somber ;note. That This is one place where the champ rRucoUsnG.=.=;. in its way, was the. re- won't be able to ao 1.5 rouiids. and. Irase. in tribute to Rags Ragiand, of sLiO, be on top of the heap,: but it honest sentnnsnt pent up siiice his.: maltes him the .social .equal of Tami death a few weeks ago. Ragiand was I iviauriello. the Bion.x: barkeop, whom to have played the Cppa date with , ho meets Sept. 18, Siivers, That the tribute should , opening of the Joe Louis Bar have taken the form of the t^'O^S^- soXwus a couple of problems for the house that was: .Ragiand s medium,, cranio. It's a ready source of cash rather than in mawkish expres.sion. jo,. Louis, lor one thing. Again, was fitting. Silvers sn'i R-j.oaud had for man.v year.s- dating back to their bur- lesque days—be™ the perfect setiip; tor each other'L; sense of humor TheV had a lot o£ planned routines, which they ran through with a re- markable air of hcving just ad libbod architects cdnsidei'ately included an apartment for the Bomber on the top floor. Even if the .ioint never makes a nickel, which is unlikely, an anartinent is aorneUiins these days.' ■■ ''■ However. Louis i.sn't the sole bene- ficiary of this project. He's in on- a every word. BUi beyond that,, when j oerts ntage deal for oroviding the tliev got on a floor together, whether front and his spare time. Backers in a theatre or a parlor, the sponta- neous hiimot that one brou.ght out in the other ju-jc v/elled out without e.fort—and, some of their, friends ri'.called, without end. So the feel- ing was obviously deep when Silvers, in the only mention of the eveiiiing—- a;;d ' - - - . . . ,. of .thi.s $300,000 .enterprise is the Roth family who own two Broadway restaurants, and the Fishery, a 46th street sea-food restaurant, plus some ^pots they're (tot talkirig about. Apparently, there's no financial - , , , , , , j^,. risk connected with (his deal despite ■ n perfect tS-=tc—concluded,,the,; the husje initial outlay. Harlem, as er show by .sa.vmg quietly hed.^ell as ofay elements are seen as K„,., f„r Rags and giving a^ive support to the venture suppe .. „ - , tike "one bow for Rags" and scrammed off. as long as Louis is arotirid to autO' Sinatra's appearance with Silvers araph menus. Opening night, a line grew out of a tola- they took together . that would do credit to a Broad way for the USO throe years ago. It was! film house was waiting to. get in shortly after Th2 Voice had been re- while, hundreds watched the pro^ jected as a 4F and there was consid- cecdinas from across the .street Sev- erable fear that troops Overseas era! mounted and foot police wore would be less than happy to have ; necessary to keen order and admit him sing for them. Silvers taught' the crowd slowlv so that the rush hini some of the routines he and Rag- • wouldn't break up the place land did together, and, at each per- formance, woulij warm up the'audi- cnce for a while before Sinatra can^e wandering on. Silvers would brush him ott' as an unknown kid who had apparently lost his way and had , wound up on the platform by mis- .tlikS; The Voic^e flev/ 3,000 miles from Hollywood to repeat that bit of bu.si- Actually. the spot is divided into two ' parts, main room having a hoiseiihoe bar while adjoining room is a strai.ght eatery, where one can hear, but not see the. talent. *ljlfch w orli.s in the center of the bar. The decor consists of murals dealing With, soorts-twintings, along with others depicting Negro greats in- cluding Paul Robeson. Marion Ari iK-ss and take Rs.gland's place in the derson, Bill Roblh.soti;'and the usual act which Rags w&s supposed to have done with Silvers St the Copa. That arjpt-eciative: gesture by Sinatra un- derstandably sets him in a niche all hi.s own in the b;'-', sentimental heart of show business. As Ed Sullivan nod to Lincoln As nresently constituted, the en- tertainment is minor to the power- tul draw of the Loui.s label., but the Virginians, song and - in.strurrtental SrouD, which recently apneared at r.em;u-_ked in his column: "The wags; Locw's St.^1-;, and Norma Shcnherd" sr.y Sinatra has-^.o blood. Then,I'lL a ,ood-lookinc; son"s?ress adiriirably IS that course.s; fill the needs.. UnfortanatelV fatdt^ because that is^xhe^^^^hiK '^^^^-^^'^ ooenin^li^hl'f^ t;.ke whatever it tlirougii that big oecause mat ,is ire sort, of high-oc- minished fheir ovbToI u^^ufi that ,vd.ntifle, ■^-vJ^.!,^,-^^^^'^^ '^^Tylty Not only that, but the Kid was ter- 3ombe'r;'anS''!^n!^ oTHte'eelel^ thS 1 he as a comic, having apparently rirooned in. Inrliided Wei#f-rirmer absorbed during tho.se USQ dayij all Mayor Jimmv -Walker B 11 Rob^n- uat Slivers learned during long son. Bob Olin and Mike Jacobs jear.s m burlesque about tiThing— - -, : V;„„ Jose. (F0I5T l.EIC. N. mor*^ J?,''"?' <2,t.:";Berirw Parks, Wjdie,: Shore, ,= , .Bobbj/ ,; Railios & ,;lVoTO.,iWoraIes Orch.s; $3,5ft miniTnutn; , . , tirpin . which is plenty. Pair split some ribs v,'ith-tlieir ad libbing as well as with the routines, It, was all slightly more than terrific. Sinatra: .•rep,eated the stint, :at: the m.dr.ight show- jfriday Silvers is dnmg pretty niuch tiicsame act. in the regular slioWsV aided by a cpupl,'- other Copa per-. Xinneis (singers Bob Johnston: and i Th« Riviera -eat,::bt: a .partiiiulaHfly .luhe Wilson ), bat,, of course, ;he had : cold rbbm foranv perl'orinen because qui 0 a-hcad sta'-t that opening iii,ght: o'' its vast e.ifpjinse and it's a won- with The Voice as .stooge.: " d'''''that performi i-s get over as-well Silver.s cairio into Proaer's base- ■ ?■ A'ld that goes particu- ment on a loanout ftdm 20th-Fo3£ for : '''•.'"^ ''''' '^''^'hg singing acts.' xyhich he's appeared in a flock, of Millie Shore and Berriico Parks fi'ms during recent years. His return' t'P'i-'^Pquently. do as well as could be to Broadway—nvtire strictly. East ' f'^'PC.eted under t.'ie circumstances on ^ h street; he left Broadway when i ^ sp»i'sely attcn.icd opening night of ijilner .Mayor LaC-tiardia put the lid ; '^^'^ s'l"*' show iierc: .while the"Lane on Minsky's—created quite' a buzz, as evidenced b.y th-v turnout of celeb.<; tn« C,opa,:opfnirtg. Silvers has ^atil ehaplm, songwriter at the 20th- F(« studio, also on loanout, at the piano with him. Aside from the comic,'who follow.s l-eter Litld:..Haves' ptolongcd and. h.'ghfy. successful run, the rest of the , Cops show remai-iis status quo. An- i Bros,, with their standard acrobatics, manage to maintain the:sight values that they oxper'piice :wh6rever they nay, -,, ,■ , < \ ■■■■■ - ■ , It.'s always beo,.i a tough room to lul .'iCouslically. and Bill Miller the ownlface. has apparently sought to ,iM,se the fngidil.y with an innovation lor the new R.iViera—a line of girls It gives the spot, situated high up on ticipatmg that Jhe N, Y, musicians'! the Hudson bluffs, a touch of'.s a tha stnke might aff,..ct niteries, boniface; Hie shows earlier in the season'had ^,'',?''''^A"en'^'''.?.''°'''S^ ^evut^^With ! tieen:la4'kirtg.,,: And it helps the rou- tining, too, where before it was one the APM flreworlcs temporarilv in abeyance, "he held over the previous show,, whieh includes Johnston and *Tiss, Wilson, providing in good style the vocal backgrotiiids for fhe revue- Joe,y Gilbert, a ynungster whose tap- ter))in,g-is.:sure to get further notice' varbler Janef Goylord and Lynne Barrett, who does a modern ballet- ;.vpe dance. Show is backed up by tliu Lacuotia Cui^n Boys, who also performer folloAi-in? the other with- .out any semblaiiio of stagiijg. Shore, invariably a facile, funny guy. With-loads of tflent, had trouble opemng: night !<eiting to, his. audi- ence, and it was only a tribute to his hard punching that by the tiirje he l.clt thq ,Boor, lie had 'em in hLs palm. Playing before all kinds of audiences during tlie past few years, overseas for servieeinen, has given this midwest youngster plenty of audience savvy, . ' ; Mi.ss Parks, a redheaded looker, puts over a .song well, though she's i t-ying too hard to bo the"person- ality" type, of siivger. The music j was bad for her, ;as it. was for the ; other perforiiiei-s .at the opener, but ; -Siie managed to .I'Vereohie this hand- i' icap. and sock' over se\'eral rhythin tunes. That business, however, of I trying to a.ssuin.; loo friendly a con- tMCt with tier audience, such as,roc- , ognizing some o( the ringsiders and j haiiiiyg ''t"!!!. is b,orin}i stud', as i.s;that; ccyne.ss, when slie's calling for re- quests, ' Bobby Ramos' band, was oft'beat a, number of, times during its playing ; ol: the .show, ,whi'.p Morales' rhnmba' band maintains it.-- par for thi I/'tin ' dansapation, which is sock. Knlin. ; llliKo Aiif<«>i. \. V. ,Ric/iai'd Dyer - Bciiiiett, rrieiil Coreiy. Delta Rhilthin Bo!/-S, 15)-, Monica Lewis, Slaart Ross,:: Ellis Z/(ir),-in; $3,50:iniii. v , Max Gordon',; -and Herbert, Jlico^ ■ by's knack of slunveasinj;: :the BUie . Angel's performii'rs so' that they're y virtually .guarameeG to cliek i-in fill this easts id e intimerie with talent conndisseurs , tintil its\ seams break. I A crowd of this propprlions ushered i in the'Blue Aftg!;t!'i act-ivitii;s for the i .''eason Friday (6), When every square '■ inch of floor space was occupied and , a sizable Une .was waiting, for: admis- '-, sions beyond the rope, Opening show is a bolT exhibit with Blue Ang'.'l .slalwart.s. such as j Irwin Corey. Richisrd Dyer-Bennett : and Delta Rhythm Boys, topping ;. the talent ro.st':;r With the smart confereneiering of - Jacoby layout runs off in the usually smart tradi- tions of the- spoi, , Dyer-Bennett, a m,o, from Gor- don's other operation, the Village Vanguard,, is one of the top ballad singers giving oi't with old English and American :ehiVhti:es -in applau.se- winning manner. His ofTei'ings con- tain a high amount of literacy, .sly humor and are alfably delivered for top results. ■. Irwin Corey., by now'conceded . to! be ,a draw here has reached that position of eminerice with this spot's patrona.ge whor,> he can get away With virtually anything, and every- thing he does gefa hearty results: At showing caught, he didn't exhibit anything new, but, according to the cro.Wd's acceptance, there's no need, lor added matenal yet. The pro- fessor bit, French monolog, and "Barber of Sovi lie"' phono-panto nrimber hit their rriark. Delta Rhythm Boys, tour voices and a pianist, constitute a smooth song grpup. This, Ne'^ro outfit, giving olit with a smooth blend of harmonics, neatly tailored arrangements and personable mien, .'imilarly are in top vocal form. They responded with a p.iir of encores. New songstress here is Monica Lewis (New Acui, a neat looker and accomplished sin.ger'. The Ellis Larkin Trio backs the talent admirably, while Stuart Ross does the piaiio lulls, Jose. and Jean Sablon'j! more restrained I song-sel,liiig. In for two weeks, there , siiouUi be enou!,;ii collectors oC his i loreiiiii-made di.sfcs around—not "to n.entioii the fllin colony's t roncl) ' eontingent—to make it a proOlable | orga,gemenl. . l Ninety percent ot Trenet'.v stiifT is:j, in. his iiati;v.e tbiiKUev iiiost oiitsland-" iiig being "Pros do Toi, Mon Amour," "Bouin," "J'Ai T'l Main" and 'Fleiir Bieii." Soiiie idea <)f his ability to adlib his way to'solid yocks was- in evidence at tli'; white-tie opener, when he left Don Wood's orch be- hind in 'Je Chantc," broke oil to bid them eea.se and oesi-st, and then went it. alone. Also interpolated -sPme most aeceptable English iri ''I Don't Know Why" inee "Je Ne Sais Quoi"), and in a new one, "Chanson d'A- mour." Latter, like most of his .^on^!s, is original and very listen- .ible Unit Review I<*<>-4'aiiia«l4>!« ot 1947 Pittsburgh, Sept. 4. . .11(1111.. II. .lliii'i'lM 'nhl .,\ic.n:i. .\I;uiam'i;. Am- ' MiniKilnth in ciiivu'l iotl ol - itlv;ll!lli? : {-.vlrjn ji- lliinv.u iu:l\\'>.:!U'ls 'iiiil^liS inilHlH'r.'*. J>ii'crl i| li.v I'lu'.stiT Jl.ili', . n.sslhlf'il lij- ViiHl :ki.|Vv MuKir . .liM-iMlU' MiCvtiHll. : (''nm- :|'.'ri>f i Kr.ulk S:ill!lli'l'l; livc-lli-slc-iiiiaurteiV: |,v ,Mh-ilI; riiiil IIiili>N,:^ AiiiI'c 1) .MoiiU'ilorb.' niiil' I.(Ml I'liM'U'. l'nrH'ip:il.-: . nmiiAi Aiwiiinl. Iiiihli) hfiiTiil,. .vi.iiklniH una-'I'll,iin.;i,», 'i,;i-i„. Wniio, Al .SunMi,^ r>im ruinimi, Ul'ii S\V' l,';u'ni.\ , l.mn J.ic'Uhiin. UHlui MrUdr.-iM- ,\nil K..I,i),iiiM, ,<: lililyllic W;illi.v'. I':.Hi I'lliini.lli ll.Tllh' I.MilMll. iMvll TltvlWr; I'liiii-kii siiMii, i:.<iiiiii .si^ici's. Aliiti iidii'-- .l-iiil. .ViMlv.'s; W.'iill. 'I'rlxif, l,iMi I.OL'h. 11 .1,. t'.i( ■ I'-'lli-M,. ■'Uii>,iMlfUi! Hn-Vv-irl. ■ HHiIKmi 'I'wlivH. iiTfl .K^.l U;lii-hi', .\l!ii-,\ Jrwin, MIditii Ailfilr; )iM<I|'j:. lUiVli, K-'-'i'il l.nliiii', H'ranli M : Ai.iijt*iit;' ':l"lM' FliVitiiftaii,' \Vrtii-,-'n: lii'jiii- On the floor a half^hour, he could ! l';""ti- v>ii.rv -).ii'(.«;|).- iHitiiinj.-r Twins; ^ I'ltlwIiyi'Uli; Ifll.llO liiii. , . ; -• have stayed loiiser;, a'lid. was prtib ably smart to luai down an encore *^ Mike. Kl MorotM>«. l>lon<''l Jahimi/. Howard, Dennis Sisters i2), Adrian & Delphine, Hal Harf- It'y Oreli (13). r..ine (6), Continental .Trio; $1,.'>0 mill. There's bound to come .a day when ii'e siiow.s will ^ have tiscd iijj all sur- prises and extiienient. Th;it da.v ap- iiarentl.y ..has-not, yet arrived, how- I'ver, for 1947 "Ice-Cipades" latches on to a new high in luxury. Sovt nlli editioii ot extravaganza produced b,y John H, Harris for. the Arena Man- agers A.s.soi.'iatipii: is every inch: the: Harold Weinberg, who sets the El parlays, sliows plenty of b.o. savvy i Spectacular Seventh by bringing back Johnny Howard ; Preem here revealed very few and the Dennis Sisters on the same -; roti.'jh spots although new editioiv has bill. When this cOnibo played the;; been breaking iii piece by piece in spot tew months ago. the ropes were i Atlantic City tor several weeks- up every night. Same thing is liap-; slunv still runs a little long, more pening again. ,:'than thre-^'hours at getaway, but is ; Howard has brought a few :new -being .speeded up to clock a more thin.ijs along with his other -stufl, j t.onventioiial stretch. Lad does not use any -set routines as i. Each winter,, it seems unlikely that such but throws a fast line of gag- ' "Ice-Capade.s"- can lop prpdeces,-.or. ging that convulses the' payees. Special material bit on "Blues in the Ni,:;ht" garners good, response, How- ard gets, his results with a sock borscht belt style and the ringsiders eat it up. ■ Warbling Dennis Sisters eontrib is all , special material and clicko. Bouncy Holy Roller revival item knocks 'em dead. Duo sell their other stuff, expertly with sbck sales but ;:o.far it's always managed to do so. : Present show must have cost plenty and looks it. Costumes are nifty, and overhead ligliting is a big improvement over the roving spots of the pa.st. Whole thing's a caval- (rade of sk;;ting wonders and shim- mering loveliness. Most Of the faces are liimiliar.:but the way their silver blad<>,i behave, certainly isn't. Through ballet and jitterbug. manship. With more material alo^^^^ . ;„ ^„,^ ac,ohatics. precision and "^^.^''.'y ''"^^' ^^^y ^^"^'^'^ lounierpoinl. "Ice-Capades" spins really go places. I like a rainbow on a pinwheel. lee is temowV"T?e'r''scLu^^ " ''"l »*' roS-fro:;;tS-s^^ , ^YL^^ from here to New 'Sfork to direct the Villa;{4' Vanf$uard, X. V. Elcairor Bowers, Phil Leed.>t, Doii Frye, CMc-Cliocs (3). Stanley Faccy Trio,'110 coiicr, $2,50 7ntii, . C'li4>k. Phillv Philadelpfiin, Sept, 6. , Louis Prima Orch (16) luiOi Judy , Lynn, Jacfc : PouJers, Tune-Tirners, | Jack Verna. (4), ^Vtarligfiters (4), Men of Note (S); no cover or min. This is opening week for Frank Palumbo's unique nltery-^the Click, built on the site of Devvey Yessner's old Shangri-La. Featuring , the ,"longest bar in the world" (nearly 500 feet), the spot is angling for the elder trade by fea- turing.; top name bands. . Click's policy.:seems; to be to line the cus- tomers up,'at the bar, let thehi buy as little or as , much as they want and to listen to the music, Dartce space is confined to stage in front of turntable bandstand. Table accom- modations are for about 150 ivith bar space for more than 1,000. : Opening attraction, ;Louis Prima, iS starting the Click off with a re- sounding bang. Coming on every half-hour. Prima and his boys keeps 'he joint a-jumpin' with .sock rtiytniiFii.es,. vocals and especially the antics of maestro Prima himself. Vocalists Judy Lynn. Jack Powers and the Tune-Timers: quartet also giye- beaucoup a.ssis.ts. The customers really go for this outfit. , , Spelling Prima are three top-notch local aggregations—Men of Note' the Jack Verna quartet and the Star- lighters. Music is continuous with the spot opeh from 1 p.m. iintil 2 a.m.. When reviewed (Friday) the bar was lined, four deep with ap- proximately 1.000 patrons ' pa.ssing through the ' magic eye" doors Slial. f'Iro's, ll'nooil r-i. , ^ HpMvuiopd,; Sep/. 4. : Charles Trenel, bouncing Gallic (12) -Don Alfredo Rhumba Band (5); $2,50 cover. , Charles Trene.t bouncing Gallic Groaiicr, is making his west coast bow at Giro's, and it's exactly the right spot for showcasing the ohan- leurs intime way with a tune. Sandy-blond six-footef's ; delivery, embroidered with oo-la-la ge.stures, hat-crushing and orb-rollings aimed primarily at the femme trade but al.so plenty accepl<ible to the tab re- trievers, falls somewhere between the exuberance ot Maurice Clievaliet Village Vanguard, Greenwich Vil-' lage, N. Y., nitery, jackpots again with a neat layout of intime fare that's perfect for this postage stamp- sized bistro. , New layout has two repeaters; Phil Leeds in the comedy slot and Eleanor Bowers, songstress. Both turn out happy choices on audience reaction, Stanley Faeey Trio, comprising piano, clary- and drums, teepff session with sizzling version of "St. Louis Blues." giving way to Don Frye, Negro pianist doubling as emCee, who brings on Miss Bowers for song session. Gal is personable, has plea- sant voice and does neatly on couple of Scottish folksongs. "Spinning Wheel'' and "Truckle Him Down" that sets things .nicely for "All the Time," "September Song" and en- core, "Kerry Dancers" whicii .sets her solidl.y. Chic-Chocs, trio of sepia gals, give out acceptably wath Calypsos to merit nifty resporiso on -their first cafe date (New Acts,). , Leeds takes oyer,for his funster- inL> (.nd parodies that plant him neatly and then proceeds to knock him.self out to keep them happy. Lad has plenty know-how and slick sales- manship to get laughs anew from some gagstering that must have been repeaters from his previous appear- ance here; Withal he does a neat job and makes them like him. Yance.y trio, aside from doing a good job on .showhacking provide tunes for customer dansapation, with Frye handling lulls on piano. Edha. Ksqi (FOLLO'WUP) Montreal. Sept, 8. Comic Rod Rogers tops new &>- quire layout backed by warbler Bar- bara Hayes and tapsters The Rexers (2). St. Clair and: Durand, ball- roomologists, held- over from last session. Rogers registers for hefty returns with sock material. Lad missed a w'UR'.e on opening night because of a little, too much punching but sooii regained his balance. Comic savvies the: French ,lingo which is a big help in this spot-but he doesn't depend on it. Shakespearean item gets acro-ss nioety .but could use some editing for better timing. Best bit IS the Parisian number. Imitations al.so-pka.y, , . Winds up his stint with a fast patter and has to begoff. ,Barbara Hayes has a nice set of pipes. Gal's a looker and sells well on "Lady Be Good." "Gyps>y" and What Is This Thing Called Love'."' Rexers get across -with some fancy tapstering. Pair show nice routin- ing and bow off to warm palm whacking. St. Clair and Durand still registering in the holdover spot. Solid in-between act. Line i-outines repeated from last show. Biz okay. Laza. dunces in the Nat Kar.san musical,: "Sweet Bye and Bye"), pack plenly of eye luxury. Fii'.st act finale,"An.- tony and Cleopatra." is completely in the Hollywood tradition: "Easter Pa- rade'' has been costumed magniflcenl - ly and closing number, "Honeymoon Express," i,? a sock-finish winding up Willi the honeymoon couple or the obsiorvation platform ot The Chief while, a movie screen in the back gives the impression ot actual travel- ing. And ill among these spectacles, the show threads a steady run of le.s.ser but no more exquisite pag^ eants. . . ':■ ' ";'"- ' People haven't been overshadowed, though, in ail the sumptuousnea.s. You know every minute there are skaters on the ice as well as j<litler. Donna At wood looks better than ever, and does a fine piece of blade work in a little backsta,ge-al-the-bal- let cameo patterned after the Ballet Theatre's "On Stage" number. It's: built up nicely and gives Miss' At- wood. who's just as easy to look at as she is fascinating to watch, chance tp .dp. tlie best skafing, of her career. Bobby Speeht btfngs out a sock session every time he hits the spotlight and easil.y demonstrates wh,y he's hailed as "the greatest male skater in the world." Eric Waite cracks down hard on the comedy and gets howl.s in his couple of spots, whilo JacksOn and Lynam, latter just back from the army, are high in the laugii department, too, with their trick.? of fun and daring. Standbys like the Wallcys, Phil Taylor, and his stilts, jlig,gling Trixie. Red McCarthy, the -speed demon, Patti PhiUippi, Ann Robinson, Al Surette. Ghuckie Stein and those per- fectionists, Dench and Stewart, . je- united following Deneh's stretch in the army, all come through in style; Don Condon has a new partner, Au-: drey Scott, tor his adagio turn and she'.s okay, replacing Mary Bohland, who retired. Later Condon teams up with Mary Irwin and Esco LaRue, comic, for'a knockabout turn next- to-closing that's still punchy after several seasons. And. of course, still a smashing hit are the Old Smoothies, Irma Thomas and Orrin Markhus, doing their familiar Harvest Moon dance With a skill and grace that must awaken hope in the breast of every balding gentleman and grace- fully maturing woman in the audl- -encp. ,. - ' Newcomers thi.s seaion are terrii. Mullen Twins and Ed Balche, known as The Hub Trio beCora Uncle Sam separated them, toss in sensational acrobatit! tricks, some of which look absolutely impos-sible even after they do them; a youn.gster named Alan Konrad is a beautiful skater who's going places, and a smasheroo nov'- elty is the badminton turn of Hugh; Forgie and Slig Larson. It comes early and .sets a sizzling pace. Music is under knowing baton of Jerry. Mayluill. and Brian MacDnnald han- dles the announcements nicely. Vo- eals r>re done fvonj the band iiiatform by Eddie Buslv and, Molena Si»tera. Cohen,