Variety (Sep 1946)

56 HOIISB nKVIKWS Wednesday, ScplemWr 11, 1946 Yiddish Comic Menasha Skulmk Hit Of N. Y.'s Isl Postwar German Vaudery Ocrmaiv vaudeville, vU-tuaUy non- 'e;xL«i'Mt aiiri'ntj the war, made its comeback SatuvOay (7) al Carnegie Hall, N. V:, in a rt\anner, that should bi' an object loeson for bundiats, hi^ots . and, others still holding to Hitlerian tenets. One of the hits bl ^;ood-Iooking sGoian hoys from the Zanzibar, N. Y., are iii the lisual idiom of a tworniah ..comedy. : team, doing nicely with, songs and: g,igs. Bert Howell sings several pop tunes, denlonstrating a set'of nicely-toned tenor pipes, aim .sVipws his. versatility this show, called Kabarett Der iiy the way he handles a uUe and a Komilvcr^'cabaref has a different I viollh;, Bud. Bowser fills m capably oomwtation in Germany—was, Rip-i on the gag. routines and they have ley or hot,, IVienasha Siculriik, from ; to^Peg off. ■ . . ,. ., the Yiddish theatre, who wowed a ,Jane^ Kean starts ^slowly with a predominantly German audience , straight :renda.:on of a cot with ,a brand of comedy nurtured ,oh New York's: eastside and ,was cohsunied omriivorously. ; Skuinik, who comparatively re- cently started : .=00wing tor vaude audiences with his .dates at: Loew's , _ stride when she goes into: impressions of top femiiie sing- ers. A looker, she makes the most of ht?t' s.a. and does best at: comedy. Band negates some of hor best lines by blowing too hard, despite hef ■voluminous voiee. . Johnny ParMmount, IV* V* Charlie Spivak Orch (18) ioith Jimmy Saunders; Peggy Lee, Arnaut Bros., Bob £van5« "Mmneur Beau- caire" (Par) reviewed in Varjetv, May 15, '46. This stage setup got quite a break in slipping into the Par with Bob Ilopt-'s "Monsieur Beaucaire" film. Originally in for four, the run is now oegged at six weeks and possibly eight, With HopjV b.o. powet- sup- plying the addel time. Unfortunately, the stage show, headed by Chanie Spivak's orchestra and backed up by one ot the newest vocal stars, Pe.ggy Lee, and two .standard vaude turns, is fair at best. It could be a lot better,, It's sloppily produced. combination , , of : eight around the vaude circuits and knock themselves out to please in tap-terp- acro-comic routint.\ Comedy is lightweight and should either l)e eliminated completely or given a stronger play, while aero stuff needs polishing. Terping is okay, but gals could probably strengthen their act by accentuathig nostalgic numbers. Bobby Sn\ith comes off the stand' to display really top alto work in "Sneakin' Out." Interesting idea. Dancing on the vibes is not-new, but JimmV Smith does it with enough tiiiess^ to bring spontaxieous initting from an apathetic crowd. Dressed in sky blue topper and tails with white shoes, Smith opens with "Man I Love," .slicking to melody and ar- rangement rather than fancy terps. Swings "Stardust" tor great returns and closes with "Body and Soul" for begolT, Instrumentalizing is surpris brass, five sax, four rhythm, gio iped | . ^-j ,^ making for an all-around around the Iead<;i- s horn, can take, a r^,;J,,':,,?'^,,,,^' „„^(„ : ,. Urge slice of the blame for a so-so SlHte, upoiv the, recomm,Qndatiori of j Wu„i M,^cl„., cri^i 'm.; .anHit.nf>p ,-4n lilav artv York- Burke, m the next to .closing Spot, • : — old: World War I ^'mywS?ver'':thi? chief reasbri for the i S^Ss'but lias brought; his sadpah rou-i tlie :tirsl postwar appearance ot IWax i ,;^^^ "Hai-vest Moon" winner.s are: in,-J troduccd singly by Sullivan and go ,| through their p^ces ifoxtiot, waltz, rliuhnba, tango 'and jitterbugV foi" i about twQ min:u.te.s, eaGh> Jive hounds ,| mpst po.-itW'ar appearance : HansQii, thg notftd Danish comedian •Who came for: thi$ serie.s of t\vo shows at this hjll. He'll go back to I'lS native heatn when thi^ series is over. - Although non-Teuton- audi- ences ure faced with the language bsirrier. since ,inopt of his: comedy is sung;, reason fo/ his popularity is easy to perceive. He can take me- l.'idic German lied<.r and turn it into hilarious comedy with his interpre- tation and facial contortions. When he does the straight portions of his ■ ,schg,vhe's a top .seller with a robust and appealing, voice. The audience could have take.i more of his offer ing!!.-, , ■ , , Kurt Robitch-k, noted European'. co!,s/.o7is U); "FaHhjul producer who conterenciered, has ] Fashion" XM-G): • devised an entertainment which re- | . _ . : sembte thr kii. i prevalent in the, g^^,,. local board ates ot'Eui'ope. where the comics naturally; win the audience with their gyrations', but all are | much better than ' average.: Show winds with them: all dancing . to.- gether to '■.Harvest Moon." Slal. Karl«s I'hiily PliilfidelpJiid, Sept. 7. Airitio Key Orch luil/i Jimmy Joyce. Jo Ann Ryan, Cliiick Pe.er- S071, Air . Liners, Daimy firayson, in : My siiow. It's an uninsfjired group .that plays cleanly, bvit without any push whatsoever. It opens poorly with the usual sluffe^.l-cff up-tempo thing, and, gives the customers, something to look at and hoar in only two places throughout—a background ar- nmgement for Jimmy Saunders' "It You Were the Only / Girl" , and the band's old arrangement of "Elegy," Ix.lb of which rins in, neat muted hiaSs section.-,highlight.<s ,and other- wise make the customers sit up and ti.ke notice. Band's closing, seemingly designed to hook up, with the-next film into the- house,. Irving Berlin's "Blue Pk res" .flltii with' Bi n,fi, Crosby, is al so poorly done. It'va medley of Berlin iills, ,As usual in sucli cases, an at- visual and audio act. A sight comic, Pigmcat continues great at this housoi but burly black- out was niarrcd when caught by poor ,sound.which made the conver- sation unintelligible to balconeer.s, John Bunn, Sybil Lewis, and George Wilkshire form straight,team. , , : Colos and Atkins have been oper-^ atuig as a team, for only :a :,few months but have already ostabUshed themselves as one of the top-teams on the sepia circuit. After opening [With a specialty ,song which should i be done louder to be understood, guys go into a terp stanz.a that I wows. Precision stuflf is done almost I as one, and, breakaway solos arc I .'ipek. Appearance ,a,nd costuming put i fiiilshing touches ' to a boff act. , , ' Orch closes plug.gihg an plio of. , . , ,, . , ' their recorded ■ tunes,, of , which U-mpt to get m as many tunes as | ..^uxedo Junction" and "Tippin' In ?^^^u^^'::.^^L^ 5f„^ -h?s Bobby Smith reprising on tl c go in for politiiial satire as well a, s.,ng and dance work. At this seii- sion there was a rib of the belliger- ent doings of tr.e Paris peace con- ference, and a dig at the French boudoir drama, Thij form of cabaret entertainment flourished in pre-Hit- lerian Germany, and persisted in Prance oven dui'ing the German oc- cupation. There's nO chance, how-- ever, that Amefica will take to this idea, inasmuch as a Democratic bon- iface wiir still want Republican trade. Talent includ'jd other German name draws, including Lilian Har- vey, who workee in the old UFA productions, an.l become known to American audiences witli her worK in "Congress Dances," contributes S(ing and dialog. Her rendition of "Yiddishe Mamma," during which she occasionally referred to the, 1-,'ric written for her On ,a, card, can be con.strued as a disassociation of any , suspicions some may hold against her. Former topflight Gei- itian film ingenue. Miss Harvey still, looks good in a wardrobe of impres- sive sartorial display. Kitty Mattern, who made her American debut in a radio company of refugee entertain- ers, similarly contributes vocal work, while John Hendrik, a matinee idol , t.vpe singer; Eugene Hoffman, a port- ly tenor who doubles in comedy dia- log, and Ludwi,? Roth perform in the comedy sketches. Rosita Alonso contributed a ■ ciiange of pace with Castillian dance.s, while standard vaude turns rounding out the bill were Walter Dara Wahl and Grace Drysdale, who t-jok earned encores. Piano accom- p.animent v.'as by Erwin Straus. If this type oC .show continues at staid Carnegie Hall, vaude bookers may yet be forced to buy white ties and tails, Jose. al'ler a loiig absence Alvino Rey returns v.'ith a hangup one-hour , l^yocit::«( diyer^i- fied entertainment. Rey starts the proceedings with a hepped up "Ru.ssian Lullaby" and then brings on, ex-marine jimmy Joyce, who clicks with "Night and Day" in a neat baritone voice. Con- tinuih.g with" the chirping the Air- linerfour men and a gal including Joyce,. harmoniz';- on "The Gypsy," Maestro next solos on his electric guitar for the ever popular; "Star- dust" to garner nice applause. The Colstons, a mixed team of dance s-it- irists, follow in a fresh roiitine l;urlying ballroom dancing. Key's gal vocalist, Jo Ann Ryan, goes over nicely with two well- chosen numbers, "The V/ay the Wind Blows Tonight" and "To Each His Own." A couple of comedy novelty numbers .follou', "Ccn-ielVt Mixer," featuring Rocky Coluccio who steps down from the ivories to handle the vocals, and the entire ensemble in "Hobo, You Can't Ride That I'l-ain." Daiiny Drayson, personable yoiing comic, cliclvs big witji his clevin- de- livery of an army routine mono'og and a takeoff ot a trolley car rider. Preceding Drayson. trunipetei Chuck Peterson steps down front for a couple of choruses, "IVIy Sugar Is So Refined," and Ray for his specialty "talking guitar", with "My Buddy" and "lily Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean." Closes the show with "Tum- bling Turableweeds" by the entire gioup in a production l\nish. Shal, from-which not ci.e individual tune is done tasty enough for the audl- cice to get its teeth into. It. gave. f(,ir example, the opportunity for opivak to work out his most out- Stiihding .recori'-'d arrangement—of; Berlin's White Xmas." It, too, is siuuffed off. : - Work of Saunders, who has been ; with the band for some time, is its J standout item. He'.s on first with ! "Who Toid You That Lie'.'" and: "Pretty Girl." He also takes part; briefly in the closing medley. \ Production fa;i!ts are in the place- i nient of the acts. On Saunders' heals ; come the Arnaut Bro.=;, followed im- mediately by Pe.ggy Lee. She de- serves better spotting; She's brought on in a way that makes her look like .jiist another act instead of providing a production buildup commensurate with her secondary billing. Moving I'legy" up betwotp. her and the Ar- nruts would do it, instead of between her close and Bob Evans. alio iced. the Tomm. Xaiional, l/vill<> Loi(t.?tiilIc, Sept. (i. I RoI)i:'7'( A!dn, Georffc L»uns, Vir \ Hyde. Munnel Viera, Phil & Dot, : Phclp,!:, The Keinmys; "Unknown" i (Col). I Orliinlal, ClueoBo, Sept. 5, Ink Spots (4), Pefli Leg Bales. Cake Sl Poke, Ida James, Eddie Vin- son Orcli (19); "In Old Sacramenio" (Rep). Turnabout of the Oriental's bills for the last month in which the pic outdistanced the stage show as a b.o draw, current good biz can be credited to the solid sepia revue headed- by the Jnk Spots, with fliiu "In Old Sacramento" as an added attraction. Show gets olT to a fast start with Eddie Vinson's orch giving a bolt rendition of "Birth of the Blues," following with "Juice Head Baby'-' with Vinson in the tenor sax i\nd vocal solo. Orch scores heavily with "Cloanhead Boogie," a takeoff "on tlie mae-stro's: clean shaven head. Vin- son doubles as m.c. with i-nany of his' introductions lost to the payees by' starting to talk before the applause dies down. Chii-pstress Ida James gels salvos with "Shoo Fly Pie" and "I Won't Say I.Will—I Won't Say I :Won't,".: .. ':::■':' " ■ Peg fiCg Bates is solid in his danc- ing act; proving more capable and' versatile than some performers with two legs to stand on. His imitation of a dive-bomber in which he throws himself in the air. landing on his peg teg, is tops, Coke and Poke score with : their , .comedy chatter and ex- pert tap routines. ; Ink Spots round out the show offering "I'd Climb the Highest Mountain," ' "Gypsy." "Prisoner ot' Love," and . their old standby "If I Didn't Care," Act has alwa.ys been a Chi favorite and if payee's reaction to then- current ofTerings is an indi- cation, quartet can be .sure of sup- port if any future Chi engagement. Billy Kenny's high-pitched voice stands out all the way. . Foos Fi\'e :\aude acts, adding up. to a well balanced bill, and given strong musical support by Jack McConnell's pit crew (11). At show caught, opening act, Phil and Dot Phelps, had to take extra bows. As' 'Vic Hyde, m.c. said, "It sure is simtipin' when an opening act stops the show." The athletic pair specialize in head- to-head balancing, and excel, in that depai'tment, Hyde really cooks with gas as m.c. and in his own act. Has a lot of fun. as does the customers with his friendly chatter while giving his lip 'rtiVit the' '''^''^ trom strenuous trumpet play- layout runs appiovimatelv one hour ) "'".'?■ Closes wUh bandleader im- Ed Sullivan and the "Harvest Moon BW winners (10); Marianne, Hou'Bll & -Bott'scr, Jane Kean, Jfohnriy Burke; Lou Basii'.f House Orch (12); "The Thrill of Brazil" (Col), reviewed in Variety tfii,s- issue, . ■■■■ ■ ■ " State'" bill this: week includes the winners of the llth annual "Harvest Monn Ball" winners, and Ed .Sullivan, as in, previous years, is on hand to emcee. Addition of the tyro terpers to an already complete layout makes the bill over long, riinning to 70 min- utes,. Pro, acts are neatly balanced with comedy, songs and dancing, however, making the total easier to take. Lou Basil, replacing Ruby Cirelo. fii<l|»l»i. Indianapolis, Sept. 7. Johnnij Long Orch, njith Johnny Desmond, Francey Lane, . Sandy Evans, Lynn, Royce :& Nitza, Mar- shall Bros.; "Cuban Pete^ tU). Youth is haying quite a flirig at the Circle again this .week, while J[ohnny :Xong, and band play the tunes. : : The :, well-balanced,' nicely paced bill brings on Johnny Des- mond, as GI' crooner already has a l-jrge following among teen-agers, ■: Desmond gets,:. enthusiastic re- sponse when he: sings "I Don't Know Enough . About You," "My Blue Heaven," "I'hey.rSay It's Wohderlul," ''Prisoner , Of Love" ■ and a piece he wrote himself, "She's a Good Woman, You're a Bad Man'' and "You're Do- ing: Her No Good." a long-vvtnded title but hiS: topper, :It .proves' he can' sell both sweet,: and rhythmic stuff. ■ .Johnny- Long nfiixes : ,straight, and novelt.y numbers, With emphasis on the: latter, to the customers' satisfac- tion. The band sings and plays "Shanty TOwn,";"Blue Skies" , and f\.id there isn't-much room to move tiiings around is nc: c-cuso for the way the show is run off, , Arnaut Bros., a standard turn, i make the mOst of their inning and ' f arn a lot of solid appreciation. They do the fiddle and bird routines to a solid wave of belly-laughs, and de- serve the reaction they get. , Miss Lee, a Capitol disk rising- slar, hits the jachpot in more ways than one. A Stiinhing blonde in a well-chosen black gown,, she makes tne audience gasn when she comes into the spotlight, And from; there on she's in. Her routine, while it's solidly accepted, is at fault, too. She does all her record clicks, pa.st and piesent, and among them is only one pop, "I Don't Know Enough-About You," which she and her husband. Dave Barbour, wrote. She should do more, and, incidentally, should dwell a little longer on the author- ship of the tune as'well as identify- ing Barbour's connection with her. It's a touch that most audiences Vvould go for. As tor the rest of her routine, it's well done, though she doesn't get the sort of backing she requires from Spivak's rhythm sec- tion. She does "Baby, Won't You Please Come Home." "Whv Don't You Do, Right?" (a click while she was with Benny Goodman), and "Baby, You Was So Right." Bob Evans, ventriloquist, also does neatly with the payees. Routine has beoome standard with him (even the familiar gags are still good). One thing noticeable about him, however, is a tendency to "press." Hi.s shouted questions, purportedly frohi the dummy to him, and the shouted an- \yers, vice vers,!, arc too emphatic and over-played. Wood. IwPrtinf'^'io^.''?^^!^^^^^ "itty arrangements smartly .dwellings shoes capably, although .and gets a isDecial rise from th* he ll have to learn to tone down the : hoSse^ with. 'If ° ' ""^ ■ volumem spots, , As in -previous years, the "Harvest Moon" winners sit on the stage dur- ing the entire show and are hardly noticed by the audience until they get their cVirthce'in the closing spot. Sullivan, Bioadway, columnist of the: N. Y. Daily News, which sponsors , theannua! "Harvest Moon Ball" con- test'and for Whose finals Sullivan al- ways emcees, is crisp and generally ,aiy improved guy at the mike. He's Inclined to pull some corny gags, but, by and large, he helps to retain audi- ence attention in the dancers. Marianne, twirl artist fresh from the Latin Quarter, N. Y., is sock in har impressionistic dancing to "Be- gin the Beguin.y' and "Bolero." Howell artd Bowser, a-brace of Sinatra, house: with' a, comedy percussion .riumber : fea-turing Floyd Sullivan, the^dfumnier, Francey Lane, a for- mer local girl featured as vocalist, turns,on plenty of charm in "Doin' What ,, Comes :Natur'lly,". :"South America, Take It Away" and "Stone Cold Deid" Besides teaming with Miss Lane in a duet of "I'm a Big, Girl Now," Sandy Evans gets nice feturns for his warbling: of "Mabel, Mabel," "To Eath , His. .•C)wh"-:'.and "Give Me Five Minutes More." "' The extra acts help round out a strong program; Lynn, Royce and Nitza with some funny takeoHTs oh the ballroom routines and Marshall brothers with their satirical treat- ment of radio commercials and per- sonalities. Including Cro.^by and Apollo. Y. : Ersfcine Hatufcins Orcfi (19), with Jimmy Mitchell, Bobby Smith; Claire \ Sisters (3), Pigmeat, John Bunn, 1 George Wilkshire and Sybil Lewis, \ Jimmy'Smith, Honey Coles k Cholly [Atkins; "The Sliadoi^ Returns" \ moflo). picsh. giving out With his multiple trumpets on military tune. Gets oVer big. , ^ ^ , : The Kemmy's. brother . and sister act, do knockabout acrobatics, and guy gets a full measure of comedy from prop hat, which keeps falling off while they are, doing their stunts. Pair garner laughs- Without strain- ing, and make their lifts and bal- ancing seem vcr.y-easy. Bill topper, Robert Alda, por- trayer of George Gershwin in the Warner's film "Rhapsody in Blue," talks a little, flashes a winning smile, sings a couple pops, and then has a lot of fun with George Lewis, comic, in, a routine of gags reminiscent of hurley. Both click neatly in their repartee, Manuel Viera and monkeys fol- low. He puts simians through their paces while on pedestals atop a large chrome cabinet. Monks are facile when it comes to expression, and obey trainer with near human in- telligence. One of the monks plays an electric xylophone (really a celeste), and picks out the melody with uncanny accuracy. This stunt alone makes the act outstanding, A swell closer that garners nifty applause. ^old. liax'^y. ]>lonfreal Trumpet Twins, Bobby Wayne Frank Paris, Milton Douglas & Co. (2), 4 Macks. Don Hootua, Lorna Rode, Len Howard Oreh (9), Line tl2). Corf). Bill at Harlem's flagship is one of its best efforts in recent, weeks, spic- ing terp and music with the surefire antics of Pigmcat, vet comic. En- lire, show is paced by El'skine Hawk- ins" brassy group, which has five trumpets and five trombones besides the: Hawkins horn; five reed an<l four rhythm fill out the band. Following a crash opener, band -swings into "Don't Say You're Sorry Again," with Jimmy Mitehell on the vocal. Arrangement has a bluesy clarinet over moaning muted brass, making the chirp stint plenty listeh- able, a nice contrast to outfits which drown their singers in brass notes. Claire Sisters are evidently old troupers showcased here for another try. Three ofay gals have been Too bad more effort, isn't put into production end of Gayety shows in view ot the clicko stints seen here. Settings are old and drab, chorus line is sloppy from routines to cos- tume;;, and generally , this vauder doesn't give acts much,;assist, New parlay shows up nicely, de- spite handicaps, with IViiltOh Doug- las stepping into the m.c. spot. Dou,:jlas' genial personality: helps : his gag selling, with even: the oldies ! ragii5tering. Skit done in his own I spot also gels nice returns, i Trumpet Twins register in mu- . Kical novelty act, with lad doing the pJahistics and horn, with gal also shining in horn solos. Duo come bf-ck for boff 'moressions of name bands, , , Bobby Wayne's bafitoning gets hefty ,palm,-whacking with standard iteriis like "Sorrento," "Sun in the Morning," "Little Bit of Heaven," Puppet stint of Frank'Paris gets .^ock reaction wit'i lifelike dolls. Good variety with dog doing ballet, ice skater, ballroomologists. Don Hootua's lassoo and rope twirling sells big, as do the Four Macks in a po. ished roller-skating stint. Lorna Rode is the eyefilling gal in the strip spot. Len Howards <irch does okay ', n allow cutting. Bi'is good. Laza. Taiiilol. Wash. W(i.s-/itnfliton, Sept. B. Doiothy Byton Cirh (12), Georgie haye, Nhska. Duke Art & Junior- "Smoky" (2{)lh). Vaude bill is definitely routine thi.s .week, with nothing outstanding Irom the four acts; including the. Dorothy Byton chorus, which head- lines the sliow. This dancing do/.en puts over two terp numbers, each, of better-than- avoiage quality but nothing to set the audience gaping. Tirst is a colorful, eye-filling fan dance which goes over well. Second is chorus routine on the acrobatic side. Claymodcler Duke Art and Junior (the mi.ssus) get good reception,,Act shows Art, a pleasant-looking lad, slapping clay into a holf-dozeli prototypes (the all-american gal, the mother-in-law. Uncle Sam, etc.) in a matter of seconds. Duke is a skil- ful performer and accompanies his- a itistic legerdemai n with appropi'i- ate comic banter.. Spectacle terping is provided, by Nirska who returns to Capitol in pITectiA-e version ot a ' butterfly dance. She manlps huge silken wings as human butterfly and: with, aid of some startling lighting: effects, puts over a good number. Comic relief come from Georgie Kaye, making his first appearance at the Capitol. Kaye makes with the slick, quick patter-without-class, leaving impression with audience they've seen and heard him and hiS: .iokcs many times before. Kaye's biggest laughs come from the distaf- lers in the audience.. He revives the Irousers^dropping routine and varies the wisecracks with a song. Holl. ]»llllion Dollar, L. A. Lo,<r Angeles, Sept. 7. Lucky MiUinder's Orch (15) loith; Annis(«(!ii Alfeii. Bull Moose Jack- son, Leon Migarian; Joe Wong, Busir ness7rien of Rhythm (2); "Blonde for a Day" (PRC). Loiid, fast jive bill this week fits Million Dollar customer demands. Onlv break in the rhythm is comedy turri of Joe Wong, Chinese comic. Lucky MiUinder's orch blows the hot notes for good reaction and for finale doe;! change of pace that pleased, selling his version of ' War-, saw Concerto", to hefty returns. , Band opens with driving rendition of "Gre.iscd Lightning," then takes off with "I Can't Get .Started With: You," featuring Leon Migarian om trumpet. "Central Avenue .Boogie , is a loud rhythmic concehttation- with clever sax passages and: strong ivorybeating by Bill Mann, "&, 1- Medley" also features potent sax noodling. For a novelty Bull Moose Jackson, sax. vocals "Who Threw the Whiskey in the Welh" Other vocals are handled capably by orch'sf emme canary, , Annisteen Allen, who sells "Take Me Back to Little Rock, "Bee-BaBa-Reo-Bop" and" 'Good Blues Tbnight." Tap work of the Bu.sinessmen of Rhythm is clever and. rates sock salvos. Joe Wong's imitation.s Of" Perry Como, the Ink Spots, Sinati'a and others also clicks, ,but _comic overpla,ys blue spots in his chatter, particularly before predominantly ;iuve audience. Brog. .roan Roberts has been signed for the Copley Plaza hotel, Boston, start- ing Oct, 9.