Variety (Nov 1946)

HOUSE RKVIKWS Wednesday, November 13, 194'6 Capitol, ¥. ; EiiTic MaATiguera Orch (20t u>i(,/» Patricia GUmore; Lane & Sinclair, Jlinlnli Sisters (3), Charles Frcd- ericks: "M.age in Heaven" (M^Gi. Stasc shfjiw accompanying "Rage ' in Heaven,": a rei^iSiie fiUliiR time, bo- j tweeri Ihe withdrawn, "No bcave, j No Love" and "Undercurrent," in ! next, is a lair Uneup at boiU; 'This I is one oi those shovvs vvliorein the! foinpontnit parts all. oliclj to varying. I ..'dei(i"i;t"s, yet! '■ the • ' overall inipatt^ i loaves ,a lot to be desired-,. It just doesn't jell. , ,| .Knric Madriguera'is orcfte-stra ial tlu''foundation. Leading five bras.s, ' five sax. [ouv fiddles and five rhythm ,includini> bongo aufJ maracas. he turhii in a neat job, running the .ga- jiiul; of, tertipi from the opening .■'iVEaaTia Ino?." to Ravel's "Bolero." He him.self contributes a fiddle solo of ■■Stardu-st" that cdriyihees the', ciis- tdmcrs h^'.'i quite a boy with the cat,!>ut.: Patricia Gllmpre Madri- guera's iVOcaTizing wife, Avorlss;: OVW" "CofVce Song." "How Did He l,ook" and leads ihe / group; in- a, calypso luiniber built around Songwriters, Her voice i,"; okay ,and,cwstoniei-s like the ,bit very much. There are 'three acts willi Madri- 1 guera. First is. Lane & Sinclair. This is still one of the ,ni,o.st likeable-tefp trirn-< arouiid., an: impression aided j consideraljl.Y,, by: the , gal., who pre-' sont.s a perl, fresh appearance. Act c<)n.si.sts of a ".'stocking"-' dance and aero bit. , Murtah- .Sisters - .are:' , the, cla.«s of the bill. Their mugging,-comedy and general uhinhibited behavior riicks the ciisfomers where it feels good and as! a result ttiey have , a hard ;: time: getting: off. - They do a bit on singing cnnmiercials, using the "Chi- quita Banana" tune, that's immense- ly amusing. Ditto their "Hawaiian War Ghaht" ,' ro,i)tine. ' Suspended from the talent of the brunette sister (other^i are blonde and redlieaded), whp'ii an extraordinary mugger, the act' "is. a valuable addition "to any ■:.show', ;-;-■/,.,- ■ ' ,, ■ Charles Fredericks, baritone spotted in the Broadway revival of "Showboat," also makes a good im- ,prcssion on the stubholders, but he*s got a, long way to go before his work li\'es Up to, the latter's opinion here; He has a good . voices one that does a nice enough job on such thing.s as "Make Believe,",:-"Why: Do :I Love You," etc., from the show, bint his work on "Glory Road," "Song of the : Open Road" and itenns of that ilk leave a lot to be desired. "Glory," I for example, is a dramatic piece which tells a story. He does it as exuberantly and- as lightly as "Make Believe." Still, the customers voice ■their appreciation: Wood. Englj.sh stars mouthing "Old Black Joe." Weber has dropped his gro- tesque attire to advantage and gar- n,ers top results with straight de- liverv of his stuff. Bit With fonmie mouthing the lyrics to his own vo- calizing is a .good spot and encore of, "Brother, Can You -Sparc a Dime" dramatiGally delivered after a valher stroh,g: pitch to hold on to war bonds and saving.s,to ward off the depres- sion-born reason for the song's orifii- nal introductibrij is - a rcai show haltor,,, ..: ': '!::■ ■'':',■: Pace holds rriightiiy via, ,L,6'Vraihe Rbgnan, working witli,Pat'McCaffrey and punching out a socle sotto of comedy kriockabout, dancing and general clowning, This-gal has cou- sidcrabie stuff and ■ is a real poten- tial tor musical-tomedy. pix or more ambitious doings. Knows hor way with an audience and packs a mighty talent sock. Good foiling by Mc- Catfrey, who comes through with a clarinet sojo on his own that rings the bell.-- ■.„■,. - '<';, ,','^ ■•..■;■',::,;-.■■ :- . . Biz okay. Biiriii. Stotc, IV. Y. Henny Youngman, Stan Fisher, Rnlh & Billy Ambrose, Sara Ann McCabe. Mazzone & Abbott Dancers (f)); Lou Basil Bouse Orch (i.2); "VV;iite Tie onci Tails" tU), rci'ieioed ill Variety this issue. IVaiional, l/ville LouisuiJIe, iVor. 8. Hal: Mclntjyre Orch (16> rdth Franki^ Lester,' Johwiiv TiiTnhulf, Nancy Reed, Dartiij/ VDraj/so-'ij The Dehnnr.^;: "Swamp?Fire": iPaf).. ' ■; Gayet.v, Moiin - - .J- .: ' - Montreal, NOr. 11. yaiighan Trinnier, Flying Marinas '4) . Bob Karl, Bert York & Co. (2) Edward Weston, 3 MetideU, Fayne & Foster, Carol Lecloire, Left Hoio- ard Orch (H) Line (10). : Gayety layout this week shapes VP nicely with all acts making for a well-balanced show. Comedv is in the: hands of Bert York and com- paiiy. York works a slapstick rou- tine that gets yocks. Vaughan Trinnier. who registers in his Q-wn spot; also emcees in creditable fashion. He doesn't reach for lau.uhs and does a straight job. tad, liits a nice set of pipes 'and clicks in "Open Road," "Somewhere in the K^ '-t" and a modern version .. of "Moll.v iVIalone..". : Flyin.« .H.- inofi—three gals and a gu.y—arc o >("o in tlieir aerial stint. Act j.s . dv'.-:;--d nicely,-, which is a htg selling. fiVctor. Bob Karl scores Jn. a ventre routine using ■ thive .dummies. Act : is c'everl-.' Lut to- gether and materiivi-is clicko. - , ^dward Weston re" isiprs' iii some S^'i^'v* taperoos, best bil being his .'Maleguena." . '■ . The Three Mendc's. acn-bal- ancmg stirred up with a da h of comedy, also get hefty palm wo:r. k- ^g: &nd have to beg off. Favnc aiv) .Foster do a musical noveUv art .-nothing out of the ordinarv. bul lucely received. ' Carol Leclair'e, easy On the eyes shows up well in the stripper's sjjot' Line is okay and Len Howard's orch backs up (ho parlay in hep fashion. ■ ■- - ■ ■ -: ■" ':- ■ La^a.,-- The Lambertls were the Opening turn Thursday: (7), but had to drop out after the first show, due. to a sprained ankle.' Claire & Hudson, mixed aero team were substituted for the remaining three perform- ahces, and The. Delmars, acrobatic trio, then were spotted to open the balance of, the week. Two males and a feinme, they work in evening togs, and deliver a class aero session, working - smoothly and , wittiout ap- parent effort. /Their three-^high bal- ancing, .with' the femme doing her share of the support, is topnotch. , Comedy portion is ably handled by Danny Drayson. L.ad tees off with some spicy chatter which warms up the customers to receive his comedy footvvork and falls. His stuff is a little on the bluish side, but he has a disarrhirig delivery which eliminates ■ any possibijity of giving offense. - Hal Mclntyre's: hand (16) is a youthful crew. Piano is spotted on the :right -Side of the stage. Gets some nice soft effects, with grouped muled trombones and trumpets with "Blue Skies" and "Swanee River." Gives the kids what they were evi- dently/waiting for with plenty of brass and jump on "St. Louis Blues" and "Cherry Lane Flip." ■ Drummer is spotlighted to make a solid im- pression, in fact the rhythm section is strictly solid Jackson. Three vocalists. Nancy Reed, Frankie Lester and Johnny Trum- bull, provide quality and quantity in the singing department, , Miss Reed, cute songstress goes over big- with "South America Take It Away" and "Blue Heaven." Then takes over the piano for self accompaniment on "Can't Give You Anything But Love," "The One I Love, Belongs to Somebody Else" and "Sunny/Side of Street" for additional salvos. Turnbull clicks with "My Sugar Is So Refined" and Lester is also solid on "Five Minutes More," "Embrace- able You" and "Girl That I Marry." Hold. New State show, from the opening i orch number/to the: flash finale by the iWazzone and Abbott Dancers, is comprised of seasoned perforrners wlui've ail proved their worlli. Re- sult is a pleasant round of diversified entertainraenti- /paced' :by Kenny Youngman, vvho was rung in as a Ia.sl-minute sub for ailing Bci't Wheeler. /Bill ran an-overlong ,75 minutes on opening night (7), but aside from that was all .sock .'?tuff. I^ou Basil's house orch, playing in the pit this session, chalks up its best job since Basil replaced Huby Zvverl- ing at the helm several months ago. Band opens" with a clas.sic-swing ren- dition of Puke Ellington's "Caval- cade," and backs the rest of the show in top fashion. And with the various acts it has to play to, that's a tough a.ssignment. , , Ruth and Billy -Arhbrosc,/versa tile terpers, sta'rt things humming with some ballroom adagio stuff seguing into a sonp-;and-<iance routine. They close to njce returns, with their spe- cialty satire on a couple of a.k.'s doing a polka. Youngman takes over next: to - handle the show, and, after squelching his usual audience hecik- ler.s, goes into his gag. lines, some older than Joe Miller, but all draw- ing yocks via slick delivery. He kids around with the acts in iiitroing them and shines again in next to closing with a socko satire on the raft of new Hollywood biopix. Stan Fisher, Milton Berle's har- monica virtuoso protege, lets himself wide open for comparison to master Larry Adler by playing "Clair de Lune"—and carries it off okay. He hasn't got. Adler's precise breathing technique down pat yet, but demon- strates fine ability in a couple of showoff numbers. His ingratiating juve personality does a lot to help him sell, and result is a begoff. Sara Ann McCabe, who's vocal- ized witli- her mezzo-soprano from the "Ziegfeld Follies" to NBC, sings a couple of pops in okay fashion, and then really lets go on a Rudolf Friml medley, holding the audience with some high, prolonged notes. Little gal with plenty of volume, she'd probably do better without the mike, Mazzone and Abbott dancers close the show with an Apache dance that leaves the customers gasping. Four /gals and a hoy toss each other around, fall from high altitudes to the fl-oor,-smash furniture over each other's heads and commit general mayhem so heftily it's almp.st a sur- prise to see them get up for their bow.s. Whole thing is enacted against an attractive set that makes for a potent production number. Stfll. HippodroiiKv Ilalio Baltimore, Nov, 10 Roddy McDouJoll, Rex Weber (2) 4 Elglns, Lorraine Rognan with Pat McCaffreu, Felice lula House Orch (12) ; ••The. ThHll of. BraziV <Col). GoW layout of standards is given some draught via p.a. of Rodd.y Mc- Dowall, who contributes a legitimate spot of good talk nicely delivered and sold for a pleasing getaway. Show opens with practiced hat and club tossing b.v' the Four Elgins, who sell surely and swiftly. Three males and femitie work in some comedy 'via a volunteer from the audience and make everything count. Following McDowall in the deuce, Eex Weber gives out with his trick veJitriloquism, singing . legitimately throijgh tightly closed Tips and ing good response for fttipression of f apltnl^ Wash. Washjnatoii, Wor. 8. The Barrets (2), Harry Babbitt, Maxellos W, Johnny Burke; ••[•ve Always Loved You" (Rep), I Capitol's layout this week is tailor-made / for its Tegular cus- tomers, and so designed that it clicks even with class trade house is gar- nering via screen feature. Harry Babbitt, headlining, proves to be first show stopper in these parts for many a month, A grad of Kay Kyser's band, Babbitt, just out ot service, is well set on the road back—and up—^if - reception here means anything. At some of the shows, tenor has had to pull up a chair and stay on stage during fdl- levying act to keep things rolling. , Babbitt is a crooner along stand- 1 ard lines, with a nice modest p're.scn- [ tation and pleasing personality, i Voice ,is clear and well pitched; but I not .sensational. Sings a group of sentimental : lyrics-"Five Minutes ■Moi-e.""If You Were the Only Girl," and "Ni'Tht and Day"—for rousing returns. Encores with "The Girl That I Marry." "Who Wouldn't Love You." and "Embraceable You." Maxellos, snappy combo Of acres, two, men and two gals, offer nifty routine of gyrana.stios that garners plenty appreciation. Opener is a young dance team, the Barretts, who do a trio of fast, pleas- ant numbers. Customers warm Up as act goes oHj coming through splendidly for final jive number, Johnny Burke, Clicks with - dual appeal. Oldsters get a no.stalgic kick out of this hangover from World War L Rest of aiidienco, largely ex-GI's, practically fall out of their seats laughing. Burke, still in the same burlesqued uniform at 1.918, witth the same ehip-oh-thc- shoiildcr line, the same razor-edged voice, ancSeven the same corny gags, has the house in a continual roar of appreciation, Special long-hair overtur? for pie, by house orch, plus guest pianist, completes sock hiU. Lou-re. Palomar, Scatiie Seottlc, Nov. 7. Tex & Wildo, Chill Wills, Sgt. Glenn Michael, Harru Green & Doodles, Bartlett Sisters, Joe Yule, Chuck Gould House Orch (9); ' Shadow of a Woman" (WB). Chill Wills, of the fihns, and Joe Yule, billed as Mickey Rooney's dad, head this show in the third week of the Palomar's return to vaudC, but if customers are to be attracted they'll have to do better. Wills acts as emcee, filling in with chatter and song and does "all right, but his ma- terial, along with much used by the other acts, could use a heavy blue pencil, as it is srtlutty and unfunny. Yule doesn't need the Rooney bill- ing, as he holds his own and could do a single that would get by any- where, pulling plenty of laughs in his act; with 'Wills. Tex and Wilda have a whip-crack- ing and knife throwing act: Harry Green, ventre, with Doodles, has an unusual touch in his takeoff on a mirid-reading/act in which he goes into the audience, but he, along with the Bartlett duo, who harmonize, seem to think that the only way to pull a laugh is to go off color. , Sgt. Glenn Michael; still in uni- form, and still in the Army, does a nice job at/the piano on-"Polonaise" and "Rhapsody in Blue,'' while the Chuck Gould house orchestra, on stagei opens; the show with "Five Minutes More." Small house at first afternoon show. : Reed. Olympia, Miami ; - Midfiii, Nov. 8. Edith Felloios, Vic Hyde, Jay Seller, LeBrun & Campbell. The Cycleonians, Les Rhode House Orch (i;i); "Ttoo Ycors Be/ore the Mast" (Par). Combo of "Two Years Before Mast" and a neatly balanced layout should rack up: healthy grosses here this- week. / Film youngster Edith Fellows gets over in better fashion than most other Hollywood names who've played here. Does okay with her son.r'.s which include "Still Of The Ni"ht," and "Waltz Song" topping with "Lord's Prayer." Stint, though slowly paced, earns her healthy mif- ,ting.-: Mugging Jay Seller emcees layout in good style and in own spot reg- isters foi^ laughs with hss 'sight stuff. Dishes up takeoSs on ma- gicos, rumbEi dancers among others, to g«t the giggles. Wraps up with his now standard oversizcd-skiis routine. Vic Hyde adds to laugh-side with his mixture of corn and zany music making. Biz with trumpets adds to overall eft'ect to garner solid palm- whacks. Pacing proceedings are the Cycle- onians and their pedalanties, Reg- ister for good returns. LeBrun and Campbell are a nice team of ball- roomologists. Routines are care- fully worked out and colorXuily staged. - Les Rhode and house orch back .show in ; solid fashion. ! Biz good when caught. : , . Lai'y. lUKO, Boston Boston, Nov. 8. Hal LeRou, 3 Stooge), Dolly Doicn CoH/ield Smith, 6 MartJclettes, :l,orn/ Flint House Orch; "The Kiilers'" Apollo, 9i. V. Roy Milton Orch (.6), with Ga«iille 1/Qiuurd; Jeter Pillars Ba-iid (15) with Betty . Roche; Pionieat, John Bunti, Sybil Lewis; Millie & Billte,- Addisoii Carey dancers (12) with Phi/lli.'! & -Gomez; "Inner Circle" (Rep). Qutititity as a substitute for overall quality lost out this week at the Apollo, but the layout has its high spots, chief among them the fine race tunes of the Roy Milton combo. Return of the, Addison Carey dan-^ ccrs also provides a few laughs and some imaginative production num- bers. Line of six gals and six lads open with a I'ennsyivania station routine that took a while to get rolling and then shaped up to not very much. Jeter Pillars band, a St. Louis im- port, brought with it all the corn in Missouri, music-wise. Not the best listening in these parts. Open their stint with "Fish-market," a melange of tuneless brass. Arch's swooner, Jimmy Taylor, comes out of the reed section for "You Go To My Head." Over- .slylized vocalizing! fades in and out, with occasional key words chewed up; evidently trying to be a carbon of Ellington's Al Kibbler. Otis White's alto sax is unsensational. : Millie and BilUe have an'old , and somewhat stiff /song and dance stanza. Gal fakes her .steps; Bid for audience sympathy is made wheiv Billie tells 'em she's his daughter. Pigmeat never fails to score here arid, comes through again with his burly blackout, slightly bluer than previous tries. Word play is on balls | and .strikes in a ba-seball game. Pillars' vocalist, Betty Roche, shows nothing but an extraordinarily wide pair of hips on a short,frame, of which much is made in a specialty song, Sings "Amor," "Betty's Boogie" and ''It's A Pity to Say Goodnight." "Voice is raspy and hard to take. "Kokomo" is band's best number, featuring a small sombo composed of tenor, alto; trumpet and rhythm. Alto work is especially good; Production number of the evening wa.s a combination "Surrender," with Gomez and Phyllis, and "Cal- donia" with Sybil Lewis and George Wilberforce. Interplay between the line, divided into reserved waltzers and abandones blusers, had nice ef- fect and stint is well handled. Roy Milton group, with a trumpet, alto, tenor, piano, bass and drums, was the bill's best offering. Milton opens with "After You've Gone," "Groovy Blues" and then Camille Howard does her number for solid returns. Milton combo plays fine race music. Tonm. Routine vaiide layout for h.o. oC the pic here, notable chiefly for some classy terpii\g by reliable Hal LcRoy and some equally classy warbling liy Dolly Dawn, who'i a WoW' looker from any-angle. ■ , ' : - Show's opened by Six Marvelettes in a fast tumbling and acto act along I'amihar lines but always good when/ given the pace these kids give il. Confield Smith, ventro, gets off to an easy start with his dumbo Snod'gra.ss, but picks up the beat as he goes along with impudent cross-talk and finishes neatly. , Miss Dawn, vastly improved- since last appearance here, sings with a smart intonation, a lot of stuff and as well-controlled a set of pipes as any of them. She does "South America. Take It Away," "You Come Back Like a Song," etc., to hefty applause. LeRoy, in standard dance act, goes equally big as result Ot intricate and fast-moving steps and tapperoos. Three Stooges, their act differing in no detail from the same layout a decade ago, boat each other to a pulp and eontrib their usual assortment of vulgarities, but go as always with the customers. Biz was big despite h.o. nf pic. •■ • ■ Elie. . Unit Review l<M> TyPit's of l»4ffi (PLA-MOE, K. C.) Kansas City, Nov, 8. ■ "Ii-f ■ r'\-t'Ii\s OL' llljd," liro(hiC0{l b>- -.lolin ri. Hin-ris, Oscar 1'"- .lolmson and lOddii; ami U(,y Sliipi^Uul. Muyk'Jit ciiret-Lo,r. Geoi-f^a Itui-lioil; voc.-ilist,, ttowiinl Hai-illnir, ri-.i- tiire.1 lOle/uioi- Jlfiater. Udbin T.eo. NndiiiP Tluuiipscn. 1/ifpauw & Puyne. MJivgnret- Vit'lil, J;uip Zin.iiM-, Tlip AMmina :(2>. BuiV .Mi-.N'iill.v. Holly Pierce, Dk-k Merahon. I.eo 1.0Pt>. Timlily T,ewia, Jean Avleh. Henry l.ie. ir.rwav'l Siutlivnn, Arthur Nelles. The Boa- lev5* ('_'>; Ann UoKft-i^/tiikt Jbhii BjoREf, ainJ,/ Ulli Ice cS-Clotfesi TO). Adams, Ninvark Newark, Noi\ 7. IWajor Bowess' Graduates, with Crandall Sisters, Teddy Block. Vic^ tor Paul. Sid Raymond, The Craw- fords (2), The Oafcies (2), Richy Lane; Joe Fecher's House Orch (11); "fiendczcous loith Annie" (Rep). A unit show with a little more than the usual change of pace is to be found in this- setup. 'Using the late Major Bowes's name is a stroke of showmanship. The moniker still carries weight and is a brand of quality for, certain segments of the populace. ■The run-on is handled efficiently by, Sid ■ Haymon d, who avoids milk- ing the applause. Best of the acts is the turn done by the Crandall Sisters, a nifty trio in looks and accomplishments. In "Chu-Chu" and "Wait Till the Sun Shinesi Nellie," . they. are on the beam. Richy Lane, ventro, teams with a dummy for a series of comedy re- partee that keeps 'em happy. Vic- tor Paul's oontrib is a series of tunes tootled on a chromatic harmonica. Raymond's single is a hard-working bit involving impressions of Jolson, Robinson, Cantor, Greenstreet, et al. Although somewhat modulated to stage needs, most of the acts are based on the audible rather than the visual. One exception to this is the Crawfords, clever dance team that bangs off a fine finale with lumin- ous paint and stroboscopic lights. The remaining turns are typical Corn, of the sort that grows high and wide but not too fancy. Teddy Block, for instance, imitates radio sound effects. The Oakies haul out a stageful of gadgets from which tunes are coaxed—tire tubes, spoons, rubber gloves, musical saw and such like. • . Bran, This newest of the touring ice shows made its first stand: in Kansas City. ;th,«> third in its resumed route after a brief summer layotT, with a 12-dav rim which began Oct. 30 in the Pla-Mor rink. Presented by the producers of "Ice Follies" and "Ice Capades" in a joint venture, it's up to the entertainment standards set by the parent companies in their many stands here. Troupe originated in Pittsburgh last winter and has had to buck the rep of its predecessors as to both size and performance all along the route. "Cycle" gives a little to the others on the score of size, but in performance and spectacle it pretty well stacks up to-their pattern. The Friday night show caught slowed- slightly at the beginning, but reached its regular pace before intermission and came back to run off a smash Second act. The 21 sequences are built around seven production numbers, all staged with plenty of action and precision, and show throughout is niftily mounted and costumed — at ,8 lay- out of some $100,000. Generous share of this dough can be seen in the "Enchanted Forest" spectacle, ma- genta-lighted number which closes first act. It's built for scenic effects and had customers patting out their approval long before climax. The largest outlay is in the "Pre- cision Russe," the Russian ballet which proves to be the piece de resistance and doses the two hours a:.d 15 minutes of show. Costuming is eye-catching and precision of the: 32 Cyclettes is a lesson in timing. Opening production number is "Moonlight Serenade," a 'Venetian waltz, and "Family Picnic," a_ com- edy scene is spotted midway in the, firiit act. "Swing a-Song of Sixpence and "Sunday-Go-To-^Meeting," fea- turing a line of 1(5 on bicycles, are spotted with "Grecian Ballet" in sec- ond act. First two are backed by hep tunes and enliven the proceedings. , Grecian number is played for laughs around Howard Sullivan's zany antics. He's okay except for one off-color bit, which is strai.ght off the hurley boards and out of place in a production of this type. Throughout the production num- bers are specialties by the long list of principals. Top performances are gi-ven by vet Robin Lee, comic Arthur Nellcs, barrel-jumper Buddy Lewis and nimble Jean Arlen. fea- tured 14-year-old. Nifty slcatmii socks over three musical numbers, an adagio by Dopauw and Payne, a Polonaise by Margaret Field and Bud McNulty and a bolero with Jane Zeiser and Dick Mershon. Henry Lie handles a precision number on stilts. Show recently added C""" and Joyce Bosley. brother and sister skating champs from England, ana Ann Rogers and John Moss, also English. ■ . Strongly flavoring the .show is the youth of the performers, evident throughout in both looks and ac- tion. Qu-m. STEIN JOINS HAKRY ROlOl ' Billy Stein joined the Harry Bomm agency vaude dept. He was previ- ously in the General Artists Corp. legit dept. Stein prior to going into the Navy wonked at GAC under Booun* ■