Variety (Jan 1947)

Wednesday, Jnnuary 1, 1947 HOUSE REVIEWS 89 Capitol, S. Y. Tommy Dorsey Orch (37) with Siuurt Foster, Charlie Shaver; Jack Carter, Vlryinia Austin; "The Secret Heart" (Jtf-G), reviewed, «i Variety Dec. 4, '46. Tommy Dorsey's oversize band ciirr nt at the Capitol is playins it's )ast theatre Uato for the present. With the present downward trend in theatrical jconomics. few vauders Will be playinR bands of that size. The staRc-fiUini; Dorsey crew which includes 20 femme-strin); section of a harp, cellos* violas and ' fiddles, plus an orthodox male crew of 17, is one of the last of the super-sized bands. ■ An added fillip is the addition, of Walter Gross for solo spot ih<"Rbapscdy in Blue." Uncut version of the piece is generally too long to .sustaih interest in vauders. However; the terrific ■ arrangement and Gro.'s.s' brilliant ivoryihg make it : entirely _pal:!tabl€ to the pewholders. TD has already disbanded his regular crew, and current crop of mii.lickers represents a prize detach moiU fi'om Local 802. It may not be his riiashum opiis musically, but stafio ■ wise it'.s as potent a . collection as he's evpr gathered. Trumpet soloist Ch'irlie Shaver, who at one tijiie did the arrangements for John Kirby, contributes some lush horn embroidery along with Dorsey's t-mooth tromboning. Their hot pieces get a tremendous rise from the crowd as do the subdued pieces. Although the Icmnies are decorative, there's not much that they com ribute outside of some counter-pointing and a few spots on their own. Altogether Dorsey puts on a bandshow that's on a level with anything he's done in local vauders and there's no complaint, from either boxoffice or entertainment viewpoint. Stuart Foster, in the male solo spot, does "Beguine'' iind "Old Man River" to hit hearty initts. The rest of the show with Jack Garter and Virginia Austin .siinilarly mea.sures up to standard. Carter, who i-sn't new to Stem stage shows, hasn't lost his exuberance between Broadway appearances. He's th? type comedian that breaks up the musicians as well as the audiences and never does the same show twice in a row. His zan.y iniprcssions, choice line of small talk and throwaway gags set maximum respon.se. Virginia Austin's puppet act is on the cute side, sometimes overly so. She endows the clown doll with a fetching personality and skillful manipulation, but talk is too sugary for adult consumption. Nonetheless, : she provides the novelty note on the prografti for a good take. Jose. Adams, Newark Newark, Dec. 26.: Paul Small's "Show Time of 1947," with SUile Bros.. Fay Carroll, Betty Jane SmUh; Ladd L)/oii, LticieTiiie & Ashottr, Dorothy. Byton Girls tl2); Fabulous Suzanne (Rep.) . incidentally, is slightly topheavy in two departments, terp and comedy. Gals have entertaining routine but their terpability fails to live up. No bill here would be complete without a blackout, and Spider Bruce obliges nicely. Band comes br.'k with " 'Tain't What You Do, It's the Way That You Do It" and then has Nick 1 Brooks doing ' The Things We Did I Last Summer." Brooks has highpitched tenor not unlike a certain spot of Ink, Salesmanship lacking, and returns are only fair. Tip, Tap and Toe, a sock dance act, are spotted, next to closing. I These boys have plenty of terp selling ability and work well together in spite of the, fact that their individual styles are extremely different. While one does a novelty slide dance, another toetaps for top returns, and the last goes through a straight clickeroo terp step routine, Aud loves it. ' ■ , Lunceford brings out a quartet from the reed: and brass sections t6 do /Sit Back and Relfix" and"""]Vfargie," There's a nice balance between comedy, and rhythm here, wilh Brooks showin' better than he did solo.' ■ ■ o :• Windup on the bill are Lewis and White, with fine comedy, chatter, dance, and novelty layout. Act slartS' with a plant in an upper box and sonie ' chatter that's corny, but they put it over. Down on the stage one of the boys does a fair dance bit While the other shows some , new twists to baton twirling. Socfco closer. Toinm. A la.st, flashy extravaganza sets 'up a furibus 65 minutes for the holiday .session. Paul Small, agent and entrepreneur, has. shot the works in his new package. The pace is rapid and the individual acts al-e smartly roiitinecl Plenty of cute Costumes for the gnlie line as well as brightly painted backdrops, sorne of them in luminous paint, make this something of an eye feast. In spirit, the revue is somelliijig like clean burlesque. The slapstick and sketches are none too pointed and a good deal of the patter is tired stuff. Livelie.st of the performors— iind ovi.'.lage most— are the Slate Brothers, three lively lads equipped to sing, dance, tffll stories, do acrobatics and s'lng pies at each other. They're lunny. So is Ladd Lyon, oquilibri.st. Who has » fine time ribbing the ous"."toincr,s. Fay Carroll, slim looker with .strong pipe.s, lead.s' a couple of shai p prccluction numbers, best, being "The Coffee Song." Lucienne and A.fhour call a few new turns on slaiulard .amrelie routine and lead into a nu.ij^ Bda,i;io involving the Slates and a dummy di'es.scd like Lucienne for a Wild finale. : Betty Jane Smith is featured dancer and trips about wilh a slack sort of tempo. It's: a good .show.. ■ Bran. ■ lIKO, Boston Boston, Dec. 28^ "Earl Corroll Vaiiitics," ujitli Mercer Bros., Joyce & Jimmy Vey, Joe Mole,: Coley Worihi Vernon. & Draper, Ben yost's Vikings; "Wake Up and Dream" iRKO): Routine stuff of a familiar nature but nicely produced, nice looking gals, and okay standard specialties. Pleases the holiday customers looking for cheesecake, jind should build to a good New Year's Eve biz, what with a midnight show, though there wasn't much trade around on opener. . It was building fast by second show, however. Production numbers include a couple of extra good South American ditties, "Babalu" and "Sloppy Joe's." Botli have' suitably exotic ideas and offer the gals in suitable undercut costumes. Usual vocal routine is there but with no particular ^etTect. Another number brings the gaTs out on bikes to do fairly tricky stunts, with Joe Mole highlighting it with tricks on bikes and unicycles, some of them gagged up and all ot them plenty skillful. Supporting acts, mostly dancing, are fine, with Mercer brothers in two spots getting .staunch kudos for their comedy hoofing. Vernon and Draper, in comedy adagio, likewise well-liked, and Joyce and Jimmy Vey ditto in fast taperoos and xylophone specialty. These dancing actSi in fbct, rank at the top. any one of them being ordinarily sufficient to carry the hoofery dept, Coley Worth wows as usual in a couple of patter slots, one of them with standard breakaway fiddle, and Ben Yost's Vikings, male chorus, click in the marclving and chowder song division. All in all very okay in the standard but solid pattern. : Elie. riii«a{$o, €hi Cliicdfjo, Dec. 20. Biu-I Ires. Larry Starch, Lorraine Rof/iiflii & Pnf McCnffric. Bob WhaliiKj & YiJc/.fe, Loit Brecse Orch (17); "Blue Skies" (Par.}. Apollo, V. JiiilJiiie Lun<:eford Orch (17) leiOi JV'cfc BrooJcv, S»iit(i Sisters Cj), Mflson & Vifiinl. Leuii,s & Wliife; Tip. i«P * Toe,' "House af Horrors iU). ' Hai'iem's top liouse has come up . With a neat holiday package. With entcrtainmen' values oil a par with marquee lure, there were, plenty standees at .session caught. ..The Jimmie L'unccford aggregation shows enough drive to satisfy the tastes of a hep audience, but enough flnes.se and discipline to keep li'om being unpleasant. They open with a socko-rocko medley after Lunceford ex lain.s what he's trying to do imisically, showing a light niclodic pattern behind heavy I'hythm and brass chords. Three. Smith Sisters follow with « run-of-the-mine dance act. Bill, Midwest opening ot Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies" is the main draw here with' stage bill ' getting a fast run through between pictures. Bill secois a bit skimpy, but all the acts do a good. job With the time allotted them. . Headliner is BurMves. folk ballad singer. He .s'ets the holiday mopd with his rendition of a hobo's dream. "Big rtock Candy Mountain." "Foggy, Foggy Dew," and "Blue Tail Fly." Ha.s the Old cracker barrel manner and plays, his . guitar and sing.s as if. he .ju.st walked into, a co:uatry stoi-e, and was jes,t settin' a bit before goinig on. ■ Bobby Whaling and Yvette open with comic antics on a breakdown bicycle and get the gasps from the croWd with Whaling doing the finale on a 10-fool unicycle. Lan-y Stol-eh leads off hi.s impressions with Cary Grant and then runs the gamut , ijf .George .Sanders, Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lone, and Frank Morgan. Young .satirist builds up his skits with fre.sh material and good physical characteristics, of his subjects. Loi'i'aine Rognan and her new partner, Pat McCaftrie, do their I zany ballroom and hoke fooling I around. Miss Rognan has a flexible body which lands in most every part of the stage. Gal, Who is really a fine dancer, commits miayhein on her straight man to bring robust laughs. McCaffrie does creditable .■•■olo on the cornet while , partner switches to her ballroom costume to waltz to the "Blue Danube." Duo do a very good .iob of straight dancing for two minutes and then the bodies fly— male member endinK'in the orch pit, : Have to .beg. 0(1. Strand, IV. V. VnKfiliii Mojiroe Orch (23) witli Bej(!/ WortoH, Moon . Maids tS)., Frniilf Fo)Ufij?)e, Zigyy Talent, Johnny Mack, '-'The I'lrne, The Place ftnd The Girl" <WB), retJietued in Variety Dec. II, '46. This guy Vaughn Monroe, whose voice has had more brickbats: tossed at it than most current pop singers, puts on quite a stage show. , As a matter of fact, his current exhibition at this house should be seen by a good many of his contemporaries and if they drew some ideas from it perhaps there would be less beefing from theatre bookers about the entertainment value of narne orchestras at the prices they ask. And that the process is not restricted to a band of the type Monroe leads is easily proved by Lionel Hampton,: whose outfit can curl your hair at 300 paces, yet is one of the crack stage groups in the business,-with choral bits, etc. Monroe does. his job with only one accompanying, act, the remainder stemming from the band, or people he: carries v-w-ith it—for example, Frank Fontaine; And there isn't a slow spot in the entire hour, including the getaway numbers. Most bands, because somebody : at the top of the heap started it, have beeii partial to a .fast, throwaWay jiUinber to launch a stage show. That's been wi'ong for years. Monroe does a brief, item introducing his peopleV then pops right into two recorded numbers with the Moon Maids— "It's My Lazy Day" and "Things We Did La.st Summer." Since both were good RCA record hits, most bandleaders wouldn't think of inserting them anywhere but in a prominent midway spot. For Monroe, they get his show off at a fa,st pace, which never slackens. Too, there is only one musical flagWaver used all the way through, ari arrangement of "March Of the Toys'' near the close. That would be inconceivable to most maestros accustomed to doing things one way, minus any of the imagination a guy able to^eai-n $10,000 a week might be expected to have— or buy. Most of the remaining numbers are accompanied by, five strings, muted brass, saxes, plus a definite rhythmic undertone. Monroe's eight brass, five sax, four rhythm, and . strings, incidentally, forms a better band than any he has ever had. Leader's vocals, of course, are the peg on which the whole thing hangs. He doesn't do too many alone, confining himself to "Somewhere In the Night" and "September Song" and working with the Moon Maids, an attractive looking <iuintet who do a nice job, on others. Also in the vocal division is Betty Norton and Ziggy Talent, latter from the sax grouping. Miss Norton tees off with a special arrangement titled, "Without a Man."' It's a cute piece, portions of which seem to lack taste, and it doesn't seem to fit her too well. Nevertheless, the audience goes for it heavily; ditto for her surcecding "Ole Buttermilk Sky." Talent pops in late with, "Josephine Don't Lean On Bell' and a bit titled "Vitamins." He's also a solid click. . In one slot. Monroe takes a poke at drum .solos, which are bv now passe in band shows, but still used by some leaders. His drummer is brought to the mike with all his equipment. He starts knocking himself out until other musicians lake his equipment away from him, piece by piece, and put it back in its proper place. Finally, the guy is bereft of even his drum sticks and 'with the crai-lf. "I ain't going to. quit now." he starts into a dance It's a eomieal. satiricaL touch. . Frank Fontaine, a non-playing member of the band, is a happy addition nevertheless. Guy's a devCr mimic. He's on quite a while with vocal apings of the usual top stars then does an impres.sion of a boiled pea.sant who came up a sweepstakes winner. He's great, AH. in: all, this show is' one of the best' by a name, band in a Bt-oadway house in recent months. Monroe deserves a lot of credit for applying hiniself .toward staging something different. More maestros .should do likewise. Wood, and "Mr. Ghost." Encores are an State. IV. V. So^of '-S^ikZl^'^ifei^a^S ^ Per/7a,rT;io^'e<^ ^^il^ C tlkeoffs'^or Jo^'Davis'' and '^""^ ".Undercurrent" m-G). stylized imitatioiv of "Lauren Be : :— — ■ :;^ cool" that baits wolf calls from the ' Holiday spirit permeate.s current aud-ience. Gal does that on. form ; stanza at Loew's State via Louis' alone, makm eyeful stage appear Basil: and pitcrew spotted in an at^ a"ee. j iractive setting on stage for medley The Stapletons. dance team, have" ! °f nostalgic tunes topped by Basil the holiday spirit and grace their [and 'two of the sldemen hammering turn with neat routines out ofthe j o.ut "Beer Barrel Polka" on .sub-:. ordinary for:tJi-p worK. Show opener ■ ponded whiskey . bottles. Novelty is acrobatic act of Emil and Evelyn. I sets things nicely for the slick lay-: They are .slick balancers and teeter lout of acts that follow. There's board artists, I laking difficult catches Plenty. . diversity in ' the' latter, all and lifts seem simple. standards :v*fho've been around and Al Lyon's pit. bai.d gets program ' winning merited response from Under way with Christmas fimes played .while giant-sized ."Xule card is illurhihated on stage. Broy: the outfronters I Peggy Taylor Trio paces show in . [lively tempo with nifty adagio conI trib, with male partner,^ tossing 'Miss Taylor: around for artistic posturing that, sets -well. Mack Triplets, i'emme songsters, follow, and score ill their close harmony, stanza with 'Coffee ■ Song'' and : "Her Bathing <»ri«ntal. Vhi Chicago, Dec. 26. Kathryn Grayson, : Johnnie John f "^'-'./''f'-''''"', J?"-' Z°"'-"il'frf, ' SuU'''Neve^"l3ot"rWet''"getti^F"the (3), Bob .Hopktns;^ "The; Sho-w-O/f" rhest:j;eturhs. ' : (M-G). Holiday show, plus Red Skciton Boy Foy, has: them in the palm of hand throughout his juggling feats done on regulation and king-sized in "The. Show-Off" on screen, makes I unicycles. Lad juggles balls. ho9ps for a solid' two weeks of heavy money. Bill nas double action pull I with -Kathryn Grayson and her hubby-to-be, Johnnie" J oh nston grabbing the' family trade; and youngsters in the house. Rest of the bill is also pleasing, : ,. ,: : . : Kay Lang moves his oeqh from the pit to galji holiday bedecked stage to open the .show \vitH the lead tune of "A Pretty Girl," bringing on the Fontaines, two men and gal who do fancy handstand bits interspersed with Lallroorrt routines. Fem, a looker, does the understanding in most numbers. Rubber faced' Bob Hopkins does a series of rapid fire impreshes beside handling m.c. chore. Doesn't use i and other objects while balancing I self on the one--wheelers with Surj prising dexterity to win a loud send j Johnny Morgan, youthful radio I comic, clicks in the comedy slot with i his jibes at radio commercials, I parody on housing shortage and ribbing of the boss opera formula which-, sets him solid with the i payees. Some of his stuff could i stand punching up for better results, [ but most of it is commercial. 1 Yvette, song stylist, gets over neatr i ly in her song stanza. Coming on to a nice reception she holds them throughout. Teeing off with a novelty number she follows with "I Know It's You I Love" for change of pace and then whams over "Doin' What Comes Natur'Uy" for plenty the same old material that most of | nalm-whacking. They bring he'r them do, and inter /caves one with I back for "I'll Be Yours," sung in the other, which gives them more than just a bit status. Really socks them with his imitates of theatre laijghers and then encores with a drunk laugh to "Holiday For Strings," which set house chuckling. • Hopkins brings on Johnnie Johnston who sells his bauitoning with ease. Blond crooner sets a last pace with "Route 66" and then brings out the screams with "The Things We ">id Last Summer." Rounds out act with a Jferome Kern medley ot the lesser sung numbers like "Yesterday," "Dearly Beloved," "Fine Romance," and "All the Things You Are," Does a boffo job on encore, ''Old Mah River." Gene Sheldon, his guitar and vibrato knees, has the, kids giggling all through the act, Harry Langdon type panto piece on "thank you" which gets yocks from the older people in the aud and even from the kiddies that don't remember the" pace faced pantomimist. Miss Gray.son, songstress from the film.s, has plenty class. Docs neat job on "Sempre Libra,'? VJealou.sy" and "AH of a Sudden My Heart Sings." Johnston returns 'tor duo with her on "Down By. The Sea," and "I Hear Music" to .solid applause. House sold out for first show with the i"opes up. French ^nd English, for additional salvos. The Chocolateers, male trio of .sepia dancers, also register high on the decibels with their expert hoofing, interlarded with zany antics and practically knocking themselves out to please. ; A solid aet for any bill. Bajiil and crew provide the usual good backgroundiDj; for the acts. Edba. Tower, K. C. Kansas City, Dec. 21. Roscoe Ates with Nona Carver, Jackie Jay, Howard & Wanda Bell, Carina Pena, Tower Orch (9) with Jack Parfcs and Kenny Field; "Start Over Texas" (PRC) and "A Scandal in Pttris" WA). €apitol. Wash. Washingtonf Dec,^. Gloria Gilbert, Murphy Sisters (3), Pansy the Horse (3). Pitchmen. : (3), Jwsliji Lflturie Choir, Sam Jack Kaufman House Orch; "Show-Off" (M-G). : . A. >rill ion Itollar^ L. Lo.'i Angeles, Dec. 27. Cecil Ghiii. 3 "Stooee,s', Sheila Rogers, The Stapletons' 12), Emil and Evetyii; Al Lyons' Million Dollar . orcli i9) ; . "Missing Lady" iMonoK ' Mighty smooth working vaude bill is pla.ving the house for Chri.stiTias Week. Variety turns add up to laughs, songs and thrills. Hcadliners arc the Three Stooges (Shemp and Moe Howard, and Larr.v Fine), FOr a low cohiedy trip, gag.s are:,.surprisingly clean and they -wOrk hard to sell their fun. At show caught, trio apparently was as knocked out b.v material as' the audience, indulging in a weiid dramatic bit and a light opera rendition of a tune titled "I Have a Girl Named Nellie," plus other skits. It's a knock-about, broad turn that i.s clicking at; this filmvaude hou.se. In different vein is the SQcko piano work of Cecil Gant. He opens with a boogie number then vocals .special lyrics to "In a Lj.ttie Spanish Town" Capitol's bill , is nicely tailored to fit town's ta.ste and holiday mood. Accent is on comed.y, with ChrLstmas theme confined to special choval-orch number and to hou.se organist Mill Slosser's community sing. Though top billing is given to Chrlstma.s act, .standouts in shovi are The Pitchmen, trio of zan.y .mu.sicians. Pivot of act is comedian, wiio handles gags, docs variet.y of instrument imitations with mouth organ, and clowns with-: as.sortment of trick ,in.strumEnts. Pianist sticks to ae Talent lineup is a notable improvement over past couple of weeks, There's a neat tie-in ia the personal appearance of Roscoe Ates along with film, "Stars Over Texas," in which he has comic role. Stuttering comic holds up his end of the vaude bill okay, and all around it's a better week. ' . Mu.sicai sendoff for show is the "Coffee Song" by Jack Parks and band with Kenny Field on vocal. Jackie Jay steps out of his standard wacky character to hold forth as m.c. and brings on Howard and Wanda Bell in the deuce -spot, Couple's routine of adagio acrobatics, teeterboard spins and balancing are nifty and has the audience with them all the way, Jay does his own round of tricks following. Varies his turn with music from pocketful of flute-like, toys, imitation of Donald Duck, and a clarinet windup, all on the ecccn'r trie comedy side. Ates is on in the closing spot beginning with a stuttering monology. and giving way to Nona Carver's vocal of "Sympathy." Two have a round of comic dialog, but piiCe lags .somewhat on this. Ates clo.ses with some tomfoolery on musical instruments borrowed from the band and gagged throughout. Quin, .: Oiynipia. Miaiiil ..Miami, Dec. 26. I Grade Barrie, Lou Saxon, JMoncompaniment and third guy fiUs in as (aim Kid & Campbell Sisters. Fiskie .straight man. Troupe's "Flight of the & Tromitia, Wil/fed Mne. Trio. Les . Bumble Bpe" and, imitations of name I Rhode House Orch: "Never Say band leaders are side-splitting and get big returns. , Murphy Sisters, songsters, go over neatly. Offerings are 'standard, but gals are animated, work hard, and have pleasant way with a song. Are out of their element with such serni-cla.ssics as , "Summertime," but cliclc in "South America, Take It Away" and a novelty ditty with character bits for each chantooiiey, A solid' hit;; Pan.sy the Horse, with an eye-filling babe as "trainer," is still good for laughs. Everybody knows what tp expect, but effect i,s x'iotous, and gets plenty milting, Gloria Gilbert, terp curtain raiser* has a routine which amounts to variations of a fast toe twirl. Gal is a human top, and fills spot nicely. The religious note is struck in the lavish Christmas spectacle, which is the standard "^ule carol number, effectively .staged 'behind .scrim euri fain, and complete even to sngels in the boxes, Lowe. Goodbye" (WB). Blend of .sophisticated, slapstick and corn in; this -weeks layout adds tip. to a biz drawing holiday show. : Gracie' Barrie. sockoes with her sm.poth song' stint. The trim little s'yli.st garners solid velnrhs With "Ddin' What Comes Natur'ly,'* among others.' Beg.pfid . off. ■ Lou Saxon emcees in top manner': and in his own spot purveys some 'fros-h gags and stories that click. Stuff is delivered in confident, easy manner for healthy reception..: On the novelty side, '{he Wilfred Mae trio offer up a hoop turn that gets laughs and gasps in equal proportion, Fiske and .Trama. with an act femindful of Barto and Mann, gathet a good portion of giggles. Undiluted corn right from the range marks th« stint of the Montana Kid and the Campbell sisters: It's all there, the drawling delivery, the guitar strumming an.d for a tooper a blaek mart with a hooffuU of tricks. LM'riii