Variety (Apr 1947)

46 VAlTftEVlIJ.i: AGVA Sets Naf 1 Conveitiii Plats At Cincy Confab; 4As to fotRe^ WednegJay, April 23, 1947 American Guild of Variety Art-j ists hold a three-day pre-convention I session at the Hotel Gibson, Cin- | cinnati, last week. Purpose of meet \ was to have Matt Shelvey, national director oi the talent union, set for- niula for fortheoming national con- vention. ' . ' Shelvey had previously submitted j two methods of operation for the { national confab. One was to have j nominations made on the conven- tion floor, the other to have the 32 branches of AGVA elect delegates i from their locals to the convention, with these serving, as nominators. The latter procedure will be adopted. Shelvey, who returned to his N. Y. headquarters yesterday (Tues.), said that the meeting was attended by 24 branch heads of the union and the delegate system of nominating ofl'i- | cers and board of governors (some- thing which AGVA has not had since 1942, when the 4 A's toolc over affairs of the union) was unanimous- ly, approved as the most democratic manner in which to give the entire membership a voice in the elections. Shelvey . plans to meet next week with the 4 A'is national board to make his report on the Cincy con- ; clave and get a final okay and dale j set for the convention. j IVIeanwhile branch reps, upon re- turn to their respective areas, will immediately make plans for a gen- eral meeting to elect delegates. Ac- cording to present setup, branches will be entitled to Ofte delegate for every 200 members in communities with large membership rolls. How- ever, small branches with leaser memb(*rs will be alloted one or more delegates proportionately. Convention has been tentatively set for the Hotel Sherman, Chicago, at the end of May. Union, however, will have to get the greenlight from the 4 A's before making it definite. COMEDY ■ rwm m ■mBb - For AM' Branches of Tbeafricals FUN-MASTER ©AG FILES Nos. T thru ZZ @ $1.00 each ■■BOOIC ©P BLACK-OyTS" 3 Vols. @ $20.00 Per Vol.. or $50.00 for 3 Vols. - "i©©K ©F PAMODIES" 10 Soeh Parodies for $10.00 '■HOW TO MASTER THE ^CEREMONIES" _ (Hnni to R«i an Emceo), ^S.ttO Pier Copy o No C,O.D.'8 on any mateitel! It eir routit.' ttlso' send permantnt address. PAULA SMITH 200 W. 54tfi $«., NewTaik19,|ii.V. flUanjiiOfMD 'Comeciy Dance Antics' Currently ORIENTAL. CHICAGO HELD OVER Dir.! MAtTl? ROSBV) MEW COMEDY MATERIAL SALE! (comi-s. Mc's disc jockeys, etc.). How wtiuld you like to own sag Ales of ORIGINAL, fresit gaqs! Now you can—simply order PUNCH LINES, nos. I, 2, 3 or 4—51 eacli flio. Autiiorod liy top tja9men...50 surofire, original Comcljacks to Hecklers $2. ..COMEDY TEAM CROSS- nru; $2.. .i-AFFiio loUeollon of beliyiatfs i Si. Order now! \.fl^r\ii;*^u»iiffftii Freudian Slanted • -^^Chirpers' Cick On At Monkey Bar, N. Y. Further research into the N. Y; in- timeries featuring Freudian frolics points up the fact that the patronage is interested in little else. At the HotiEl Klysee's Monkey Bar, the man- agement apparently insists that each performer do at least one clean ntiniher during their turns. There's no surer way of losing the audience in this spot. The chantooseys get the crowd back as soon as singmg dissertations on sex return. As far as business Is concerned at the Monkey Bar* the r&pe's up every night with many custioiriers making this spot a regular stop. The payees are familiar with the audience par- ticipation : material — which comes from regular association. Two of the three-act bills have been at this boite for some years, and consequently, it's old stuff to many, hut appar- ently the house likes a." repetition of the 'constant flow of ri^gaieties. 0£ the perform''rs on tap her.e, Justine "Wayne, who's been making this bar for several years, has the choicest line of ribaldry. There's little need to document her numbers, insamuch as they're all on the same subject, bUt her efforts indicate smoothness Ot delivery and she shows a hep personality. Fortu- nately, sale's able to slovigh off the blue extremities with a high degree .of charm. Her piano work is more than adequate for backgrounding. Another' regular here is Jack Ar- nold, who performs in the same manner. His material is virtually a rewrite of gents' room stories which have long lost their freshness. He does have a good bit of business worked out with the waiters and bartenders who chime in With the punchlines for him. Newcomer here is Virginia Mai- son, a Cali.''ornia importation, who is still unaccustomed to the effete manners of the east. On her opening night she was obviously holdkig back not knowing how the audieiice would go for the indigoisms. She has a slight voice and good piano accompaniment. Her material is new to the mob and didn't contain as much interest partially because of her nervous delivery. However, . .'sho'll work out at this spot once I .<ihe gets the feel of the room and becomes acquainted with the clien- tele. The room gets a hefty sprinkling of oldsters among the audience. And none of 'em walk out. What's this older generation coming to? Jose. Roy'* New Berth John Roy, former managing di- rector of the Rainbow Boom i^Jery atop the RCA Building, N. Y., Is veepee and general manager of the MoUet enterprises, a valet service in the underground concourse in Ra- dio City, N, Y, He's now catering to the outer in- stead of the innpr man. Two Major Niteries Left in WasMngton Hitting Boom Biz Closing of several Washington clubs during the past year has diminished the number of Capital niteries to two major spots which are now in a comparatively solid position. Bulk of the'D.C. cafe busi- ness is concentrated at the Cairo and the Romany Room. Washington cafes that have sh'ut- tered during the past year include Delmoriico's, Treasure Island and the China Clipper. The Bali is now a cocktail lounge. Cairo because of its capacity, can use high priced names such as Martha Baye who got $4,500 when she played that spot recently. Busi- ness according to Sam Shanker, spot's operator, is proportionately upped by use of big names, although names are not always a guarantee ol biisiness. One of the best weeks he's had at the spot was drawn by Johnny Desmond, whom Shenker described as an "unknown name;" Washington population has dimin- ished from its wartime high; consef quently, the town isnt able to sup- port a large number of niteries. It's believed the city can stand another spot, but scarcity of top names wiH probatoly discourage new enteirprises. m-ikW SHOWS TO AUCTION EFFECTS TODAY USO-(Simp Shows .will auction off its stock of costumes, props> scenery, today (Wednesday), at its W. 62d street, N, Y. * warehouse. ■ Auction will include all show items not ciur- rently in use in USD productions and will include electrical equipment, wardrobe, streetwear and public ad- dress systems, Camp Shows is currently engaged in the process of liquidating its assets prior to its disbandtog Dec. 31. Any new luiits fOKhed will hence- forth get along orf items supplied by the Army or what is currently being used' by other Camp Show "units abroad. Night Club Reviews A NEW SINSING PERSONALITY THANK YOlJ m% selli siecess- fMl F@af at latin; Qvaft^r, Bestoit. theiiAportunit^lor inycttiientsiiccess at the Glenn JR^it- dcasvons, % GEORGE A/XIBBY 1576 Broadway Phone: Cirel* 6'1737 Martin's N.Y. Strand Date Freddie Martin is slated to play his first New York theatre date in some years with a date at the Strand theatre, July 8. Maestro has tate^jr been running a teqordi. shbp in tbs Angeles, and, has been shyUig away from tours. Saranac Lake By Happy Benway Saratiac Lake, N, Y., April 22. Dorothy Martin lurlonghed to the Big Town tnd home. ■ • Ann Rowe, cashier of the Reel theatre, Pearisburg, Va., checked in last week for rest and observa- tion. I Jack Clancy, Will Rogers X-ray' technician, back after a week in N. y. C. to look over .X-ray labs at N. Y.'s Medical Center. Jerry LaRose (Prinpess Natoma), wjio recently licked operation at the French- hospital, N. Y. C, back and continuing the cure at the Rogers, i " Edith Garzke was given the green I light and returned to her home in Hempstead, I. 1 Charles Benedict, shot in from i Cornwall, Ontario, to bedside of his j daughter. Princess Elda Benedict, j who is sliowing nice improvement. I Frank (RKO) Soheedcl mastered i three major operations during a two"- i month, period. He is now resting I comfortably. , Red Cross drive at the Will Bogers ] went over the top by a large margin. I Sam Lefko and Marie Southard j handled collections, Hugh Carney, CBS staffer^ mas- ! tered first stage of the thoracoplasty ! operation, : The Junior League Club E.nd the Downtown Assn, of N.Y.C are launching a $2,')0,000 drive for the Trudeau .sanatorium here. Among tho;Se showing a marked improvement from the streptomyocin treatment are Victor (lATSEj Gamba, I^wise Barnes, Helen liiglcc and Tonlie Emerson. Walter Hoban, who took three successful stages of the thoracop?.sty operation, has been upped for plx, nn amazing comebttcki I (Write to tbdne wiio Are ill.) Benny Fields, Greb. & Lober, San- dra Borrett, Nancy Dorm, Julie Wil- son, Fernando Alvarez; Line (8); MiOioel Durso Prch; $3 ini'niwitim weekdays and Sundays; $4 SMur- days. New York nitery operators seem finally to have found the answer to declining biz—merely feature a vet showman who's still remembered, and the crowds will keep coming back like a s<?ng. After a highly succe.ssful three weeks withRutti fit- ting, Copacabana boniface Mottte Pj-oser has come up now with Ben- ny Field,s, and ,the way the audi- ence greeted him the night caught (18) indicates he might outdra.w Mi.ss Etting. Unlike some ot the other old- timers who came back from retire- ment. Fields, of course, has been doing his song stint continually through the years. This is his first date in a N. Y, nitery in three years, though, which, practically malces him an oldtime newcomer. Making the most of his w.k, props, including the top hat and walking stick, the guy still sells his stuff admirably and though his overly-dramatic gestures might seem corny to bobby-soxers, who are used to seeing their idols cling to the mike, Fields has the same entertainment touch that has kept others of his generation popu- lar for so long. Illustrating that his styling is also applicable to the newer tunes, Fields tees off with "Show BiisineSs" and "Good Day," but then gets down to business with his nostalgic stuff, in- cluding "Silvery Moon," "You Made Me Love You," "Rosie," etc. He even plugs his and Blossom's 27th wedding anni with "Anniversary Song" and the audience eats it up. For an encore, he gets the payees to. join, him on a group of the old .faves he helped popularize, includ- ing 'TWlelancholy Baby," etc. It's a good stunt for the' niterys and earns Fields a well-deserved begoff. ' Rest of the show is up to the usual lush Copa standards, ^which rates Doug Coildy a nod for his staging job and Billy Livingston the same for the costumes. Greb and Leber, a couple of personable youngsters, offer a . welbome chahge from the usual nitery dan<» teams with their eccentric, modern ballet routines. Attractively costumed but with bare feet, their loose-limbed stuff, featur- ing plenty of arm-waving and'me- chanical motions, is well set and ably executed, Gal's blond locks contrast wicely with her partner's dark locks and the kids project their personalities neatly, earning them plenty salvos. ■Sandra Barrett, a wolf-call brunet, pleases with her fast tap numbers. After opening with some rhythmic spins, she comes back with more of the same and then seques into a waltz beat. Gal demonstrates plenty of versatility in her routines, which combined with her looks and sharp, clean stepping, earns her hefty applause. Line, comprising some beautS, opens with JuUe WHson on the sing- mg end of "Stirawberry Moon," one of the three new tunes penned for the show by Bob Hilliard and Sam- my Mysels. Other two, including EaCT Com'" and "One BrazUian in a MiUiop'; are equallr good, but it's Easy Com'" which shapes up best as a hummable ballad. Balleterper Nancy Doran joins the* line in each number with some niftily-done spins, Mickey Durso and his-orch back the show neatly and double for dancing with the Copa samba band featurme Fernando Alvarez on the vocals. Latter is also spotted in the •Brazilian" number that winds the ■show., stal. €af<» Society, D'ni'n, N.l'. , JocQMes Passj/, Mary t,ou WilHa'ms, fj^'* GcTic Sedrie Band (5), Chff Jackson, Minimum, $2.50 weekdays and Sundays; $3 Satur- days. .■, Gallic warbler Jacques Passy— "who.se principal claim to fame seems to_be that he is a nephew of Jean Sablon—heads an abbreviated line- up which consists of himself and two acts that are more or less regu- lar repeaters here. They are Mary Lou Wilhajns, who makes with the piano in an uncommonly stylish way, and Ann Haithaway, who torches tunes in the accepted deep- throated fashion, Pas.sy (New Acts) is a newcomer to this country who doesn't make the grade with the top echelon of recent French vocalizing emierei such as uncle Jean, Mnurjce Cheva- lier, Charles Trenet arid the other! As for Miss Williams, this is a 1; turn, engagement the number of which no one recalls, they've beS so frequent. Why is clearly evident since her brand of super-sophlsti* cated pianology is in the musical l^*!??* M ^^1°]^ Barney Josephsoii built this subt6rran«an palace o* pleasure, * Miss Hathaway likewise has been here before, as well as at the bistro'i tonier uptown counterpart. She'4 also been a regular on "The Glooni Dodgers" show on WHN, N. Y. Ey», fully couturiered in an off-the., shoulder gown and rather attractive she frequently resorts to the closed' eyelid routine to make up with full visual flavor for what she lacks in the vocal department. Her voice is sultry, rather than sweet and full and you have to be particularly prejudiced in favor of this type of warbling to' appreciate three num- weekends only. . (Continued on page 47) m m m CltDE Mc£OY AMD HIS ORCHESTRA Currenllir PARAMOUNT THEATRE S». foul. MJnn." MUSART CORP. 8oo(<ed by HARRY A.,,ROMM 38 E 57fh S' Ne// I'ork \ ' Mji;ille&SIJi£ IROBEnTS MENTAllSIS.-^AWGICAL MASTERS LATIN OUARTER NEWPORT. KY. Per. Re[>.; H.\KKY OBEEN 4 NEED NEW GAGS? DM Friink<r$ tnttrtiiliiera bill, letiiis. NOW BIGGER fc BETTER. Contain new Arisinai gags, parediu, monologiMs, band novel- t!e«, patter. Five differ- ent issues, $1.00. 12,001 words of fun. Query nii for individual material, ija Oon. Fr4nl<ei, Dcsii V. ■ ISOB So. Homan Avo„ Cliicaso 23, Lb 0 i S Ln ^ E "AMERICA'S SINGING BEAUTY" Hollanden Hotel. Cleveland rOR'SALE Baker Ice .Machine, compressor, set of pipes, h.p. motor. Complete. Wood eoiuUtiuii, »15(M), Now In wa«- Iionse ChleaKO. liispeetion appoint- ment c«u be ttrntOKCd. Variety, Boi V, S«0 J«. ill<a>i'!t»" eiigo. Ill, i4 THE INK SPOTS storting A)»ril 24 Pflrramounf', tbleclo' Mi|»;-.-UNIVERSM ATmACTIONS £69 fifth Avtnui, Ntw Yoik