Variety (Mar 1948)

VMrnSVUMM Dusting die Attie (For no other than nostalgic rea. jrorw theje Pdloce Wlla will be re- printed «orii week, and jor the cor- responding week; as they ortoinallu appeared in Varietv 2B ycors ooo.) PALACE, N. Y. (March Z9. 1923) Monday night's running order revealed a strange arrangement o£ a snappy and variegated bUL Lpng Tack Sam and his Chinese wteards, first billed to open and. thfen pro- grammed to dose, open Intermis- sion; (Sordon Dooley and Martha Morton, a light-comedy act in "one," closed the show, conilng on at 11:02 and holding in the mob until ir?20. Nahan Frank Sym- phony Orchestra Closed the first half and did 36 minutes, most of it wasted. And 'Four Casting Stars opened the show and stopped it. There were three iSiraisd neW' acts and several oljters .mvr fo Palace audiences. Tte' Ft^paaks Twi»s & Co., in tbeit vaudeville defout with HlchardKeehe; Emma Haig & Co., Long Tack Sam, a Palace stranger; Dooley Si Morton, ditto, and several others in the same po- sition. The- new bootdag. is^re- Attterict^i MitKiDtbiit' GEORGES GUEST RQBE»T COS SSe IffadiBon Are,, New Yark VA. S-M17 SOMEIIY fATTER 'Cor. All -Branehct ot'ThMltteal* FUN-MASTER "Th« Shew 8ii Gag Flla" Nos. 1 to 22 at $1.00 ea. 10 PARODIES for $10.00 "Hew to J« aaJ&neM" $3.00 InelHAM 2 9ma I!Hm; Ssna for list M mtfteM. 3»«)M«le«, camedr mngs, mtaabid M H 'M« «3t- oats, (kits, eto. NO COWM PAULA SMITH . 300 W. Situ St., NCTT Twfc U sario of the Palace, whether by de- sign or fortuitous cpincidence, surely put vp ''^ ^ farhitisr as welt aii'th« worthwhile for this week. With that the WU was not a com- plete walkawaJ^ Franko. is un- fitted for vaudeville entirely, and the Fairbanks girls, past all haz ard as dancers, still took up some lengtliy spaces meant for laughs that i-esulted in dead gaps between their and Keene's brisk numbers. With the Fairbankses, Keene and Miss Haig it looked like a Music Box: alumnae reunion. Keene and Miss Haig were partners for sev- eral seasons, besides. The Four Casting. Stars, working on wide-apart horizontal bars and over nets, did some hair-raising double somersaults and flipflops in air to difficult and intricate hand jiolds, and with about half a house in .kept Martha Piyor off the Stage during three <or four introductory choruses. Miss Pryor, in a cloth of flilveJr dress with lace over the skirt (the. co$tum<» cost a pretty ttopiick!) revealed a bodice that was as daring as anything ever seen on, any stage, with a decollete V in jront and behind that would have shed to bJtre skin had it slipped from the waist up. Her southern ditties went well, but she should avoid the steaight ballad verse and chorus, as its gets hen out of the Kentucky accent and i^ils ttie illusion;'tiven thbui^ she uses-tiw episode to support a wench version. Slie would also do lietter if she didn't have Bob Geraghty sing a piffling doggerel about how ^od she is l>efore she comes on. She is good—better than the song about her. And that dress! . A ¥diol6 libretto could be Icnodced. out aboujt that Miss Pryor took £ouc' bona Jide .bows, very. BtttMog in the ear]^ .spot and following a surprise opening sensation. Miss Haig, with GkM>rge Grifiin and a girl pianiste, stood up he-i yond a^thing she bad previously shown in vaudeville, iind estaii- lished herself immediately as h%v ing a big4ime «itry. Holmes and La JTere knocked the house for a^flodk of statues in the comedy Iiall of gloiy. Their material Is an uninterrupted suc' cession of wows, with the droU Holmes slamming In the points and Miss La Vere loading his artillery. The piano scene was a yell, and the finish left the audience ex-, hsusted. Nbibing Aoce «oiiId be desired &t a ^o-act that Holmes and La Yere delivered.' Franko delayed the intemdssion, and it was rushed throu^, with almost no time to stretch, even the Topics being passed up and into Long Tack Sam's dizzy production the show tore. This world-poUsh^d Celestial has made good all over the globe. For years he has craved a spot at the Palace. A freak set of y "breaks"- landed him In the sweetest groove on a bill worthy «f his best. His troupe whizzed through a comparatively brief rou- tine. And with about baU the stuff that SfUtt does better thaq anybody else right now on earth itis offeriug.was a lousing bitl The finish saw th6 wbote cbminny at it, like a three-ring circus, with his marvelous bar spinner in the cen- ter of hit amazing web-wodcAV nqd hi^ gbrl twister holding tbe ends. His comedy icored and hit ftunt$ got canaotiadoi. It vas an unusiua get-ov^. Jade Norworth, with Dorothy Adfilphi. the red-haired pianiste who accompanied Bae Samuels anoztymously some seasons back. foUowed with a hearty reception and a far stronger and titter jou- tine than he bad when, he first broke in the combination late last year. The Fairbanlra Mddies did not get .a rotmd to app^strance, nor did Gordon Dooley and Martha Morton. . But the newest alliance of two royal vaudeville families worked up. Entering past H o'clock and with nothing to follow them, held the house in solid and got all'their laughs and took their Work with poise- and ease. Martha has grown to a fine, strapping gh:l, Injproving every day in stage sense and bea- tific appearance. Dooley makes of her a marvelous foil. Satn, Kitty and Clara Morton sat beside tliis reviewer, unnoticed by the sur- rounding seat-holders, while the youngsters talked of them and got their biggest, laughs at them. The sister ana -parents wiped their eyes as they lauded. And so did many another. ■ •■ It was a marvelous exhibition of personality, concentrating the hun- dreds without a program fluttering under tlie circumstances. Martha singWhanded held that: stage and tiiat audience at 11:18 with a.song aAd dancel. Surely that was A test <^ the Morton blood and bone, and like a Morton, ihe.went over the top. Two names so long beloved in vaudevlUe will go on; the new generation will carry them along as befits. Lait. CLAIM Mack Triplet* made an out-ofi court settlement last week in tiielr j(25,000 damage claim agelnst De Luxe records. . Suit claimed that the singers failed to get proper publicity on their platters. It was alleged that the Macks had an eight-side deal with De Luxe and recorded four, for which they were paid ^80 each.. They later did two more for-fZOO but allegedly were never paid. However,, law firm of O'Brien, Driscell, Raftery & Lawler, representing the Macks, claimed that major damage was done to the girls' tep by failure to sublidsie them as was guaranteed: in tbeip contract. 0et Niteries Up Taint findgets^SliaTe Prices or Detrdt, March 30. The nitery war iis on. .i*ilfies. ace- being slashed and show budgets upped to lure patronage, Club Stevadora and The Ship started the bal\ rolling viih , pre- war prices and eight-act fiftor shows. Other bistro-epexatoirs are watching eiqperinwiit and feel tliey have to fall In line to meet stiff competition. The larger floorshows will mean, if all clubs adopt similar policy, work for about 200 acts weekly in this area. The Latin Quarter is expected to get its.Uqiior license this week and wni install floorshow with line of girls. VediiiHiid«y» Hbmk 81. 194B HuxmruEissEnu 25G DAIAGE CW JVitery Ignores Slicing, Sets Ode 3 Chicago, March 30. While manydowntown spots bjcb cutting budgets, and with business almost back to pre-war level, the Hag Doll, small northside nitery, has skidded the King Cole Trio, for a May 14 opening, at a report- ed $3.S0ft liar wec^. The trto will follow the lUjmand Scett ^intei, now completing a, 16-week engage- ment at SSO-seatoK Management ts also negotiating with Genial Amus. for an early- summer appearance by Nellie Lutoher. LniinYeiisEor More Acts British audiences are now shon- ping abound for the best entertain- mept -buys, according to Robert Nesbit, producer for Val Pamell. British chreuit opei«tor. who ar. lived in the U. S. last week to pact ■an all'.Negro show for the Pallall dium, London: Audiencies, he declared, are nmr more selective and American per- formers, he said, give British box- office a terrific boost. Most of the native British acts, Nesbit said, were repeated,too often during the war. Talent comhig from the U.S. provides a fresh note to variety au* diences. 'Commenting on the recent gagements of Danny Kaye at the Palladium. Nesbit declared that there probably will never be an. other performer who wQl again capture British imagination and goodwill as did Kaye. - Nesbit said Kaye could have sustahied top grosses at the Palladium indef- initely had he been able to stay* SaYoy Plaza, )i.Y., To Resume Talent A|Nil 6 The Cafe Lounge of the Savoy Plaza hotel, N. Y., will resume shows after a lapse since 1941. Ini- tial bill starting April 6 wfll com- prise Johnny Thompson and Bar^ bara Barrie. The Jules Zdegler of- fice is booking. Tliis spot, which was-a war casu- alty, was considered a top show- case for talent. Hildegarde came to bigtime attention here. Lena Home played her first upper-crust date at the spot. Reopening of the Cafe Lounge virtually completes the roster of the carriage trade rooms that flour- ished just before the war. The only major spot that's missing is the Rainbow Roof, which is cur- rently operated as a cocktail lounge by the Union News Co. Sanmac Lake By Happy Benway Saranac Lake, N. Y., March 30. Frank Kaplan, steward of the. Will Rogers,. distributed palms on Pabn Sunday to infirmary patients who vt&K unable to attend dturch services. Walter Ronumlk elated over, be- ing upped for meals and mild ex- ercise. Ines Groething now permitted) outdoor exercise. Alice Dudley appointed assistont switchboard operator at the Rogers. Hugh (Tarney goi> his all-clear and left to resume work with Co- lumbia Bntadeasiing System play- house jnK. T. C. Seni Qkun,'author, ekayed for goJiome papers next month. Thanks to Joe McCartliy tor his untiring efforts in aiding the less fortunate of this colony. George Leyton, member of the downtown colony and head an- nouncer of radio station WNBZ for the past 18 months; rerigned to-take similar spot to Amsterdam, N. y., with station WTSS. Knitting fever has fait the In" firmary with males topping the list as outstanding needle pushers. G. Albert Smith, AL MichalsM and Garry Vandermasf received . prizes for their work in recent display. Benny Ressler to ^. Yt C. ioi a 10-day furlough. He'U also arrange bookings for attractions to play this colony during the summer months under aegis of Chamber of Commerce. .The Great Grocini, magician, in to visit Carl Kessle ("The Amazing Mr, Ballantine") who's Sashing nifty clinic reports. Forrest "Slim" 6lenn upped tor meals and appomted downtown sliopper. - (nriite to ttuMK lAo an iU.) •t the MOnNT KOXAT. noTKT, 3LAVBKT1<K AJSJI CI^YMAS, a pairaf nanelur HuMorilitt) with KNDUiSS MATK1UAI/ Md a I.AVGH-A-SIIN. BIB Typa BeUvery. ,31i«y tetnidaoed tvr* new aanlians %«th were an IMHEDIATK BIT. Uatidi J. '4S, Tiie B«naa, At ~ aomm mw kkomni HELENE and HOWARD %MMiy DcMc* Aafics" STRAND, NEW YORK Dir.: MATTV ROaEN New Det. Nftery Opens Detroit, March 30. Sammy Sofferin opened his In- dian Room last week (22) in con- nection with his Wonder Bar and drew capacity crowd. Designed by architects Charles N. Agree, Inc., and Wright & Wright, its gold, red and fawn coloring gives an authentic Indian touch to the room. A large tele- vision screen has been installed for sports events. Opening show has Tonita and her South American Sextet, Frank Gagen's orch and singers Eilene Fay and Russ Wright, the, latter a full-blooded Indian to native re- galia. Vaude for RKO, Syracuse, N.Y. Syracuse, N. Y., March 30. Reviving» annual stageshow policy for spring; RKO-Keith's will bring Horace . Heidt orchestra- revue tor a week opening April 0.- AMRRieA*S TOP HEADUNE SINGING GROUP CwrrMHy LARRY rOTTH'S SUPEER CLIII I lloliy«r«ml( CM. All Major Netvrotha. Hwabca ■wut CfaiM. V. 8.. and €timil» RCA VICTOR I^AVORItEt 1 BOYS Personol nirectlon—VD KmKinnr . mx niKO BuUdlnc, Kow York 20. N. V. CIirTe S-93M .WOmD RENOWNED.MENTAUSTS VALDO and PRINCESS PAT WALTER WINCHEli Says: "VaMo ana PriMess Pot Startle." FmrMnal ReprmniaMvm: SAM and FRED ROMMNS nion*: Circle 4-2144