Variety (Jul 1948)

40 Wednesday, July 7, 1948 Paramonnf ^ N.Y» " Jo Stafford, Georgie Kave, Lane Bros, {i), Sam tJonahw Cfrch with Bill Lockwood; "A Foreigm Affair" (Par), reviewed in Variety June 16, '48. The Paramount is back to its fjRjniUar stage diet this week, to wit, the combinatio!!! of a name pop vo- calist, a dance'band, a comedian and a dancing act. The show fol- lows the established pattern of closing With the |i«aie^i;inger and preceding that act with the come- dian. As for the entertainment that derives from this particular package, the collective quality is several notches above average. The customers may not execute nipups in the aisles to express their pleas- ure, but they do seem to get quite a kick'out of Jo Stafford's uniquely lyrical way with a set of verses and respond. with plenty of chuc- kles to Georgie Kaye's waggery and the Lane Bros.' acrobatic and terpsical cutups. For Miss Stafford it's a repeat stand after a three-year interval. The interim has seen her capture top Hooperating among femme ra- dio vocalists (she resumes on Chesterfield's "Supper Club" in the fall) and enhance her position appreciably as a recording (Capi- tol) personality. It has .also brought her an immeasurable amount «f .self^ssuranee and re- laxation in working before a thea- tre oiudience. "When cat^ht Miss Stafford was In tiptop voice. Eacli number paid off in substantial dividends. Two nu^nbers, each a ballad, which is her forte, stirred 'em to furore di- mensioES. The first was "Haunted Heart," ^nd the other, "In the Still of the Night.;; When Miss Stafford moves in on songs of this type she's pretty much in a field of her own. Her "Gentleman Is a Dope" provides more of a change of pace. For the finish. Miss Staf- ford dons a farmer's strawhat and tears a verse of the hillbilly nov- elty, "Temtashun," which she and fied Ingle shrilled into a jukebox nit about a year back. It took her oil' liere to a huge salvo. (Jeorgie Kaye proved somewhat of a slow starter on the same oc- casion. It wasn't until he had gotten over his drunifii-e comment on the odd. predicaments that come with the rush-rush manner of living, and , embarked on his gagging about taicidrivers, waiters and theatre ushers, that they wai'med up to him. By the' time he got into his p.sy- chlatry routine they were rocking at almost every zany gesture. His retirement was also accompanied by a solid wave of applause. Much more effective in getting the laughs rolling their way from the outset were the Lane Bros. The pair have the touch and the know- how in selling themselves. Even their sideline of tapdancing im- parts an air of malcing. every mo- ment count. However, it's the team's ropeskipping acrobatics that serves as a surefire combination of spectacle and food for mirtii. The turn's a natural opener-for any spot. Sam Donahue, who has been slowly but surely making ills way up the dansapation ladder, is al- loted but two numbers in' which to show his band's wares. The te6ofI is a hardhitting assortment of brassy jive, but it's thi-ough his ar- rangement of "Flamingo," which immediately follows, that Donahue shows that the band contains smooth integration, balance and color. Along -witli himself on the sax Donahue in tliis item spotlights his first trumpeteer. Staff vocalist Bill Lockwood wraps a sturdy bari- tone around the "Flamingo" lyric, adding more than a mite to the number's strong receptioQ. Odec, Oriental, Chi Chicago, July 1. Three Stooges, Sportsmen Quar- tet, Fontaines iS), Vic Hyde, Mari- lyn O'Shaughwssy,. Carl Sands Orch; "Thunder in the Valley" <20«O. trumpet to the orlginal iwo until with "Stripes" he's blowing four and winding a drum major's baton at the «ame time. While 88ing he grabs a slide trombone to ac- company him on "Four Leaf Clo- ver" and "Near You." For sock ending he does a four trumpet number topped by fancy terping. Fontaines add ballroomology to their acrobalanclng, doing both in graceful style. Cai-1 Sands house orch contribs medley of George M. Cohan tunes as fitting overture for holiday bill. Marilyn O'Shaughnessy, contest winner, making pro debut, displays stage presence and a pleasing voice on vocals. Zabe. lllppodr«Hne» Biklto. Baltimore, Jultf 3. Dot & Pave Workman, Milbournc C/iristopIier,' Canfield Smith, Ac- romaniacs (3), Jo Lonibardi and house orch (12); "TJic Kuller Brtmh Man" (Col). It's practically an all-male show here again bi|t okay in playing. Pleasing opening is provided by Dot and Dave Workman, who ring bells, play goblets and give out with other novelty music, just right for the family t^-ade in a hol- iday' week. Milbourne Christopher, smooth working magico with plenty of stage presence and good patter, utilizes the deuce for stuff with small props, getting the most out i of short lengths of rope for tricky knotiF-and break-aways, Canfield Smith follows with sock setto with his dummy "Snodgrass," who takes on more animation than the average ventriloquist's doU. Material is fresh and closing spot of vocalizing is a real show stopper, Hajl to beg oil when caught. Socko clincher is provided by the Acro- maniacs, swift working trio of tumblers who provide a three- high flash and a somersaulting closing bit that earns a series of highly audible curtains for a bango windup. Biz very solid. Bum. Mietdgan, Detroit Detroit, Jitly 2. Billy DeWolfe, Martha Tilton, Paul Remos & Toy Boys, Phil Har- monic Trio, Larry Paige Orch; "River Lady" (U-I). Billy DeWolfe, comedian, pro- vides main sparkle in current bUl here. His wisecracking mugging and impersonations jackpots for top returns. His "Mrs. Murgatroyd," who "is not a drinking woman," is top fool- ery and his other skits and chatter send him off to solid-returns. Martha Tilton, songstress, is run- nerup in*her vocal contribs. Badio thrush has personality and know- how as well as splendid voice to sell her wares for solid apprecia- I tion. Faul Remos and his Toy Boys ' add pace with their novelty turn wherein the lower casers bounce out of suitcases and into a dancing and balancing act that wins salvos. The Phil Harmonic Trio goes over nicely with- neat selection of numbers, including "Sleepy Time Gal" and "The Sabre Dance." Larry Paige orch provides ex- pert backgrounding. Stan. Except for the Three Stooges, rest of this bill is excellent sum- mer fare. Stooges offer nothing new In their eye gouging and other mayhem, water spraying, and re- liance on blue material. It's the odd dress and prattfalls that get the guffaws, not the oldhat take- off on "Wait ':.'iU the Sun Shines, Nellie." Sportsmen Quartet, radio group from Jack Benny airer, click in hep fashion. Open with parody on "Why Did 1 Ever Leave Wyom- • }ng. then a comedy on version of Adobe Hacienda" and finish with "Good Night, Ladies." Encore with barbershop harmony on "Dear Old Uirl" for cock returns. Vic Hyde registers with multiple playing of instruments and dry hu- »or. He runs through "Margie," "Bmiiing," and "Stars and Stripes" tndi^il)tii/,eacli itat»\,waii6 anotfaer Olympia, Miami MioTOi, July 3. Joe E. Hoioard, Leon Fields, June Lorraine, Hammond's Birds, Ron & Mary Norman, Les Rhode Orch; "Fort Apache" (JZKO). Nice blend of variety marks cur- rent week's bill at the Olympia. With vet composer Joe E. Howard as marquee lure, plus neat buildup to his spot by the youngsters on layout, biz should thrive on holi- day weekend. Howard, despite his years, re- tains charm and ease. Can : still belt out a sock version of a pop^ whether It be his or another com- poser's and keeps the pace mount-. ing via opener "Hello Baby" through the effectively old-Uroey mannerisms and strutting that has aud to singing with him. Keeps them palming all the way to a sock iKJWOff. Comic Leon Fields impresses as an amiable laughmaker who knows hi& way around. Tosses in zany impreshes, gags and other clown- antics for hefty returns. Femme comedy slot is well han- dled by June Lorraine, who, though offering up'standard im- preshes, adds fresh twist via de- livery and mugging. Best is the Durante takeoff. Aero team of Ron and Mary Norman go over solidly with flips and twists neatly executed. Hammond's Birds holds novelty slot in some clever tricks., * Les Rhode and house orch pro- vide usual good backgrounding. Aqaasliow, M.Y. (Flnshinef Meadows Parte) Freddaris Trio, Johnny Woods, Salici- Puppets; Marshall Wayne, Len Carney, Joe Flynn, Betty Ball, Norma Dean, She lag h Kelly. Whitey Hart, Stan -DwdoJc, June Earinci, Bobby Knapp; "Smiley" Cannon & Aquazanies (4), Water Ballet (35), Louis Basil's Orch; ovened at the Aquacade, Flu.'jJiinj;, N. Y., June 30, '48; $1.50 top. In the fourth year of his tenancy of the erstwhile Billy Rose Aqua- cade on the site of the World's Fair grounds in Flushing Meadows, N. Y., operator Elliott Murphy has come up with one of the best dis- plays of the series. Productions, lighting^ scenic embellishments, as well as crack performers in the aquatic division, make for a pleas- ant and divarting performance in the cool amphitheatre. Scaled at 60c to $1.50. show is a bargain es- cape for sultry nights. Lou Basil, who batoned orch at Loew's State, N. Y., until vaude was limboed from the house last December, heads the 12-piece. mostly brass outfit here and is equally adept when backgrounding the tank Interludes and orch con- tribs on its own. In addition to the tank features, there are also four standard vaude acts to space the pool numbers, Jimmy Ross, emcee-baritone; Johnny Woods, singer- impressionist; Freddaris Trio. cyclists and Salici's Puppels. Show tees- off with Basil and crew rendering symphonic version of Gershwin's "Summertime" as prelude to a colorful water ballet enlisting entire ensemble of 35 gal swimmers in attractive precision formations, which garners merited applause. Freddaris Trio, male team, follows and scores in fancy and trick cycling. Featured swimmers and diving champs then take over. June Ear- ing and Bobby Knapp, toppers in this division of show, spot nifty aquatic stunts, both solo and team- ed, that provoke continued roimds of applause. Marshall Wayne, former Olympic champ;. Len Car- ney, Joe Flynn. eastern intercol- legiate champ; Betty Ball, Norma Dean, Shelagh Kelly and Stan Du- dek are among others clicking in diving and other water feats. For laughs there's a quintet of comics, billed as Aquazanies, and Nat "Smiley" Cannon, whose clown- antics . keep ' tilings rolling at a merry pace. Johnny Woods offers a lively .session-of satires on radio-shows, impressions of Hollywood greats, with a few vocals thrown in to make a solid impnesslon. Although a personable lad, in on overtime, he sells his wares expertly and the audience doesn't mind the stretch- ing. Salici's Puppets offer a whole vaude layout on a miniature stage, with dolls set up as standard vaude acts -from opening to operatic quartet in finale. They're as sock as ever here. Spacing solo stunts in' the sec- ond half of show there are addi- tional water ballets with the Aqua- dorables doing their stuff again in more colorful costumes, "Night in Venice,'* with gondolas, etc.; Indian Pageant and FlowervBallet are colorfully costumed and neatly executed to win top response. Ross handles emcee chores capably. Also the vocals for prot- duction numbers. Policy will be change of bill weekly. Edba. Ciilcago, fill C/wcoffo,' Jwli/ 2. Pegg'y Lee & Dave Barbour's Quintet, Step Bros. (4), Jack Car- ter, Sensationalists (3), Henry Brandon's House Orch (13): "Green Grass of Wyoming" (20th). Daytime price cuts' instituted with the re<Sent return of vaude tO" this house continue to pack in patrons. Volume of biz so- far has more than made up for price re* ductions. Bill hops off via work of the skating Sensationalists. Femme and male partners get brisk re- turns with expert roller routines, topped by a spin in which one serves as hub and the other two as spokes. Orch. shifting from its usual teeoff spot, follows with pianist spotlighted In "You Can't Be True, Dear." Although some of his gags still wear khaki Jack Carter hits yock decibels consistently and rates steady response with his vocal car- bons of film familiars. Comic offs to salvos after takeoff on Churchill, Truman and De Gaulle, then re- turns with "April Showers" a la Jolson for encore. Step Bros, score in tap terping, with ensemble and. single work equally good. Gainer nice recep- tion. Peggy Lee's first, vauder in two years finds her pipes prime but her stafe presence rusty. Granted she's not the rhythm bouncing type, her languid styling, ^80 notably suited to "Mananlir 'los«S''Jitapact tivlien sustained through a gerlc* of slow tempoed tunes, ■ Backing by Dave Barbour's qmn- tet, made up of drums, Clarinet, bass and two guitars, is discreet to the point of self effacement. A fast instrumental would perk up the routining. Miss Lee staps dose to her disk faves, ojpening with "Good Day' for good results. A pop medley and a solid go at "Why Don't You Do Right" take her off to fair re- turns. Rebound has her torching for an okay hand, followed by "Manana" with the aud chanting the chorus. Finale, in which her salute to the Freedom Train brings down the flag as a backdrop, was diffused and in need of further rehearsal at show caught. Boat. Apollo, 1S» Y. Erskine Hawkins Orch (17) with Carline Ray. Jimmy Mitchell: Slam Stewart Tfia. Patterson & Jackson, Fred & Sledoc, Spider Bruce & Co. "Key Witness" (Col). a very good idea of the typ* act. Works with considerable speed and garners fine share of the laughs. • Miss Tyner closes with sock key- boarding ■ of "Warsaw Concerto," "Clare dc Lune" and "Limehouse Blues" to bring down the house. Lotce. AGVA to Crack Bown Couthmed from page Si Familiar faces make up current sepia layout at this Harlem vaudery Inasmuch as all the acts are encoring here with the excep- tion of the terp team of Fred & Sledge (New Acts). Erskine Hawk- ins gets the show off to a fast start with "Junction Express." His Is a big outfit with five reed, four rliythm and eight brass. Femme chirper Carline Ray, a tall gal fetchingly gowned, embroiders "Love Is Funny" in a deep, throaty voice for a nice reception. Hawkins, himself, is plenty solid with a trumpet solo of 'Talk of the Town,'^ He paves the way for Jimmy Mitchell, who comes off the stand to croon an okay "I'll Dance at Your Wedding." For their final brace of tunes, the band cooks in neat arrangements of "King Porter Stomp" and "Temptation" to register with the payees. Slam Stewart's Trio, set up in front of a scrim, is a class combo pointed up by Stewart's unique handling of the string bass. Group does three numbers of which one, "Fine Brown Frame," is neatly yocalled by the femme pianist. Lone other instrument is a guitar. Leader is perhaps the only bass player who can put sex into a bull fiddle. His sock plucking of the strings win solid returns. Comedy slot is handled by the rotund team of Patterson & Jack- son. An affable pair, their com- bined weight is billed as 640 pounds. Act's routines change little and they're still doing a burlesque of the Ink Spots and a takeoff'on Joe Louis. Nevertheless it clicks with the. customers and credit for that can be attributed to the lads' Jovial personality. Some of their bluer gags need editing. Spider Bruce, absent for several weeks, is back again with his standard comedy blackout.' Wel- come addition to this house, both for the customers and tlie talent as well, is a new cooling system now in operation. Gilb. " Capitol, Wasli. Washington, Julv 2. Evalyn Tyner & Band (5), Don Cummings, FrankXyn & Moore, Pauh Sydell; "On an tslahd With You" (M-G). Capitol show this week Is built around Evalyn Tyner, one of the dressiest pianists in the business who got her start in this same house, number of years back. Show is called "Evalyn Tyner's Birthday Party" and has her doing every- thing from pianoing (where she excels) to emceeing the other acts. Miss Tyner, working with a bull fiddle, drums, two saxophones and another pianist, opens strong with "Bumble Bee Boogie." jazzed up version of "Flight of the Bumble Bee," tosses a couple of flat Com- edy lines at the audience and then introduces Paul Sydell, who has one of the best dog balancing acts seen here in years. He works with three dogs. With one pooch yclept "Susie," he shows some amazing tricks. Canine does flip flops in the air and other beats to wm applause. Franklyn and Moore, songsters, do nicely with a variety of offer- ings, particularly old faves. They open with a medley of "Pretty Girl Like a Melody," "Remember," "Always" and "Alexander's Rag- time Band." Other selections fol- low quickly, with the duo working in duet or feeding lines and num- bera to each other in pleasant style. Among other offerings are "Only Girl in the World." "Make Be- Ueve," "Follow My Secret Heart," "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better" from "Annie Get Your Gun," etc. Man has a strong bari- i tone and gal a thin alto; they work I smoothly, Don Cummings, an .able, fast comic, wows 'em with a drunk routine as seen via television. ; Number involves an announcer doing video commercials for ' whiskey and girdles. WMcU gives just closed at the Versailles, N. Y., who has promised to discuss mat- ter of remittances with tlie talent union latter part of this week. - ' It's been an open secret for some time that the reciprocal pact be- tween the French and the Ameri- can talent union hadn't been work- ing out, with both sides shunting the blame on the other. Pact was negotiated with the French government last yeai- by Matt Sheivey, then admiuisiralot* of the union. Upon his ousting . I from 'the union, AGVA's affairs were taken over by a committee I from the Associated Actors and ! Artistes of America, who weren't I too familiar with operations of tlie 1 pact. It's claimed that subsequent I legal entanglements anent Shel-< vey's dismissal had kept the com- mittee too occupied to delve ui to polidug of the pact. Hence the laxity in collections and remit- ! tances to'France. Now that th* I air has cleared a bit, AGVA is de-^ {termined to hold to its end of the {bargain to offset any possible ren { prisal that might militate agauist 1 their members playing France, j According to Fox, Mile. Boyer, i currently in France, 4)wes $14,000 ' in remittance coin tO her govern- ment. He said that when the chan- teuse was appearing in N. Y. niteries, she was called upon the AGVA carpet about it. When she failed to adjust the matter she wat put on the union's "unfair" list. To circumvent loss of employment via such action, she was permitted to continue working after paying $1,000 of the indebtedness and agreeing to clear up remainder of sum on weekly payment basis. She subsequently defaulted and i»- tumed to Paris. Question of Allowances As for the other acts currently involved. Fox claims there's a question as to whether or not their earning capacity is such as would require the remittances. Under the fact, which works the same both ways. Imports are entitled to $20 daily or $140 weekly for living expenses. Both Miss Remy and the circus performers claim they are netting less than that amount after deducting agent's fees. For instance, they claim basic salariea of $150 per week. If they can sub- stantiate such claims they wouldn't owe anythhig. However, AGVA has notified all that they'll have to file photostats of their contracts with the union before the latter will remove them from the "un- fair" list. Other French nationals accused of previously giving the pact and AGVA the brush while appearing in the U. S. last winter are Mau- rice Chevalier, who althougli under jurisdiction of the American Guild of Musical Artists, and not subject to the arrangement for his N. Y. concert appearances at the Golden, N. Y., was liable for the brief nitery date in Florida. Also Edith Piaf, chanteuse, whose manager, Clifford C. Fischer, is said to have refused to pay when Chevalier didn't, and Jean Sablon, who in- sisted he was no longer a French national through having takihg out citizenship papers here. Since AGVA has spurted its ac- tion here, itj's now demanding that special contracts of AGVA form be issued to French acts coming to the U..^ S. and forwarded to the union hens. This would apprise such acts of what la expected «tf them in way of remittance " coin and also apprise AGVA of their entering the couhtiy. Anti-Bigotiy Pix Contlnaed (rom paE« 1 ss for more tlian a year. Its weekly earnings are uow down to a few thousand dollars weekly. Total do- mestic take is expected to wind up at just under ^,000,000. Both :pictares did great bis in big cities and Hbout normal -^in small towns. Excellent word-of- mouth on the films is thought re- sponsible for the fact that they j showed strong staying power and [got extended runs In many sitiu-