Variety (Nov 1948)

54 NIGHT CLUB REVIEWS VeilneaJay, November 17, 1948 Wcdtiwood Room, N. Y.' sounded better. With half-»-dozen moTFi WAi.nnRF-ASTOUT \) 1 new sJdemen and some new show- ml Mischa a oTT orcn s., ^.z coiiierc. ,,fg„jj„g j,ax, three trum-^ ^ FHriv ni.nhin imlds nvpr it thp ' trombones, four fiddles jack Lope^Orch'aV)7iMt/i'LupU^ Lddy Duc,hin liolds ovtr at the ^ass and drums, pro-,*, weekdays; $4 week- ly Mariinlque, N. Y. to Jackie Miles "I'm a RoUta'" Gysp!/ Rose Lee re«ue with Line ^''^^J 'rF'^^'ll. ^f,; »^S''«„t?n^l*v?f (10) , Dick Collier, Irv Benson & ^PP^^^i, ^^?„iit"f,Llc* Jack Mann, LibbV Dean, Senor a switch makes tor plenty yocks^ Carlosi produced and directed by. " « when he essays the blue stuff Paul Feigav; MorUi Reid Orch (5). 'a major factor in his stmt) that Waldorf's Wedgwood Room, now as vides melody that's easy to listen i^i^!' much the maestro s home-base as is ^^^^ ^ Apo,. jammed at!*™"" the Roosevelt for the Lombardos g,, ^jj^g, vocalist Merve Reopening of La Martinique is he disappoints. Thrush Frances Deva turns in a scries pf pops and oldies that arc nicely arranged. Some of the routining could be brightened via and as the Waldorf used to be for QrifSin iV a fine baritone with an, Pr"^?*- ,?".^?.®?Ti!?,f.: „ Lh'"*' easy air who looks like a comer, a ratlier inauspicious one.' From ^.,^^^,^1^^ Vocally, she handles the more balanced lilending of Ha.ves (Mary Hcaly) are a pair of Martin Men aid on some of the zany comedians. Gene McCarthy & ^nra\<i Kav ■ Tommy Farrell. Latter is actress , ______ ^' Glonda Farrell's very promising actor-son, and McCarthy is ex-Gene , Bernard. The Bernard Bros inflii-' ence, via their phonograph record ' imitations, is evident, albeit in a well adulterated degree. I»^»ai*«*o<?k''Ti;oMrl* :Si/F;: . (.MARK HOPKINS HOTFX) .: " ' : San Francisco, Nov. 9. :Hildegafde:,w^ Salvixtore GiM: ' Eddie Oliver Orch (lOh couer Carrying their own sound effects-$1.50 lueek nisrhts, $2. Saturdays. man, which insures accurate syn-1 chronizations, the personable young Hildegarde's third annual pil men, with an undeniable authority grimage to Frisco has achieved the in the intimacy of a cafe floori status of a major social event, with open as a pair of altnight disk the natives planning vveeks in ad- jocks^ It's a good device, the salire . vance for her premiere; Opening including a marathon of obtrusive .night had most of the town's upper- commercials "before we play- your bracket social and military 'bigwigs request." It's a sound enough pat- on haiid,> including General and tern, with; appropriate, accompany- Mrs. Mark Clark, with many turned 1 wasn't ready. And, at that, there's two standpoints. The business oper $tion and the talent. Both falter miserably. range department nicely; and de- parts to okay mitting. Teeoffers Al and Connie Fanton The debut under the new man- are familiars hereabouts with their agement of Monte Gardner, who has taken over from Dario &.Jim- my Vemon, took place Thursday (11) under rather bizarre circum- stances. Gypsy Rose Lee, the head- liner, scrammed just before the opening in a salary tangle with the management; (details in Vaudeville department ) . Name guests filled in until she finally opened Sunday night after the- situation was straightened out. And Miss Lee ing patter, which Max Shulman away because of lack ot space in authored for them. Incid(>ntally, thp 4.'50 scat Peacock Court, the idea of a saloon act credit-bill- Niftily gowned in white satin, ing their author is in itself a nov- Hildegarde provides her typical elty but, in this instance, coupled package of song and patter starting with the upcoming young writer's ofl' with "Good Evening Friends" byline ("Barefoot Boy With and carrying on for some 70 min- Cheek," etc.) it also redounds to utes with items such as "But the benefit of the turn. Beautiful." "Money," "Cumana," a It's from the disk requests that piano interlude, "Hold It," "Gay McCarthy & Farrell segue into the 1 Nineties" a piano medley; and takeoffs, whamming 'em with "Tim-: '-Littlj Cafe," aV interspersed with tayshun" (Capitol's hillbilly ver-, traditional Hildegarde patter, to sion of "Temptation;" Red Ingle-Jo score solidly. Encore numbers in- Stafford), and from that they in-1 eluded "Oh, My Darling," "Thank elude a devastating takeoff on the I You for The Flowers," "Four Leaf Andrews Sisters' "Massachussetts," 1 Clover" (in French) and her piano long. a . standard with the original novelty, "Three Blind Mice" for Bernards' routine. ! additional salvos. hardly anything in the material that one could describe as. enter- tainment even if the performance was smooth. : At $2,500 weekly for herself Miss Lee hard'y has an act. She's do- ing - some material from Mike Todd's class $4.40 burlesque of some years ago, "Star and Garter," in which she starred, and' the show's format is in that metier. But it all fails to come off. The pace is leisurely, the lyrics un- clever, and the, whole thing smacks of something that has been just thrown together. Miss Lee does a modified strip; acro-tappings. Fresh looking young pair reap good returns with their solo work and ducting. . . Peter Herman and his unit back acts in competent manner while Rafael and his rhumbaists keep the dance filled with their Latino beat. Lary. Mayfair Room, €hl (BLACKSTONE HOTEL) Chicago, Nov. 10. Moto & Hori, Nancy Dovovan, Joe Merman Orch; $3.50 Tniitinium, $1 cover. This room continues to clinch its status i>s a class spot, dispensing muted elegance and relaxed enter- tainment; Present bill, in-for three weeks,- is the first in many to have two acts. Single draw is the custom, with top names offered. Nancy Donovanj who played the Chicago theatre when last here, steps readily from house stage to nitery floor. Titian-haired song' stress makes; an effective entry: Ciro's, Hollywood Hollywood, Nov. 13. Morton Downey, Phil Ohman's ,Orch (9). Chuy Heyes Rhmiband; cover $1.50 -weekdays, $2 Satuv ■ days. [, ■.; ■ '■;''•.'"' '''; ^ ■ :"[ • J - '■'■']:'■:'' '' j Back on the Coast for his first nitery date here in a decade, Mor- I ton Downey is offering a swiftly. I paced show that is lop entertain* ment. Ably backed by the guitaring of Carmen Mastren and by pianist- arranger Jimmy Rule, as well- as by the- - Phil , Ohman - orch,. Do.wney socks over a. 4S-minute stint' that leaves his audience clamoring for more. It's a routine that bridges the , years, ranging from "Peg O' My ■ Heart" to "I Get Jealous" from "Hij^h . Button ■ Shoes." Tenor has ■ fashioned - each medley into .a sort . of song-sequence,; with . one tune following another logically elimi-: nating the need for introductions, ; There's only one chorus on each. Ir the 45 minutes, Downey de- livers 30 tunes; and each is effec- tive. On some, like '^Christopher Robin" and a few Irish ditties, another chorus could be added' without overdoing the stint. ; ; It's a class showmanship effort;' all the way and-one that earns hefty returns. ■ Downey's opening, by the way, was the third big bow of the week, others being Spike Jones at Slapsy - Maxie's and Florence Desmond and Freddy Martin at the Cocoanut Grove. Next week Kay Thompson; and the Williams Bros, open the new Mayfair room ,of the Beverly Wilshire -hotel to. give- the town four top-notch nitery attractions at r one time-^a record hereabouts. ,Kap: In contrast to the broad hoke of Her current four week engage- ^5,5^.^ Miss Lee JSuffed her lines ! classic. the male comedy team, the opener, me"l. will equal her two previous [several times), plus the Ed Wynn trilling a torch in the darkened a la her burlesque days; there is I room. With lights up, she-bounces the usual parade of linegirls (in ja pop and pace changes via a semi- Margai-et Phelan, beauteous so-, bcHrmsers which chalked up the prano, who doesn't have to spot- hc;;t supper club takes m local his- light her concert platform back- tory. Salvatore Gioe provides adept ground to impress her vocal lal- aecomp for t-tie chantoosey. Eddie «nts. rings up a strong personal, Oliver orch keps floor crowded for score with a French excerpt, customer dansapation, Ted. "Thrill Is Gone." "Lover," "Mala-' ■ guena" (in Spanish). "Lindy Lou" f'iianli<»l<»er. Balto (which plausibly introduces the I nVi.r,v;,!..<rM^,, in concert hark-back) and a quite I „ ,. %f ?I: , saucy (certainly for the Waldorf) , Populaires 4 Galh Sisters <3), "I've Never Been Kissed " For the^'■°'''' thoroughly- ingenue personality I i , j. v. ^ that i.s Miss Phelan's, the contrast , r"™erly town's top nitery fea- aloue is socko; in addition to which , '"rtv^Z'.l^fn'T^ ^^'LTb it's one of the cleverest wordage i''^s been revamped in^^^ ^^'"^^^c?i!?ula) L^"fu^rrndtg^\evoi?- ■\s for the rest, maestro Duchin, ''"gs^"ff„ Additional seat^^^^^ Willi his surefire temoos, which can ' ^'^^,'1, l^L^^ll „1 „nT ept rhvthmipallv "dirtv" vvithniit aani-e floor takes up one end Of J'.^^l , the room. In between acts a large screeii which folds ■into the ' C'eil- draping bit. At the conclusion she spemed relieved it was all. over. Of course, there was no question- ing her extreme nervou.sness at her opening, and there can be no doubt that the hullabaloo raised by. her, tangle with boniface Gardner had its emotional effect. But the cus- tomers still review a performance on stage, not off it. , Miss Lee has ; such supporting For "Danny Boy" she eschews the mike and, with backing re- duced to piano, sounds wistful note for heavy plaudits. She reprises the Gaelic with a novelty, then clicks : with "1 Concentrate On You." "September Song" without the mike is to her advantage, along with the fine closer on "Molly Malone." Mata and Hari are deft in ballet figures but their satire is some El Morocco, Mont'l . Montreal, Nov. 10. Arthur Lee Simpkiiis, Larry Dan- iels, Wally Wari.7cr line (6)^ Wally iVewinan orcli. Hal White trioi mini- mum $2. . performers as Irv Benson aiid Jack what restricted for those who miss obliterating the melodies, is a sock ; dinsapation draw. Duchin's tech nique'-of mouthing the lyrics of, l^.^^^^fj^J^s'''''''^ Whatever he plays, so as to give '^"^peJig'^la^y'o'f Tas the Popu Mann, comedy pair; Dick Collier, a fat man whose act comprises an unusual laugh; Libby Dean,; - who sings the "My Bunny" number from "Garter," plus Senor Carlos, who fashions assorted animals from balloons tcrp kidding short of pratfalls. Pair glides expertly in an Indian fakir routine for so-so results, followed by a pas de deux parody that's mostly pas ; de deux. Best is their impression of a symphony orch, I with piano; violin and- other mstru no.-,<,/^n or,^ i\T.,v., „ ^^r.;A^A i mcuts excellently pantocd. This Benson and Mann are a decided- _ ^ tht>m niT tn brisk rp- ly unfunny pair with their corny, ^° obvious talk and vocaliiing. It's , u , , -^^ „ as if thev stepped right off the Izzy ' Joe Merman keyboards skillfully Hirst buiiey wheel. .Mi.ss Dean is I for Miss Donovan, but he s miscast impact to the proper 'nterpreta-, ,„ "^^^"'"2 „^f^^^^^ sfnainP inTt?iT sweet-looking but fails "to register I a* a" emcee, however, slight the tions,. continues a trademarked ^lV'„,^"'',"f, with the "Bunny" ' role. Baxt. wahiiah. p^^^^^^ tt^'^N^Vt 'm , ■ montalists utilizing accordion, bass Rnl-r h^h-»» ^h«nH ^.^^^^^^^^ <ind V/Oods tO giVC OUt With V rfho r=Hn ifH ?!^u, /.tc' I four-way vocal and instrumental lively on the Latin and ualt/ sets. I ,fgj^j^^ dancing as well; ■'^ ■ ■• I the Gaili Si.'^ters, singing trio in Coiillion Room, ]\. Y. (HOTEL PIEKKE) Roger Dann, Hoctor ^Si Byrd, .f'o«'nanuf (iiro%'<>. 1^. A. (AMBASSADOR HOTKL) : Los Angeles. Nov. 10. Florerico! Hesmon d, Frpdciy Mar tin orch (181 ; rouer, $1.50 ux-eU days, $2 Saturdays. Buriny lyric that mSde Marjorie Knapp a standout in the orlginail "Qarter."' Carlos sorfietinies [ gets ;d littie tob- suggestive in ; his talk and in the nicelv mixed arrangements from i manner in which he contrives his . - „ j j c -.r loiTh (0 swing, and as a highlight, I balloon obiects, though he works .'-"■f'"- '^f' the .)o"es Bros, sepian jivesters quickly and the act has its share orclis.; ana H 7)iiiMi7mm, 710 v,ho lut hard on vibra harp, piano!of amusement. ,cover. and percussion plus hectic rhythm Paul Feigay produced and di-i . „ TT , . ^ reeled the show. He'd better do ^"'^ the next-to-last show for another take. - ' ! maestro-emcee: Charles ;fieader at vocals to rtiaximum response, They give put solidly on "A Hundred Years From Now." "All of Me," r>,.^^„„ - 1 "If 1 Love-.You,""Danny Boy" £d campaign Rave ^^^m. The return of Arthur Lee Simp- kins to this flashy room was in- evitable. After a sensational stand last spring at the Morocco, affable entertainer; is back singing . to packed house. Teeoff goes to Larry Daniels, a glib raconteur with; a lot of doubt" . ful humor. His impression of :'a-, group of feinmes figuring a res- taurant meal ticket and the char- acter who: outfumbles everyone when picking up the entertain^ ment tab gathers plaudits, but his fashion routine is slow and ob-^ vious. Topper is when he puts on black greasepaint, white, gloves and a bow tie to do a surefire JoW son take. The next 40 minutes belongs to Simpkins, who gives out with- 12 offerings that range from "Tree in'the Meadow" to a sockeroo "Ell Eli." Simpkins is at home in any type of song and with much pol- ish and showmanship, pleases everyone. Wally Newman band contribs some okay music for dancing and takes a special nod for handling Simpkins' trick arrangements. The lavishly: ■ .costumed 'VVanger gills dress up the revue neatly. Newt. top billing to Frcddj Martin, re turniing to his favorite haunt after some five months; on the. road, but Britain's' Florence Desmond ef- fectively stole the opening-night : ■ ■ : fjlass:' Hat. Y., ;(HOTi!L;':BELMONt^^^ .' V, Ramana hang, Betty -Jane Wat- Sjhow Her click was instantaneous sou, George De Witt, Eddie Stone's and tremendous. It's been a long , Orch. $3 7)iiiii7im)i!. time since a newcomer to the. Coxst scored as strongly. : Modestly budgeted little iShow Morty Reid orch plays the show this spot. He bows out for broader neatly, wlfile a derripre-wiggler 1 horizons, following which his pred- named Lupita is the .lack Lopez: p„„,„„,, stanipv Molha roinrns rhumba band s main attraction as "^^^°'' ^'/"f?' Melba returns she shakes her maracas, too. Shel^*^° *® entertainment director of can sure stop traffic. ■ - , | the hotel and as conferencier-band- : La Martinique has been redec-1 leader. Reader has whipped up a orated from its former more at-(good little show in Roger Dann tractive decor, Which emphasized ] (nee Dannes, a simplification of white with the palm-tree effects. 1 his French surname) and the return t-oxst scored as strongly. : Modestly budgeted little iShow Now iCs a rather aloomv dark al-mf n^nnv "wn, tm- pToHr n,^^^^ v.diw. viorani pcisonamy miss uieies noin.ng neic tnai exceeds black And the service — oh, onlv last March bul trond return Desmond smashed over a 4,')-min- in value the talent costs. I brother' Knb,, ' Boou reiuin ule stint tliat had firstnighters George De Witt is the bill's begging for: more:' First part of: eomic, a youngster: who keeps her- routine consists of impressions 1 punching : whatever the response, of stage; and .screen names guest- i He's plea.sant-looking, with barely ing at a Tallulah Bankhead party, I a new piece ;ot material, but he .and each bit is sock.: Ca steering clear of the stereotyped impressions based on excer from film or legit vehicl wJiich her subjects have appeared, ' courage with some of the stuff he's shcsuses her own material to poini ' doing, his material mainly includ Kahn.. 5 OTIoclt null, Miami Miami Beach, Nov. 10. pot . reh.. but Bond retii ers they, sire.f The French singer naturally falls into the Trenet-Sablon league but doesn't suffer any comparisons. I He's .. personable, ingratiating, has good returns. , _ An eager worker, Fairish show current here, with I his willingness to please as a per- up her facile facial and vocal] ing mimicries ot show biz person-'the ingredients below standard set 1 former pays off to ingratiatingly sketches. Each is extremely elfcc- aliiies by previous bookings by op Sam-llpW '^^^^^^ without becoming five; some arc devastatingly ac-' Betty Jane Watson, one of tlieiT<o,i.„„ r>K.,!,,..„ *i, . i- ■ , , jSticKy. curate although, of cour.-e, s'l^htly numoi-ous Laurlos in -'Oklahoma!," 1 r,. '^"'"' •'"'-'eipated | Hoctor & Byrd likewise are un- exaggerated. Locals particularly 1.is doing musicomedy e.xccrpts, with I Legion , bi/ (which- came) negated ; sparing but don't overdo their wel- relish such charactcn/:ations as tlie cmpliasis on the "Oklahoma!" 1 any additional expenditure for tal-1 come. His taps and her ballet Bette Davis. Claudotte Colbert, tunes. Miss Watson has a power- gnt I specialties combine for surefire re- Marlene Dietricli and Katliorine iul voice but frequently presses. ,'t- 1 01 u • 1 turns. Team are ex-"Call Me Mis- Hepburn. Her Hildegarde seems .\nd if ,s!ie intends to go furtherL, ."p*^^-^ bhaughnessy is new to ter." and have the savvy for sen a trifle long, probably because she -he would do best to routine her- town, but a good deal ot his eral clickeroo, from vaude to follows the chanteuse into tin', self belter with newer material, 1'"aterial is not The big 'Erin-go-1 vaudeo. since she can't hope to get any Bragh' lad reminds of an oversized I thp Cotillion Room inriHpnnliv .cores further with just standards. And, Mickey Rooney, and throughout rates a^ orie b"^^^ -'^ "he should try- to -stop acting so' his stint shows comcdic talents town with no couvert-—somethine ute and coy;^ since it doesn't fit i that, turned in the right directipn ' which' some hotels in the sairie spot. Qf her other material she scor best with a takeoff on the audi- shi : tion'antics of -:three gal . singers;.'cui i.,c aaiin- topper being tlie blues warbler her personality. and smoothed out, could take him 1 league have been trying to eet who picks "Stout Hearted Men" H?mona Lang is a young hoofer places. Unfortunately, his laugh I awav with, bul shouldn't---and for to use in trying for a,"New Moon" who's standard for the course, concepts are based too much on j the "$3-$4 ' minimum there is ex- role. She begged off after answer- She'.* the opener. She should for-, worn and blue material that gotlcellent value Both bands are sure- Ing an audience request for an get that unbecoming while gown, [laughs from the Legionaires but I fire for dansapation the environ- energetic impression of Betty Hut- Otherwise there's Eddie Stone's^ will get him nowhere if he is aim- ■ ment is ultra, the service ditto the ton's recent London Palladium ha.id for the show and the straight ing for the smarter clubs and vau-; two acts pleasantlv divertine- stibt. hoofing, and Casteilanos for the derie.s-. Rest illustration of his laugh ' withal The Martin music has never Latin rhythms. Kahn. ' potency is the Gene Autry takeoff , pleasantly diverting; well-rounded reVuette. Abel. Stars Sail s Continued from page 1 ■— Michael O'Shea. Billy de Wolfe and Patricia Neal along with Nor- man Siegel, Paramount publicity exec, who's in charge of the stars. Originally, planning to leave via New York, the troupe was routed through Chicago by rail into Can- ada to Halifax when; the: dockers' walkout diverted the Maurctania to the Nova Scotia poit. Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman, also headed for the CP, are scheduled to sail from Halifax Saturday (20) on the Britannic. That ship's de- parture, incidentally, will be the last vessel permitted to shove off by Canadian longshoremen. Others en route to Britain on the Mauretania are British film producer Herbert Wilcox who is accompanied by his wife, Anna Neaglc, as well as Anthony Ilave- lock-Allan, who heads Constella- tion Films. He formerly was as- sociated with Ronald Neame m Cineguild Productions, a di.ssolved Rank affiliate. Sir Arthur Jarratt, managing director of British Lion, who came over with the Wilcoxes also sailed back last night. Meanwhile, cancellation of the Queen Elizabeth's sailing from Southampton tomorrow (Wed ) has forced several film executives as well as actress Martha Rave to seek other, means of transporta- tion. Eddie Mannix, Metro ex- ecutive producer, was to have been aboard along with Norton V. Ritchey. prez of Monogram Inter- national Corp.