Variety (Mar 1949)

fr ^newlay, March 23, 1949 Night Club Reviews BWIBWS 47 ' (HOTEL PLAZA) , HUdeflorde with Salvatore (Hoe's /iJ?h (10) ond Marfc Monte'* Con- '4); $2.80 concert. The Persian Hoom is itself once .«Sf wtth Hildegarde's Uth date SSJS in six years. There's no, disputipg the profit ««r«in when the chantoosey from MU^aukee marks one of her ''ISiSiir wturns here. It's become rtatSnal that Hildegarde *^^„, fias a nice throwaway line that S "aboSt to, start on a,series Sf 20 farewell engagements." Fasilv the No. 1 one-woman nitenr driw in the hotel league, SMnly among the t Sf the nitery attractions, ?nd Mrtainly among the topmost Sf the nitery attractions, Hilde- Sarde's tour de force as a cafe per- sonality has now gotten to be a Jirfoiroer's performer type of SJ^Stion. Her handling of ?SraerT the ability to hazard inamscy and y6t command respect, since there's the constant danger Sere of unruliness; the blend of MM with soplUstication, personal aarm with Steinway virtuosity- all these by now have made her a trademarked personality. She , evidenced that anew at her St. Patrick's night preem. She ran the gamut from Hiber- nian faves to nostalgic Viennese excerpts. Veering more to accent on her pianistic prowess, she's a peripatetic perisonality as she shifts from the ivories to downstage cen- tre at the mike. She has made her Wadley & Smythe and the "dear, dear management" routine (with the roses and "la list") a personal routine which she couldn't drop if she wanted to. Paradoxically, she has .achieved the unusual of coming back with a perhaps 75% new act, as to rour tines, etc., albeit retaining the staple flavor. Norman Wallace, whom she gives oral billing, whipped Up a brace of good open' ers, and bandleader - songsmith Eddy Oliver is credited for a fetch- ing "Oh My Darling, Play Some- thing," which serves as a suave pitch for her Deeca disking. In between she does "Three Blind Mice" in the manner of the mas- ters and Gershwin; pitches for the United States with a cute and literal soapbox song, "Wonderful Country"; kids about her recent London and Paris jaunts (with suitable vocal excerpts to match); parades the celebs, via the rose- presentation routine; and generally clocks a solid overran-hour piano ^ and songalog, which is unique in that the customers are left hungry. Manager Anna Sosenko, who con- tribbed the chanteuse's now w.k. "Darling Je Vous Aime Beaucoup," does a. highly_ effective job with ■ the' lights, which afe s) potenl ah element in the presentation. And, incidentally, she is the unbilled author of the "Wonderful Coun- try" number. Salvatore Gioe, skillful piano ac- comp, now also heads up his own new l(^man dansapation crew and delivers in that department just as handily. Mark Monte's Continen- tals, rhythm quartet, per usual, are skillful alternates. Abel. Vemuillles, Y. Jean Sablon, Boh Grant and Pan- euro prch«; $4 ond $5 minimum. This marks Jean Sablon's third return to the East 50th street Disteo where the French singer jrst came to attention In America, m retrospect, this spot has been excellent showcase for many an- other standard, running the gamut I» Jf Tony Martin, Kitty Carlisle to Carl Brisson and Dwight Fiske. i^i''Gabion's instance, now reach- J"8 the peak of the Franco-Ameri- parade—and that's not lim- ited to saloon singers—it's quite SwJJ""" ^'•y ""^ how this skillful snowman stays on top, even with iSLS^'i?^®"*^*' competition via im- Trenet, Boyer (Lu- )n^W' ?.°^.*<» mention the highly iv„.i^"*^'?"c Chevalier. Under hSul* Buidance the personable has forgotten the some- H off-the-cob billing as "the BJng Crosby" and, on his ?™5 'i?^^ the bell with a well- i2S?9e<J song repertoire. His ac- f«nci5,""xF"8lish, or a reasonable wcsimile thereof, so that the cus- anH they are of the $4 *^ni nlmum type—can dig. the French Jive through a well assort- — lanB?.„"*'"^ °* familiars or dual- 'angtiage versions. hani* P^'esentation, on the other amoo doesn't insult the intelli- hP w. ul^?^ several of the songs bL„ "J"8ht to America have since it in i''»nslated, likewise he does sinK th'^'^^.^i. accordingly, he Prenoh"'* "September Song" in '•r n T„'- ®^ he does it abroad. His ble-Iii^.?^.^*?" " of "Clopin-Clopin" Into th« cur- f-flf J 9.°?""* 9' Comme Ca;" "Lilette • is merely a French idea in English; the Martinique calypso (beguine) is authentically native, and as such has special appeal; "^^i.^*.?,^" ^"se" is now as w.k. as the "Marseillaise"; Charles Tre- net;s "Serenade" is lyrically ex- plained; heixreprises *'Le Fiacre;" and for once here's a singer who has the intelligence to update "The Last Time I Saw Paris," instead of singing what it was originally—a sentimental dirge. Only a slight lyric switch makes it contempora- neous instead of lachrymose. Sablon's durability as a cafe at- traction is evidenced anew here. Quite obviously the more intihiate the room and more adult his audi- ence the greater his appeal. This is a footnote to Sablon's misstep in a mass-capacity vaudfilmer, al- though, with proper surrounding, he should register in American theatres as he has in the Continen- tal music halls. It can't be said that the major hurdle is the linguistic schism since he has so successfully surmounted it in the Cafes for the last few years. Not for nought does the singer salute maestro Bob Grant's band and that special accordionist; they do a difficult accomp job with skill. The accordionist is a decidedly plus factor. Panchito's rhumbaists continue to click, too. .Abel: Y. The Shwnrock, HonstoH ^ Houston, March 18. Dorothij Shay, . Ben Yost'* Royal Guards <5), Gloria Lo/lin, Gordon Cume, Kuss Morgan Orch, Nat Brandwynne Orch; minimum $3.50. .The southwest, where blgtime nitery entertainment in recent years has been. limited to name bands, provides a new topline set- ting for supper club draws at the Shamrock hotel, the $20,000,000 project of oilman Glenn McCarthy which preemed in Houston last week. If dough-heavy Texans con- tinue to show the same interest in the spot that they've been exhibit- ing during opening week, the bhamrock should be a major source of important coin for name turns and bands. Hurdle to successful operation—^ and the reason there are so lew such top grade spots in the area- is Texas' liquor law. It's a package- goods State, meaning that the joints can't sell anything stronger than beer and bubbly—and setups, Seeing dignified old guys walk into niteries with a bottle of booze wrapped in an old newspaper Un- der their dinner-jacketed arm is a funny sigh', for everyone but the fellow who owns the place. It seems to seriously slow down the yen for heading into a nitery^ although to speed up the rate at which the customers get crocked once thyy settle down to work on their bottles. Reservations for the initial fort- night have poured in so fuUsome^ ly that th J current show is. being presented in two different locales —the Emerald Room, seating about 850, and the Shamrock Room, seat |ing about 300. When the bloom of novelty fades and trade is down Nat Brandwynne orch capably backs the show and supplements Russ Morgan's crew 'on the danr sapation. Gloria Laflin neatly han- dles the open spaces with her pianoing. Gordon Currie wanders about' the room doing 15-second caricatures of the guests. He's an affable Australian who's handled the same trick at New York's Bilt- more and at commercial exposi- tions.''' ' Maitre d' is Ramon Bayasca, for^ merly at the Bellevue-Stratford and Penn-Sheraton in Philly, among other spots, and onetime owner of the exclusive Heigh-ho Club in Washington. Service in the Emerald and Shamrock Rooms (despite the widely - publicized opening night melee) is first rate, with: captains and waiters imported from top hostelries in New -York and Miami Beach. Herb. (FOLLOWUP) The two performers at the in- time Penthouse comprise a pleas^ ing bit of divertissement; each hav- to antidpateT^ormar;™^^^^^ the larger room will be restricted mood and command attention. En- hancing the atmosphere of this rooftop intimerie are Gigi Durston and Jerry R^ed (New AQts), both of whom fill the needs of this room excellently. Miss Durston has been making a splash in the eastsideries of late. She has a pashy appeal in her pipings, having the knack of mak- ing the lyrics appear to be ad-- dressed to each patron individu- ally. Pipings carry applause- winning values here. Miss Durston, however, should enlarge upon her catalog if she's to go beyond intimeries. Her voice, while thin, carries excellently, and her projection can be developed so that the same effect, can. be at- to banquets (for which it can be set UP to hold more than 1,000 guests, minus a dance floor) and entertainment, will be presented in the Shamrock Room. Both are architectural and technical gems, although designer Robert D. Har- rell's "international modern'' decor is somewhat on the cold side and lacks the intimacy that should pre- vail in the Shamrock Room, at least. It is perhaps something that further experimenting with light- ing may cure. It's rumored that builder Mc- Carthy once got a table behind a post in a nitery and determined then and there that there'd be no such encumbrances in his own tainejd in a larger cafe. Tune se-i spot. Thus even the 103-foot square lection, while admirable for needs of this spot, would have to be en- larged if she's to work other type rooms. Roster is completed by Kurt Maier, who does the . piano inter" ludes. His catalog embraces Vir* tually every musical form and his poundings are sufficiently down to earth. J;o_::create_a_f ee.llng.M-gemut- Uchkeit here, . Jo^e. Clique CInb, IV. Y. Sally Rand; - Radio Aces (3), Line (6), Madeleine King, Dave Herman Orch; $3 minirnuTn. Sally Rand's periodic stands in N. Y. cafes bring out some un- usual audiences, mostly males. She's been attracting this type au- dience since her run at the Chica- go World's Fair in 1932. Miss Rand has probably hit New York to mark time until the carni- val season, when she really fans in the chips. Her percentage deal at the comparatively small-sized Clique cannot fetch the king-sized grosses of the carny dates, but it's probably enough to meet expenses, and also make a profit for the spot. Dancer is one of the better strip divas, but despite experience is still to Surround herself with a suitable show. She's brought in a line of a half-dozen lookers plus hula dancer Madeleine King. For entertainment she relies on the Radio; Aces, whose special material tunes hold up nicely and provide the sole humor in the show. The off-the-cob retinue isn't up to Broadway standards — but then again, Miss Rand isn't attracting a Broadway crowd. Her big moment comes during her fan number when she gets down to bare essentials fof a brief moment in the dimmed spot. Miss Rand, having a reputation to maintain for nudity, does one other number in the show. But inasmuch as she's nearly fully clothed,'she hides her identity un- der a dark wig. There were few in the-crowd-who recognized_.her in that disguise. , . , . The Clique, in bringing m fan- dancer, follows the pattern of the 52d street spots. Until last week a bop haven, the Clique after find- ing that be-bop wasn't paying off, mainly because of scarcity ot at- tractions, threw in the girl show. The admission tap has been abandoned for this run, but the $3 minimum prevails, with exception Le Boeuf Sur le Tolt, Chi Chicago, March 22. Lilli Andree, Madelene Dahlman; no cover, no minimum. This new spot departs from the traditional run of niteries here, in more ways than one. Site is the old Henry Field mansion, with nothing done to modernize or change the 1890 decor. , Crystal gas chande- liers, and candle light prevail, with emphasis on the quaint, yet Pari- sian atmosphere. Lilll Andree, petite brunet, in- tros her own numbers, with the help of Madelene Dahlman, piano- accompanist, as songstress' Eng^J lish is in literal stage. Effect is charming and amusing, with Miss Andree viewing her speaking diffi- culties, in gay manner. In the States for seven weeks, after ex- tensive stays in Turkey, Buenos Aires and Rio, she has a reper- toire of songs in 11 languages, with most offerings being Parisian. Renditions of "La Vie En Rose," "Le Petit Vin Blanc," and "J'At- tendrai" exhibit well-trained pipes plus warmth and-: personable: styl- ing.. Informal type of presentation finds her perched atop piano or table singing, garnering complete attention and approval of patrons. . Spot was named after Le Boeuf in Rue D'Anglais, Paris, long known'as a meeting place for cos- mopolites. LeBoeufSur Le Toit (Ox on the Roof) gets its original name from a^ balfet-farce written by Jean Cocteau. . Greg. JERRY REED SonKS , 10 Mlns. . Penthouse, N; ¥. Jerry Reed, one of the younger exponents of ballad singing, has a youthful enthusiasm for this type of work that should establish him as a name in this field. He has an excellent collection of Old English^ Irish and American folktunes as well as spirituals. All are given « high degree of feeling and styling. His guitar accompaniment is full-'bodied and gives substance to his songs. Pipes have a nice bal-i ance, being able to deliver the deeper and higher tones with true pitch and intensity. He's the brother of Susan Reed, also established as a balladeer, but he's making out nicely on his own.; Jose. MARIE SHAW Songs t 14 Mins. Bradley's, N. Y. Marie Shaw has obviously been. around for some time,: but is a stranger to Variety's New Act files. Making a striking appear- ance- with platinum blonde coiff, she shows up. best In the blues dept. There's much feeling and finesse in these numbers. She gets in a lot of falsetto tones to add color. Miss Sha\y has a number of gut^ teral tones, which frequently are too grating and destroy the effect of .the smoother portions of her song. Otherwise, numbers are ,good, and since she goes in for lots of. chatter, - the writing at- it could be improved. ? Josd ■ hThiA^'iV^ treatment; he fetching- minimum prevails, with exception %««.s,Vie/;AmerlMn';,txan^^^^^^^ b??K*Aej .•^A*?*. • Emerald Room has a ceiling that is entirely steel-trussed. Vision is further er.hanced in both rooms by two step-ups toward the rear and sides, so that the view of bandstand and performers is well- nigh perfect from any point. Acoustics are also excellent and lighting for the shows is accom- plished-by-spots-which come down- on electric elevators out of the ceil- ing. Light operators are provided with telephone headsets connected with that of the stagemanager. There's no lack, of any technical feature that McCarthy's well-oiled grouch bag can provide. ■ Shows are being booked by Bill Burnham, who carries the title of entertainment director, post he also held at the Biltmore, N. Y. Teeoff layout is in for two weeks, taking the final bow March 30. Only exception is the Russ Mor- gan band^ which holds over until April 6, when it is replaced by Car- men Cavallero. Burnham's policy will be shaped by events and avail- abilities, but probably will continue as now, with a top name as draw, an auxiliary act (such as the cur- rent Ben Yost singing unit) and an important band. It is hard to conceive of Burn- ham's having made a better choice than Dorothy Shay to start the Shamrock off. The "Park Avenue Hillbilly" provides Just the right mixture of earthiness. with . her sophistication to knock these Tex- ans over and she can probably stay as long as she wants and come back as often as she cares to. A noisy, talkative lot with less In the way of nitery manners than might be found even in Flatbush, these oil-happy Houstonians have been spellbound by Miss Shay to the point of being quiet during her performance-T^nd nothing greater can be said of any entertainer. Miss Shay is doing the same dit- ties with which she's clicked so solidly in New York, L. A., Frisco and elsewhere. Material Is all origi- nal (with the exception , of her famed "Feudin', Fightin'") and she- collabs-on the writing—of-it. Attractive and in command of the situation every second, this hillbilly' (from Jacksonville, Fla., actually) gives the material $mash delivery to milk it of every drop of its gentle risqueness. Royal Guards quintet is set in the standard pattern of the Yost' units, with nicely blended voices and colorful costumes to present Swiss Clialet, Clii (BISMARCK HOTEL) Chicago, March 17i Joe Isbell, Charles & Janet, Do- raine & Ellis, Johnny Brewer Orch; $2 minimMm, $1.05 cover. SONNY RICHARDS Comedy 15 Mins.' Bradley's. N. Y. Sonny Richards' New York preem is too premature. He should have had more, seasoning before attempting the Gotham showcjKses.. Richards has some good^ma- terial His 'satire of an oldtlme vauder is good, and there are oced4 sional bits that come across, but unfortunately, delivery is frequent- ly ineffective. He has a passable voice for song passages, and hii terping is okay. He's a young- ster and can - afford to play the lesser spots until the necessary experience is attained. • /ose; > This spot is one of few In town that hasn't felt sharp drop in at- tendance. Informality reigns, as does family-type patronage, with Jow^ceiling bistro's emphasis- -on "gemutlichkeit" rather than talent lineup. Entertainment of present bill approaches authenticity of sur- roundings, from yodeler to Swiss folk dancers. ■ - Joe Isbell is held over again, do- ing "Swiss Yodel" and other num- bers; also providing background for Charles & Janet's dances. Youth- ful dance' toam, in Swiss costume do colorful routines thitt win salvosi Doraine & regalia and partner in hooped Viennese gown, segue into operatic and musical comedy selections. El- lis' intros .are overlong and bit .too JO ANN COLLIER ' Dance ■ 10 Mlns. Bradley's, N. Y. A stripper seems an anomaly in the eastsideries. Jo Ann Collier might fit the requirements of this spot if there, were more ingenuity , in presentation and more' finesse in her styling; She pares dovm to the essentials in short order and under high lighting does some ungainly chore- ography. The turn is off the cob for this spot but could make the grade in the 52nd street cribs. JoSSi " . ANNE DUNCAN v; Songs' Ellis, he in Hussar * Mins. - Bradley's, N. Y; Anne Duncan has; yet to acquire' experience in all departittehts b^^^ fore being ripe for the recognized spots. Major fault' Is her iohg Se- cute for mood created by their i ,, .. , - appearance. Duo's singing of' if ction. Items such as "True To "Chocolate Soldier'' and "Sempre 1 You m My Fashion" aren't essayed Libera" garner nice returns, but ! with the necessary sophistication, complement of six selections seems too much. Pair should concentrate on lighter stuff as Voices are best in such selections. Greg. Village Barn, N. Y. Three Goy Blades, Allen Car- rier, Francis Mortin, Rhythm Rogues (3), Abbey Albert Orch (6); $2.50 minimum. In its 20th year, this corn silo in the heart of Greenwich Village, N .Y., is maintaining its dicko en- tertainment policy for the steno and tourist trade. It's: a bargain layout, including a longf session of country dances and games, which compensates for any lack of class in its quantity and folksy atmos- phere. Current bill is headed by Three Gay Blades, who make a strong customer pitch in a nostalgic rou- tine; Hoked up with handlebar mustaches and toupees, trio races through a repertory of ol d fav or- ites with aOiae effective comedy by-play. Real topliner is Allen Carrier, a young comic doubling, as emcee. Carrier has an ingratiating man- ner with a unique whistling talent in addition to some bright rou- tines. His impressions of Barry Fitzgerald,. Bing Crosby, the Ink Spots and Spike Jones', band are Carrier can Improve his She's a personable looker. Jose. TONY MONTELL Songs 15 Mins. Bradley.'s, N. Y. Tony Montell, tallish tenor, has the. vocal equipment but needs more experience in projection and styling. He can tackle almost any tune, and some of them, especially ballads, fait the mark. Further development is called for before he can hit ^andard cafe and vaude dates.: Jose. new material in place of several - borrowed items too readily identi- fied with other comics. Francis Martin displays okay - form in a series of twirling tap-. storing. A good-looking hoofer. Miss Martin needs more change of . pace in her tempos to climb above average. In the opener, the Rhythm Rogues, who also alternate on the bandstand, for customer dans apa* tion, provide 'some niilid comedy with their hillbilly numbers. Abbey Albert's orch, backing up^ v is a versatile combo which ranges from corn through rhumba light classics. Aggregation, comprising .' violin, guitar, : accordion, bass, drummer and piano, play deait arrangements with a neatly varied beat that's still geared to the de*. mands of the one-stepping cus- itomersif< >. 11 a t • a»i> t tHtmn.* • *