Variety (Mar 1949)

HOUSE RfiVIBWS 47 Cmv hombardo Orch, with Dm B/I3«ei/. Kenny Gkw'dncr; Fronfc ttwc. Chester Dolphin^ Hoctor f» "Kiss in the J6ark" (WB). *eS<t in, Vamety; March 2, '49. riurrent lineup at the Strand Is . varied, smooth-rolling package tied together by Guy Lombardo's {'miliar rhythms. Lombardo is the irowdiatcher on the bill but the nthei acts round out the session with neat support in the comedy and hoofing departments. Nothing new pro or con can be said at this late date about Lom- bardo's crew except that he's still ' solid with the customers. Lacking the drive of most other bands, this orch compensates with a sweet, muted but clean style that's always llstenable. Lombardo's selection if numbers, moreover, have a sure» fire appeal whether they are old faves or current novelties. Vocal combos within the band and singers Don Kodney and Ken- ny Gardner also blend-in to make this an all-around showmanship crew. One of the highlights is Gardner's downing^crooning of his new disk, / "Dangerous Dan Mc- Grew," which. looks like a good fcet fof the bestseller lists. Lom-{ iardo also makes an appealing j fraternal pitch in behalf of his two I sidemen brothers. Carmen and Le-1 bert, playing a flrstrate medley of tl>e latter's compositions. :> ■ Frank MarloWe is a hectic, ac- 'tionful comic with broad appeal. Eschewing the straight gag rou- tines, he sriares yocks with pratt' falls (falling off the stage into the laps of the first row patrons) and muggihg. Despite weaknesses in his material, Marlowe drives hard to win big response. , Chester Dolphin, registers with his comedyrjuggling. An adroit handler of tenpins and hoops, he ] spices routine with a running gag commentary which, in many spots, overshadows his tricks. Every juggling miss, most of them intentional, is used as an opening for a fast crack. It's a ,well-plan- ned routine. Hoctor and Byrd's terping is Standout in its execution and mani- fold styles. One of this act's un- usual features is the gal's run- through of a classical ballet to Chopin music which, despite its longhair quality, receives ' strong mitting. Team also hits well with a straight ballroom and beguine ' number. Herm. IVational, L'vllle Louisville, March 25. Bernie Smith, Buddy McDowell, . Monte Hale, Max Terhume.: & Elmer; "Loaded Pistols" (Col). It's an all-Western bill this week, stage and screen program giving the customers lots of gun-totin' and cowboy costumed and guitar playing doings. Actually, there are only four people in the entire one- hour show, but they manage to hold patrons' attemtiOUi particu.- larly the kids. , Couple of guitar plunkers, Bernie Smith, locaL chap who used to appear on several radio programs, teamed with Buddy McDowell, pint-sized cowboy, give i out tunes for nice returns. i Monte Hale, film cowboy, breezes on with a jovial greeting to the kids. Warbles "Rose of San Anton?,'' with guitar accomp and ^say»-impressions of T«x. Ritter, Hoy Acuft, and others singing Styles. Kids went for him in a big ■.way. ■ „ , „ Ventro Max Terhune provides the bulk of the entertainment, with nis bird Imitations, whistling and general hearty personality: Adds some magic tricks, and comes back for ventro stuff with his dummy Wmer. Registers sqlidly, but was carrying quite a load and stayed on a trifle too long. . Boys all teamed up for some noogie-woogie clowning to close. Hold. , . Apollo, N. Y. ^MieuclitaVoldcs Orch (13) with ?{^ftte,Shaio; Dud Boscomb Orch "J), Slim Goillord Trio, Joe Chis- nojm, Spizrie Can/ield Chorus (8), atfo Jones, Pigmeat Markham & ^0. Perilous Waters" (Mono). ■ Blend of Miguelito Valdes' Afro- u,^M" chanting, Slim Gaillard's *?«*y rhythms plus , Dud Bas- combs more orthodox band com- "jnes to make a neat musical pack- jee at the Apollo this week. «gmeat Markham's comedy antics, oaton-twirler Joe Chisholm and the mjxed chorus of spizzie Canfield HVfndwiched through the layout w wing necessary change of pace. \ "Pening behind a scrim, Bas- cofflbo s outfit shows plenty of vol- "^l»n handling a torrid medley via its three rhythms, five reed and "bLi ^atls are also solid on Home in Indiana," which a i''lif.*"P™*s for neat returns. MJones is so-so on "I Wish I Didn't Love Yott So" but re- bounds with ample tinimation on "Them There Eyes." Absent from this Harlem vaud- et}f for several years, Slim Gaillard Trio does several numbers includ- ing its famed "Cement Mixer" and a current tave, "Down By the Sta^ tion." Gaillard is a show in himself for he cleverly gags up the tune intros and at finale massages a bongo drum. His bizarre antics coupled with the trio's rhythms handled by guitar, bass and drum, earned strong mitting. With an outfit built around six rhythm, three brass and four reed, Valdes' band appears a capable Latino combo. However, when caught Friday (25), the crew largely was on hand as accompani- ment for. their 1 e ad e r, who whammed across with the inevit- able "Babalu" and kindred melo- dies. Also embellishing the vocal department is Rosette Shaw, a swivel'hipped lass, who proficiently pipes a brace of numbers. Aggre- gation is one of the better rhumba bands whose chief asset, of course, is its showmanly leaden .Canfield chorus of four gals and four boys are okay in a couple of production numbers. Pigmeat Markham and his cohorts register, per usual, in a brace of blackouts while Joe . Chisholm is. reviewed under New Acts. Show could be speeded up If 10 or 15 minutes were cut from its 80 minutes run- ning time. Gilb. Circle, Indpls. Indianapolis, March 26. ' Ted Weems Orch, with Russ Carter, Elmo Tanner, Glenn West; Connee Boswell, Buster West & Lucille Porge, Howord & Wondo Bell; "Clay Pigeon" (RKO). Only trouble Circle had with this week's bill was in trying to keep within usual hour's running time. However, it ran 30 minutes over at opening, mostly due to ex- uberant performance by Connee Boswell, who sang at least 10 numbers and still had customers wanting more. The round-up, in- cluding Weems band and two out- side acts besides Miss Boswell, satisfies. Singer started to give with such cheerer-uppers as "Let a Smile Be Your Umbrella" and "Smile, Darn ya. Smile," then picked "Faraway Places," "Careless Hands" > and "Slow Boat to China" and other items for top returns. Her cheerful line Of patter is relished almost as much as her songs. Weems, playing in style that has made friends and kept them here, open with "Isn't This a Lovely Day?" before introducing his raft of entertainers. Newcomer Russ Carter mak^s good impression in brace of ballads, Elmo Tanner's whistling warmed the audience. Vocalist Glenn West also decks "Stammering." Buster West and Lucille Page score with their com- edy dance r6utlnes. Howard and Wanda Bell offer nifty acrobatics. Biz. good when caught, Corb. Capitol, Wash. Washington, March 25; Jayne Walton, A Macks, Eddie Hanley, Giselle & Froncois Szonyi; "Take Me Out to Boll Game" (M-G). Paramount, BT. Y. Louts Jordan Tympany 5 (7), Pat Henningf, Pe0£t]/ Mann, Johnny Barnes, Ray Anthony Orch (15); "El Paso" {Par), reviewed in Va- BiETV, Morch 2, '49. The Paramount has a well-gaited show that has variety and enter- tainment values as weU as marquee lure with the Louis Jordan Tym- pany Five, enlarged to seven pieces.. The varied components of the show produce a good blend of entertainment. The Jordan crew is one of the more delightful instrumental com- binations and the leader is a singer in the top traditions. Whatever he tackles is productive of laughs, and good listening. He's on for 15 min- utes, but there's, not a moment: of lost motion or an extraneous tune. He offs to a powerful mitt. Effect of the act is heightened by beefy Paula Watson's brace of tunes. Pat Henning's comedy also pro- duces the desired results; Although some of it is dated, he has enough exuberance in the anything-for-a- laugh tradition to put over his rou- ■tine,' Peggy Mann is a cute singer with an effective: delivery, but her occa- sional attempts to overdramatize diminishes overall value. This characteristic is especially evident in "So in Love." There's sufficient dramatic content in this tune to get across with the simpler delivery used' in some of her other num- bers. Otherwise the crowd warms up to her nicely for a deserved eri- 'core,,'- The tap turn by Johnny Barnes Is well received. He's a personable dancer with some unusual routin- ing. Comparatively brief turn is to the point and brings good re- turns. Ray Anthony's band dishes out some good rhythms; best of which is their "Darktown Strutters Ball," a number starting off with a Dixie- land ' styling that changes into a variety of styles. The crew in- dulges, in some musical imitations of various maestri, some of which is tasteless and witless. Some sharper editing could bring about a more effective lampoon. iJose.. ■ Tivoli, S. F. San Francisco, March 29. Larry Blake, Ford .& Harris, Bud Hughes, The Stapletons, Robert & Renee, Ralph Williams Orch. (6); "Crj/stol Boll" (Indie) and "Sin Town" (Indie). are an accomplished team of acro- bats with an ingenious and lively routine. Also from across the Atlantic are Harrison, Carrol & Ross, a man, a girl and a midget, with a snappy dance and knockabout turn. Josef Locke contribs a number of pop melodies to win encores. Second half tees off with Do- laire, an attractive aerialist, who ^ives place to Roger Ray, another American performer, who had the house rolling with his interpreta- tion of a -Gin Advertising show on video a la Red Skelton. Another is Senor WenceSi whose ventriloquial act is the best seen on the London stage. Myro. New Acts LYNN MARTIN Sones-Piano 20 Mins. Commonwealth Hotel, K. C. Ah alumna of the Meredith Will-- son. Hay Noble and Carl Hoff orchs, tyhn Martin^ i out on heir .' own on the club: and hotel circtut. Working: th^ Blue Dahlia' Room: •with the Judy COhrad tristrumeji'*' tal foursome. • ; ' Her singing is flrstrate through- out, showing low-register quality on' sUch numbers as "Old Man River'' arid "But Not for Me," ^nd dding equally well on a medley of "Stoirriiy: Weather": and "Ajiril' Showersi" She addis. novelty tune,:. "I've Got to Get Hot," and returns to an old favorite W !'Shine Oii Harvest Moon"—as she did it in „ ri v.— i ' fiinis as the voice for Ann Sheri- nn«»f«£^Pcf°,«^^*t°"®v,°^ Nan. An attractive brunet, Miss ffi^**^4f**!-^'*-^ Martin also manages to get a good JA^,S^'^^*l„.^"i^l^,!l^:l deal of personality into her sing- Capitol, JK. Y. Gordon Jenkins Orch (35), Cfioir (10), TaUlers (4), Charlie La VerCi Cardini, Artie Dann; "Outpost in Morocco" (UA): re- uieiued in Variety Morc/i 23. Current Capitol layout rings the belbwith a fast moving, consistent- ly pleasaiftt-'quartet of acts.; No showstopper on bill, but general average is high; so . is audience appreciation. Surprise is terp team of Giselle & Francois Szonyi, recent imports and new to the town^ Young and sparkling couple offer slick rou- tines that are different and, at times, dazzling. Femme carries bulk Of aero stunts and novelty chores, but both are graceful, delt terpers. Open with classical ada- gio, then "All the Things You Are," with the accent on fancy twirling, and wind with a jive number, to which they give a continental twist. Payees go for this in a big way. Eddie Hanley, headlining, comes off okay, considering that his act, an oldie here, is Virtually un- changed from the last D.C. stint. Comedy routine is divided in two parts -—a taxi dance scene with femme partner playing straight to Hanley's drolleries, and a solo impresh bit. Comic gets laughs, but could stand some new materiali Jayne Walton, bill's chantoesey, pleases with a group of pop tunes on the romantic side. ^'I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm;" "I'll Stay With You" and the Latin, "While There's Music There's Ro- mance," with payees participating, is best bet. Four Macks do a slick job as show pacers, bringing with their usual brisk exhibition of top tech- nique in roller skating. Troupe operates on a circular platform, whirling around a minimum of space with a maximum of speed. Lowe. The obvious formula of this new bid for vaude is to purvey mod- estly budgeted bills at moderate prices. V Opener is Larry Blake, as m.c, who is glib in intros. He's also okay in his story telling- stint, spotted later in bill. Robert and Renee, trampoline act, interspersed with' comedy, gets nice appreciation. Tapstering by-The-Stapletons is equally appreciated, though their routines could stand some perk- ing up. Buddy Hughes begins with straight standard magic itemsj deftly handled, and segued into an acrobatic dog act routine which clicks for good applause. Ford and Harris score In a song and dance stanza. Most of it harks back to the good old days but wins top appreciation. Ralph William's Orch backs acts expertly and contribs slick ses- sion on ,)ts»own. Biz good. Ted. ment unit by Gordon Jenkins aside from the 3S piece band includes 10. voices plus the singing quartet, the Tattlers, and a narrator, The comparatively small Capitol stage consequently permitted only sta- tionery acts, but there's no loss of motion in the process, inasmuch as the performers chosen give the semblance of movement, ing. Quin, JACK PRINCE Songs-Comedy 15 Mins. Bagatelle, N. Y. ; Jack Prince looms as a singer- comic who can get along in most ™ _ , ■ ..c-.. ■ •visual media. He's a portly gent, The Jenkins outfit is providing; with a full-bodied voice, and caii some of the more picturesque mu-i handle a number in straightfor- ^i''-., The symphony sized crew in-1 ^ard fashion, or can fill a classio eludes 16 strings, four French ^ith all sorts of irreverances and horns, a . harp plus the usual as sqrtment of reeds, brasses and rhy- thms. The product is extremely colorful and frequently schmaltzy. Their topper is, of course, Jenkins' composition "Manhattan Tower" an extremely vivid musical panorama of New York and a sapient blend of musical arrangement, choral back-: ground and well-written narration delivered by Barry Thomson. It's an ambitious and possibly a risky undertaking for a Broadway vaud^ er, but it's surefire as delivered here. It's an arty, but commercial, presentation that makes a rousing exit for this crew. The Tattlers, doubling from the Copacabana, provide a youthful note to this en- deavor, and the 10 voices highlight the dramatic content of this piece. "Song of the Bayou" is another big number by Jenkins and results in , another salvo. For the lighter side of the Jenkins presentation, there's a medley of "San Fernando Val- ley" and "P S. I Love You" and the rhymthic arrangement of "Blue Danubci" Solo vocals are by Charlie La Vere, who a^hough un- sure in his stage presence, is an: extremely effective singer. Cardini's manipulations are, as always,, full of certain applause values. He's an entertaining turn with a smooth and polished de- livery. He's doubling from the 'eotillion—room for a portion—of this? run. Artie Dann brings tbe proceed- ings off its lofty plane for a. session of low comedy. Ordinarily, this might provide a jarring note to the level already established, but he's spotted so that there's a change of pace. Dann's dissertations on his beak come off well. Jose. get away with it. Prince has a flock of : bright asides and comic breaks. He has a good sense of comedy and induces a high quot^ of. laughs. On shdw' caught he surprised by giving a sensitive reading, of "Love for Sale" after a session of comedy. With that encouragement he also did a straight of "Without a Song," also for excellent results. How- ever, comedy is- still his strong jioint. Jose. Palladium, London London, March 22.. Eleanor Powell, Georsre & Bert Bernard, Roger Ray, Harrison, Car- rol & Ross, Senor Wences, Alan Clive, 7 Ashtons, Louise's Dogs and Ponies (4)i Josef Locke, Dolaire, Woolf Phillips' Skyrocket Orch. New vaude season at the Pal- ladium continues the successful Solicy of last year in which top- ight American stars are brought over to head the bill. Current show introduces Eleanor Powell and she receives the traditional welcome from enthusiastic Palladiumites. Her success was assured from the moment of her first entry and the series of numbers; which she per- forms with elegance and charm, leaves no doubt as to the success of her three-week stint Miss Powell's dance routine ranges from Blue Danube and Clair de Lune to rhumba and boogie-; woogie. For 30 minutes the packed house was fascinated: by her skill, endurance and nonchalant ease, and a soli.1 hit. George and Bert Bernard con- tinue their superb mimicry, which had the audience yelling for favor- ite numbers. It's a flawless act with split-second timing that gets a boisterous reception. Opening the show are Louise's Dogs and Ponies with new varia- tions of old animal tricks, followed by Alan Clive, a first rate impres- sionist whose act is enhanced by an intelligent script. The Seven Ashton^t who haU ficom AustraUai Olympia, Miami Miami, March 26. JocJc LaRuc, Lubo Molina, Amaz- ing Mr. Bollontine, The Herzogs, Marilyn Martinez Trio, Freddie Carlorie Orch; "He Walked By Night- STEWART & BARBOUR Songs 14 Mins. St. Regis, Toronto Ruth Barbour of the Cleveland Operetta Co. and Allan Stewart of the St. Louis Opera Co., have teamed up for boy-and-girl duets ranging from pops to opera. Both are fresh-'looking youngsters, have the necessary poise and should have no trouble making time in the nitery circuits; Stewart is brunet and Miss; Bar'', hour blonde^ their evening clothes lending class distinction to the act, and their blended voices reflect their operatic training. They are; excellent in a medley of 'Victpr Herbert hits. Miss Barbour, how- ever, should tone- down her too- professional smile. M cStay. JOE CHISHOLM Dancinc-Baton Twirling 5 Mins. Apgillo, N Y. Working in tophat and tails, Joe Chisholm displays an uncanny ability in manipulating a baton. The colored twirler accompanies his stick-swishing with a fair line of patter. Tall lad closes with a dash of acro-terping for smart ap*^ plause when caught at this Harlem vaude house. However, he. needs better footwork. At that, the turn is an okay-sight act for most vaude and niteries. Gilbk Lineup of names looked better on paper than it played. Topliner Jack LaRue was mostly nil in his stint. The film's heavy is sadly in need of saleable mate- rial, but with advent of'unbilled attractive Joy Carson, whose vocals belt for full returns, he winds into a fair palm return. Luba Mahna walks off with top honors. Thrush clicks with her special material and songs for rounds of applause. The Amazing Mr. Ballantine grabs plenty laughs with his satiri- cal ;magico.\ House went for his shenanigans in a big way. Marilyn and Martinez trio are Standard. Their terps interps are okay. Femme trio, the Herzogs, score with their trapeze feats. Freddie Carlone's house orch backs the acts. Lory. Stevens H., Chi, Doubling Budget for Ice Revue Chicago, March 29. Merriel Abbott has doubled the I budget for incoming ice show at the Stevens hotel, April 15, which will make it the most expensive display for the Boulevard Room. Budget, including orch, win run about $10,000. New show features Atkinson & Hair, Wonder Wheelers, Brinkman Sisters, Radfern "& Mapes, Boule- vard^$ and the Cavanaughs. MARY LOUISE Songs : ■ 8 Mins. Cafe Society Downtown, N. Y. Mary Louise, former vocalist with Cab Calloway, has savvy in delivery and can handle many types of tunes. Her forte appears to be centered around blues. In those numbers, feeling is more evi- dent, and that type of styling ap- pears to seep into renditions of other types. She's a looker with charm, is well-gowned and makes a striking appearance on the floor. Jose. Pitt's 1st Nitery Jock Pittsburgh, March 29. Although it's old stuff now In other key cities, Pittsburgh gets its first night dub disk jock this week with opening of Spotlight Room, new cocktail lounge on sec- ond floor of Jackie Heller's Carou- sel. Program will originate from there over KDKA one hour a night, from midnight to 1 a.m., with Ed King, comedy scripter-actor from Westinghouse station, at the mike. .'.For the present, the Carousel is b^kroUing the show itself but hopes to snare an outside sponsor before long. In addition to spin- ning platters. King will interview celebs and go through the usual r^pertoiro^t . . '