Variety (December 1950)

68 VAUDEVILLE Wednesday^ Deceitibei* 18, 1980 Intornaiional Ice Revue, ure skating champion and later * Trov Dec 7 I featured in "Howdy Mr. Ice” at Troy, Dec. 7. Intefnational Sports ptesentcition Center Tlieatre, N. Y., shares of revue in two acts. Stars Eileen honors mth Seigh; features Jerry Rehfield, Bob of the Whites, Rehfield and Brand- & Peom/ Wliite, ^ddie Brandstetfcer, I stetter. Miss Seigh appears four Leonard Furnas, Nick Dantos, Bob- j times: as^ihe Snow queen m the by DuRav, Johnny Flanagan, De OPenmg "Frozen Fantasywith Witt Twins; production planned by ' Rehfield in a ‘dream waltz cli- Miss White and Rehfield; dioreog-j maxing the first.half closer, Stire raphy and staging, Dorothie Little^ : De .Vienne”; in a tambourin uum- « •‘vr* : AGMA Sets Stars for Its Annual Benefit Concert Imogene Coca, Todd Duncan, Robert Mefrillr Dorothy Kirsten, Gladys Swarthout, Patrice Muhsel, Yehudi Menuhin, Elisabeth Schu- Night Club Reviews iCohtimied from page 66; Hliic Room, O* mnnb fiance turn that includes SV^will^heaS^ intricate tapping, acrobatic and , Reiner uill heamine _ann^^^^^ rniiH adagio routines for good results. S I As an added attraction, Sharkey j of Musical Artists at the Met Opera ; Bonano and his Kings of Dixieland I House, K. Y.,- Jaur 7.. Umoh is pro-; uand practically bring down the ; moting the event under title of the jjQ^gg with rousing examples of ‘Concert of the Year.” Others to appear include Eugene genuine New Orleans jazz. The sextet has feet stomping all over field; costumes. Miss White and Mrs. J. E, .Luffman; setting, A, Butterworth; lighting, J. William Butterworth; musical director, Ed- die Ackland. At R.P,I. Field House Troy, Dec, 5, ’5(1? $3.60 top. her for “Gypsy Reyelry,” and as leader of promenade at end of closing “Canadian Hoe Down” — there are 21 on the ice for former, ' ‘‘Hoe Down” is not the fla.shiest! bit, but it gives the line the best opportunity for precision skating, Conley, Thelma Votipka, Fedora I the place. They open in chorus, Barbieri, Cesare'Siepi, Gyorgy San-tpass the solps around and display dor, Aldo Parisot, Elena Nikolaidi and the Philharmonic Piano Quar- ete. Deems Taylor will be emcee and Wilfred Pelletier musical di- rector. .. plenty of drive With "When the embarked on a show-plus-dancing, no cover, no minimum policy, ap- parently hasn’t been able to establish a set entertainment pat- tern for itself. Room used two combos and a singer in its first show of the season; now it’s got two singers and a combo, plus a pianist and -organist. While the singers are a lad and femme and have different styles, and while their stints are broken up by piano an(P organ solos, the wisdom of rhythms. ‘‘Pork Entertaining though not preten-: and draws heaviest applause. Miss tious revue is the realization of an,' Seigh, blonde, adept and daring, idea which White and Rehfield: is a, fine performer. Her figure formulate last spring at the con-j Work is splendid; the spins and elusion of a Canadian and New, twists, including one-ancl-a-halfs, York State tour with Barbara.Ann rare arresting. Miami Scott in "Skating Sensations of 1950.” A number of the principals appeared in that show, Rehearsed last summer, at Cobourg, the troupe has been playing the smaller spots' in Canada for three months; Troy is the only A^meri- can engagement booked; Quebec Good looking, California-born, Rehfield does a reasonably spec- tacular ‘‘Serenade” .in “Soiree” I before joining Miss Seigh for slick; team skating. He also registers ; solidly as "Caravan Master” ih ■ "Gypsy Revelry,” and in dress' elbthes, with Leonard Furnas (an-, Continued from page 6 seatci' iiilery. On the agenda for Saints Come Marchin’ In," “Hada- 1 booking is dubious. col Boogie” and other two-beat The sirigersi both of whom are good and show promise* are Jail Chops” and "Kidney Arden and Joan Kibrig, who are I Stew,” colored dancers featured ■ reviewed as New Acts. Vocalists I with Sharkey, Scored heavily with are accompanied by Ram Ramirez, I their footwork and patter. iwlio also does a solo piano stint j The Reichman band also makes and shares the intermissioning with isome outstanding musical and vocal, organist Milton Page. Ramirez en- j contributions of their own. open with ear-caressing seawi .from "South Pacific,” and close • sbovv With a stirring musical trib Ute to George Gershwin* is to follow. Rehfield said that! other capable icer' as Debonairs' "International Revue” is a co-op! in "Rhapsody in Rhythm.” The Whites score in "Poetry of; Motion” and "Dan.se Rituelle. de Feu.” Man is a fine skater and Superb understander. Woman does | breath-catching dips, swings and; spins, including an attention-hold- ing one-arm pivot. Theirs is an ^ outstanding act. Brandstetter, | talented acrobatic skater comedian, : pairs, with Furnas for a humorous , “A Hunting We Go” bit after the; opener. He also performs in the j neat "Studio of Dance” number, which dovetails into“Ballet Blah,” I venture, one of the few in the field. A small audience ih the spacious Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Field House the second night of the engagement warmly received the 105-minute show. It lacks the size, elaborate ^ production, spec- tacular costuming and brilliant lighting of better known ice dis- plays. In spots at least, the pres- entation also lacks their speed, sureness and. precision, although the unusually large RPI rink may contribute to this impression. The a Cole Dancers and Gloria DeHaven. Saxony hotel will feature name orchs such as Miguelito Valdes, and Teddy Powell. Plan now is tb try to book in solo star .attractions. Same idea is being used by the Sans Souci hotel, where Jose Cur- belo is current, plus acts. Harold Minsky; has leased the Capacity biz when caught Oval RotNiii, Bostou (GQPLEY PLAZA) countered a bit of trouble in his medley l accompaniment of both singers, close but this will probably be ironed out with work and rehearsals. Page, who tries a little too hard to dress Up his arrangements, is a bit. too loud for the small room. He would do well to soften his volume arid play his tunes a bit, more simply. The Spotlighters, an instrumen- Liuz. Boston, Dec. 8. i Margaret Phelan, Eileen & Gar- ■ tal trio comprising guitar, bass and ver: Harry Marshard Orch '( 9),' vibes, do their own stint and sup- Beachcomber from Ned Schuyler ^ yai/lor Trio; c er $2-$2.50. ply the dance music. As a dance and preems his glorified burlesque ^^ unit, their rhythms are a bit too (same unit vvhich clicked in Las Margaret Phelan, with new rep-1 . the two-Step side; and Vegas in recent weeks) the 19th, 1 ertoire stressing special material, I Hiough brisk, lack smpothne.ss. ‘ - Their feature turn, in which they play with phosphorescent effects on instruments and gloves, is colorful. Show as a whole indicates a com- .jplete lack of organization and di- ROY DOUGLAS show, however, has a group of, Purnas and Oscar Dussault.. talented principals, who perform | second half Brandstetter cuts ! with skill, polish, daring, enthu-; loose in "Ten Too Many.” aided by ! siasm and good humor. The hue j ^yj.jO keep him put i —12 girls and four buys is not of focus, for laughs, ! /nTetev ''' others coming through nicely ^ M’iss Seifih fdrmer aWeur fig-^ Santos, in a high-skating jyiiss t>eign, lormer amateur ng [ routine, Bobby Du Ray. in hand- ; stands, flips and somersaults titled , "Jack in the Box” De Witt Twins; j Jack Flanagan (unprogrammed) in I a funny "Charwoman” solo spot.' Farmerettes in "Hoe Down” are:. Roslyn Mc([jleary (captain), Shirley ; Andrews, Shirley Luffman. Marga- ret Chenier, Maureen Nicholas, ■ Grace Wood, Monique Metiyier, Irene Luteck, Betty Shand, Mar-, garet Goddard, Joan Skinner, June Solter, Jean De Witt, Joan De = Witt, Joan Hyland, Margarete. Chenier. Bill Cunningham and! Art Nickolas also appear. Bruce Mapes, Jr., was an added! starter in "Smooth Styling,” His ! skill and grace caught on. despite ; one ice^slip Mapes turned in ex-j cellent radio and television promo- tion for local date. Five traveling musicians, ba- toned by Ackland, supplemented by five locals play the score well. | Troupe ran into two bad breaks:; heavy rain opening night and no : coverage by Troy or Albany pa-' pers. Extensively-equipped Field! House was a little bn the cool side! during second half. Jaco. aiHl VICKIE "DOUBLE-TALK” Feoturing EDDIE-ECHO CASINO ThMtr* Toronto, Canada Manager: Matty Reien Puppet Artistry by SID KROFFT Opening December 14 TERRACE ROOM HOTEL New York • Clover Club has the Vagabonds, is in for *a two-weeker at this plush Rose Marie, and Gene Baylos for; room, and is grabbing neat cus- Dec. 29. Jackie Miles Will succeed . tomer response for her vocal stint. Baylos in January on a 10 week | Gal, a looker clad in a svelte black deal Chez Paree reopens Dec. 29 j gown, with Max Furman and a modified : Tees off with straight version of 'rection, With Ramirez in the role hurley policy until late •B'teary, i “You Do'‘Somfl'ing to^Mc.” ~ when Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis : ;."l/ots several naughty. , ditties, fr. o vt/APif riip Tlipv ^3^ R^sioess Man,”“Love n Ko nn?v tnrf Jd ' I? H Cheat,” w h 1 c h she tabs a will be only top names featuied in -gypsy song to end all gypsy songs” that room. uoe Hie admonition to spinsters that Art Mooney bandleader, has j ..you Can’t Take It With You” and taken over^the La Boheme, foimer , self-styled guide for wives, casino, and rebuilding spot lor a |I Became a Hussy for My late December opening. Mentioned . jjysband.” Lyrics are cute and in plans for show policy are Gigi 1 saucy with customers plenty at of an emcee—-ra job he’s unsuited for—-cues were missed, spriie songs unscheduled, and the entire pro- ceedings marked by a looseness amounting to sloppiness. It's obvi- ous that someone is needed to di- rect the bill here. Chan. DUrston, Noonan and Marshall and j tentlve. Stint is interspei'sed with a disk jock broadcast. Mooney isn’t j change of pace vocalizing of stand- figuring on bringing his band in until he sees how the idea clicks. ards "Can’t Help Loving That Man” and "Woriderful World” which she Leon & Eddie’s is now featuring j handles in pleasing manner show- j the Ha Ha Club revue (feirime im-] casing her classical training. Winds, personators) as is the Jewel Box, i with semi-operatic treatment of now at the old Frolics Club, with i "Lover” for neat bowoff. Jackie Mavc heading Show there, ; ^ Eileen and Carver, solid terp Intimeries such as Park Avenue d>io, open hill with three nifty rou-; Club and Bill Jordan’s Bar of Mu- “"f winding with fast bolero, sic, both nioneymakei's, are doing I”®*® 1 :?!***''® s'ott m fn® 1, it-.-:.- UanU llIC well with their fresh young talent ! while executing a rapid Gets solid response. idea, buttressed by Joidan at his j Marshard orcli furnishes spot and vet (Charlie Farrell at the , backgrounding and purveys Park Ave. Rest of clubs around the j rhythms for customer dancing. Bob area are all pitching for trade via strip gals. There are some 20 of them in outlying and city locations, most getting by, and expecting lush returns when the tourists hit town. Hotel “cafes are expected to si- phon off a good bit of the early trade. But despite extension Taylor Trio fills lulls. Biz fair. Elie. RUSTY FIELDS - The One Man Show'' Now Apptoriiig with Mdo West in ‘^DIAMOND LlL’’ Direction: AL DVORIN 54 Wcit Randolph St.. Chicago FRankiln 2-4tl0 Bal Taliarin, S. E« San Francisco. Dec. 6. Flora Duane’s '‘Gambols of 1951” with Harry Savoy, Verner &; of [Draper, Cass, Owen & Topsy, Karl | hours by city offcials they still can ' & King, Bill Clifford's Orch (11); ! put on only one show nightly, cover $1. . i because of the law ♦ which makes one ayera the closing hour for mu- sic weekdays and 2 a.m. on Satur- days. . Copa City’s Suit Meantime, Copa City ops are ex- TlPlI tn PJlin ’ peeting hotel owners to join them l ieu lU UllUIC 1 lull I in {.Q enjoin the city from Skelton’s Midwest P.A.’s • Hollywood, Dec. 12. Red Skelton will hypo the initial midwest openings of his new Metro film "Watch the Birdie,” with per- sonal appearances. Comic has been set by William Morris office to open at the Loew’s State, St. Louis, for a week start- ing Dec. 28, and follow it with one* ; Week at the Chicago, Chicago; In I each case,, p.a. will coincide with I film bow. - allowing the new Municipal Audi- .j^ instances too fast-tempo torium manager to rent the place, in holding attention throughout. Show ranges from the The perennial quality of this miniature revue which, keeping abreast of changing moods, has evolved from the "Grandfather’s Follies,” produced in 1937 (an essentially Gay 90s compote) to the current Standard. "Ganibols” in its 51 minutes of fast moving— to private enterprise such as Au- ditorium Attractions, Inc., and oth- er organizations booking in "unfair competition” in the way of musical shows such as "Brigadoon” and per- sonalities such as Eddie Cantor. Walter Jaicobs of the Lord Tarle- ton waS: first to agree with .Schuy- DICK COURT and GENII SAUNDERS "Courtship in Song" New Hastings Theatre Vancouver, B. C Thanks to JOE DANIELS Placed by EDDIE SMITH OFFICES mildly funny to the gayly spicy, with an adequate display of gams to please the wine imbibers. There are 16 varied items in this melange, including dance routines with, eight girls and four boys, the roustabout ballrooming of Verner A BOX aUFICE ATTRACTION PLAYIXO MAJOa SPOTS Just concluded,-Chez Paree and Edgewater Beach Hotel. Chicago; Prince George Hotel. Toronto; Ed Sullivan's “Toast of the Town," CBS-TV. DANNY O'DAY "The Mahogany Kid” Assisted by JIMMY NELSON and. his new pal HUMPHREY HIGSBY^ OPENING Dec. 20—-Hotel El Rancho Vegas Las Vegas, Nevada Jan.' 11 — Riverside Casino Reiio. Nevada* P«b, 1—Clro’s—Hollywood _ and ROXY THEATRE, New York Mgt. LOUIS W. COHAN 203 N* Woboih, Chicago ler arid Weiriger of the Copa, and •& Draper, the knockabout comedy others are meeting with them to I bf Gass, Owen & Tppsy and the | discuss the problem this week.! novelty ventroing of KaiT & King, j Laurence Schwab, co-producer with i“'ho manipulate six dummies : St. John Terrell of the Music Tent i ^ ! shows here (a click last season) en- j ! tered into the controversy with a ] humor is pleasant^ but' statement that he believed, any sort | jacks f he verve which the revusical ■ of attra.ction should be booked into ! needs. In the effort to spark the the audithLium, on the theory that potential audiences for same tempo, at a racy clip some of the numbers are inclined to become HELD OVER !! THIRD WEEK OVAL ROOM COPUY PLAZA HOTEL BOSTON abound in the area especially the : jumpy, particularly the Floradora thousands who cannot afford a Sextette itern in Which smoother j nightclub but can pay to see a pop pacing would be more effective, j priced shov'. From lopks of things , This detail, however, is easily cor-1 now, it adds up to solid publicity! rectible and detracts little from i break fpf any amusement op in the [^be sum total which is, pleasing ' area who wants to get intp the act,“htertainniehl.^^ . | With the matter being, fought Put in L i ■ attractive, cpstuming the local press long before the i hv^^nni Music judiciary arrives at a decision. Hotel * «hnS i owners now have a heightened ! show and Lerping. terest. Most have signed with Amer- ican Guild of Variety Artists for minimum basic wage contract, after stalling when the Guild reps first contacted them on the agreement ^ several weeks ago. All hostels now \ muVn in the entertainment busine.'ss, are Involved in such controversies. Ted, Sliolliiirkie Loiiiigo* X. ¥• (HOTEL SHELBURNE) Jan Arden, Joan Kibrig, The Spotlighters (3), Rani Ramirez, Milton Page; no cover, no mini- C A L L Want ait once—Girl musicians, all in- struments. Prefer those who double, sing harmony, both pop and Western (no hillbilly), .do specialties and dance> for compact variety unit. Must have youth/ be neat, and have TALENT. All intarviews New York City. Write C.A.E., Box iA4, c/o Variety, 154 W. 44th St., New York If, N. Y. Shelburne” Lounge, which has Wally Overman GAYETY THEATRE MONTREAL, CANADA WEEK NOV. 27 Mgt.: MATTY ROSEN, N. Y.