Variety (April 1953)

VAlIBKVnXK P^RlErf Copac*biiii«,N. Y Jack Carter, Jimmy McHugh's “Song Stars of Tomorrow,” with Dorothy Coulter, Eve Marley, Bev- erly Richards, Darla Hood; .Cabot Dresden, Helen DimonQ Ted t Martin, Ramona Lang & Jack Puri, cell, Co-pa Girls, Michael Durso and Frank Marti urchs; $5 mini-, mum. It’s tough to follow a Danny Thomas, but Copa op Jack Podell has coine, up with another solid layout which holds the line on this spot’s standing as the top talent showcase in the New York nitery picture. Jack Carter, in the topline comedy slot, is a repeat, booking, but all the necessary fresh angles for this show are supplied by the Jimmy McHugh troupe, whose N. Y. bow can be rated as an unqualified click. .McHugh originally broke in his act with five songstresses but cur- rently is using only four girls and it r s difficult to figure how this turn could be improved over its present setup. McHugh stays in the back: ground for the most paft accomp- ing on the piano with Matty Mal- neck batoning the orch and introing some of McHugh’s tunes in this personal song cavalcade, -It’s an “and then I wrote” script, of course, but McHugh handles it with an ingratiating modesty, always giving the credits to the collaborat- ing lyricist—in most instances, Dorothy Fields. The four thrushes are standout, singly and together. Each of them has a distinctive vocal style and personality and all are lookers, to lend considerable eye-appeal to the act. The gals bow in with an ensemble medley of McHugh stand- ards and then cpme on for solo assignments. Blonde Dorothy Coulter is a well-trained coloratura and her trills score on “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” and “It’s A Most Unusual Day.” Beverly Rich- ards is a' statuesque brunet with fftna ipusicomedy pipes with which she,.vigorously, works over “South ■’Ajnerican, Way” and “I Feel A Song I Coming On.” Eve Mafcley, for t ir.sexy change of pace with her "clinging, deeply-cleavaged gowns and her low-pitched voice, is stand- out on her handling of “Porgy” and ‘Tm In The Mood For Love.” Pert, diminutive Darla Hood comes on as last of the quartet on the first run-through of tunes and delivers a brace of them in a jump novelty style which sells all the way. She bounces through “Sunny Side of’the Street,” “You’re A Sweetheart,” “Bermuda,” “Hinky- Dinky Parley-Vous,” “A Touch of Texas,” and “Don’t Blame Me.” Midway, she duets with McHugh on “When You And I Were Young Maggie Blues” with the tunesmith doing the harmony part in a warm gravel voice. Each of the gals come on twice with gown changes. For the finale, the quartet joins in a reverential interpretation of “On A Wing and A Prayer,” which earns this 40- minute turn a begoff hand. Carter, who’s chiefly a video product but now on a temporary TV layoff, has an uneven routine. On . opening night (2) he couldn’t seem to find the handle for a long time and his gags were far from exploding. That’s not the fault of his delivery, which is' okay, but the material. Too many lines are moveovefs from other scripts and Carter frequently falls into bad taste even for hep spot like the Copa. The comic, however, scores with his impressions. He hits hard in this sector of his turn and warms up the audience with liis takeoffs on Billy Daniel*, Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong and a full. Jolson medley, to get him off on a peak. In the opening spot, Cabot & Dresden flash their fancy hoofing exhibition with ace results. Duo has a tricky adagio stunt,,In which the male twirls his femme partner above his head with one hand with dangerous-looking speed. Pair also click neatly in a light folk dance breather. As usual, the Copa production numbers with the line supply a money framework. Opening “For Love Or Money” item is a spicy tune handled in okay fashion by Helen Eflmone. Ramona Lang & Jack Puree’ll handle the featured terping stints brightly, while Ted Martin gives okay assists on the vocals along with Miss Dimone. Vet maestro Mike Durso cuts the show, aside from the McHugh routine, snappily with Frank Marti’s crew alternating for the customer dansapation rhythms. - Herm. Thnnderbird, Las Yogas * Las Vegas, April 2. Robert Q. Lewis (with Fred El- ton), "Irving Fields Trio, Betty Clooney, Johnny Conrad Dancers (5), Christina Carson, Barney Rawlings, Kathryn Duffy Dansa- tions (7), Al Jahns Orch (12); no cover or minimum. Heading into the spot that launched him on a nitery career in addition to commitments in an- other media, Robert Q. Lewis again looks like a sure, bet to cap- tivate Vegas revelers. Forced to curtail from usual two-frame book- ing to a 10-day stand because of video contracts, the bespectacled humorist will be ,,a decided boon for Easter family trade. * His light banter, self-kidding of owlish appearance, and special tunes win over roomfuls with no “Teddy and Phyllis Rodriguez, making their local bow, faced a difficult task. First, they must satisfy a smart clientele which recently was regaled' here by the great DeMarcos, Second, like the DeMarcos they’re re- quired to shoulder the entire floorshow assignment. That they emerge clicko, arousing enthusiasm .and finishing to begoffs, is considerable of an accomplishment and attests to their ability. Initially booked for a fortnight, they’ve been held over an additional three weeks. Couple buttress supe- rior terp technique and classy appearance with a high degree of entertainment. They whip up much fun and engender a party atmosphere while ^demon- strating eye-filling dances. This enable* them to do 40 minutes easily and leave the guests clamoring for more. During one number they distribute claves and maracas to ringsiders and the folks shake them with ap- parent -relish while helping to furnish the dancers’ accom- paniment. Passing up fantasy, they devote themselves to straight-out performances in a wide variety of mdstly familiar dances garnished with distinc- tive twists and novel, original steps. Numbers run the gamut from the poetic “Dream of Love” to'; a lightning fast “That’s My Baby” Charleston. Their South American contribu- tions are standouts.” Rees . Variety 3/18/53 TEDDY and PHYLLIS RODRIGUEZ FLAME ROOM Appearing RADISSON HOTEL, Minneapolis V s'- n. trouble and keep yocks rolling in plentifully. „ Irving Fields Trio counts this room as “home/* proceeds to wrap up. a sparkling sesh filled with mu- sical verve. Fields keep* action moving from his seat at the Stein- way from a Latin opener to Latin closer sliced with Americana for boffo reception and begoff.. Betty Clooney makes a good im- pression in her Vegas debut. Her song expressions are warm and delivered in sojlid style. Bearing a marked facial resemblance to sis* ter Rosemary (big clicko at the Thunderbird two yeark ago prior to pic contract), she also has the muted timbre in ballads and good sense of the best, in rhythm tunes. Johnny Conrad Dancers were placed .'in bad . position at show caught, having to follow the Lewisian antics, thus forming a sort of anti-climactic display. Since opening however, the lithe tapster and his four sleek femmes have been slotted in’ forepart of show' for better effect. Conrad adds to his bleating -with" several good tricks, during single rounds, and in followup Afro-Cuban boundings with'gals shows moderne patterns. Kathryn Duffy Dansations put on their best flash for opening *‘April Showers,” integrating the fine toe- terps of Christine Carson, the friendly chanting of Barney Raw- lings. Later, gals return to help Lewis in his “Pair of Horn-Rimmed Spectacles” routine and other fil- lips. Al Jahns takes his baton- ing .course easily, aided by Fred Elton at the 88. Elton not only provides Lewis with smooth pian- istic help but’ lends his pipes in a nostalgic flashback to old vaude tunes. • Will. Plaza Hotel, Y.Y. Lisa Kirk (with Buddy Pepper), Wally Boag, Dick La Salle Orch, Mark Monte Continentals; $2.50 cover. Class of Service Thli U a full-rate Telegram or Cable* tram unlett it* de- ferred character It In- dicated by a auitable symbol above or pre- ceding the address. WESTERN UNION 1201 w. p. MARSHALL, president SYMBOLS DIp>Day Letter NL»N(fht Letcar LTalm'l Letter Telegram VLT^Iot'l Victory Ltr^, Tk. M,., am .to™ m tta Ita. o. uid <Uy l.tw, i, MANBARO TIME .1 poim .1 ongii,.' Tim .1 u STANDARD TIME .1 poltt «(toliutiw MARCH 25, 1953 "'JOHNNY DUGAN, MUSIC CORPORATION OF AMERICA, NEW YORK, N. Y.: I TAKE GREAT PLEASURE ADVISING YOU THAT TEDDY .AND PHYLLIS RODRIGUEZ ARE THE FINEST DANCING ACT TO APPEAR AJC THE RADISSON FLAME ROOM. ALSO THE ONLY ACT EVER TO BE HELD-OVER. WE ARE ARRANGING RETURN ENGAGEMENT FOR NEXT SEASON. GENERAL MANAGER H. CALEVAS RADISSON HOTEL Lisa Kirk is in there with chi- chi charm in her regular Persian Room booking. A snazzy black chiffon curled in tiers around he: slim frame adds' a touch of ele gance. Right off the bat She per- sonalizes the deal via “I Want to Know More About You.” This one is a special cleffed by her husband, Bob Wells, with topical punctua- tions. She had the preem crowd with her before her entry, "by means of carnations for all males present, “with the compliments of Lisa Kirk.” How could such a courtesy miss? Smart showman- ship, that. In “Side by Side,” piano accomp Buddy Pepper pitches in with pointed lyrics. Her “Got You Un- der My Skin” shows off her mood piping, helped by savvy lighting. She brings cheers in her Vincent Youmans medley of “More Than You Know,” “Want to Be’Happy,” “Great Day” and “Tea for X\vc.” Back after a bow, she roves the mike, converted to a telephone, with a flirty “Too Marvelous” as springboard. Harlem-styled and Plenty p eppy is “If I Could Be With You. Encore would have to be her trademarked “Always True to You in My Fashion,” and after that another stanza of same for a snap-happy finale. /Wally Boag is good for chuckles in his triple, play of balloon de- signs, bagpipe shenanigans and hoofing. His patter is sometimes too swift, but the visual inven- tions stand out. Boag’s “movie” characterizations are a nifty tour de farce. His acroterps and jitter- buggmg give him a solid finish. More of them would give size to his brief (10-minute) turn. Some of the best show and dansapation music around is Mnn+ e ^ *i a Salle and Mark Monte. Arthur & Kathryn Mur- ray did a rhumba as mere ring- siders and reflected both their grace and the nifty beat of the tooters. Trau. Wednesday, April ft, 19 53 | * l>atiitQ«arter, !S T . y- Borflih Mihevitch’s Harmonic Rascal, (5) With JohnnvIHdl. Dominique; Andre, Andree.k Bon’ nie (4), MonsChoppy, Betiu George, Dagenham Girl pi ver i (10), Murphy Sisters (3), Fleeu woods (4), Midge Miner, Carr Conway, Art Waner Orch, Buddu Harlow Orch, 'Buddy Harlowe Trio- $5 “ minimum . - * Only trouble with the new bill at the Latin Quarter is simply that it’s too much of a good thing. Show opening night ran nearly an hour and a half, despite fact that three performances were scheduled, and at that the . acts were cut short with Borrah Mlnevitch crew on only for about five minutes. A cou- ple of turns cdutd well be dropped' customers still.will get their money’s worth.. * Minevitch gfroup, though on briefly, showed enough to score. Johnny Puleo, as ushal, is spark- plug of the act. Little guy’s antics vs. the bullies 'in the group con- vulse the ringsiders. On the straight musical side, unit scores with "Peg O r My Heart.” Turn could run quite a bit longer. Dominique, the magician-pick- pocket imported from France last fall to play at the demised French Casino, shows up strongly in this room. His use of members of the audience as foils goes over with the out - of - towners. He hustles through the crowd picking up watches as he goes, but all without offending. As a closer, he gets some men onstage and proceeds to strip them of jewelry, ties and even undershirt. It’s a clicko turn here. Mannequin act of Andre, Andree & Bonnie is as effective as ever. Addition of a third girl enhances the turrfl Foursome uses the man- nequin bit as an opener, then goes into a . couple of straight terping. (Continued on page 52) JOLLY JOYCE AGENCY New Philadelphia Address Suit* 717-718-719 Victory Building 1001-1011 Chesthut St. Philadelphia, Penn. Phone: WAInul 2-4677-2-7343 WAInut 2-3172 Still at: Paramount Bldg., New York Suite 2005 Phone: LAckawanna 4-9469 FOSTER AGENCY, LONDON, presents Currently LE LIDO, PARIS American Rep.r WM. MORRIS AGENCY TAVEL MAROUANI AGENCY PARIS TENTH 1943-1953 April 14th THE Herbert Jacoby Max Gordon ,1