Variety (July 1953)

NIGHT (’MB II IS VIEWS llivicra, li. Lec, N. •!. Wedtie»day, July 8, 1953 ground 'only, serve an. .important In the first place, they rcroKn^ed by which comes to the fore when Bill Miller’s lllviera continues in i jlis c|bsing number pays tribute Dial bespeaks solid, talent.: layout 'that has the: Wil 1 .MasTin [ sfM.y(, jiis ^trength for an aj _ Trio -with damply Davis; Jr. as the.: ‘j) ti i 1 d i n ^ finale. All .these things. tinie when the youth must -con Upplause . Miss Russell comes to the Riviera under ' circumstances. .•'which, dd not allow her the range of versatility standout , plus Connie Russell, amd j are accomplished . and the trii the Amin ;Bim, it. .automatically • S(,()1TS a s6lid hit. . . indicates a strong/accent on:enter; ; *uut s a .. . — . tainmenti ; ’ ; /.■ This Pa vis lad is one of the lop ..p(Mio.nners around. Negro young.-, ster, . who fronts a/ trio comprising Ins . uncle and father, has talent irtY eveiy direction, fie can sing,: gal), mimic, and dance and does each w it h topiwtch quality. Y Davis has yet to hit his boxoffiec . peak but, there’s every likelihood that he’ll make it . lie has been climbing Consistently, ini the nitgry popularity ratings, and what is now aii. evolutionary process may one. clay ' erupt iiilo. a condition where the lad. is there. /> Davis, flanked. by his elders, is an extremely likable, lad who, lias a fine catalog of niaterjal. His songs , and . dances are excellent Jy built .The) his carbons of top personalities show authenticity, and carry .entertainments While the iinpressioiijstles -arc a potent, part :ol‘ the act , his stress is. wisely on .comedy, lie. has a unique way: Of handling -his takeoffs inasmuch as :>there are many impressions that only last ah instant; flc dwells at length on his portrait, of Jerry Lewis and a few others that help •• him lo top audience ratings. : .Junior’s father and uncle; While seemingly around to provide, bac k 10 Blue An^ X. V. ] Orson Bed n; Felicia, Sanders, 3 Riffs, Celia Cabot, Eadie & Rack, Jimmy Lyons, Part Howard/ $0 minimum. The Blue: Angel’s summer show i$ one that seems worthy of a midseasonal slot. The session.: has sufficiently-strong enterla:inment values as well as headline lure. One of. the future attributes of this display' lies in the fact that the bulk of the performers have made good at: this: Herbert. Jacoby-Max Gordon spot on previous occasions. / . One of the repeats, Felicia Sanders, again impresses as prime vocal fodder. Miss Sanders, whose chirping of “Song ; from Moulin Rouge”: on1 the Percy.’ Faith COlum 1 * •' •. * -1 • • 1 * _ . !»’ . ivU a ..iViA ■ .rnArn she’s, capable, pfr Hef^singing ds | ft <me' oLThc miore impressive and she^s .a. stylist who numiora-lile moments’ in . wax, show's scores handily in this turn, at .the an ^ceompUshed' finger. She’s cafe., v . . .. •.'• Vi ' ’.'a eh-irder--' -with--’ -taste and. '.feeling ,Miss .Russell .until recently Rad ^ .1^ .sufficient projection to been doing an act. with •: tw'o boys {,(^VCv a nYood: ' • '•••' ; which permitted her to add dan.cin.fi ! convey, a m.ooa, FOR and lines. . Her concentration on tunes leaves: little to.:' be, desired; Tastefully gowned, she does a sort •Of strip; she detaches a coila r during her act, and later on sheds her islcirt so that her underpinnings can be free for. a slight bit of tewping, M iss: ltussell, on her preem riight , was handicapped, somewhat by nervousness, blit her. overall top veil lies • , fil tered through, ill her .series which.. included “Live Till I Die," “Let Yourself Go,” “I Believe”, and a . strong closer with “ Shimmy Like 'My • Sister Kate/’ Her potential in this spot was only, on the surface op opening night; ljpt once she gets, the feel ..of t his mom, . she’ll be hitting , top scores oh each show. . v : ' . The Amin Bros, are a pair of .skilled risley practitioners.: These lads, show some excellent tricks including some which provide gasps. . Stuff such as the footworker catching his partner by the head . with one: gam isn’t too easy; There ;»re others in that genre and they walk out ahead. Walter Nye batons the show; and dance crew and Pupi Campo lures lire mii m hoists to the floor. The Donn Arden line, offers . a lot of atmospheric and costuming excitement and Doug Rogers does well at the production singing, Jose. Nautilus* Miami Ikeaeli Miami Beach, July 3. Eileen Barton, Antonc & Ina, JoeBar n ell, Syd Stanley Orch; $2 mint mum. "WHO PERFORM A VARIETY OF ROUTINES: SO SPECTACULARLY AND SO VIGOROUSLY AS TO WIN VOCIFEROUS AUDIENCE'S APPROVAL" By Hi MONK, St. Louii-Globr MUmCiPAL OPERA ST, LOUIS: ilt/if Concluded ★ . /////■ ' ;••' . Now Appearing . : HOTEL RICE, HOUSTON : Thonltt ,<> HANS UDERER stimulate cackles, but mostly for their rawness, Closing routine is a semantical exercise on the word hell, which is neither funny nor in good taste, even with the Com vention crowd, ■ ' • '■ Most refreshing moment of the show, and unfortunately only a brief moment, is the leadoff acroterpinig of Eileen O’Dare. Gal works first to samba beat executing brilliant whirls and flips for hefty plaudits. Act builds in second number as Miss Q’Dare, peeling off extraneous skirt, mixes up a variety of breathtaking cartwheels, handstands and spins in an accelerated (Ictnccv ■ Johnny. : Martin and the. Chez Ado.rables handle two production numbers, the last of them raggedly rehearsed, . and. the Brian. Far.non. orch works the baridst and ^dequately. .. Les. Mapes ISkyroom, llcno Reno, July 2. "Paul Whiteman Revue,** -with Roy Bdrgv, Scott & Gregory, Nancy Lewis, Bobby Gregg, Whiteman Orch (22); Dave Barry, Mapes Sly.' lattes;, no e over or. minimum, Jt’s a new sound to this room— a 22-man orch .-^-filling out the corners of the nightspot with a full, heavy concert which makes: for plenty of excitement. Impressive vigorous, batoning by Paul Whiteman whips the orch through such Whiteman numbers as “When Day is Done” and “Rhapsody in Blur:1 Top musicianship joihs for. the crescendos and solos clearly and surely. Pianist Roy Bargy plavs “Rhapsody” With vivid touch, One more big number makes u n the Whiteman concert/ “Slaughter it - on 10th Avenue/’, arid though the El ltan«>ho, I.as %>*»*' ' i rest of thc sh0^v is «'•“ Miss Sanders was placed in this spot .. ofiginal ly at the . behest of Columbia’s a&r topper, Mitch. Miller, -and. the association, seems to be working out to mutual advantage, She.. Is; getting an increasi ng a mount of sav vy and the Blue Angel is getting a performer who is gaining recognition. Miss Sanders’ efforts include .“Moulin Rouge,” “Check to Cheek” and the extremely moody “Something Cool.” Orsoh Bean; the ’ Brooks Bros, type comic, [ Continues to be a hit here; His topper is a piece on a couple of Chinese discussing American restaurants that rollicks the joint, and he has a line of patter tknt‘ Vnioe' ljlIlfFllQ HC^S Off Potency . of upped budget policy installed by . this big lower-beach hostel’s owners in recent months is illustrated in current spotting of Eileen Barton in the .25(Pseal Driftwood Room. She’ll be followed by Fran Warren, with bids out for other talent in that salary and name bracket. that rates .strong laughs, to a hearty mitting. : : The Three Riffs hit the fancy of the sippers with a good line of tunes and comedy. This Negro group, the sole holdovers on the bilk have a pleasing song catalog which has been fortified With a strong thread of comedy.. Celia Cabot, a newcomer to this hospice, showed an unfamiliarity with the cafe, and bnce she gets accustomed to this room, Will prob* ably be hitting. a good stride. In the first place, the mike was modulated too low and her modus op.erandi: needed sonic adjustment for. the opening show. She has an essen^ tially good line of comedy songs, which she belts out. She needs only a slight adjustment in projection and slie’lj catch on. Eadie & Rack provide two-piano showbacking and lull music. Jimmy Lyons has similar chores at the .piano and Bart Howard does the intros. Jose , Las Yegas, June 30; E. , Lewis : (with Austin Mack), Gioria: :D£Havenv:El.Ft<inch6 Girls JQ) , Bob Ellis Orch (101; ; no cover oi minimum. . The Joe E. Lewis big yock line of last year,. “I came back to visit iny money,” is passe in ’53 at El Rancho Vegas. Old Everglades has; hardly been away. He closed a month ago for a Mocambo matneulatipn, and after his current three-framer, goes to Reno, then returns for six Weeks. This midAugust booking will ... no doubt be the big event in Joe E.’s Vegas life — -it carries hi im through the grand opening of Las Vegas Park sept. 4. No matter the month Or season, a Lewisian Invasion alW'ays ; brings the casino moneyed bettors I arid turnaway biz in the theatre restaurant; . Whether by accident or design, C’lioz Paree, Clii Chicago, July 1. Dean Murphy , Carl Ravazza, Eileen O'Dare, Johnny Martin, Chez Adorables (8), Brian Farnon Miss Barton, sporting a Marilyn ! Orch UP; $3.50 . minimum, _ $1.10 LEW and PAT i. (Beauty and ' ■.-the Least) A new note In Glamor Comedy Mqt (ItROF. R-WEISS MERCURY ! ; ARTISTS ! Mfl r.ili';. Ay./ N. Y. Monrocish blonde . coiffure, plus other forthright characterisl ics of the film ite, spells out a full-voiced, aud-holding blend of pops and specials to keep them palm-happy. At times she overdoes the gab on intros, but Overcomes the lull induced, with zingy approach to her tune assortment. Best of her songalog would include “Pretend.” special “Speed, Speed, Speed,” and. ’’Lullaby of Broadway,” which earns callback for “Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes”; laughangled takeoff on Johnnie Ray’s styling of “Cry” and her latest platter, “Toys.” Second encore brings, demanded “Baked a Cake.” then version of Rod Buttons’ “ Hollo Song ” Antone & Ina, house dancers, set up their smoothly Latino and American routines featuring lifts and spins that rate payoffs. Syd Stanley orch is expert on the showbackings, Joe Hamell holds over with his ultra-capable piano and emcees proceedings : in straight style. co r er , RONALD ROGERS BARITONE "A TRIPLE A ENDORSEMENT" LOUIS SOBOL, N.Y/ JpurnalrAmencAn : . Currently~3rd Week radio City music hall . Thank* to RUSSELL MARKERT Opening July I3-BRITISH COLONIAL HOTEL, NASSAU Augi/st 7,#h— JEFF in “BLOOMER GIRL", FORT WAYNE LIGHT OPERA FESTIVAL : P¥r£ffi&hMgfr ^ " Clrtff^-3900^ ROSE ADAIR, 7 W. 44fh St./ New York City MUrray Hill 7-4277 Lineup, lacking top name draw, manages to lure a goodly portion of the furniture people in town now and indeed seems designed expressly for. the convention trade. There are more than a few lapses in good taste, with the indelicate stuff getting. tire strongest response. Show is a poorly paced 80 minutes, as Carl Ravazza, sharing the topline with. Dean: Murphy, grabs the biggest chunk of, time midway on. the bill.' He is preoccupied with effects, entering from ' the audience’s midst, singing a Calypso ballad sans accoihpahiinent, and airing a number of songs from a seated position. Straddling the back of a chair. His agreeable tenor adapts itself to any kind of song, and Ravazza tries every kind there is, scoring well on the upbeat “My Lady Loves to i)ance” and on the slow, old faves as well. But the off-color specialties are the: best applauded and most demanded, and these seem to be his metier. A willing w orker, Ravazza comes back from the Wings four, times until he seems to exhaust his re> pertory. For one encore he siiigs: an Unrehearsed medley of tunes, having to; dictate the key of each song to his pianist beforehand. He overstays his welcome, and the groans become noticeable toward the last. Act would, be . more effective if pruned with concentration on ;a particular brand of song., .. in the closing spot, Dean Murphy has to overcome the weight of the centre, stint and the self-imposed handicap of cheerless opening material; . He gags uncomfortably about death and; politics,, and if. anything,, provokes animosity from partisans who resent his cracks ! about certain past Presidents. This: is a great deal to have to overcome, and Murphy never quite makes it, in spite of liis appealing inipCrsonations. Lewis never presents the same set monology. There are the familiar punches with delightful twists in different places, and the alwaysincluded newr ditties. At show caught, he fashioned a funny tract on his academic life set off by “Thanks Mr. Webster,” wiiich bordered on the ridiculous, but which gave added meaning to a college song medley stitching “Stein Song” and others to beverage parodies The lavender-prosed “Private Eye’ has the Lewis leer; “Shapiro went to Ireland” is a rollicking bit of blarney, and the. perennial “Gropm” is larded with plenty of innuendo As . usual, he has to beg off. The indispensable Austin Mack is. enshrined at' the Stein way, giving cue notes whenever needed and providing skillful hints during the Lewis "post time” verbal mcanderings. Gloria DeHaven makes her first socko impression on the loca scene with this stanza. She emerges as a polished performer by eschewing ordinary thrushing of pop tunes and evergreens as of before. Nowr, w'ith special material, and most of it tqpnotch, she displays delivery of high calibre. Best from her songbag include “Never At a Loss For Words,” “Why Don’t They Do the Old Soft Shoe” and “It’s the Same All Over the World/' El Rancho t Girls have a stroblight parade in muebo briefies for opener to pull attention away from filets, and black seauined cleavage gowns for hip-tossing inidw’ay. Bob Ellis orch gives solid support. Will . enough, any act could Have been cut or trimmed to allow mofevbf the music; Nigjitclubs have btciv . filled w’ith singing ahd dancing and . comedy before, but'., have/ .seldom/ had the treat of a “Pops” conccrl. NanCy. Lewis .is 18-year-oid star . of Whiteman’s “TV Teen Club” Whose clear pleasant voice is heard on “Who Cares” and, effectively . “Boy Next Door.” Sold as a teeii ; . ager who’s never appeared befo: e part ve well. But she’s . obviously/ right at home, and dressed in something other than her “first, patty dress,.’’ could appear , as the mature performer she is/ . / . : Scott & Gregory are .twd youngsters who expend themselves in a dance to “Slaughter.” ; An embai rassirigly long sequence flat on the ; floor only musses them up at the very beginning of their, siren uo ii s routine. . The part is. out of /sight . ( Continued on page 61) . BOB (Bobby) Held Over 2nd Week ‘ FAIRMONT CIlUB Ottawa, Can. Booked thru WILLIAM SHILLING 165 West 46th Street New York City <|ungliiio‘s & Allojfro, Londoii London, July 2. Lucienne Boyer, Tibar Kunstler Hungarian Gypsy ' Orch, Rudy Rome Quintet, Anne de.Nys; $4.35 minimum. THE CHORDS Instrumentalists without Instruments Weeks of July t and II BRADFORD HOTEL ROOF BOSTON, MASS. Dir.: GENERAL ARTISTS CORP. Club Date Bookings by HARRY GREBEN | NAT DUNN , 203 N. WaOash Ave. 1650 B.’way Chicago, 111. I New York . In her first London cabaret engagement for a couple of years, the .Parisienne chaiiteuse displaysplenty of show biz. savvy, but never succeeds in getting complete mastery of the audience. At: show’ caught, interest showed signs of waning through the succession of Freneh-language songs. ; Right from the start it was: reasonably apparent , that the performance would be something of a missout. and for no clearly defined reaso n, but just one of those: everyday show • bi? /hazards. The :: titianhaired songsti^ess projects favorably and her vocal chords retain their, familiar appeal. To facilitate; doubling in both rooms/' the; act is: restricted: to: 20 minutes which just allows time. for a quick run-through of seveniiumbers..iri which “Hands Across the Table” is the only English-language entry. .. This misTires/as an^ ^ .audience number. The strongest eri[ tries are the: old and . established f a v e s :. such as “Parlez-Moi d’Amour” and “Mon Coeur Est tin Violin.” . 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