Variety (July 1953)

Wednesday, July 8, 1953 PSsuEfr VAUDEVILLE 61 kiss Continued from page 60 ^fapes Sky room* Reno <>\ everyone but ringsiders, and Though probably very important ; is(tlectiye only When in full view, /in occasional flashing leg causes ^I'y grins throughout the house. Best of sequence is done with exciting abandon.. Climaxing teenage run is Bobby Gregg, a tapster and drummer who draws sustained mitts through his < ntir.e stanza. The boy is a blur ol arms as he beats bass,: cymbals and kettles to a Troth. The action catches the roqpi Up in the tempo, nicely: capping the show.. Dave Barry is. traveling insurance that Whiteman’s “untried’ . -tid'ent may not carry the show. ;It’s always nice: to have the insurance and -in this case, it is borrowed upon. Barry pays off some large ..dividends in some refreshing, new. gambling /copy;. and rips the room to shreds with hisi. dissertation on w omen. Cute intro act has Barry, building himself in the manner of Godfrey, /.Winched, Parsons and Churchill.,-: Skyletles prance to . “ O n e O'clock Jump” opener,, better because of Whitemart. band behind them, and wrap up with “Manhattan.” featuring boy-girl; Marc.. Saixony* Miami j|>h Miami Beach,. July ,5. Kitty Kalien, Taixo & Dec, Val 01 iiian Orch; $2 mini)iium. Continuing the two-week book* ing/ policy as against rival hotel cates’ one-stanza datings, calls lor a st rong act to keep them coming to this top hotel’s Pagoda Room, m It's been working out satisfactorily, based on patting of younger talent that. . hasn't played this area or which hasn't w orked around in recent. seasons, marking them a fr-esh entry again. Plush room did' well with video's Judy Johnson and is repeating with Kitty Kalien. . The songstress’ pett looks add to tier bliK^-spccials-rhythm entries, Tees olf bouncily, disposes of “Gloc a Mona” early and then hits her route to keep, pace and blending for sound 30-miriute sessions. A mixture is intelligently handled with change of tempo keeping and reaction riidun.t ing. Staging: makes ’•Birth pf ; the Blues” a standout. Miss Kalien hits as well with Joe Frisco takeoff. Ip -‘Alexander’s Ragtime Band” and sustains reception with sophisticated rndderhizatibn of fairy tale; ..‘‘The Princess and the Bullfrog.’’ handled in good taste to establish 'rapport with hearers. Carbon segment has '‘NoBusiness Like Sho\y Business” will i’ai r Merma n but : sock Lena Home arid Ella Logan; Aud partici.paVion bit sustains the .mood with ‘‘Yes. Yes. Yes, No, No; No.” With, special lyrics .-/ bringing tile booming answers from male and fcmirie sides. Tops matters with rousing ‘‘When the Saints Crime. March In” with. Val. Olmanls orch lending an able assist in the parade around the tablet's for solid: waikoff. arid return for big palni payoff. Tario; & Pee do the Charleston and another , fast routine to show fast-foot l a.l e n t s for the teeoff. V a 1 0 Ini an' arid his crew, per: usual, are adept on the backings , and keep the floor filled . lor the dansapation. • • Lary, Hotel ll4>osevell, ]V. V. | it deserves, The Noonan mimic of Lenny Herman Orch (M uuth i a British film director is based Simmons J riicistly on material and tins excelJ lent lampooningends up almost as pantomime. Noonan/s Chef Re nay Granville; Pci Quartet; $1*$1.50 cover. ■While Guy Lombardo takes off for a 12-week summer vacation , the Roosevelt Grill is showcasing a . combo whose success saga parallels that of Loinliardo. in its consistency over the years. The Lenny: Herman combo; was . organized some 15 years ago and since ... then, has been working 411 to 50 i Vuoughts, weeks Out of each year,-. 'mostly on hotel location dates. 'Although not a hlghppwcred crew . eoimvi.se, it has been a highly profitable enterprise for t lie five .instrumentaiists who own this band cooperatively; | Crew is coin posed Of. a bass, sax,' drums, rind piano-organ., with .band-.. 'leader Herman switching among' t lie. accord ion. vibes and el a v inline. The brand of music may not be exciting, but "it's easy to take, and still easier to'; dance / to. The melody is. clear arid the beat is absolutely uncomplicated. .' Hernia n also has a neat gimmick in distributing tune cards to the cus-; tomers containing some 350 numbers 'which they can request to be played/ Tho: book covers the full range of oldies and current clicks. Band is also nicely set up in the vocal depart Incut with Herman handling his /assignments with pleasing tenor pipes. Gal. vocalist Renay Granville is ariasset with her . looks' and • a sweet vocal sty le for the ballads.. v • Henri. . a. pantomime. JVooiian's Chef Al| berti bit, however, goes well bej cause of visual emphasis on the chef getting tighter arid tighter. Song by Marshall, ‘.‘E/nibraeealile You,” gels his hari.to.iie across the counter better than anything else in the show. ..arid' Nopnari’s inserted lines from ofl stage, as -..Marsha U’s are sdeko. .-. . • Ferre, darts in arid out of . the routines as a sort of live., fill-in ; and .straight. lie arid the N^M team are garbed as sailors in the opening minutes of the show. And he shares some hoofing, chores with Miss Maxwell in finale. Kirby, Stone Quintet' is; as always',. hurst jug wit h rhythm arid i running .comedy, but again, iii their spread, formation, they lose to the. Cavernous room.. The little inserts of dialog among, t lie live ire unheard. At high speed ill its. rhythm, novelties .the group, is a} its best,. “St. L<uiis. . Bliri's”: writ It Miss Maxwell for plenty of . deeoration, is frantic/ with leniiiie uii(•(irkirig wiggles and an .occasional kiss for the . boys. Fashion Debs have a Mrirdi Gras, beginning, for trie package, swapping verses -w ith a twist, . and .they •join up. for t he lina je. on “Way /Down Yonder iii N. O’’ Mure. .1 I. U4Ni4*fi* ilil .(FOLLOWIII*), " . • Chicago; June 30.. Tony Bennett takes over the Beachwalk, for a fortnight with the exact lineup; at this hotel Patti Page, had led for two weeks pre IKir<thin«L ' Billy . ’EeksUne, Lifter Yount] Quin lei, Hml . Powell Trio,;' 2. 50 minim Km.. . Although Billy Erkslirie ■ played a Iworvveek stand al 1 lie adjacent Bandbox ..two months ago, his Sai la 4i ni. Lhn VegtiN > Las Vegas; July l.v Vauyhn ‘Monroe . ■ with Savoir Faires ■ < 5), Joey Bishop, Szonys ( 21 , Vanderbilt -.■■■ Boys (2 j , SaHarem Dancers (12), Jean Louis, Donna Raybnld, Arland LeCrone, Cavaliers «5>, Ernie Goss,. Cre j Davidson . Orch .<12 > ; no cover or ; minimum. . j THE VIKINGS Currently CAROUSEL. Pitt. 1660 Bwau., NcwYorJc N.Y. THANKS TO DAVE ROSE AND MGM RECORDS For featuring me and my Harmonica on the, recording of MNO OTHER LOVE." Also my deep appreciation to LES BAXTER and CAPITOL RECORDS for giving me the opportunity to make my first recording,— "RUBY.” DANNY WELTON Represented by WM. MORRIS AGENCY RESTAURANT AND BAR 1 58 W. 44 Sh, New York kU 2-4488 WHERE SHOW BUSilNESS MEETS * TALENT CONTEST * MONDAY NIGHTS Prize: Professional Engagement OudIIciU* Prize* Awarded In the. Casa ef Tie* WHEN IN BOSTON It's the Avtry . A WoibingteR St*. The Home of Show Folk .With Vaughn. Monroe making | lii$ . Vegas debut' asa single iii a j well-stacked easement, odds ; are 1 good that Ihe lAyo-frame audit will be excellent. . . ^ The Monroe, vocal quality , has that unusual sound that has made him distinctive over the years while plying his pipes via platters, radio, TV, and recently,, in pix. Every impressionist in this hemisphere should salaam at least once a week to this wlarbier-, for rarely do Vaughn "Monroe takeoffs fail to get a big mitt. The in-person Monroe is a great1 seller of songs. Without his own tootlers to skipper, lie is even better at putting over a lyi’ie.. Easy in motion; never static or stiff, Monroe socks over a solid 30 minutes. Even a ballad triad of ’■Where Is Your Heart,” “Pretend,” “Fm Walking Behind You,”where slow7 tempo might tend to pall, lie builds into a big opener. Goes lightly humorous with “I Want to’ Be a Boy;” before Whamming over one of his all-time top disk sellers, “Ballerina,” illustrated by Sa-Harem tocterpers Donna Raybold and Arland LeCrorie. Reaches into his capacious file for a riot h er big hit, “Ghost Ri d ei'S,” ably .backgrounded by. Savoir !. F-ai res. for peak .mi Us. Moves ringside for personal chanting' of “Tenderly.” “Sleepy Time Gal” arid “There, I’ve Said it Again,” before sotting sights onto boffo climax a Vincent Youmans medley, assisted once more by melodies from Savoir Faires. Joey /Bishop :c*liaFge«r~hTs usual so If o' delivery With more verve, in order to reach .far . corners of the Congo Room. PI arils h is. usual lu-‘ gu br i o u s' f a c i a I" ' ' e xpressions a rid/ 1 :se If r i*i b b i n g f ro in walkbn to .'.pyramid 'his" brief monolpgy. into peak plaudits.. His Ted. Lewis .Jam poo n is a .'riblk*kle.r;'''ari.d..-funny;:qx-plkha. Hons of. pop tune lyrics, a la Frank j-Fay. cap for; \-ocks/ ; / ! Francois & Giselle Szony -'reveal, j pu ri t y ; i n mo vein e nt. tlie pc1 rfe ct i ofi I in all te.rp attitudes whether in rev mark;, hie lifts; . whirls, sj)ins. or ! aero-balict. Sligblly. dampen ed by , previous tricks, of .'Vanderbilt. 'Boys-. \ team • nevertheless swiftly makes ‘ up by smooili execution of difficult displays. Their “Sleeping Beauty” tints is culmination of individual talents blended into harmony seldom achieved by dance teams. Vanderbilt Boys have breathcatching turn, exercising adroit muscle maneuvers. Pair whip up salvos by having understander push. _t h e_sm a I I e r_ V an der bi l.t__i.n to vioiis. Bennett lias strong youth j.Gothain following is slrorig. enough draw and fills fire outdoor saloon \0 ko(.p things hojiping during, his miem'sUni^heUer suited to'1 the s*ven days here. Slolled villi siieiv smoky rooms than to thesefrills • Bird land piu'ennials -as---. .ivOstrirand' open spaces / ! Young’s quintet, .arid. Bud I'o well’s ■Brnnolt (Tops his work, well, I10W --Kckstlno; rtiTtrplomootK IjU ht-'p ov(*r, anil, conios out. upon tilt: giant, ho.it with Ills I oin.tri lie bai it oninp. stage in fine voice with a balanced Only Irouble with llic Kekstine songalog of ballads and upbeat round 'is that he leans tori heavily tunes. He sings hoi h kinds .equally oil the. slow ballad . m.orid. Downwell, and (hough lie is prohablv tempo eoneontralion has a lulling best known, for the slow stuff effect, keeping set in a mribotoIhrough his ('ohimhia waxings, nous groove. However; ■when he es.the quick tcinpos give him a bet-, says the upbeat, lie hits hard and ter base to demonstrate his show wins strong hud reaction. Lilting/ riuuiship. His . fingerTsnanping and rendition of ‘ Come 1o ihe .Ylardi font-stomping are contagious, and Gras” is an example oi his, expert he climaxes by rousing aud io a rhythm d(*livejy _L^ hanchdapping sesh^ revival ^Ivje, Ot lur plus items rii ^ icperUunv while he delivers Sing Y n.u Sin-, ‘’Ain’t Mishehavin’;'' “Coqmdte” ners .. in a fii’e-and-brunstone way . ”| Faug.lr Jo Kecj). From Cry’ • Palter is scarcer than it should . j ing.” He gets a neat -hacking assist be on t bis brief hill. Soifie special j irom Bovvell’s crew. Iii s longtime 'material or a few personal re-j keyboard/ aecomper., Bobby 'rueker, marks at the outset, might help to I helps the ti io (leliyei: a. solid beat. . ,.4 .. L I L.U ' UiO'f am »% /*(*I S.4 «-» «'n ! f li ' /\ n . i Young’s . out f it . < piano; bass, establish heller affinity Willi . onlookers; As is. rapport depends solely upon the fa m il iari t y .of such Bennett clicks as “Because of You” and “I Won’t Cry Anymore/’ Strongest ballad entry is “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” a: sob tune which, hanpily, he doesn’t over-dramati/.e. This ts a natural for . big plaudits, being his . first Columbia disk. He’s, aeeompanied by pianist .foe Sherman, w;ho* mostlystands while playing, for' some .reason;"' > , Margaret Sisters & Bruno, held over, . eonlimie to r(‘gister as smooth 1ei-p' lure, and. Dorothy Hi Id Dancers assist 'with two ex-. 1 ravagant •.product ion numbers. Showbacking and. (la nee chores are j handled expertly by the Charlie , Spiyak orch. L os. (jrums, Ini in pet.; sax) whips up some exei t frig rhyt li ins vv it h ina<‘.stro’s sax. licks standing out, ■ Powell' also .belts /out .some interest ing melodies .-pegged mainly for the progressive ear. . Gros. Ralmor Ilouso, Till Chicago, July 2. Blackburn Twins & Marion Col* Ini, Clifford Guest, Rudenko Bros. ( 2 V, Eddie O'Neal Orch (10); $3.50 minimum, $1 cover. Present bill is topflight fare for the Empire .Roomy with diversity and sustained . excellence in all departments. Yl.ario.ri Colby, makes her' f i rst appearance at this family spot . ;is riow partner of the Black hum Tw ins. who have always had good reception here. They score, again . with a polished turn that is packed with exuberance. Handsome identicals open with ■s j ice i a l he I to. I y r i e s ; h re a k into 1) r i ef tiip routine, arid t licit tiring out shapely Marion (’olby, who sells. “1 (let a Kick Out of 'You” solo. Trio work t.ogetlier With ease, on three rmiiihers, the best of which/ fro; i n .tin* t e ip sta i id p(> i n t , is “ Dane* ing Mood ” “One Man Woman” is fine blues .number, .and a bus; driver stitit .makes good eoniedy. •1’ w t n s ; ge ( 1 1 e; i y y p I ; t u d it s 1 o r . 1 1 1 e i r -■ mirror l.riek, -a ^ standard,. roiit irie but always effective., n'ljriii irig perfect . s> nvliroui/alioii. 'I'hreesonu* seem to enjoy tbems<‘lves Ihroiigiiout ;iml are rewarded with hefty mitting f(H’ (mcore of ^“Tori: M arvOl oiiS.” VUii<lue V(>nt riloqiiisi is Ci if ford Guest, \yho can ; make sounds ap* piriaeli from a .dislanee,, pass by, arid tben go off into the opposite di reet ion. lie works chief l.v w ith a (irimniy named ’ Lester, wlm soon beeoiries en(U)we(i. wiliv the (.’hriraet('r -of an im manageable hut .thoroughly likeable moppet. Act get s ( eri’i fie applause: \yhcri I lie voluble (lummy goes right on talking wliiie Guest drinks and later has the aud .ienre guffawing, as Lester resist s^ -being put back ini o..liis ease. Encore is (lone with siinulaicd baby iCrintimied on page (>2) I E li It I S iii VEIN'S "An '.ATI isle Who I* »s Lovrlv Sh* !• Talpnled." N. J. Gaston, Old Nevy Orleans, Washington, D. C. turirenfly Old New Orl*;mj, Washington, ' D. C.--" STAR MANAGEMENT 8/6 -7th Avev, New. Yorli BAyticie 4-0910 4 al-Y;ul;«. Lake Tsalio4k T,ake Tahoe, Nevr July 3. “Belle of New Orleans with Marilyn Ma.rweU , Noonan & Mar shall, Kirby ■ Stone Quintet, Cliff Ferre, Fashion Debs < fi ) , Bob Miliar Orch; no cover or miniiinun. handstands alter flips," and one-foot stand on overhead one-hand ,_.r pate, and backflip onto shoulders. Will. . This looks like a". good. show but one c'ari’T leU ' /liy"' "'1 isfehirig/ Everi/ Kirby Stone’s Quintet,, which makes a lot: of noise.: is up a gainst, ■it . here. .fight ing 'what inust certairiT ly. be tire poorest soun (1 system in. operation today. The Indian Room is', a la rge. high-eei li nged . expanse in the mountain lodge motiff, . and .yeiy. -.coirifortable/ The display of, .pq.r.foT'm'e-rs»,'even:..'f-rqin. . rea r fa hies. : is good. But. ru’ohably because the :.p.a'../system-iA not. up to Ihe ;i/.e of the rooin-. most: of t.he niusie and eh alter of tlie show' is lost. Marilyn Maxwell is worxlei’fuT to walch. She' holds a lot of ' attention, is ‘‘■■exily gowned and exudes pleril v of the same quality/ She lias a. lot of fun in h or exe h a n g e s with. C) i ff Ferre and Noonan & Marshall, and is quite '.active in a sort of jam session ; with the Kirby Stone gr o uri. . Her voice, faintly audible at times under the orch. shows plenty of vigor arid quality. Best is a sultry “I Got A Tiight to Sing the Blues,” sold with wiggle, in clinging gold gown. Noonan : ent upon lines just as much as animation, so this part of their i routine doesn’t get the reception