Variety (August 1953)

52 nioiit c:m:b reviews Sands. Las V<»f(as Las Vegas, July 29. Red Buttons (with Alan Walk- er), Kitty Kallen, Charles Nelson, Roy Palmer, Copa Girls (10), Ray Sinatra Orch (12);: no cover- , or. minimum. ■ Power of TV is proven as Red Buttons pulls in peak throngs to continue big biz of preceding Mil- ton Berio. Jack Kntratter’s book- ing, .know-how' and ability, after dishing up string of winners’ stretching back to hotel's opening last peceinljer, continues undis- puted. in this glannner hamlet. Buttons’ 1 : craftsmanship is terrif, Stemming from solid training in burlesquo, vaude, theatres and clu b dates. Current display is similar to his act "ot-.ypxe -,--.-only with TV. themes 'tossed in for good measure.: Bounces, on . id top around while bouquet of applause continues, then pduis over warmup jokes leading in hurley saga about the merits of / .the. old Gaiety, with brimming nostalgia pulling cheers and whistles after bleating "Bring Burlesque' Back to N. Y." Lovable personality catches on quickly dur- ing amii si n g gab a bout Gotha m Eastside, preamble for solid yocks in “Autograph Book;" Army stories lead, into satire of German sub- marine sequence, hot quite up to already established laugh-par, blit still; humorous. In "Rocky But- tons," the punchy fighter, lie' reaches heights of comedy and pathos, \ Alan Walker gives excel- lent straight/ cues in this, and is also credited With much .'of But- ton^ Special.material. Trademark, "Ho Ho," is windup for begoff. v . Kitty. Kalleri opens with^spright- ly : thrushing. Some of her slower tunes, could be chopped to' keep Interest p e a k i n g. Following "Hello" special; “Gloccomora" is lull before neat reprises of "Rob- ert E. Lee," "Birth of the Blues" and "Strutters Ball.": "Princess arid; Bullfrog" is good for chuckles, With followup.“Yes or No.", a cute and participation gimmick; Ballad; Pretend" is price-slower. i)iit re- vival • crimes w ith f hjkv finis in ‘‘St. Louis Blues," Gopa Girls. - arc gradually learn- whol footwork and .'precision mean. under the:' aegis of chore- ographer Bob Gilbert and bis as- sistant, Ren no Stewart, Curtain-'- raiser: and rilidway rout ines have wardrobe designs by Gilbert; Avit'tv 1.0 chicks , leggirig . lo rhvtlimic "Lookie There Ain't She : Pretty" and ."Indian Summer." Charles Nelson, is smooth production chaitl-: ter, with Roy Pahrier whipping up mitts for his warrior solo in the Indian; clar/ler. This is mounted ..for stunning' effect,..and gals stomp- cadences to. earn. big kudos./ Ray Sinatra hfis nfore than bqtom ning to worry, about, having some expert 88 ing behind Miss Kalien's stint to frame. Backgrounding is sound throughout, v Will. strated by "Scarlet Ribbon" and "Mathilda." He can toss a Ca- lypso in a manner that brings out native humor; and he can also hit a stirring stride with a : delination of an Israeli Hora.. In between, there are his standard items such as "Mark Twain" and "Timber." Belafpnte has already achieved a degree of name status with his RCA Victor diskings and it's likely that his stand: here will further his aims, in that dirlctiotht lie docs tremendously. '; . . A top dance pair, Kathryn Lee St Marc, Platt show polish and ex- pertness. They are lithe terpers and their choreography is designed to give them the utmost in. ex- pressing themselves. There are some portions of their routine in which' the exposition is somewhat obscure, but that doesn’t mar what is an excellent and entertaining romp around the floor. Miller secnis to be playing it smart with .this type of show at a time when , many of his regular customers are away from the. sum- mer. This bill can' draw as much, from the eastsiders as from those going over for the view, etc. The other trappings ; are still utilitarian and entertaining. The line routines designed by Dpriii A rden a re. pro vocati vc and th e Doug Rogers production vocals hit the mark. Pupi Campo, batoning* the Latin musicians and Walter Nye, helming the orthodox: orch for dance and showbacking, per- form their, chores well. Jose. Chez Puree, Chi Chicago, July 31. Peter Lind Hayes & Mary Healy, Ted ■ & Phyllis. Rodriguez, Lottie Brunn, Johnny Martini Chez Ador- ables C 8 ), Brian Farnon Orch ( 8 ); $3.50 minimum, $1,10 cover. Wednesday, August 5, I953 ltivicrm Vi. Xo«v X. 4* Joel Grey, Harry < Bela f.on tv (ac- companied- by Millard - Thomas ■ Kathryn Lem & Marc Plait, Don Arden Line, Doug Rogers; While Nye and. PupiCampo. Orc'hs; van mum $5: ", : 1 n le r ii- Tlill Miller has -signed a batch . Of frcsli talent; for the/' Riviera layout. Two per formers have pre- viously seen ; service hi; eastside ..spots, while the terp. team is a product of legit nuisieals. Together it makes for excellent warm- weal herfa rowel l worth; the trip Hie ■ George Washington .. Bridge; / ' . .' . !/? , 'I 001 ,, ,S re ‘ V< . a youngster shilled by .Eddie Cantor on. several vuleo shows: and who made -his N. y. bow at the Copacahana. Mil- : 1 cl - v ha ^5 C0, ^i' The lad is in his -..early-,.*,0 s, exuberant; willing arid c ever. Let him properly channel " al1 " ;1 'bM:;vnorgy and^Versafilif^'aiuT lafcSociely, Ni 1 T » ErtoU Garner Trio, Golden Gate, Quartet- ^ Aaron Sachs \Quintet bith Helen Merill, Bert Keyf;s; $3.50 minimum. ' Enroll Garner can commute be- tween New York's jazz, spots and inti trierids on a year-round basis without wearing out: his welcome. Fact that he- recently completed: a lengthy stay at the; Embers, an eastside liangout, won’t cut down on . h is. : drawing . power • at 111 is Greenwich Village spot. There's .something. novel arid entertaining to he discovered iri each of h is keyboard sets arid he seems to get -belter each, time he sits down to play. . / ;• : Backed by; druins arid a bass. Garner whips out a solid, reper- toire of standardis. Plenty of his wriy. personality goes into his 88i n % and eaehy offering emerges as a witty and highly liSteriable jns‘ ■ ; - mental. Each; set runs about ; .) minutes. but he could double that li me Without offending any of the tablers. His backing aides, inciden- tally, lay. down a strong rhythmic. The Golden Gate Quartet, vvho've been ^absent from these parts for some time,- know tlieir way a rou nd .spiritual and standard rhythm pieces; They’re at. their best bn "Joshua Fit The Battle of Jericho," "Brother Bill," "Dim Lit Rain" arid / Just One Of Those Things.” They falter only when they move inti) the pop groove. Such entries as ‘Tin Walkin’ Behind You" and "Anytime’’ should be; left to the current crop of diskers. The lii.iies don't, give 'em ..much room to; de- velop their standout vocal ai’range- mehts and are an uririecessary con- cession to the ppp trade. Aaron Sachs has a lively lilt'e ■combo on hand for terp fillers anil an occasional instrumental whip- out. Maestro’s sax and ciarinet w-ork sparks the piano, bass; dnims and vibes backing. Milt Jackson, incidentally, is- standout on the vibes. HelenvMerill gets off some roll tine;; throaty renditions writ h “ ‘S’Wonderful" and "It Cou‘d Happen To you;" Bert Keyes does an okay emceeing job. Weil-fashioned spread is in for a fortnight arid should pull big attendance with Peter Lind- Hayes & Mary Healy making their first appearance together at this riitery; Duo has a diversified act that sits well with the Chez clientage' who dorilt grow weary even; though Ilayes and Healy hold the stage; for 40 minutes. They can be funny in a number of ways, tossing up corn as readily as they do the subtleties. As im- pressionists, they avoid the stand- ard stuff and tackle a new school of voices, she treating the carbons with remarkable exactness and he more, satirically^. Together they spoof a disk jockey program of Lena Horne, Jan Peerce, Rose Murphy and Jack Smith, iriter- jecting.amiable barbs at each other cn route. “Stardust" hninber hits for hearty laughs with Miss Healy singing the song earnestly and Hayes heckling from the tables as an inebriate. They mock the Brit- ish, the French and., the Texans good-naturedly, click in a duet of impressions on Ethel; . Meririan- Russel Nype arid Mario Lanza-Judy Holliday, arid raise a chorus of huzzas frir .the boivOff mimicry- Of smiling dancers; Ted .Si. Phyllis Rodriguez are foils to the ; comedy! team as straight-laced, trirpsters. They have good ballrooiri, poise arid don’t- have to: rely .upon aerris or flourishes to; please the crowd; Gal is a supple partner, and he’s a smooth handler.: Versions of waltz, tango and sainba get off to. a warm reception; and the act builds to a heavy niitt for Latin translation of the Charleston. Tcam encores with a neat soft- shbeirig of "Whispering" arid has sriek close with a bullfight stint.: Leadoff : spot is held by attractive Lottie Brunn who has a- wide juggling repertory and a good cafe; manner.; She works quickly, shift- ing . from stunt: to : stunt, with plaudits growing as her routines become more. difficult. Apparatus is yaviegated to .lieighten interest, and she gets a big hand for manip- ulating four. balls - and four rings at once, then five large multicol- ored balls, and finally six hoops. Closer has lier on one leg, spinning a hoop with the other, and balanc- ing: and spinning an assortment , of misshapen objects oh her forehead and hands. Chez Adorables, led by Marilyn Post, are a bit sharper for this show, than they’ye been in the past arid contribute two good production numbeTs, with Johnny Martin on the vocal., Brian Farnon orch show- backs and plays the iriterim dance music. • ;• Les, .he .11 be an enterUiinpi 1 .Of lop di-; . im'.nsmn;. At this ' poiiil. lu'/s uist several, shades bettor: t-hatv his.! mar i i *V- V seems in eorifine >; chivablo in ; man v (Ineel 10ns. lie cap sing.well; .he lei-'.p.s;aiiU he.-.cim. oniiet- a/number.' yh-avtned -wiili a', bii abouira' cira.s,_ ■ -h y -^sk-Ul Vt : t-ongue-uyisl iiie,- -. lyrics \v iV ii... bis ; ; , 1 . > . l ! n .V". UM -*'' and;; in -shorl!' s Iro -u -s' ' l tU> t)y inateriah, i>m v V : himself- to bi (Uivlun-d : by. same.- he Ua-\. Slum his;'l'i 111:' eI-I'ee'ti\‘en■ ' 11V. leader' vf , ,u ' V IU ' S0,i :ot ., li-iUlei Mi.vkey .Kal/. ivm |. t v still does emumb to ge.i. by: haiidsirine.ly! Peiliaps the true' iHprver of the • occasion is Harrs' Belaroihb;: uim ' ^ l , ut{ - r . a P by Mi 11arct..Tho'nlas ho started liis - balla.cl^'ering eareer • at Village Vanguard-; just . a couple of years ago. and then progressed tu the Blue Angel. This is his first local try in an seem; to achieve a greater di- riiension at this spot. Belafonte is X singer of sensitivity as is demoh- FniriaiontllotolvS.F. Nat; (King) jCole _ . Trio, 'Emie JTccksch.cr Orclt fiO);! $2; cO.v'cr; Nat\ (KirigV Cole . clicks solidly- : h'ere' : wit li an overlofideci. ... r-oo 111 . keeping him on for three encores 1 lo a,-.sum total of some 45 minutes '.of'spngl'esting.; V C’ole purveyed all liis song slock' dor. thy. plushy: patronage from his hoppy “Almost ' Like Being ■ In i P" 1 0 ; his zinger . the -'Caly-p -0 ‘ Blues.,’';. Along the Way lie tossdd 01 T .'‘Pretend/-’ “I Ain in Love." ‘ /Prom; Moulin Rouge" arid’. ‘1,os( April." To furtherwhet! the appetites of the converters, he un- V tapped his; sender -‘Mona Lisa", and , suc.lv soekos as "Route 60 ," Aniolo’s; Onialin . Omaha, July 29, ! Ella. • Fitzgerald ,. Walter Herpid Trio; ; $1.25'coi;er. ; Even the top acts of show biz have their off nights.. And it was one of. those sessions for Ella Fitz- gerald at show caught last ; Tues- day (28). , ■ ...../ •' Nothing went right.; Her accom- paniment fluffed often, a couple of payees insisted, on taking flash- bulb pictures practically, in her face* smoke froiri ringsiders seemed to trouble her and few of the cus- tomers would request the ballad she prefers to sing,. /Nevertheless, Miss: Fitzgerald stuck- it out for her half-hour arid crowd didn’t seem to mind the noticeable difficulties a bit. Biggest salvos .catne for “How High the ;M fl , TiV Crying i*V the Chapel" anJ ; “It Had to be Vou.’t Angelo D'‘Giacomo gave .her his biggest act- budget and it rtdrdff;7BIz was . excellent. . .. /.- . Trump,., ■ Edilvs\ K. C 1 . : /.-Kansas City, Aug, , 1 . ' Trie Beachcombers/ 14r, Sheeky Grvcii, Tony. DiPardo. Orch 1 8 V-. $1 corcr. : • . ! / Summer biz is holcling Weli hereV ,and the .week’s liiieup . of musical Boachco.nibers and : comic Sheeky! Green makes a strong inducement lor .frequenting the Eddy brothers’ establislimenl. . The singing: group are old bands in this club, but * generally material Ss sharp, new and well-timed throughout. Three guys and « gal which make up the Beachcomber outfit have helped biz in this plush room before, and current stand is pretty much a reprise on their former date less than a year ago. Musical comedy stylings, sock arrangements and catchy choreography make their work sorne of the best among singing groups today. Crew of Jerry Graff, Don MacLeod, and Bill Shepherd with little Natalie from the Pacific: Isles is a hand- some group which projects itself strongly in this room. ; They stick pretty much to estab? lished faves, opening With their intro song (a parody on "Ain’t She Sweet"), take “Arid the Angels Sing" at speedy pace, add a little light terping to version of "Mandy-’ and "Skip To M’Loo" for a novel turn. "You'li Never Walk Alone" comes through in high dramatic Style, and their closing “Hawaiian War Chant" is probably the fastest and most bombastic version on record. Customers keep their mit- ling solid throughout show. Qum; La I in CtuaHer, Boston “Ice Happy” with Bissel & Far- ley, Harriet Kenny, Lou Folds. Hal Stanley , De-Icers ( 6 ), Mickey Long, Charley Wolke Orch ( 5$1 admission .!! Remaining opeii throughout the summer for. the first time in years, the Latin Quarter is : currently showcasing "Ice Happy," a.blader that provides customers with an hour’s entertainment values and has resulted in overall biz. being stronger than originally aritici- pated. Produced arid directed by Bissel & Farley, action tees off two: guys, who cavort through, a Stand- ard opener to offstage vocalizing of Mickey Long, the spot’s emcee. From then on^ individual stints are spotlighted with Lou Folds,; complete in magico’s cape and 'top-hat,"' scoring neatly With sesh of slick juggling while skimming along the ice. Guy adeptly, tosses Indian clubs, tambourines, hats, etc., winding juggling tennis bails while blindfolded. The graceful; looker, Harriet Kenny, Uncorks a fast sesh of leaps, spins and dips to vocal accompaniment of a group of songs thru shed by Mickey Long, for nice, customer resporise^ Bissel & Farley, a tbpnotch aero duo, register, strongly in their spot with a series of. spins and tricks topped by male member swinging femme partner at an accelerated pace. Although the comedy efforts of Hal Stanley are not too yockful, consisting of prattfalls and kibitz- ing with ririgsiders, the guy, togged out m a ludicrous tramp outfit appears to be! one of the more skilled skaters of the group. Revue winds with uptempoed ensemble number enhanced by use of strobe lighting. • In addition to emceeing: chores, Mickey Long also grabs a solo spot, to vocalize a couple of ballads with proceedings ably backed by Cliar- ley Wolke’s combo. Elie. Mi* Royal Hotel, MonFI Montreal, July 31. Chandra • Kahj & Dancers / (31, Georgia Faith,- Max Chamitov Orch ( 8 ) with Nonna Hutton ; $ 1 - $1.50 cover, . Sahira,Xn Vepi I.M V*gllt, July 2J. (12), Cwalter* (4), John lS the-Sahara takes - a gamble with longhair, in: person of Metopera charmer Marguerite p N azza for headline fare, but mav take a setback this try.. Name K ' not strong enough or familiar . to average tourists flooding Ve«ai ; territory, and following, the smash Red Skelton, any act or combina* tion is apt to suffer by biz corn-" parison. Aided by; Gene Nelson ‘Harvey : . Stone arid impres.sne George Moro productions, bill n-;■. ceives added lift;. Still: in aU tables will be easy to obtain lor trie two frames, ■ From scanning the marquee,: im- pression is : gained that; slimv should have, all ingredients for: unusual arid offbeat nltery dispiav. Somehow, entire mixture dofeirt . jell resulting iri only average re* turns. Miss Piazza, with personal accomper John Lesko, giyes an al-* together satisfying performarice with her debut*. (See New Acts),.;. Gene Nelson, on the loose after termination of Warner Bros! pic contract, has, contrived a. pleasant 20 minutes. Newly routined; With added talkfests, the Nelson terPwy, is .of high calibre although lack- ing in flash tricks: for roping sal* . yos; Lithe dancer seems to con- centrate more in putting: over bis interim jokes. All gab could be , sharpened—-if he insists upon the | talking—made fo fit, his type of delivery, which is bfetrthless be* cause of previous, exertions. Also, he could explore possibilities of bariter and badiffage over sUridiip gag punching;. Harvey Storie, is.. b e s e t with . tough task: of opening the 1 ay out, but he begins rapping over liis coT •- lection of funny material, cello- phanlng the heat, gambling, girl friend . & Wife waggeries tagged by Spicy ‘'Argentina".- parocty. By the time he : has reached his clas- sic Army routine, . audience is. painted, arid with this topper walks off to big mitts,- Sa-Harem Dancers stop vi tli their usual fine ensemble preci- sion. Solid front of good looking dolls, who know, the footwork , angles, have a ball in "Lost My Hat in Haiti," aided by warbling Ca- valiers. A breathcatcher, spotted . in, the middle, is ; waltz medley with glowing scarlet: and char- treuse wardrobe. Cee Davidson orch has to capture many temps ,.1 but turns in pretty fair job. Will. DudeRan eli, A. t. Atlantic City, N. J v Aug. 2; .The Gaylords, Buddy Greco, Francisco , Foster Johnson , ■ Cliff Martin, Lee Henderson ■ Girls (5» , Ben Cotey, Bob Kersey Orch; $2.2.3 ?ninimu?n. ' Greeni. makes Iris, liriitial bo\W here. Combo iri 45 minutes is tightly knit “That’s My Girl,“ "Taper Moon " ; A.nd- lively show all the way. "Littlo Girl’’: and "Too Young ’’ : -I Q , As 1 h 1 '/" T ^hV DiPardo brings on ■ ■ Sheeky Green to open, and come- niaii ai-Si o Hit a 1 * 4 . 1 . At only one paint Was there a (loubttul tangent arid ' that v.e.s ; when lie; dispensed with the.mike for half a tune. This was u.nnetv s- . sary and gn ungilding .of the lii.'-. , ,; s : a stylist Cole ranks with -the us t-- a nd^th e^cu s tomei’S—slm\wed that .they appreciated it. It. was all jus way and a* yard wide . i ; ■'■../ : Ted. . Hs into meaty material with, little delay. Proves himself liandv with "dialects-,.- kidding an opera, imming Frankie Laine and Johnriie Ra.v, and tossing about a bit of garbled French. , K rillr .e r ou te is_ lmTglTladtm _ \vdHcsi)me~e^ I'rom his roul'ne. as the ’slug-happy- pug. A time of two Gf jen govs 'a bit far on the risque side,, but East Indian terp exponent Chan- dra Kaly with three new femmes returns to the Sherton-Mount Royal’s Normandie Room after a two-year break and his. modern variations; on basic East Indian themes are still top drawer, cafe entertainment. Garbed iri new and more exotic costurries, Kaly opens program with a series based on old folk dances that have been neatly adapted for a night club floor; it's obvious enou gh without going into outright; comedy and" theatrical enough to rhold clientele attentiori; For an encore,Kaly does a single relying on the bells fastened to his ankles to give him the necessary rhytlmi and theri brings back his three attractive dolls to show the boogie influence on this particular type of hoofing. Newcomer- Georgia Faith (New Acts) spells' the Kaly dancers : as they change., for : their final se- quence. F ; olio\ving the Faith song fest. the Kaly.: groupcomes: back to dq an uninhibited West Indies iterii that packs a nifty: Wallop and shows, the femme section of outfit to best / advantage. Costuniing throughout is excellent and gals respond With talent and style to Kaly’s slick choreography, With Mux Chamitov .playing a solid piano and leading the orch, all performers get ample: support and Noma Hutton doubles as feinmcee and hand vocalist in her Usual trim fashion. In a fairly slac k tou rist sea son, _ niUch /C Lf /the^ success of thls popular room is due to riiaitre’d Victor who has been in charge of the hotel’s main salon for more than two decades. Newt, This spot, established by the late Tom Endicott, is galloping along in fine mid-season form. Its cur- rent operator, Ben Cotey, is filling the 600 seats for three shows week- ends and. reporting biz up to this par most nights during the week. Location, far. at the end of the boardwalk and away from mid-city spots, has meant that Cotey has had to dangle something other than the usual night club fare to lure customers. He has imported better talent and tops this with getting the payees to . participate in such things as liobby horse faces (for girls only), square dances, mu- sical chairs, all for more laughs,.: He tops this with a, large circular dance floor which is filled by cus- tomers: between shows. Prizes go to;winners, of tjie; games. Waitress- es and waiters appear as ranch hands with, spot rigged to'resemble : interior of huge ranch: house.. .: The Gaylords vocal trio which Works with bass fiddle, and jpiauo, : get best milting, offering old arid new numbers like. "Without . a.; Song,"'. "Kainprta;’.’ ■‘‘‘My >Little . o-* - qiiet.te," “Maina and Poppa, Polka;" :• and going , off with "My Wonder- . fuj; One.” They/come .back v with B.uddy ’Grecp, > co-starred -iwith them, to give "Ain’t. She Pretty ". “Look Down that Lonesome Road" and "I Believe,", a begoff; . Greco has nice personality :( ,,p ' spot and as a single scores wi' h siioh nurnhers as "What .a. Day; ; "Its a; Shame to Tell a Lie," wnh a u die n c e participation; . "i'i« Through with Love,’’ piaying; o\\ n.: piano . accompaniment; . ‘‘You’re Driving Me Crazy" and "WalkiuJ My Baby BaLck Hpme,". Show rounded out with, juggling act by Francisco; and nice tapping . by^F ost er: Johnson,_W f .ith Hendei- son GTrls (5) offering three n’eaf^ dance routines* Cliff / Martin sings cowboy vocals to keep show. mm’*, ing* l ; • Walk,. .