Variety (October 1954)

•> V • Wednesday, Octolier 6, 1954 REVIEWS New Acts jean FENN Sing's 40 Mins. Detroit Athletic Club Jean Fenn, operatic soprano, has voice, the looks, the stage pres- ; ence and the special material for her. to successfully invade the class supper club field. Aside, from her opera stints; she has had extensive light opera and concert work and has appeared on the Jackie Glea- son/ and Hoagy Carmichael tv shows. . A beautiful, statuesque blonde youngster, she intros very effec- tively with “Legitimate," written for her by Sidney Kuller and Lynn Murray, which tells of her inde- cision whether to stick with opera; or try pop tunes. She clicks with her mimicry of the guitar-twang- ing, cowgal warbling of Dale Evans, Peggy Lee’s sultry Jim,” and ; rousing burlesquing of “SJi- Boom.” • The range, depth and fine tonal , quality of her voice enriches “Mu- setta’s Waltz,’- from “La Boheme,” “They Say It’s Wonderful,” and “Chiapenacas,” a Mexican folk song. Then comes “20th Century Lullaby," also composed by Kuller and Murray, which tells of the. difficulties of a mother putting a modern kid to bed. This gets plenty of laughs and heavy mitt- jng. An adaptation of “I’m in Love with Vienna,’* by Eric Korngold and her manager, Edwin Lester, with, special lyrics by Forman Brown, brings on as encores “Hey, There” and “This Is My Beloved." She had to beg off. Miss/Fenn would be a definite asset to any stage. Her supper club appearances, apparently, will be fitted in between already booked concert and other assignments for, like she says ih her opener, “Le- gitimate,” she likes both classical arid popular mUsic. She is one of those fortunate artists who has the necessary talent for both mediums. Tew. RONNY & VAL Vocal-Instrumental 12 Mins. Casa Mia f N. Y. Ronny & Val, who accompany their sdhgs on guitar and accordion, seem expert musicians. At this point they are more for fill-i work in cocktaileries rather than a full- fledged- nitery turn. Both have robust voices and a good sense of harmonics. Their selections of vocals, however, could stand a lit- tle more sophistication. InStrumehtally, they are capable of showbacking, which they do at the Casa Mia, and they provide some intricate musical patterns. Their music is room-filling Without being loud, and they can go under the general decibel level of conver- sation to provide a pleasant back- ground for the sip-and-gab trade. Jose. GENIE STONE Songs 8 Mins. Casa Mia, N. Y. Genie Stone, on her first profes- sional engagement in a nitery, i$ equipped with a quiet charm, a well-groomed voice and a pleasing floor demeanor. Of course' she Still has to absorb a lot of experience before she can make her presence felt in the entertainment orbit. Miss Stone shows a better feel at ballads than at the faster tunes,. In the former, she shows a delicacy and ease that ' should make her eligible for the higher-priced rooms When, her deliveries. assume more authority. Jose. ■ “ .■ - t EVE BOSWELL Songs 18 Mins. ‘Empire, Glasgow Hungarian-born singer with cos- mopolitan background pf Budapest and Swiss education, family show- biz experience: through Europe, and adio-cum-cabaret leads in South Africa, shapes up as a distaffer With highly pleasing song act that is well suited to stage, radi tv and nitery dates in the U. S. Petite, glamorously-gowned and shapely, singer has a refined sing- ing act plus sweetly charming style thqt clicks pronto with stubholders. She gets by on vocal talent plus presentation, and has no need of gimmicks. Highlight of current act is her recently-waxed “The Little Shoemaker,” which she winds by some graceful terping. She has to beg off with novel South African medley incorporating her. w.k. disk success, “Sugarbush.” Gal’s hobby, is collecting South African folk, tunes, and if she needed gim- mick, there's one t here; At show caught, Cliff Kirkham attended tQ the ivories. with assured alyle. Cord, TONY DRAKE Songs 10 Mins. Palace, N. Y. Tony Drake is a husky lad who has the earmarks of comer. He has a clear and powerful tenor gnd shows ability at selling' a song. Physically - he tends toward the Mario Lanza-Richard Tucker school of tenors. He has a nice, friendly manner, and the audience is with him from the beginning. / It’s obvious, however, that. he needs further seasoning, a task now being undertaken by Enrico Rosati Who tutored Lanza. Drake is still somewhat green in his hand . movements and his pronunciation needs improvement. For example, i singing . “1 1 Believe,” he failed to include the. first “e.” Nonethe- less, he should be ready for the disk, market shortly. He switches easily from the op- eratic to the semi-classical and popular. He works over to good reaction with “Because You’re; Mine,” Prolog from “Pagliacci,” “Lovliest Night of the Year,” and “Ave Maria.” Hoil. BOBBY JOYCE & GINGER Dance 10 Mins. Palace, N, Y. This is a personable pair of youngsters who show promise in the tap medium. Their routining is hot sensational, but is neverthe- less effervescent. They seerrt to en- joy their work, arid the feeling spreads to the audience. They , might, however, eliminate Ohe bit from their routine, business that has py now become cliche. This involves the femme indicating to the audience that her partner has false teeth and wears a toupe.. The lad supposedly dances on, un- aware that the gal is communicat- ing with the stubholders. Holl. LES MARTHYS (2) Roller Balancing " 7 Mins; Empire, Glasgow Pair of Continental artists rouse gasps from the customers as they perform arduous feats of equilib- rium ofi rollers. Just to make the trick more difficult, one of the males places a roller at angle atop another roller, and maintains bal- ance for a moment while standing atop, Highspot is a head-to-head bal- ance with large colored ball saridr wiched between their two “roofs” and with hoops Whirling round on their arms at same time. Pair also balance on top of each other while on the roller, and wind the act by climbing a ladder, standing on bridge and descending, all worked out while the one is upside down with head-to-head balancing con- tact. ... Standout booking for vauderies and high-domed niteries. Qord. DAVID NIXON Magic 20 Mins. QUaglino's Sc Allegro, London In the quiet-mannered, style which, is his trademark. David Nixon gets more laughs to the min- ute, than most comedians, although comedy is not his main line of business. First and foremost, he’s a conjurer with a cute bag of tricks to sell arid one or two are very much out of the ordinary. But his success comes in large measure from his fluent flow of patter, which, keeps the customers in a continuous state of good humor. Nixon gets his reaction by his method of delivery rather than by what he has to say. He dispenses, with the mike but speaks very quietly; it is, in fact, a sly develop- ment of the British art of under- statement, and pays off handsome- ly, Since his appointment- to the “What’s | My . Line?” television panel, Nixon has become a house- hold personality arid the crammed room on opening night at Quag- lino’s was indicative of his current popularity. Myro. SUE STANLEY Songs 20 Mins. Dfnarzade, Paris Sue Stanley is a young American chirper who has been getting the benefit of working a group of boites here and facing a varied interna- tional. aud. Gal has wisely planed arid honed her. act, and nbw shows a hep professional air and stint that is making her of hit proportions during her current stay at the piriai’zade. She is piquant arid dark headed, and uses an undulating body, gur- gling good humor and a way with aft aud to good advantage as she throatily trots through a neat batch of specialty bits, and counterpoints with good renditions of pop stand- ards. Main appeal is verve and a winning brashness which point to- wards a good possibility for revue or special nitery and tv spotting. Given the robing, treatment and care this gal tJould. well develop into a telling addition to the per- sonality femjtie song specialists. She next hops to Athens for a date, and this is a sort of home- coming, £or she is of Greek par-, entage and can do her offbeat, num- bers in that lingo. Mosk; MORECAMBE & WISE Comedy 12 Mins. Empire, Glasgow Two youngish inales trot out. a comedy repertoir that reveals evidence of much rehearsal and ^despite their youth) longtime as- sociation. Gags are timed ; almost perfectly. Act relies mainly on crazy -cross- talk. They open with comedy busi- ness centred round the tune, “Such A Night,” then switch into a trav- esty of sponsored ra'dio withjsplit- second timing prowess in throwing and catching the gags. Twosome are well contrasted, one being a bespectacled and rather spire type with college-boy appearance, other a smaller fresh-faced and confident type who does, the feeding chores With skill. Fair garner laffs with comedy routine over singing of “Wanted” and efforts of the funnyman to wiggle on request. Okay for gen- eral run of vauderies.and for radio and tv, though pace would have to be sharpened for U S. consump- tion and regionized accents. of the comedy man attuned to the Amer- ican. As at present, twosome are slickest of upcoming comedy pairs in the fU. K. Gord. LISIANE REY Songs 20 Mins., Chez Gilles, Paris Crackling, carrot-topped song- stress radiates energy and bombast before she even begins, her chort- ling. Stint is a mixture of diseuse and interp takeoffs that, benefit from her thesping background. Gal was a singer before quitting for acting, and is now hack with a sorig; turn for the first time in years. ; She. registers strongly in her dynamic appeal, and clad in a simple white gown, setting oft her zestful coloring, makes a big visual impression followed by her solid numbered rep. Takeoff on west- erns, U. S. style, a throbbing Piafy number and some more subdued chants hiake this an extremely pleasing stint, arid gal looks like a fine bet for special spotting, in the U. S. offbeat boite. circuits Or for revue 6r tv. She is in “The red hot mama” category and displays a vitality little seen arpong Gallic chari- toosies. Mosk. THE MAROTTES (2) Puppets 10 Mins. Chez Gilles, Paris This makes for a new, unique addition to the puppet ranks so well repped here by Yves Joly arid Georges Lafaye. This is different and inventive enough to stand bn its own. Boy and gal operate hand- moved puppets, and go through a series of imaginative sketches. A snail and a zany cat make for a neat tableau, as well as a kiss sequence between t\yo coy lovers or a spat between two oldtime . soldiers. Movements, dubbing, puppets and decor are all colorful enough to. make this a good bet for offbeat spotting in U. S. niteries or tv. »Mosk. DENISE BENOIT Songs 15 Mins. Chez Gilles, Paris Pert blonde essays the soubrettc- type of chanting, basing her style on , the turn-of-the-century greats, and .including some of the .Yvonne Guilbert rep in her .stint; Pink elbOw'dength gloves add to the illu- sion and ejfpi’essiveriess arid well- ranged voice, plus good body and interp background, make this a fine specialized Gallic act,. It is primarily for home con- sumption, but could be good ma- terial for specialized places i the U. S., or for. any primarily Gal- licized revues. For tv her unique- ness might make for interest.. Mosic., MICHELSERRAULT & JEAN POIRET CO. (6) Impressions, Sketches, 80 Mins. Chez Gilles, Paris Michel Serrault Sc Jean Poiret are two young nitery entertainers who have been steadily improving their stint until they have reached a hi£h peak in their new turn here this year: With a cbinpany 1 'of four, for support, these brilliant young parodists arid satirists unleash a broadside, of fun that, has this club in high laughter at every, perform- ight Club Reviews Continued from page 64 Sheraloii-farUoDL Wash, i timed . interludes into knock-’ m-! cold puhchilness. Miss Stevens is best in two con- trasting offerings—the torchy “End of 7 Love Affair” and a Frenchy- accentcd : medley emphasizing “C’est Magnifique” and “Allez Vous En” from “Can. Can.” In this latter group'there is a definite lirii- tation of Lilo’s style. The sole number in which she falls to make the grade is "Birth of the Blues/’ which she never socks hard enough. : Girl’s aplomb showed to best advantage on opening night when, during her encore, “Paper Moon/’ roorh : mike went dcad. Miss Ste- vens pushed it aside, stepped up and delivered easily without it. “Paper Moon,” however, does not prove strong enough as a sendoff for her, nor does it particularly fit the mood of her style. Joe Ricardel batons a smooth seven-piece band for the accompaniment and darisa- pation. Miss Stevens, of course, is the. daughter of Nick Sehenck; What’s more natural than that the press releases all remind whose kin she is. Lowe, Casa Min, X. Y. | B. S. Pully, Ronny & Vat, Genie^ Pace; no cover, no minim ’ B. S, Pully, one of the bright I lights of 52d Street in a former era, and at various times the. scourge of linguistic purity and the prime exponent." of the four- letter, word on the nitery floor, is a reformed character; There must be sornething about playing a legit musical hit,''such as' “Guys and Dolls,” and now, please believe it, .he’s working on N.Y.’s cast side. The next thing; he’ll be a familiar figure at Sardi’s and the Stork Club, and he nra'y ultimately be a candidate for respectability. Old B.S, has moved into the Casa Mia, a comparatively recent con- vert. to the, cause of talent, located ori the, extreme east side on; Sec- ond Ave. Spot was known as Le Perroquet until Frank Koaka took it over and it looks like it will develop its supperclub policies. Earlyish, it’s a straight eatery, Of course, Pully, who used to be partnered with H. S. Gump, has cleaned up considerably. The guttural voice, more/accustomed to the ' robust Anglo-Saxon expressions than to the niceties of parlor parlance,- has toned down. He rarely uses the Stuff when on the floor, although his routines still retain an occa- sional reference that recalls his early days. At the Casa Mia, he provides as much, of a show off the floor, He tells tlje customers that the show goes ori in 15 miputes-r- “the broads are gettin’ ready”— and parades around the room throwing the bon mots: On the floor, he has sapolioed sufficiently ance. Their monologs eloquently lampoon pedantic and snobbish lec- turers and interviewers, arid their sketches on a woman turhirtg into a man, and on the making of film, in which the aud is rung in, are high points in the. yoek picture here this month. Though primarily Gallic in appeal, these boys might be Used to advantage in a Continental-type in time revue for U. S. chances. Skits are international in appeal. Expert thesping and timing of Serrault and Poiret touch perfec- tion, and they are ably supported by two comely gals ih Frahcoise Dorin and Nita Saint-Peyron, and the hep antics and mugging of Paul Preboist and Jacques Legras. Mosk. THE TRIO, farlow Aero 10 Mins. L’Olympia, Paris; Two men and a girl go through a standard acro-coritortidn num- ber leavened with some comic re- licf in. pratfalls arid knots they tie themselves into. It is fresh and moving enough to /warrant booking for filling aero spots in U.S: vaude or tv ‘situations. Though not tops, it rates good applause; Mosk. THE BEDIMS (5) Acro-tumblinir 10 Mins. L’Olympia, Paris This a fresh tumbling aero, team .consisting of a father and four, off- spring. They hop about the, stage, back to tables to foot each other about, and perform other’ breezy chores that makes this a good aero entry for U.S. vaude circuit or tv booking. Ityiria.kes fqr a,brjgh.tj$DOjt ihjtiie aero corner. Mosk* to get by. He’s still for the hep- sters, though, who know that it’s a struggle for him to remain pure. When he lapses, he brings on yocks. His 10 minute monolog has its highpoint with his standard bit on placing a two-cent bet, which carries a Tot of laugh material: Rest of the show comprises okay entertainment. Ronny Si Val, in- strumental and vocals, and Geni Pace are under New Acts. An unusual policy in this bperation is the fact that Koaka absorbs the 20% tax and has no cover or irii .mum. It makes for fairly reason- able niterygoing. Jose, IKIue Xote, dll Chicago, Sept. 29. . Duke Ellington Orch (14) with Jimmy Grissom; $3. minimum. Duke Ellington is giving the cus- tomers their mriney's worth, qnd then some, with concert sets runr riing two hours long. Marathon is okay for the, house, too, where, booze selling is concerned, in that it captures an audience, and keeps ’em up late. But it’s still a lot of . attentive listening to ask for i a bistro iwhere, conversation be- tween sets is part of the fun. c Ellington will stir up some, fine biz with this forthighter. Big band that has been his duke-, dom some 27 years, divides its Concert in three parts. First is a session of new arrangemeritSi most of them etched, for the Capitol label and most of which are furious, and forte, replete with boppish .bieatings of the brass. Then it settles down to. a tri , maestro at the keys, in a lovv-swingirig breath- er: with bass and drum, and finally returns, full size to reprise the clear arid clean Ellington idiom of years past. Latter part is by far of greatest delight to the cogno- scenti. Nostalgic repertoire is highlight ed by the sock swing fiddling of Ray Nance, who also doubles on trui pet; and interest is heightened as each number has a different, in- strument taking leads. There’s brilliant arranging behind the parts for the three trombones, four reeds, four trumpets, and four rhythms which make up the orch. -Vocals on such tunes as - “Blue Moon” arid “Without a Sorig” are handled in choice" fashion by tenor Jimmy Grissom. Orch clinches to a terrific salvo with a cpuple un- usual mambo arrangeirierits; Lies.. rh0z Paris Paris, Oct 5. Lisiane Re,y, Michel Serrault Sr Jean Poiret Co. (6),. Marottes (2), Denise Benoit, Cyril, Zebres (2), Luc Barney, Quo.tres Barbus, Raymond Valentino; $5 top. Cellar club qatery-nitery, off the Opera district, still offers one of the best offbeat , shows in town by dint of scouting new, unusual acts and giving staples their head to lead to riiaturity in their second time around. This pays off hand- somely in the new present show* which has one of the highest yocks in town with the Michel Serrault & Jean Poiret Co. (6), and a crackling neW personality in Li- siane Rey. Both are under New Acts, as - are a unique new pup- petry entry. The Marottes (2), arid a soubrettish turn-of-the-century interpreter in Denise Benoit. • Show runs from 10:30 p.m., to 2 a.m. with a top tab of $5, It comes on with puppets and then into a guitar-song act in Cyril, a tall boney gal with a distinct down- beat voice who gives a staple ren- dition of the Left Bank songs, De- nise Benoit, with her pink gloves and soprano vpice, goes big next, and then the fine 'choraliqg arid inventive mifne of the Quatres Barbus, four bearded songsters who give out a well-founded arid heavi- ly-applauded routine. Lisiane Rey gives off, with her electric pres- ence, next followed by hubby Luc Barney. Latter has an ingratiating chuckle-voiced delivery, but unfor- tunately picks numbers that have been made personal triumphs by many big names, and Barney seems to place second. He is Well re- : ceived, however. The Zebres (2) are a Couple of boys, in striped* chemises, miming to renditions of various offbeat and surrealistic poems. It is new arid, * if boys are not exactly preposess- ing, they wisely, choose some neat material. Show ends with, the bfillizntly zany dialogs of Poiret and Serrault, plus their hilarious sketches, which end this in a burst of laughter. Tourists should enjoy this typically Gallic romp, pro- vided soihebody' can slip them a j jqe M, flie .gqings-oft; frorp .time to ‘time* ' : Mosk.