Variety (December 1954)

DICKIE VALENTINE VlllaK* Vugaanl. X. Y, Sylma Syiru, Sian Freeman Clarence Williams Trio ; 53 50 mini mu 1 / 1 . Club Hollywood. ^ Frankie Scott is a young Laugh- getter who for year* has been sea- ^ ned in the smaller cabarets and v w o now seems ripe for higher notching, given some sharper m»- t- S M to work with. Lean, sadfaced aid ncnou*. a. beOU. U> "aeder- nourished comic" billing, he d be missing a good bet in not making fuller use of this demeanor that tecs for sympathy. Guy's delivery is promising, and h * versatility will never be a hin- drance. Specialty starter, which snoofs his bony build In the way Durante mocks his nose, gets him off on the nght foot; but after that the gags weave in and out of char- acter as the topics fall. It becomes a matter of a gag for the gag’s sate, regardless bow it fits with the overall delineation of the character he’s trying to be. He has a strong bit in his satires cf modern and vintage singers, in- voking Harry Richman. Johnnie P.av. Ted Lewis. Li be race and Ear.ha Kitt. and winding up with a zany tune of the future. "Rocket Ship Baby." His trumpet impres- sions of Harry James and Henry B-sse are surefire getaway offer- ia £s. Les. NICK NOBLE Songs 15 Mins. Club Hollywood. Chi Former band chanter, who Is row one of the newer names on the Mercury* label, is embarking on tr.e in-person circuit with a long cate at this suburban nitery. Nick Noble is a lad with plenty to of- fer vocally and. as he acquires i thing or two in stagecraft, fig- ures to do very well on the boards. There's a freshness to his easy tar.tonmg. and he delivers a lilt- ing ditty or wistful ballad with equal effectiveness Slow romantic t-r.e» like "Funny Valentine" and ‘ My Own True Love" dominate Kj? output, fittingly, as he ingrati- ates personally and has the neces- sary vocal hues. Still, there'* much he can do onstage to m*>o the distaff side better, and there’s a need for more movement about the shelf, notably on his Christ- mas olio. Le*. former theatre page-boy and neid - Thu dance band crooner is now a 25- him off year-old top - of - any - bill singer. vent carr hailed by some as Britain’s croon- * nd wou ing challenge to America. Despite field* *it undoubted talent, especially in takeoffs of U. S. disk-names, lie needs to develop his personal!tv TANYA more and pace his act w ith greater Violin sharpness for L\ S. consumption 5 Mins, As currently offered, act is of Falaee, N satisfying entertainment calibre. Tanya, but lacks the bounce of other sing- violinist, ing acts in both United Kingdom of catgu and the U. S. If the crooner can good tone impersonate Billy Daniels and of showm Johnnie Ray with such pointed ac- Unforti curacy, he can also add more smil- sional D* ing fire to his own early-half act 0 f her i smile and twinkle to more effect, fuse For and show he s enjoying his songa- determine log in place of present stolid if Traumer !l T fr V. P ? r “ < ' h whether ! vocal talents are strong and he Her cut has sincere style of belting out Rhapsody pops, using roving hand-micro- phone. Physically, he’ll have to look to his waistline, which is sol- idly squat. Best part of act is his travesties of personalities such as English comedian Robert •"‘Bumper Fun- Book "• Moreton. unknown to U. S audiences, and of Nat King Cole. Billy Eckstme and Inkspots each giving a lesson on how to do The Creep. Catches authentic fineer- snapping and prancing of Biliv Daniels in That Old Black Magic.** and winds with a standout o* John- nie Ray. Go-d. Pre-Christmas biz slump is ap- parent at this Greenwich Village bistro. Despite a usually surefire talent lineup, patronage at the club has been sparse since cur- rent show s bow la«t week. Be- sides the Clarence Williams Trio, spot s regular instrumental group, bill comprises songstress S>l\ia Syms and Stan Freeman, comic 88er. Miss Syms and Freeman have worked out at the Vanguard be- fore. with both acts definitely grooved for Max Gordon's intime cellar club. Freeman, incidentally, has also been frequently show- cased at the Gordon-Herbert Jaco- by uptown east side outlet, the Blue An eel. w hile Miss Syms has previously been a holdover attrac- tion at the Greenwich Village boite. In the vocal department. Mis* S>ras continues as a sock sowc- seller. dishing out tunes with feel- ing and savvy. Freeman dispenses a pleasant stint with his azile fin- eerwork. light natter and bright song material. Williams Trio plav 8 for terping and backs Miss Syms in u^ual topflight manner. Jess. HORACIO A LANA L*»b4o ! London. D< ( hateau Madrid. N.Y. Anita Ellis. with Mono i Horacio A Lana comprise a renrum; Felix King & Do flashy Latin terp twain. Both Orchs: $5 minimum. work energetically with a maxi- mum of movement. They run Anita Ellis, doing the \ through several numbers in which ‘Gentlemen Marry Bn the lad relies on his blonde part- makes her London caban ner for support while he is slitb- in this popular Berkeley enng around close to the floor. taurant. Her opening dre' Both of them generate sufficient stantial segment of the A heat to reap a hefty amount of colony who gave her an im applause. Their rhumba and sendoff. mam bo hit it off well. They are Miss Ellis is a stylish p< garbed in the traditional garb of with a wide vocal range the Latin dancers and they make facility to vary her mood a good appearance on the floor. casion demands. When d< Jose. dramatic numbers like * Bike \atf. ( hi Chicago. Dec 8 Charlie Wnrvra Quartet irifh Mar)/ Ann McCall, Lou Levy; S3 minimum. Blue Note is kept swinging dur- ing these slump weeks with the Charlie Ventura foursome and chirper Mary Ann McCall, who is working despite third - degree bums on both legs which has her strapped to a wheelchair. Biz won't be as hot as the music, but it never is this time of year. Miss McCall s injury occurred a few days before her opening here •8* in a kitchen accident, but ap- parently it hasn’t . affected her mans-textured vocalistics. She han- dles four numbers per set and sells em all sensitively with good jazz sense. Tunes like "Nearness of You" and Hadn’t .Anyone Till ^ou" show her off best. With a three-piece rhythm hark- ing. Ventura does a virtuoso jam- ming job on nearly every manner of saxophone. On bass sax he es- says a wistful ragout, then switches to tenor for Three Little Words ' and baritone for "Sweet Georgia Brown " Sidemen each find an opening for runaway solos during the course, with Sonnv Igoe spot- lighted on drums. Whitev Mitchell on bass and Dave McKenna at kevs. Local pianist Lou Levy, held over from the previous bill, fills in the interims with some solid finger- ings and a few off-the-cuff remarks about jazz. Les. Mlaal IlfgHi Miami Beach. Dec. 17. Morty Gunty. Antone A Ina. Syd Stanley Orch; 82.50 her. minimum. First display of Morty GuntV* comedic concepts hereabouts was at the Sans Souci last August. A click, was in the cards that the Nautilus Hotel would pyi in a bid for the fresh, new laughmaker’s return to these precincts in short order, what with the hostel’s Drift- wood Room featuring comedians as often as they can be booked. Gunty’s teenage looks belie a vet’s approach to his material. He wins them quickly with a direct, breezy delivery that is authorita- tive; his yams about family, take- off on Jerry Lewis—whom re- sembles and at times sounds like— and a highly-original piece on teaching experiences, are stand- outs. Interweaves Yiddish dialect stories, then tops matters with a clever sequence. The CIowtis.’* which contains a rundown of the better comedy-names in* every facet of the field, winding into a showmanly tribute to Danny Kaye, The segment stressing the grace- Comedy 15 Mins, One Fifth At*„ N.Y. New team of Mildred Cook A Herb Corey give a vigorous per- formance but that’s about all. As singles they both won talent con- tests at this downtown bistro and as a result had solo bookings at the spot. Major fault with their dual effort is poor materia!. Re- partee between the two is loaded with corny one-liners and bad puns. However, it should be noted that turn drew favorable audience re- sponse. In some cases duo use tunes to springboard into gab segments. Act is paced rapidly, but the hot rod aspects cant hide the weak comedy values. Jess. ESTELA GIL Songs 9 Mins. Chatean Madrid, N Y. Estela Gil. a Latin singer, dwells on the fast and lively tunes that are easy to absorb. Work re- quires little concentration and fre- quently she’s able to entice the customers into accompanying her with rhythmic applause. Nicely built and well barbed. Mis* Gil stays on for three num- bers to healthy applause. The sole item generally familiar to U S. audiences is "Anna** which she endows with a tremendous amount of vigor. Jose. DOROTHY KRAMER DANCERS (4) With Jimmy Kirby Dancing 12 Mins. Gatinean Club. Ottawa One of the best terp groups on tr.e circuits. Dorothy Kramer Dancers, with Jimmy Kirby, is a veil organized. highly-trained, sotko act though generally used in l:ne positions. Once paired with Buddy King in The Kings A Their Ladies, Miss Kramer, herself a standout dancer and cboreogra-t pher. replaced King and Kirby, retained the act’s format, and uses her name in the title. Besides handling choreography, she de- >‘gn* costumes, holds solo spots 8 Mins. Palace. N.Y. The Townsmen have the mak- ings of an excellent quartet. They have individually good voices and a fine sense of harmonics. Group puts some good color into their ar- rangements, and they project strongly. They seem to be in the position of singfrs grounded in the classics who haven't completed the break into the modern idiom. They show a good potential with rendition of "12th St. Rag.” One of the medleys is strictly in the nl^nm* vein. These kids seem too young to revel in the songs of the good old days. Jose. TVS TVS 12) Songs. Dance 15 Min*. Chatean Madrid. N.Y. Tun Tun's act is as unusual as his name. He's a midget with body development approaching that of a normal male, but w4th short legs. He has a full and ro- bust voice and a sure sense of comedy. He capitalizes on his miniature status excellently, throw- ing around the small legs of his with an abandon that gives a com- edy impression. Tun Tun sings fairly well in English and Spanish. But the songs are merely fill-ins to his terpmg. There is one spot in which he is assisted by a femme terper. It provides a good curtain to his turn. Jose. Las Vegas. Dec. 14. Harry Richman, Patti Moore A Ben Lessy, Les Charlirel* '3*. Art Johnson, Donn Arden Danc- ers -20’, Carleton Hayes Orch <14*; no cover or minimum. Repertoire is extensive, covering Latin, Oriental. Afro-Cuban, slick modern American, manv others, and routining is such that the group can work on both large and ?.~all floors and stages. Care is evident in selection of femmes, all v e.’-built lookers with dance ability. and Kramer training and attention to smallest detail is seen • n every action. Costumes are rich but in good taste, showing enough girl but dressing the act v .,n color and charm. Kramer Dancers are tops for tv. nitery and GAT A HARRY WELLS Dance Mins. Palace, NT. Gay A Harry Wells are a youth- ful tap pair who work in an easy and familiar groove except during the brief period when the male does some flips. The dancing seems to be from a former era. A fresh viewpoint seems to be necessary if the team is to travel into important coin. The pair have a pleasant de- meanor and seem well-drilled in fundamentals. Jose. Bt Happy Ben way by being present to remind diners Saranac Lake. N Y.. Dec. 21. 0 f the nostalgic* which were rungs The new house committee of in his climb up the ladder of Broad- , W * T* ~‘ BPr T, Eiri Lew^s. chairman, Norma Cloos. Q ra y the hysterical duo of Moore Dorothy Yegelry, Verna Summers. A Lessy display their well-known Phillip Klein. John *IATSE> An- eccentricities to garner plenty of - yocks. The material anc the act aerson and Jack Kelley. still carries the old format. Lessy Bob Cosgro%e. Co.umb:a P;x the elusive popcorn dancing office staffer in N.Y., who was re- for Mommy and Miss Moore clever- centiy rushed here to recuperate dispensing gags some clean and following virus pneumonia, upped * ome i that could do with a little to the ambulatory floor. laundering Bob Jacobs at the A** R Field, of the Chappell 5 " f0r Th* Char live!* are rtill the ra«e ...e rest observation period, , n t ^ ls spot an( j are show stoppers Christmas spirit ail over the W;l! before the act is well under way. Rogers Hospital, every member of Their leaps, sommersaults. splits the staff and personnel of the ac( j spins are a revelation that Palace, N.Y. Van A de Rovart show some in- teresting routines in this stand which marks their local debut. Work is a mixture of ballroom and ballet with some fast spins thrown in to maintain a fast pace. Duo open with lad wearing the beret and smock of an artist. What they're attempting to convey isn’t projected too definitely. Sequence is a«toit puzzling. However, once they discard that number, they go into some work- able terp combinations. Some of tb^r figures are arresting and they maluge a good impression Jose. TERRY BENNETT »?> Ventriloquy 8 Mins. Palace. N.Y. Terry Bennett, do i