Variety (March 1955)

55 o i Wednesday, March 23, 1955 REVIEWS House Reviews Palace, N. V. Billy & Ann, Nicoli. St Philip Knight, Ross Wyse Jr . * • June Mann, Billy Shepard, Ben Bert, Estrellita & Rdul, Frank Marlowe * Marvellos (3), Jo Lombardi Orch; •‘Tight Spot’* (Col)* "The new Palace bill has a stamp of solidity, True, the element of discovery is lacking, since nearly all the ■ acts are familiar to the. house. However, this is compen- sated by the fact that each turn delivers its quota of entertainment. .An unfamiliar name here is Ben Beri, but he has been seen in vir- tually every other house on the street. His juggling remains skilled and humorous and he- has no problem in making the house take notice of his efforts. A regular who does excellently here is Frank Marlowe, a big comic who gets a lot of humor out of the house in lines that would ordinarily be for the trade. Mar- lowe takes his prattfalls nicely, and delivers his lines with suffi- cient force to hit a hot mitt at his exit. . Billy Shepard, also on a return here, continues as a singer of promise. He exhibits a good the- atre act that has excellent ar- rangements, which permit him to showcase his voice excellently. His tune catalogue is varied* His •‘Autumn Leaves*’ has a ring of sensitivity and the rhythm depart- ment is well taken care of by '‘Somebody Stole by Gal” and “Blackbird.” Off to several bows. Ross Wyse Jr. & Juno Mann hit a good stride with their comedy dancing. On familiar ground here, they exhibit their same act with usually good results. Estrellita & Raul make good in the flamenco department. Their terps are vig- orous and picturesque, albeit of no especial depth. Routines are suf- ficiently commercial for a healthy hand, Nicoli it Philip Knight have an unusual marionette turn, with the gal doing most of- the manipula- tions while the lad serves mainly as an assist. The ideas are excel- lent and their manipulation is skilled. However, at several spots, they lose the point of a routine and efforts are dissipated. It’s a matter of sharper editing with them. Openers are Billy 8c Ann, a pair of lively Negro hoofers, who warm- up the house effectively. Both solo and tandem work get good applause. The Marvellos, in clos- ing, .have a clever musical novelty which combines instrumentation and illusion for effective, interest- ing results. Man and woman as- sistants create some effective bits of deception which provide consid- erable amusement. The musical support is by Jo Lombardi, who, as usual,, gives the show a solid musical base. Jose. Apollo* IV. Y. Drifters (5), Eddie Heywood’s Band (12); Hillman Bros. (2), Varetta Dillard, Ching, Glenn Co- vington, Lang Troupe (6); “For- bidden” (UI). The Apollo, contrary to what are generally accepted as Harlem ground rules, has assembled three distinct musical types for this week’s card: the Drifters, Glenn Covington for pops and semi-clas- sics and Eddie Heywood t with a six-man subdivision of his band for some modern jazz. Not all tune presentations are uniformly high, and the Drifters give out with some of the poorest rhythm St blues in months. Varetta Dillard’s versions of the same brand of mu- sic are in much better taste and infinitely better in delivery. There’s good rounding out by the theatre management in bringing - magico Ching, the dancing Hillman Bros, (in New Acts, along with Coving- ton) and the Lang Troupe. The Drifters, who seem to be very popular among the Harlem teenage set, pitch a generally taste- less group of numbers. Having lost leader Clyde McFadden to the Army temporarily, the vocal quin- tet is filling with David Baughn, who carbons McFadden’s pseudo- soprano lead role* Outfit depends almost completely in the current card on a hyper-gimmicked deliv- ery, one that appears to wow the highschoolers and weary older stubholders. Miss Dillard, on the other hand, is a bouncy chick, who belts home a nice r&b catalog. To get through the r&b fog, Hey- wood breaks down his 12 - man band into a six-sided (trumpet, trombone, sax, bass, drums and himself on piano) combo. His pro- gressive at-the-keys stylings are pianissimo and intricate enough, to please everybody. Of most partic- ular note ai*e his “Begin the Be*? guine” and “Let’s Fall In Love.” The Lang Troupe and Ching are the other experienced performers in the present setup; The tumbling teetertotterers (three .meh 1 and three femmes, all., ofay) offer a gymnastic assortment of all sizes and shapes, but they don’t embel- lish the normal doings of their type act with interesting sidebars or verve. Ching is a ‘young Chinese sleight-of-hander, who- has still to overcome: some measure of self- consciousness facially. A number of his tricks are standard and arc anticipated by payees, but he daz- zles with some, as with his disap- pearing candles'at the outset. Art. lasliko. Toronto . Toronto, March 18. , Monica Lind, Jackie Bright, Donna Grescoe, Campbells (2), Margie .McGlory. Archie Stone Orch; “Rainbow Jacket’* (Rank). , ! ' ■ —- ' Pleasant* 70-minute stage pack- iage, but nothing to hypo the b'.o, on name value, is current at the Casino, though all acts go over. [The Campbells open proceedings with their juggling of rings, cliibs and tennis balls. Jackie Bright is in and out as emcee, plus his fast- talking standard auctioneering, act, with stooges from the audience, they doing most of-the clowning and being paid off for their work with wallets and pen sets. Payees find nothing particularly funny in a carbon of “Truth and Conse- quences,” this being dated. Donna Grescoe, blond in sal- mon-pink evening gown, plays a. mean violin for her opening ‘.‘Dizzy Fingers,” and then gees into the “High arid Mighty” theme, a med- ley of gypsy airs, and a finale of “Hot Canary.” But she could dis- pense with the interpolated, in- nocuous patter. Margie McGlory scores on her song-shouting of sex songs, ranging from Spanish tempo to her impersonations of singing stage and screen stars, with a Wham gravel-voice fiftale of a Louis Armstrong takeoff. Bright gets his innirigs later for his insulting of the customers and humiliating of* audience / participa- , tion onstage. But the only marquee | lure is Monica Lind, a blonde, lissome lass, for her impersona- tion Of a gal at the Mardi Gras who likes her champagne too much. Her dance of abandon as a ladylike lush holds plenty of show- manship drama* with gal revealing plenty of ballet, training governed by her well-timed leaps and pirouets. Miss Lind was over to a begoff when caught. McStay. Pavilion* Glasgow Glasgow, March 12. Aly Wilson, with Artie Mayne, Gene Dickson; Monte Rey, Nicky Kidd, Charles Stewart & Ann Mathew, Peter & Sam Sherry, Three Skylarks, Teal & Castle, 10 Jackson Girls, Billy Rose Orch. . Monte Rey, radio and stage ro- mantic singer, makes a vaude comeback after being out for a while on his Essex, Eng., farm. Well-built singer scores with his vein of Spanish and other songs. He wins warm mitting for “Donkey Serenade” and for the Scot oldie, “Annie Laurie.” Rest of the month’s layout is in the so-so category,: with Aly Wilson, a Scot comedian, providing the fun slotting with familiar ma- terial. He is best in a sketch titled “Bob the Lodger,” but this lacks a good tagline. Charlie Stewart, of the Stewart & Mathew act, jscores with strong personality in this scene. Wilson is supported by a strong foil in Artie Mayne and by Irene Dickson. Peter .& Sam Sherry, garbed in smart brown suits, offer dancing and instrumental fodder, and Teal & Castle are an average xylophone pair. The Skylarks are a trio of fairly attractive distaffers who harmo- nize, but don’t stand out from normal run of this type of vaude act. Nicky Kidd garners mitting for songs at the piano, including in his repertoire melodies like “If I Give My Heart to You,” “I Still Believe” and “Mr. Sandman,” but he s running risk of becoming too frequent a visitor to this vaudery. Charles Stewart & Ann Mathew, with eccentric terping and musical act, offer travesty of concert mu- sicians in longhair wigs and comir cal garb, and gain solid mitting. Showbacking from’ Billy Rpse house orch. * * Gord. \ Boblito, Parts Paris, March 22. Annie Cordy, Pedro De Cordoba, Ballet D’Andalousie (8), Miguel Amador, Four Najarros, Felix Pa- quet, Tony St Johnny, Armand An - drieux, Morris & Johnny, * Simon - elli & Partner; $1.25 top. With .this, sliow the Bobirio goes off the . music hall'standard. It is to be replaced bya chaflson- nier opus which is purely patter and singing, and Will' probably change the clientele. Though this house was mainly local in appeal and attendance, it was ; a fine open- ing, spot for. newcomers, with warm auds, and also a launching spot for new headliners, . It will be missed. Last star tb'be sent off by this house is Annie Cordy, who comes on. like dynamite. This boff personality singer is now assured a name here, judging from the heavy aud response. Hoydenish, bombastic and tak- irig, Miss Cordy displays a zing, choice. of numbers and a highly personalized style. She has bounce, audience savvy and a bounding voice with barrels of energy ex- pended in a taking manner to songs about offbeat and irrepres- sible-people. She looks ready for U. S. chances and her stormy man- ner should go big over there. There is a preponderance of Lat- ino leaning this stanza with dancer Pedro De Cordoba, Ballet D’An- dalousie (8), and a charm singer from Mexico, Miguel Amador, De Cordoba has a dramatic stance and powerful dance interp, but allows his. turn to be enveloped in a schmaltz envelope of an. aged wreck thinking of his past tri- umphs. This should be eliminated. He breaks up'the usual flamenco into personalized interludes arid has the frenzy, suppleness and grace to gloss over a certain lack of fire and direction. Ballet D’Andalousie is a young group with color and rhythm, but it still lacks the necessary training and knowhow. Miguel Amador is a short, handsome charm boy whose flashing teeth and embroid- ered costume back his standard carioca romantico rep. He is fine for the Gallic oircuit, but some- what hokey and passe for the more rugged demands of U. S. circuits. Four Najarros make a lively filler or aero opener with fast ac- robatics and a truipp in a fat wom- an whose gyrations equal those of her younger brood. Tony & John- ny indulge in some fancy trampo- line antics for big mitts and Mor- ris &, Johnny; give out with aTapid- fire tap routine that is fine in pre- cision. Simohelli & . Partner is a good juggling act, and Armand Andrieux has some trained love- birds who pull vehicles and seesaw for a taking offbeat entry. Felix Paquet is a storyteller with a weak rep and cloying mannerisms which do not help either. This leaves the field primarily to the Olympia Music Hall, with the Empire bowing out of a pro- posed house switch to take on Cin- erama, and the ABC still nursing its longrun musical hit, “The Flow-' ered Way.” Mosk. Empire, Glasgow Glasgow, March 17. Bernard Delfont presents Frankie Vaughan, ' with Bert Waller at piano; Morecambe & Wise, Albert & Les Ward, Jerry Allen & Trio, Skylons (2), Jat Herod, Des O’Con- nor, Two Sterlings, Bobby Dowds Orch. * Vaude layout, headed by hand- some young English singer Frankie Vaughan, is one of the most satis- fying to play this vaudery for months.. Each act has its individ- ual appeal, and general effect is to send the customers home in happy mood. Two Sterlings, femme duo, open the bill with aero work and grace- ful groupings, winding with series of fast somersaults. «Des O’Con- nor is a pleasant young Eng- lish comedian with relaxed style of delivery, and is reviewed in New Acts, Jerry Allen & Trio have no lack of energy or ideas in a mu- sical offering, Allen himself seated at the electric organ, with Alan Grahame on vibraphone, Lionel Rubin on drums and Ken Ingar- fleld on bass, Allen introduces a novelty touch by making his organ produce unusual sounds, such as the Scotch bagpipes. Morecambe & Wise, fast-paced comedy duo, offer two spots, scoring to greater effect in their second. Crosstalk is bright and amusing, and timing is a model. Act is among the best in current United Kingdom vaude comedy doubles. Albert & Les Ward, who fin- ish. the bill’s first half, are well named as the “Harmonious Dis- cords.” Welsh-born brothers come up with a zany musical act and impressions that please the stub- & \ New Acts GLENN COVINGTON Songrs-Impressions 12 Mins. Apollo, N.Y. Glenn Covington is. a husky Negro baritone who had to fight a noisy „ teenage audience . plus the normal vagaries incident' to an in- itial vaude appearance and a some- times defiant rhythm .& blues milieu. 'Nevertheless, in the cur- rent Apollo sesh, a strong person- ality and a big voice come through; particularly in ' his “Great Day” and “I Believe.” He has a great range, but his" voice isn’t com- pletely under control;. Covington takes to the piano in one part of his act to.click on vocal interpretations of the top voices iri pops and r&b. The overall mimi- cries of Nat Cole, Bing " Crosby,' Bill Kenny, et al.; aren't perfect carbons, because Covington’s deep voice intrudes, but the styles are exactly duplicated. * His accom- panying chatter is bi^ef and cheery. The big man’s “Old Man River” bowoff shows that his voice is at times in the precincts of the bass range but that his style lends it- self more to the popular frame, ra- ther*than the semi-classical. Good for vaude, layouts and smaller bistros. Art. GILLIAN GREY Songs * 20 Mins. The Barclay, Toronto Gillian Grey is a tall, blond vo- calist in black, most notable for not only her lady-like stage ap- pearance but for a three-octave range, plus echo effects, that takes her from G- below middle C to G above, Girl was recently in the background chorus, of- “John Brown’s Body” and is nbw offering a mixture of musical comedy, grand opera and pop ballads, all over big to the customers fo,r en- cores, when caught. Opens with neat “Can’t Help; Singing,” the a switch to “Cara Mia,” and then a breakup of the lady-like style to a lowdown “I Want to be Evil”—which she can imme- diately drop because it doesn’t fit her deportment. For second set; Miss Grey lias an African chant, “Wim-Hway,” for high contralto effects; a Sweet “Poor Butterfly”; “Granada” and a wham finale of “Open Your Heart” from “Car- men.” Singer makes her own ar- rangements. Youngster has plenty of class for the top bistros or any other en- tertainment medium, this prompt- ing one tablesitter to observe: “A Grace. Kelly Who can *sing.” HILLMAN BROS. (2) Dance 11 Mins. Apollo, N.Y. t The Hillman Bros> promise and deliver a great deal in the way of class hoofing. This Negro brace, which for a change actually look like brothers, is handsomely -^at- tired in white tie and tails, arid depends for its marked success on the novel and knowledgeable twists to hoofing which by itself is good but not exceptional. Precision duoing, a solo terp takeoff on Bill Robinson, inciden- tal chatter and song are all charm- ing. The Apollo aud mitts extra- ordinary appreciation. This, how- ever, does not limit the act to such vaude turns alone, least of all to such vaude layouts. Hillman brand of intimacy and glitter fit all situations, with poshei'ies high on the list. Art. holders. Travesties of Mary Ford & Les Paul and of Jerry Colonna, are particularly good. The Skylons are two males who score in trapeze chores, the elder of the pair in a series of one-arm twists. The younger has the cus- tomers holding their breath as he swings high and into auditorium on trapeze, letting himself go al- most at last moment. Act is a honey for U.S. markets. Jat Herod, newly in from the U,S. and making his British bow, pleases in a string of gags and more particularly in his playing of the Violin. His British bow here, minus barrage of publicity that usually attends American acts, is in the pleasant category, and he im- presses with his own amusing per- sonality, Frankie Vaughan, assisted by pi- anist Bert Waller belts out pops in lively style, and lias the younger element with him. Black-haired' singer scores with extreme vitality, and is best in “Give Me The Moon- light.” Bobby Dowds orch show- backs effectively. Gord. SALLY SWEET Songs ’■ Hotel Radfsson, Mpls. When, the Twin Cities’^ leading bistro, the Hotel Radisson Flame Room, recently needed an. act for one night between the engager ments of chirper Jane Morgan and pianist Carmen Cavallaro,. .local songstress Sally Sweet was pressed into service. Her pinchhitting suc- cess has landed her a future regular booking in the spot; A distinctive offbeat vocal offer- ing makes Miss Sweet a likely prospect for the tonier ■ supper- clubs; Nitery femme folk song and ballad singers are a rarity, at least in these parts. Strumming her own accompaniments on the auto harp, a tiny inrtrument, she gives out gently with much finesse. Miss Sweet has a fine set of pipes and her songs seem made to order for them. She projects a dramatic flair and comedic inspira- tion that aid in carrying off the stint. Especially boff are a pair of chucklesome melodics, “A Most Delicate Air,” that tells of a girl who made 'lie most of he ,; *>’iys cal charms, and a spoof anerit “An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.” While her Irish and Scotch num- bers register strongly, they’re along conventional lines, and more of the humorous contributions to diversify the recital would seem to be in order. The dinner audience was held in rapt attention that night through* out the entire 30-minute perform- ance. Rees. Jones'Sues AGVfl £m< Continued from page 48 too familiar with AGVA affairs. Jones’ attorney is William J. Walker. One of the citations uy Jones is an article in AGVA News which stated that Jones was a “traitor to AGVA” and a “doublecrosser.” Article also charged that Jones was “using the technique of the big lie, telling it over and over again, screaming hysterically, mak- ing wild accusations to gullible members. Jorfes' started to cap- ture AGVA as his own.” Article also said, “We were aware of his background and unorthodox tac- tics, but we thought could channel his activities to make him an asset to AGVA. We tried, we had long talks. Jones promised to turn over a new leaf, 'but a leopard doesn’t change his spots.” He also charged that defamatory matter in the AGVA News was distributed and sent out to 15,000 members. Events leading up to Jones’ dis- charge started with a meeting at- tended by Jones in Philadelphia, where, he was originally top organi- zer, which resulted, iri the telegram to Dullzell which demanded that the then current tiff with the American Federation, of Musicians be settled arid Bright and Irving in- vestigated. Wire was sent to Dull- zell With copies to George Meany, head of the AFL, and James C. Petrillo, AFM prexy. Subsequently, Jones was charged with exceeding his authority in calling the Phila- delphia meeting that resulted in the telegram, and the national board was polled by wirg on oust- ing him. He was subsequently dis- missed with severance pay. Following his dismissal, Jones wentihto business for himself and organized the now moribund Ac- tors International Union., Push Fight Network Continued from page 5 All units will be installed in thea- tres on a temporary basis. With 100 theatres in the coun- try equipped with permanent closed-cirduit units and 50 mobile ones available, TNT hopes to top the record lineup of 71 theatres it pacted for the second Marciano- Charles bout. Terms for theatres for the closed-circuit Marciano - Cockrell fight May 16 will follow the same pattern as those asked by Theatre Network Television for last Sep- tember’s Marciano-Charles bout. . For seats selling up to $2.99, TNT’s bite will be 50%; from $3 to $3.30, TNT’s take will be $1.50; from $3.31 to $3.50, $1.60: from $3.51 to $4, $1.75; from $4.01 and over, $2.