Variety (August 1955)

Wednesday, August 17, 1955 NIGHT CLUB REVIEWS 59 Bevhllton, Bev’ly Hills' Hollywood, Aug. 13. Gilbert Becaud, Will Jordan , Ar- thur Worsley, Angie & Margo, Em- pire Eight , Bernard Hilda Orch (12) (with Billy Regis, Paule Des- jardins, Charlita), Mischa Novy Ensemble (6); $2-$2,50 cover. After a pre-opening week of ex- ploitation hi-jinks, the Beverly Hil- ton opened to the public Friday night (12) and preemed its No. 1 dinery-nitery, the 500-capacity Bali Room, in distinctly second-rate style. It wouldn’t have seemed possible, but Conrad Hilton had the amazing success of bringing Wichita, Kan. to Beverly Hills. Considering the circumstances and the setting, the Bali Room’s opening missed out in nearly every respect. The entertainment served up under the supervision of Mer- riel Abbott in a Richard and Edith Barstow production is small-timey small town. For some inexplica- ble reason, the preem was so de- void of glamor-dressing that it seemed the town's well-knoWns were deliberately kept away. The $25 per head champagne dinner in - Itself was undistinguished in re- spect to cuisine and grape (dom- estic), and the less-thart-capacity audience was composed largely of tradesmen who outfitted the new ‘Hilton hostelry. The show is pure cornball* in conception. Carrying the pretenti- ous title of "Boast of the Town/ It’s a takeoff of Ed Sullivan’s tv "Toast," with Will Jordan, Sulli- van’s best imitator, acting.the part of the deadpan columnist in em- ceeing the layout. He co-headlines With Gilbert Becaud, a French singer supposedly the rage in Paris but no ball of fire here. Other acts in the show are Arthur Worsley, a rapidfire ven- triloquist, and Augie & Margo, a young and fast rock-and-roll ana. mambo dance team. Worked , in the show is the Empire Eight (six girls , and two boys), a capable if not particularly goodlooking dance ensemble imported from the' Em- pire Room of the Palmer House, Chicago, also a Hilton hostelry.... The show clocks in about an hour .and it holds very little to of- fer competition to this town’s es- tablished niteries. It holds even less to insure the type of business the Bali Room will need to keep its large corps of captains, waiters and busboys, under maitre d’Joa- quin Noriega in cigaret money. The Bali Room, unless it gets a real draw attraction, will look awfully empty on midweek nights, particularly for the second shows, which Jiave trouble Under .the best of circumstances in this early-to- bed town. The Bali Room itself is a prob- lem for show and audience. It’s big and cold looking. Built in amphitheatre style, the levels are tiered down to a bandstand set in a sharp comer, alongside which is a large oblong dancefloor that’s elevatored as a stage for the show. The stage then becomes backed by large plateglass windows, cov- ered with not quite opaque cur- tains, facing heavily trafficked Santa Monica Blvd., which offers some audience distractions. The room’s sound system needs consid- erable adjustment,- the acoustics being particularly poor at the tables nearest the stage. As. for: the platform’s setting, the per- 1 formers must feel like the gladi- ators in the Roman Coliseum look- ing into a sea of staring eyes. Jordan worked hard trying to pump some enthusiasm into the audience, but with little success. His material has already become very familiar because of his tv ap- pearances with. Sullivan, on top of which this, audience didn’t exactly act like a wild pack of Sullivan fans. .The laughs were- few and came hard, and there was one particularly witless • piece of busi- ness having Jordan plug a "Der- cury" car (get it?), aided by Paule Desjardins, singer with Bernard Hilda’s band, who did a takeoff on the femme who works with Sulli- van. To their credit, both ventrilo- quist Worsley, and the Augie & Margo dance team, are on and off fast. They, at least, gave the show some tempo and its strongest ap- plause, Worsley’s forte is the abil- ity to keep his mouth almost com- pletely Still while Rapidly mouth- ing phrases, such as "bottle of beer,” that are supposed to be dif- ficult for ventros, His dummy is the usual brash one, but not with the humor of some of his contem- porary blocks of wood. Becaud’s booking as a headlin- ers here is rather difficult to un- derstand. He has no rep on this side of the continent, and his type of performance will hardly be popular with the non-Galllc audi- ences in Beverly Hills, Most of his self-written songs are in French.' and a couple that he does translate into English do not ap- pear destined for American popu- larity. One is a ballad he calls "Backtrack," another "Forgotten Children,” which is something about Italian shoeshine boys, and a third is "our Hands," which has a strange phrase in its lyrics that sounds like" a butterfly’s caress." Becaud is best when he replaces his pianist at the 88*s and gives out with a hot beat. He’s also backed by a bass player and an electric guitarist, who are in bandsmen uniform, while the deadpan pianist, like Becaud, is dressed in a business suit. The piano player may have been ner- vous or: frightened, but in any event he looked as though he hated being where he was. One thing' the Bali Room can boast about is its music setup. Bernard Hilda, also a French im- port, and his 12-piece crew play an excellent dance beat and do very well with the show’s music. Hilda, a personable, lively maestro, also contribs some violin work and vocals during the dance sets. On the latter he gets assist from Charlita, a svelte brunet, and Miss Desjardins, a blonde looker out of Paris. Also featured "with Hilda is trumpeter Billy Regis. Spelling Hilda’s crew for cus- tomer terpsing is Mischa Novy’s ensemble 6), and they, too, are extremely capable at their assign- ment. There are a number of show credits: Hessie Smith is down for music and lyrics for'the Empire Eight’s routines; Norm Krone did the music arrangements; Fredy Wittop the custumes, and David C. Baumgarten, an agent with Mu- sic Corp. of America, is credited for the title^-which shouldn’t be boasted about by him, the hotel or anybody connected with this very small show in a very big place. Schp, Lux, Santiago Santiago, Aug. 1. Egle Martin, Margarita Sierra, Donna Behar, Edu, Hector Gagli- ardi, Doris & Rossie, Mario Car- rillo, Silvia Infantas & Los Baquea- nos. La Familia Chilena, with Jorge Sallorenzo, Nene Donoso & Rolando Caicedo, Jordan & Dancers. Jose Bohr, who used to work in Hollywood Spanish-language pix for -the old Fox, company, has de- cided that if Buddy Day can make a go of a musical revue, as he did here with his popular "Bim Bam Bum" company, he can’ emulate. And so Bohr, who worked , in one of Day’s presentations, is now on the boards in the refurbished Lux with "Bohr’s Scandals.” He has put together a mildly en- tertaining -aggregation but the. show needs punchier pacing and plenty of tightening. It could use a lot more yaks and a more hep line of hoofers to help brighten proceedings. A Well-developed pre- opening publicity campaign has contributed to good early grosses. Heading the lineup is a bounchy Argentine cutie, Egle Martin, whose sexy thrushing is matched by her slim figure and eye-catch- ing costumes. Donna Behar, also given star billing, is a bit hefty and didn’t eke out enthusiasm with her Arabic and French songs at session caught. Maragrita Sierra, third billed luminary, didnt’ ap- pear due to Illness. Biggest mitt goes to a Brazilian harmonica artist with the thrifty three-letter stage name of Edu, a real talent with the blowpipes. Edu (real name, Eduardo Nadruz) ven- tures into Spanish clasisicals to score a hefty click. He blends bass arid melody expertly to give the impression of using several instru- ments instead of the lone har- monic^. A pair , of attractive young chan- toosies, Doris & Rossie, local girls quite familiar at the.. mike, are used to good advantage and leave a pleasant impression. Hector Gag-* liardi of Argentina recites his own sentimental verses for warm ap- plause. Mario Carrillo, monologist, grabs laughs with his jokes and imitations. "La Familia Chilena" (The Chilean Family), long a very pop- ular standby on ' Chilean radio, makes its stage debut with mixed results. Trio of Jorge Sallorenzo, Nene Donoso and Rolando Caicedo needs a lot stronger material for "Scandals" if they are to match their established ozone success; "Scandals" perform three times daily, 6:45, 9:30 and 11:10 p.m. A runway down the middle of the house is effectively used to give the customers in all parts Of the roomy Lux a good look at the per- formers. An attempt to open- the show differently by projecting a one-miriute film of the chorus line rehearsing, then fading into live chorus in action, is bewildering rather than entertaining. Ziffi Royal Nevada, L. V. 4 Las Vegas, Aiigv 9. “Guys and Dolls, with Vivian Blaine, Robert Alda, Sam LeVene, B.'S. Putty , Stubby Kaye, Johnny Silver, Maureen McNally, : Tom Ahearne, Netta Packer, Dei Mark- kee, Tony Rosa, Dancers (16), Singers (5), Jerry Fielding Orch (17); music & lyrics, Frank, Loes- ser, book, Jo Swerling & Abe Bur- rows, produced by Sid Kuller & Manny Frank; $2 minimum. In its special nitery setting, shortened by 40 minutes, but in no way deleterious to the original im- pact as one of the brightest musi- cals in recent Broadway history, "Guys and Dolls’’ amounts to a great achievement and superlative entertainment for captious Las Vegas. Running almost two hours and containing the major hits of the sock Frank Loesser score, most of the delightful, Jo Swerling & Abe Burrows book based on' a story and characters by Damon Runyon, as produced for the Royal Nevada’s Crown Room by Sid Kuller and Manny Frank, it is a natural for the greenfelt spotting element. Overwhelming reception here, plus established. stature from the long Broadway run, along with current fanfare for the upcoming Samuel Goldwyn pic version prom- ises capacity, even .tumaway biz for the six weeks with optional frames of three and three. But, no two ways about it, whether the near 500-seater dining room is sro for both dinner and midnight shows, , there will have to be heavy play in the casino for 24 hours in order to finance the approximate. $47,000 weekly nut. (Cost will go down somewhat if show is held for full 12 weeks). «■ ' ' A great asset to "G & D" draw- ing power is the top line on the Strip marquee which spells out fairly strong names—Vivian; Blaine, Robert Alda, Sam Levene, There is also the incandescent plug about the musical’s original cast, includ- ing additional namo.pulls of B. S. Pully* Stubby Kaye, Johnny Sil- ver. Of the Broadway roster, only Isabel Bigley wag unable to join the cohorts here, with Maureen McNally filling her role. . Gamble on this production was high. There have been other tab- shows (with moderate reception accorded) along the Strip, but with the mounting frenzy for almost any form of entertainment and most spots battling for name tal- ent, this .venture was bound to make either bums or heroes out of producers Kuller & Frank. That the slightly cut "G & D" emerges a winner on all counts is not only credited to the producers’ .know- how of nitery demands, but com- pletely dedicated performances from each member of the large cast, the orchestra accomps all merged in attaining this. history- making smash, must also share bows. Vivian Blaine- is superb as Ade- laide. Her brassy patina shields the incurably romantic heart Of the doll who wants benefit of clergy •to finalize a 14-year engagement with gambler Nathan Detroit. She scores hugely with "Bushel and a Peck," "Adelaide’s Lament” and "Take Back Your Mink," the latter socko with assistance from the audacious Hot Box Girls, Robert Alda is impressive as Sky Masterson, neatly shouldering the romantic lead and the complimen- tary role of the ace gambler re- spected by all the Broadway guys. He has rugged good looks, forceful projection, and magnetic person- ality to capture and maintain char- acter interest throughout. His scenes with the men are boldly contoured, in decided contrast with the love interplay evolvement with Maureen McNally. Alda does ai good warbling job on "My Time of Day," and "I’ll Know” and "I’ve Never Been in Love Before" duets with Miss McNally. His "Luck Be a Lady" chant punctuating the crap game scene is simply great, a mem- orable point in the musical. Sam Levene’s thoroughly com- batible gloving into the Nathan Detroit character gives the produc- tion that extra fillip, with artful craftsmanship registering when- ever he speaks, does pieces of biz, or takes care of song lyrics in his own fashion. These, including "The Old Established" ditty alongside Stubby Kaye and John Silver, the hilarious "Sue Me" with Miss Blaine, are kudosed very big. Bringing his own brand of burly comedy force to "G & D" is B. S. Pully, yet he so Integrates his per- sonality to the role that he be- comes the definitive Big Jule, the high-rolling, bull frog-voiced Chi gambler about to take Nathan De- troit and assorted New York dice boys for every buck. Ropes terrif reaction whenever on. Stubby Kaye Mor* Night Club Rtvim On Pages 60-61 sparks each of his scenes by arrow- ing quips or through his great abil- ity to sell a song. As Nicely-Nicely, the buddy-buddy of Detroit, he commands attention near the top in "Fugue for Tinhorns,” with Johnny Silver and Tony Rosa; "The Old Established," with Le- vene and Silver; peak applause for "Guys and Dolls" duet with Silver, but smacks over for biggest cheers in "Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat." Johnny Silver is the in- spired foil for Kaye, his Benny Southstreet pitch adding zest whether in conjunction with Kaye or as sharp line-tosser on his own. Maureen McNally, who takes on the difficult-task of forming a per- suasive Sara!*, the Salvation Army girl, comes across exceedingly well. Although comparisons Will possibly be made by those who saw Broad- way production’s Isabel Bigley, Miss McNally, impresses, strongly through her own role develop- ment, She makes her transition se- quence from the introverted Mis- sion miss to outspoken gal in love via Alda’s Havana blandishments altogether believable, giving the charmingly inebriated moments of "If I Were a Bell" real value. - The kaleidoscopic procession of Runyonesque characters comes, to vivid life with Tom Ahearne’s Lt. Brannigan; Del Markee’s Harry the Horse; Tony RoSa’s Rusty Charlie; Bill Jones’ Angie the Ox, and Bern Hoffman’s Joey Biltmore. Of par- ticular appeal is Netta' Packer’s funny deportment, never over- played, of Gen. Matilda ‘ B. Cart- Wright, and the sympathetic touches of Earle Styres as Arvide Abernathy. Special mention for coloristic roles should be handed Dorothy. Tennant and Connie Rob- erts of the Mission band, Sonya Besant’s mimi, Frank Magrin’s drunk, and contributing work by Roy Wilson. Henri Caiibisen’s, direction for this nitery mounting • was superbly executed, and the choreography by Onna White, based on Michael Kidd’s original patterns, r is dyna- mite all the way. The eight Hot Box Girls are models' of. Carica- tures on typical' corny cabaret cuties, very, funny. ' The seven male dancers are out- standing in "Havana’’ and "The Crap Game Dance." Musical super- vision by Lyn Murray is note- worthy, and Jerry Fielding’s baton- ing of hisaugmehted orch is fault- less, on the button every cue, cor- rectly volumned during individual or group warbling specialties. Set- tings by Peter Wolf capture Gotham’s off-Broadway streets, Mission exterior & interior, smoky Havana dive, but the big hand goes for the crap game setting below Times Square. Alvin Colt’s cos- tumes in’ all colors of the spec- trum are eminently authoritative for their flash./ Willi B’chcoiiiher, Miami B’ch Miami Beach, Aug. 13. Billy' Daniels (with. Benny Payne), Buddy . Lester, Novelites, Rivieras, Len Dawson Orch; $2.50- $3.50 minimum. Norman Schuyler, owner of this hugery, has hit on a policy of opening for a brief period at height of each summer season with a solid lineup of acts, then shutting down after Labor Day to await the win- terites. He’s come, up With a solid package for this three-weeker, with Billy Daniels topping matters in sock style. Afforded ace accompaniment at the keyboard and on a vocal back- grounding by longtime aide Benny Payne, Daniels spells out a shrewd- ly-assorted Set of pops and stand- ards, With accent on the torchers. The application of silky vocal tricks to these slOw-tempd segments of his compote fascinates the femmes in every comer of the vast room. Switch to the growly approach on the upper-rhythm tunes is adroitly handled to keep the build sustain- ing. D a ni e 1 s has taken to short, chatty intros to his numbers, add- ing to overall establishing of rap- port with his auditors. ■ No stranger is Buddy Lester. The comic is as. facile as ever, dispens J ihg a series of new laugh-raisers, injecting his screwy trumpet rou- tine With the orch, then rounding out mirth-matters with his standard hatbox mixup for keying into zany impreshes. Smooth projection and sharp sense of timing add to howl reaction. The Novelites add pace to the proceedings with instrumental- vocal-comedic assortment, bringing out all facets of their skill on the bass, guitar and accordion. Pen- chant for clever song and mugging spoofs is given full treatment for roundout to a well-turned stint that never lets up in pace. The Rivieras commit bodily maythem in their burlesque of Apache teams, the femme turning on the burly male for a series of judo tosses and twists. Lary. Blue Angel, N, Y. Robert Clary , Barbara McNair, Richard Drake, „ Trio Schmeed, Jimmy Lyons Trio; $5 minimum. After a brief summer hiatus, the Blue Angel has reopened for the new season with virtually the same layout that played the last show before the spot’s layoff. Rob- ert Clary, definitely the mainstay and big draw of 'the current card, is back for another stand, as is the Trio Schmeed. Newcomers are songstress Barbara McNair 'New Acts) and comedian Richard Drake who’s been around the vaude and cafe circuits for the past few years. Clary, however, is the one who lifts this show out of the ordinary, A superlative performer who orig- inally made his mark here in "New Faces," the young French- man is a marked favorite in this class spot and justifiably so. It's not only a question of Clary being a hard worker who belts with every fiber in his body, but his skillful song projection and savvy change-of-pace between the comic and the dramatic make him one of the most. potent turns for the smart cafes—^and maybe’ for the mass spots as Well. He opens brightly with the standard "Lucky Pierre," and an- other cute Frenchy number, "C’est Fleur Bleu,” then segues into a ‘ rollicking rendition of "The Crow Song" from \he legiter, "Peter Pan." He does a straight ballad. Out of sthis World," effectively and then goes comic again with a standout piece of material, "Trip- lets." In the dramatic groove, there’s the haunting ballad, "Bad A Woman Can Be,” with the up- 7 tempo "Vive La Vie Francaise" as, the finale. A full turn socko all the way. * Richard brake, with a sombre Charles Addams. getup, does okay in the comedy slot but leaves the impression that he could even be more effective. A poker-faced com-" ic who also plays the mandolin, ; Drake has a number of good , gags and plays a good straight instru- ment; His. act is marred,: however, by a lack of variation. That joke of looking at his watch during his. turn is way overdone, especially in view of the. fact .that several* other performers have the same routine. Also that sleepy expres- sion. while playing the mandolin' is okay for a laugh or two, but Drake tries to get too much, out* that angle. His deadpan delivery of the gags is solid and that sector of the act should be built up, even if means omitting one or two of the instrumentals. The Trio Schmeed, also hold- over/! frorn the last show, are a pleasing song combo of two Swiss boys and a girl. Group does espe- cially well on. the native tunes, such as one Swiss folk tune- a yodelling cha-cha-eha. Opening Let’s Take A Ride On A Choo- Choo Train" is good." The more v sentimental numbers don’t go over as well. •Jimmy Lyons' 7 rhythm trio han- dles the intermission music, in swinging style. Herm. Basin Street, N. Y. Roy Hamilton, Buddy Johnson Orch (14) (with Ella Johnson), Milt Hinton Trio; $3 minimum. Current Basin Street show adds up to a neat entertainment pack- age. Talent lineup at the midtown cellar spot includes the Buddy Johnson orch. With songstress Ella Johnson, vocalist Roy Hamilton and the Milt Hinton Trio. Johnson’s crew delivers a like- able brand of instrumentalization that has its frenetic moments. The band comprised of five reed, six brass and three rhythm, is occa- sionally a little too loud, but over- all is a general pleaser. Sidemen are given frequent solo spotting for good effect, while Johnson also takes the spotlight to demonstrate his keyboard savvy. The boys provide a rhythmic ses- sion that’s highlighted by a fren- zied delivery on "Crazy About a Saxaphone." Miss Johnson, the bandleader’s sister, handles a cou- ple of vocals, but doesn’t register too strongly, That, however, isn’t the ease with Roy Hamilton, who gives some strenuous piping to about a half-dozen tunes. Hamilton has a powerful voice and registers strongly with his songalog. Although he tends to’ go overboard on dramatic actions, grimaces and vocal tricks, he still manages to impress with his deliv- ery of such tunes as "You Are Love," "I'm Gonna Sit Down and Cry Over You," "Forgive This Fool," "If I Loved You,’’^"You’ll Never Walk Alone" and "Un- chained Melody." The Milt Hinton trio gives out with some smooth musicalizing that’s a nice pace-changer from I the Johnson-Hamilton offerings. | Jess.