Variety (September 1955)

Wednesday, September 28, 1955 PfikiEfr HOUSE REVIEWS l»nlacc, IV. Y. Russ & Joy Sobey, Capt. Sharp • Bobby, Three Wiles, Senor Cor- L George Kirby, Nils & Nad - vnne, Artie Darin, Ruth & Carl Carls son, Myron Roman Orch; “Kiss of Fire” (U), reviewed in Variety Aug. 31, '55. This is strong layout of enter¬ taining acts, typical of the vaude fare offered patrons of this house of late, coupled with stronger screen fare. Films have been uni¬ formly sturdy boxoffice-wise in re¬ cent weeks; one having held longer than a single week. Current bill is virtually 100 % veteran turns, and show plays like it. Lone newcom¬ er set in closing spot, are Ruth and Carl Carlsson (New Acts), male and femme jugglers. Russ & Joy Sobey tee off the show, with their tap dancing and whirls. The young man of the team appears the more accom¬ plished stepper but tries to do too much. She is much improved over the last time caught. Pair have smartened their turn with better team tapstering. Capt. Shaw and his uncannily trained monkey again score solidly as the easy-working captain de¬ scribes the various “human” char¬ acters the simian emulates. It's a comedy novelty that rolls along smoothly. Three Wiles have speeded up their act, with tricky garb and novel stunts adding to their dancing. Quick change from original garb to three French wooden soldiers remains a big novelty. Senor Cortez still is cleaning up with his mandolin playing. He re¬ tains his banjortype mandolin, with his deft plucking and fast fingering, mainly'Latino tunes, not requiring any visual gimmicks. Uses a solid bit of jazz near clos¬ ing just to show he’s familiar with other numbers. George Kirby has been around for some time, and has played the Palace successfully before. Person¬ able Negro lad runs the gamut in impersonating the voices of film stars, including Peter Lorre, Cary Grant, Edward G. Robinson, Gary Cooper, Rochester and Humphey Bogart. His imitations also take in Arthur Godfrey, Joe Louis and wind up with a wow takeoff on Pearl Bailey. He vocalizes for the Bailey impersonation as well for his bow in. Surefire here. Nils & Nadynne, ballroom dan¬ cers, have been around over 10 years, with the turn still featuring the skilled lifts and deft twirls by the husky male member. An up¬ side down balance is a highlight. On here after too much dancing ahead of them. Artie Dann, a veteran with his comedy since he played the State back in 1944, mops up on this bill. While he still kids about his schnozz, Dann now leans heavily on his comic material and superb timing. He expertly tosses away more gags than some comedians pound away in minutes to get across. Alert audience ate up his material at show caught. Finishes with parody about “You Made My Nose Too Long.” Had to beg off. Wear. and Paul Bemy has former dis¬ playing a neatly coordinated series of balancing and somersaults with chairs or across tables that makes for mitts. This a good entry for tv spotting or vaude in the U.S. Berny is a fine juggler and keeps tennis rackets, clubs and balls fly¬ ing at a rapid pace. Terp comes through with Three Cottas, who do an acrobatic dance number with a girl twisted and thrown about by two men. Unique note are two immense dogs who get into the act by leaping over the whirling girl or jumping through a hoop she holds while be¬ ing spun. An interesting offbeater, this. Four Harlem Modernics Dancers have a mouthful title but are an eyefull on the stage as they go through a breezy Afro-Cuban dance routine. They rate a New Acts mention as does Belgian chantoosy Irene Lecarte, an ex¬ actress essaying a song rep for the first time. She still has plenty of work to do but displays a savvy presence and voice that might make her an addition to be watched in the singing ranks in the next couple of years. Monique Leroy is a pert femmcee and the Maurice Boulais Orch ( 12 ) does well by the performers in the accomp spot. Mosk. Start Own Talent Continued from page 65 ^ function when he takes the lower fee, except in some rare instance. The only legitimate control, En- tratter says, lies with the operator, who shouldn’t go above the value of the act. As for Las Vegas overextension, Entratter says that in two years this greenfelt casino will have an era of unparalleled prosperity. The present anguished cries of doom, according to Entratter, are not coming from the experienced managements, but from the floun¬ dering newcomers. He says that too many hotels opened up within a short time. Had they been prop¬ erly spaced to keep pace with transportation facilities, there would be no crisis in any of the inns. The problem is temporary and the experienced management hands will build up' the town to greater.heights, he says. Entratter said that Las Vegas is building up attractions other than the greenfelts and so will ulti¬ mately draw from a larger seg¬ ment of the population. With the increased amount of transporta¬ tion, appeal to the fisherman for Lake Meade and tourists eyeing Boulder Dam, and with atomic ac¬ tivity a comparatively short dis¬ tance away, Entratter feels that the future of this town is unlim¬ ited and its possibilities haven’t even begun to be tapped. Casino, Toronto Toronto, Sept. 23. Desiree Cyn, Danny Dray son. Captain Leslie’s Seals; Jerry Bergen, La Flotte Duo, Archie Stone’s House Orch; “Vera Cruz” (UA ). lloliino, Paris Paris, Sept. 27. Charles Trenet, Jean Poiret & Michel Perrault, Irene Lecarte, Myr & Myroska, Four Harlem Modernics Dancers, Three Cottas, Paul Berny, Manetti Twins, Mon- uiue Leroy, Maurice Boulais Orch U2); $1.25 top. Bobino is back as a music hall, alter a four-month hiatus. Smaller and with a more cordial nabe atmo¬ sphere than the Olympia, it amply demonstrates that there is room < h° us6s here where vaude is still of pop appeal to both nos¬ talgic oldsters and the young set. c w ell " pared supporting bill of solid aero, terp, song and offbeaters i, l c , headliner Charles Trenet, vj 0 shows himself at the height of iU ^ en tertainment powers. f nil £ives an 80-minute stint tuu of a well-tempered rep, solid voicing and high comic inventive¬ ly;? 8 '. Wlth the proper touch of the Poetic and plaintive. All the j, ?P gs are his and his mimicry and avPP a l e tops * He enjoys himself kL? uch as the aud > and would irnfif n i£ht, if the manage- aiw dldn>t ring down the curtain alter a bevy, of encores. S1 ,i® an Poiret & Michel Perrault zanv^irS 16 * 3 ' 001 * 8 as they enact a oprtc. -°t a couple of traffic ex- iam tS « tr3 u? g t° solve the current nee* Fjobiems. A mock serious- a h?trM ah j es this taking satire and applaud la Sf h “- aden turn for solid fine is supplied by a sk? ?i In i5' reading act Myr & Myro- and cl J cula tes in the aud identic the femm e, blindfolded, by the a n u | anything handed him Acr ° stints by Manetti • Twins 1956 Series Plot Continued from page 1 —. resented by advertisers and the television networks, will put up stiff fight before they allow the Series to go to the rival medium. The baseball owners have shown an indication to give careful con¬ sideration to any offer made by pay-as-you-go interests. Walter O’Malley, president of the Brook¬ lyn Dodgers, for example, is staunch advocate of toll-tv but whether he will go for theatre tv is still a matter of speculation. O'Malley, however, allowed the telecast of a Brooklyn Series game back in 1949 when tv was in its infancy. He allowed the game to be picked off the air and shown at the Fabian Fox Theatre in Brooklyn when an admission ivas charged. Aiding Halpern’s case was the clear reception and widespread favorable comment among exhib¬ itors and the press on the results of the fight telecast. It’s figured that the Series, if it goes to thea¬ tre tv, will have to go to more than the 129 theatres in 92 cities that carried the bout. The record hookup w r as made possible by the use of 62 mobile units owned and operated by TNT. If Halpern man¬ ages to obtain the Series rights, it’s figured he’ll have to make pTtfflfs to assure the baseball people of additional outlets, either via increased permanent installations or the availability of more mobile units. The talks with Frick and the baseball owners are not expected to get under way until the end of the current Series games w'hich begin today tWed.) at the Yankee Stadium, N. Y. Thjs 65-minute stage stint has plenty of diversity and is a good, all-round vaude package. Opens with La Flotte Duo, man and comely femme, for a bicycle bal¬ ancing act that has plenty of side- pedalling, top mounts and somer- saults to shoulder stands while bike is travelling. Diminutive Jerry Bergen, with tall woman as foil, is also over big for his burlesque of a concert violinist getting tangled with his bow and instrument, his intentional fumbling of the zylo- phone and Swiss bells, and general mayhem, plus patter. Highlight, too, is Captain Leslie, in naval uniform, and his sea lions. Here is complete rapport between the sea lions and their trainer, with novelty act over on the barking thespians who enviously watch such solo bits as ball-on-the-nose balancing, the catching of tossed rings over their neckfe, the inevi¬ table playing of horizontal horns, etc. Desiree Cyn, a striking brunet in black, has no trouble in getting over with her exotic dance turn, showing ballet training, with Danny Drayson as emcee amiably drifting in and out. Drayson scores on his own stint, a melange of tap and clog eccentrics, a fine mime of a tired office girl about to take her evening bath, plus his mess-hall adventure in the Army. Drayson, on his first visit here, turns out to be a very funny fellow and has to beg off. Archie Stone’s house orch expertly backgrounds. McStay. Empire, Glasgow Glasgow, Sept. 22 . Eve Boswell (Cliff Kirkham at piano, Henry Jones drums); Mor¬ ton Fraser’s Harmonica Rascals (7); Kentones (4), Don Saunders, Ossie Morris, Manley & Austin, Shane & Lamar, Bobby Dowds Orch. Eve Boswell, petite attractive Hungarian-rborn . chirper, soon to be seen on U.S. tv musicals, has a new gaiety and fun-sense in her latest songalog, which she delivers to socko reaction here. Brunet, with South African show biz train¬ ing, is lightsome shapely type, with infectious gaiety that has the customers happy. Chirper offers her recent wax¬ ing, “Blue Star,” then her w.k. gimmick medley of South African folk tunes, which have good Com¬ monwealth appeal. Her “Sugar- bush” has the stubholders joining in the hand-claps. Pleasing head¬ liner to not-so-good support layout. Shane 6 $, Lamar offer satisfying opening dance act in conventional pattern of this vaude loop, and Manley & Austin, vet comedy two¬ some, work hard in old-fashioned comedy knockabout. Morton Fraser's Harmonica Ras¬ cals also force the fun, being six males and one dwarf grouped for harmonica-playing. Their post-in¬ terval slotting is brighter, comedy being stronger and vocals includ¬ ing a solo member in "The Man From. Laramie” and the dwarf, nicknamed Humphrey, rendering “I’m Gonna Get a Gal.” The Kentones are a busy har¬ mony foursome of three males and one gal, the latter slightly over¬ doing the pep angle, and drawing most attention to herself during numbers. Ossie Morris, humorist from Wales, and Don Saunders, eccen¬ tric musical clown, are in New Acts. Effective showbacking by the Bobby Dowds orch. Gord. show off their wares. Ray Nance is just so-so with a vocal on a piece of special material tagged “Hey Cherie,” but Cat Anderson and Johnny Hodges, back after a tour with his own combo, are standout tootling the trumpet and sax, re¬ spectively. Band vocalist- Jimmy Grissom comes off okay with a treatment of “Day In, Day Out.” Thrush Rose Hardaway gets the wolf whistles easily enough with her shape-showing gown and even manages to get ’em to listen to her song styling efforts. She’s got more technique than voice but she puts enough zest into her material to make it sound good. Opens with “What Is This Thing Called Loye?,” segues into a special ma¬ terial piece called “Text on Sex,” which sounds better than it really is, and closes with an okay version of “Ten Cents A Dance.” Jackie Mabley handles the com¬ edies this trip in her familiar row¬ dy but likeable manner. The Cav¬ aliers, a vocal quartet, and Geof¬ frey Holder dancers are reviewed in New Acts. Gros. GM Power Spec -.. Continued from pane 66 - - fighter plane, a shrimp boat, a diesel train, etc. Big hit of the show was the four- a-day layout complete with trick horses, elephants, square dancing tractors and a cast of 75, including a chorus and orchestra. Weekends saw people lining up an hour advance to catch the show. Grand¬ stand capacity was 7,000 and generally was filled, especially for the evening shows. It took 1,500 people 24 hours a day to operate “Powerama.” Mon¬ day t26) 750- workmen began dis¬ mantling the show’s buildings, some of which will be scrapped and parts of some stored in Detroit for future use. The show will not play elsewhere. Closing day attendance was 97,560, including 4,132 bankers on-hand for the American Bankers Assn, convention. They were ad¬ dressed by General Motors presi¬ dent Harlow Curtice. A munificent permanent reminder of the show, reminiscent of the best Imperial Roman “bread and circuses” .tradi¬ tion, will be a steel bridge over Chicago’s Outer Drive, leading to the lakefront, a General Motors gift to the City of Chicago. L’Olympia, Paris Paris, Sept. 27. Jean Richard & Co. (£2), Larry Adler, Lysiane Rey, Felix Paquet, Little John, Polo & Partner, Jack- son, James & Cornell, Beros (2), Jacques Verieres, Gaston Lapey- ronne Orch (12), Dany Revel, Na¬ dine Tallier, Sarah Caryth; $1.25 top. ; ant entry for boites but lacks the Lunatics and Lovers” as a comedv i poise and personality requirements -lead at the Broadhurst, which! for high song status. Nadine Tal- Apollo, X. Y. Duke Ellington Orch (16) with Jimmy Grissom; Geoffrey Holder Dancers (3), Rose Hardaway, Cava¬ liers 1 4), Jackie Mabley; “Black Widow” (20th). Despite the influx of rocking combos and rolling vocal groups in this Harlem flagship, Duke El¬ lington continues to maintain his grip on the Apollo trade. And without making any concessions to the current frenetic musical vogue either. He remains a polished per¬ former and his orch, although lacking some of its early day flash, is still pretty solid when it comes to laying down a jazz beat. It’s Ellingfon’s show all the way this outing and he comes through in top form. From the opening zingy version of “Stompin’ At The Savoy” to a somewhat pretentious “Rock and Roll Rhapsody,” with a harpist, yet, there’s enough Elling- tonia to please the most captious. As usual, the maestro gives his sidemen plenty of opportunity to Proser Signs = Continued from page 66 ; ment of monies advanced to the singer by the agency. The union is currently sifting the claim and may only process the claims on the variety bookings. Claims for tele¬ vision dates and the loans may not be considered by the union. No decision has been made as yet. Proser has been at a disadvan¬ tage in getting names because of the fact that the Copacabana and Latin Quarter, being the better established of the N.Y. name buyers, generally get the first choice from the agencies. Occa¬ sionally, Proser has been able to sneak in under the wire and come up with a name. He has done good business on these occasions. Hackett’s first major N.Y. cafe try was at Proser’s former spot, | La Vie en Rose. He has been in With the Olympia in as a staple vauder here, the new season is ush¬ ered in with almost too topheavy a roster of names. There is some high-powered music hall in this show, but alfeo some weakie fillers that pull down the tempo and make the presentation overlong. In the scrabble for fresh talent, which is always the bane of a con¬ stantly (every three weeks) chang¬ ing program, niteries, films and theatre, personages are being tapped. This works well in some cases, but in others solid nitery entries never quite clear the ramps, due to the more robust requirements of a house. Present stanza has surefire pull in pic comic Jean Richard and harmonica virtuoso Larry Ad¬ ler, with a batch of solid support¬ ers. Richard brings a group of 12 with him to uncork a series of skits for high risibility in his playing of a shrewd country bumpkin or the hero of a batch of sketches written by Roger Pierre. Richard has a feel for timing and never loses a gag or a laugh to make this a fine breakin into the house circuits, though many of the skits are of nitery level and fall short, at times, in this immense house. He comes on great by breaking in on the lion taming act of Sarah Caryth. She has a small, yawning lion and Rich¬ ard heckles from the aud and then goes into the cage to go through a series of laugh-provoking bits from cringing terror to mock bravado. Adler again displays his con¬ trolled, versatile harmonica versa¬ tility as he gets this mixed long, short and no hair aud with him, through Bach to blues. Playing is as marked and taking as ever and Adler’s solid stance and poise make his 35-minute stint a veri¬ table begoff. Lysiane Rey is a chantoosy-im- pressionist who does not make the jump from nitery to vaudery. Her sparkle is lost and lack of surefire material makes this lacklustre in house surroundings. Material is needed. Miss Rey is more for mu¬ sical comedy where her bombast and dynamism can be utilized rather than houses where her im¬ pressions lose face due to letdown material. Felix Paquet tells a group of familiar stories but manages to get to the crowd by engaging clown¬ ishness. He is definitely in the chansonnier school. Little John displays his perfection in supple aerobatics and shows himself the consummate showman with a sure¬ ness of self not tempered by ar¬ rogance. Youth gets solid ap¬ plause. Polo & Partner is a neat juggling act that rates New Acts, as do the comic acrobatics of the Beros (2). Jackson, James & Cor¬ nell are a fleetfooted U.S. dance trio that make for a fine entry on speed, verve and grace of their terp session. Jacques Verieres sings his own songs of simple Paris happenings and emerges a pleas- closes Saturday (1) after 41 weeks. Nabe Spots ; Continued from page 65 - fice draws, and generally a couple of singers can be obtained for the price of one unit. The vogue seems to be hitting in more spots, since the indie talent agencies are getting in on the act. The agents would give a small hideaway spot a good price break since they can lier is a cute femcee who needs some more practice in putting over her lines, but looks will hold till then. Mosk. Ebbets Field - Continued from page 1 -- abandon the property. Harris said it is the plan of his group to re¬ tain the present grandstands to be used by patrons without cars. The entire field, Harris noted, would study the act, work with him and he reconstructed for the installa- keep him under supervision with- ^on of ramps for cars, with a huge out the expense of going out of screen being erected center town. , field. The indies eve talking to a lot i According to Harris, he's already - - had correspondence with O Malley whom, he said, appears to be re¬ ceptive to the idea when plans are finally set for a new home for the Dodgers. In addition to his former Shu- bert connection, Harris indicated that he was also affiliated in a managerial and publicity capacity with Fox, Loew’s, and Warner The¬ atres in New York, Cleveland, and St. Louis. Last season he was ad¬ vance press representative for the national company of “Guys and Dolls.” of bars in the well-populated sec¬ tors outside of the present cafe belt. Generally, the nabe biz is growing because of the no-cover-no¬ minimum policies where customers can drop in for one or two snorts without worrying about the tab. The agencies know that they can¬ not make big money in these spots, nor is there much hope of develop¬ ing them into gigantic talent spend¬ ers, but they do look forward to a string of niteries w r here they can develop acts for work just a few blocks away. t