Variety (October 1955)

Wednesday, October 19, 1955 PfiRIETY REVIEWS 69 Music llall, IS. Y- produced by Leon Leonidoff; Music Hall Symphony. Orch under Raymond Paige; Music Hall Glee Club; Rockettes, choreographed.by Fnril'ia Sherman; Les Dassies, Eric Hutson; Evalyn Tyner, Kath- n/n Lee . Swen Swenson, William TJ pshaw; Corps de Ballet, directed by'Margaret Sande; ‘‘Kirby's Fly¬ ing Ballet”; setting, James Stew¬ art Morcom; costumes, Frank Spen- (rr lighting, Eugene Braun; “Trial” ( M-G), reviewed in Variety Aug. 3, ’55. L’Olymirta, Paris Paris, Oct. 18. Georges Brassens, Genevieve, Richiardi Jr. (6), Ballet Ho (9), Al, Norman & Ladd, Miss Loni, Alf Carlson, Richards <3), Christian combine to. make a top turn of its j Nadine TaUier; $1.25 top. kind. Fiddler wins the crowd early lT «. ... . , in the game and builds to a big | f ^ a solid segment plus from the customers. I }}, Throughout he proves a more The South Seas provide the set¬ ting for the current stage bill at the Music Hall and producer Leon Leonidoff has concocted a gay-pot¬ pourri of song and dance. The ac¬ cent is on rhythm and spectacle this session and it shapes into a lively shovtf that gives the cus¬ tomers their money’s worth and also contrasts vividly 'with the somber screen offering. Finding himself with two poten¬ tial climaxes on his hands, Leqni- doff. has the Rockettes setting the pace this time, and the change is all for the best. Girls go through a sock version of "Jungle Jive” in accustomed precision and go off to heavy mitting. Music Hall symph orch under Raymond Paige gets the show go¬ ing with a Bizet medley and, as usual, the resemblance is more with Andre Kostelanetz than Bizet. However, the orch puts plenty of schmaltz into the "Carmen” themes and no one’s going to ob¬ ject to that except perhaps a cou¬ ple of stray music lovers. Show, titled "Tropicana,” launches with a nice visual touch as the Glee Club lines up along the walls to perform "Call of the Wild.” Les Dassies, an agile team, goes through some bouncy acrobatics that obviously catch the audience’s fancy. Duo has a good capacity for mingling laughs into their act. They’re followed by a sock se¬ quence called "South Sea ' Bar,” highlighted by Evalyn Tyner at the keys going through a jivey repertoire with the Glee Club backgrounding. Miss Tyner’s boogie-woogie and beat are solid. Number is a real winner. Earlier, dancer Kathryn Lee goes through a so-so version of "Yellow Rose of Texas," again with the Glee Club boys in the back. Final "Tropicana" number, set in a nightclub, is climaxed by one of those acts that only the Music Hall stems to jproduce. It’s an aerial ballet featuring "Kirby’s Flying Ballet" and those who’ve missed "Peter Pan" at the Winter Garden, N.Y., can catch up on an experience by coming to the Hall to watch the flying - ballet in ac¬ tion. Effect is quite remarkable and brings the show to an im¬ pressive close. Miss Lee and Swen Swenson, backed by the Corps de Ballet, go through a pleasant ballet sequence on a mir¬ rored surface. William- Upshaw’s rendition of "Flamingo” is just fine." James Stewart Morcom’s settings show his usual inventive¬ ness and make full use of the Hall’s vast stage. Hift. than competent performer on the most difficult of musical instru¬ ments. Only trouble is that occa¬ sionally his arrangements are so well designed to display expertise that occasional snatches sound like they were lifted from the Kreutzer etudes, which he probably could do backwards. Zabach gets the audi¬ ence to willingly sing with him as he plays "Let Me Call You Sweet¬ heart,” Corn, but it goes over. Za¬ bach goes off to big palms. Sonny Till and his Orioles, a five-man vocal group heavy on the rhythm, get only fair reaction for their stint. Quintet opens with four backing Till, who carries the melody of "Margie;” neither the voices nor the blending are too im¬ pressive. Another of the group gets the nod for a solo of "I Be¬ lieve,” for only fair impact. Group seems to need lots of work to smooth out the rough edges. The comic end is held up by Guy Marx this round, and he does a competent job. Marx has poise, a good sense of timing, and some really funny, fresh material. Marx gets more than a few chuckles with his western recording bit, complete with animal noises, and his operatic spoof gets yocks too. Comic has a versatile voice and even does carbons of Louis Prima and Ezio Pinza. Rich & Gibson in the opening turn tee off the proceedings with a versatile blend of vibes playing, puppetry and tapology. First they play the vibes themselves and se¬ gue into a little hoofing; then the lights are dimmed and they manip¬ ulate a luminous dancing doll pair on the vibes, making their own music as they go. It’s effective and they get a warm sendoff mitt. Lou Ba&il is back at the helm of the house band, after a short vaca¬ tion, and does the usual fine job of backing. Gabe. l»a;aec 9 N. Y. Chicago, Clii Chicago, Oct. 14. Joni James (with Niclcy—Esposi¬ to), Florian Zabach, Sonny Till & Orioles (5), Guy Marx, Rich & Gibson, Lou Basil Orch; “My Sis¬ ter Eileen ’ (Col). Tommy Conine & Mickey White, Viggo & Jane, Danny Shaw, The Manhattans (3) Ladd Lyon (2), Jimmy Valentine & Rita, Flourney Miller & Mantan Moreland, Shoot¬ ing Mansfields (3); Myron Roman Orch; “A Prize of Gold " (Col), reviewed in Variety May 1$, ’55. This uneven show sacrifices quality for quantity and does not loom as big at the b.o. as some in the past. The bill is topped by Joni James, and rarely does a headliner dis¬ play such casual disinterest and flat disregard for the audience as Miss James did at the opening «how here. It was difficult to de¬ termine whether this was a studied casual approach that went awry, or whether the c'hirper just didn’t care. In any event, her delivery ■was half-hearted and generously embellished with superfluous asides to the band and the audience. Opening with "My Baby Just Cares for Me” Miss Janies segues into "Your Cheating Heart,” all done in a slurring, often offbeat and offkey style. Backed by Nicky Esposito on the guitar, Miss James does her MGM disk click, "Why Don’t You Believe Me,” for the windup. Thrush bows off to mild palms. Florian Zabach supports here and more than rates it. Zabach’s combination of showmanship, good looks and expert. musicianship There’s no major excitement at the Palace Theatre this week, the proceedings just having an occa¬ sional . pick-me-up that prevents them from trailing off into a void. Bulk of the acts, however, make good in their spots. Most of the turns are vets at this house, even though a pair of them are variations of acts that have already played here. For example, in the next-to-closing slot, Mantan Moreland, who has appeared here with several partners, is now doing the turn with Flourney Miller. It’s a bit that, has changed somewhat, with the big item being the poker game via telephone. It’s the calibre of turn that these vet Negro per¬ formers do so well and this bit gives them a good response. The other variation is in Tommy Conine’s act. His new partner is Mickey White and^he duo tap out a good act. They still have a lot of pruning, to do, but generally, the act has a lot of form and some originality. Some of their best bits are the shorter throwaway pieces, such as a spoof of the flamenco dancers. With some cutting down, they’ll be good for the cafe circuits. Best hand of the occasion is by Jimmy Valentine, the moino-ped dancer, and his partner, Rita. The male works with the aid of a crutch, but is able to do some ex¬ cellent turns as well as lifts with a lithe colleague. They’re off to a warm mitt. Danny Shaw’s best bit is still his bus-riding skit. Nothing up to that registers with the audience, but his walkoff stunt does well for him. Ladd Lyon, with the aid of a femme plant who walks in from the audience, hits it nicely with a good line of comedy hand-to-hand¬ ing. Shooting Mansfields (3), com¬ prising an elderly gent at the mike and a mother and daughter, sharp- shoot their way to a lot of applause by knocking off a lot of moving and stationary targets. In the New Act sector are Viggo & Jane and The Manhattans. Jose. the most alive entries in town, Anarchic singer Georges Brassens is backed by a bevy of topliners and fillers that makes for a well- balanced and paced show, and has a diversion and appeal that should make lor SRO in its three-week run right at the height of the Auto Salon. Bruno Coquatrix deserves a laurel for not stinting on this bill, which could have sailed through on the Salon biz without the high- powered names and acts now on. Brassens is as hirsute, prespiring and oblivious of the audience as al¬ ways and comes out trailing his guitar to go into .his relentless chanting on the poetic underbelly of life. Brassens has a new batch of songs, and, though some of the simple, catchy rhythms are getting familiar, the biting and spirited essence of his words are still as taking as ever. Highly ,specialized and of very limited possibilities for the U.S., where translation would lose the poetics and bite of his lyrics, he remains a top draw entry here. Richiardi Jr. (6) again presents his masterful magico act with his excellent levitation bits, fine gim¬ mick and sleight of hand work, and the rhythm and speed of his whole performance makes this one of the lop illusion acts on the boards here. He is a good showman and gets the audience with him from begin¬ ning to end. Ballets IIo (9), formed by American George Reich here, is in the musical comedy and nitery tradition and seems somewhat stilted and repetitious on stage. However, it has youth and color in its favor. (See New Acts). Also under this file is Miss Loni, an off beater female juggling bit who does things with her shapely legs that makes this unusual enough for that different juggling spotting for U.S. video or house billing. Genevieve makes her return to the Parisian scene after making good in the U.S. Formerly possessor of a small nitery on the Butte Montmartre, she comes back with a more marked flair and gloss and makes a successful reappearance. She displays a mixture of the bet¬ ter dramatic and. belt singer? here, and her striking appearance under¬ lines her plaintive songs. She looks to become a wider and more popular singer, and the U.S. trans¬ formation has served to make her a more varied Gallic chantoosy. Acrobatics are well handled by Richards (3) and Alf Carlson. Richards are a family who do some risible knockabout aero stuff be¬ fore letting junior hold forth with som.e excellent juggling. Carlson does some almost eerie contortion- ing as he bends his body into in¬ credible shapes. Different and a good act this. . . Fun is supplied by Christian Mery in a monolog about a visit¬ ing Corsican to Paris whose run- ins with mechanical objects and the oblivious Parisians make for some laughs. However, he is more for intime boites than big houses. Al, Norman & Ladd are a bedrag¬ gled English trio, violin, guitar and bass, who supply a lowdown note to the show for the biggest chuckles. Vulgarity is never amiss in this and their mishaps with the in¬ struments, and general clowning, are tops. It is one of those peren¬ nial music hall numbers that will always.have a spot for it. Moslc. Paramount. I- A. Los Angeles, Oct. 12. Eddy Arnold, Jordanaires (4), Davis'Sisters (2); Phil Maraquin, Roy Wiggins & Hank Garland Combo (5); “Outlaw Treasure ” (indie). LILO Songs 35'Mins. Ritz Cafe, Montreal t Many a ehanteuse has broken in or sharpened her act prior to a U.S. preem in the handsome Ritz Cafe during the past years but few have received the ovation given Lilo in her debut in current lay¬ out. A surprise booking, when another chirper had to cancel. Lilo arrived on short notice and liter¬ ally stepped off the plane and onto the floor witli little time for re¬ hearsals. Her immediate click is due in ; no small part to the inherent show j savvy of the well-endowed song¬ stress and the musicianship of | house 88’er Johnny Gallant and the Joe Scttano Trio who back her! in all numbers. i Lilo, who starred in "Can Can” ; during the record New York run. j marks her firsl cafe try in America ; at the Ritz and she takes the jumo from stage to intimery with ease. Garbed in a dress that reveals a of routining and even Arnold doesn’t seem to know where he’s going next. Layout is opened by the Jordan¬ aires, one of the better quarteW currently available. They whip through four tunes, includyig (hew Capitol disclick. "Saints Go March¬ ing In,” setting a good pace for the show, but the acts that follow don’t keep it up. Other vocals, in the c&w tradition, are well-handled by the Davis Sisters and there are good instrumental solos by Roy Wiggins and Hank Garland on electric guitars. Weakest spot is that of Phil Maraquin. who spreads himself thin with some prestidigi¬ tation, comedy material and uni¬ cycling. He’s best on the latter and the material, older than he is, should be eliminated. Kap. great deal of her fivc-foot-and-a- few-inches figure, Lilo opens brisk¬ ly with special lyrics to "C’est Magnifique” which establishes her solidly and then into a Gallic torch ant for a good reception. A too-long patter routine laced with an impresh of Marilyn Monroe on the reasons why gentlemen prefer blondes gets out of hand despite material. Her gamin-like person¬ ality and nonchalance about her figure, et al. save many of the lines which, in other hands, would be little more than dull and blue. A rousing interp of "If I Loved You,” in both languages, scored and quieted a noisy crowd who were doing their best to out-per- form her. A song-and-gab sequence around the floor with special attention be¬ ing paid to the more elderly male ringsiders proved a trifle tedious for those on the outer fringes but the sex appeal being generated to those nearby met with much ap¬ preciation. Bit is risky and even though patron selection may be good, general tightening is needed for overall effect. Windup is okay when she tells about, her start in show biz and, then excuses herself to set the scene. Interim period is taken over by waiters and musicians acting like Paris gendarmes, taxi- drivers. etc., until Lilo comes back dreused as a newsboy in a one- piece pantaloon coverall and red cap. With tempo building neatly, <-ho reprises the songs and does impressions of Piaf. Chevalier, Luciene Boyer and others, leading lo a special note of gratitude to Cole Porter and finishing to salvos with "I Love Paris.” Act has diversity, the two lan¬ guages present no prob'em and, with polish and new songs of a special nature, Lilo has okav cafe possibilities. Newt. Apollo. Y. Ted Martin, former production singer at New' York’s Copacabana, has .switched from the DeLuxe la¬ bel to Records. Latest in this downtown presen¬ tation house’s spasmodic vaudates makes a frank pitch for the coun¬ try and western trade with Eddy Arnold as the headliner. It leaves much to be desired and the odds are that the Tennessee Plowboy won’t reap any fancy harvest. Layout got off on the wrong foot at the opener with as unprofession¬ al show as has been mounted here in some time. Ragged entrances and-exits and an almost amateurish presentation created the atmos¬ phere of a split-week house in Pennsylvania rather than a dc- luxer. Subsequent shows probably will remedy many of these faults; at least by second show Arnold may have gotten his guitar tuned. Warbler has an easy relaxed stage personality that comes across and he offers many of his standbys, like "Anytime” and "Cattle Call,” along with such newer 'items as "Suddenly There’s a Valley.” His stint, however, suffers from a lack Roy Hamilton, Eddie Hey wood Band 02), Stump & Stumpy, Bun¬ ny Briggs, Cardinals (5). Florence Wright, Bill Cook; “The Purple Mask” (U-I). Card packaged by WAAT (Nev\- ark) dee jay Bill Cook has strength in each of its appointments. Al¬ though there is one new act, Cook, who also emcees, trusts nothing else to beginners. That isn’t to say newcomer Florence Wright i.s-e New Acts) doesn’t have polish, but each of the vet acts—Roy Hamil¬ ton, Stump & Stumpy, Eddie IIcy- wood band, Bunny Briggs, the Car¬ dinals—has good control of its ma¬ terial. Miss Wright is up first. Then the Cardinals, a rhythm & blues quin¬ tet, which knows its musical onions as well or better than some of the bigger-name troupes, raps out a varied threesome, "Rock Around the Clock,” "The Door Is Still Open” and "I Got a Woman.” Bunny Briggs is in trey. Man’s got superior technical knowhow in dance and he tosses off a mean vocal too, what little he does of Iho latter. His judgment is tops in mos‘ things except his strongly-applied makeup. Eddie Heywood’s full 12-rn.m ensemble does a nice opener in “Please Don’t Talk About Me” be¬ fore Miss Wright’s appearance, but in the midway slotting, (he maestro solos on the keys and really grabs off the ’ plaudits. He’s subtle and rhythmical in his fronling of "The Man I Love,” "Land of Dreams.” ‘.‘The Continental” and in one much-requested from the pews. "Begin the Beguine.” Stump & Stumpy are powerful in every stitch of their comedy. Stubholder may know nearly every angle up the duo’s sleeve, but when it comes out again it in¬ variably sounds like new material. Timing, intonation, appearance are perfect. ' I Hamilton, who resembles ah un¬ trained and gangly'basketball cen¬ ter, pours on the big voice through six numbers. He has a mildly dis¬ concerting habit of getting reverent in some of his spoken introes, but he amply compensates in his voeals. Hamilton’s top tunc is “You’!' Never Walk Alone.” "Down and Cry” is his only r&b offering. As for Cook, his emceeing is clean and brief. Of little consequence to the tolal show, but by now irritating, is the unbroken record of "I May Be Wrong” as the only tune heard before every opening curtain. It’s used, and generally used carelessly, by every band at the Apollo as background for the on-screen credits of upcoming stanzas. Just an occasional changc-of-pace might sit belter with the flag’s regulars. Art. THE MANHATTANS (3) Songs 10 Mins. Palace, N.Y. * The Manhattans, a singing trio comprising two boys and a looker, is a nicely integrated act. Of course, a house such as the Palace is no place for them to realize their potential, inasmuch as they must necessarily do a lot of standards to please the older customers. However, this group has one item that indicates they can swing along virtually anywhere. They have adapted,the fugue from "Call Me Madam” to a hillbilly tempo, which not only preserves the neat harmonics of the original, but gives it an offbeat color that makes for a distinguishing hand. The trio makes a nice appearance. Un¬ doubtedly, they have sufficient newer material to pass muster in cafes. Jose. FLORENCE WRIGHT Songs 6 Mins. Apollo, N. Y. Sepia soprano Florence Wright docs all right in her Harlem ini- tialer. A clear, rich voice is evi¬ dent. even in her short appearance. Maybe she is a shade too fancy in “All of Me,” but she enjoys tolal reprieve- for her smooth and lyri¬ cal "To Wrong Is To S ! n.” Second song, by the way, is rather nice and because it isn’t w.k. seems fit¬ tingly Miss Wright’s own. Singer’s short evening attire is okay.. Art. VIGGO & JANE Magic 12 Mins. Palace, N.Y. Viggo & Jane, a Danish import, have a well-defined magic act fea¬ turing small tricks that go over well in this house and could even have better impact in a nitery? Major forte is manipulation of the heads of Walking sticks. Male, assisted'by the femme, has variations on many of the standard tricks in the magico catalog. He has a nice manner of working, his presentation is smooth, and is pro¬ jected with sufficient showman¬ ship to get him neat mitts. Jose. MISS LONI Juggling 8 Mins. L’Olympia, Paris Main appeal of this is a shapely girl twirling a medicine ball, poles and other things about with her feet while backed to a table. She is agile and has a bright, blonde pres¬ ence as she ups and boots about a wooden cross, doors or platters. This is primarily for special spot¬ ting in offbeat spots for U.S. house or video showcasing. Mosk,