Variety (October 1955)

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Wednesday, October 26, 1955 PjVrIETY NIGHT CLUB REVIEWS 51 St, Regis, New York Fernanda Montel; Milt Shaw and Fay Bari orchs; $1.50 and $2,50 convert. Fernanda Montel is back at the Maisonette of the St. Regis, with new material and even more im¬ proved with a now savvy interna¬ tional floorshow concept, particu¬ larly with an eye to the Yank non- naflezing customer's. Result is that, without resorting to "the corny Franco-Anlerican hit parade,” al¬ though she is wise in repriseing some of the more durable favorites, She registers all the way. A strikingly tall blonde person¬ ality, with- an arresting mien and manner, she mixes up the Champs- Elysees-Park Ave. tunes in fine style. It runs the gamut from "At Last” (“La Poete”) to Cole Porter’s “All Of You,” from songs about dancing in the Paris streets, the “oiano of the poor” (organgrinder), the accordion-motif ed chansons, “poor Jacques,” the Seine, "Hor- tensia,” bistro blues, etc., and the result is a- very pleasant 45 min¬ utes. The St. Regis has a right formula —■ this, too, is an establishment that doesn’t try to rewrite a hit. Sometimes the personalities do, but when geting back in this set¬ ting it’s something else again. For example, Julie Wilson is slated for a return £n midwinter. Connie Towers, also here before, follows Miss Montel. Per usual, the Milt Shaw 802ers give out with beaucoup "society” dansapation, the medley type of sprightly choruses which the class custpmers favor here, and Ray Bari’s alternating ensemble is equally expert. A new credit is light man Joel Friedman wlfb, when not making with the gela¬ tines here, has been maestroing an off-Broadway Shakespearean Thea¬ tre workshop repertory troupe. Abel. Savoy Hotel, London London, Oct. 18. Lena Horne (with Lennie Hay- ton), Ian Stewart & Francisco Cavez Orchs; $5 minimum. For a long time, the Savoy has been content to play second-class cabaret. Not since Hildegafde appeared there some years ago had they had a star of international name value, until Lena Horne’s engagement. They’ve certainly got back into the bigtime with a splash and should get capacity biz. The ropes were out for opening night and the society and show business audience gave an unsually encouraging sendoff both to the artist and management. Miss Horne is, of course, no stranger to London’s West End. In the postwar years, she has head¬ lined at both the Casino and the Palladium, but this is her first ap¬ pearance here in cabaret. The main restaurant at the hotel is no eqsy proposition for a performer, but the star immediately establishes a close intimacy with the audience as she goes through her carefully- planned and prepared routine. Dressed in a skintight blue and gold gown, which enhances her natural beauty, Miss Horne puts the emphasis on sex, as though with studied deliberation. In her own particular stylized way, >she projects with considerable charm and effect and creates just the- right degree of emphasis to appeal to the emotions. With husband Lennie Hayton at the ivories, playing alongside Ian Stewart’s resident combo, the qual¬ ity of the baclt-grounding is as¬ sured. Rhythm dance sessions are capably taken care of by the Fran¬ cisco Cavez orch. Myro. El Morocco. Montreal Montreal, Oct. 14. Josephine Baker . . (with. Milos Bartek), Treasure & Johnny Verdi, Ernie Richman & Mannequins (3), Maury Kaye Orch (7), Her¬ man Apple Trio; $1-$1.50 cover. Ignoring the general pessimism °Y mof5 t Montreal cafe operators vvno cut budgets, bring in so-so acts and ^wonder why people stay home, r’eter Van Der North preemed his ^ou-seat Oasis Room this week and capacity biz greeted headliner Josephine Baker and the new El Morocco addition, v if ® aIcer has-been on a Canadian kick for the past several weeks, scoring heavily in Ottawa and in Quebec City, where she broke ihaf s long-standing cafe record. If the present pace by this exuberant Performer is maintained, she !X°VJ d set SOn \ e sort of mark for El Morocco. Wowing in a visual manner witth her many theatrical gowns, Miss Baker works her way her established faves, which are repeatedly requested, ffutan? at times but always exhib¬ iting, fine showmanship. Johnny Verdi and Treasure, a pert blonde, make brief appear¬ ances when Miss Baker does a cos¬ tume change (she carries 43 gowns in her wardrobe) with a song-and- impresh session that fills the time neatly. Ernie Richman and his three attractive mannequins open 'the show with some sparkling off¬ beat hoofing and okay songs. Four¬ some seems ideally suited and gen¬ eral choreography is well above average with diversified material and good costuming which reveals trim femme figures for continued payee attention. • Maury Kaye’s new orch gives show solid backing^ -with the Her¬ man Apple combo in the relief spot. One of the best sound sys¬ tems in Montreal and a layout that gives partons a good view of the show, plus adequate terp space, Should make this room a sure-fire customer draw. Newt. Ciro’gy Hollywood Hollywood, Oct. 19. Patty Andrews (with Wally Weschler), Dominique, Hal Loman, Ciro’s Girls (8), Dick Stabile Orch (8), Geri Galian Rhumband (5); cover, $2, $2.50. The accent is on comedy in the new layout and the result is a show that hits a good entertain¬ ment level. Last-minute booking makes exploitation tough and the show will have ter depend on word- of-mouth, so early stages of the fortnight may be slow. But the local bow of Patty Andrews as a single and the excellent legerde¬ main of Dominique develop an au¬ dience response that will pay off. Miss Andrews has developed a comedy turn that has plenty of ex¬ uberance, but she still needs to smooth some rough edges for best results. Singer wisely eschews the tender ballads for the comedies and much of the material has zing. But' there’s a tendency to mouth the lyrics too rapidly, particularly on such items as "The Rains Came,” "The Peony Bush” and "South Rampart Street Parade,” and much of the value is lost. She clowns with husband-accompanist Wally Weschler, who has his own keyboard spotlight stint, and builds to a walloping finale in "Lady Clown.” Number is well-staged and gets her off strongly after a 35-minute stint. Dominique, peer of the prestidi¬ gitators, uses the familiar sleight- of-hand stuff only as an opener be¬ fore jumping into the nimble 7 fingered routine of lifting watches, ties and suspenders from unwary patrons. Dick Stabile introduces him as the "amazing” Dominique and the adjective is well-chosen. Light-fingered approach is com¬ plemented by a keen sense of com¬ edy values and he makes the most of the embarrassment and befud- dlement of his victims. It’s a 20- minute act that moves without let¬ up. Ciro’s girls are repeating the "rehearsal” production numbers of previous shows and are in for a new opener which spotlights the footwork of Hal Loman, who also choreographs. It sets a good pace. Dick Stabile, as usual, is better at the baton than with the bon mot, and his crew and Geri Galian alternate to provide a danceable beat. On opening show, the Stabile crew was occasionally too brassy on the Andrews accompaniments, but it’s a problem that’s easily licked. Kap . Waldorf-Astoria, X, Y. Jozsi Ribardi Orch (4), Cy Cole¬ man Trio; minimum $4, Sat.-Sun.- holidays. Musical menu in the Waldorf’s Peacock Alley is a tasty mixture of Alt Wien and the modern beat. It’s an innovation for the room, which in the past had confined its tonal backgrounding to the schmaltzy school. Move toward the modern beat, in the kickoff case, Cy Cole¬ man Trio, was apparently made to bring in a younger crowd to complement the more sedate stead¬ ies. The switch-rhythm plan is only a few weeks old, but it shapes up as a payoff operation. For those who like their music straight from the shouldei\ Vien¬ nese violinist Jozsi Ribardi fills the bill. He works with the standard bass, piano and accordion backing to produce colorful melodies with a lighthearted beat. He’s got the Con¬ tinental touch down pat and when he’s playing for dinner (between 7 and 8:30 p.m.) he sidles up to the ringside tables and delivers plenty of romantic fiddling. Coleman is a familiar figure around Gotham’s jazz rooms. Al¬ though his beat is in the modern groove, it fits well in the quiet realm of Peacock Alley. His in¬ terpretation of the standards is fresh and invigorating and his im¬ provisations are never out of order. A bass and drums backing help round out the Coleman rhythm. Gros. Copacabana, X. Y. Nat (King) Cole, Shecky Greene, Paulette Sisters,' Tony Foster, Fran Leslie, Meri Miller, Jimmy Sisco, Mike Dufso Orch, Frank Marti Group; $5 minimum. That unique combination of tal¬ ent, personality and vital animal magnetism which goes by the name of Nat (King) Cole currently is re¬ proving the obvious: that a star has a special mark which sets the great entertainer above and apart. It would make no sense to single out any one trait. -Cole is a nat¬ ural stylist to start with. He caresses a song, makes love to a lyric, toys pensively with a thought. The soft dove-coo of the voice con¬ trasts fascinatingly with the chis¬ eled strength of his features, the ebb and flow of his lazy smile. His command of an audience is not a matter of voice and manner alone but includes the instinct-plus-ex¬ perience "feel” he has for what he is doing and for the impact it is having upon the customers. This is more than timing. It is a kind of private radar. . Explain him how one may, Cole is plainly one of the great living artists of popular music, complete¬ ly himself. Working in a jaunty, under-punched way, he has the mastery of self and artistic means which enables the singer to hold the floor for the better part of an hour, subduing all distraction and torching — the right word — the folks. Saying which, it has perhaps been made clear that Cole wowed ’em at Jules Podell’s rathskeller on opening night last Thursday (20) and it only remains to add a word of appreciation for the gui¬ tar, bass and drums he carries. In fusion with Mike Durso’s regular Copa bunch the musical support was up to the occasion. Shecky Greene and the Paulette Sisters round out the bill, along with the usual Copa g.rls (a little uncertain in routine for the first show) and the standard boy and girl singing and dancing pairs, namely Tony Foster-Fran Leslie, Meri Miller-Jimmy Sisco. The girl dancer is especially peppy with a mischievous way about her. During 1952, Greene was reviewed at the 5 O’Clock Club, Miami, by Variety’s Lary, who rated him a "fast punching youngster who shows plenty of possibilities” and who was as of then “not too far away from the better cafes.” Back one up for the Miami critic. Greene’s New York debut at the Copa was distinctly impressive. This flip comic uses the micro¬ phone, his voice and his mugging with considerable originality and perceptive audience sense. Start¬ ing cold, an unknown, and not quite on the rails the first four minutes, he began to gain altitude steadily and at the bowoff he was flying high. This was a gala night in his career. There are three Paulettes, and they look enough alike to be true siblings. They, too, did well al¬ though a certain sameness in type of number (except at the very end) and the stereotyped hot trio gesturing would perhaps leave room for an infusion of imagina¬ tion. Girls were reviewed as a New Act from Ottawa earlier iij 1955. They are pleasant figures with attractive smiles and an au¬ thority which is in process of ma¬ turing. They justified the book¬ ing as an opener. Land. Stnllor Hotel, Wash. Washington, Oct. 13. Dick Kerr, Peggy Ryan & Ray McDonald, Dick La Salle Orch (10), Ted Alexander Quartet; cover $1.50, $2 iveekencls. Although pretty much "n'o name” entertainment, reversing the Staffer's usual policy, the Em¬ bassy Room’s current bill is gen¬ erally lively and good fun. How¬ ever, a greater change of pace be¬ tween the two acts would help; as it is. one spends most of its time imitating pop singers while the other imitates well-known hoofers of the past. Dick Kerr, a husky, affable guy billed as an impressionist, displays considerable voice virtuosity. His wares consist of a line of singing imitations ranging from Rose Mur¬ phy, Bill Kenny and Billy Daniels to Louis‘Armstrong, Sammy Davis Jr. and Johnnie Ray. For an en¬ core, he does one of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis tossing a song back and forth between them. He never takes himself too seriously, spoofing his own imitations for nice returns. He bridges the gap from one singer to the next with explanations in a high-pitched, pre-adolescent voice which gets a little wearing after a time, native of Turtle Creek, Pa., near Pittsburgh, he also has a monolog about his uncle there, in a man¬ ner most reminiscent of the way Bob Burns used to talk about his uncle back in Arkansas. * Husband-wife team of Peggy Ryan and Ray McDonald have a song a*id dance act of consider¬ able promise which isn’t fulfilled. Despite a considerable amount of very nice material, the act is still formless and sags badly at one spot when they go in for dance imitations. Miss Ryan, a pleasant tap dancer, is a natural comic, bub¬ bling over with personality, warmth and the kind of timing that few acquire. McDonald, a much better dancer, plays straight man to her. The comedy, how¬ ever, needs more disciplining to achieve its potential. Miss Ryan occasionally moves around so much that it becomes a little difficult to keep up with what’s going on. Lowe. Duplex, X. Y. Love y Powell, Hal Holbrook, Brooks Morton; $3 minimum. The Duplex, new addition to the Greenwich Village scene, has an avant-garde atmosphere, with its entertainment motifs influenced by such operations as San Francisco’s Purple Onion and the hungry i. It’s a charming spot deeored simply with oil paintings serving as the sole relief from the vast expanse of darkened walls. It’s a comfort¬ able room, and adding to its attrac¬ tiveness for the younger folk, who seem to be the major customer group here,'are the Brooks Bros, garcons who are the attendants here. Playing with avant-garde ideas in a highly commercial and com¬ petitive field such as niteries can be fairly dangerous. However, ex¬ perimentation seems to be the major need in the industry, inas¬ much as many of the orthodox nitery rooms are finding the going rough without names. The major items here are the songs by Lovey Powell (New Acts), piano stylings by Brooks Morton and the Mark Twain characteriza¬ tion by Hal Holbrook. Holbrook is the type of perform¬ er who under present day nitery standards is more suitable for the concert circuits. He comes on dressed in a white linen suit with heavy makeup as an elderly gent with flowing mustache of the 1910 period. His humor is very much in the manner of Twain. There’s a gentle tone about it all. Hol¬ brook’s task is primarily in the thespic domain. He assumes the mien of a speaker relating experi¬ ences and in that manner provides a lot of pleasantry. His dissertation is on accidents and ‘insurance and he makes a lot of relaxed humor in the process. Morton cuts a lot of music on the 88s, culling his selections from the musical comedy domain. His keyboarding is relaxed and easy to take. He provides sufficient variety in both his interpretations as well as selections to maintain interest. . Jose. Riverside, Reno Reno, Oct. 13. Paul Gilbert, Victor Julian & His Pets, Starlets, Bill Clifford Orch; $2 minimum. The Riverside is still having its problems of indecision. The sale of the hotel by George Wingfield is still a possibility. Casino operator Mert Wertheimer, one of the pos¬ sible .buyers, hesitates to do any¬ thing until a decision is made one way or the other. As the man who buys the show, big names will be scarce until he knows for sure he can be in business the following month. Paul Gilbert, however, is a shot in the arm. The place will do busi¬ ness this frame in spite of the day- to-day operation. For those who have never seen it, and for those who await it, Gil¬ bert’s opening flipflop—a jarring flip which lands him on his back, shaking tableware closeby—gets him that immediate attention, so often lost in an agonizing monolog. Also awaited impatiently by the devotees, is that surgical lecture, now turned into one, long hilarious operation. George Moro puts a little twist in this show by having Gilbert in¬ troduce the Starlets one by one with some inevitable remarks about each. But it winds the show easily and definitely. Victor Julian brings in a kennel of anthropoids. Troupe of pooches all perform on their hindlegs. This in itself may not sound like much, but these dogs never resort to fore¬ paws. Besides this, they’re cos- sumed, and they walk or prance ac¬ cordingly—waltz time, rumba et al. It’s one long parade of amazing mutts. There are some showoffs who do continuous flips until the music stops, but essentially, the act is a canine parade of nations and fashions. Mark. Tliiinderliird, Las Ye^as Las Vegas, Oct. 18. Mickey Shaughenessy, Monique Van Vooren, Irving Fields Trio, Estelita & Chicuelo, Thuntferbird Dancers (8), Barney Rawlings, Al Jahns Orch (11); no cover or mini¬ mum. Itirillaiul, X. Y» Jen Southern, Terry Gibbs Quar¬ tet, Miles Davis Quintet; $2.50 minimum. At the Thunderbird for the next three frames it’s the case of the Gaelic and the Gallic sharing the headline slot, but the hilarious blarney of Mickey Shaughnessy forges ahead over the voluptuous¬ ness of his marquee cohort, chanteuse Moniaue Van Vooren. With Irving Fields Trio, Estelita & Chicuelo, the diverse packet should give the Navajo Room steady biz. Shaughnessy knows how to cor¬ ner yocks in this room without putting a strain on his file. He socks with a high decibel count to score with a bundle of new Gaclec- tics, stories to bring forth his thesping side, a few tossaway one- liners and tunes "Mary Ann O'Shea,” and "Shillalagh,” the latter a hanger for quickie gags. His usual closer is the kid film mime, “Gene Autry,” which never fails to win a begoff. Miss Van Vooren’s advance publicity stressed her s.a. lure, the well-curved torso, et al., and soft- pedaled the sing side. All the three-sheeting was fairly accurate. Her chants have far less buxom proportion than her chest, for instance, although a flicker of the Jeri Southern, Decca Records vocalist from the Coa: steadily building her stylist among the hipsters. In her first N: Y.- nitery date in several years, she shows why. Miss South¬ ern is a standout songstress who can. work any spot, from the jazz j boites such as Birdland to the; smartest hotel rooms.. I o£ .. Autumn Leav e S ," and Rets book Miss Southern projects with a , j n U p-tempo stride with “Ove subtlety and restraint, where that’s j N e g ra ,” backed on all 88ing by his called for, and she swings when ! bassist and drummer. we* hie hnen I "oo-la-la” naughtiness comes over ? Viw 1111 "I’m Ready, Willing and Able,” IniifPrc t 5 hm^and “Whatever Lola Wants.” Fields is very pvrotcchnical in his Stcinway approach, giving full keyboard vent to “Yellow Rose of Texas,” and an extended concerto- tvpe handling of “Slaughter on Tenth Ave.” He makes a nice flow necessary. Although her voice is not in any way overpowering, it’s flexible instrument which she uses with savvy. Even a very bad mike setup here, which alternated on opening night between not am¬ plifying and then taking off on whistles, didn’t soften Miss South¬ ern’s impact. Her repertoire is generally ex¬ cellent, ranging from well-known standards to several of her own etchings which, even though they weren’t hits, were worthy numbers. Among the tunes she docs are “I Hadn’t Anyone Till You,” “What’s My Name,” “Miss Johnson Called Again Last Night” and “Scarlet Ribbons.” the latter two earning the top aud reaction from the Bird- land jazz buffs. Rest of the bill here comprises old familiars. Terry Gibbs quartet, featuring the leader on vibes, is a swing combo with plenty of color and verve, while Miles Davis plays ultra-cool trumpet and is backed by a sax and rhythm trio in some interesting musical con¬ figurations. Both combos play here frequently. Herm. Estelita & Chicuelo scorch the floor heel. & toe, punching with added flavor on castencts to “Mala- guena,” a tango, and “Lady of Spain.” Will.- Sans Souci, Miami R’cli Miami Beach, Oct. 14. Alan Drake, Rosita Cadiz, Freddy Calo Orch; $2.50 minimum. Alan Drake, formerly a Nautilus Hotel regular returnee, has switched his waggery to the Sans Souci Blue Sails Room roster, with results on the plus side throughout his highly improved stint. Working with assurance that ; stems from a sound array of gags ! and situation bits, he keeps reac¬ tion mounting, topping matters with a horse-player routine that mixes pathos and comedy adroitly. Insert of straight rhythm songs to keep the uptempo pace adds to im¬ pact. Rosita Cadiz, a Cuban import, concentrates on a series of flamen¬ co-accented routines, to garner fair returns. - Lary.