Variety (February 1956)

Wednesday, February 1, 1956 PSstmTY NIGHT CLUB REVIEWS 55 Palmer Spouse, Clil Chicago, Jan. 26. Dick Shawn, Genevieve (with Due Poret, Wally Corvine), Bruxel- los (2), Empire Eight, Charlie Fisk Orch (with Lee Charmel); ,$2 cover. . Current, four-weeker should keep the Empire Room comfortably filled for the remainder of its run. House was near capacity opening night. Co-headliner Dick Shawn cap¬ tured the. house one minute after he came on and held it in the S alm of his hand until the begoff. [e opens with a short, hilarious bit contrasting French and Italian love songs with the amorous par¬ lance of U.S. rock ’n’ roll ditties. This fractured the patrons and from there on, it was clear sailing. Shawn did his now w.k. “Schizo- phreenee” and “Massah Richard” skits for a hefty plus. Evidently their possibilities have not been exhausted, despite teevee expo¬ sure and previous Chi cafe show¬ casing. Bowing a new piece, Shawn wrapped up with- an Eskimo parody of folk singers which was well re¬ ceived. Genevieve again retails the song- stories of her native Montmartre here; though this time around she had added better-known Gallic tunes as well. Trouble with song- stories is if you don’t understand them, you miss the boat. Nonethe¬ less, Genevieve manages to get the flavor of her gamin-songs across. For a while, though, it sounds like there are an awful lot of songs about Paris. Genevieve is backed by Luc Poret on the guitar and Wally. Corvine on the accordion. The Bruxellos do a top tumbling turn which elicits gasps from the house. Feats distinguished by ath¬ letic smoothness and an “impos¬ sible” look put this pair in the top rank. House line, the Empire Eight, does a neat terp interp of the “Birth of the Blues.” Well-cos¬ tumed, well-rehearsed dancers bring the blues from Storey.ville up to date, with music and hoofing for a deft intro to the rest of the bill. The Charlie Fisk orch again backs the show expertly. Gabe. Sands, Las Yogas Las Vegas, Jan. 22. .. ^JPeggy —Lee, JDavis - Reese-^ Beachcombers. .(3) with Natalie, Mary. Menzies, Copa Girls (8), Sandmen (4), Antonio Morelli Orch (10); $2 minimum. Peggy Lee not only is being accorded kudosing for her role in “Pete Kelly’s Blues,” but Is given solid tribute here as a top nitery performer. Ample biz is sure to spread over into February, when the usual Vegas post-New Year’s lull is superseded by a marked rise m traffic because of the two holi¬ days falling within the month. The Lee approach to a nitery act encompasses the entire songalog as an overall presentation rather than as a string of tunes in the pop category. A fine balance and pace is offered. Miss Lee is known for surrounding herself with expert musickers, and no exception is this stanza with Lou Levy, piano; Bill Pittman, guitar; Larry Bunker, vibes & drums; Buddjr Clark, bass, and Carlos Mejia, bongos. Pepper Davis and Tony Reese sock over a very funny session larded with Davis’ maniacal postur¬ ings in ribs of “The $64,000 Ques¬ tion” and punchy fighter. Both lads work fast and gather continu¬ ous yocks to windup of tomtom drumming with hoofing getoff. Copa Girls continue previous terps featuring Mary Menzies, The Beachcombers with Natalie. An¬ tonio Morelli orchsters never lag a beat. Will. Bllnstriil» 9 s 9 Boston Boston, Jan. 23. Four Lads, Los Gatos (3), Helen & Howard, Collineaus (4), Nick & Vicki Collins, Michael Gaylord Orch (10), Lou Weir; $2.50 mini¬ mum. Four Lads prove a big money winner for boniface Stanley Blin- strub in this big South Boston nitery. It's the biggest week of the current. season for the spot and leads the town in biz. Four Lads are sock from opener of special material on how they arrive at their name to closing of “Memories Are Made of This” with special thanks to the aud bit. And tabs their new recording, “No, Not Much,” for hottest returns. Quartet scores in “Melancholy Baby,” “Jubilee,” “Sixteen Tons,” “He” and “Great Pretender.” They pull great reaction with “Constan¬ tinople” and “Southland” and work fine in the big room, belting their numbers for enthusiastic mitting. Lads have powerful pipes and command attention from walk on to bowoff. Nick and Vicki Collins open the show with fancy terping, donning top hats and strutting with canes and clinching with a hot Charles¬ ton to nice round of applause. Col¬ lineaus, circus act, fill the stage with flashy juggling as two men and two distaffers work hoops and clubs. Helen & Howard, stop the show pulling two . encores with a comic dance act in which femme flips male partner over shoulder for round of yocks. Pair opens with ballroom twirls and switches quickly to zany routine. Los Gatos, three-lad aero act, get fine returns with clever hand stands and combos. Trio uses no props and nabs rousing aud re¬ sponse with three-man straight-up and walkaround, for bowoff. Mike Gaylord cuts a slick show * and Lou Weir pleases in the organ in¬ terludes. Guy. Statlcr Hotel, Wash. Washington, Jan. 27. Frankie Carle Orch with the Girl Friends (4), Deborah Kay; Ted Alexander Quartet; $2 cover. Back in Washington for the first time in several years, Frankie Carle offers an attractive layout in the Embassy Room. His unit in¬ cludes a vocal and instrumental quartet, girl singer, and his band. But when everything is boiled down to essentials, it is really Carle at the piano that the customers want and that gets the biggest response. The act could go a little heavier on this, and come out even better. That’s -not to say it doesn’t offer a good chunk of Carle doing his stuff on the 88. In one segment, he rips off such standards as “Star¬ dust,” “Always,” “Ida,” “Shine On, Harvest Moon” and “Chinatown.” Earlier, he whips up a medley of “Piano Roll Blues,” “Margie,” “Missouri Waltz,” “Charmaine” and one or two others. Working with him and building up to him are his new quartet, the Girl Friends—bull fiddle, accor¬ dion, drums and guitar, with vo¬ cals, some dance steps, and an oc¬ casional Greek chorus recitative thrown in. Gals work in an easy, pleasant style. Carle and the girls get together on a Roaring 20’s number which is one of the best shown here in a long time. Gals in knee length -skirts,—.plunking; - ukeleles, - - and- Carle in raccoon coat, gallop de¬ lightfully through such numbers as “Varsity Drag,” “Ain’t She Sweet,” “The Girl Friend,” “Cream in My Coffee” and “Charleston,” for fine returns. They also work well to¬ gether in a jazzed up spiritual with the girls singing and Carle thump¬ ing it out on the keyboard. Stand¬ out of the quartet is Dusty Dryer, a very solid jazz drummer. Miss Dryer handles the skins with plen¬ ty of flash and swing. Deborah Kay, youthful Los An¬ geles chirp, is as pretty and bright and definitely fills the s.a. spot for the unit. On the vocal side, she has quite a bit to learn. However, she handles herself with a con¬ fidence which indicates she should make it. Carle’s orch backgrounds for the show and also plays for the danc¬ ing. In between the Embassy Room's Ted Alexander keeps the dancers moving. Lowe. Eddys\ K. C. Kansas City, Jan. 27. Nelson Eddy (with Gale Sher¬ wood, Theodore Paxson), Tony Di- Pardo Orch (8); $1, $1.50 cover. One of the bigger names to play the Eddy Bros, establishment in recent months. Nelson Eddy (no family connection) in a two-week stand means upping of budget, and if opening night is a criterion an upping of patronage, too. Indica¬ tions point to a bell-ringer, pos¬ sibly a record breaker with a break from the weather. House is with singer Eddy from the start, and it becomes a chummy 40-minute show. Opening is virtu¬ ally straight on “Great Day” and “You Should Be Set To a Melody,” a new tune, before he gets to kid¬ ding with pianist Ted Paxson and the two work out a parodied “Sec¬ ond Hungarian Rhapsody.” “This is My Beloved” is signal for blonde charmer Gale Sherwood, to get into the act. the two making a duet of it on this and trio of proven songs, bringing in 4 the romantic flavor expected by the dyed-in-the- film Eddy fans. Eddy has a solo session to work out his impressions of others imi¬ tating him, and runs through brief reprises on his filmed song hits. “Indian Love Call” brings back Miss Sherwood and the two duet for a walloping finish. Throughout, it’s informal and off-the-cuff, and sure to be a pleasant two weeks. Quin. Shamrock, Houston Houston, Jan. 19. Quintetto Allegro (5). Shep Fields Orch (11); cover, $2-$3; no minimum. Native Italian five is back in the Shamrock Room where, it played one of its early U.S: engagements some three years ago. Group is vending about the same easy-to- take recipe as before—lots of song and clowning spiced with neat turns from all on variety of in¬ struments, with accent on fiddles. Fluid teamwork is a keynote. Spotted is tenor soloist Mario Foni, whose warm, side-of-the mouth Carusoing is okay. His es¬ says into “Sorrento” and “Gra¬ nada” draw big mitts. He also draws palms with his solo on "Oi Mari,” which group works over in variety of styles—straight, a la La Scala, boogie and goosestep. Bunch darts from plain lyricizing in Italian-Spanish to comic bit with all five tangling digits on the keyboard to subdued, serious car¬ bon of marching soldiers, first heard from afar, then at hand, and going, away, called. “Passing of the Regiment.” Latter gets good mitts. Tablers like the fine mime an¬ tics of Luigi Allegretti, who also handles announcing chores. Group wears impeccable garb of either white or blue swallowtail getups for good effect. Show opened in hotel’s Emerald Room to accom¬ modate a company party, and moved to regular stand in Sham¬ rock Room next night. Shep Fields is in the room with his “Rippling Rhythm” crew (with some progressive additions to the book) until April 11. Jackie Aus¬ tin and crooner trumpeter Bob Podell handle vocal chores. Orch cuts show briskly and provides polished dansapation. Bode. Riviera, Las Vegas (FOLLOWUP) Las Vegas, Jan. 30. Olsen & Johnson’s addition to the Riviera marquee during the current fortnight should mean biz pickup for the Clover Room, where b.o. has been way under the past two frames. Little has been altered from the “Hellzapoppin’.” revusical that just closed out a run in L. A. Show is prefaced with a warmup by O&J sidemen who parade through the audience as waiters, customers, etc., getting pretty good yocks with their antics. W ith the curtain going 'up' The two comics unfold their traditional barnstorm¬ ing repertoire and sex is their foil from the outset. The spotlight pops through the audience to pick up offstage ca¬ pers, some of which, when played on the lower floor, are lost from view. But the dialog is loud enough so that the fans seem to get enough to satisfy their appetites in this department. Onstage Olsen & Johnson front their w.k. standbys, while the background is a ever- hanging haze of gunsmoke (raised by the ceaseless firing of pistols at “ducks”), pierced only by the crossovers of the “Hellzapoppin’ ” cast garbed in burly getups. Pa¬ trons here go for the Coney Island courtroom scene and the “You’ll Never Get Away” bit best of all.. The original lineup of Los Chavales de Espana with Trini Reyes, Patty Andrews and the Marquis Family have each scis¬ sored their acts and have been slotted within the framework of the Olsen & Johnson layout. On tl?e bill, Miss Andrews has been tagged "extra-added attraction” and the well-trained chimps of the Marquis clan appear next to the finale. Suffering most from the time axe is Miss Reyes. She now does but one number and then, scrams just when audience reaction has warmed up. In view of the fact that she and the Spanish singing Los Chavales are placed at the top end of the show, Miss Reyes’ spright footwork could well be re¬ tained in its original three-number design, cutting instead some of the Los Chavales songology to give the show early pace. The chorus numbers that launched this opus have been re¬ tained, and the gals have been paged to do some extra choreog raphy behind O&J. Ray Sinatra’s orchestra is up to par, hitting the multitude of cues with deft nreci- sion. Alan. Beverly Hills, Newport Newport, Ky., Jan. 21. Sue Carson, Roily Rolls, Nita & Peppi, Dorothy Dorben Dancers (10), Dick Hyde, Gardner Benedict Orch (10), Jimmy Wilber Trio, Larry Vincent; $3 minimum, $4 Saturdays. Sue Carson, firsting at Greater Cincinnati’s ace bistro, racks up returns which justify her headline spot in the current two-framer, and more visits. The dark-haired and eyed sinn¬ ing comedienne streamlines her figure in a white dress. She scores with mimicry of Billy Eckstine, Lena Horne and others, including a stripteaser and a hillbilly gal. Material is all special and most of it ultra risque. A solid 35 minutes. Roily Rolls, suave musician- humorist with " a French ' accent, packs a lot of merriment into a 25- minute routine, most of it at the Baldwin and with solo and ense n- ble lift from the house crew. An added novelty touch is his playing a pocket-size concertina. Nita & Peppi, favorites here, add boosters with a fleeting five minr utes of gymnastics. The youthful” team polishes off original table and chair stunts, liftups, hand and head balancing with linked whirlwind tumbling. Three new numbers increase popularity of the Dorothy Dorben line, with Dick Ilyde as singing emcee. Jimmy Wilber Trio con¬ tinues to please intermission danc¬ ers and Larry Vincent dittoes '-ith the cocktail room patrons. Koll. Ral Taltariiii, N. Y. Ed Stroll, Jean Mabry, Graziella. Lee Clare, Line (6), Lou Harold & Oscar Calvct Orchs; minimum $3.50. New York nitery-going habits frequently take some peculiar twists. Any cafe not within a select circle might as well be in the most remote parts of the city, as far as the regular nitery-goers are con¬ cerned. The Bal-Tabarin is in a situation of this kind, and fre¬ quently provides a break for many categories of talent. It gives fledg¬ lings a spot to break in, where they can be seen by agents and bookers, and have consultations with writers, arrangers, etc. The Bal Tabarin, older than most niteries in New York has been operated by Johnny & Laurent Hourcle for a number of years with a patronage that comprises mainly party business. Several good groups, and the freres have a good house going. For quite reasonable menu prices, they provide a dis¬ play that has a six-girl line, plus four acts and a pair of orchestras. Producer Jack Lewis, who has been at that spot for 19 years, has put together a well-gaited show comprising some familiar as well as new faces. New act on this oc¬ casion is Ed Stroll. Graziella has been a fixture at lhe;nearby Latin-Quarter. -She i .s-*a - good aero dancer, being adept at. various flips and butterflies which are tied together in a pleasing rou¬ tine. The mono-monickered lass makes a good appearance on the floor. She’s rather tall for acro¬ batic work, but it’s no handicap for her. Lee Claire has a record-panto turn that still needs a lot of pol¬ ishing. Clare has the knack of syn¬ chronization, but his interperta- tions leave much to be desired. Some of his numbers are in the catalog of other acts of this kind, and in any case, he’s got to get a more rounded variety so that he can dispense with some of the femme characters, before he can graduate to the better-heeled spots, However, he gets along nicely here. Opening turn is Jean Mabry, a good-looking dancer, who after a singing opener, goes into a choice line of taps. She has a pleasant style that encompasses several schools of terpsichorean thought and walks off .to a hearty palming. Show music is by Lou Harold, who cuts a precise score. Oscar Calvet Latin-reliefs. Jose. Black Haivk, Frisco San Francisco, Jan. 25. Miles Davis All-Stars (5); $1 ad¬ mission. The Miles Davis combo, in its first appearance locally, is prov¬ ing that a solid jazz act is a reli¬ able draw in these parts. Although the group leaves something to be desired in the visual presentation department, it is equally true that the died-in-the-wool jazz buff cares naught for this, and will faithfully come out to see such contemporary heroes as Davis for the music alone. This factor makes them a solid act for any club which can bring in a jazz crowd and the lack of visuality should not discourage club- owners. Davis himself, recently winner of a jazz poll for his trumpet play¬ ing, is an ace jazz stylist, particu¬ larly on moving numbers such as his own composition "Walkin’’ and the lovely “It Never Entered My Mind.” There are two other out¬ standing soloists with the group, bassist Paul Chambers, whose bow work impresses jazz fans mightily, and drummer Philly Joe Jones. The latter however would do well to cut his freqpent drum solos to a more, reasonable length and not drive all the non-jazz fans from the 1 premises. Rafe. Nautilus, Miami Beach Miami Beach, Jan. 30, Jan Murray, Sylvia Karlton, An- tone & Ina, Syd Stanley Orch; $3.50 minimum... Jan Murray is making one of his infrequent, returns to the cafe cir-: cult from tv for this 10-day revisit to the-Driftwood Room here, where he played three seasons ago. He’s now an even more potent lure for the cafegoers, thanks to the video rep built, racking up solid busi¬ ness nightly—a rarity for this downtownery of late. Murray is still a fast-thinking, hard-hitting comedian, working with an inherent gusto that wins the tablers from walkon. With it, he imparts a feeling that he’s not taking matters serious.y, that it’s all a matter of relaxing while he kicks up a laugh session. End re¬ sult is a happy one for all con¬ cerned. Material is shrewdly tailored to the ribticklers. Auditors can iden¬ tify themselves with: suburban home building, life with the fam¬ ily, barbed comments on patrons, heck'ing of waiters and jabs at the “new” hotel building penchants of hoteliers in the vicinity. Inter¬ weaving of soundly built yarns and his standard “Clown” number rounds out a 45-minute stint that is tops for likability. Understood he’s trying to arrange his video schedule to allow for more booking around the better club circuit. If so, he'll solve comedy niche prob¬ lems for many of the better clubs. Sylvia Karlton, blonde, attrac¬ tive young soprano, clicks with her trillings. Her arrangements are above par with shrewd tune selec¬ tion adjusted to a soaring range that embraces either a pop, musi- comedy or concert aria effectively to earn enthusiastic listener ac¬ ceptance. Antone & Ina, house dancers, tee off proceedings with spirited routinings. Syd Stanley and his crew handle the showbacks in top manner and provide inviting dansapation. Lary. London London, Jan. 26. Pink Champagne,” with George & Bert Bernard, Lee Sharon, Fra} c- son, Vivienne & Tassi, Alissande White, Barry Kent, Evans, Page & Hutton, Magy Fiizgibbon, Woolf Phillips Orch. Presented by Ber¬ nard Delfont; devised and staged by Robert Nesbitt. $9 minimum -opening-night;-thereaf ter A.- - -.- London night life is given a needed transfusion by the bold policy inaugurated by A1 Burnett at the Pigalle, Piccadilly, which he took over latter part of last year. The room has been redecorated to give it a lush, warm appearance, and a rising floor has been added to enhance facilities for stage pre¬ sentations. The first presentation under his management is way ahead of any¬ thing seen in London’s West End since the war. For sheer spectacle, lavishness and styling, it rivals am¬ bitious legit productions. And just as no expense has been spared in costuming and production gener¬ ally, they’ve not stinted either on the talent side. George & Bert Bernard, Frakson and Lee Sharon would be acceptable headliners in their own right in many other West End spots. George & Bert Bernard, who head the bill, again get a boff re¬ action for their zany and over-ex¬ aggerated miming to disks played offstage. Their treatment of “Call Me Madam,” “Carmen Jones” and “Rose Marie,” among others, has the customers rolling. George Pierce, who takes care of the rec¬ ord-playing department, joins them on stage for some windup fooling. Lee Sharon is a lively blonde who goes through the motions of some simple stepping before launching into her strip routine. This is well paced and done na¬ turally without coy suggestiveness. Miss. Sharon also appears (in the semi-nude) as the Aphrodite in the finale. Frakson’s facility for pro¬ ducing lighted cigarettes, seem¬ ingly out of thin air, never fails to intrigue. Ditto his card tricks, in which the selected card rises on its own volition from a glass jar. Viviene & Tassi, an above-average juggling duo, work together with speed and precision. Although the specialty acts play a major part in the presentation, the emphasis on spectacle emerges in the production numbers. These are lush, lavish and eye-filling, and include a line of high-grade look¬ ers who add more than just dec¬ orative effect. They, with vocalists Alissande White and Barry Kent, the fancy terping by Evans, Page & Hutton and the touch of sophis- ticlion contributed by Magy Fitz- gibbon, help to make this the brightest cafe entertainment in town. Woolf Phillips composed and arranged the score and his resi- dent Pigalle combo assures; stand¬ out. suooort. Mnro.