Variety (April 1956)

NIGHT CLUB REVIEWS 81 Wednesday, April 18, 1956 PfiiilEfY Holel Uoosevel*, N. O. New Orleans, April 15. Sophie Tucker (with Ted Sha¬ piro), Blackburn Twins; Jerry Mer¬ cer Orch (11); $2.50 minimum. The indestructible Sophie Tucker is back for a two-week B tand in the plush Blue Room and, as always, rates the big adjectives. La Tucker’s talk-songs, be they innuendos or out-and-out sexy, net as much applause today.as did her heartwarming tunes !of yesteryedr. The results are strictly for belly laughs, which come fast. ’ The sil¬ ence the vet commands while on stage is a tribute to her showman¬ ship- Miss Tucker, who’s been at it row for 52" years, opens her stint with a breezy intro of • her many years before the ■ public, then segues into lyrical advice to the lovelorn and hilarious tales on the battle of the sexes. The. way she handles her material no one can take offense. Her "Matrimonial Mart” auction bit and warbling of' “Myron” are highlights of her turn,” as were her highlights of her turn,” as are her philosophical bit, "Be As Big As The World You Live In.” Miss Tucker winds up show with her "Sophie Tucker For President” turn, tossing out "campaign” but¬ tons to tableholders, as souvenirs. Ted Shapiro, accomping on the piano, is again her 'accomplice in much of the banter. The Blackurn Twins tee off show with songs and topdrawer hoofing, with their trademarked mirror dance the standout. 'Score solidly. Jerry Mercer orch provides nice backing for show and play for ankle-bending sessions. Liuz. L’Eeluse, Paris Paris, April 8. Leo Noel, Marottes (3), Freres Ennemies (2), Denise Benoit, Jean Roger Caussimon, Tags Bros. (3), Marie-Josee Neuvillq; $1.60 min¬ imum. Small Left Bank club, off Place Saint Michel, has; become a start¬ ing placfe for many' >new - offbeat acts and also a spot where other type show biz people can break in acts they have always yearned to do. Reasonable prices get the younger set, and it' is primarily for the Gallic crowds looking for the different in nitery, spectacles. Long narrow room'has a miniscule stage which houses over seven acts. Owner'is Leo Noel, who emcees and also gives a song recital of catching street songs accompany¬ ing himself on a hand brgan. Rich, throaty piping plus an underlying sincerity, make this a solid entry. Marie-Josee Neuville is a pig¬ tailed adolescent who gives out a series of self-cleffed;ditties on the various sides of adolescence with a simplicity and poetic side that show her to be a future special¬ ized song star. Freres Ennemies (2) do comedic impressions to sopgs : with enough risible invention to make this a good turn in this type boite. Denise Benoit is a pert, zesty singer with a way with unusual songs, and is in her element in takeoffs on the turn-of-the-century singers. Jean- Roger Caussimon is an actor de¬ livering some songs • he authored about lowlife yearning. Sinister appearance belies song content, and this is acceptable in this type club but Caussimon "looks better to stick to his thesing rather than affronting boite audiences'. He is, however, warmly mitted by a crowd that is obviously in to back and enjoy this show. ' Tags Bros. (3) do a record-mime takeoff mostly to Spike Jones plat¬ ters. Lingo loss is never saved by the obvious mumming, and this act compares quite unfavorable to the U.S. counterparts. It does have come yocks and crowd does go »long with them. , Marottes (3) ai;e a beguiling puppet act that wind this 2V£-hour,. show. Act ooks Mdy for special placing in U 'rM boi * es or a s a video entry. . is worth a tourist Iooksee tor those wanting a feel of the un¬ touched Left Bank literary night- J,fe - - ■ Mosk. Bradford Roo|: Boston .. „ Bostpn, April 4. Al Nessor, Libby Dean, Prullie & i allow, Harry DeAngelis Orch l 5 ’’ Versitones (3); Minimum s>z.50. Nessor, standup . comic, h a furthers on a .hilarious ki at Al Taxler's roof garden with h fii5« gags * nd • Sets nice i i nS n W JS. his identification "Gu Ran D< 2 ls m edley. Nessor plavi Benny Southstreet in the N.Y. Ci of “Guys and Doll AnVi a slick character b £ud tabs rhumba bit and Indi; outstanding and -Ness Pms a steady line of patter < subjects ranging from his promi¬ nent nose to rock ’n’ roll, all for big yocks along the way. Winds .up with "Love Thy Neighbor” after a knockout 45-minute stint. ‘Libby Dean, nicely-gowned bru¬ net chirp in sparkly white lace dress with lush figure, gets across with some .torchy blues numbers and puts on a one-woman show with a satire on a stripper and spe¬ cial material with patter. "Cry Me a River” showcases her Husky pipes in nice fashion for good returns. A song about "Little Suzanne” on the naughty side catches laughs. Medleys of special material and a schmaltzy "Swanee” get her off to a nice round. Prullie. & Tallow open the show with contortion dapce act in which femme is a gasp-inducer with impossible-looking stands on partner’s ‘'shoulders and arms. Harry DeAngelis orch cuts a slick show. Versitones please in the in¬ terludes. Guy. Santlft, Las Vegas Las Vegas, April 10. Marguerite Piazza, Joey Bishop, Beachcombers (3) (with Natalie), Jack Bunch, Copa Girls (10)., An¬ tonio Morelli Orch (10); $2 mini¬ mum. The run to this casino will abate somewhat during the next three weeks with Marguerite Piazza top¬ lining. Following the Martin & Lewis madhouse with a week of Frank Sinatra is no easy chore for anyone to equal house records much less an act that. carries a stamp of longhair entertainment. Nevertheless, Miss Piazza gives a good showing with an act on the chichi side. Her return in six months finds no change in format, having the same setting, miming and terping of Jack Bunch punch¬ ing up the songs, and mandolinist John Cali on a stool, strumming accomps. The Piazza pipes are eloquent in the segue thrushing of several Italian songs leading into a cos¬ tume change onstage for a chir¬ ruping of "I’ve Got You' Under My Skin,” crooning a lullaby, and a splendid peak -in the aria, "Un Bel Di.” Her "jazz” sequence with skirt flung off, exposure of gams, is good pace-changer. The vocalis- ■ tics are on the shrill side and the attempted jazz phrasings don’t come .off too well in the medley closing, with "When the Saints.” For this, there is a Dixieland quin¬ tet from the orch blowing some lusty notes. Joey Bishop takes his kidding of "sincere humor” into a neat payoff, meandering through the Las Vegas file, ribbing of patrons, song titles, and inane jest of Ted Lewis. Copa Girls hold over opening "Calypso,” with the expressive warblings of the Beachcombers & Natalie re¬ placing the four Sand Men. In the spacer between Bishop and Miss Piazza, the solid song foursome is again featured in -"Spring Has Sprung.” and terp with the line chicks. The Morelli crew continues its fine show backing standard. Will. Chateau Madrid* N- Y* Malagon Sisters (3), Paco, Curro, Diego Amaya. Line (3), Ralph Font and Pancho Orchs; $3.50 minimum. The Malagons and the Amayas uphold the Spanish tradition of this bistro. The Malagons, a sis¬ ter trio from • the Dominican Re¬ public, are exuberant chirpers who keep things jumping from the mo¬ ment they ascend the tiny plat¬ form. ‘ It’s a flashy, spirited turn, often so busy and full of move¬ ment and action that the jubila¬ tion assumes a frenzied aspect. The act is frequently appealing in its quieter moments. A number of the mixture of Spanish-French- English songs effectively hit the mark. The Latino lookers are poised and display a showmanlike flair with their chirping-terping-bongo beating efforts. The exaggerated clowning and mugging, however, detracts from the overall effect. The Amayas—Paco, Curro and Diego—are more in the strict Espagnol idiom. Paco and Curro concentrate on the familiar heeL stomping flamenco dance style while Diego renders the gloomy, yet haunting, guitar music that is strictly Barcelona and Madrid. The clack-clack precision terping is good for a short' turn but, as a whole, it appears repetitious. The sombre tones. of Diego’s guitar, while pleasant to the ear, seemed more appropriate for a quiet cock¬ tail lounge than for a nitery audi¬ ence more interested in dancing to the best of the mambo and the cha-cha-cha. F6r good measure, the Chateau Madrid throws ip a streamlined chorus made up of a line of three. The Ralph Font orch hacks th.e ab¬ breviated show and alternates with the Panqhq crew, for the customers’ hip-swinging sessions. • Roll. Komoedie, Berlin Berlin, April 3. Wolfgang Neuss and Wolfgang Mueller present “Schiess Mich, Tell” (Shoot Me, Tell) m 17 num¬ bers. Stars Neuss, Mueller; features Brigitte Grothum, Edith Elsholtz, Eklcehard Reinke, Heinz Holl and Spree City Stompers (6). Written by Neuss, Wolfgang Mueller, Det- lef Mueller, Hdchfeld, Morlock Thierry. Musical arrangements and compositions by Ekke Schmidt. At Komoedie (am Kurfuerstendamm), Berlin; $2 top. Berlin’s cabaret life, once (par¬ ticularly in the ’20s) a special pride of this city, has regained much of its lost ground during past years. In the main, Guenter Neumann & His'Islanders, a RIAS satire group, and the Porcupines, a bunch • of young entertainers, have contrib¬ uted to the prestige of local cab¬ aret. Newest item along the line is “Shoot Me, Tell,” an excellent piece of mostly satirical cabaret entertainment currently running at tht. Komoedie. It's cabaret at its best, and also the most talked- about, late-night attraction of Ber¬ lin’s Sophisticated nightclubbers at present. Calling itself a "musical confer¬ ence” and. consisting of 17 differ¬ ent items,’program stars Wolfgang Neuss and Wolfgang Mueller, two of this city’s most prominent comedians who, via night clubs, tv, films and legit presenta¬ tions (both are currently also in “Kiss Me, Kate,” portraying the two crooks, at the same house), have long established their careers here. Both comedians’ humor ranges from grotesque clownery 10 light-hearted philosophy, always with an authentic tquch, and they obviously enjoy themselves with their tailor-made stuff. Taking the immortal William Tell (Schiller’s dramatization) saga as basis,' topic centers around the problem, drawbacks and head¬ line-making personalities of the. day, occasionally dating back to the Hitler area and then making comparisons. With gags galore coming, along at full speed,- they poke fun at everything arid every¬ body, in a very pleasant and never cheap way. The musical background is .well provided by the Spree City Stomp¬ ers, a six-piece dixie group, while minor parts are adequately handled by Heinz Holl (as Russian), Ekke- hard Reinke (as American), and Edith Elsholtz and Brigitte Groth¬ um, the latter two singing sortie satirical songs. . Apart from Neuss and Mueller, who wrote much material them¬ selves, Hachfeld, Morlock, Detlef Mueller and Thierry, all well- known local cabaret writers, contributed their talents. Ekke Schmidt wrote the catchy music, mostly originating from popular ditties. The press has given this show excellent reviews, some praising "Shoot Me, Tell” as the greatest among the current local cabaret programs. It looks in for a long run. Hans. Blinstfruli’s, Host on (FOLLOWUP) Boston, April 11. With a $5 minimum, highest of the season, and the McGuire Sis¬ ters, boniface Stanley Blinstrub is having a record breaking week in his outsized l,70(Kseater. Sister act shows a slick nitery turn with plenty of pro polish, sight gim¬ micks and individual bits for rous¬ ing ovations on. every offering. They wrap up with effortless ease pouring on songs and sister gags through a 45-minute begoff stint. Smartly styled in blue sequin halter gowns, the three chirps open with "When the Saints Come Marching In,” and swing to "Some¬ thing’s Gotta Give” for heavy mit¬ ting. A special material number, "Isn’t it a Shame, What Happened to Mary,” gets over brightly, set¬ ting the segue into "You’re So Much a Part of Me,” in which sight gimmicks of smoke and coke bottles are used to good effect. "Alabama Jubilee” gets maximum returns and three go into comedy music bit with sax and on the 88. They have a boff "Sisters” produc¬ tion number in which Phyllis gets big returns with carbons of Rose¬ mary Clooney, Jo Stafford, Eartha Kitt and Vaughn Monroe. Called back again, they finish off with a neat tap routine and "Think of Me* Kindly” signature. Balance of the show l$.,the same as last week. Guy. Cameo* N. Y. • Connie Anderson, Mauri Linn & Ken Watts, Roger Steele Trio, Stan Free; $4-$5 minimums. The Cameo,-one of the new east- side ..nitery establishments, is. 'ap¬ parently having difficulty finding headliners. This trip room has brought in thrush Connie Ander¬ son to head the bill—she’s a looker -but she’s no marquee lure^ Warbler looks like a major leaguer in a tight-fitting red gown appealingly set off by her blond coif, but she needs a better song- bag pattern to get a bigtime stand¬ ing. Working with special song material, contributed mostly by Eli Basse, Miss Anderson flits through a series of items that lack real punch. She mixes up the tune parodies w i t h an occasional straight -ballad for a nicely round¬ ed set. However, the whole thing never seems to ignite. Best laugh- getter in her comedy antics is a takeoff of Marilyn Monroe warb- bling "Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend.” Mauri Linn & Ken Watts, a Ne¬ gro piano-warbling duo, have a nifty turn on the podium Team is reviewed in New Acts. On the instrumental side are the Roger Steele Trio and key¬ boarder Stan Free. The trio, pi¬ ano, bass, guitar, whip up a pleas¬ ant potpourri of pop standards with an occasional vocal thrown in. Free’s 88 work is flashy and stimulating and keeps the aud at¬ tentive throughout. Gros. ^neatfe's* Portland* Rre. Portland,. Ore., April 11. Estelita, Dandecs (2), Gay nor & Ross, Herman Jobclman Orch (6), Mikilani Fo & Buddy; cover $1.50. Estelita is making her debut in this area and from reaction of opening niters, she will become a regular returnee. The vivacious, pert little Cuban gal wins the plau¬ dits of the customers with her ter¬ rific chirping, personality, ahd vet showmanship. Her comedy also scores. Broken English intros of her numbers are fine. Best bets are a serious version of "Bull¬ fighter’s Prayer” and Cuban hill¬ billy bit. The Dandees, in the deuce spot, slam out plenty of music on accor¬ dions, trumpet, and piano for 17 fast minutes. Talent-loaded duo work hard and have a nifty change of pace. Benny Danson handles the squeezebox and talking bits, while Tommy Derring pleases with impreshes of Liberace, Satchmo, and trumpet greats. Gaynor & Ross get things under way with a fast skating stint. Mixed duo work on an elevated portable platform for solid returns. Herman Jobelman and his house^ crew play a fine show and set the' tempo for dancing throughout the evening. A Hawaiian duo, Mikilani Fo & Buddy, keep the lounge cus¬ tomers entertained with their gui¬ tar, drums, piano, ahd warbling. Feve. Gatineau* Ottawa Ottawa, April 9. Richards & Long, Roberls (2), Dick Olson, Craig-Daye Girls (6 >, Champ Champagne Orch (3); $1 admission. Richard & Long are slick-looking lads, okay chanters, with Long a socko tapster. The act is staged for top impact, but the duo’s com¬ edy material, presented ably, is weak. Equip this pair with stronger scripting for gab stints and the stanza would sell high. They top the bill at the Gatineau currently and get good returns from the tablesitters. Apache pair, The Roberts, gamer mitting from spins and thrill aero bits but the rest 1 of the routine needs building to lift the item out of the so-so category. Also their gab session, kidding the way they speak French, turns out to be embarrassing in this 50-50 French-English section. Should chanter Dick Olson over¬ come nervous shyness at the mi¬ crophone, his okay pipes would make him a stronger nitery bet. Lad handles a solo session plus chant chores with the- line, and scores well in spite of his evident timidity. The Craig-Daye Girls are stacked lookers extravagantly dressed in all three appearances in costumes reminiscent of ZiegfeJd days. Their terping is routine, but who cares? New in the lounge is Yvonne Linauze, capable 88er-can- ,ary who drew plenty kudosfor her opener (9). Champ Champagne band handles showbacking and dance'tunes. Gorm. Dallas Spot Bows "Dallas April 17. Nick De George opened his Club Marquis here yesterday (Mon.) with the Milt Raymond quintet on the bandstand. Raymond comes here from the Mayflower Hotel in Washington. Beverly Hills, Newport Newport, Ky., April 14. Denise Darcel, Clark Bros., •Johnny Morgan, Dorothy Dorben Dancers (9), Dick Hyde, Gardner Benedict Orch (10), Jimmy Wilber Trio, Larry Vincent; $3 minimum, $4 Saturdays. This two-framer is a score for Denise Darcel, who’s revealing her charms to Greater Cincinnati nightclubbers for the first time. Her billion-franc figure stream¬ lined in a gown of black sequins, Miss Darcel clicks in all of her 35- rnrnute appearance. Women ring- siders enjoy her as much as their escorts. Her talk in a cute French- English mixture, captivating smile and strutting help register low- voiced singing in the two lan¬ guages. Clark Bros., Negro hoofing team, back for a third visit, uncork pro¬ ceedings with a quarter-hour of distinctive tap, soft shoe and aero specialties. Solid and ticketed for repeats. Johnny Morgan, comic, proves a master salesman of corny chatter, buttered with imitations of pop.singing greats. Dependable Dorben Dancers and tne house crew batoned by Gardner Benedict, plus singing emcee Dick Hyde, fi'l out a pleasing SO-’^inute floor show. Koll. 4 hauillere, <H t an n Ottawa, April 10. P ters Sisters {3), w Billy Kelly, Lucky Girls (7), Harry Poiy Orch (8); $1 admission. Intricate arrangements and stag¬ ing, socko pipes and ability to send their happy atmosphere out into the room, collect hefty palmslaps and many kudos for the Peters Sis¬ ters in their initial local appear¬ ance. Heading the Rose Room bill in the Chaudiere Club, the hefty femmes dispJay socko canarying and showmanship to make their stanza top-run. From "Gotta Be This Or That” opener in solid bounce tempo through musicomedy items and other pops, Peters girls keep the pace fast but never fran¬ tic. and work to begoffs. Held over is comic emcee Billy Keliy to give the bill balance, and the-Lucky Girls line in three ses¬ sions, one of them acro-laden. Harry Pozy band gives socko back¬ ing to show and plays lor dancing. Gorm. Kelly (Gene) - Continued from pa Re 3 ■ ~ lowing day when he stayed on for more press interviews, etc. Writeups which appeared in the illustrated press prior to the open¬ ing, stemming from a special pre¬ view arranged for the picture in advance, were 100% favorable and praised the experimental film as an innovation in musical filmfarc, being the initial pure dance pic¬ ture without any dialog whatso¬ ever. They lauded its wealth of imaginative ideas, its good taste and technical perfection. Audience reaction on opening night was terrific. Pic was greeted with spontaneous mitting not only at the end, but after almost -every dance number and following eacn episode. This is also considered a rarity here, as applause is almost never heard in a l'ilmbouse. Audi¬ ence reaction reached its climax at Kelly’s improvised onstage speech at the end of the last per¬ formance, after which thunderous mitting was registered for min¬ utes. Fly Kelly Pic - Continued from 'page 2 ■ - , 7 nection with the Air France plane taking off for New York. TV newsreels have formed their own pool. Theatrical reels hope to greatly narrow down the tradition¬ ally considerable time lag between presentation of the film oh the air and its bow in the theatres. The religious wedding ceremony linking Miss Kelly and the Prince are due for tomorrow* and Friday and again . will be covered by a newsreel pool for inclusion into next Monday’s issue. Spokesman for the reels in N.Y. said authorities in Monaco had been very fair and cooperative in their dealings with the newsreels. Latter had to sign a contract which included a variety of stipulations designed to maintain the dignity cf the occasion and to avoid the impression that there was any desire for publicity on the part of Monaco. In the instance of the tv reels, they had to agree that, in the pres¬ entation of the wedding story,* no commercials would be used within three minutes of either side of the. i wedding footage/ /