Variety (May 1956)

Tffednefiday, tyfay 30, 1956 P^SSWff REVIEWS 51 i New Acts HORACE McMAHON With Geene Courtney & Charles Reynolds . . Sketch 15 Mins. Palace, NiY. f Horace McMahon, whose entry on stage is generally accomped by applause, is a competent actor who has been in dozens of films, has had an important role in the legiter “Detective Story” among others, and has. appeared in many vaude flyers during his career. In this attempt at the Palace, he’s seeking to revive what is vir¬ tually a lost skill—the one-act playlet that used to be a mainstay on the vaude circuits 6f a former era Obviously it’s a tall order. Playwrights no longer think in terms of vehicles for vaiide, and the standard patterns of play con¬ struction do not apply. The play¬ wright has to get to the heart of the subject very shortly with little- buildup and the dialog has to.be in terms of action. " * . McMahon’s entry, “Three Time Loser,” meets most of these re¬ quirements. Only drawback is the need of additional editing to cut down a few minutes. The-sketch is P roductive of some fine thesping y the star and his colleagues, Geene Courtney and Charles Rey¬ nolds. McMahon has been sent up for three stretches and a next time commits him to a life term. He seeks money from Miss Courtney, recipient of many favors in the past. She has since remarried and, in response to McMahon’s plea for $10,000 so tha't he can set himself up in a business, she produces only $500. Her husband, Reynolds, an elderly and jealous banker, sup¬ plies the rest in return for. a con¬ dition which commits his wife to virtual slavery. She elects to re¬ sume with McMahon instead. Basically, it’s a good vaude vehi¬ cle that can hold its own in any similar situation. It needs a bit of pruning so that some of the exposi¬ tion is eliminated, and which would permit the more action-laden se¬ quences to predominate, However, there’s entertainment in this sketch for every segment of audi¬ ence and it does draw excellent hands on the basis of performance. Act has potential on a major video' variety show. Act was written by James P. Davis, a N.Y. Daily News staffer, who has good conception of the re¬ quirements of this medium, and staging is such that the maximum dramatic values are obtained. Set of a hotel room is okay. Jose. ANDY STEWART Comedy 12 .Mins. Empire, Glasgow Robust little comedian with the auld lang syne dialect has potential for success if he can strike out on a line of his own, and not be a mere amalgam of other comedy stars. As is, .he’s . dying at moment mainly on impressions of estab¬ lished comedy artistes. Using as a basis a nonsensical Scot-accented tune called “Oh, Ye Cannae Shove Yer Granny Aff A Bus,” he imper¬ sonates this as it would be ren¬ dered by a local Scot girl, a croon¬ er 1 and by Johnnie Ray in his much-copied “Cry” style. Come¬ dian’s flair for impressions is of a good standard, and he scores with a take-off of the new deadpan Scot comedian Chic Murray and his explaining - the - obvious style of patter. Winds this bit by using Murray’s signature song, “China Doll.” / = / Comedian has hard-bitten cheeky face.with combo of Mickey Rooney forwardness and Joe-* E. Brown mouth, and could use a lot of new Patter and gags to suit such a face instead of stressing the impres¬ sions. Has potential • for Wider vaude and tv bookings if properly snaped and stage personality sharp¬ ened. Gord. VAGABOUNDERS (3) Trampoline 8 Mins. Ak-Sar-Ben, Omaha Vagabounders are a . youthful, hard-working team with good trampoline acrobatics that make tnem fine for vaude or fair dates. ■Boy is the standout performer, while his wife, a double for Jayne Mansfield, serves as more than window dressing, Kids have a cute gimmick in the boy catching her in adagio poses when she com¬ pletes a trick. Added punch comes when their youngster, a 3-year-old, joins mom and pop for a Ifttle^ bouncing on the mattress. . .. 3Rrunip. POMPOFF, THEDY & FAMILY Comedy 11 Mins. Palace, N. Y. Pompoff, Thedy & Family is an import from Spain which takes the form of an accomplished musical novelty suitable for virtually any largeseat cafe, outdoor and theatre situations. It’s a well-drilled act which utilizes magic, several in¬ struments, and comedy all tied to¬ gether with skill and showmanship. The comedy is of the European school. There are two comics and a,, straight, latter being used mainly as a musical support at the piano, plus a few odd chores that facili¬ tates the work of the others. The cgmics are excellent pantomimists with a.lot of surprise antics that gets the crowd continually. It’s an excellently blueprinted turn that applies the grand comedy that can carry in huge halls, coupled with subtlety best appreciated by adult audiences. It’s - a turn for all age groups and for virtually every theatrical situation, including tv. Jose. JACKIE KAHANE Comedy 40 Mifis. Bradford Roof, Boston Jackie Kahane, around for some time in Canada and fringe U. S. cities, but not yet documented in Variety, is a crewcutted little chap who can handle comedy and pathos ip the same stint and make it come out fine all around. Using offbeat material, he gags and clowns in the usual fashion displaying great pickup on the repartee end point¬ ing everything towards his big bit, a straight from-the-shoulder talk between a clown and a mythical stage struck kid. Pulling a stool up to the mike, he takes a spot, sits down and nestles a makeup kit in his lap. While applying the makeup, he gets off an appealing spiel to the kid about the frustra¬ tions of show biz. A telephone call interrupts and the clown is told there’s a big^agent from faraway out front to see him. He winds up inviting the kid to come out front and “see me knock ’em dead” and launches into a special material song on show biz. Kahane comes on with a conduc¬ tor’s money changing apparatus around his belt and offers quarters and halfs for laughs, blending this in with a special material song roaming the ringside and passing out the change. He dispenses about $6 a night in this fashion, and writes it off with his song, “I Still Get a Feeling that it Pays to Pay for Your Laughs.” I Kahane does some tricky bits with a trumpet on "Beguine,” and |yoks it up with a Russian number. On his offbeat kick, he calls in a Martian spaceship, invites all the ! passengers for the ride, while the band plays “Martian” music, not audible to human . ears. Kahane weaves this fantasy bit to nice round. Comic makes the most of a natural aud appeal and looks to be a good bet for all rooms. I Guy. JACKIE LITTLE Songs 13 Mins. City Auditorium, Omaha (Miss) Jackie Little is a good- looking, biomie vocalist well equipped with voice and showman¬ ship. Although her black, plain dress could be improved upon, it was proper enough for the aud that turned out for Elvis Presley. Miss Little’s selection of four songs proved her versatility and she looms as a good bet to climb iiPher field'. Trump. RONNY SHELDON Songs 13 Mins. Chaudiere, Ottawa Ronny Sheldon has a fine set of pipes but is sorely in need of an act. During the month he has been In the Chaudiere Club’s Rose Room as line chanter, this is his first solo stint and from the sound angle, he’s clicko. . . If, with experience and training, he gains the confidence and-slick¬ ness a chant act needs to please the tablesitters, Sheldon will be a good bet for niteries and video. Gorm. ANNY FRATELLINI Songs 30 Mins. Le Carroll's, Paris Anny Fratellini is a pert, fresh looking girl with a taking, clown¬ ish face probably harking back to her parentage which is tbat\pf the famed Fratellini clowns. She* dis¬ plays this sawdust,background in her trouper aspect^- As a singer she still heeds to be redone cou- turewise, and though voice has some guile and zest it' is still un¬ formed and needs more work and control. She Is definitely a show personality and when, she learns the rudiments of mike presence and the proper songalog to match her ebullient looks and personal¬ ity. might well emerge a special¬ ized star singer. She also finishes with circus shenanigans of playing various instruments and then two little accordions. This might be salvaged for an offbeat encore but windup with cartwheels etc. could be easily pared with no loss. Hubby Philippe Brun backs her in the instrumentalist parts of the act. When girl is honed to her highest possibilities she could be a telling U. S. entry for specialized boites. Mosk. RICHARD WILSON Songs 10 Mins. Apollo, N. Y. An Apollo firsttimer, this “Chance of a Lifetime” champ’s pipes suggest a wholesome pro fu¬ ture. Richard Wilson, a likeable Negro4Fx>aritone with plenty of youth to compensate for the mild rough spots, does “Foggy Day,” “Young and Foolish,” “World On A String” and “Dance All Night” encore. At the Apollo this type of per¬ former is generally up against it, particularly when the pewsters ex¬ pect all rhythm & blues. Wilson is no exception for this audience, but he shows that he knows his music, with nice jazz routining on "Foggy” and “String.” “Dance All Night,” from “My Fair Lady” score, is where he breaks slightly; doesn’t hold onto rich baritone quality throughout, and road is made tougher by inadequate back- stopping of Paul Williams band. Art. FOUR MINTS I Songs 35 Mins, Carmichael’s, Birmingham Young singers from Texas show plenty of versatility in their quick switches from a smooth ballad to a rock ’n’ roll done with gyrations. Male quartet puts plenty of pep into own composition, "Busy Body Rock,” which they recorded on the Lin label and plenty of feeling into the spiritual “Swing Low Sweet Chariot.” Act is spiced with the guitar playing* by James Wilson, lead singer, and the trumpet piaying by Aubie McSwain, baritone. A1 Warr, oldest of the group, Is emcee and bass. Gene Warr is first tenor. The 4 Mints are second generation in the quartet field, and have been singing together all their lives, having started on the gospel sing¬ ing circuit at 13. Fred. AL JACKSON & THE FAT MEN Songs-Comedy 13 Mins. Apollo, N.Y. Biggest fatso of the lot, A1 Jack- son shows up pretty well in solo, even though he’s reputed to have rejected further one-man stands for the embrace of the three other stouts. Not especially because he works his routining that way, but Jackson seems to be the only suc¬ cessful performer of the Negro quartet. He J s stage hep, has a good baritone voice and his mon¬ ologs have pace and substance, but the other refugees from Sigmund Klein’s huskies department aren’t much in vocal unison and usually aren’t positive about what to do with hands and-faces. After a warmly-received solo en- tre, Jackson teams with The Fat Men in “Without a Song,” he at one mike and others bundled around a second. They continue with “Teach Me Tonight,” and again Jax comes off best. Collec¬ tion of impressions, where lyric technique plays second fiddle to accuracy of imitation, is only p\ace where support makes out. Leader, abojit like Jackie Gleason in ’di¬ mensions, with or without any as¬ sistance, is good for vaude elites and less-discerning nitery stands. Art. MARGA LLERGO Songs 35 Mins. Le Carroll’s, Paris Hefty Mexican singer may well be described as the "last of the red hot mamacitas” from down under. She has a bombast and belting voice that fills a club to crescendo heights. All this fervor is backed by an excellent voice and she sud¬ denly faurs.ts into rhythmic carioca dances that display a fine pair of gams under the avoirdupois. She has the trouper quality and has en¬ tered her fine phase and looks more than ready for XL S.' club unveiling. ' Her versatility and voice could make her of equal usage for U. S. revue, club or more subdued boites going for the rhythmic Latino American songs, -Mosk.- House Reviews Music Hall. N. Y. * “Metropolis ” produced by Leon Leonidoff, With the Rockettes, Three Houcs, Pat Henning, Ed Powell, Corps de Ballet, Choral Ensemble; settings, James Stewart , Morcom; costumes, designed by Frank Spen¬ cer, executed by Louise Bayer; lighting effects, Eugene Braun; spe¬ cial lyrics, Albert Stillman; Music Hall Symphony, directed by Ray¬ mond Paige; “Bhowani Junction ” (M-G), reviewed in Variety, May 9, 1956. bustle and bustle that’s the hall¬ mark of New York’s contemporary scene have been spectacularly re¬ created in “Metropolis,” a Leon Leonidoff production. It’s a rich tapestry of Gotham that should prove delightful entertainment to natives and hinterlanders alike. High spot is a traffic “jam ses¬ sion” in which the Rockettes emerge from the hood of a car as 36 (count ’em) sparkplugs to ignite an eyecatching display of imagina¬ tive precision dancing. Accentuat¬ ing the effectiveness of the se¬ quence as well as others to follow are the fine settings of James Stewart Morcom, the Frank-Spen- cer costumes and Eugene Braun’s lighting effects. Sandwiched in the session are a couple of vaude turns, the Three Houcs and comedian Pat Henning. While the size of this huge theatre occasionally militates against the success of a juggling turn, with small props, the Houcs (two femmes and a male) take it in their stride to give a fascinating display of hoop tossing. Trio also draws fancy mitts via lightning dexterity with Indian clubs. Less impressive is Henning, who runs through some fair impreshes of Bette Davis. Wallace Beery, Charles Boyer, Lionel Barrymore, etc. His draft board routine wins okay results until he quotes the doctor as saying: “I’m afraid you’ll have to go to the mountains for your kidneys.” The reply: “I didn’t know they were up there.” That’s a sample of his so-so material. Palace Works Up Steam At Its 7th Anni; Too Closely . Geared to Geriatric Set? Opening of the anni show of the Palace Theatre last week (25) re¬ calls the preem of the house at its resurrection of stageshows seven years ago. The lines were around the corner, the audience was enthusiastic to the fever point, and the feeling that the oldtime vaude devotees had at last found a home still applies today. However, there are some vast differences. In the intervening years, booker Danny Friendly has learned a lot about the house and its audience and can pick up ’a show that’s almost always a crowd pleaser. The grosses have held a steady level and the doubts cast in the direction of the Palace’s stay¬ ing powers with stageshows has long since been dispelled. . One of the drawbacks, though, lies in the fact that the audience is culled from the elderly group. The shows must be set up to please the geriatric set, and only occa¬ sionally can these social security recipients be given a new turn that will continue the breed. Nonethe¬ less, in its. seven-year, span, the Palace has hit its quota of new talent. It’s been an excellent show¬ case for a lot of performers who hr.ve since gone on to other sec¬ tions of the industry. Friendly has exceeded himself budgetarily and entertainment- wise with this layout. The head¬ liners include Pat Rooney, who Palace* I\. Y. Mitzi’s Lucky Girls (1), Walter Walters Jr., Pompoff, Thedy &. Family; Horace McMahon (with Geene Courtney & Charles Rey¬ nolds); Helene & Howard, Mae Barnes, Smith & Dale, Pat Rooney St., Myron Roman Orch; “Bold and the Brave’* (RKO), reviewed in Variety, March 21, ’56. “Block Party” is a colorful set¬ ting for the Music Hall Dancing Ensemble to make with rock ’n’ roll via a “Blue Suede Shoes” number. It paves the way for an impressive “Glory Road,” soloed by Ed Powell. Windup has the Corps de ballet prancing a “Ballet Romantique” spectacle in .which they’re later joined by the entire company. Hour-long layout is introed by the overture to “William Tell.” Familiar to both the audience and the musicians, it’s flawlessly played by the Hall Symphony orch under Raymond Paige’s direction. Gilb. Apollo, N. Y. Clovers (5), Al Jackson & The Fat Men (4), Paul Williams Band (11), McHarris & Delores, Pee Wee Crayton, Richard Wilson, Apus & Estrelita; “Bottom of Bottle ” (20th). This Is one of those cards that’s “almost but not quite.” The Apollo has one of those weeks when all of the mainstays have just enough wrong with them to take a meas¬ ure of the enjoyment out of the performances. With the Clovers it’s a case of the wrong repertoire most of the time. With Al Jack- son and the Fat Men, it’s that he doesn’t need the extra help (see New Acts). As for comedy sqng- sters, Apus & Estrelita, he’s fine but she’s awkward, .thus dulling the glitter of his half. • The Clovers quintet is sharp in “Devil on Angel,” and “Lovey Dove'y”, and “Good Lovin’ ” aren't bad either, but the rest of the log simply lacks zing. For as veteran a rhythpi-blues group as this, the shadily \ innuendoed body move¬ ments are little more than juvenile slapstick. McHarris & Delores are okay tapsters, he being sharper than she. Pee Wee Crayton is an un- distinctive hillbilly rhythm & blueser, except that the electric guitar finale (a blues piece he wrote himself) is topnotch. Rich¬ ard Wilson, unappreciated here though looking okay for other spots, is in New Acts. Then there’s Apus & Estrelita. After the rou¬ tine picks up pace, he draws some off-color yocks that keep the house in a high degree of responsiveness. She’s okay on the vocals, straight or otherwise, but n.s.h. when play¬ ing straight for her partner. Paul Williams 11-man unit is sharp delivering, the brand of raucous r&b Hariem vaudltes de¬ mand^. / Art.... was onstage at the Palace revival; Smith & Dale in a new sketch, and Horace McMahon, heading a three- trouper outfit in a sketch further described under New Acts. In addition, Mae Barnes has come in from the intimery and the rest of the outfit does excellently in its allotted time. Rooney has an unchanging act. He’s still as delighted to see the audience as they are to see him and his’ hardy bits, “Daughter of Rosie O’Grady” and “Tea For Two,” plus his recollection of Joe Frisco, create an audience clamor. Smith & Dale’s "I’he Tax Con¬ sultant” is in the tradition of the other items in the S&D catalog. It’s somewhat reminiscent of “Dr. Kronkheit” and has virtually as many laughs. These kids, who have been together for 50 years, have produced as many laughs fer stage- show attendees as any act on the boards. The Palace, however, seems to have taken over an S&D tradition. Geene Courtney, who has been the third member of the party on the “Kronkheit” sketch, is in a thespic capacity with the McMahon troupe. By themselves S&D are still great. Mae Barnes is,one of the ener¬ getic songsters on. the regular panel of the Bon Soir nitery. Sepian excites the mob with her renditions of “Deed I Do,” “No¬ body’s Sweetheart,” a special ma¬ terial number and also some in¬ cidental dancing., She’s a way to a hot respons. Helene & Howard also hit a high measure of applause with their comedy dancing. It’s a good novel¬ ty on the bill that utilizes a small amount of mayhem to take this act out of the normal category of comedy ballroomers and they do handsomely. Openers are Mitzi’s Lucky Girls, a seven-member troupe that goes in for formations, tumbling and baton twirling for picturesque effects. Walter Walters Jr., who bears the name of a ventriloquist of a former day, throws his vdice effectively with material designed i exclusively for ventriloquy ex¬ ercises. Pompoff, Thedy & Family are under New Acts. Mvron Roman is the regular custodian of the baton, and he’s able to give the acts a 'Considerable lift from his post in the pit. Wendell Corey, one of the toppers in the screen accompaniment', “The Bold and The Brave,” made a brief personal appearance for the preem show, and Army band added to Uie festive atmosphere M Urn occa¬ sion. Dave Bines’ staging 1 is’ ex- * Jose.* ■