Variety (January 1957)

55 VTedneBdayjJamiary 23, 1957 t , P^RIE^Y _ _ NIGHT CLUB REVIEWS Le Rnbrni Bleu* N. Y. Irwin Corey , Rosetta Le Noire , Cindy & Lindy, The Neighbors (4), Norman Paris Trio; $5j minimum. Le Ruban Bleu has refurbished its display to showcase some enter¬ tainers' new to the neighborhood. The results are entirely satisfactory as Rosetta Le Noire (New .Acts) and The Neighbors <4) join the festivities. The Neighbors are* a pleasant S comprising twp mixed »s who at this point indicate a good potential. Their arrange¬ ments are carefully tailored, they infuse "some originality in concep¬ tion and they show some' good har¬ monic ideas. They’re still more in¬ terested in technique than in the* songs but they show enough merit to hit a good response here. The holdovers are Irwin Corey and Cindy & Lindy. Corey was a longtime tenant at this spot on a previous occasion, and as a result makes himself to home completely. His absentminded professor is still an excellent characterization that has carried him for a long time. He is essentially a funny guy for the high IQ set, but he dissipates a lot of his projection., with a lack of personal discipline. He often car¬ ried gag much too far, stays on for interminable periods, and breaks up his character with lines that do not belong in his act. He seems to be carried away by a few good laughers in an audience, and plays to the few instead of the many. Cindy & Lindy are delightful young couple with a charming mien who deliver tunes with a maximum of effectiveness. The duo call on a wide variety from light, sassy tunes to dramatic num¬ bers with the right touch of light¬ ness and a good appreciation of lyrics. The Norman Paris Trio, one of the top groups in the intime orb jt, provides excellent showbacking, and Aldo presides at the tape. Jose. Bimbo’s, San Francisco San Francisco, Jan. 16. Dorothy Dorben’s Undersea Bal¬ let (10) with Marge & Jack Tygett and Rene DeHaven, Jay Lawrence, 5 Boginos, Allen Cole, Don Menary Orch (8); $1-$1.50 minimum. Lacking a draw, Bimbo Guintoli decided to go all-out with his Dor¬ othy Dorben line, and seems to have done all right. The line is excellent — six dancers , and four well-stacked showgirls — and they do a good “undersea” turn which comes through a gauzy veil dropped around the club’s stage. Marge & Jack Tygett and Rene DeHaven work in their ballet be¬ tween the line’s comings and go¬ ings, and the effect is surprisingly nice. ■ Marge Tygett, particularly, is an outstanding dancer. 1 Jay Lawrence is still a pretty weak comedian at this stage of his development. He has some funny stuff— -his version of a chap who’s just failed to swim the English Channel is hilarious — but he’s very uneven and he tends to get upset by dinner shows. He should know that it is bad practice to cut ma¬ terial even if a party at a table is talking. The Five Boginos are a swell tum¬ bling act with an audience-partici¬ pation gimmick. It is the latter which makes them notable among tumblers. They pick' a pair of men out of the crowd and toss these fellows around a bit; nothing rough and nothing dangerous, but suffi¬ cient to establish considerable rap¬ port with the audience. Stef. Desert Inn, Las Yogas Las Vegas, Jan. 15. Jimmy Durante, Eddie Jackson, Jack Roth. Jules Buffano, Jackie Barnett, Ben Wrigley, Queti Clavijo, Adonis Puertas, Art Johnson, Down Arden dancers (10), Sonny King, Carlton Hayes Orch (16); Production numbers staged by Down Arden; musical arrange¬ ments, Phil Moody;’ $2 minimum.. , Jimmy Durante brings back most of the skits from the previous Desert stint with minor changes for his current near-four-week stand. Gone are the “special guest star” (Peter Lawford) and chorines disguised as' waitresses. Added are a Durante-heckled toy instru¬ mented all-femme band made up of the permanent DI line; a funny terp by rubber4>oned Ben Wrigley, and an okay piano-piping, job by writer Jackie Barnett. The w.k. strut and winks of tophatted Eddie Jackson abet the dis¬ tinctive brand of Durante humor in their standard but socko rou¬ tines. (Illness forced Jackson out of show after opening night and he has been replaced by Sonny l^tng, who bicycles’ from Sahara lounge). Jules Buffano again stooges at the keyboard; another troupe regular, drummer Jack fioth, was ill m N. Y. and missed the first frame. Except for some innocuous homo patter with the orch leader, Durante avoids blue material. As . only he can, vet comic shouts his scorn for DI bosses, re¬ peats his incongruous “ballet mas¬ ter” piece, and ties the package to¬ gether In a fast-paced spoof. Introed as a Durante protegee, Queti Clavijo, in her American debut, excites with fiery terps of her native Spain. Miss Clavijo, seen in the Mexican-made Gary Cooper flick, “Vera Cruz,” emotes with feet, hands and face. Her verve clicks, arid serves as good balance for Durante. Augmenting her is guitarist Adonis Puertas. Curtain-raiser is new “Devil’s Holiday” production, featuring bar¬ itone Art Johnson and DI chorines (10) in elaborate Donn Ardenstaged turntable number. Carlton Hayes orch (16) provides proper backing. Show remains through Feb. 2. Duke. Riviera, Las Vegas Las Vegas, Jan. 16. “Second Edition ” of George White’s “Scandals of 1957,” star¬ ring Betty &,Jane Kean, with Lou Nelson, Paula & Paulette, Helene Stanley, Jessica James, Danny Scholl, Joey Faye, Sammy Smithy Donald Blackey, Darcy ' Twins, Guice Twins, Sally Crane, Will Able, Dorothy Keller, George White Girls (24), Ray Sinatra Orch (13); $2 minimum. George White has tacked the names of Betty & Jane Kean and the words “Second Edition” to the Riviera marquee in an effort to lift his “Scandals of ’57” out of its doldrums. After three weeks of un¬ happy entertainment in the Clover Room, the effect these marquee additions will have towards stimu¬ lating new interest in White’s rausicale is problematical at this writ¬ ing. But, it is certain that the customer taking the bait to glom “Scandals" a second time will no doubt be impressed by the signifi-' cant revisions the producer has made throughout his endeavor, ultimately aimed at a Broadway run. The most salient factor to White’s so-called “Second Edition” is the employment of the Kean Sisters who fit snugly into the White framework and resultantly point the revue in a more sensible di¬ rection. The girls have never been better, introducing many laughevoking items new to this area. As in the past, the Keans show up mainly in impressions of w.k. stars, and these Eli Basse authored routines are interspersed with the familiar brand of mayhem whipped up by Betty Kean. On the antics of the Kean Sisters leans the remainder of what orig¬ inally made up “Scandals of ’57.” Fortunately, for this second fling, White has hewed much of the pretentious nonsense that one imagines would have been suffi j cient basis to signal an obit for “Scandals” upon its opening had ! not a contract been involved. While White’s realigned presentation, fortified by the Keans, is good, it still is not sock by any means, indicating that the producer can still go further if his ambitions are still directed towards Gotham. Nevertheless, the surgery of the show’s major ailments has been successful. Rewritten to reduce its verbosity is the dialog, an inane commentary toasting White’s career which came off in bad taste when White him¬ self would -appear momentarily onstage to accept . the ensuing accolades. The advent of the Kean Sis has created another problem, however: what to do with all of the acts — and there are many — comprising White’s original bill. Even with the show running way overlong (93 mins.), much well-endowed talent is going to waste, i.e. Joey Faye and Sammy Smith, two w.k. burley actors who are seen here only briefly in a minor sequence. What little the other acts have to do is well transcribed, albeit mighty brief. Telescoped into one giant melange are the offbeat areo gym¬ nastics of trampolinists Paula & Paulette; the lusty torchantings of Jessica James, who later coos in¬ timately in a sequence with Danny Scholl, whose big voice is other¬ wise limited to the production finale; the Charleston era chores of the Darcy Twins; the melodious trillings of Helene Stanley; the unique approach of stripper Sally Crane, who peels within the con¬ fines of a large prop tv screen; the eccentric dancing of Will Able and the torrid tap pace of Dorothy Keller, who are outstanding, both as singles and later when they hook up to roast rock *n’ roll; and finally the monblogy of Lou Nelson, who would do well to seek out fresher material. „ The “Scandals” girls have been retained in their former produc¬ tion roles. Ray Sinatra guides his orch proficiently to nail down score and cues. Alari. Chi Chi* Halm Springs Palm Springs, Jan. 15. Liberace (3), Estelle Sloan, Bill Alexander Orch (9); $2.50 cover. Liberace returned to Chi Chi’s after five years and both have im¬ proved appreciably in the long in¬ terlude. The Starlite Room was packed with the kind of carriage trade that seemed lost to this re¬ sort until the Clothes Horse Chopin brought them out of the mothballs. House has been playing capacity since he opened Friday (11) and it takes 650 diners to fill this one now. All the scars of '.‘Sincerely Yours” film had healed and Smiley entertained like a happy and con¬ tented man. In fact, between num¬ bers the only thing he didn’t .talk about was “Sincerely Yours,” and “off the record” he thinks Jack Warner will get his money back on that one abroad. But he kidded English crix, his costumes, Mom, tv and Milwaukee beer; told of an audience with His Holiness and played everything from Chopifi to Show-Boat. He even went into his love-life, his glass-topped Baldwin and the difficulty of combining the two, especially on an angle. His skill at steaming up an audience, slowing it down and sending it jumping again is surer than it was years ago. He simply holds them in the hollow of his dexterous hands and knows it. He obviously likes to play for them, clown for them and dress up in outlandish formal ensembles for them.. Anything for a laugh, and he gets them. “You paid for them!” he reminds the audience. Though he plays nothing deeper than the ice on the rink in Rocke¬ feller Center, there is no question that he could if there was a public for jt. Longhairs may doubt this, but Liberace respects the composi¬ tions of contemporaries and jazzes the classics on purpose. He’s a showman in a nitery. where the personality, of the keypounder, not the composition, is the thing. He is Mama’s Boy in a houseful of mothers and he takes them all into his confidence. “One writer in ;England was mad because I had a mother. He wasn’t that lucky. Well, I guess I’d better get out of the spotlight. It tarnishes the mate¬ rial.” And so into jazzing a classic with brother George at the baton . and from there to Walter Huston’s “September Song,” with George this time accompanying on the vio¬ lin and Lee crooning the Words. Before the evening was over he had it all in there— “Lullaby of Broadway, the Sidewalks of New York, a Cuban conga, a Belafonte improvement of r&r, a double-time of “Tico Tico” (the candles went out on this one but came back to life for his finale, which was Strauss' “Blue Danube,” with more variations on one theme than a tie shop) and finally a simple little thing. “Prayer is the key to Heav¬ en, Faith unlocks the door.” Estelle Sloan, a really top danc¬ er, opens the show and works in between Liberace’s costume changes. She will go with him to Chez Paree.and to the Palace (N.Y.) when he opens there Apfil 20. Bill Alexander’s band was supplement¬ ed by some of Liberace’s musicians and well led by the entertainer’s arranger, Gordon Robinson. Scul. Duties, Las Vegas Las Vegas, Jan. 15. “Minsky Goes To Paris,” Kathy Barr, Patti Ross, . Niki & Noel, Brandy Martin, Nita Si Peppi, Joe DeRita, Irv. Benson , Murr,a y Brisco, Grace Reed, Ted Lawrie, Pat “Amber” Halladay, Gautier’s Steeplechase, Minsky Girls (24), Hoyt Henry Orch (12); $2 mini¬ mum. In what is probably the bawdiest show ever to play a Strip hotel, Bill Miller offers an updated ver¬ sion of the w.k. Minsky revues, dubbing this one “Minsky Goes To Paris.” Parisian setting is excuse for parade of bare-bosomed cho¬ rines whose appearance makes bumps & grinds of the strippers look less naughty.' Billing show “For Adults Only,” Miller is frank to admit he’s after the down¬ town transient trade with this lowbudgeter, guessing that the casino can coin upper bracket cash with a volume of dollar bettors. Sans star names, revue is assort¬ ment of production numbers, black¬ outs, acrobats, strippers, dancers, singers, complete with an animal act. Latter, Gautier's Steeplechase, with ponies (4), dogs (4), and monkey (1), is a topnotcher, but seems slightly out of place amid all the sin. Setting pace is Parisian street scene with Beverly Richards’ comely line (24) and Frenchy songs piped with authenticity by Ted Lawrie. After, what, seems to be organized confusion initially, show levels to proper balance. A brother & sister team of young ..acrobats called Nita & Peppi, collegiately garbed, perform with precision and skill* Brandy Martin and Pat “Amber” Halladay are the bumps & grinders, both with standard strips. Mis.s Halladay’s special gim¬ mick is a lubricated body which glistens under the lights. Joe DeRita, Irv. Benson, and Murray Brisco handle the baggypants chores with seasoned know¬ how. In a familiar courtroom skit, falling scenery, well-rehearsed to look up &; up, gets lengthy yocks. A beauty with well-trained pipes, Kathy Barr carries the bulk of chirping, elicits enthusiastic re¬ sponse. Terp team of Niki & Noel glide into numbers which show lofty talent and originality. Solo gymnastics by Patti Ross and accordionisms by Grace Reed pleas¬ ingly fit tempo of the revue. Show was produced-directed by Miller and Harold Minsky. Cho¬ reography is by Madame Kamereva; original music by George Kameroff ' is expertly batoned by Hoyt Henry. With an eight-frame guarantee, new acts monthly, Miller says he expects to' hold revue for at least 20 weeks. Duke. Blinst rub’s, Boston (FOLLOWUP) Boston, Jan. 15. Stanley Blinstrub booked in George Hamilton IV on strength of hot disk, “Rose and a Baby Ruth.” Hamilton ambles out in relaxed fashion, mounts a stool with elec¬ tric guitar in hand gets off a round of hominy a la Herb Shriner and sings his hillbilly ditties in a chuckling vein-. His pace is relaxed to the point of too much slowness and most of his patter is dull. His act might have more punch and emphasis if he cut the cornball patter and concentrated on the pip¬ ing side. His repertoire is strictly southern corn, but his big one, “Baby Ruth,” has sold over 1,000,000 copies and is the only number nabbing aud identification. Mario & Floria, replacing Hocter & Bird after Danny Hocter sprained a tendon while terping, get off a slick routine of ballroom ology, clinching with smasheroo version of turkey trot, Charleston, cha-cha, rock ’n’ roll to win big ac¬ claim. Femme is a looker in boff pink gown, cellophane over lace, and partner is smart in tux. Both execute some of the neatest dance bits seen here all season. They do a wham Merry Widow waltz to big mitt and bring down the house with presentations of dances dat¬ ing from 1912 forward.. They clinch with a rocking hotsy terp done to “Rock Around the Clock,” which gets them off way ahead. Jack Carter and new show opened Mon¬ day (21). Guy. Sieiiben’s, Boston Boston, Jan. 15. Lou Saxon, Phillis Pon, Sandor Bagladi, Sinclair & Alda, Don Den¬ nis, Tony Bruno Orch (6), Harry Fink Trio; $2.50 minimum. Lou Saxon is a click with his dialect stories at Max & Joe Schneider’s club where boniface Arnold Benak has the ropes up in spite of snow and freezeup. Saxon has a great fund of material and puts it across with a neatness and dispatch that carries terrif impact. Opening night he had to beg after three encores. He covers the board with Yiddish, Italian, French, English accents in pleasant little fables that always wind up with dynamite punchlines. Saxon, headlining the show in for two weeks, makes spinning of fantasy tales a work of art. He’s unhurried, deliberate in pacing, working for the last laugh in the room and succeeding in nabbing it. He knocks off some song bits betwixt tales, taking “You’re No¬ body ’Till Somebody Loves You” for nice ride and doing a comedy paraphrase of “Mr. Wonderful” as “Mr. Lefkowitz, That’s You” for big yocks. He walks off way ahead with a slick paraphrase of “Hey There.” Phyllis Pon, ballerina, opens the fast-paced show with some slick footwork and a stint of spins and twirls, clinching with a hot mambo on toes for boffola rounds. Don Dennis, singing emcee marking his eighth year in the 400seater, whams with rock ’n’ roll, piping “Green Door” for all the stops and doing a gyrating E. Pres¬ ley bit in accompaniment spoof. He opens his stint with “Woman in Love” to big bounds’ and follows with a great version of “Two Dif¬ ferent. Worlds” to heavy plaudits. Sinclair & Alda do some fine terping from ballroom styles to taps and waltzes with heavy accent on spins and twirls. Femme in flame-colored costumes executes neat steps in cute “Give Me a Lit¬ tle Kiss” routine. Partner twirls her through three levels of swoops from heights to inches from stage floor,, and clincher is “no hands” swing, with femme balanced on his shoulders. Guy. Viennese Lantern* IV. Y. Monica Boyar, Dean Sheldon, Ernest Schoen, Harold Sandler, Paul ’Mann; $3.50 minimum. The Viennese Lantern is cur¬ rently serving an important func¬ tion as a key nitery in the develop¬ ment of a whole new cafe sector in New York. The entire uptown area, once the home of bierstubes and brauhauses, since the end of the war, has developed into an im¬ portant entertainment rival to the midtown area and even Green¬ wich Village. Since the demolition of the Third Ave El and the influx of luxury apartment houses, the entire section looms more import¬ antly on the entertainment front. Operator Max Loew of the Lan¬ tern has shrewdly focused atten¬ tion on this spot with talent which includes Continental imports and domestic entertainers with some strong points of differentiation. As jn the present instance, Loew has brought back a chantoosey who has made good in the midtown boites. Monica Boyar, the Dominican sing¬ er with a sultry delivery, on her return trip is . attempting several different angles of attack by going off on a blues kick in addition to her regular material. 'The voice is there for this kind of number but Miss Boyar has still to learn how to toy around with that kind of tune, she needs to get the effect that goes with her own viewpoint On the other numbers she runs away with the house. Her “All that Glitters” is still her top dis¬ play piece that nets her a strong' exit. Her conga drum accompanist, Dean Sheldon, is branching out on his own. He does a brief song turn, accompanying himself on the skin with some original song ma¬ terial. He’s evolving a technique and he looks as if he has the mak¬ ings, but perhaps some more fa¬ miliar tunes would aid his cause to a greater extent. The collection of musicians at the Lantern comprise a group of entertainers in themselves. Ernest Schoen makes with the violin and songs for good effect and cohorts Harold Sandler and Paul Mann help fill the spot with music. Jose . Fontainebleau, HI. B’eh Miami Beach, Jan. .17. Ritz Bros., June Valli, Half Bros., Murray Schlamm, Sacasas Orch; $4.50-$7 minimum. The Ritz Bros, are the boxoffice click of the burgeoning “height of season” phase of winter-run of names in the La Ronde. There are indications of a stout pull through their two-weeker * (through the 28th) to wing the smartery in this landmark off on a high-profits trail, what with sked of toppers (Jerry Lewis, Durante, et al) booked to follow. The freres stayed away from this area last year, insuring increased curiosity on current status of their act; result: scores of fans reestab¬ lished and a load of new followers wton nightly. The trio of zanies, despite impact of Milton Berle opening at neighboring Eden Roc two nights later, were more than holding their own in the tabbypull. Opening number starts the tit¬ tering. with rhythmic-backed jibes anent the hotel and managerial personnel; the zany Mexican disk jockey routine is a builder, thanks to clever updating in subject mat¬ ter hot off the pop platters, prim¬ ing steady rise in aud-risibilities. The laugh-ceiling from that point, is unlimited, with their staple “Continental Gentlemen Of Song” and spoof on Johann Strauss trig¬ gering full-fire from the Harry Ritz arsenal of wackiness ammuni¬ tion. It’s a varied and continuing series of bits that turn the auditors into a roaring entity. There are few comics around who can belt up the howl-pitch as steadily as he does, with slick straighting on part of brothers Al and Jimmy an in¬ valuable adjunct to the lunatic air engendered. June Valli is a regular returnee to the La Ronde, and seems to im¬ prove the depth and quality of her thrushing each time. In this out¬ ing, the trim brunet comes up with a sound songalog that bespeaks careful ' attention to balance and aud-mood changes. Whether it’s a standard or current hit-parader, Miss Valli sells her arrangements in vital manner, extracting full value from the lyric -line while eschewing over tricky phrasing that might obscure the melody. Re¬ sult is a wham payoff from an aud waiting for the topliners who brought them in. The Half Bros, spark matters with a gasp-raising array of jug¬ gling tricks that are nimble in ex¬ ecution, original in concept. It’s a fast-paced stint topped by use of a ringsider in finale trick for the big mitt payoff: Lary.