Variety (February 1957)

52 ' vAmmvnJut VedneRday^. Fchninyy 20, 1957 PEPPER DAVIS & TONY REESE ZIZI JEANMAIRE & CO. (6) Song ana Dance 45 Mins. Alliambra-Maurice Chevalier, Paris With Jacques Canetti on the songs and hubby Roland Petit on the terp segment of this new house and boite act, they have shown an awareness of the talents of Zizi Jeanmairo to make this one of the revelatory New Acts of the season. Already well known In the U.S. for her ballet, stage and film musi¬ cal work, her larger attributes are filtered knowingly into a terp-' songalog that leaves her natural, raucous zest unimpaired but snugly tailors the ditties and dances to her particularly pleasing, Parislowdown attributes. Backed by the Michel Legrahd Orch (23) she comes out with cherubic smile lighting up her finely chiseled, engagingly insolent face. Dressed in black, sheer tights with a frilly, dark, low-cut chemise she resembles a pert Peter Pan and then flies right into her num¬ ber. The gamine quality is played up with a chortling “Ah Dis Done, dis Done” which sets off her sharp pronged voice to advantage. Though voice is choppy it hits into the insouciant heart of the song and sets a proper operfing mood. Then a more piquant lyric and into a production number in which she dons a flapper outfit to sing “Tatoo" in rambunctious admira¬ tion of the pictured torso of a male partner who strips down as she examines the art work. By now she has them and is in. -She follows the wistful melan¬ choly of some street ballads which she tones down to a caressing treatment. Then she outs with the feathers and frills for a robust re¬ vival of the “Gay Paree*’ tactics of yore for bouncy effect and dips into Gallic street anthropology for a funny adagio-gavotte bit with her chorus boys. More Paris frou-frou and an ending with a song-anddance reprisal of her well known “The Diamond Crucher," from, the ballet days, ends this on audience cascades of applause. Set for a Las Vegas stint this should make a fine dent. It has theatre and cafe content in its out¬ right eye and ear appeal plus a brilliant blending of a natural, healthj'-poetic talent into sock en¬ tertainment values. Usually a prophet in other lands Miss Jeanmaire has finally reached the pop audience here via her recent pic, “Folies-Bergere," and now this first star vaude stint should make her a staple and a forefront spe¬ cialty act in the U.S. for both nitery and house placing. Petit has wisely blended the terp into a. showy, suggestive, prancing and gymnastic, idiom and the five supporting boys groove perfectly with the racy activity of Miss Jeanmaire. They are Rino Adipietro, Lucien Mars, Andre Pogorsky, Pierre Franck and Luis Bernard and prove that the U.S. dancers are not the only ones for the dy¬ namic demands of musichall. A number that sums up the Jeanmaire forte is “La Brave Fille” about a girl who is disarm¬ ingly saucy in her lament about all the people in her bed. Her desire to get them all out is the perfectly balanced “oo-la-la'* bit, with ac¬ ceptable naughtiness, which should easily get any audience into her camp. A “Tout Paris” firstnight group gave her a long standup ovation. Mosk. WHEN tN BOSTON tr$ th» HOTEL ItVERY Avery & Washington Sts. Every room newly decorated. . Air conditioned rooms available. The Home of Show Folk Comedy 30 Mins. Copacabana, N.Y. . Getting right down to cases. Pepper Davis .& Tony "Reese are very fanny guys. The boys have been working together several years now but have never before been chronicled for the New Acts files. This inadvertent omission has given 'em an extra-long warm¬ up period and ^ Chance to perfect their comedies to such an extent that they make their debut in New Acts as one of the brightest com¬ edy teams to emerge in sonie time. • Although they're apprenticed on the Catskill-Miami axis, there’s no trace of borscht or indigo. Their approach is fre^h and witty and their spoofs of pop singing groups (The Four Aces), TV quiz shows (Charles Van Doren) and sports interviews (any punchy pugilist) hit the bullseye for sustained yocks. They also get a lot of speed out of a Ted Lewis Impresh and a drums and tap routine. What’s more they’re likeable boys who can deliver without being brash or cocky. They’re apparently doing what comes naturally, and what comes naturally is high level comedies with wide appeal. Show biz is wide open for ’em. Gros. THE CORONADOS (3) Songs 12 Mins. Copabana, N.Y. The Coronados are a happy har¬ mony trio of Spanish ilk who’ve got the gringo beat down pat. The two.j3oys and one femme make up a youthful combo loaded with energy and zest as well as a good musical styling.. Their 12-minute turn is a wellbalanced songbag of rhythm, bal¬ lad and calypso. They get going smartly with “Let’s Get Ac¬ quainted,’’ move to the “Money Tree’’ and then showcase the femme in a drastic reading of “Man. in the Raincoat.” Boys assist neatly with harmony and guitar backing. They get a lot of spirit into “Houn’ Dog,” “Banana Boat” and an exciting “Spanish Blues,” with which they close big. Team is a solid bet as nitery layout openers and should score strongly in the lounge. • Gros. TEDDY .BART Songs 12 Mins. Old Romanian, N. Y. Teddy Bart is a goodlooking, cleaneut youngster who, besides do¬ ing his own stint fiere, also handles the production numbers. He’s got a strong and pleasant voice which he knows how to modulate to good eflect. Basic problem now is the lack of a distinct style, a failing he tries to overcome from time to time in his phrasing but not often enough to make an appreciable dif¬ ference. As to the stint, he could do with¬ out his opener, “Gotta Have a Gim¬ mick,’’ a number in which he de¬ rides the stylists and attempts some poor impreshes. His essay¬ ing of “Street Where You Live,” “Sihgin’ the Blues” and “Funny Valentine” are impressive for ail their simplicity. Obviously, young Bart is going to Improve with more work. As of the moment, he’s a good bet^for exposure in smaller clubs as a single or could do quite v/ell in the bigger cafes as the production singer. Chan. TERRI LYNN Songs 20 Mins. Old Romanian, N. Y. Here's a girl who does every¬ thing wrong, from the moment be¬ fore she steps on the nitery floor all the way to her windup, and in spite of it all she’s got the poten¬ tial to become a smash overnight. Blonde looker has a rich, strong and rangy voice of the showcase variety that could make her a sort of femme Mario Lanza, and she knows how to use it to set off some vocal pyjotechnics that at times can be electrifying. At the moment, though, she’s got the voice and nothing else, besides trance is hokey — ^ an offstage Warbler Her costuoxe, a tigbtfitr ting gold lamme gown, is too flam¬ boyant, as is her hairdo. She sings, with few exceptions, the wrong kind of songs for her voice — a lowregister ballad, for example, where her voice is weakest. All her arias are male numbers. Her chatter is stilted and strained. But the im¬ pact of the voice is imdeniable, and it’s the kind of voice which just one major tv guester could turn into a major show biz entry. She needs plenty of handling. First off, it's the kind of voice which at least for the time being, shouTd be used as a showcase only —material should comprise only those numbers with which she can use for effect’s sake, without wor¬ rying about style, etc. Second, she has to .tone down,.: dressing and acting simply and even demurely if necessary,. She's got nothing to sell at this point except a terrific voice — one which is far from .per¬ fect technically, but is a shocker in terms of tone — so she ought to for¬ get about selling anything else and concentrate on that, skipping, all the chatter,' special material, etc. In spite of all the mistakes, she's ripe for major exposure, provided her turn can be wliipped into a straitlaced vocal display and noth¬ ing more. Chan. UDO HELTANOS (2) . Acro-Wire 15 Mins. L'Olympia, Paris Expert circusy acro-wire act also has the aplomb, dexterity and eye appeal for house chances and should stack up a neat addition to any vaude or video show in the U. S. Men start with hand-to-hand and go into a headstand on one man’s foot who is backed to the floor. On latter trick they juggle also. Then one ups to a pedestal where he headstands on a bowl and spins around while juggling. His topper is sliding down the loose wire on his head (using a ; headpiece) and then with one hand. A solid act for any house pro¬ grams. Mosk. PICINELLI (2) Juggling 15 Mins. L’Olympia, Paris Tall, Well groomed man is a snappy juggler who starts with rapid ordinary clubs and balls and then works this into an outstand¬ ing offbeater making it a fine addi¬ tion to any show and quite usable for U, S. video or boite purposes. On one foot he ups things on his head, juggles and then skips rope with all this going on. Act is sparkling and quick and his assistant is a solidly stacked looker molded into a lowcut gown. The fact that he gets the audience eye over her attests to his excel¬ lence. ' At one point he drops a ,hoop and she cannot bend to re¬ trieve it. It’s a yock that is kept in. This is solid filler or opener material. Mosk. AL STEVENS With Jayne Troy Comedy 25 Mins. Old Romanian, N. Y. A1 Stevens, who toplines the cur¬ rent Old Romanian nitery display, is a comic who obviously has been around for some time but who hasn’t been caught in Variety’s New Acts. He’s a pro who’s as¬ sembled an assortment of mate¬ rial, most of it good, and who also manages to get off some slick ad libs in his interplay with the ring» siders. Trouble is, for purposes of this evaluation, he concentrates much of his act in the Yiddish vein, fine for this lower East Side room but a limited commodity else¬ where. . Foil for part of the act is Jayne Troy, a pert blonde who works into the Yiddish bit nicely via a feigned southern accent with the resultant interplay of -southernstyled Yiddishisms. She handles herself better than most femme foils. While Stevens holds up nice¬ ly through most of his turn, there are times when he’s stretching; overall impact is somewhat uneven. He fits nicely into a room like this. As to his potential elsewhere, it’s difficult to Judge in terms of his work here — certainly he’s okay for most vaude situations. Cha7i. CROSSWINDS (5) Songs, Music 30 Mins. Seven Seas, Omaha Together only two months, the Crosswinds act naturally has plenty of rough spots that need ironing out. However, the four guys and one gal, all Canadians, have a pair of assets in (a) the comely, hip¬ swinging lassie and (b) versatility. The gal, Laura Berkley, is a for¬ mer Skating Vanities trouper who has picked up plenty of show biz savvy and sells the act visually. In addition, the brunet does okay in her vocals, employing her native French language. As for versatility, at show caught "Calloway . . . starring . . . keeps show moving rapidly ... a show stopper." —Paul M. Brunn, Miami Sun. CAB CALLOWAY CURRENTLY EIGHTH WEEK COTTON CLUB, Miami Beach M«». nu MinUR, Ult Irmidwar, N.w York lo^e Stiif-^Vandedle Now that the first auditions, of talent sponsored by the American Gruild of Variety Artists were deemed successful because t>f the book¬ ings that resulted from the airings, the union is now negotiating for a shift of locale "for the second such venture. » Plan is to move the air¬ ings to the Harmony Country Club, Monticello, N.Y. Club would pro¬ vide housing and food, while AGVA would transport the acts and pro¬ vide the music. Hotel owners in the mountain spots would comprise the audience. The Sheraton chain is launching a three-day hoopla with its preem of the Philadelphia Sheraton. Press will be brought in from all parts of the country for a junket starting March 3. It’ll be the first new Inn that the Quaker City has had in many years and probably the most elaborate opening of any link in the Sheraton chain. Carl Brisson, convalescing at .a New York hospital, provides his ver¬ sion; of his differences with the management of the new closed Ver¬ sailles, N.Y, nitery. Brisson says that during his last engagement there, instead of being asked to cut short his stay, he was asked tq take a cut during the siege of bad business. Brisson says ,he was amenable to aiding the bonif aces, Nick Prpunis and Arnold Rossfield, but insisted that the salary® difference be spent in advertising. Vaude, Cafe Date New York Billy Vine and Alan Dale pacted for the Town & Country, Brooklyn, March 5 . . . Lillian Briggs opens tomorrow IThurs.) at the Stage¬ coach . Inn, SI Hackensack, N. J. Ralph Young in the Arcadia Ball¬ room for one week ... Dolores Hawkins .pacted for the Cosmo Club, Grafton, Mass„ March' 8 . . . Three Suns to the Oklahoma State Fair, March 8, for eight days. Alice Pearce returns to the Blue Angel Feb. 23 . . .' Robert Lamouret.and Richiardi Jr. pacted for the Flamingo, Las Vegas, on the Helen Trauble show March' 7 . . . Buddy Hackett signed for the Fontaine¬ bleau, Miami Beach, April 16 . . . Eugenie Baird to the Balinese Room, Galveston, March 15 and Alan Drake to same spot April 11 . . . Allen & DeWood return to Hol¬ iday -House, Pittsburgh, April 14 ... Jo Ann Campbell on a twodayer at the State Theatre, Hart¬ ford, Feb. 23-24 . . . Carmen Cavallaro to the Casino Royal, Wash¬ ington, June 10 . . . Caribe Hilton Hotel, San Juan, has tapped Three Galanes for March 1 and Jimmy Nelson March 20 . . . Lili St. Cyr goes to the Koko, Phoenix, March 29 and the Chi Chi, Palm Springs, May 1 . . . Lisa Kirk into the Pal¬ mer House, Chicago, March 21>. . . Marge Cameron slated for the Stage Coach Inn, S. Hackensack, N. J., March 1, and follows with the Golden Slipper, Glen Cove^ L.I., March 25 for two weeks, Jerri Adams, Charlie Mingus and Danny Costello have pacted with Shaw Artists Corp. . . . Don Rondo moves to the Boulevard, Rego Park, L.L, for two consecu¬ tive weekend shows starting Feb; 22 . . . Ford & Reynolds lined up for the Balinese Room, Galveston, May 23 . . . Joanne Hill a newcom¬ er to the Living Room •. ... Town & Goimtry, Brooklyn, gets Enid Mosier and the Calypso Steel Band starting March 4 . . . Frank Lynn & Glenn Wiggins producing a show for the Miami International Boat show opening Feb. 22'.'.. .. Charles Tate directing the choreography. Chicago Tune Tattlers into the Brown Motel, Louisville, April 19-31 . . . Pompoff, Thedy & Family for the La Post St. Jean, Quebec City, April 1-10 . . . Roberta Linn booked for the Roosevelt, New Orleans, June 20 for four weeks . . . De¬ Marco Sisters open today (Wed.) in the Trade Winds, Milwaukee, for 10 weeks . . . Estrellita & Raul at the Muehlebach, Nov. 29, on a twoweek stand . . . Davis & Reese go into the Elmwood Casino, Windsor, Ont., for two frames March 11, then to Eddys’ Kansas City, April 5-19 . . . Larry Storch inked for two weeks in the Shamrock Hilton, Houston, March 7 . . . Chicago gets a chorus line again when the Chez Paree Adorables are reintroduced, into the Chez Paree next Tuesday (26) . . . Glen Yarborough accom¬ panies himself on folksongs for eight weeks at the Gate of Horn here next Wednesday (27) . . . Harry Jarkey into Lake Club, Springfield, March 16 for two weeks. the combo moved from “Autumn Leaves” into a calypso, slowed for Leigh Rocke’s “Old Man River,” moved back to five-part harmony for “He’s a Millionaire,” shifted into a polka, backed Gary Lewis on “September Song” and climaxed with rock 'n' roll. Other members of group are Marvin Fudalla, ac¬ cordion and Hart Wheeler, sax. At present. Crosswinds’ biggest need is comedy. Rocke, goateed and a double for Burl Ives, serves as emcee but is as dull in that position as he is sharp songwise. Trump. AURA & MICKEY Comedy, Songs, Dancing 25 Mins. Greater Dallas Club, Dallas Surprising young duo gives out with lotsa show savvy, reflecting three years of woodshedding the triple talents. Fresh, personable and vibrant, both femme Aura Cameron, shapely looker, and male Mickey Miller blend smoothly in all facets of the neatly paped, exciting stint. Terping Is tops, solo and duo; vocal duets score heavily and on the comedy side Miller's original material — even throw¬ aways — ^is fresh and clicks with the customers. From ' opening vocal, “We’re Great, But Who Knows It?”, pair pulled hefty audience rapport. Handsome youngsters rate top ni¬ tery showcasing. Bark. HARRY PAUL Comedy 20 Mins. King's Club, Dallas Promising youngster has a wealth of material, mostly fresh, and added asset of a funny kisser which he uses to advantage. Projection is fast and frenzied, and he rates the running laughs. Scores heavily with sock panto juggling bit. Rapid delivery causes him to step on laughs; he can slow down, develop timing and reap his mitting yield from yocks. . Tireless comic Is a comer. . Bark. Kansas City Rol^ert Clary into Eddys’ for his first date here Friday (22), for two weeks. He 'follpws Bobby Sargent with Sid Fields, who return to the Coast and the Moulin Rouge . . . Rhythmettes (3) were stranded toy weather and missed the Eddy open¬ ing Feb. 8, but came in the next day . . . Jimmy Ames returns to Terrace Grill for a.fortnight March 1 . . . Comic Dick Curtis from Muehlebach’s Terrace Grill tq the Coast and a fortnight at the "Sad¬ dle 8i Sirloin, Bakersfield, begin¬ ning March 7, his fifth time in the spot . . . Hines & Ford hie to Chi following their Muehlebach stand for a string of club dates during March .'. . One of most expensive Masonic shows here in months set for Feb. 22 and Municipal Audi¬ torium, Les Brown orch and Betty Johnson doing the show. 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