Variety (February 1957)

P^^fEFfr 55 Vednegdiiy» Tebniary 1957 mem club reviews Saiid09 hmm Vegas Lais VegfSt Feb. 13. Marlene Dietrich, Joey Bishop, Page & Bray, Beachcombers With Natalie (4), Copa Girls (9), An¬ tonio Morelli Orch W8); $2 mini¬ mum. ^ When Marlene Dietrich steps into the Copa Room spotlight an air of near-reverence^ hushes the audience, apparently in respect for her position as one of the symbols of motion picture glamour. She’s still the epitome of star and sex combined, and the entire show, which includes a comedian, a dance team and two production numbers, has been planned with the em9 phasis on glam and sophistication. She did sellout biz despite open¬ ing-night competish from Harry Belafonte at the Riviera. Miss Dietrich iS clad in a beauti¬ ful, beaded, peek-a-boo bosom gown and a fabulous snow white full-length wrap made of swan's down. Her first song, in the dis¬ tinctively throaty style, is “Look Me Over Closely,” and proves that .„her personality is far from aloof grandeur. ‘ She would be the first to ridicule reports that her forte is technically perfect singing; in fact, it’s a voice that can sometimes be described as fascinatingly offkey, which is good— because ibputs 'her in a clas^ completely by her¬ self. It is' to her credit that she can hold her audience for 33 ^^inutes by relying only partially bn the Dietrich legend. What is seen and heard at hand is talent unique enough to win even members of the audience who are unfamiliar with the legend. In her lyric-conscious manner, which includes a few guttural tricks, she offers what her admirers expect, such trademarks as “See What The Boys In The Back Room Will Have” and “Falling In Love Again.” She’s at her best with the German sex song, “Jonnie,” and “The . Laziest Gal In Town,” a wrong-$ide-of-the-tracks wink which dispels any doubt that she can’t be just folks. Last lap of act is done in her w.k. top hat & tails outfit, and is enhanced by fine lighting. At times she shows flair for comedy in the Noel Cow¬ ard vein, which would be okay for expansion. Burt Bacharach took over regular orch for Miss Diet¬ rich’s numbers, which were ar¬ ranged by Sy Oliver and Peter Matz. The smooth, machine-gun com¬ edy patter of deadpanned Joey Bishop (held over for this show) is in keeping with the sophistica¬ tion of the package. His gags hit a high laugh average and his Ted Lewis takeoff draws steady laughs. Glamour and savoire faire em¬ bellish the terps of a gracefully gymnastic dance team called Page & Bray, who comei on after the opening production number. Pair perform flawlessly and have eye appeal; George Bray is handsome and Ida Page is a shapely looker. Two grandiose production pieces featuring the Copa Girls (9) and the songs of the Beachcomers With Natalie (4) round out the plush show produced-staged by Jack Entratter, Antonio Morelli did the orchestrations and under his baton the orch (18) expertly backs show, which is in for three frames. Duke. Auiericann, Miami B^ch Miami Beach, Feb. 12. Los Chavales de Espana with Trini Reyes; Jackie Miles; Gloria DeRaven with Carter DeHaven; Joe Reichman Orch; $4.50*$7 mini¬ mum. Lineup brought in to maintain the lure started by Tony Bennett for the Bal Masque of “this year’s hotel” reads like the bills which used to play the late Copa City and Beachcomber. Budget-wise, it’s a sound payoff package for the Tisch management; marquee-wise, there’s'' Jackie Miles to being the big tabpayers uptown from the Fountalnebleau-Eden Roc sector, Los Chavales for the Latino philes and concert types and finally^ Gloria DeHaven to draw the “so¬ ciety” set she is now a part of since recent marriage to a local scion. It’s Jackie Miles who’s providing the bulk of the biz; for several seasons Miles has been playing the smaller hotel-cafes which feature a one-act policy. Recent outing at the Eden Roc, however, reaffirmed his strong pull in-season. In this date, he’s again the hot attraction, as indicated by tablers’ .calls for familiars throhghout his stint. The components of his character-story book are basically the same, but new treatment and insert of fresh, yarns keep yock-ups mounting in steady stream. ^ Miss DeHaven is still the bright and purty young film-factory fugi¬ tive who works out a well chosen assortment of the currents and specials. She is in the opening spot for this layout, and seemingly takes it in stride, working away at her chore with warmth, calculated de¬ livery and chatter that keep inter¬ est to the big item, the bring-on of vet vaudevillian Carter De¬ Haven, her pappy, with nostalgic reprisg on old-vaude customs and material. It gets them off to healthy palming. Los Chavales haven’t been seen in^jhese parts since they were a stawdard, season-long feature at the Saxony Hotel three seasons ago. The Spanish marching-singing in¬ strumental society haven’t changed their musical book, evidently con¬ centrating on polishing that brings full sheen to their tricky position interchanges; takeovers of centrestage or spotlighted post for solos, vocal and instrumentals. As an orchestral unit, their arrangements are flashy, to play up more sightreaction than sound technique. The array of international chansons tend to sameness in the scoring and arrangements, but ingenious light¬ ing and the smooth change-position flow keep talilers intrigued. Best of their overlong stint is the heel-stomp, flamenco, native dances of flery little Trini , Reyes. A very much assured performer, she sets the palms meeting in her two ap¬ pearances during the act, to zoom up overall returns. Inevitably, the show is an overlong one which, even with trim¬ ming, still runs over the normal 70-80-90 minutes standard along the hotel-circuit here. Overall, the components add oUp as .a varied package and a big one for at¬ tendees. Lisa Kirk, Carmen Cavallaro and Rowan & Martin follow Feb. 20. Lari/. New Nixon, Pitt Pittsburgh, Feb. 15. Elsa <&. Waldo, Gerri Gale, Mar¬ jorie & Lee Murray, Lucienne & Ashour, New Yorkers (4), Moulin Rouge Line (10), Al Marsico Orch (8); $3.50 minimum weekdays, $5 Fri.-Sat. Downtown Pittsburgh’s newest bight club is probably one of the most attractive rooms between the coasts. It’s said to represent an investment of around $300,000 and looks Jt. Room has taste and at¬ mosphere, luxurious appointments and an aura of class. Skedded to have opened neorly a year ago, it ran into financial difficulties until syndicate headed by Harold Gray took over the majority stock and really put the heat on. In just a few weeks after Gray went to work, the place was open and al¬ ready seems to be a going concern. Big splash 'for the preem is a N.Y. Latin Quarter-type show, something brand new for this city, produced by the LQ’s Natalie Kamarova and booked by Miles Ingalls. It’s the same type of thing he had going for so long and so successfully at Bellevue Casino in Montreal. It’s getting a lot of talk locally and for the time being should more than fill the bill. Pittsburgh’s accustomed to the conventional floor entertainment — two or three and sometimes four acts presented, in straightaway fashion. The production type hasn’t been seen locally and it’s creating a''stir. It should, too, for this is a strong, goodlooking show, effec¬ tively routined, strikingly cos¬ tumed and backed by first-class turns. Two showgirls and eight dancers have three smart, fashion¬ able numbers, all with plenty of eye appeal, and Individual per¬ formers work in and out of them to give the whole a nifty con¬ tinuity. Lucienne & Ashour ■ open with their standard Apache turn. Their tumbling is cracker jack and their comedy inventive. Gerri Gale, striking, longstemmed balerina, scores solidly with her whammo spins and ballet novelties and wraps it up with an audience par¬ ticipation calypso that puts her in clover right through to the finish. New Yorkers, three boys and a gal looker, are big crowd-pleasers with their arias and solos. Marjorie & Lee Murray are a couple of smart musical •'comedy dancers soundly schooled and hoofing to some fine .Elsa & Waldo rock them out front with the mugging, the hoofing and the eccentricities. On a bit too long perhaps, but cash customers didn’t seem to mind too much. Al Marsico’s orch, featured for 17 years at the old Nixon Cafe, is back in harness and has lost nojne of the touch. Marsico still cuts a slick show and can give them all kinds of Grade-A dance music. New Nixon has a capacity of bver 350, and the hut looks big, but it’s the only festive going-out spot in the Golden Triangle, has the best location in town and if it doesn’t make the grade here, nothing can or will. Cohen. Copmembmnm^ N« Y« Tony Bennett with Joe Momey Combo (6), Pepper Davis <fir Tony Reese, Th6 Coronados (3), Ron Beattie, Dorl Anne Gray, Bud Spencer, Kathi Dean, Michael Durso and Frank Marti Orchs; staged by Douglas Coudy; songs, Durso, Mel Mitchell, Marvin Kahn; cos¬ tumes, Sal Anthony (Mme. Berthe); orchestrations Deac Eberhard; $5.50 minimum. The crowd at the Copa’s second show of preeni night last Thursday (14) was whipped up into such a state of enthusiasm that Tony Ben¬ nett’s windup was hailed with a standing ovation. When such a savvy crowd gets off its derriere for the mitt-bit, it’s a tipoff that a performer of stature has “ar¬ rived.” Bennett, after close to a onehour stint, got just what was com¬ ing to him. It was a classic per¬ formance by a crooner who had found himself and was in complete control of ' his material and his equipment. There was also an as¬ surance that this was the way it was going to be from now on, because it was right. And it was right all the way through the vast repertoire of rhythm and ballads. The program¬ ming was developed with care and the musical backing was height¬ ened by augmenting the Michael Durso orch with Joe Mooney’s ac¬ cordion and five string assistants. Bennett brought Mooney and crew in especially for the Copa stand, another . indication of the singer’s know-how in presentation. Although still a pop disk singer, Bennett avoided his current Co¬ lumbia etchings, except for the “Just In Time” opener, to concen¬ trate on the solid standard reper¬ toire a la Sinatra. By the time he got , to “Sing You Sinners” almost 60 minutes later, his tie and dinner coat were on his arm and the aud firmly gripped in his hand. P.S.: Pop dlskers; could learn a lot from the way Bennett handled himself on the floor, especially in his avoidance of any commercial for his platters or albums. The preceding turns helped pave the way for the Bennett reception. The Coronados, a bright musical threesome, set up a gay mood at the outset. Team is reviewed in New Acts. Ditto New Acts for the comedy team of Pepper Davis & Tony Reese. Making their New York nltery debut, the boys kept the room roaring for 30 minutes. Durso’s musical crew as per usual does standout work for the acts and production numbers and Frank Marti lays down a rhythmic latino beat for the tableholding terpers. The line numbers are re¬ vived from the Billy Eckstine stand early in January, for some reason or other. Gros. New Froiitier9 Las Vegas Las Vegas, Feb. 13. Victor Borge, Pat Gorman, John Reeves, Virginia Shaw, Venus Star¬ lets (10), Garwood Van Orch (13) ;> $2 minimum. After an absence of nearly a half dozen years, Victor Borge returns for a four-week roost in the Venus Room. The result indicates bluechip business — ^the return expect¬ ed by the management that lured the showman here with a paid-in¬ advance stipend of $140,000. Borge’s complete individuality and his striking, offbeat approach, coupled with a thorough savvy of what makes people laugh, probably expains his ability to fully com¬ mand the attention of his audience during an hour-long solo, a mara¬ thon few performers would chance before a Vegas audience. Bdrge’s patter is both droll and obvious, giving his comedies Wide scope for both hepster and layman. His play on the classics, in which he riddles some serious keyboard gallops with defeating asides (“Now we play a piece by Chopin. It was written in four flats . . . because the poor fellow had to move three times”) is the axis on which Borge’s repertoire revolves. Interspersed with his business framed around the piano are his monologs. It’s apparent that noth¬ ing is firmly set at the start, and this unpredictability is, in Borge’s case, an asset. In fact, it is his performance. An example of that was noted opening night (11) when he repeat¬ edly caught orch leader Garwood Van totally off guard. After signal¬ ing for orchestral assist, he would aim his piano wizardry off into some other direction, evoking yocks with his piano-clowning be¬ fore returning to the music . as scored. A highlight is his w.k. “Phonetic Punctuation” spiel. He wraps it up in a more serious vein, applying spirited, yet sensitive nimbleness, to interpretations of fave piano concertos. Venus Starlets, guided by Pat Gorman, John Reeves and Virginia Shaw, give the opus a brisk awak¬ ening as they toe their way through the New Frontier barn¬ yard in curtain-launqhing “Chickenville, U.S.A.” Alan. Eden Roe^ Miami Beach Miami Beach, Feb. 16. Nat King Cole, Jack E. Leonard, The DeMarlos, Henry Tobias, Mai Malkin Orch; $3.50-$6 minimum. With this two-weeker, Nat King Cole joins the parade of toppers who have become must-bookings for hotel-cafes which replaced the plush indie niteries that flourished in former years. Going on first weekend’s biz, Cole may equal the record mark set in the Cafe Pom¬ peii earlier in season by Harry Belafonte. Cole’s book is a shrewdly de¬ vised one. It contains an adroit mixture of ballad, torch, upbeat and — this time out — more injects of socko Steinway soloing for changes of mood and spelling of the song-spiels. With it,'' he is an quietly assured personality, smooth and easy in delivery, working in relaxed manner to ease his way quickly into tablers’ graces. Soft spoken intros add to the approvalbuild, as does his demeanor, which at times borders on the humble. It’s smart showmanship, evoking calls from around the room for their faves. He was on for over 40 minutes and the encores added another quarter-hour to his stint, with a steady pounding for more. Jack E. Leonard’s first-night troubles with' his trigger-timed de¬ livery illustrates the adjustments a fast-moving comic must make to get his material and style paced to the demands of the long layout. Tossing, of one fastie after another here, can take the edge off a sharp line, throwing timing off, attribut¬ able to laugh-reaction coming up from the back reaches of the room some moments after ringsiders have already reacted. Result for first several minutes of Leonard’s fast-tossing style were negative un¬ til he found proper gauge on the laugh-timer to begin the warmup midway through the act. He reach¬ ed sounder tabler payoff with top¬ per his funny hat and hoof bit and rhythm song passels. Although slimmed down to off-the-rack suit size, Leonard’s predilection for the tart ad libs aimed at ringsiders is still retained, the load of topical references standing him in good stead in the overall payoff. The DeMarlos are a click pair of handsome young terpsters. Their patternings are different, so much so that the palming is stirred early in their airy invents, based around a piano from which the eye-^catching femmes worked out ballettinged spins to wind into the lifts and gasp-rasping duo whirls around stage in series of tricky holds. Lari/. Casino Royal, Wash. Washington, Feb. 13. Hildegarde, The Belmonts (2), Line (5), Bob Simpson Orch (8); cover $1; minimum $4. Hildegarde is back in Washing¬ ton for the first time in three years, and most welcome to the eyes and ears of a large portion of the population, judging by the number of her fans who call out from their tables to tell her about it. Hildegarde is still Hildegarde, but this time she’s added a couple of numbers which are offbeat for her. One is a stronger double enten¬ dre song than anything she’s done before — about how men are all a^like and all want the same thing. She handles the material well, in light fashion, for very good re¬ turns. xier encore number is the fast oldie, “That’s a Plenty.” Mostly, however, she’s the Hil¬ degarde that Washington knows well, with a collection of inane chatter and mild stories and the ability to bring the lump to the throat with such songs as “Last Time I Saw Paris,” “All of a Sud¬ den My Heart Sings” and “I’ll Be Seeing You.” Her greatest talent is this faculty for taking a raucaus nitery audience by storm and carrying for a few short moments into a sentimental dream world. Chantoosey is handsomely gown¬ ed and looks consilerably younger than at^ her last appearance in Washington. As the Casino Royal she works from an elevated stage which makes it somewhat easier for her to reach the audience than from the floor of the Statler Em¬ bassy Room, where she’s appeared several times before. The Belmonts, hardworking ball¬ room dance team somewhat on the acrobatic side, has considerable talent, but some of the routines are planned to pay too much attention to muscle and not enough to the grace which the couple possess. The Casino Royal line of five girls works two numbers. Loire. FliuHliigo^ Mm Veg«» Las Vegas, Feb. 14. Dinah Shore, The Skylarks (5), Half Bros. (2), Don Kirk, Mary Menzies, Flamingo Starlets (8), Lou Basil Orch (13); $2 minimum. The value of time as a key to perfection becomes increasingly significant as . one views Dinah Shore groping her way through a hastily prepared, unimaginative act, that hardly does credit to her stature. Wrinkles stem primarily from the admitted fact that writers Bob Wells and John Bradford were allowed only three days in which to assemble Miss Shore’s numbers, which suffer additionally from an obvious lack of rehearsal. The re¬ sult is a repertoire that gives only fleeting glimpses of Miss Shore’s ability to troupe with the best of them. She comes off as a standup siiiger — a good one, to be sureassigned to turning out^a layout Of w.k. standards, occasionally bright¬ ened by specially cleffed material. Individually, the numbers enjoy good response and are tuned up in an entertaining manner, but tied together they fail to match the sock aspects of the repertoire Miss Shore introduced when she initial¬ ly bowed downstrip at the Riviera last season. It might be said, how¬ ever, that desired production ef¬ fects similar to those nailed down at the Riviera are difficult to cre¬ ate because of the comparatively cramped stage facilities. It can be expected that the erratic pacing of her numbers will be smoothed out a§ Miss Shore becomes more ac¬ customed to the routining of her songology. Even at that, however, she is faced with projecting be¬ yond her material in order to maintain the standard of showman¬ ship she has established here. The Skylarks tune solid back¬ ground harmony during several numbers embraced by Miss Shore. Extremely humorous is Miss Shore’s satirical play on the WellsBradford collab called “Tomor¬ row,” during which she pages tho three male members of the Sky¬ larks for some modern terping and yock-evoking. lyricism. “Rain,” Which she revives from her previ¬ ous Vegas engagement, still holds up as a sock begoff. Skylarks are presented earlier to peg the mood for Miss Shore’s entrance by upbeating some familiar tunes during a solo seg. Numbers occasionally tend to be far too stylized, how¬ ever, and could be geared more to producing a slick sound rather than a slick effect. In this respect. Skylarks’ interpretation of “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” results in a mawkish display as quintet goes beyond reasonable bounds in reaching for the drama^c. Ilialcaa Madrifl9 N. Y. Carmen Amaya (7) with Sabicas; Al Castellanos Orch (6); $4.-$5 minimum. Carmen Amaya is not the ortho¬ dox slick chick with the classy chassis. She’s merely a lithe little lady ladling a flamenco feasL ' The diminutive stomper’s brief halfhour at Angel Lopez’s Chateau Madrid is a creme de la creme of her Broadway concert of a couple of years ago. Her octet, includ¬ ing virtuoso-guitarist Sabicas, was culled for size and skill from her larger globe-hopping theatre . troupe and all adapted neatly to the more rigid requirements of a floorshow. ^ There’s no time for buildup or for dishes favored by the headworker herself, as would normally apply to a full evening. At the Chateau, it’s fast, fiery, but not so furious that it can’t be savvied and savored leisurely. As result, this is a winning and especially effec¬ tive Amaya package^perhaps not enough for the red-hot flamenco fancier as to time allotted, but done to a turn for the average watcher not hip to the inner mysterioso motifs of the heef & toe idiom. The plain fact is that here’s an Amaya aggregation that mixes the austere traditional with lighter in¬ gredients. Among the latter are grinds, taps, buck & wing and a kind of stepinfetchit shuffle multi¬ plied by a pulmotor. Watch close¬ ly enough and there’s cooch & shimmy. If this is flamenco, there should be more of it. Amaya, the slim figurine of a woman who leaves her “dedica¬ tion” in the rehearsal room, car¬ ries all of it out with an admixed sense of wit and humor delicious to behold and a fine bit of punct¬ uation marksmanship. It's flashy, a bit pashy in the right spots, and a romp at the stomps. With the socko .Sabicas razzling and dazzling with his articulate guitar, and the Al Castellanos 'orch purveying the background beat for Amaya & Co. and the latino notes for the dansapators, Lopez is speaking Espanol this semester. Trau.