Variety (July 1957)

NIGHT CLUB REVIEWS 111 Wednesday, July 31, 1957 PfiStlEtfr Chex Puree, Cfcl Chicago, July 25. Will Mastin Trio starfng Sammy Davis Jr., Louis Gomez & Beatrice, Chez Paree Adorables ( 6 ) with Benny Nichols, Ted Fio Rito Orch. (15); $1.95 cover, $4.95 minimum. There’s no better testimony to the drawing 'power, of Sammy Davis Jr. than the contrast of his nearly full opening night at the Chez with the rows of - untouched tablecloths' that have shown at this summer’s previous Chez Paree-| shows. His solid, fast moving amalgam of * song, dance, quips apd. imper¬ sonations runs as fresh and smooth¬ ly as ever. The chief changes are the variations in songalog. Besides a little special material, he rides through Cole Porter, “Riding, on Moon,” “Something's .Gotta Give” and “This is My Beloved,” all with¬ out a decline in impact* The impressions of Jerry Lewis, Nat Cole and an assortment of vo¬ calists are still a neatly received part of the act, as are the Will Mastin Trio’s terp routines. Davis Sr. and Mastin acquit themselves well on the softshoe turns. The show winds up with an Elvis Pres¬ ley- takeoff which still draws howls as Davis Jr. renuers it. Dance team of Luis Gomez & Beatrice handles set of Varied and well-segued maneuvers with smoothness. Numbers include' ex- erpts from "Cinderella," “My Fair Lady” and ‘‘Bolero.” Only thing missing from this act is some¬ thing to differentiate it from other competent dance pairs currently on the nitery circuit. Otherwise it shapes as a pleasant opening act. The Chez Paree Adorables, re¬ cast recently with more of the longstemmed variety, handle them¬ selves with the smiles and swivels looked for in the house line. Ted Fio Rite’s i2 men supple¬ mented for the backup chores with three of Davis Jr.’s own' crew, George Rose at thse keyboard. Red Rodney on trumpet and clarinetist Mort Stein conducting. The or¬ chestral timing on this show was perfect on the first show and-the dansapation more than adequate. Will Mastin Trio .remains through Aug. 20 but no booking between that time and Pearl Bailey’s opening on Sept. 10 has been set. - Leva. her number*. She i* a decided asset v George Liberace again demon¬ strate* dp*-ability to play violin in more thi® one way and is the foil for his brother’s jokes. Sid Krofft is one of the finest puppeteers to appear here in many a moon. He makes them do every¬ thing, dance, light and smoke cig- arets, take off their clothes, and prance about, in lifelike fashion, Krofft at times works three pup¬ pets. His most effective bit is the skeleton, which . comes apart, only to reassemble at his bidding. Some of the effect of his act is lost be¬ cause he is confided to the low stage, where many cannot see the puppets. Henderson Girls give with nice production number. Well-knit show- is backed ably by Joe Fra- setto • directing the Pete Miller band. Walk. Fontainebleau, M. B’eh Miami Beach, July 29. Buddy Hackett, Trude Adams, Norah Kovach & Istvan Rabovsky, Murray Schlamm, Sacasas Orch; $3.50 beverage minimum. 500 Club, A. C. Atlantic City, July 25. Liberace, George Liberace, Jean Fenn, Sid Krofft, Lee Henderson Girls ( 8 ), Pete Miller ofch directed by Joe Frasetto ; $3 minimum, $5 weekends. .' It’s Liberace with brother George, opera singer Jean Fenn and Sid Krofft and his puppets at Paul “Skinny”. D’Amato’s plush supper-club this week, with ropes up for all shows as the cafe cbv cuits most-sought pianist for the first time produces and directs this offering. This is also the first time Liber¬ ace has appeared in Atlantic City during the 26 years he has been in show business. The 90 minutes are jammed with music, with Lib¬ erace at the special Baldwin con¬ cert grand brought in for him, and Miss Fenn offering operatic as well as popular selections in her fine soprano yoice. House orchestra is backed by four violins and cello. Liberace liberally mixes patter with piano and vocal offerings. He works on customers' stageside, shows his jewelry, jokes about his bathrooms in his California home, and wins over the dubious'with his graciousness. His costumes are outstanding. One, an open front white shirt, slim black trousers and wide red leather belt, shows, off the trim figure he now x has after .losing 40 pounds. Others include a dinner jacket in beaded navy, blue black brocade, and evening clothes of white brocade, black metallic and sequin trimmed white satin. All draw ahs and ohs from the audi¬ ence, liberally filled with women. Liberace plays scores of the numbers, eld and new, which have been identified with him on his tv shows and Columbia Records. So quickly do they follow one another that it’s difficult to tell when one ends and a new one begins. From his opening “Last -Time I Saw Paris” through nostalgic “Tender¬ ly” and “Starlight” with bits* from ■ 'My Fair Lady,” when Miss Fenn supplies the lyrics, he is in com¬ plete control of the situation. He even works in a softshoe dance bit which scores. . Miss Fenn, tall, blonde and one: of the best lookers on the 500 Club stage in many a night, works nice-! ly with Liberace in the patter bits,: and sings beautifully from “Mad¬ am Butterfly” the number, “One! Fine Da*” & CMbfclbin w fallows,] with Liberace' * g This “height of summer” *fiow is wdrfhy of a midwinter slotting, containing as diversified' a combo of talents as yet displayed in this smart hospice and serving up tal¬ ented new faces to buttress the draw power of a Buddy Hackett in this area. Result is big boxoffice and happy customers. Hackett is a regular in the La Ronde who, with each outing, seems to acquire more polish and ease, with the assurance of a vet laughmaker who knows he’s got it made. Basics of his act rely on the gab department. Personalizing the waggery, he spins out lines on married life, the wooing period, the recall of an infant’s first week.; It’s prime stuff that sparks howl reaction through the universal self- identification angles contained. Smooth timing and handling' add to overall impact to win him the pounding that requires reprise of j his standard Chinese waiter bit j Trude Adams (see New Acts* is new to this sector and made the Hackett entry a Well-warmed one, thanks .to a smartly' devised act that brings her into big click aura. The management picked up her option fast after first-night intro bit. Ditto the well publicized Hun¬ garian ballet team of Kovach & Rabovsky. The Iron Curtain es¬ capees present a cafe-slanted stint, tailored for 'the medium and com¬ mercial all the way, with the at¬ tractive femme working out jazz angled toe-spilis while Rabovsky displays his Nijinsky recalls in legit ballet leaps and whirls. Encore segment has a gay, fast moving folk, dance to wrap matters up. Murray Schlamm, house emcee, introes in literate manner while Sacasas and his musickers showback adeptly. Entries this week are Mata & Han, Dominique, and Sonny King.. — Lary. Desert Inn, Lai Vegas Las Vegas, July 25. Gordon MacRae, Rudy Cardenas Sheila MacRae, Gina Genardi, Aft Johnsoh, Bonn Arden Dancers (12), Carlton Hayes Orch (17); $2 mini¬ mum. Gordon MacRae’s new act, a gen¬ erous and delightful hunk of w.k. songs, plus some very funny im- preshes, is teamed with the speedy juggler, Rudy Cardenas, and a couple of fresh production num¬ bers to give the DI a solid show for the next four weeks. ^ ae ^, burning voice socksTtrasting amusingly with her part- If I Loved You,” “Begin The Be- Tiers, a vent of normal size and a Statler, L. A. . Los Angeles, July 23. Dave Barry, Merry Macs, Eddie Bergman Orch (11); $2-$2.50 cover. Datfe Barry has been around the nitery beat as often as the Merry Macs have been absent. Paired off as the current dual attraction at the town’s surviving -downtown club, the Statler’s Terrace Room, the balance is fairly proportioned fqr the peregrinating public and the receptive mood of Thursday night’s (18) three-week opener was strictly upper register. The chem¬ istry was just right for music and comedy and the spirits high, -all adding up to a great big plus, for the performers. . It has been 25 years since the Macs first matched their voices in radio and while three of the orig¬ inals have been replaced, it is still a worthwhile .singing group working in much the'same manner of other mixed ensembles. But it’s Barry who rates the larger type because of his frequency and rec¬ ognizance among the traveling revelers. His impressions of God¬ frey, Liberace and Ghurchill are always surefire, his; storytelling and witticisms on ground level with an affable approach that sets well with the sitters and tipplers. His bit in defense of drunk drivers may hot be in the best taste but the laughs roll nonetheless. The'Macs are a. lively lot and rarely immobilized. The girl mem¬ ber works well with, her three male partners and all are formally frocked to give the act a dressy' look: Their rock J n* roller, a fast run-through of “Bluesville, USA,” and other numbers they’ve re¬ corded for Capitol give the turn a good musical framing. The sit-; ters might have been spared the delay in photographing the group around their *25th birthday cake.' ... “Begin_ guine’’ and most of the songs from “Oklahoma!” He preems his latest album of film title songology— “Singin’ In The Rain,” “Cabin In The Sky,” “Easy To .Love” and “Flirtation Walk”—with top effec¬ tiveness. He throws comedy and emotion into the soliloquy from “Carousel,” and gets yocks with his takeoffs on Cagney '(as Curly in “Oklahoma!”), Godfrey (as Yul Brynner), Nat King Cole, and Mor¬ timer Snerd. MacRae admits he’s more talented as a singer than a mimic, but the impreshes serve as a happy balance to the act. Wife Sheila adds strength to the package with her devastating mimes of Katie Hepburn, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Tallulah Bankhead and Lena Horne. Van Alexander smoothly batons the Carlton Hayes orch (17) for MacRae, who is in- troed as “appearing through the courtesy of the Federal Bureau of Internal Revenue." Cardenas breezes through his turn with many stunts that leave some members of the audience gasping in amazement. Curtain-raiser is a new Donn Arden “little spectacular” called' by a familiar title, “From Vaude To Video.” Subtitled “A Tribute to the Show Biz, Greats,” it fea¬ tures Art Johnson capably miming i the greasepaint immortals. Mak¬ ing her Vegas bow in-the skit is 19-year-old Gina Genardi, a pretty and peppy chirper who has no trouble living up to her intro as “Miss Personality.” Miss Genardi was coached by former singing star Aileen Stanley,; who has injected strong, song savvy into the poten¬ tial headliner. 1 The other production piece, also 1 nicely decorated by the dancers makes fine showcasing for rest of layout Baudy’s Greyhounds take the headline slot and like most animal acts, splits the house re- ceptionwise. If one likes this type of an act, then Baudy’s hounds and monkeys are top-drawer en¬ tertainment; the dogs are well- trained, pacing is good and rou¬ tines varied. Comedy hit is the hoofing an¬ tics of Sanger, Ross & Andree, last seen in this room about five years ago. A sock sight offering, trio garner plaudits throughout with femme of group (a handsome gal who stands better than six) con- ners, a gent of normal size and a midget. The Roberts open show and the acrobatics of this male duo are well above average. Singing and emcee chores are ably handled by Guy Dennis, a new¬ comer in these parts, and the big Bix Belair orch does show music in usual fashion with the Clayton combo in the interlude spot. The Craig Daye production hold for the next two weeks with new fea¬ ture acts slated for an Aug. 1 opening. Newt. Eddy s’, R. f. Kansas City, July 26. Helen Boice, Georgie Shaw, Tony DiPardo fOrch ( 8 ); $1.50 cover. Floorshow in the Eddy estab¬ lishment this fortnight rates as strong entertainment with a return date by Helen Boice, who was pleasing in a stand here last fall, and Georgie Shaw of the Decca singing stable. -They work up 45 minutes, well paced and combin¬ ing songs and comedy suitably. Bimbo’s 365 Club, S. F. San Francisco, July 25. Richiardi Jr. & Co. (4), The VaL enos (2), Fran. Jeffries, Dorothy Dorben Dancers (10), Al Wallace ~' ' ’ ‘ $1-51.50 cover. Orch (9), Alan Cole; Richiardi Jr. is a crowd-pleasing magician who uses considerable showmanship in performing a half- dozen complicated tricks. Fine il¬ lusion of having a girl hang hor¬ izontally from an upright broom, a hroOm with no visible means of support, rates a big hand, but thea¬ trically, best trick of all is taking audience into his confidence, show¬ ing how a simple trick is done by stuffing handkerchief into -hal¬ lowed egg, then cracking egg— with inevitable result. The Valenos’ acrobatic dances are tricks of contortion by female member of team. They do their stuff expertly, though some of the contortions tend to be hard lor more squeamish members of audi¬ ence to take. Fran Jeffries is a goodlooking, well-shaped chanteuse who really needs a more intimate room for “Let Me Love You,” “Lady Is a Tramp,” “Free and Easy” and other sexy songs. Either that or she should move closer to mike, belt a bit harder. Stef. Statler-Hilton, Dallas Dallas, July 26. Larry Storch, Chuck Cabot Orch (9); $2-$2.50 cover. Larry Storch. reaches a new high in hilarity with socko routines. At h>s capacity Empire Room opening „ __ _ . 25) he fractured the tab pickers In his first appearance here, without inserting new hits for him. Shaw shows plenty of ability in a full-voiced style. As a Decca waxer, he had had spotty successes, his “No Arms Can Hold You” went well up the lists. A sock platter could make him a real bet for clubs and hotels, as he has the the singing kdoW-how. He testi¬ fies to this on a string of numbers running through standards and current pops and the established ‘ Italian. Lad has Evidently the patrons never saw his impressions before, or else they caught the full business last sum¬ mer when Storch paraded his skits on network tv and loved em enough to see him in person. Either way, comic had ’em= in hand all the way and eouldn t have been better. Reprising his British fight announcer, Russian baseball scores, cowboy parody, Indian chief, Japanese imoresh and throw- Sorrento” — - .- -r--—- .. looks enough and works hard at, away gags, Storch keens the big his calling, as evidenced by a: m itting. He coasts with a bit on heertv reception throughout. :a bad tv set, a riotous sesh as a Just a few months ago. Miss: barroom dame and has to beg Boice had a whirl here, and now is ■ 0 ff_ a fter being carried off— \vuh ——-—-i back for an even stronger bid 'or \ bis wJc. yogi leg-folding stmt. His (12) and featuring the voices of j i au ghs and approval. She has bol- ! fl]1 i 50 -minute show T is top comedy Johnson . and Miss Genardi, handsomely mounted. Duke. Moulin Rouge, H’wood (FOLLOWUP) Hollywood, July 23. Margaret Whiting and the Happy Jesters have taken over the key positions in the. “C’est La Vie” re¬ vue which has been running at the Moulin Rouge for many months, and the prospects are for contin¬ ued good business. For Miss Whit¬ ing it’s her first local nitery date in a considerable period (about five years) and she’s a stronger draw than ever, thanks to her re¬ cent television action. Too, she’s peddling her wares with ease to stered her routine with a couple ’ e ff or t. .. , _ of new songs and. some new nat-, 4£huck Cabot’s orch, aside trom ter. heightened by her infectious j neat showbacking, pulls the terpers jollity. She kids about golf. dan-; for floor-filing dance sessions. ^ ing, her old man, her - weight and j Act-^winds Aug. 7. with banjoist age and sundry other items, andiE^e Peabody due Aug 0 rolls out songs in the Sophie j Tucker manner, keeping a steady! ---- toll of laughs and hearty audience! response. Both acts are a click j here and likely to be back. : Next up are the Hilltoppers. due 8 . Bark. Gatineau, Ottawa Ottawa. July 26. Zeniths (4), Ann Nichols, Barry In'T m “9 for" two weeksTwifh In-, Dale, Craig Daye Dancers >61. other act yet to be named. Champ Champagne Orch <8>, $1 Quin. - admission. The difference between the Zen¬ iths and any top-rank chant four¬ some is the same as the difference between a player piano and a piano Adolphus. Dallas Dallas. July 23. Nick Lucas , Jean Shannon i-euuimg ner wares wun ease to i ' , „ - oeiwecu a --- make this her best local showCas- i Bros. (2)^ Vince) t B g player: naturalness. Made up of ?— : Qrch 16); $l,50-$2 cover. f~.~ r — —^ Tun¬ ing. Her 35-minute stint is an in¬ gratiating songalog that covers a vast assortment of tune material, including a sock medley of songs cleffed by her late father, Richard Whiting. That medley alone would stand up as strong nitery fare, comprising as it does such tunes as “My Ideal,” “Guilty,” "Breezin’ Along with the Breeze,” “Too Mar¬ velous for Words,” “Blue Horizon” and others that rate among all- time top entries. They’re sung with feeling and delivered with an eye to top audience response. She also includes some of her disclicks, like ‘‘Moonlight in Vermont,” “Slippin Around” and “Might as Well Be Spring,” interspersing them with patter that is light and humorous. The Happy Jesters peddle a good blend of harmony and humor in their tune. . It’s the type of act which has become a strong lounge attraction in recent years; spotted midway in a series of lavish pro¬ ductions, they fit the bill effective¬ ly. Vocal imitations of musical in¬ struments for a “Disk Parade” routine are among the offerings that stir interest. Kap. Bellevue Casino, Mont’I Montreal, July 24. Baudy’s Greyhounds, Sanger, Ross & Andree, The Roberts (2), Guy Dennis, Casino Lovelies (10), Bix Belair Orch (11), Ruddy Clay¬ ton Trio; $1 admission. Tourist biz is giving most Jocal niteries a boost and the Bellevue Casino is attracting a good part of the spenders with its current layr out, lavish and visually strong. Producer Craig Daye brings in three new productions with ex- - - - travagant gowns by Madame Ber- :>^aa WiM’f ‘ “flrSs3i ne two femmes and two males, Zen- -- , . iths, currently billtopping the The old pros still know their ; Gatineau Club show, are nicely way around the bistro belt. Vet staged, dressed and trained. Their Nick Lucas stepped on the Cen-; pi p( i S a nd arrangements are okay, tury Room floor Thursday (18) and ; g u t there’s a sameness throughout, confidently took charge of the near-: no t relieved by a stilted item de¬ capacity audience—and kept thde : signed, to be an aping of Pearl crowd with a nostalgic rundown. ; Bailey which drops as flat as a His 30-minute begoff turn opens, t ear on a ru g. stint needs an in- with “Love Letters In the Sand,” j ec tion of originality, done in the 1931 version with' be- ; Held over are socko terper Ann tween-bars throaway lines. Strum- 5 Nichols whose keyboarding and ming guitar, Lucas doesn’t offer a ; wa rbling while she taps draw single new lyric; he doesn’t have ! ^ eaV y mitting Gorm. to for his hefty score. Aside from j -- ;r^ d oi h /hie,; n o£ 80 e^?£e^ ; ^ « C ° sa Mi& SSM I s tablers ta life. Lucas pipes “Sor- j admission. rento” in Italian, tosses between- *-;— tunes comedy lines and, a la Tony j Frances Faye, ‘not pretty, but Martin, gets off easily by taking: odd,” as she herself says, is a the bandstand and singing while \ smash hit in George Andros’ in- the terping begins. ; timate nitery. Whether she’s play- Openefs, blonde Jean Shannon ring and singing (in her coarse, & Brooks Bros., are a pintsized j strong voice), Gershwin tunes or edition of Kay Thompson & Wil-f dialect material she rates a tre- liams Bros. Lotsa woodshedding is ; mendous hand and quite literally evident and the choreography—; leaves audience hanging on the abetting the fine vocaling— is top-:ropes. notch. Gal does a slick semi-strip ' Biggest hit is a scat song string- onstage, and the pace never falters. ] ing dozens of names together, but Act headlined in a rival bistro t every number is done to a ‘T’. with earlier tliis year, and will bring j obvious forethought, rehearsal, fans during this date. Best items j planning. One of act’s best facets are the calypso number, “Woman ? is close cooperation with Vido Is Smarter Than Man,” and a frac- ’ Musso’s sax and rest of band, all turing Charleston number (with_[ of whom are excellent 1920 costumes). This can headline ] . Don Sherwood, Frisco radio-tv at almost any nitery. ’personality, does 15-minute warm- Vincent Bragale’s orch provides up before Miss Faye appears, tells neat backing and fills the floor for (jokes, sings a bit in imitation of dancing. Bragale bows each show; pops singers such as Tony Bennett with violin solos that click in this j and Tony Martin.. He’s relaxed, room. I personable, perfect counter-poise Act winds July 31; singer Judy for Miss Faye’s frenetic act. Mel Scott opens a fortnight on Aug. 1. Young’s a pleasant emcee. Show's ’i i.iiiMi iij , "u, - ;•