Variety (March 1958)

70 NIGHT CLUB REVIEWS PfiRI&TY Wednesday, March 12, 195ft Uopaeabana, X. Y. Myron Cohen, Sam. Cooke, Jaye Sisters <3 >, Copa Girls, Ted Mor¬ rell, Miini, Danii &. Genii Pri&r, Michael Durso and Frank Marti Orel is; $5.50 minimum. other. highlight' In sum, the Die¬ trich personality in person is as strong as on screen, to dim the monotone vocalistics to the point where even the jaded Beach cafe crowds make with the plaudits and encore demands at wind. Bert Bacharach's arrangements, accomps It seems fitting that: Myron; aiid conducting are a fine plus to Cohen should launch his Copa en- [ fi e r s tint. : . gagemeut on Purim, the Jewish! . Corbett Monica, in a tough spot holiday, although he’d be welcome/preceding the Dietrich entrance, in any period. His unfrantic, | rates credit for keeping on a friendly manner of storytelling is! steady punch-away line, to get contagious and he has the audience > them into laugh mood with a mix- with him from the start. A good! ture of familiar and newies. It portion of the-customers were evi-! js when he hit's the quickie im- dently “old friends” and if they , presh routine, that he gathers in didn't find Cohen’s yarns hilarious,] the biggest returns,, the rundown they at least recognized the gemut-! containing a wacky quality that; lich quality and chuckled appro-1 lends it an inventive air.; He’s a piiately. j smooth working guy who could The former: textile drummer’s : h it big, once he gets himself appeal is not confined tohis stories | a stronger gag-bag for forepart of per se. It. of course, encompasses ; th e act. As is, he fits into the pre- his unique delivery, including the • ? ta r slot K flavor of the accent, the special ] • McKay & Charles are bright nuance, and the hand and rrnvptnpnU Hi^? stories csrrv 3 ! -des. in out-of“V3US6, chdn £[6 of fami.ie.s. nudism. mothers. StSh? flair for lifts and spins as well as straight hoofery. They set a fast, pace for things to come, Lary, mothers, business. Miami Beach, neighbors, marriage, golf, air¬ planes, and Robert Briscoe, the Jewish former Lord Mayor of Dub¬ lin. ' If there’s any fault to find with Cohen, it's that many of his stories are so well known. Paradoxically, . this fact is to the comic’s credit. There is so much truth and identi¬ fication in his yarns that they have been passed around in the New York-Miami Beach orbit so fre- Paliiier House. Ulil Chicago; March 6, . Carol Channing, . Chiquita & Johnson, Beti^Arden Orch (9);. $2 cover ; • Carol Channing’s Empire Room. lorK-iviiami neacn orou. so ! op e ne r 16) was a harvest of mutual quently as to come virtually into ■ c e |y c lt v _ Packed oosherv’s natrons felicity. Packed poshery’s patrons were there to pay homage, and the star returned in kind, uncoiling a sock performance powered by pro¬ digious talent and lubricated by her warmth and offbeat charm. Advance bally, and pedestal sta¬ tus make it a must-deliver turn, and the promise is fulfilled. Not to overflowing, however—which only, in this case, emphasizes bally as a two-sided. coin. This isn’t carping with the act or performance, though,, as Miss Channing towers well out of reach in the comedi¬ enne division. First-show . fablers yocked aplenty, at the caricatures —the sharp and devastating Sen phie Tucker and Tallulah Bank- head. and the more broadly etched: Marlene Dietrich: (Conspicuously absent was. Judy Garland, from ad¬ vance ballyhoo the, most incisive carbon of the lot.) Takeoffs, are. gems. Of perception and timing, and rate as cinch classics. - . “Calpyso Pete” number is a dilly of a spoof. Ditto the burlesque of a sentimental orgy at the N, Y. Palace. But the decibel count soars with her whistled S’s through a deadpanned “CeCelia Sisson” mon¬ olog; or why a silent screen star failed to bridge the sound barrier (“I wouldn’t give the producers a tumble”). Miss Channing effectively incor¬ porates her kudosed legiting from “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” and “Lend An Ear,” winding with the Inevitable “Diamonds” tune as she pitches bogus jewels to outfrent¬ ers.. Audience clamor brought a second chorus, and a five-minute begoff with anecdotes and beau- coup thanks. Chiquita dc Johnson terp duo win attention, and good mitting ini the warmup with some split-sec¬ ond acrobatics made easy. Femme’s a looker in scanty gold costume. Ben Arden orch, as always, gives excellent backing, with Jack Rus- , . . . . ; sin leading from the keyboard for It. took some persuasion to get ? Miss Channing. Due April 1: EarL fVrightson. Lois Hunt, Mata & Hari, and Martha Schlamme. Pit the public domain. .(Cohen, how’- ever, can still make the stories funny no matter how many times they’ve been heard before. Cohen’s backing in the current Copa outing is not one of the em¬ porium’s strongest. Sam Cooke, a handsome Negro lad with two hit records (“For Sentimental Rea¬ sons” and “You Send Me”), may he a teenage idol, but he doesn’t seem to be ready for the more savvy Copa clientele. He’s best when he do?s his hit tunes, but he’s wanting when he tackles something like “Begin the Beguine.” In many of i his jump, numbers, it appears that the orch. was drowning him out. His stint seemed slightly overlong and there was a feeling that be ' had overstayed his welcome. The Jaye Sisters just didn’t seem to have the ability to estab¬ lish rapport -with . the customers. Their harmony is okay, but their selection of tunes and manner of " presentation did not come over. Their movements are familiar to the extent of being cliche. They have one special material song they can drop. Without loss; On hand, per usual, are the Copa. girls. They are backed by Ted ^Morrel and Mimi, who lend assist¬ ance in the voca department, and Danii & Genii Prior, .who handle the production terping. Except for the loudness during Cooke’s ap¬ pearance. Michael Durso’s orch does its usual fine backing job. It alternates with the Frank Marti samba band for customer dancing. Holl. : Fontainebleau, M« ITeh Miami Beach March 7. Marlene Dietrich . (ucith Bert Bacharachi, Corbett Monica, Mc¬ Kay Charles Murray Schlamm, Sacasas Orch; $3.50-$7.50 minimum. Marlehe Dietrich to play a U. S. cafe date outside of ; her regular Las Vegas stand, with a $17,500 bid for the week, the convinces She’s a “sub,’’ and quite a replace¬ ment, for Frank Sinatra, who couldn’t make his original two- week deal and arrives midweek for a seven-day stand; . Miss Dietrich is as strong and authoritative a cafe performer as she is on screen. She exudes class, and confidence from walkon in & glittering Don Loper. creation that reveals much, yet conceals. It’s the sort of gowning befitting the glam¬ orous air attending her .presence, and sets the distaffers to buzzing. On the vocal side. Miss Dietrich’s limited equipment is artfully con¬ cealed in her selection of songs. Statler-Hllton,- Dallas Dallas, March 7. Earl Wrightson & Lois Hunt, Bob Cross Orch (12); $2-$2v50 cover. . This is the first Texas -nitery date for the baritone and the so- pvano-^-both well known here for State Fair Musicals’ chores — but the duo is due a return after the accolades of opening. night (6) in the plush Empire room. It’s a delightful 40-minute song session, with solos and duets. El Ranefro* tas Yegas Las Vegas, March: 11. : Eartha Kiit, Morey. Amsterdam, The Eligibles (4), Dick Rice Orch ( 13); sets by Tom Douglas;, pre¬ sented by Beldon Kaileman; $3 minimum. Eartha Kitt’s return; to the Opera House finds her in a slick new act tailored to her exciting feline per¬ sonality.: Sexily gowned by Edith Head and Miguel Ferreras, she tosses some provocative terping into the. Jonathan Lucasrstaged turn ; the foot and. body movements being smoothly blended with her chifps. Repertoire includes , “I Want To Be Evil,” “My Heart Be¬ longs To Daddy,” “Take What You Want But Don’t Take Everything,” “Don’t Be A Stranger, Stranger,” “Love Is A Gamble.” “St. Louis Blues,” “I’m An Old Fashioned Girl” and “C’est Si Bon.” Male quartet, the Eligibles, had some noticeable .first-night jitters, but nevertheless were impressive with their backgrounding of Miss Kitt’s songolagy.. Modesto : Mar¬ tinez on bongos gives good con¬ tribution, and Gerry Dolin expertly hacks the Dick Rice orch (13). .Morey Amsterdam, in a reprise of his standup comedy act pre¬ sented elsewhere on the Strip re¬ cently. is a strong balancer for the bill, and his one-liners get solid yocks: Choreographer Barry Ashton and his dancers ( 10 ) paint some fine tune pictures with their imaginar tiye productions, one of which com cerns .some hotel bedroom doors— the most ingenious skit seen on the Strip in years. Duke. Statler Hotel, L. A. Los Angeles.. March 7. Wally Boag, Slyter, Tommy Won¬ der & Margaret Banks & Don Del- lair, Eddie Bergman Orch (12); $2-$2.50 cover. . Comedian. Wally Boag ; shifts his base of activities from Disneyland —where he’s under pact to Walt Disney—to this downtown boite for next . Three ; weeks, with perhaps more appeal to junior set than the adult crowd. Although Boag occu¬ pies headliner spot, real Star of evening is British magician Slyter, who performs a few astounding tricks during his 10. minutes on¬ stage to spark an otherwise routine show; • First half of Bbag’s turn is better than, the closer, takeoff on various western yideoaters. For this open¬ ing, comic makes facile use of. as¬ sorted elongated balloons which he twists into shape of various ani¬ mals; to the tune of fast patter. His humor is ingratiating enough, backed by a breezy style, to keep spectators mildly at attention. The tailcoated Slyter, as a drunk, utilizes. only small props, most of which he can hold between his fingers, but his art is so genuine that he’s ‘ a top performer. He catches the crowd with, his dexter¬ ity,/remarkable in that he can make articles multiply in his hand without any seeming movement. .. " Dance team of Tommy Wonder & Margaret Banks, aided by singer Don Deliair, open 50-minute show which remains through March 26. Wonder's dancing with a life-sized dummy is highlight of act, good for laughs. Dellair’s .warbling is okay. Eddie Bergman orch ably back¬ stops show and furnishes danceable music, Whit. i Male’s hefty baritarief is heard in ceaieci m ner selection, of. songs, ■ “Song in My Heart,” “It Ain’t Ne- the arrangements and the dehber- ct ssari i y So” and “Ope Alone.” ale delivery that allows for what Miss Hunt has heai^ inhings, also, are actually .recitatives in rhythm, [with “I Hear Music,” “My - That she maintains a fast and attention-compelling hold on the tablers throughout is doubly marked when she takes a “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine” and makes it sound like a well written lyric with undertones the rock ’n’ rollers would be startled to hear. The same moody approach is applied to the rest of her carefully consid¬ ered compote of film tyhes she’s introed and also when she Changes midway to. the famed tophat & fails for an ear-and-eye arresting version of “One For The Road.” Reprise of “Lili Marlene” : is an¬ ... Bill” and w.k. Metopera number, “Mu- setta’s Waltz.’’ Duetting on “Sep¬ tember Song,” “Where or When,” “You Do. Soraething to Me,” “Speak to Me of Love” and “Irish Eyes Ate Smiling” frosts the cake. Begoff is a zingy duet of “Wunder- bar.” Pair, has more than the re¬ quired vocal abilities; act could be punched with some saucy between- tunes patter. Bob Cross orch lends superb as¬ sist at showtime and lures the terpers. Act winds March 19, fol¬ lowed by the Three Suns on March 20 for a fortnight. Baric*. .. latin ^uarter, London . London, March 4. . Tolaini Bros, present 4, Folie Du Monde ,” produced; devised and staged by Al Heath, with Mimi Pearse, Hope & Keen, Burke & Kovac, Tux : & His Flying Kitchen, Latin Quarter Dancers (5), Latin Quarter Showgirls (9), Johnny Wiltshire Orch ( 8), Jackie Gordon Hammond Organ .;. $3.80-$5 mini¬ mum. With an eager, shrewd eye on the tourist trade, the Latin Quarter bosses have sunk something like $140,000 in giving their nitery a wash-and-brushup and a new look. It has been enlarged and a new bar, an illuminated glass dance floor, a revplving stage and colored fountains have been flung into the general ensemble. The opening night shindig was an artists & models shindig at which guests Avere asked to wear Bohemian garb. If Bohemian means “scruffy,” then the. firstnighters certainly played up. They found a colorful but still rather • cramped night spot, with a raised, floor for dancing to Johnny Wilkinson’s spirited but over-noisy combo. “Folie Du . Monde” is • a twice- nightly floorshow of around 90 minutes .which would have bene- fitted from, more elbow room, vari¬ ation in presentation and loads more humor. AI Heath; who pro-, duced .and devised the show, has relied on the indisputable fact that rapst midnight revellers are happy with a girlie show. But he has concentrated too heavily on femme appeal at the expense of a few socko, and even the pulchritude begins to pall by the end of the lengthy show. Paris, Edwardian London, the Orient and the Bowery are the main scenes; the. Bowery sequence, with a presentation of “Frankie and Johnnie,” is the best of the bunch. Star of the show is blonde songstress Mimi Pearse, who ap¬ pears in all the Scenes, and also does her own act which consists of point numbers that all harp on sex. Miss Pearse is a capable performer and a looker but not strong enough to highlight the show throughout. Burke & Kovac do a number of slick specialty dances and a few vocks come for Tux, a juggler who turns a kitchen into a zany mad¬ house. The show ends with a peek at a number of historical femmes fatale, including Eve, Salome, Cle- opatra.vHelen of. Troy, Lucretia Borgia and Madame Pompadour, which Miss Pearse emcees with a lyric of unbelievable banality by Clive Allen & Bobby Joy. The show is well lit and excel¬ lently dressed but the small stage provides little opportunity for suf¬ ficiently colorful and lavish sets needed to beguile a well-wined and well-dined audience. “Folie’ Du Monde” has some easy on the eye i gals and in the show are enough ingredients to make a lively late- night entertainment, but at the moment it is too long and lacks punchy highlights. Rich .. C'hiMS St. Louis St, Louis, March 7. : Steve Lawrence, Morlidor Trio, Charley Spivak Orch (14); $1.50:$2 Chi Chi, Palm Springs Palm Springs, March 4. Patti Moore & Ben Lessy, Connie Moore, Paula & Paulette, Bill Alex¬ ander. Orch (7); $1 cover week¬ days. Irwin Schuman has been playing around with cover charges as if they were Easter, hats. He has even yanked them off completely, though the season has two months more to run. At a dollar tap this is a bargain. Patti Moore & Ben Lessy are not new to the Stairlite Room and Les¬ sy’s frequent appearances on the Danny Thomas tv show have made his comedy fairly familiar. House had a hard week bucking Jack Kramer’s tennis pros and Benny-Marx benefit on weekend, because this is not the sort of town that goes from one show to catch a midnight turn: at a night club. An early show and so ta bed is the formula. Connie Moore and Patti Moore are not related but both are sing¬ ers . and well liked. Lessy does some Leon Errol sort of dancing interlaced with Santa Anita gallops that get plenty of laughs. And of. course, he always has his popping popcorn bit, if all else fails to move the laughmeters. Bill Alexander’s orch, having been, soft-pedalled during the Duke Ellington sessions, are back re¬ freshed and good form. Sail. Take it from the firstnighters, Steve Lawrence’s first time in St. Louis won’t be his last. The per¬ sonable, moonfaced singer sells clear out into the street with as fine a passel of ballads and jump tunes, as ever blew out of Tin Pan Alley; Opening with a happy, fast-paced “Keep Your Sunny Side Up,” Law¬ rence charms all hands from then on out with a string of standards, putting the goose pimples in ex¬ actly the right places in the pretty ones and the pyrotechnics in every note in the frenetic sessions. He also tosses in a couple of jokes and brief right-on-the-buttoh imitations of Cagney, Tony Bennett and Ed Sullivan which get healthy yocks all around. Just before his curtain ditty, “Up a Lazy River,” he injected an en¬ gaging personal note by introduc¬ ing a girl at ringside whom he de¬ scribed as “the world’s greatest singer and entertainer.” You guessed it—turned out to be his bride, Eydie Gorme, who'll be in town all during Lawrence’s engage¬ ment and will come in for a couple of weeks herself at the Chase Club in April. On Miss Gorme’s. en¬ gagement here last season, ring¬ side consensus was “here is an entertainer .” That’s the ringside nods now, too, for Lawrence. The Morlidor Trio, opening the show, features two pretty girls and a guy who’s dressed as a rag doll, and probably , is a rag doll: when you come right down to it. He’s as pliable as a rubberband and, as¬ sisted by the girls and a small box in which he nestles like a curled- up caterpillar, he gives an incredi¬ ble imitation of a tortured pretzel. There’s no conversation in the act, and none is needed. The contor¬ tions speak for themselves. *. Next Chase Club booking: The Four Coins, March 20-26, with the Jimmy Dorsey orch coming in for an extended engagement. Bob.' Black Hawk, S. F. San Francisco, March 6. Billy Taylor Trio; no cover, 00c dpotcharge. In his Coast debut, pianist. Billy Taylor displays a fine talent for serving up an astute mixture of blues, ballads and jazz standards in a manner which not bnly holds the causual night clubbers hut also the jazz buffs. Emphasis a majority of the time is on melodic tunes such as “Will You Still Be Mine” but be branches out into, less fa¬ miliar Jazz fields with “Ladybird,” “Keen and Peachy” and a great takeoff on Count Basie. Drummer Ed Thigpen, Is given plenty of featured spots and One entire number, “Titoro,” was writ¬ ten for him by Taylor. Presenta¬ tion is excellent, with Taylor ex¬ hibiting a warm, pleasant person¬ ality at the 88 and handling emcee chores easily. He makes a practice of introducing every number, some¬ thing which other jazz men might. emulate. He opened March 4 for two weeks. Rafe. * Up-Tempo, Montreal Montreal; March. 7. Lance Percival, Linda Ballantyne, Pat Galloway, Judy Kirkpatrick;,, written and directed by Roy Wol- vin; Gerry Gross; musical arrange¬ ments, Edmund Assaly, Gene Parr; produced by Jack Greenwald; $1.25- $1.50 cover. Making a clean break from the regular show format with niteries in /Montreal’s west end, producer Jack Greenwald and writers Roy Wolvin and Gerry Gross have come up with a revue-type offering that at least is different: It has talent and should, click, provided the slim financial backing holds up for the next few weeks. Spotted in the. upstairs room of the Cafe Andre and in:a good loca¬ tion to attract both French and English niterygoers. this satirical revue touches most phases of Montreal life with clever lyrics and several bright, original tunes. The cast of one male and three distaff¬ ers works at top speed throughout on the small stage with only a brief narration or blackout to allow, for a costume and set change. All femmes are lookers and add much to the visual side of things garbed in a basic costume of black leotards and short, transparent blouses. Ac¬ cessories such as hats, scarves, etc., make effective gimmicks and gen¬ eral tempo creates the illusion of many physical changes. Outstanding, songwise, is a paro¬ dy on English television program¬ ming from the local outlet and an opera sequence in the form of a gossiping bridge game. Major fault in production is the apparent haste with which it was put togeth¬ er. The opening items are labored and even though all are experi¬ enced theatre and cafe performers, the lack of a firm directing hand leaves them slightly bewildered un¬ til midway through show. Kudos, however, should go to all concerned for trying something offbeat in a business that is trying to stay alive despite ~an early cur¬ few,. religious holidays, do-gooders and the like. Newt . Eddys , ,R.€. Kansas City, March 7. Dolores Hawkins, Del Ray, Tony DiPardo Orch (10); $I-$1.50 cover. Long spell since Dolores Haw¬ kins has chirped in town is broken with this date at Eddys’, her first in the city in a couple of years. She rates as a top thrush, and show she gave at opening had the house enraptured. Combined with Del Ray’s nifty sleight-of-hand and firey tricks, show is solid enter¬ tainment for its 49 minutes. Del Ray has the floor for a round of polished tricks with liis prop teddy bear, canaries, spurting fire and fast shuffles, keeps the audi¬ ence highly intent on kis doings and greatly appreciative. Then it’s the little charmer, MisS Hawkins, with her throaty renditions of Top 10 songs. She’s in good form from “Where or When* through “St. Louis Blues,” “Come By Sunday, “Satan, Get Thee Behind Me and Push,” “Good Lovin’ “And $ ever ? 1 others, including some of ner Epic recordings. , . Not of the least of Miss Hawkins; turn is her topflight music, played to the hilt by Tony DiPardo orch, enlarged from 8 to 10 for . this stand. Quin.