Variety (June 1958)

65 W«^esdayy Inne 4, 1956 NIGHT CLUB REVIEWS Waldorf-Astoria, N. Y. Xavier Cugati Abbe ■ Lfine tat supper only)s Tito & Lilia Guizar (at dinner only), Cdracoltild A Maria Rosa, Bela Babat Orch; $4 cover. . The Starlight Roofs seasonal premiere Decoration Day eve (29) Co many iharks the fonnal bow of suihmer. Fdr the past few years,. . the Roof has provided an aura of excitement there having been a few talent- innovations brought in for the Park Avenue set. This sea¬ son, the Waldorf’s veepee and im¬ presario Claude C. Phillipe has gone off on a different vein, from that which was available for the greater part of the year in the downstairs Rmpire Room. He's' put the Roof on a Latin kick With Xavier Cugat and a setup which has; Caracollilo . & Maria Rosa fox both shows, and Tito Guizar & Li^a for the dinner display, while Mrs. Cugat. known equally as well as Abbe Lane, moonlights over from the legit mu¬ sical “Oh, Captain” for the late show at this hospice. Cugat- is a perennial in the po¬ lite Latin circles. He purveys a civilized kind - of dance incentive. His is. a slo\yer and perhaps sexier exposition of this terp fohh. His music is of the let’s-nOtrrush-lntb- this-thing kind of music, and there has been a perpetual payOff at the boxOffice for his wares. Indica¬ tive ‘is. the fact that Cugie after a comparatively long run at the chain’s Statler Hotel brings in a few pesos at the Hilton flagship fox the summer run. The crew of 16 with ■ its assortment of conga drums, adr ditional rhythm instruments along with the brasses and reeds, has strong vitality and withal a bit of restraint that has kept him in the upper brackets for these many years. He has survived a lot of music vogues and dance forms. He and Guy Lombardo seem to be the durables of the dance biz. With the present bill, there’s lit¬ tle reason for a femme Vocalist, especially with Miss Lane, and Lilia Guimr chiming. in with songs: at one show or . the Other. Tito Guizar, once a staple bn the eastside inn loop, hasn’t been in these environs for some time. This ranchero tuned cabaUero still has the vigorous delivery of the peon V In the city for a.‘wild time. . Tliere: are the old favorites like “Rancho Grande” his trademark, and sonie of the pops that have made the rounds for many years.. While his turn is a bit oldfashioned. it reaches the far comers of this room, and he gets a rewarding mitt even though he loses himself and forgets to cOme off. Apparently Guizar has trained his daughter in an ojidtime theatri¬ cal tradition of constantly reform¬ ing at a high key. This 18-year old highly blonded and heavily made up girl is a striking looker. Like • her father she works at her top level at nearly every moment and she shows some- highly effective . moments. However, at times it seems that she has paid a heavy toll for her able and hard delivery. Neither her comportment, style or songs is expressive of her youth. But like her father, she does punch along and the rewards in tiiis room are ample. The openers this Session are Caracbllilo & Maria Rosa, who seem to have made the complete rounds of New York City before reaching this highspot on their American tour. The: team'opened this sea¬ son with Patachou in the legit house, went from there to Radio City Music HaR, and even now pres¬ ent a note of freshness and vitaL., ity. • The duo have some artful . flamenco .routines," both solo ahd: in tandem* Finding especially high favor is their dialOg with cas¬ tanets. . It’s a: fetching routine, but their dance* work reaches a ^ high level, and: at times even pror. vides an arty note to the proceed¬ ings., • For the: relief chores Bela Babai dispenses an international flaLVor in his -dahce selections. This hos*^ pice Is still- a class buy and with Cugat as. the malhr terp lure^ the sundmer visitors . and natives as ,well will probably make the roof as a favored hangout. Jose. AHster Chi Gbicago, May 26. - Elaine May A Mike Nichols, Betsy Dunctn, Marx A Frigo Trio. $2.50 minimum. •; Like prodigals returned. Elaine & Mike are back, in the burg where the' team was Spawned; The inter¬ im tamnlt fox the pair: has been ^lavishly documented (in itself a cbminotion). and if they’re hot ex¬ actly household words (yet)* theh* notoriety and income, is sUH on 'the upgrade. As expected, their Kelljr’s opener (26).was SRO. and the youngsters generally were up to the occasion,' ;^FcHr the ■ homecoming, the team rjiHwaiatart ithaia ■i”Taek-rgo*il <|iaji log (significant here for the local mike spider involved) ss a teeoff • ; click sketch Of the pompous, platitudinous radio interviewer and shallow film celeb. It’s their most cutting bit, and by now has minor classic status. Programwise, though, they could have slotted this one to more effect as a wind^ up, for the rest of what they dis¬ closed,, albeit very igood and funny most of the route, couldn’t quite match it. Rated by applause, they chalked beaucoup points too with their im- provisatibn wherein tablers called out open and close lines and the style in which to limn the scene. It’s revealing of the inventive-stuff of which Elaine & Mike arc made. Betsy :,Duncan, making her Chi prcem,.is an bymhadbwed chirper for this show,. yet manages to come off nicely; with sweet. pipes ! and good ingenue looks. Her voice ' and style hint she’d. Showcase; better in musicomedy (she did “Pal. Joey” on the Coast). A songa- . log that includes "Just Breezing i Along/’ “Will You Still Bb Mine?” and “Strings of My Hearf’ needs bolstering, and her special mater¬ ial via Earl Brent, isn’t so special.; But mostly this femme needs more j mentity and concept to hallmark the act. She’s backed neatly by the j Marx & Frigo Trio. Pit- ’ Sahara, Xas Yegas Xas Vegas, May 27. Kay. Starr, Wiete Bros,, (3), Stanley Boys (4 ), Saharem Dane-, ers (12), Louis Basil brch (13); l^roduced by Stan Irwin; choreog^ raphy and original music jor pro¬ duction numbers, Sonia Shaw,. Bill Hitchcock; $3 minimuih... Kay Starr, with her leg ^still in a cast (it was broken Easter Sun-1 day in a aiding accideht) returns | to the Congo Room with “singing ] but ho dancing.” Full Skirt hides the ailing. gam as star sits on a! special seat, effect being that she’s ’ sending erect. In her W.k. stylized belting, she! offers ‘‘Gome ; One, Come All,” i “When A Woman Loves A Man.’:' “Lonesomest Gal lb Town,” “Lonesome Road,” “For Better Or Worse/^ “You’re My Sugar,” ‘‘Old Rockh’ Chair,” “That’s What The Good Book Says,” , and her trade¬ mark, “Wheel of Fortune.” She gets excellent assistance with fine blending of the Stanley Boys (4i, and retains splendid control of the pipes. Jerry Wiggins is her com¬ petent 88er. - The Wiere Bros. (3), long faves in Vegas, are featured, and get booming ybeks with tiieLr perfect¬ ly timed bits with the derby and violin props. Their offbeat comedy has a Continental flavor Which is internationally; accepted. Mildred Seymour at the piaho neatly fits her dual role as assistant and foil. “Call of India,’’ an East Indian extravaganza, and “Powder My Back,*’ an original travesty on tnt chorines of yesterday, are the two plush and imaginative ■ prbduction numbers by Sonia Shaw and Bill Hitchcock.; Duke.. Sbowplaee, N. Y. . . Jim Paul Eilefs. presentation of Jerry Hernian's "^Nightcap’*' with Fid. Karin, Kenneth Nelson, Char¬ les Nelson Reilly, Jane Romano; $2.50 mihirnUm weekdays, $3.50 weekends. - The Sardi set and a lot Of the wise music publishing boys have been streaming dbwntoWn the past couple of weeks to this: small Greenwich Village hitery because the wordjhias ' gotten around that: cl.effer Jerry Herman, is a comer: i The Word is right. I Herman, still in his 20’s, shows ^ in this; intime revue (which he di^ rected a^ well as . wrote) that he’s 1 got a big potential and if properly j disciplined;, aind directed could de¬ velop into a .potent writer fOr Broadway and the milsic biz. He’s energetic, ambitious and prolific. For this nite^* effort he conceived - about 15. tunes - (an as¬ sortment of . rhythm, ballad apd special. material iteips).' ahd/tw'o blackouts. That’s a lot of work;for any man, Offr-Broadway or on r44th St., and that’s what dissipates the overall iinpact of the show. It tehds to have a one^note qualify; the dote is Herman’s, of qoUrSe, which makes his point-of-vIeY, style and inelodic efforts a little overbearing before they’ve run their course. Herman has enlisted four likable yOung people to purvey his wares. In Jane Romano he has an ener¬ getic hra^ thrush* who can sell an innuehdO'jaad in Fia Karih he has a chirper who knows how to get a nice sound and some nieaning into a ballad's lyric. The boys, Kenneth Nelson and Charles NelsOh. Reilly, whip up lots of ehthuSiasni In their chores; : - It’s a small stage at the Show- place but everything flows.smoothly which is a credit to stager Her-^ man; and, dance deviser Phyllis. Steve AUen m IPebBt As Nitery Jazz Piamsl • % fioondtable Week Steve Alien has added another notch to. his performing belt: The author, composer, lyricist,. actor; j comedian, disker, tv enicee moved into still another field Monday (2) when he made his nitery bow as a jazz pianist'at New York’s eastside Roundtable: Probably the only thing left for Allen now is a crack at six-day bike racing. Allen has been doodling around; the jazz field for many years and j got an added indoctrination: a few i years back when he played the title j role in Universars “The Benny : Goodman Story/’ It has all served him in good stead. Although he’s not jazz’s answer to Van Cliburh, he does kitiow his way around the- keyboard and he does have a good rhythmic feel.. For this one-Week^r at the. Roundtable, Allen has wisely sur¬ rounded himself such jazz top- notchers. as Terry Gibbs .(vibes), Gus Bivona (clarinet), Muudell Lowe (guitar), Gar^ Frbm'mer (drums), and Gary Peacock (bass)I It’s a nifty musical erevv that con¬ centrated on building a sustained rhythmic drive instead of . going overboard with flashy instrurnental r licks. And when the solo improvi¬ sations came up, Allen held h’s own at the 88. " If through the vagaries of rat¬ ings, sponsors, etc.,. Allen and ty should part, ■there should alWayA be a spot for him at the Roundtable ] and even Birdland. • Spelling the ‘‘Allen All-Stars,” as they arie billed for this gig;, is a slick jazz crew headed by Tyree Glenn. In contrast to Allen’s work, the mood is‘driving and swinging all the way; It" helps round out a well organized evening of jazz. For the cocktail crowd, and oh; before the jazzsters take, over,! there’s a group , called the Vio-j linaires. Combo consists of four femme fiddlers and a male guitar¬ ist. They diih ■ out a pleasing and ! comfortable background sound for tippling. ; Gros. iltaiik Orchid^ Chi Chicago, May 28. Dick Shaicn, Fran Jefferies, Joe ParneUo .Trio;: $L50 cover. Dick Shawn’s .comedies, achieve 1 that balance of broad clowning and high satire that plays right down ! the middle;fpr yocks from all sides. In short, no matter how diffuse the. | audience, the Shawn net shares I ’em:-' ^ ’ ; Comic’s pace , and timing'is just about fiawless, even vdth a 75-min¬ ute route for. the .bpeher with" lots of celebs outfront.. And even at that length, the act has material to spare.. His Civil .War memoir (echoing and re-echoing through the turn) is old-hat by now, but stands , up tOr howls for the very Shawn virtues noted. There’s plen¬ ty pf laugh mileage too in his schizo bit and rock ’n’ roll parody; but maybe the highspot in his mime of a swish baseball pitcher; . Whatever, . he’s up to—gagging, singing, or comically dramatic-^ the Shawn wit is razorshm'p and holds the tablets from gambit one- liners to a getaway that mocks sem timental begoffs; u^ed by older acts. . Thrush Fran Jeffries cUrtain- raises in a. lucid jazz sfyle through a pleasant soiigalog. Her pipes are worthy, but her striving for vocal effect deprives the .sound of any true excitement: Might help if she were less, intent oh delivery and her ob- yibus charms, and brought more understanding to the lyrics. Joe Pamello. Trio backs the show in savvy fashion, -Buddy Hackett and Damita Jo Open June 10; Pit. Ini BoliolU V. Arturp Sacco & Marino Filiberti presentation of ‘‘A La Carte*' with Christopher Cary, Vivian Lori, Patti Reno, Kenneth Shelton, James Leon at the piano; author- composer, .Hafiz- HoJzer; no cover or minimum. ' Arturo Sacco, for many years the maitre at the Blue Angel, and Ma^ riho Filiberti, <Aef at that spot, have gone in for a novel venture in a part of the town that may yet be¬ come the swank nitery entertain¬ ment sector in New York. They Imve gone into the Yorkville sec¬ tion, where new and expenrive apartments are going up in great niunbers, and have opened what is primarily a. fine restaurant, where supper entertainment is available. The pair aire versed in botlr aspects of cafe operation, and: one will .at least be assured of tbps in culinary accomplishments. ; In Bbboli is named after tbe gar*' dens of the Pitti Palace in Floifr ence: The spot has been alt^ed, having had i tively recent cafe incarnations. Sometime ago. In Bbboli Vas' the Cafe Tokay arid more recently Cafe Romance. In this : instance, the ops want a bedrock of food, .hoping, to get a complete turnover by the time the show is rCady to start at the after-theatre hour. In Bobpli ha*s gone in for the off- Broadway type of revue with an Equity cast. The show is labeled “A La Carte” arid has a cast of four performers/ who seem, to be com¬ parative strangers tOL; nitery modus operandi. The show as scripted by Hans Holzer who has cOirie forth with a bookish type of humor that needs a strong grade, of performer to bring cut the author’s intent. The. selection of songs has some basis for performance values, but it’s difficult to artic.iilate with the present troupe. The. pacing eom- prises almost exclusively, of. a suc¬ cession of tunes. The sketches are weak.: In the song department, Vivan Lori is an articulate singer, but seems to have been mismated for the tj^e of tunes she has selected. Patti Reno is a gpod- Ipoking blonde, and the lads Christ¬ opher Cary and Kenneth Shelton have good, voices; but little heart for nitery work. The basic premise of having an bff-Broadway type of presentation is ; good. It brings iri a literate kind Of custortier, perhaps cUe ac¬ customed to a fine Gonttriental cuisine. If a show of this kind clicks; it’s good for long runs. The room is well-suited ior this presen¬ tation, and perhaps may yet hit a combiriatiori that will firmly estab^ lish it in the after-theatre firma- inent... Josa. Hotri R€M»s<$vclf:9 0. New Orleans, Jiirie 1. - , Andrews Sisters (3), Blackburn T^iinris: Sc Jerry (Collins. Bobby BXan- que, Leqh Kelner Orch 112 ) . Coeoannt Grove^ E. A* ' Los Angeles, May 28. Teresa Brewer, Allan Drakei Terry-Tones (4), Freddy Martin Orch (15); $2-$2.50 eprier; $3 minimurri. Teresai Brewer—an am azi n g mother of four—^retains the exu¬ berance of a little girl, a connno- . dity she dishes out on a toe-tapping platter in her current Cocoanuf Grove engagement. She’s a lively, charming performer whbse opening show brought forth audible and laudable results. Well known for delightful and pleasantly placed musical squeals, and -about as bouncy a vocalist as is around. Miss Brewer additionally is downright c o m p e 11 i n g with thoughtful works such as “Wheri I Leave the World Behind” and “The Silver in Mother’s Hair.” The rousing tunes—“There’ll Be Some Changes Made,” “Don’t Bring Lulif’ and her record hits—are still in the majority, and each is received heartily. Miss Brewer works nicely with a fine male quar¬ tet, . the Terry-Tones, which adds abundant spark, and her five cos¬ tume chariges, accomplished with precision, add . production tor the well paced show. The Grove’s entertainment direc¬ tor, Gus Lampo, has put together an alluring showcase for his star, coming Up with fine lighting, at¬ tractive staging and an excellent comic, Allan Drake. . Talking of familiar things—^wives, husbands and minks—^Drake takes fine mat¬ erial and delivers it with skill. Firsf-nighters were particularly ap¬ preciative. Freddy Martin orch. (15V is hack, keeping time for dancers and hack¬ ing Miss Brewer (under Herbie Edemiller’s direction with taste. Their intro, which highlights the musical. sounds from Whiteman to Miller, is tops. Ron. The Andrews Sisters’ first time . *———- here as headliners proved at the ■ ,» j opening jiist why they have been t.4»loiiy'9 ii^BflOB around for so long with such site- London, May 23. cess: They are a soFd singing team, Wally Griffin, Felix King A Don and when it comes to blending! Carlos Orchs; $5.50 dinner and pipes andvorimnal styling, they are ! $3.50 supper minimum. tops. The sreters sell their nos-v . —^- talgic-laden wares in smooth and ; it’s third time around for Wally effortless style. Griffin at this lush Berkeley It’s when they; fake tableholders Square restaurant—^and he’s as big back to the ;Rpariii’ 20’s that the - a hit as ever. He adroitly combines Aridrews really get rolling in high _ wit, -talent and humor and that gear. The . tunes iridude bit$ like spells out success all along the line. “Last Night On The Back Porch,” ; One of the great virtues of his “Dori’t Bring Lulu,” ‘*Bamey/act, so far as the West End is con- Google” and others. For this seg- j cerned, is that it is almost entirely , ment of act the Andrews quick-! fresh and ordinal. It’s first-class., change into costumes for dances of \ cabaret material and in a 35-minute the period which net big bahd show he uses only one standard flora custpriiers. - number. In between. his songs he . Blackburn Twins are sporting a i also plhys the funnymari with a new look this trip. Long fayes here, j succession of quick-fire gags that boys recently added a new male: get a ready and continuous recep- partner, Jerry Collins, and turned ; tion. madcap comedians as well as danc- ; Easily the best and wittiest item ers. Antids. are zany and raucous - in his sfiovir is his new version of arid net plenty" of guffaws arid I the “Lift e Red Riding Hood” fairy ihitts. Comic bits have amazing ; tale, vrith the lyrics penned to fit shaniness. Old bits included trade- i some of the hit “Fair Lady” times, marked inirror dance. Liuz. - Another smash entry is a calypso —^ I which he calls “Wee Is Me,” a lyric _ _ 4r j loaded with laughs which be de- Ee A* 1 • livers to his own bongo accoiripani- Trudy Richards, Howard Beder,] ment Another hit song is“‘Good ish Uparti Trio, Cutfon Trio; $3.50-1.Old Days,” a nostalgic entry, circa $5 minimum. j 1978* looking back to the good old - ; I days ef the present time. His one Playing her first N. Y, nightclub | ,* date, Trudy Richards made such a | solid impact wth the first-night ail-1 pace at the dience here thats she seems assured I of-many additional club engage-1 , i® ments in the city. She has played j a^^^ays on cue for tbn indicate many of the eastern clubs.and ho-i tels. Opening show, played before i ^ ^ the Usual pre-holiflay N.Y. crowd, i the dance time. Myro. was a real test for any singer, and j “ ^ ‘ Miss Richards, a Capitol recordirig 1 artist, cairie through with unfurled^ :,^^^*®®**®***’ MOllynooo colors. In fact, she was forced to : Hollywood May 27. do numerous encores. June Christy, Prof. Irwin Corey, This statuesque; ash blonde Rene Touzet Orch (6); $1.50 couer. .. miss is smartly groomed. An in-/ -^— gratiating personality, she warbles - June Christy Is back at the \rith conviction, assurance and fine Crescendo making music to look diction. : and feel lovable by, and if the frilly Starting with “Wrap Your Trou-j formula and rented white dinner bles Away,” on which she employs j jackets that filled the room open- sort of ;a broken-style (arid effec-j mg night-are any indication, her tiye) delivery, she romps through I thi-ee-week stay will be bolstered a well-chosen mixture of pops and! by end-of-tbe-semester proirigoers. standards. “Easy Living” and i It was a sure indication, at least, “Wish You Were Here” *are better j of Miss Christy’s yoUtMul follow- bked while.“100 Years From To-ling. day” is done, effectively. Miss ! Here is a sometimes whispering Richards comes back, to dg “Love quality that takes a progressive Fer Sale,” which she sells solidly. • arrangement and makes its lyric The combination of “World On a more than a pot of rhyming words. String,’’ ‘.‘Here I. Go Again’’ and She tells a story with each song “Taking a Cbarice on Love” is em-/because, it seems, she has the abil- ployed In sort of a jam session ; ity to listen to what she is singing, which scores. She was recalled six Her selections are tjqjically Christy times; . i —‘That’s All,” “Midnight-Sun,” Howard Bader, Avho also serves j “Something Cool”—and her fans as emcee, clicks nicely with “Hoo- ;.feel scored tipori with each, ray For Love” arid “She’s Furinyi J>rof. Irwin Corey, a holdover. That Way.” He projects well with • from the Crescendo’s previous bill, an easy-going style of singing. His | starts slowly with his pseudo-intel- longrun here attests to his popu- ; lectual soninar but. eventually larity, Ish Ugarti Trio plays the shotir smootflh^ while the Cutton combo altemates fiHT the dancing. Robert Crescas foxmerfy at the Versailleis, gr^iOi^^ .AlWtre c here. makes a highly amusing class out of it. Most effective with his audience participatiori ad Jibs, Corey throws away a few bits of eskential infor¬ mation—^arid It’s rather nice to know what “ajr raid” spells back-