Variety (July 1958)

Wednesday,; July 16, 1958 Blue Angel, N. Y* Mike Nichols & Elaine May, Dorothy Loudon, Buffalo Bills (4),; Reynoux, Jimmy Lyon : (3 ) ; Bart Howard; $5-$6 minimum. Every so often show biz vets de¬ plore where’s - the - new - talent- gonna-break-in and along comes a . team like Mike Nichols & Elaine May to sustain the more modern conclusion, that talent Will out. The harker-backers tp. the good ole days of vaudeville etc. may be right but since the atomic electro¬ nic progression is what it is today , the fact is just as true—talent will not long remain undiscovered. Mike & Elaine, as Nicholas & May . are alternately billed, have progressed far, and into important money brackets, in a short span. Since the Herb Jacoby-Max Gordon: . twain has options on them that date back to an original Village Vanguard (companion nitery opera¬ tion in New York’s Greenwich Vil-. lage) they are reaping the benefits.. On a midweek night the customers were stacked to the last row and the management was embarrassed by riches, doing plenty all right to. a $5 Weekday minimum in this intimate room. The . Blue Angel no w rates With the Manhattan. institutions as one of the more durable bistros, and not for nought.; Their shows are . consistent and the customers ap¬ parently aren’t scared by the $5 and $6 minimums (latter on Fri- day-Saturday). . j A tastefully done room, with ■ service to match, Bart Howard em- ! cees and is relief pianist for the jimmy Lyon Trio which- takes over the bar-lounge from 2-4 a.m. Other than The Buffalo Bills (New Acts), doubling from “Music [ Man,.” all are returners here, in- j eluding Nichols & May whose, stuff is not too esoteric although by no means on the mugg side. It’s played broadly and holds almost all the Way. The smart-aleck disk jockey who knows everything and name-drops everybody is given a sardonic Workout as Nichols “in¬ terviews” the starlet (Miss May) on her new picture, "I Was a Teen¬ age Brain Surgeon.” From then on “Jack Ego” (the pseudo-dee jay) refers to Baruch as. “Bernie,” Ber¬ trand Russell as “Bert,” Dr, Schweitzer as “Al,” etc. (“One thing I hate about Bert Russell is that he’s, a pushy philosopher,” ob¬ serves. “Jack Ego,” “and you know a . pushy philosopher is always a drag!”). . Their three other routines are equally effective: “adultery” a la U.S., British and French stance; a Chayefsky takeoff, with a.. rieo- audience participation gimmick; and a satire on the $65 package funeral (With “extras” that come close to $4,000). Which they label (rightly) “the phoniest profession in the world.” Though comparative newcomers these youngsters have the author¬ ity of old pros and, better yet, the: authority of an offering replete with solid material. » ; Comedienne Dorothy Loudon: has also progressed. She’s a savvy , song delineator and, given a legit musical showcasing, she could sud¬ denly find herself “discovered.’ She treats most of her pops tongue- in cheek, whether it’s “Gotta See Mama” Or “Great Day.” A particu¬ lar gem is “Mobile” which could be the professional undoing of many a future Dixie songwriter, jp Show’s calibre attests to no b:o. blues at the Blue Angel.: Abel. - Club Harlem, A. €• ' Atlantic City, July 11. Larry Steele’s “ Smart Affairs of 1959,” with Larry Steele, Damita Jo, Lon Fontaine, The Avalons (5), Joseph Smith, Frank Hatchett, Slappy White, Jaye Monroe, Paul Meeres & Lardine, Cdrleton John¬ son, Peter Green, Beige Beauts & Modern Harlem Girls (10), Johnny Lynch Orch (14); produced, writ¬ ten and directed by Steele; chore- . ographed by Fontaine; musical score arranged by Thomas Griffin; costumes, Johnny Allen; lighting, Herman Spell. Admission $1.85 and ' $2.50 Sat; no minimum. Absent last season, Larry. Steele Is back at his old stamping grounds in Ben Alten and Cliff Williams’ ‘ Club Harlem; big sepia spot in mid¬ town With his “Smart Affairs of . 1959- which, following the season here, will tour. Steele has put together another . colorful, fast-moving two. hours of . entertainment which .lives up to and at; some points ■ excels those shows which have left ’em without complaints in past seasons. . As usual, his production . num¬ bers, all done to a rapid-fire tempo. With principals, girls and bpys beautifully costumed, excel.; Out- slanding is a chOreographical teen¬ age gangster■: scene, a takeoff on “The West . Side Story,” but; Steele’s Conception of juvenile delinquency of todays< Lon F^ojir taine, in the Steele shows in other years; and a newcomer,. Leona Epae, are featured in dance and singing chores and with big assists from the Beige Beauts really give the customers. something to talk about. .Carrying the. vocal chores: on the distaff side is lovely Damita Jo, who.: bangs out a fast- “It’s The Wrong Time” as an Opener .and successfully wows them with oldies like 7 “In .A Little Spanish Town,” “St. : Louis . Blues,” “Beautiful Friendship.” and “After You’re Gone.” .An eye-opener who can really put a song over, .she., scores heavily.. The Avalons, five singers who also prove they can dance, draw top mitting with their fasties.such. as “Oh Babe,” and “Shake, Rattle and Roll.” For a change of pace they do a neat job on “I Believe.” Slappy White, is the comic. A newcomer here', •.= he : does a nifty job, h*s takeoff on the Red Skelton skit depicting the tv artnouiicer plugging gin beirig his best. . Paul Meeres & Laraine are as smart-a pair of adagio dancers as have appeared in. Steele shows* Too. the show would not have. its extra-fast, tempo without the fine dancing of Fontaine; who works hard not only in the number star¬ ring Carleton Johnson and .Joseph Smith and himself, but in all pro¬ duction numbers. Fontaine also pleases in a vocal bit. Few Harlem shows, in recent years have been without a stripper and this year it’s Jaye Monroe whose interpretive is neat and not too naughty. Bubbles, accent her .act. Steele does, the vocals of “The Modern Harlem. Girl” Which brings on four Harlem. Girls and is used tp introduce Damita Jo, and the opening “Give Us That Beat” which introduces, the girls and boys as fun-poker at the long tv credits. Frank Hatchett does a slick sax job here. Walk. ■■■. I Chase, St.Louis ■ St. Louis, July; 10. Sheila Reynolds, Chuy Reyes Orch (5); $1.50-$2 cover. Sheila Reynolds, one of the most engaging chanteuses to • hit this tpwn. in some. time, is spreading goosepimples ■; ’round the. Chase Hotel’s. Starlight Roof in two shows j nightly. A redhaired, green-eyed beaut with a gorgeous voice and a three-octave range, she makes the most of everything—her looks, her figure, her dazzling Wardrobe and her golden - tonsils—in a. well- rounded session of showtunes, spe¬ cial materials and. standards. . | . She gets undivided attention all the Way, with special posies going to her “My Fair Lady” medley and a cOuple of intimate strolling mike bits for the - benefit/of the bald- headed row. She also uses the strolling mike highly effectively to open and close, coming in singing from the. audience and going, out the same way. St, Louis is definitely going to turn handsprings for her before her fortnight ends. Chuy Reyes’ fine Latin-American combo continues on the bandstand throughout the summer. Bob. . Colony, London London, July. 8. r Eddie & Lucille Roberts, jlene Day, Felix King : & Don Carlos Orchs; $3.50-$5.50 minimum. This comfortable, Well-patronized cafe offers a double attraction [ Which proves highly to the taste of the supper revellers. Toppers are Eddie & Lucille Roberts, a vet mentalist act that embellish¬ es a familiar, yet still astounding, routine with Witty, sophisticated patter, which, even without the mindreading, rates as fine enter¬ tainment. Roberts introduces the act, Which runs for 28 minutes, with some smooth gags based on Monte' Carlo, his West End hotel and how be came to meet his part¬ ner and wife. . Then comes the mindreading routine. Here:, the distaff side of the act comes into her own, not only by the deftness with which she “guesses” the. vari¬ ous, objects produced by the audi¬ ence, but With the ease with which she tosses around comedy cracks with her. partner. '. / Opening the cabaret is Ilene Day, a dusky, goodlooking song¬ stress who is now a popular figure in local cafe entertainment and who Was recently leading, lady in the ill-fated Negro musical,“Sim¬ ply Heavenly.” Miss Day, at the show visited,; handled, a gabby au¬ dience With, skill, In a 15-minute act she does four sophisticated numbers, “Today X Love. Every¬ body,” “What Can It Be” from “Simply Heavenly,” “Let Me” and “Day In, Day Out.” Miss Day’s lithe body and saucy eyes comple¬ ment her: sexy voice admirably and she pulls in the applause with ease. 'meRtch'.-r* PftniETr NIGHT CLUB REVIEWS 55 Cocoanut Grove, L. A. Los Angeles, July 11. McGuire Sisters, Bennett & Pat¬ terson, Freddy Martin Orch (12); $2-$2.50 cover. has long ago discovered this secret of hidden boxoffice. Singers from . a lot of major countries have plied! . i their tunes in this bistro, and with ; every . Continental comes a . lot of i new customers. Still another plus :... '■• *■ .-i • J i in this category is the fact that The McGuire Sisters vocal tno . the newies are of the wine trade who .catapulted into the national/variety. 500 Club, A. f . Atlantic City, July 12, Liberace, Delores Perry, Darias, Jack Curtis, Peter Miller Orch (14); $2 admission, $4 minimum. spotlight via the ‘'Arthur Godfrey Show,” are holding forth at the Cocoanut Grove for the next two weeks. It’s a booking that should satisfy everyone concerned,. as a capacity house, at. Thursday’s (10) opener clearly indicated. The pretty maids are invading this plush spot with a Well staged act all credited to manager-arran- : ger-conductor Murray ■ Kane. It’s 45-minufe turn padded with songs, most of Which, are the group’s disk hits,; a . couple of specialty , vocal numbers with a story line, and .some hoofing that depicts days; gone by. The girls open with “You Are So Much A Part of Me” which comes off strong enough to. lead info. “Isn’t It A Shame,” Alabama Jubilee,” “Sisters”; “One Fine Day” from “Madame . Butterly” which they harmonize in English real well, “Daddy,” and a medley of songs which included a chorus or two from their bestselling plat¬ ters, “Picnic,” “Something’s ■ Gotta Give,” "Sincerely” and . “Sugar- time.” Closing tune is. tagged “Think of Me Kindly,” ..quite apro¬ pos, for the heavy mitt response from the patrons indicated they would. Also on the bill is Ben Bennett & Dick Patterson, a young, person-; able comedy team making their first appearance at the GroVe. Pair open turn with a Comedy bit of vocalizing on “Down By The. River¬ side” Which sparks off their other offerings. These include, /several impressions; best of which is a takebff on. ' “Dr. Jekyll, and Mr. Hyde.” A satire on baseball, play¬ ers. doing tv. commercils is well received arid adds. its. share : to bringing forth the laughs. Another jock-getter is a fashion. show routine aimed at the stronger sex, men. Only letdown during turn is on certain bits dulled . 'by . their endlessness. Freddy Martin’s orch : impresses with a beaut of a rendition of “76 Trombones” and additionally backs the show and dancers in h : s usual first-rate fashion. Kafa. In the current bill are two Turk¬ ish singers, Sandra De Kiraly, who has been here previously; and a newcomer, Nejla Iz, who is still to learn to palaver the Anglais: Miss De Kiraly is a heavy voiced-contralto With a well- arranged act Most of her num¬ bers are either standards or spe- ciallyTscripted tunes, and . they’re easy to take. Her big number is. an . international medrey based on “Around the World;” which hits it .well, • One example of international l.am.ity with entertainment as the common denominator occurred when one of the Turkish parties became highly amiable with a neighboring Latin group. Ernst Schoen’s strolling musicians piped out a Turkish dance and couples doing the shimmy and the flamenco found a common meeting ground in the.rhythms. Normally, there’s no dancing in this emporium, but the air of informality overcame a lot of obstacles. Jose. 365 Club, San Francisco San Francisco,; July 8, Rosemarie, Bobby Breen, Moro- Landis Dancers (11), Alei Duchin Orch (9); $1-$1.50 cover; Rosemarie carries this: 75-miriute show, though Bobby Breen pro¬ vides some pleasant moments and the MororLandis Dancers Work hard;,:. . The poised Rosemarie, with Buddy; Fried at piano, spends al¬ most half an hour belting, out “If It Weren’t for Girls,’’ “I Wish I Could Sing. Like Durante,” “The Butcher Boy” (in Italian: and in its latest manifestation, “Lazy Mary”) and “My. Blue Heaven.” 7 But each number is heavily interspersed With gags and. stories, which she tells superbly, and she grabs a big hand. Breen is a nice-looking young mail possessed of a high, tremolo- laden tenor. .He comes on with “You and the Night arid the Music,” does a very nice “Nearness of You,” and goes into “My Baby Just Cares for Me,” “Return to Me” and "Shadrach.” He betrays nervous^ ness with a lot. of superfluous fin- ger-snapping and arm-waving but shows an engaging stage personal¬ ity, tries hard and gets an appre^ dative mitt. Unfortunately, .his high, rather piercing voice doesn’t seem to, have quite the. winning quality for a cafe act. . Moro-Landis group is a trifle disorganized in opening number, but Comes on later with an Irving Berlin medley that rates heavy ap¬ plause—especially the tap-dancing of Jack Parker and Jim August. Alex Duchin orch . gives competent accompaniment. Show runs through July 23, /Stef. Viennese Lantern, N. Y. Sandra De Kiraly, Nejla Iz, Ernst Schqen Orch; $3.50 minimum. One of the hidden resources in the nitery business is the added business coming in from foreign groups that rarely hit niteries. It’s been axiomatic that an operator can get a bit of added boxoffice by the showcasing of: ,a talent from the old country: It is known, for example,: that the French colony used to turn out enmasse for its nationals. Not so much of late un¬ less it’s ari important import. The Latin. visitors get a parallel reac¬ tion. ' .; The Balkan arid Mediterranean nationals turn out heavily for some¬ one who will chant the times of the bid country. . Max LOew’s Viennese Lantern, a haven for internationals*^ Chez Vito, Tuckahoe . Tuckahoe, N. Y;, July 12. . Theresa Mihocci, Maria Russo; Elia. Skarinbas, Philip Martyn, Sid¬ ney Kaufman Strings (5); no mini¬ mum, no convert. . Roadhouse vets in the metropoli¬ tan New York belt may give Chez Vito’s Tuckahoe. IN.Y,). : road com¬ pany a second gander and wonder What looks familiar about it, espe¬ cially. since this is such a faithful replica of the East 60th St, (N.Y.) Chez Vito, from the plush red-and- gpld decor, to the French-motifed I paintings, : the Monseigneurs-sty/e [fiddles ’n* everything. So much, in fact, that it depends on which the customer knoWs first—the Gotham spot could well be interpreted as /the city-slicker road company of the suburban inn. But the air of familiarity stems not from this as the fact that,. in the yesteryear Prohibition era, Chez Vito’s-under- the-trees was Ben Riley’s Arrow¬ head Inn. Latter, in turn, was a transplanting from its original Riverdale (Fieldston) locale until . the licker-sniffers made scofflaw “Uncle Ben” Riley finally take the padlock-veil arid move a hit further out into the suburbs. In turn, boniface Vito (Pish), who lends his name to both .romantic eateries-to-sof t-lights - and - sweet - music' accomp, has done a complete facelift and, along with the good Franco-Itallan-Americari groceries, there is a soothing musical accom¬ paniment supplied by soprano The¬ resa Minocci, mezzo Maria Russo; barytone Elia Skarinbas and tenor Philip Martyn, flanked by a battery of fiddles maestroed by Sidney Kaufman. Doing their stuff, as is their 'wont, at unobtrusive tables, in soft lights; the musicomedy or operatic arias are. an effective and soothing: musical obligato to the good come¬ stibles. There is no couvert and, of the course, the minimum becomes academic in light ,0f the cuisine scale. There’s more, room, too, In the country inn for the flaming sword and other culinary furbelows which the city restaurant forfends. Certainly it’s orie of the more atr tractive suburban eateries with riot too much vocal-instrumental diver¬ tissement to get into the teeth of the diners. Between the vocalizing, the strolling fiddlers do their stuff unobtrusively. Maitre "d‘ Andre runs the.. spot with professional eclat. Abel. Liberace is back for a second Consecutive year in Paul (Skinny) D’Amato’s enlarged Vermillion Room, bringing with him the same Baldwin (this time with a big shiny glass top), the same candelabra ( ; t lights up when he starts playing),, but different faces to back him during his 90 minutes. Fact is that Liberace. hardly knew he was playing the same At¬ lantic City supper club. Vermil¬ lion Room has been enlarged so that now instead of being L-shaped it. is a huge square spot which gives the customers a lot more room to go about the businesss of eating, viewing and hearing. With but one change in ward¬ robe, Liberace puts on a show that keeps the customers abput as close to him as they can come all the time he is out front, A heavy rain¬ fall cut into business the first show Saturday (12) night, hut still the big room was nearly capacity. , Opening strongly, with “all the Gershwin I know,” Liberace mixes his music, his patter, and the tal¬ ents of others with him for. solid entertainment. His playing ranges from the classics through boogie- woogie arid even old fave “Turkey in the Straw,” arid all get top ap¬ plause. Again he jokes about absent brother George, and the jokes about him (he started most of them himself). He gets the. audience into the act with participation numbers, shows and explains his jewelry and elaborate costumes, and lets those up front sing in his mike, With him . this time is Delors Perry, an eye-catcher whose strong soprano voice is more suited for opera than the more popular num¬ bers. She opens with “Granada” and with Liberace as her accom¬ panist does “Over the Rainbow,” “The Bells Are Ringing,’; and with Liberace in duet they do a medley of pops for best response. Some¬ how it seems that too little is. seen of Miss Perry. Darias helps put over the calyp¬ so numbers with his bongo drums, the pianist both playing and sing¬ ing Cuban * rangements, . Liberace devotes one portion of his program to songs from “Gigi,” new filmusical by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe of “My Fair Lady/’ Another is devoted to sug¬ gestions from his audience, with oldies and even classics in popular demand. This year it’s Liberace & Co. without supporting acts, in con¬ trast with a year ago. Missing this year also is that must of all night clubs, the line. Walk. Eddjs 9 9 R.r. Kansas . City, July 11.... Lenny Gale, McGuire & Still, Tony DiPardo Orch (8); $1-$1.50 cover. Lenny Gale Is a returnee to Eddys’, having last been here less than a year ago for bis first hitch, while Susan ‘ McGuire & Frank Still are new, having been set on short notice, to fill a sudden va¬ cancy. In. them the Eddys’ have found a turn with definite possi¬ bilities (see New Acts), and. Gale is his established self with his standup chatter arid impressions. McGuire & Still open and reveal both unusual arrangements and special material in their song route of 28 minutes. Then Gale takes over to reel off a string of stories with punchlines wrapped around drunks, Las Vegas and a variety of Other subjects. He is soon into bis stock in trade, impressions that run the gamut from Bogart to Churchill and draw some funny moments out of Heatter, Murrow, Gable, Stewart, Godfrey, Benny and others along the way. His is ri well-filled ~28 imnutcsr Quin. Largo, Hollyn ood Hollywood; July 12. . George Liberace, Mary Meade French, Jack Marlin, George De Carl Orch (5); $1.50 cover. George—he’s the Liberace who didn’t talk and just fiddled away— is now gabbier than the back fence gossip With the swivel jaw. Self- raised to a fullfledged conferencier with his own unit after years of clamming with .brother Lee, he brayed a Sunset . Strip audience; as demanding a$ they come on the saloon circuit, and came off better than Goldfine in Washington: All he salvaged from his broth¬ er’s act was the fiddle and the toothy smile. Rest of the way he’s on his very own and while his em¬ ceeing needs to be bevelled and the rough $pots polished off, it’s a good try that should improve after he’s made the rounds of the gay grottos. He becomes immediately ingratiating without the flamboyant flourish and sartorial elegance of his brother Milwaukeean, and that brings the customers into his cor*: ner. Let his brother have Jean Fenn, he’s got Mary Meade French, a tall, willowy glamor girl who over¬ stocks her sylph-like figure with gladrags that afford nary a peek at her physical gifts. She’s lively and spirited, handles her dialog well and pipes her numbers with considerably less eclat than Miss Fenn. She does one number jn French, having played the Gallic boites where they must like to look listen. She’s an. eyeful. Liberace sings, too, hut the beat boys need lose no sleep. Jack Marlin is the unit’s comic and like many another standup wit he can’t rise above his material, which sparkles only when he is on an imitative kick. He’ll have it made once he gets the writing and stylizes . his ..talent. Earl Brent draws a credit for special material and staging assist. George De Garl’s instrumental quint was creditable on the accomp and put¬ ting the sitters on their feet, Helm.