Variety (July 1958)

11 * NIGHT CLUB REVIEWS P^kniEfr Wednesday, July 30, 1958 Map^Reiio Reno, July 25. Ltli St. Cyr, Edgar Bergen, Lilo & Lita Lannegrand, Skylets (8), Eddie Fitzpatrick Orch (10); $3 minimum.. Shapely Lili St. Cyr—midterm in her four-week book at the Mapes Skyroom -- continues her near- cupacity twice-nightly draw in this top-of-the-town . showcase. The luscious stripper shows all the flesh the law allows in her w.fc. bath ever, “You’re My Pride and Joy” routine—from dress to undress to and a single swing foray, ‘Til Take dress. Miss St. Cyr, in repeated, date at the Mapes, comes on in beauti¬ ful full stole and red sheath crea¬ tion with low V-neck to make the most of her famous chassis. Stage- side stroll impresses particularly •with male gender; in prplog to bath sequence. Sensuous, and a study in graceful body movement, the blond holds audience for com¬ plete turn. Bare-breasted and lithe, she ends act with d : aphanous floor- length robe designed to conceal nothing. Sharing bill with Miss St. Cyr is Edgar Bergen and retinue, estab¬ lished fare on the- Reno circuit. Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd—with fresh* updated lines— w*n strong approval from opening gag. Bergen shows top form and . positive control. Timing is perfect, and quips are sure laugh-getters. Warming slot is filled by Lolo & Lita Lannegrand, familiar to Sky- room auditors, with established twirling plates and balloon animals offering. Lolo gets out-loud en¬ dorsement with. his gravity-defying leaning, possible with long wooden- soled shoes. Quips between two rate only warm mifts, but balloon animals hit it solid w : th specta¬ tors. Animals gifted to audience assures heavy reaction, i ' Bracketing show are Skylets (81 ln|: well-done Joy Healey produc¬ tions. Opener, taken from. “Finiari’s Rainbow,” reaches neaT-production. calibre and shows good rehearsing and staging.. Backing entire bill is; Eddie Fitzpatrick and his capable musi¬ cians.. Jimmy Nelson, with his Danny O’Day, was slated to debut at the Skyroom for a two-week stand with M'ss St. Cyr, but became sud¬ denly ill on opening day and was forced to cancel. The young ven¬ triloquist was hospitalized with appendicitis. Current show rv.ns through Aug. 6,’ Lbvg. Chaudiere. Otiawa Ottawa. July 26. Frankie AvalonLouise Thomson, Julie Stuart, Winnie Hoveler Dan¬ cers (5)» Harry Pozy Orch < 8>; $1 admission. Rockster. Frankie Avalon makes his nitery debut at the Chaudiere Club with a stint that tries to depend alone on the lad’s name and neglects staging. (see r New Acts). For a solid rock r n’ roll mob, that would probably be okay but to a nitery aggregation it lacks , show¬ manship. Although he gets some nice mitting in spots, general in¬ terest is weak. He’s trre to Aug. 2. On the same bill were Louise Thomson, blonde thrush from Tor¬ onto who works a slick stanza of pops and standards, and Laurie Stuart, with a routine session of unieycle and juggling bits spiced by entry of a small dog doing cute bits. Both acts opened July -21 and closed on the 26th. Standout regulars are the Win¬ nie Hoveler Dancers on their way to a record-breaking decal! six- month: booking. They currently use three routines: a merengue, an Oriental and a closer that brings male customers up for comedy par¬ ticipation in zany costumes. Harry Pozy band showbacks and plays for dancing superbly.. Gorm. Hotel K.'iillsson, 3!ph. Minneapolis. July 24. Erin O’Brien, Don McGrane Orch; $2.50 minimum. and trimmings undoubtedly cbuld turn the trick. . Also, the effectiveness, of a dark¬ ened room with only a pinpoint spotlight is lost when used for every number, as in her act. It deprives tablesitters, too, of the chance to drink in :Miss O’Brien’s looks sufficiently. At show caught Miss Obrien’s selections included a trio of popu¬ lar arid perennial Irish numbers arid .‘‘In the Still of -the Night," When I Fall in Love It’ll Be For- and a single swing foray, Romance/’ All. are highly listen- able. Don McGrane and his own sing¬ ing and orch. as always, are in the groove. Miss O’Brien ; continues until Aug. 6 and the next show: isn’t set yet. Rees. Americana. Miami irv*h Miami Beach, July 26. . Jack Garter , Pat Windsor, Donna & Jerry Flint , Lee Martin. Orch; $5 slipper -show, minimum. Best layout to play the Bal Masque of this plushery since last winter looks to make up in gross for the many sparse weeks of the sumriier session. Jack Carter is back, playing out another date in his five-returns- in-year pact. It was sound con¬ tracting on the part of proxy Larry Tisch albeit Carter’s take-home pay is more than Tisch’s total budget for . a weekly summer -package. The. biz he draws warrants the payoff. Carter is no longer the frenetic, too-fast punching comic. He’s working in relaxed, assured' manner to the benefit of his mat¬ erial., of which there is a slew of new and topical. The more deli¬ berate timing is getting plenty of smileage from the auditors. •: He, works in a steadily building bar¬ rage that winds him into his “No Business Like Show Business’’ peg for the lampooning impreshes with the Ed Sullivan caricature as top¬ per. He had to beg off. Pat Windsor played here some years ago at the Seville. Iri /tliis. room §he sparkles and ankles ;off at wind of her smartly blended song stint to optimum plaudits. Class gowned, ditto arranged (with husband Charles Reader, ex-Pierre, N.Y.. batoning superbly ); hers is ari act with the authority befitting the smart surroundings. Mixture, of standards.. specials. and .evergreens, are tailored to her high rariging vocalistic talents. , • Sock, bit is her “76 Trombones” with mitt-raising fillip a doffing of skirt to shorts to reveal shapely gains and skill at baton twirling; that element of surprise is utilized, in full. Routine would be a bet for a video guest shot, to say noth¬ ing of the deftly arranged song •workovers she handles with distinc¬ tion. Donna & Jerry Flint are Arthur Godfrey winners and purvey a standard set of tap-dance routines to okay reception: Batoneer Lee Martin turns in a smooth job as emcee and also sets up orch back¬ grounds in top style. Next in view: Arthur Lee Simpkins and Sonny Sands, end of week.Lary. Beveriy Hills, Cinc*y Cincinnati, July. 22. June Valli, Davis- & Reese, Lind¬ say-Sapphire Dancers (9), Bill Ray¬ mond, Gardner Benedict Orch (10), Jimmy Wilber Trio, Larry Vincent; $3 minimum, $4 Sat ." Pack’s II, Sail Francisco • San Francisco, July 24. , Dick Haymes, . Fran Jeffries, Tommy Conine; Herb Barman Orch (5); $1.50 admission. June Valli, chic chirper, arid the Jjzany team of Pepper Davis &.Tony Reese, eriibellished by location tal¬ ent, put together a zippy and high y enjoyable 65-minute floorshow in this plush cafe on the Kentucky side of ..the old Ohio. ; In her first exposure to Greater Cincy night clubbers, Miss Valli racks up favor .meriting repeats. A . little gal-with a big and deep voice, the personable brunet socks home a 20-niinUte pop repertoire. Biggest returns With. firstnighters were on her latest recording, “Up Above My Head,” ahd “I Got Lost in His Arms.” She’s a charmer in white gown arid expert with q hand- mike while keeping on the" move much of the time. Comics Davis & Reese have greatly increased their bag of tricks since their last visit here. "Bits range from a satire on dance, rou¬ tines of femme vocal combos to the team’s standard ring interview of Pepper as a slaphappy pug. Reese Lovely songstress Erin O’Brien, who has won favor on television and just finished playing the femme lead in a forthcoiriing film, “John Paul Jones,” impresses aS possessing the attributes necessary for a click in the supper clubs. , A Simple, youthful charm and a; solos “Old Man River” oke and captivating wholesomeness go | clowns, through a “Here Comes along with a capable set of pipes * Ann” skit with his partner singing that served to win her a warm | at the mike. Boys wrap it up with welcome from well-filled tony Flame . Room on opening night. There were heavy, returns for all her- chirping contribution. In its present form, however,, the act’s sombre tone seems amiss even for these swankier sprits. What prob¬ ably would be in order is a routine to provide more change of pace, now monotonously slow, plus di¬ versity and enlivening. A few sock nippers anji.piofe ^mljejl}i$ljhji.9pts ,1 a hotsy novelty of drumbusting and dancing on the covered drums. Plenty hotsy for a full half-ltour. Two new. sprightly routines are contributed by Lindsay-Sapphire line girts with Bill Raymond as singing emcee. Capable music back¬ ing is by Gardner Benedict’s crew! Jimmy Wilber’s, threesome fills in for intermission dancing and Lary Vincent sings at the 88 in the ceck- .tfi\l, rjobnip 11 .-• Kjoll. Dick Haymes gets a dice mitt in this^ hour-long show but the. sur¬ prise package is A- svelte singer, Fran Jeffries; • Haymes croons his way through A dozeri standards—things . like ‘You Stepped Out of a Dream.” ‘Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries,” ‘It’s Wonderful,” “Our Love Is Here to Stay/’-“Little White Lies,” “Carioca” and “Embraceable You” —and manages.to put these nurri- bers over,, thanks to lots of empathy and chit-chat with audience and a good mike. He? also manages to flat occasionally .. arid his voice seems to lack musical quality, but these defects don’t bother crowd in his half-hour stint. Miss Jeffries,- who looks like a slimmed-dOWri Abbe Lane, warms I iip. on “No.Moon at All” and “I’ll Fall, in Love/’ then goes into a great, crowd-hushing “When the World Was Young”—this is surely' one of the loveliest songs of melan- J cholia ever written and Miss Jeff¬ ries, does it. to perfection, rating a huge outburst pf applause when she winds up. Final three numbers of her quArter-hoiir are “Delilah Jones,” '‘‘Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” with inferior Americanized lyrics and “Gypsy in My Soul,” the last with fine, -torchy phrasing. Tommy Conirie is a graceful tap dancer, who gets off some pleasant combinations. Herb Barman orch is good! Show runs through Aug. 2. s'tef. Dawhstairs* Y. Julius Monk . -Alice Ghostley, Hon'Evans & Carl Nprnian; $2:50 inihimiim. : . ; v Julius Monk has been oiie of the more successful figures in the small Salobn business. With his Upstairs arid Downstairs Rooms over on the westside, he previously took an abandoned cellar arid, with the help of a few buckets of paint wielded! by ■ some dedicated per¬ formers, c eated new trer ds in entertainment as well as a pros¬ perous cafe. •• The;formed building in which he functioned until recently is prob¬ ably no inore by now, the operators having ! apparently found that a parking lot Was more important. It iriay ultimately, be the site of a new hotel. Meantime, Monk has gone in for more plush surroundings. He has taken Over What was formerly the Wahamaker mansion, on the West- Side. .Since Uie department store tycoon left these diggings,! it has been a series of eateries, latest having been one operated by the Dooley sisters. It’s on W. 56th St., between 5th arid 6th Ave. Now only one part of the manse is in operation, . The ground floor section* which Will be called the Downstairs Room* is on a supper club policy a. la the Blue Angel. The second story, which is Under¬ going . extensive alterations (by pros) will have a Gay ’90s opera house decor and contain one of the miniature musicals that have proved so profitably for Monk. It’s to have six perfoririers this time and will be called “Demi Dozen.” With financial backing, primarily by CPA Irving Haber, it’s a little less wearing on Monk. - The Downstairs .policy now calls for a single. performer, but one with stature in ; the intimeries. Alice Ghostley, a figure in the supper clubs, has been pulling a lot of chi chi trade. She has a smart assortment of tunes, iriany of them getting a Wild reception frorn the Monk clientele. Miss Ghostley is a knowing per¬ former; she makes a lot out of inflections, knoWs when to abandon subtleties and even does well by the triple-entendre. Some of her Murray Grand tunes are eyebrow- raisers, but. the yocks were never louder, with; a lot of the boys even yellirig; “bravo.” Numbers include an aria on Queen; Elizabeth, the plight of being the girl next door to the girl . next door, and of course, her perennial—one that established her with the eastside setr—“Boston Beguine.” Her ihusical support comes from two pianos presided over by Don Evans and Carl Norman, Who also provide the lull music. Jose, ; Riverside, Reno Reno, July 22. Carol Channing, Starlets (8), Bill Clifford Orch (10); $2-$3;50 minimum* Departure from the routine show pattern at the Riverside’s theatre-restaurant finds talented Carol Channing upstage for a full 50-minute stint—and all alone: Results of the one-act book not definitely indip%tp<J ft late i show on opening night (17), but could be a not-the-best practice for the big room. Despite excellent staging, good material, sriiart costuming and proved versatility. Miss" Channing hnd difficulty in holding first- nighters for full turn: Auditors on the Reno circuit, however, are notoriously blase and inured—by the standards of entertainers them¬ selves. ’ - The wide-eyed stylist gets strong¬ est support with Charleston bit and stripper spoof. Her impreshes are perfected—on M. Dietrich,- S. Tucker and T. Bankhead—but re¬ ceive reserved approval. Her “story of Marie” offers new routine for local set, and is done in de¬ lightful French accent. . Better known as Broadway com¬ edienne, Miss Channing could use more earthy stuff to hold the n:t- ery crowd in this locale. And de¬ manding patrons are educated to more than a one-act bill. She could make good use of warmer in current show. Stagesiders, in particular, en¬ dorse “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend” rendition, with singer tossing. costume jewelry souvenirs to Audience. With Miss Channing is Jack Russin on piano and Dave Robbins on dirums. Both are ac¬ complished. Bill Clifford, orch provides able backing. Starlets (8> open show with colorful and Well-done Moro-Landis production. Long. Diamond B 9 eli, Wildw^d Wildwood, N. J., July 24 Peggy King, Lou Monie, Hubert Castle; Norman & Dean, Billy Al¬ bert & Ardrey Sisters, Ann Henry, Daisy Mae . & Her Hepcats, Three Cleffs, Charlie Spivak Orch (14); no cover or minimum. $1 admis¬ sion. Staffer, L. A. Los Angeles, July 25. Mel Torme, The Albins, Skinhay Ennis Orch (12) ; $2-$2.5Q cover. Smooth as is the voice of Mel Torme, it’s the exhilaration of. his rhythifi that crimes through the velvet fog to fill the Statler’s Ter¬ race Room with a beating assort¬ ment of standards and takeoffs! On for a short 25 minutes, Torme is a personable performer who is at home sending “My Funny Yalen- tirieV: or running through “Moun¬ tain Greenery." Starting with a jump and clever intro. Torme fol¬ lows with unusual arrangements including *Tve Grown Accustomed to Her Face,” “Autumn Leaves” and “Guys and Dolls.” Although a new tune or two, might not be a bad addition to round out what now is a tasteful stint! it does seem his choice pleases. Statler patrons. . On for the quarter-hour preced¬ ing Torme. the Albins live up to their billing—“The Nutmpst in Dancing/ 1 : One of the better com¬ edy terp teams around, the couple breaks . into unique . grasps and holds* making the most of pratfalls, twirls and comedy. . Skinnay Ennis orch (12)-is excel¬ lent in backing the acts and addi¬ tionally provides fine, danceable music* Show headlined by .Torme. continues through Aug. 6:. Ron. , Slickly gowned in black, Feggy King has the looks of a film star combined with a fine singing voice! In mentioning bandleader Charlie Spivak, she points out that as an Ohio girl, he gave her the first s i n g i n g break despite “teeth braces, no gowns and an awkward stage manner.” Both Spivak arid the audience must have agreed that she’s come a long, long way. . The only detriment tp her visual performance are the flamboyant gestures of accompanist Buster Davis in : directing" the orch.: His wild gyrations arid near-acrobatics add nothing to the perfect musical hacking and needlessly grab atten¬ tion from the singer. : She opens with' a bit of special material. “Ohio.” and then moves smoothly, into “Get Out of Town.” Next, she l>ays tribute to Helen. Morgan with “Why. Was I Born?”' She kids her “pretty, perky” tag with another special material song, “I Don’t Wanna Be The Girl Next Door.” She closes with “Lonesome Road” and “Come Rain Or Shine/* Lou Monte scores, handily with “Roman Guitar/’ ‘‘Lazy Mary/’ “Up A Lazy River*” “Darktown Strutters. BalL” “Sheik rif Araby” ; and “Mama.” He receives an ova¬ tion for each offering. Midway, he * paused . to Insert some chatter about h?s children and then Intro¬ duced the three handsome young¬ sters who were ringsiders. He : couldn’t have had a better recep- . tion. Handsome; Billy Albert & The Ardrey Sisters are about as pleas¬ ing a crimbinstion As anyone cou T d dream tin. Albert sings like melt¬ ing Vanilla ice. cream while the winsome sister#duo whip arid whirl their way through a series of dances. They tap dance on chairs, atop belW and in sexy hillbil'y garb to offer amazing variety often not encountered iri a dozen danco Pets: The comedy team of Norman & Dean register well but their ma¬ terial, though fresh, lacks that cer¬ tain spark. Reworked material at this stage could give this pair high promise. Wire artist Hubert Castle, singer Anri Henry and Daisy Mae & Her Hepcats round out one of the classiest shows ever offered iri these, sand dunes.. Show is in for one frame. Math. ;: Herrmann’s, Wildwood Wildwood, N. J., July 24. Val Frances, no cover, minimum or: admission. It’s the ninth year on the piano stool at ! Herrmann’s ‘for Val Frances, a keyboard vet of 43 years’ experience. Her work, at the. 88 keeps the, “booze-who” . singing along with' all the oldtimers, and nary A rock *n‘ roll tune in sight. Miss Frances tries her best to be a character, punctuating her music with skirt flounces, powder- dustings and other gimihicks to freeze audience attention. The music she coaxes out of a piano is little short of amazing. ' Npw a grandmother, she wears sunburst earrings, a T-shirt and skirt. Her stunts are as unconven¬ tional as her garb. . The audience is easily whipped iato song.as the! beer flows like gutter water, . Math.. 365 Club, San Franrfseo . . Sari Francisco, July 24. Chiquita & Johnson, Oscar Car- tier, Moro-Landis Dancers (11), Bill Weir Orch (9) ; 50 cover. Chiquita, a stacked brunet, and her strongman partner. Johnson, are billed as an “acroballet” team and run through a tough series of acrobatic stunts which get an' ap¬ preciative hand from 365 Club crowd. They’re an excellent pair! though whether they're important enough to headline hour-long show is questionable—that Is. from View¬ point of bringing in custoriiers. Oscar Cartier’s standup comedy has a few good twists, hut much of material is pretty jaded* Comic’s French Accent helps somewhat. Moro-Landis Dancers run . through some satisfactory routines, includ¬ ing ain Irving Berlin medley, and Bill. Weir orch accompanies effec¬ tively. Show is nicely packaged paced. It’ll run through Aug. 13, ^ Stef. I’al-Xevp! ln*ske Taho© Lake Tahoe, July - 22. Louis Prima &. Keely Smith, Sam Butera & Witnesses (6) , C al- Neva Lovelies (6). Will Osborne Orch (10); $2 minimum. The s Louis Prima package haa two positive, attractions: show, biz; savvy and talenj—and the nitery set at Lake Tahoe’s north shrire is buying both right down the line* David Siegel booked a can’t-losa show when hg signed Prima & Co. for their first theatre-restaurant bill in the expansive Indian Room. In a late-late preview show (13),.. the “wildest”- musicians ever to play the Lake bistros were assured of top bio. for the three-v^eek stint. Prima and spouse Keely Smith capture auditors with up-front jazz bits and their own delightful brand Of spoofing each other. On/the in¬ strumental side, Sam Butera’s Wit¬ nesses miake a solid back that rates iriore than enthusiastic apprrivaL Prima, on both vocal and trumpet, is .all show biz during the 45 min¬ utes onstage. Miss Smith, feignirig boredom and .cpniplete disinterest. when not upstage, proves she knows her way Around a song iri her turn iri the spot with such titles as “Whippoorwill” (from her first pic, “Thunder Rriad”), “When Day Is Done” and “How Are You Fixed For Love?” Butera wins strong support with his . turns on . sax on the “wild” stuff. Showing perfected artistry is Lou Scioneaux on the trombone* impressive with , his triple-tongue renditions. ./The musicians’ musi¬ cians are Paul Ferrara on drums, Willie McCumber at piano, butera . on sax, Tony Liuzza on bass, Scion¬ eaux on trombone, and Bobby Rob¬ erts on guitar. Prima allows much diversions for the Witnesses, in the jam offer¬ ings, arid proves he can do the more serious stuff with Miss Smith on the Vocals. The sessions are sure to become a ritual with the jazz lovers. ' Bracketing the show are the Cal- Neva Lovelies (6), beautifully cos¬ tumed in well-rehearsed routines. Will Osborne/ orch introes the show ahd bring down final curtain with capable handling. Lonp.