Variety (January 1959)

Fifty-third J^&KIETY Anniversary January 7, 1959 THIS IS THE YEAR OF THE THIS IS THE YEAR OF THE | D 1 PLOMAT j!|r GREAT SHOWS | IN THE EXCITING SPLENDOR OF GRETCHEN WYLER JEAN CARROLL DICK ROMAN : DICK • TONY : PAUL : GEORGIA : : shawn : BENNETT | GRAY : gibbs : TERESA BREWER lounging' Between Vejgas Plays ; Continued from page 245 ; formed on the late shift, it was customary for rounders to drop in some time after a second show along the Strip, which ends around 1:30 a.m. The Sahara iare-hour business whetted the appetites of other op¬ erators, and during the past couple of years, more and more important names have been showing up as lounge stars. Jack Entratter, Sammy Lewis PROFESSIONAL COMEDY MATERIAL for all Theatricals “Wi Service the Stars" " Big Temporary Special oa All 35 Gas Flies for $15, Plus $1.00 Postage Foreign; $1.50 ea„ 35 for $40 e 3 Parody Books, Per Bfc. ... $10 e • 4 Blackout Books, Per Bk. . . $25 e e Minstrel Budget . . $25 e How to Master the ceremonies $3 per Copy No C.O.D's . "Always Open" BILLY GLASON 200 W. 54th St., N.Y.C., 15 Cl ret 7-1130 (WE TEACH EMCEEING and COMEDY) (Let • Real Professional Train You) t and Eddie Fox have long recogj nized the value of lounge enter| tainment, and are considered pio| neers along those lines. Fox, en) tertainment director at the Silver | Slipper, is credited with being the i first producer to put entertainj ment in a lounge — he did it when ; he was at the old Last Frontier ; Hotel, and booked the Mary Kaye Trio into the Gay 90s lounge, where they did great business. Of the current situation, Fox says: “Booking name attractions in lounges was just as inevitable as ; blockbusters are in the main show ; rooms. Names draw people— 24hour-a-day gaming compels the I booking of attractions that will j bring in added patrons after and between the shows in the main j rooms. Easier entry into cocktail j lounges where a no-minimum, nocover charge prevails eases the ; problem of keeping the public from 'retiring too ear?y. And you must remember, if a notel has a “double IN ALL THE WORLD THERE'S ONLY ONE LINDY’S RESTAURANT An American Institution feature,” it’s good insurance. It’s possible that a big name in the big room might not draw the cus¬ tomers, while the star in the lounge will.” Sammy Lewis, producer at the Riviera, was the first to put a comedian in a lounge. He started with Lenny Kent, who had always played the big rooms here, then followed up with Shecky Greene. Both have been very successful, although most comics hate to work where they don’t have a captive audience. Lewis says: I Augments Main Rooms 1 “Some comics need 20 to 25 minutes to warm up an audience — something they can’t do in a big room— but in a lounge they can stay on for 45 minutes to an hour on a flexible schedule, so it’s really better for them. And if they can beat the challenge of those shifting lounge audiences, then they develop into better comedians. Big acts in the lounges makes Las Vegas big time all the way through. It brings in more money, and there’s more work for entertainers. With this latest trend, many big stars who felt they shouldn’t play a lounge now feel right at home when they see the other big names on the mar¬ quees. I would be surprised if big shows were cut down considerably if this lounge policy is successful.” Will lounge entertainment even¬ tually eliminate the shows in main rooms? “I don’t think so,” says Jack Entratter of the Sands. “Top lounge acts will augment the main room attractions. More and more people are coming to yegas every year, and they want to be enter¬ tained. They like to see big names, and many of them are here briefly during hours when they can't see a show in the main room.” Incidentally, as far back as 1953, Entratter saw the value j of lounges as a way to keep pa¬ trons from leaving the hotel after the show, so he booked Louis Jordan and the Tympanny Five into the Sands lounge. A1 Parvin, Flamingo prexy, started the policy of booking big name bands into lounges when he booked Harry James and his 17piece orch recently. James did terrific business, so Parvin has now inked Count Basie and the Glenn Miller orch (Ray McKinley con¬ ducting). Parvin says: “I don’t think the shows as we now know them, in the big rooms will change very much. Jack Benny or Dinah Shore couldn’t work a lounge, because they would have to do five or six shows a night. Besides, how can you de¬ sign a lounge to hold 500-600 people?” At the Tropicana, Perez Prado and orch did so well in the lounge that they have been signed for three more years. Jerry Lester and Jerry Colonna were other good lounge attractions at the Trop, and will be brought back. Many of the hotels use outstand¬ ing personalities as hosts and greeters in the lounge. Jackie Fields, former welterweight box-; ing champ, is the host at the1 Riviera. Another popular ex; fighter. Gene Delmont, greets patrons of the Flamingo lounge. Tommy McDonnell, former owner of the Singapore restaurant in Chicago, does the hosting and greeting at the Stardust. Henry Dunn, formerly of Cross & Dunn, is the Dunes’ lounge front-man. Garwood Van, who used to have the house orch at the New Fron¬ tier, greets at the Tropicana, along with Billy Snyder, popular actor and sone & dance man. Arturo Petterino, maitre d’ at El Rancho Vegas, is one of Joe E. Lewis* closest friends. Asked what he though about Joe E. working in a lounge, he said: “He would love it — because he would be close to the bartender.” \Jfoiel V endow A II Superb Cvisuie in ihe World Famous II || french Room I Enchanting Entertainment In Guy Guarino'e MOUUN ROUGE On the Commonwealth Avenue Mali || at Dartmouth Street, Boston II WARMEST WISHES TO ALL MY FRIENDS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD 1655 BROADWAY at 51st STREET, NEW YORK CITY DRAKE AGENCY Booking the Finest in Entertainment Banquets — Night Clubs — Cub Dates LITTLE BLDGv BOSTON 16, MASS. HAncock 6-8377 MABEL MERCER SECOND YEAR R.S.Y.P. NEW YORK