Variety (March 1959)

Wednesday, March 18, 1959 PSteiEfi NIGHT CLUB BEVIEWS 85 Copaealmiiay N. Y. * Sammy Davis Jr.,'Kathy Barr, Zeme North, Ron Stewart, Copa Girls (8), Paul Shelley and Trank Marti Orchs ; staged by Douglas Coudy; songs, Mel Mitchell & Mar¬ vin Kahn; costumes, Billy Living¬ ston (Mme.Berthe); $5.50 mini¬ mum. An infrequent starrer at the Capa, Sammy Davis Jr.’s return to the East 60th street basement bis¬ tro was a signal personal success, professionally and b.o.-wise. The belated seasonal snowstorm clouted business all over town but there was little evidence of this at the dinner preem. The bantam comedian made his solid hour stint a tour-de-force, replete with versatility and a mani¬ festation of saloon savoire faire and amiability which attests anew to his authority as a seasoned nitery star. As he puts it, “This is it—I have nothing else running for me,” and brushes off the occasional pic¬ ture stint that he does as gravy; the main job is in the cafes. If perhaps a bit overboard in saluting his augmented musical team (special guitar and drums, plus personal conductor-arranger Morty Stevens), he does it with eclat and conviction. It’s fitting that he trailerizes the upcoming Samuel Goldwyn film, “Porgy and Bess,” wherein he’s Sportin’ Life, but somehow that “Bess” ballad is a bit too heavy for him, particu¬ larly so late in the proceedings. It’s about the only valley in a con¬ stantly pyramiding progression. Davis is prime in his small talk; whams with a tap solo (“Gan Johnny Mathis do this?” he ob¬ serves) and wows ’em with his Sinatra, Jerry Lewis, Martin (Tony and Dean), Cole, Eckstine, Vaughn Monroe, Satchmo, Tony Bennett takeoffs. There’s a fleeting refer¬ ence to “that unfortunate con¬ troversy” in the Sinatra intro (stems from that Chez Paree deejay interview) and his personal per¬ formance and good choice of lan¬ guage attests to his unqualified idolatry of the thin one. The blues cavalcade is well thought through but not overdone, with overtones of Bobby Darrin add Ray Charles (not the choral group arranger). Davis is smart ih having cut down on the reference to his religious conversion. He plays it straight, as a maturer, surefire cafe star should. Same show holds, always a pol¬ ished Doug Coudy production with the Copagirls fresh and pulchritu¬ dinous. Blonde Zeme North and Ron Stewart are the number-lead¬ ers in the bright Mitchell-Kahn score. Added starter is Kathy Barr, an overly energetic song stylist who permits the “style” to overwhelm the basic song catalog. Her over- zealous desire to “project” militates against her. Paul Shelley, new Copa maestro, does a very profes¬ sional job in the music backsfon- ping and Frank Marti’s Copa Cha- Cha Band is all of that. Abel. Chase Club, St. Louis St. Louis, March 14. Carol Charming, Jimmy Palmer Orch (12); $1.50-$2 cover. Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but a nitery operator’s best friend is definitely Carol Channing. The little girl from Little Rock lured a capacity crowd for her opening at the Chase Club and wowed all hands with an effervescent parlay of songs and hi jinks. She sizzles through an hour of assorted ditties from calypsos to stripteasers, and even the air crackles while she’s up there on stage. There’s not a lull any¬ where, from the “Little Girl From Little Rock” opener to the “Dia¬ monds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” closer. Aside-from the “Gentlemen Pre¬ fer Blondes” numbers, her mate¬ rial is mostly brand new this time around, featuring some funny orig¬ inals by Charles Gaynor, including a striptease satire, “You’ve Got to Take Your Clothes Off in Las Vegas,” the sibilant “Cecelia Sis¬ son” and the blithe “Calypso Pete.” Miss Channing herself, of course, is all oyer the place, skit¬ tering through dance steps, mug¬ ging to the rafters with those lum¬ inous eyes and that flexible face and racing through a rapidfire string of wacky wardrobe changes behind a screen in front of the bandstand. She has dropped her impressions of Marlene Dietrich and Tallulah Bankhead to make way for the new routines, but she still has a bit of affectionate spoofery in the impersonation department with here jight-on-the-button takeoffs on Sophie Tucker. The audience gets into the act, too, and during the closer. Miss Channing pitches ‘‘diamond” bracelets to the cus¬ tomers. The powers-behmd-the-scenes, Charles Lowe, producer of the act; musical director Robert Hunter and rate kudos, too, for their adept job of helping mold this act to a peak. Jimmy Palmer’s orchestra con¬ tinues on the bandstand, doing a hangup job of backing the shows and setting easy tempos for dancing. Miss Channing will be on hand through March 26. Godd. Statler Hotel, L. A. Los Angeles, March 6. Tito & Lilya Guizar, The Ruden¬ kos (2); Eddie Bergman Orch (11); $2.-2.50 cover. The Statler Hilton has injected an air of Latin charm with the booking for three weeks of Tito Guizar and his guitar. Guizar’s name may not ring much magic with the younger nitery set, but for the conventioneers and regu¬ lars that frequent this downtown spot he is strictly nostalgic. The onetime radio and film star is making his first local appear¬ ance in five years and received a warm welcome from patrons who remembered him well enough to request “Rancho Grande,” “Lady of Spain,” “Vaya Con Dios,” “Granada” and his most popular song, “Guadalajara,” all of which were belted in a tenor-able way. Guizar’s singing seems to charm his audience, especially the fair sex. The men will get their kicks via Lilya Guizar, his 19-year-old daughter. She’s a blonde looker who shakes up her own Latin storm. This chirp may not measure up to other nitery singers prancing the boards, but she doesn’t have to. She has inherited much of her father’s charm and doesn’t miss a trick. Miss Guizar bounces around the stage with her best foot for¬ ward while doing a nice job on a takeoff of a sexy singer, so much so that at show caught her dress strap broke. Sharing the. bill are the Ruden¬ kos. a juggling brother act that shows off a nifty talent for flipping Indian clubs and balancing a ball. Eddie Bergman’s house band (11) continues to please patrons with a lush stringathon of music. Show holds till March 19. Kafa. Riviera, Las Vegas Las Vegas, March 13. George Gobel, Georgia Gibbs, Joe Flynn, Leslie Sheldon, Charlie Clay, Martha Rich, Dorothy Dor- ben Dancers (16), Ray Sinatra Orch (13); produced by Sammy Lewis; $3 Minimum. George Gobel, teamed with Georgia Gibbs, is a potent double feature that will no doubt keep the Clover Room turnstiles click¬ ing merrily for the next month. Most of the material in Gobel’s monologue, written by Blon Pack¬ ard and Tom Koch, is new, and warmly received. The yocks con¬ tinued through his skits with Joe Flynn and looker Leslie Sheldon, and his solo singing-with-guitar bowoff. Miss Gibbs socks across a well- balanced repertoire. She offers such numbers as “I Love Every¬ body.” “I Want You To Be My Baby,” “Balling The Jack.” “Dance With Me Henry,” “Kiss Of Fire,” and “Rockabye.” Two new and well-calculated Dorothy Dorben production num¬ bers feature pleasant songology by Charlie Clay and Martha Rich, plus the decorative. Dorben Danders. The Sammy Lewis pro¬ duction is skillfully backed by the Ray Sinatra orch (13). Duke. The Seville, L. A. Los Angeles, March 10. Julio Torres & Co. (5), Al Es¬ cobar Orch (5); 2-drink minimum. In the flamenco tradition of the true Spanish dancer, Julio Torres double-timed his company of dancers (three boys, two girls) into Harry & Alice Schiller’s Seville nitery and it should pay off with mucho oles. Torres, who previously toured with the flamenco master Jose Greco, whips onstage in the fren¬ zied fashion of gypsy dancing to the jangling beat of tambourines and castanets. It’s an impressive bit of terping. Torres, one of the better interpreters of this move¬ ment, should draw a good segment of the flamenco followers. Accompanying Torres in his turn is Margo, an attractive senorita who displays her own exciting flair of twirling. Also to be mentioned is Manolo Vasquez, a flamenco gui¬ tarist who strums excellently. The Al Escobar orch (5) sup¬ plies a good danceable ttempo for social terpers who dig the Latin beat. Emily, Escobar’s chirp, has an eye-filling hip movement but still should be allowed to sing more. Kafa. Deauville, Miami B’ch Miami Reach, March 14. Jerry Lewis (with Lou Brown), Bobby Van, Henry Levine Orch; $5 i $7.50-$10 minimums. Jerry Lewis set the first nighters at the Deauville Room of this big- gery into the kind of ovation re¬ turns he didn’t garner during his last outing in these parts, two sea¬ sons ago. With it he brought the room into its first sellout shows— and heavy reservations advance— of an in-and-out season. Lewis has himself an act for this visit that is far superior to the script utilized last time. He’s dropped the group of aides for¬ merly on hand; gotten away from the suave-type character that didn’t quite jibe with the auditors preconceived image of an uninhi¬ bited funnyman and instead is working on a clear, straight line of howlmaking concepts that gets sock reaction from the Beach cafe- goers. Lewis ean be a smoothie-in-talk when he feels the urge, but wisely, he breaks up these brief sequences with his trademarked mugs, and bits of business. End result is a 70-minute session of prime buf¬ foonery as he winds through legit song (held to a two number mini¬ mum); character lampoons, notably his jabs at tap-school grads; the Japanese songster (with, unbilled “interpreter”); the reprise on his recording-panto days in which he reels off a satirization on the Lanza types that's a belting show stopper and finally, a yock rais¬ ing involvement with the 6 piece Henry Levine orch in a trumpet sesh. Add his smooth and easy hoofery, one-liners, and it totes up as a brilliant stint by a multi- taltented topster who does every¬ thing well. He has to beg off after repeated demands for more. Lewis has Bobby Van on hand to pace of proceedings in sprightly style. Van is an able song-and- dance man, particularly in his car¬ bons, topped by a mitt-raising George M. Cohan. Lou Brown is an adept batoneer-pianist for-Lewis and proves invaluable off-spotlight laugh primer for the topliner. Lewis closes the room for the sea¬ son March 22. Lary. Sands, Las Vegas Las Vegas, March II. Johnny Mathis, Sue Carson, Tiger Gilman, Copa Girls (11), Antonio Morelli Orch (19); pro¬ duced by Jack Entratter; $3 Mini¬ mum. Johnny Mathis, signed to a long¬ term Vegas deal, last year by Jack Entratter, is in for a second out¬ ing under the pact, and uncorks an impressive turn which indicates that the Sands has antother power¬ house attraction in its stable of stars. “Tomorrow Mountain,” “Funny Valentine,” “Can’t Get Out of This Mood,” “Chances Are,” “It’s Not For <Me To Say,” “Lady Is A Tramp,” and “Goody, Goody” are some of the numbers Mathis sings in his distinctive style. He’s a personable youngster, and conducts himself with the savvy of a vet performer. Strong assistance comes from his conductor-88er Frank Owens; Allan Goodman on drums; Al Hood, bass; and Don Cunningham, congas, who are neatly integrated into the Antonio Morelli orch (19). Sue Carson is the bill balancer, presenting an act packed with fresh material that clicked solidly with first-nighters. Her topical comedy kids teenage songs, Ed¬ ward R. Murrow, and other con¬ versation pieces in a bright manner. Production numbers by Bob Gil¬ bert and Renne Stuart, featuring the songs of Tiger Gilman and-the terps of the Copa Girls (11) round out the pakage, skedded through March 31. Duke. Rarelay Hotel, Toronto Toronto, March 9. Don Cornell, Larry Best, William Boehm, Craig Da ye Dancers (7), Jimmie Amarao’s Orch (8); $1.50 cover. Don Cornell is packing the cus¬ tomers into the Barclay Hotel. Cornell, in dinner jacket, bats out his opening number of “I'm Yours” and then does “Around the World,” “Autumn Leaves,” “I Walk Alone,” “The Bible Tells Me So” and his first big hit, “It Isn’t Fair.” Ar¬ ranger, pianist and band conductor for Cornell is Pepi Morreale. Larry Best is a relaxed comic who can switch his dialect from Yiddish to Irish to Italian and British and Brooklynese. His mime at the mike of an apple-eater giving directions to a lost motor¬ ist is standout. , Opening are the Craig Daye Dancers (7) in spangled, scarlet gowns and head-dresses, with el¬ bow-length red gloves, for their “Still of the Night” routines; with the girls bade in sarongs for a fi¬ nale of “Pagan Love Song” and Polynesian war-chants, complete with skin-divers behind a scrim and an “underwater” ballet, plus a projection booth background of travelling tropical fish. Production singer is William Boehm. A good- looking tenor, Boehm starts the stage entertainment with his “Ok¬ lahoma” medley, and sings the ac¬ companiments to the Craig Daye ticularly effective. McStay Dancers, with his “Ebbtide” par- Ritz Carlton, Montreal Montreal, March 12. Femande Grioux, Johnny Gal¬ lant, Paul Notar trio; $2-$2.50 cover. Making her second appearance within the year in the Ritz Carl¬ ton’s attractive cafe, Fernando Gi¬ roux confirms talents exhibited on first try and scores with exception¬ ally good biz for this time of year. A slender brunet thrush with somewhat husky set of pipes and a flair for chic gowns, Miss Giroux is plaintive with a ballad; a solid belter when the song is right, and somewhat saucy when reprising a diversion on sex. Latter song could easily go overboard but with Giroux inflections and phrasing it is never in bad taste and garners okay reception from an attentive audience. Material is pretty evenly divided between French and English with most of her arrangements by the cafe’s pianist Johnny Gallant who also joins Miss Giroux during an encore sequence for a song-and- patter routine that is amusing and a neat pace changer. Although a flexible performer and very much aware of customer reaction. Miss Giroux refrains from any form of customer participation, only once moving around the ringsiders with a hand mike. The apparent aloof¬ ness, however, does not make for a static offering and femme could’ve done another set on the night caught judging from the plaudits. Music for the show and the pa¬ trons is capably handled by Paul Notar’s group with Johnny Gallant spelling at the piano. Miss Giroux is in until March 24. Newt. . Crescendo, Houston Houston, March 11. Vicki Benet, Jose Ortiz Orch (5); no cover or minimum. With her skin-tight orange eve¬ ning gown setting off her platinum hairdo, Vicki Benet draws top mit- ting in her Club Crescendo debut. The chanteuse’s pipes happen to be as smooth as her chassis lines. Miss Benet opens with “Almost Like Being In Love,” strolls a bit to “Getting To Know You,” and fol¬ lows with “After You’ve Gone.” From there she goes continental, just to prove she’s really French by birth, with “I Love Paris” in both French and English, then fol¬ lows with her recorded medley, “La Seine,” “Autumn Leaves.” : ‘C’est Si Bon,” and “La Vie ?2n Rose.” After that there’s “It’s All’ Right With Me.” “My Man in French,” and the begoff, “Will You Still Be Mine?” Miss Benet has built a top 24- minute act on a foundation of good looks, a pleasing voice, professional presentation and some firstrate spe¬ cial material. This is the thrush’s second visit to Houston and her fourth trip to Texas, and she can now add Texan to the imposing list of languages—Russian, French, German, English, Spanish and Ital¬ ian—that she speaks fluently. The Jose Ortiz Orch is stand- . out in its backing. Miss Benet will be here for two weeks. Skip. Colony Club, Omaha Omaha, March 14. Eddie Peabody, Steve George Trio; $1 cover. Eddie Peabody has returned to this classy nitery to prove he’s still the master of the banjo. The show biz vet of 39 years experience is presented on an elevated stage and stool and is in top control of the situation while playing. However, it’s a different matter when the music stops. Peabody’s patter is just fair and he should keep it to a minimum. And he certainly ought to completely dis¬ card all the pitches for his albums generally distasteful to nitery pa¬ trons. At show caught, Peabody worked 45 minutes, .handling requests and such standards as “Around World,” “Peg ’O My Heart,” “Third Man Themes,” etc. A number of Ha¬ waiian tunes in honor of the 50th state were timely and a good piece of biz. Steve George Trio showbacks capably and is okay for between shows dancing. Trump. Palmer Haase, Oil Chicago, March 10. Dorothy Shay (with Dick Em¬ mons), Andre Moons International Puppets, Ben Arden Orch (10); $2 cover. Dorothy Shay, making her an¬ nual Empire Room visit, is still deep in mountain palaver—and proving the iode in them thar hills is still rich. Mine it she does, for generous returns. Her raw material of sex, com and sex is neatly alloyed with that depend¬ able old veneer called floor author¬ ity, and there’s not an unruffling moment to be spotted. Headliner's a paragon of poise, be she warbling a blushing tune, pattering, or kibitzing with de¬ lighted tablers. First show aired almost all her old standbys. One of her newer lyrics, “Everybody’s Writing Songs Today,” is an okay framework for one-lining gag tune- titles. She brings a smart touch to “There Ought to be an Oscar for Housewife” by awarding her own trophies to some stageside hausfraus. This plusher has always been partial to Continental entertain¬ ments, per Andre Moons & His In¬ ternational Puppets in the current warmup. Moons, working from a platform which sprays multi¬ colored lights, is a skillful string- puller through an assortment of terp productions, e.g., a dancing elephant, an acrobat, femme balle- tics, a line of jugglers, and a finale waltte with streams of water that stirs audible reaction. Manipula¬ ting makes a fine intro offering. Ben Arden orch gives smooth showbacking, with Dick Emmons to keyboard and cue for Miss Shay’s turn. Maurice Chevalier opens April 2. Pit. The Interlude, H*wood Hollywood, March 13. Jimmie Komack, Earl Grant, Matt Dennis, Gateway Singers (4); $1.50 cover, 2-drink minimum. Jimmie Komack, a comic with an original flare and a remarkably agile expression, has joined Earl Grant, Matt Dennis and the Gate¬ way Singers at the Interlude, turning Gene Norman’s, intimate lair into the likes of a Las Vegas lounge. A complete run through (entertainment is continuous) takes an hour and 45 minutes of well- spent time. Komack is a glib comedian who specializes in original songs and satire, with a yock or two thrown in for good measure. Effective are his “Name. Name,” a poke at the Beat Generation and presenta¬ tion of a Far Eastern western en¬ titled “Mavelick.” He continues to score with “You’ve Gotta Have Heart,” which he sang in the Broadway and Warner Bros, ver¬ sions of “Damn Yankees,” and is at his best with “Popcorn for You,”! a tune he penned himself, which is a combination of excel¬ lent melody and clever lyric. Komack plays through March 29, with Grant continuing his rise, Dennis satisfying with his own top tunes and the Gateway Singers proving one of the best folk groups around. Ron. Chateau Madrid. N. Y. Los Chavales de Espana,. with Luis Tamayo, Alberto Rochi; fea¬ turing Grupo Flamenco, with Pepa Reyes, Angel Mancheno, Manolo Leiva, Fernando Sirvent, Ralph Font’s Orch, (5), Candy Cortez; minimum, $5-$6. Angel Lopez’s Chateau-Madrid has a major attraction with Los Chavales de Espana (The Kids From Spain) and promises to do turnaway biz at this pop Pan-Amer¬ ican nightspots for the full six weeks of its engagement. While this group has been in N.Y. before (having played the Waldorf-Astoria only last July), this Spanish combo of musicians and singers still is a sock audienee-pleaser. And it is easily the best show at the C-M in many months. Besides the men in the orchestra (including singers), Grupo Fla¬ menco foursome adds the change of pace and verve to complete a full hour’s show. Entire production was so- lustily received here that it finally had to beg off after three encores. Versatility of this 11-man Span¬ ish aggregation per usual offers various combos of violins, trumpets, sax and trombones, working with exact .precision despite obviously crowded quarters here. The lads appear to have endless combina¬ tions with vocalists Luis Tamayo, Albert Rochi and Luis Bona work¬ ing down front Last-named serves as emcee most of time and provides just the essential comedy lift. Luis Tamayo, personable lad who does much of the ballading, has (Continued on page 87)