Variety (July 1959)

Wednesday, July 22, 1959 500 Clob, A. €. . Atlantic City, July 18. Joe E. Lewis (with/Austin Mack)', Cathy Carr, Lindsay Sap - j phire Dancers i 1),. Jack Curtiss, ] '.■Fete Miller Orch/ C8> with Joe \ Frasetio; $2 admission, $5 mini- : m ton Sat nights .'.: ■ ; . ■ j ;• Although Joe E. Lewis is a j stranger to these parts (he. hasn't j i played, a date in Atlantic City ..for j; years), it. didn’t take him long to • get acquainted as he opened for. a ;: week in PauP (Skinny) D’Amato’s ; ' smart Vermilion room supper | J Club, playing to a near capacity! J opening Saturday night audience 1 who tobk to him as a duck to water.! ’ Lewis offers more shady material; • than most comics who grace the ’ ’ supper club stage here, but noriei] of it is offensive' and most of it j J draw’s good miittirigs. Drink in hand ! j Wa front table party kept him in./ constant, supply—-he scores with H such as “Do They Have Racetracks !; on. the Moon,” “In the House of. j ; . Suzie Wong,” “76 Hormones.” f . Sophie Tucker, Trank Sinatra, ■ j Christine Jorgensen and Prince t ( Rainier come in for barbs as do : current tv shows arid his. pianist., Austin Mack. Begs off after more than an hour but comes back , to have that glass replenished to be . carried behind the curtains. Cathy Carr shows she knows her 1 < way about a bistro stage as she:] offers, to good response, oldies arid ■ others, including a spiritual; Beau¬ tifully gowned in shell pink figure molding sheath with sequins and ; halter neck, its petal bottom., a |.j circular flounce of net, she . Scbres j j w ith . her opener “That’s Why I; j Know;” “Nobody Knows You When • You’re Down and Out,” a novelty I number, registers solidly. She dons j high silk hat and swings a cane to j ] carbon Eddie Jackson with "Won’t, j 1 You Come Home. Bill Bailey,” arid { - then goes into "St.. Louis Blues;” j 1 “Up Above My Head,” a spiritual. ] Is effectively sung and then she'] offers a real oldie, one seldom' I heard these days. "I Wish I Could; < Shimmy Like My Sister Kate.” i - Begs off with Specialty bit, "I < Thank You/’ ,(. Lindsay Sapphire Dancers (7) ’ ] With Jack Curtiss offering the j • Vocals do two repeat numbers w hile i show is backed by Pete Miller orch ] w ith Joe Frasetto. Walk. I!' NIGHT CLUB REVIEWS and with a minimum of off-color lines. Turn includes a spoof of the "sicknik” comics. ■ a hilarious game of charades, arid the Rowari- -Martin-, classic . interpretation, of a Shakespearean actor heckled by a stageside . drunk. : Arid a new rou¬ tine with. Rowan giving Martin lessons in how to; pick up' a fem¬ me on the street. The- two show r a near : faultless sense of timing, apid | the. routines appeal to both sexes • and any age;' . \ ; ; i ! . Co : billed ; with the comedy team i is the : Johnny P.uleo Harmonica • Gang, absent from the local Scene ; for several years. The. sextet, all 1 artists on a varied assortment of- I harmonicas,, mix musical talent [with.. comedy .that’s mostly slap- : stick arid visual. Little Puleo gets • the you’re-riot-wanted .; treatment jlrom -the rest of the gang, but I keeps attention with. .his mastery i of facial expressions. And, when 1 the gang plays it straight.,. it’s high- S ly listenable. Titles include stand-. i ards such as -T Get Ideas” and ; • “Peg 0’ My Heart,” ?.j I . Backing' show is Eddie. Fitzpat- l rick ' orch. . The Starlets; in a ] George: Mbro production, take the ; 1 opening arid closing spots. Show j i runs : through July 29. Long. D}no*s, Eos Angeles . Los Angeles, July 16. . Ruth. Giliis, Jack Elton , Steve La Fever; no cover or minimum. Those who want to see song¬ stress Ruth Giliis . making her Coast debut; at Dina’s Lodge (right; next door to “77 Sunset Shrip”), are advised to show up for. the late show, after the tour¬ ists’ beddie-bye time. The din at Dino’s . subsides somewhat at. the later hour, but the diners are still! trying to make themselves heard over the entertainer. Miss Giliis, a Teal, pro, with only a piano and a bass as musical arid moral support, stuck out her pretty chin and belted out Gershwin’s -‘Clap Yo’ Hands,” startling a cir¬ cle. immediately around her into attention. So long. as she belted, she held the audience- But when she showed her versatility by elid¬ ing off into subtler stuff—torch songs, Latin . numbers, 'tunes with catchy rhythms—she lost them. It was actually their loss because; without, being distinguished as yet. she : is quite good. The tall, pretty brunet, whose stage presence, conveys sweet good humor, whose style is pleasantly varied and whose musicianship is firm and correct/ couldn’t have chosen a worse situation for . her Coast debut; The lodge might very ■well consider, piping . in canned band music sirice the room is not physically suited to showcasing a performer and since .the current clientele appears to be less- inter¬ ested in music than in looking for “Kookie” in the parking lot. Miss Giliis is booked for two weeks. . Glen, Riverside, Reno Rerib, July 17. : Rowan & Martin, Johnny Puled. .& Harmonica Gang (6), Starlets (g), Eddie Fitzpatrick Orch (10); $2 viinimum . In this reprise at the Olympic Room, Rowan & Martin bring in some all-new comedic routines— but, wisely, offer some of the rou- . tines they’re perfected arid ories that! auditors come to hear. Their presentation ; for 35 . minutes . is: pure entertainment, and the duo offers a variety of fun lines; that hit hard in the yock departinent. Dan Rowan & Dick Martin, favCs In the Renq-Tahoe area, .comriiand attention with no use of props, etc., but deperid only on material that fits to any given audience, Runes, Las Vegas | Las Vegas, July 14. | Frankie Laine in Harold ..Min-- 'sky’s "Arabian: Nights" Bern Bert,, j Rowena Rollins, Victor Julian & Dops/AG^ ■ Grey, Bob Vegas, \ Alien. Conroy, Mdrya Linero, Girl I Dancers (12), Boy Dancers (6), iSlibwgirls •( 10 ) , Models < 10) ,. Gee j \-Davidsoh Orch (24); produced by j } Harold Minsky; choreography by j ■. Madame Komarova; $3 minimum, j | Frankie Laine topliries Harold | Minsky’s.: '‘Arabian Nights,” which : ibalances off into a lavish omnibus I —it’s a package that’s sure to keep | the room packed for its skedded I five-week run. Last year Laine ap- j j peared with: the bra-less brigade; • but . the . girls are . very much in ! [ evidence this time—all 10 Of them j i —and they of course parade in a i ] separate portion! of the show. ■{, | . t-aine’s distinctive vocalizing Is; '•' powerfully effective as he offers ‘‘So This Is The Dunes,” "Rock of Gibraltar,” ‘Carless Loye,” "The Kid’s Last Fight,” "Swamp Girl,” “Shine,” “Wild Goose,” "That’s My Desire,” “Muie Train,” “Because,” “Rocks and Gravel.’.’. “I Believe,” and “Jezebel.” The Tommy Roberts-Evelyri ; E r e e ma n vocal group (10) backs Lairie, providing • a fine blending sound. Fred Katz | 1 is on piano; Stanley Kaye, drums; | Joe Sincora, guitai.. I Ben Beri, comedy juggler- pulls heavy yocks, arid comedienne Row’ena Rollins is outstaridirig in a very funny bit of clowning. Miss Rollins has an ideal face for her antics, and first-nighters gave maximum' laughs to her entire ..routine, which includes an impresh of Eleanor Roosevelt and a tipsy tv Cook. She’s one of the few; femme ! clowns, and qualifies as a major ; leaguer. . Victor Julian and his canines are held over from the previous show, as are production singers Gillian Grey and Bob Vegas, and production specialty dancers Allen j Conroy arid Marya Linero. All are . strong assists to an overall good I show, which contains 12 girl darn- j cer$i six boy dancers, and 16 show- i girls in addition to the. 10 nudes. rCe'e Davidson's orch (24i. capably ;weaves the notes. Duke. King's Club; Dallas Dallas, July 18.. Dick .Curtis, Raul . Arrambide, Internationals. 13); no cover or i It’s old home week for comedian Dick Curtis; he’s back for his third fortfiight in two years at the King’s Club, plush privatery in the Adol¬ phus: Hotel. Between dates, he’s headlined in the hostel’s swank Century .Room (Nov., 1957) to good results. ; In this intimery he cap do no wrong.' At opening (17): to a full room Ciirtis again offered new material for neat returns, but the “musts” come out with! his travesty, of an exotic dancer arid, his reprise of a bragging Texan in Italy. He’s waxed the letter bit, “I Don’t W r ant to. Brang You Down,” on the DC Label. Fre:sb this time are his clever song, parody of “Just Orie of Those Things,” his hilarious “quit drinking”! sketch, a neat segment rinCnt leprechauns, arid the flexible cpiriic begs off after, a 50-minute •stand: •. Fer usual, singing guitarist Raul Arrambide pacifies the. patrons be¬ tween shows for steady ear-bend¬ ing. The Internationals provide top showbacking and pull the leather pushers. Act runs through Aug. 2, with the. Del Rubio Triplets ■ due Aug. 3 for two frames. Bark .■ j Returns Chi’s Edgewater To Floorshows; Big B.O. By JACK: PITMAN Chicago, July 21.. Edgewater ; Beach Hotel's first flbor show ip over four years, a Merriel Abbott package saluting Hawaii arid marking the U.S: debut of, the Arthur Lyman .exotic jazz quartet, is a! first rate present¬ ation of its kind, it’s also miriting money for a room—the, Polynesian. Village—that’s beep linipirig since it preemed in 1955. Before that it W'as the Marine Dining Room, in its heyday one of the to\yn’S top . showcases, whose headliners over the years' included Ted LCwis, Yriia Sumac, . Hilde- garde and Liberace. Its orch lead¬ ers have included: Wayne King, Paul Whiteman, Freddie Martin, Horace Heidt, Bernie Cummins, Xavier Cugat and Lawrence Welk. Setting in the old days! was idyl r lie—a Florida resort style hospice literally steps from Lake Michigan. Dancing under stars was cheap and flavorsome on the famed Beach- walk now (extinct) that nudged up to the shoreline. For years it was. a favorite rendezvous for the Northwestern:. U. crowd, arid ser¬ vicemen during the war period helped fill the till. The era . ended by economic dictate, and the Marine room gave way in style and policy to the. Poly¬ nesian Village, offering a native combo for dinner arid dance music; Spot never Caught on, but now comes: Miss Abbott with a layout . that really adrenalizes. the: room, With plans afoot to fashion, suc¬ cessor shows along similar lines. . Island revues after a point tend to' emulsify in the. viewer's mind! The vibrating pelvises and all have been around before, never mind the variations. Miss Abbott; how¬ ever, has. taken obvious pains to make this one (in for eight weeks through Labor Day) as authentic and diverting as possible. In sup¬ port of the Lyman group are vocal¬ ists Kaipuala and Jimmy Kama, sword and flame dancer Manu, and the Kent Ghirard Dancers (6), who’d been lensed. for the “South Pacific” arid Cinerama "South Seas, Adventure” ! motion pix. Top tal¬ ents, combined with Ghirard’s staging of the whole, make this a better than average presentation of the idiom, and it’s duly received by the squares who come to sample exotica from both floor and plate (cuisine is plentiful, excellent and priced moderately). Supporting company sets up a fine mood for Lyman’s Island-style jazz; Manu’s fire dance is a gasper for the femmes who fear he’lL in-, cirieraite himself. The singers ex¬ hibit pleasant pipery, dueting “Hawaiian Wedding Song” and Miss Kaipuala in a couple of solos. The Ghirard terpers click singly artd collectively, albeit the harid i language, etc., must seem old hat to many.. Able backing for the is-' lalders is by Carl Sand’s orch (a fiye-piecer also on hand. for pre¬ show dinner and dance melodies); When the show switches to Ly¬ man, he’s found in an alcove set¬ ting at the opposite side of the roorii. For about 30 minutes the foursome holds the crowd with .exotic sounds reminiscent of the Martin Denny group which pre¬ ceded them to America. Avoiding intrinsic Comparisons,. Lyman fur¬ nishes fewer birdcalls and tries to get over some digestible jazz with¬ in. of course, the exotic frame¬ work.' ’! . Keyboard, vibes; bass and per¬ cussion backbone the outfit, with bongos, congos, gourds, seashells, etc., spicing, arid making turn an eftgrossing one in sight and sound, all the way. But especially with “Bridge on. River Kwai March,” which, intensifies en route a la Ravel’s Bolero. There’s a nifty! novelty called “Japanese Drinking Song” that scores with tabler mitt participation, and unit winds with a tasteful “Slaughter on 1.0th Ave¬ nue” to a solid hand; All. this said, it only remains to be' noted that the room’s tropical decor is depressingly spurious and sterile—not at all like Trader Vic surveys the flavor. Village Gate 9 N. Y. i Brock. Peters v Bill Harris , Ron & Nama; no minimum. Art D’Lugoff, who operates this ..vast Village; cellar spot, has plenty of entertainment wrapped up in this suirimer layout. Bill sets a .high for warm season so far here, being headed by Brock Peters, the film menace (Crown) in “Porgy and Bess,” now at N.Y, Warner Theatre. It’s his night club debut. 1 Youthful Israeli folksingers, Ron .& Nama. (New Acts), here before, FontaiHeblean, M. B 9 ch are as popular as ever. Audience Miarai Beach Jul 18 was unhappy when they signed off . T _ . _ , .. ^ after nearly. 40 minutes. While this F^ritanda Mantel, pair has appeared on television a Jl Sacasas Orch; arid have been around since arriv- ? 3 - 5 0-$5 minimum. irig in the U.S., names do not ap- - peat in Variety files. Jack Carter is pulling the heav- Husky, young Peters, who looks iest biz of an in-and-out summer like he. had played tackle in his J j. uli f or the La Ronde, confirming .school days; is a Negro bass-ban- 0 ! tone with immense potentialities, f hls stature In thiS ared as a solld i He admitted suffering from a : draw personality for any posh cafe, i slight case of laryngitis on the ‘ That the Fontainebleau’s Ben j night caught. But his current act j Novack has him pacted for several ! suffers mostly from haphazard rou-i returns through the year is addi- j tinirig: There is too much stress on I tribal recognition of this fact, first I the same type of song. But all this j established at the Americana last ! can be straightened out since he j year, which had him in for four i has the pipes and backing from the dates. j talented Bill Harris on the guitar. The room’s flexibility as regards His opening number, “Shackles capacity—cutdown from 850—is Off My Legs,” seems a bit heavy, being utilized, with the new_ stag® J But he follows it up with a softer, ^ed for orch setting and the old \ slower tune, “Lucky Love.” Then hydrauhe. oval again raised for there is a fine arrangement of “St. -.shows and dancing Thus the more James Infirmary” for excellent re¬ turns. “I’m going Home, Boy” is a intimate setup (485) is a perfect one for a comic. In Carter’s case. turns, i m.going nome, uoy is a ~ — L i• “ ;- S<~ ± commendable choice, but standout !?.®Jf rom °POriing is the medley of numbers from ^ op ^ al one-liners, “Por^v and Bess” which he ^ res h from the headlines and anent ’ ' summertime in Miami. Per always, wnams over - his shrewdly balanced act has a Peters not only lauds his ac- singing opener that is composed of companist Harris but lets him on such one-liners in lyric form to for a solo stint with his guitar, set the giggles, running. His fast Harris wows the patrons with his and furious approach is now a bet- gymnastics on the strings, often ter-paced affair, the timing sharp, (jazzing the classics with effortless And his lampoonings of a Bela- : skill. v Wean fonte, a Jose Greco and Ed Sulli- .. ——'—van take on fuller—and funnier— Flfl ihin g®, I j»s Vegas dimensions through intelligent edit- Las Vegas, July 16. |ng .since last seen. Toss in hil ■ ! Jan Murray, Gloria DeHaven , T h ?ofing, theJolsonesquesongde- i Leigh Ann Austin, Don Kirk, Mar- | lene Miller, Flamingoettes (9), and added up to a begoff stmt, i Jack Cathcart Orch (13); pro- Fernanda Montel is an added ■duced. by Barry Ashton; $3 mini- starter and gets off nicely in the 1 mum. tough opening slot. Handsomely j gowned, as always, the blonde, Jan Murray, absent frorii Vegas warm d resMnse 1 \o ^her^Gallic 6 ^ for several seasons, returns with a LiSn fast and funny standup comedy tonnp? I routine that stamps him as one of -Rfarinc^Os ’^ Murrav Schlamm { the top storytellers in the biz. JXiv ! Cn ctarrpii nn hill ic Glnria Dp- ma * es for a literate emcee. While ?acasas backs the. show aptly and Haven, who’s also 'a welcome re¬ turnee after a lengthy stay away from the. Strip. keeps the dansapation segs moving with a fine group of arrangements. 1 ’Murray breezes through some ^"‘for^i/firl“daTeIn'the« parts ln so me time - ***. his teenage son, among other rec¬ ognizable SUbiects. and tOriS the folnnv r'lnlm Dallaa ognizable subjects, and tops the turri with his hilarious version of the song, “Laugh, Clown, Laugh.” Miss DeHaven looks better than Colony Clnb. Dallas Dallas, July 14, Johnny Bachemin Revue, with ! ever, and she presents a great com- Lawrence, Grady Wilson, Bob • bination of poise and animation as Sickles, Joe Garcia Quartet; $2 {she sings “It’s Been A Long, Long corer - { Time,”. “Taing A Chance On . j Love,” “Who’s Sorry Now?,” "Any- This midtown cabaret is a Sec- Time,”. “Taing A Chance On . Love,” “Who’s Sorry Now?,” "Any- This midtown cabaret is a See¬ thing Goes,” “I Want To Be ond home for talented Johnny Happy,” “I Want To Be Loved By Bachemin. He had his first “im- You,” “I’m Just Wild About portant” booking here. 12 years ago Harry,” “Button Up Your Over- by owner-operator Abe Weinstein coat,” “Little Girl Blue” and “Why and scored easily in a long run. Shouldn’t. I?” Leonard Corris is Not forgetting the break, he re- her arranger-conductor, and light- turns when he has open dates; last ing for her act is by Hugo Gran- time, ^ August, ’57, he came back ata. to bring hefty biz In a five-week A dandy new Barry Ashton pro- stand. Currently be’s staging his duction number called “Blues Be- own revue and this marks his 17th hind the Blinds” is the curtain- date here. Again his reception raiser, which features showgirl from local and out-of-town fans Leigh Ann Austin making an ini- augurs a fat b.o., rosy for Wein- i pressive debut as a singer, Doh stein because Bachemin has a Kirk, Marlene Miller and the slick, neatly paced show that’s set Flamirigoettes <9). The Jack Gath- for four weeks, at least cart orch (13) smoothly backs the Bachemin, a tireless worker, has eritire show, set for four frames. been known as a triple-threat Dulce. talent.. This time around he’s ' ' ■ adding bongo and conga drum Cork Clnb, Houston playing to his singing, dancing Houston July 14 and ®8mg display. He can do no Johnny Maddor, Mel ArvinOrchiy T ° n B here ; no doubt about it, (5); iio coveror ^minimum. ' “ n ?. ne gets stronger m each ' . j outing. This time he’s headlining Young (32) Johnny Maddox is; «wn production, but let’s face a throwback to the oldtime rag- i S u >’ can satisfy tinie pianists, and while he ad- i the most discerning nitery fans • in a one-man show if he chooses. mittedly plays a commercial rag- m a one - ma n snow u ne cnooses. time-, his work captures the . spirit Returning to terping, Bachemin of each tune, popular two or three does semi-classical bits, remi- generations ago For club audi- riiscent of Jose Greco in torrid ences who like a beat to their meshing of handclapping and music, and iriost of the Cork Club pleating. At intervals he inter- patrons indicate they do, Maddox sperses sudden comic throwaway is their boy < lines with zany amateur terp steps; His! ensemble features a shirt i .^tches throw the tablers and with red stripes, a vest, and arm;Bachemin cant miss. Begs off bands. Orily the derby and a stein * three encores, piping YVhen of. beer on the upright are missings, j re s>miling * '.Ragtime, in Maddox style, gives \ Middle act is "naughty but his fingers such a pounding that! classy” stripper Jody Lawrence, he has tri apply hand aids to the I whose lives up to her billing, also, tips before each performance. Then; Lovely blonde, with a pixie face, he launches the fastest 30 minutes i is adept at astonishing glances in the biz ! and eyebrow lifting, so much so The Mei Arvin orcli does a fine i lhat he r facial maneuvers distract backing job, but in working behind tablers from viewing the classy the freewheeling Maddox, about chassis and her arty, sensual dance all the band can do is let the turn. Production bit includes dis- rhytrim section hang on to his shirt- T°]>irig casually on a special stage tails. His begoff is his big Dot rec- set » donning transparent negligee ord album, “Crazy Otto Medley.” and reclining, much like Liu St. Maddox, the first Dot recording i c yr s w. k. act. artist, and who has 13 albums to) Singing guitarist Grady Wilson, his credit now, pretty much has this furnishes capable vocals and fret- field, to himself, although there ting as an opener and serves as are signs that ragtime is on the emcee. Handsome, husky blonde way back, what with the player has an odd choice of vocal fare for pianos being dusted off and the this intime spot, popularity of Tiny Little, on the Joe Garcia augments his trio to Lawrence Welk tv show. If the a quartet for this lengthy shbw, response of Cork Club auditors is ; furnishes top showbacking and any indication, ragtime is back, {loads the floor with leather Skip. I pushers. Bark.