Evening star., 1948-01-06
After Dark
A Sultry Singer From Athens
Is the Years First New Star
By HARRY MACARTHUR

was on her last previous engage
ment. That was in Istanbul, where
she was booked into Turkeys lead
ing night club for a month. then
held over for five more. Miss Di-
mitriou is introduced as "the Ath-
enian First Lady of Song" which
speaks well for the state OF song
in Athens, whatever other difa-
culties her native land is having.
Miss Dimitrious songs, in French,
English and other assorted Ian
guages, are devoted principally to
varying degrees of amour. 1t is q
tribute to her talent that her mean
ings, in French or any other Ian
guage over which she has more
mastery than English, are quite
clear. The Grecian singer is a sultry
type, both In voice and in appear
ance and should pick up quite q
following on her first American ap-
pearance. She may very easily pick
up the interest of Hollywood, too,
after some more work on her
English.
+ r..
New show this week: John Sebas-
tian, the harmonica virtuoso, and
Margaret Phelan, soprano, at the
Embassy Room of the Hotel Stat
Ter. They arrived last night.
X 4 ~
There are several worn old anec-
dotes lying around here that have
to be cleared out of the way before
we can get on with this new year
The first has to do With the
Christmas present the boys in his
Lounge Riviera Orchestra gave Bot
Knight. 1t was a new pair of mara
cas-. Now you might think that one
pair of maracas-those gourds nec-
essary to proper Latin rhythms-
would be much like another pair
If you do, that is one reason why
the boys in the Hotel 2400 orches-
ira sent an expert instead Of you to
select Bob's Yule gift.
Maracas vary greatly, not only in
size, but in tonal timbre and In
rhythmic response. Those big, gaudy
ones, according to those who know,
are for extroverts only and not for
those with feel for rumba tempos.
A proper pair does not merely rattle
when shaken, but has a good, solid
roll that rocks with the rhythm
when good man gets them going.
One of the sights of the shopping
days, then, must have been Bassist
Juggy Battenfeld, who was dis
patched to buy the present, audi
tioning maracas in a downtown mu-
sic store.
Il tried out about so pairs," he
told Bob later. II didn't want you
sounding like square up there"
4 y kx
Another yarn concerns Carl Bris-
son, who recently wound UP an en-
gagement at the Embassy Room.
While he was there. pair of teen
age lassies, on their way to their
first formal with their st. John S
High School escorts, paused before
portrait of Mr.. Brisson in the
Statler lobby. According to the
singer, he came abreast just as one
of the girls was saying, "Gosh/ he
sure is handsome. I'd like to see
him and hear him sing" There
was nothing else for Mr.. Brisson
to do. He gathered in the four,
took them into the Embassy Room,
planted them at the ringside where
they could see him and hear him
sing. Even dedicated song to one
of the girls, quite possibly the one
who said, Gosh, he sure is hand
some"
ut was the highest compliment
I could be paid" said Mr.. Brisson
later. The 50-year-olds know me-
It's the youngsters I want to meet"
Undoubtedly so he will be sure of a
continuing audience when today's
teen-agers are So.
~
Then there is the story Of the de-
flation of Evelyn Knight, who was
at her springboard to fame, the
King Cole Room, the other night,
speaking of her happiness at now
having two radio programs. The
Tony Martin show, on which Miss
Knight appears, has moved to ABC,
Wednesdays at 10:30, in the hopes
OF catching Bing Crosby's audience,
and Evelyn at the same time has
remained as the star in the old
Sunday evening at $50 spot on
CHS.
1.-TWO shows, hmmm?" said King
Cole Owner Vince Gallagher
Makes you the female Phil Harris,
doesn't it?"