Evening star., 1948-10-28

II the Wardman faTk 11o"SA
thinks it has been putting anything
over on people, especially frozen
notwithstanding people, we have
news for it today. It hasn't been
getting away with a thing. A young
woman we know was complaining
the other night because she and her
husband never can seem to think
of any place other than the Ward
mans Metronome Room when they
decide to stop somewhere for liquid
rejuvenation.
"I like frozen daiquiris," she said
"and never can get one at the
Wardman. The waiter always tells
me that the machine for making
frozen daiquiris just broke down
Well, I went back to the bar one
time and looked and they haven't
even got a machine to make frozen
daiquiris."
Maybe If she asked real politely
they'd send q bell-boy out to get
her q frozen daiquiri.
One Of the types q man en-
counters often in this business Is
the master of ceremonies whose
first and only thought when an
audience doesn't laugh is that
there's something wrong with the
audience. 1t is q considerable
pleasure, then, to run across one
like Allan Drake. Mr.. Drake was
met the other night just after try
ing to warm up the audience for
the Club Cairo's 9 o'clock show.
you're working pretty hard and
not much happens" he was told.
rs it discouraging?"
He shrugged.
Its the dinner show and you
can't laugh and eat at the same
time" he said. "And maybe a guy
doesn't feel like laughing when his
girl has just ordered sirloin steak
instead of an omelet. Besides, I
don't believe in fighting with an
audience, in that what-are-you-an-
audience-or-a-jury stuff. I don't
even think big, establishes cabaret
stars, which I'm certainly not, have
any right to bawl out an audience.
Maybe when some people don't
laugh it's because they haven't
seen or heard anything funny.
These are nice people here, any
way" Mr.. Drake went on. They
don't have to make a lot of racket
to have a good time. When they
like acts they pay attention to
them and applaud them. And
maybe some of these people have
more serious things on their mind
than making noise when I tell Q
Joke. I'm not mad at them"
Mr.. Drake is the efficient and
nonintruding type as master Of
ceremonies and a likable young
comic, but it is Yvette who is the
real star of the Club Cairo enter
tainment. She is an uncommonly
attractive lass, as must be observed
every time she turns up in town,
and her polished style and assured
manner must make any freshman
and sophomore singers in her au-
dience feel like giving 1t all up right
now. When Yvette sings one of
her special ditties it is given just
the proper touch and you can be
sure you won't be hearing any one
else sing 1t with quite that style.
Yvette, in one Of the current items
in her repertoire, can even go so far
as to rhyme "bewilderin'" with "all
Gods childerin" and make it sound
perfectly normal. She's quite an
entertainer.
The rest of the Cairo's show Is
performed by Lou Fitzgibbon, a
lively party who plays the xylophone
with great dash from the end in
stead of the side, too; Beatrice
Kay, who tap dances as if she were
enjoying herself, and Montez and
Maria, whose only serious fault is
that, like so many other dance
teams, they are not the DeMarcos
or Mario and Floria.
r Il Il Il
Anniversary Department: Johnny
Robb, the Madrillon's bandleader,
marks the completion Of IL years on
that same bandstand tonight. He
went to the Madrillon first with
Johnny Shaw (who does his fid-
ding now at the Mayfower Lounge), :,
remained in the trumpet chair when
Carr Van Sickler took over, and
finally was installed as the head
man of the Madrillon's music.
Trombonist Marty Emerson and
Saxist Lou Franco have been there
throughout the same period, unless
our memory is up to its usual tricks.
The Showbill: The Balalaika
continental this year and not Rus
sian, just so you'll know which side
it's on) gets a new show tonight,
featuring Flora Zamora. She's a
dancer, whose speciality Is the
flamenco and other lively Spanish
items. Karavaeff, the nimble Rus
sian dancer, and Violinist Julie Mel
man remain, possibly to be aided by
q new singer in addition to Miss Ia
mora Mischa Bess wasn't yet
sure about that latter item as this
was being written Don and
Terry, dancers, move into the Cross
Roads tonight, to take up the enter
tainment chore until the arrival of