Evening star., 1962-04-12
AFTER
DARK
bV HARRY MocARTHIJR
Mash Note to SOPHIE


A girl love is Sophie Tuck
er. This is not, as some actor
named Barton or Brunton or
something observed the other
day Of his regard for an actress
with whom he once worked, the
sort Of thing likely to break up
many homes. Furthermore, to
borrow a line from Nancy
Austin and Kenny Jerome at
the Room at the Top. there's
that difference in our ages
Sophie's young and I'm poor.
This really isn't much Of q
confession Of amour, in fact.
It's just a statement made to
establish the complete objec-
tivity Of today's report on Miss
fuckers robust antics at the
Shoreham Blue Room.
There isn't much new to be
said, come to think Of 1t. By
this time Sophie'S act and her
performing style are we'll
known to everyone in the Ma
ton over the age of IL, possibly
excepting a few proSpectors
who went out looking for gold
in 1887 and have not yet re-
turned. Neither act nor style
has changed very much through
the years. Sophie has been
around the entertainment
scene long enough to know the |
wisdom Of the adage that you
don't tamper with a hit. And
she's been a hit since before
Jack Benny was really 80.
II you've never seen Miss
Tucker perform. you owe your
self the experience, which Is
guaranteed to be a unique one.
This frolicsome filly is no mere
entertainer; she's q show buSi-
ness monument, sort Of eighth
wonder of the world.
She is an imposing sight as
she sails out onto the Blue
Room floor, clad in an eye
dazzling pink gown, prepared
to pass a few words with Ted
Shapiro, her able accompanist
for about 112 years, Before she
can get word passed. though,
there is a brief pause. The mere
sight Of her is her audiences
cue for the first Of the two
standing ovationS Sophie is
accorded these nights. The
other, even more emotionally
charged, comes at the conclu-
sion of her romp in the spot
light.
Miss Tucker Is a blatant
sentimentalist, of course, and
around her the corn is a lot
higher than 1t is anywhere else
in early April. She can get away
with 1t. though, supercharged
as she is with enthusiasm for
her work and performing with
such finesse. down to the
wiping away Of a vagrant cal
culated tear at precisely the
right moment.
With the ovation over, Miss
Tucker gets down to business
with no waste Of time. She
squares off before the micro
phone, bursting at the seams
with vitality and plungeS head
long into her opener, "You,
Too. Can Be a Red Hot Mama"
CThiS is at odds with her claim
to be THE Last Of the Red Hot
Mamas." but who needs con-
sistency?)
The general tenor of the
Tucker performance is set early
with a lyric that goes, IT don't
want to brag, I don't want to
seem immodest. I'm the oldest
girl in this room-and I'm still
the hottest"
From there Sophie goes on to
explore further ramifications of
the Battle of the Sexes with
her lusty comic approach that
sees her always emerge the vic
tor over the entire male popu-
lation of the world. She also
delves into the purely senti-
mental with such ballads as
Life Is the Worlds Greatest
Came" becoming a sort Of pink
sequin bedecked Edgar A.
Guest.
Somewhere along the way she
ducks off for a quick costume
change to emerge in a cowboy
get-up of even more blindingly
colored sequins. 1t is truly i'm
pressive garb and even funnier
than some Of the things Miss
tucker says ana sings.
II the Tucker act is undergo
ing change as the years go by,
incidentally, it is in her lean
ing toward more talk and less
singing. She still can belt out a
song, thugh, as she amply dem
onstrates after displaying one
Of her more treasured memen-
toes, her original copy of Some
of These Days"
When Sophie leans into that
one with her full youthful gusto
she has more bounce to the
ounce than almost anybody.
Sophie is quite a girl and
hers is quite a performance,
clear through the post-show
sale Of books and records for
her charities.