view raw text
ON THE BROADWAY SCENE By Burt Boyar NEW YORK N Y May 2 FIRST NIGHT CLUBBING The star of the Waldorfs new show is not only a Pearl rare gem a diamond in the smooth Shes the tops Shes a Bendel bonnet a Shakespeare sonnet Get what I mean meanPearl Pearl Bailey opened Monday night at the Empire Room T be more specific she didnt open she burst She started off with Ma Hes Making Eyes at Me Somethings Got to Give and Come Rain or Come Shine ShineThe The audience glittered with Constance Bennett Ray Bolger Monique Van Vooren and a dozen other famous faces but no one paid too much attention to them be ¬ cause Miss Bailey the Queen of Singland was on and for this you even let your roast duck get cold coldBefore Before we go any further with Miss Bailey I must tell you about a new type of table hopper This character figured out a way to catch all the openings and beat the cover charge and even the waiters tip We spotted him going from table to table asking Are you from the Electro Lux Corporation The answer was always no but hed made his opening Then he pitched Would you mind very much if I sat down at your table to watch the j show He got turned down four times but made it on the fifth At the ringside ringsideBACK BACK TO BAILEY In her very own manner of speech sort of iike Im saying it but its almost too much trouble Miss Bailey apoligized for not having played the Waldorf before this She sighed Ive been so busy with mtravels Couldn get here before this She told of how shed signed for House of Flowers without even looking at the script All through rehearsals I kept waiting for my flowers to come Finally they told me Pearl youd better go read your contract Well I did what they said and let me tell you I was plenty embarrassed when I read my contract and found out Id signed to come to New York to become a fullfledged madame madameA A A A AMISS MISS BAILEY THEN sang Im An In door Girl from that show Then came Toot Toot Tootsie and she left the stage while the audience applauded She re ¬ turned waited till it was quiet and told us I dont know why you applauded so much You knew I was coming back She sighed Actors are so deceitful Then she explained the night club business I HAVE to sing four songs The manager insists on it The way it works is four or five songs is considered good If you can make the audience sit through six then youve got a fair chance of getting held over She put her hands on her hips defiantly Well now youre going to have at least eight more songs crammed down your throats because I need this engage ¬ ment Ive got no place to go for two more weeks and I am going to stay right here hereShe She decided to sit down She struggled to make it in her tight gown Ohhh she groaned glamor is so costly costlyThen Then she sang Hes Gone Hes Gone Hes Gone a song about the delights of being single again But its lonely Then There Must Be Something Better Than Love But if there is Pearl cant use it and then Tired She pointed to her accompanist Thats Mr Phillips The audience applauded him Just a coupla years ago she told us he used to be a plain olf piano player But now hes withme and doin a little better and so now is a pianist A pianist My My money does make SUCH a difference A A A ASHE SHE SANG AINT Misbehavin and waltzed over to Constance Bennetts ring ¬ side seat borrowed the stars mink stole toasted it lovingly around her shoulders and sighed Oooooh Its sooo comfort ¬ able ableThen Then all heaven broke loose Shejsaid Look the doors are locked and Miss Ella Logan is here She and I do a song to ¬ gether for fun every now and then The doors are shut tight so the union cant come in and tell us not to so lets get her up here and do this song Miss Logan came up as reluctantly as a cannonball and the two of them belted out Old Rockin Chair It was tremendous tremendousNext Next she said I was real nervous about coming to work here I got here before the last show closed so I could see The Master himself at work He was real sweet used to it and now Id like to bring him up here The Master himself Ray Bolger I IBolger Bolger came on kissed Miss Bailey and andtook took the mike While he sang SHE dida didai i soft shoe I dont do it too well she sheadmitted admitted but its a good way to get off offAnd And then she did a diriy thing She left
