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ON THE BROADWAY SCENE ByBurtBoyar NEW YORK. N. Y., May 9.— WALDORF OPENING: Johnnie Ray is at the Empire Room and though his wild song-stylings may seem incongruous with the Waldorfs pommes soufle, coq au vin and crepes suzettes. talent, apparently can be served anywhere, whether to an audience which "digs" or to one which "enjoys. " Apparently Johnnie himself was uneasy about his debut in an "East side" spot. Midway in his act he explained. "We were all kinda nervous — this being an opening night — and particularly because its my very first time here at the Waldorf — and — I— I, well — I wasnt sure you folksd like me." They cheered the answer. He starts off singing "Should I Reveal" and slowly but steadily builds the voltage. He does one song with very shrewd lyrics which gives him an excuse to walk around the room kissing all the women he can reach. Dorothy Kilgallen caught one on the cheek. Mrs. Louis Sobol had her hand pecked and Orson Welles much, much bigger than life got a good handshake. . . . A one-time bobby-soxer, now disguised in diamonds and Dior rubbed the cheek he had kissed like she wouldnt wash it for weeks. He sings all his big songs and they are received like pennies from heaven. Finally, he decides to really pull the switch. He sits down at the piano and says, "Once again — for old-times sake." Then he sings, "Cry," the record that made him famous. Without taking a breath in between, he does "Little White Cloud That Cried." He I I doesnt pause a moment between songs, j seeming afraid to lose the tremendous mo-] mentum and emotion he has generated. He ; keeps building and building until he lifts you out of your seat with the spiritual ! "Walk And Talk With My Lord. At the frenzied finish of this number, bathed in ■ perspiration, his hair completely astray, he slumps to one knee, not as much out of showmanship as exhaustion. The lights dim. The show is over. Despite continued j appeals from the applaudience he wouldnt ! do an encore. He quite when he was way, j way ahead. The only thing that could follow that act would be World War III. OFF THE RECORD: Sugar Ray Robinsons plans to star on Bway I with his wife j in Jule Stynes revival of "Golden Boy" was first announced here April 12. Since j the fight other columns have breathlessly ; rushed into print with the "hot" news. ■ Heres something else they can print first, next week : If Styne can get the authors ; permission for a change of script Sugar ! Ray will actually enact the fight scene onstage. Howzat for sox office??? . . . En j route to the ABC -TV studios Sunday night ; the Klansman tried to pump Mike Wallaces staffers about his religion. ... We watched the interview and we feel that Imperial Wizard Eldon Edwards certainly made himself and the Klan look like a bunch of dumb Klux. AAA PARAGRAPHIC: Sugar Rays wife Edna gave him a pep talk before the fight. "Pray to God," she told him. "Hell listen and help you because you believe in Him." Sugar didnt seem to be heartened. He parried. "But how about Fullmer, honey? He believes in God, too." Mrs. Robinson looked him square in the eye and explained, "But, remember that youre older. Youve known Him longer. " AAA PENNY ARCADE: Bing Crosby met a . mag editor in the casino of the Dunes • Vegas "Yknow." he complained, "the way you guys are printing that Im getting j married youll make a bigamist outa me." I . . . Jack E. Leonard told us. "Im going out to Brooklyn to do a benefit for the Navy. I ; may bring back dirigibles." . . . Dontcha love that new record label. "Gone Records?" . . . Sidney Poitier will do a concert-lecture tour next year. His pal. Belafonte will map it out for him. . . . Grace Peyton Place Metalious, the alchemist «she turned dirt into gold», is knocking a famed interviewer to anyone wholl listen. He helped her when she needed it. TAXIGABBING: This week at the nations Linen Supply Association convention in Atlantic City, Larry Kline, of Philadelphia will be nominated and voted their new president. An ominous note will be sounded there. An entire session will be devoted to the execs listening to their wives telling em how to run the business. . . . Wm. Saroyan will borrow his two children, Aram and Lucey from his ex-wife Carol for a summer in Europe. . . . His exfather-in-law, Bendix Aviation boss Charjes Marcus, is undergoing minor surgery at St. Vincent".. . . . Topera star Maria Callas also answers to Maria Calloyeropoulou if you can pronounce it. . . . George Goods attitude: "Collateral is something you have to show a bank to prove you dont need the money you want to borrow."
