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ESTABLISHED 1888 /Qb|e?·fclSy 7-53j71 PRESS <l|pftNG BUREAUS 165 Church Street - New York LOS ANGELES, cffifft EXApLNER Circ'~|i. 349,3'2^) - S. 758,34^' PalliM at Las Vegas By Phyllis BatteUe Staff Correspondent International News Service LAB VEGAS, Nev., May 21$L ?╟÷Las Vegas, test city for the || A bomb, felt the biast of a new type demolition last Wednesday night .when Tallulah Bankhead shimmied into town for her debut as a night club hot-shot. The audience went wild. And so,- almost, did Tallulah "Darlings," she drawled, "I have spent half of my life in saloons, but this is the first time I'm being paid for the pleasure.'* After the show, however, she confided huskily to friends: 'Taid for the pleasure? I'd have mortgaged my house for the privilege of NOT going on tonight?╟÷I was so scared. I'm still scared." Miss Bankhead, considered in many esthetic circles to be one of the mid-century's finest actresses, packed the following frenzies into her 22-minute premiere as supper club queen at the fabulous Sands Hotel: Bumps, grinds,' a fling at the I Charleston, three songs, ^ dra-1 matic monolgue, a comedy] sketch and an unabashed leg show in which she proved her "legs are just as divine Dietrich's." She did all this for one of the highest entertainment sal aries in history: $20,000 a week for three weeks, averaging ou; to about $66 a minute on stage. Miss B. is making slightly more than her highest-paid predeces sor at the hotel, Ezio Pinza. Nervous as one of this city's heavy losing roulette roues, Tallulah swished on to the stage pale satfii: rfjpira smcT a purple organdy coat. The audience, many of whom] had not had dinner because waiters were ordered to "stop serving before the star comes j on," applauded for minutes be fore she could open her famous mouth. When she did, they screamed with laughter. "Darlings," she said, "well, here I am?╟÷shilling for the gambling joints." The crowd warmed even more when, long ha||T,flying ana skirts raised, slopdanced and sang?╟÷in the yoift^^f a -sand - choked, downhesqiiejS Coyote?╟÷ the7numbers "Pl|N|e Seeing You" and "?·ye, Blye, Black bird." I gtjg- At the conclusion of the latter, she breezed through a short Charleston, mourning, "Look, kids, I can do a hot Charleston but this dress weighs me down." Her one serious interlude was a touching interpretation of Dorothy > Parker's monologue "Telephone Gall." Tallulji, who was good,| cried at the end of it. The audience, wh^f were astonished, did too. The star, a veteran dimimost every other form of show business except night clujp may take on night club engagements in other parts of the West?╟÷ but she isn't saying for certain. "Not yet," she says, "we have to wait to see how this goes over." Prom the shouts of "Bravo" that echoed her exit, it would appear the great Tallu is being over cautious. ESTABLISHED 1888 BArclay 7-5371 PRESS GLlJPPING BUREAU l65|P'urch Street - New York | DAILY VARIETY MAY w l%ti)i$$ The Las Vegas Strip :By BILL WILLARD: DEY RUN: KLAS-TV's okay from Washington to beam from Wilbur Clark's Desert Inn speeds up date of first telecast to late summer, but Fred ||stoye, Alex Struthers, and J oh any Ryken primed Vegans all last week by presenting "TelijBfctama," simulated vidshows in city hall auditorium . . . Television sets blooming like flowers in. May displays all over town, with buying brisk in advance of T-Day . . . Rex Allen's hoss KoKo did what he wasn't supposed to do onstage at the Thunderbird one eve last week. Emcee Barney Rawlings, quick with a quip, grabbed the hotel's slogan to bring down the house with: "Remember, you jagr it here first" . . . Nick Podar, former Flamingo dining room captain, now lurfcg JpowfolJKdowntown to the Golden Nugget restaurant for early aye,m feeds. His minehosmig is of the best . . . Tony Lucey started the Nugget estaminet a few years ago, building a fine rep for edibles, j potables and hospitality like his j Melrose Ave. Hollywood magnet j of yore . . . And Jim Otto, who I sold his shares of the former Otto ] eatery on Ventura Blvd., then lost j his Ventura restaurant because of 1 a disastrous fire two years ago, is < now major domo in the Sands bar. * * * TOTE THAT BARGE: Some of \ the "struggling" Strip hotels, getting into bad shape because of tight budgets and stabbing for talent on-the-spot, will soon establish agents or bookersJaj. the east who'll be luring fustest with the mostest . . . They gotta pay-more in order t to keep up with the Strip Joneses j . . . Tutor Scherer, who has fires in ] many local iron-ej^d joynts, may soon announce another weddinsr. I The septuagenarian is spry, al- [ though still limping from that "ac-j cidental" shooting by" former wife,! LaVeeda (their wedding in July,/ 195f, cost $25,000 and made the[ headlines) ... A break for Roy! Fitzell, dynamic dancer at the Last Frontier?╟÷he ankles Vegas- after current show to fling himself about in "The Great Waltz," Los Angeles legiter with John Charles Thomas and Dorothy Kirsten . . . Norman Krasna and frau, Erie, were over the past weekend for a Sand- stay and Talu hooray . . . Even the hard-bitten gamblers, who've heard just about everything by way of ribs about their profession, think that la Bankhead's great monologl is "dahling" . . . David Rose will] have 30?╟÷count 'em?╟÷30 musicians! tooting his tunes at the Flamingo! opening Thursday . . . Local bark-| ers of Tent 39 were hoping to grab the Heart Award at the Mexico City conclave last pg^k^ufa.JEIaua. ton won the nod X__~l SAHARA STEW: "Top Banana" and Phil Silvers could be a plum for the Sahara, but so far Milton Prell says he hasn't a date nor has he dotted final I's on the deal. And, if he does wrap it up, the only open if time for the touring mmpany is mid-July . . . Vaughn Monroe is slotted prior to Christine's sashay July 14, but if the GI remake doesn't wanna play, perhaps Phil Silvers & gang will cavort at that time . . | Stan Irwin, George Moro, Larry Sloane, and Prell are easting to do a -bit of wrangling with Bill Miller, Sahara's booker, and Charlie Yates, Christine's agen; . .. Jake Kozloff returned from Variety Club's convention in Mexico City, amazed and amused about scuttlebutt of Last Frontier's alleged salfrjfi|;Pitt & Chi interests. He denies such a deal, but will have a flash soon about new booking setup for shows . . . Tallulah signed for return to Jgands in spring of '54 for a montlf. . . "15*ath- erine Dunham's opening at El Rancho Vegas tomorrow night will bring out plenty of localites looking for something different and exciting in floorshows. BXrel^.7-5371 PRESS CLIPPiNG:jb|tEAU 165 Church Street --New Yorlr BRISTOL, VA. Virgi#$^<tennesseaii Tallulah Does First Show For Night Club LAS VEGAS, Nev. (UP)- ?╟÷Tallulah .Bankhead had been a prime' attractipn in night clubs rat home and abroad for years, but last night was the first time she ever got paid for it.\ " The professional actress and am- teur politician (D-Ala), whose past appearances in la club as a customer intrigued the patrons* as much as any floor show, said she undertook the carbaret stint because she "had done everything on stage ?╟÷ and off of it, for that matter." "They told me this Would be a new experience," she explained to her audience. "I had jdyeii up hope years ago of finding.'&&new experience *'*J[|^?·|| She also made/this i^gture into one" of the few entertainment fields that hadn't previously:.:Mt the impact of her ilamboyahtefersonality for a very practicalSpKison ?╟÷ it pays her $20,000 a week. yt$f The star received;^ffousing reception from 3the 450-pius customers in the Co^a' Room of the Sands Hotel at the beginning and al ?√ßffie eM1 M flfir" "25-minute turn. ESTABLISHED 1888 BArclay gffift . . PRESS CLIPPING BUREAU 165 Church Street - New York JAMAICA, N. Y. LONG ISLAND PRESS Circ. D. 156,835 - S. [m,775 , msxMWsi.. Going To Town lllipilll By HAL EATOiV \.' RTHE ORIGINAL _ omeikF PRESS CLIPPINGS "?╟÷ J 220 W. 19* St.,NE W YORK 11, N.Y. 11k-> Tel. CHelsea 3-8860 Cir. (D 184,472) "Corn Is Green,' MANHATTAN MEMO?╟÷B e 11 e | BJDayis apparently recovering! Vapidly. Happy condition indi-f leafed by 2 'things: Num- | ber of scripts she's reading * preparation for fall return to H'wood. Interest in of- R. N. Hamp- fer from R. I N. H a m p- f w h o want her to star in London revival of Emlyn Williams' which she top-lined on screen. Miss Davis played part created on B'way by Ethel Barrymore. British "legit" firm dickering with actress via Transatlantic calls to her New Hampshire retreat, where she's convalescing! from recent Operation ... Meals bound to bankrupt Charles Mac- Adam, Chicago promoter.. Skied in just to dine with Lois Thomas, j cute chorine' . . . Eve Arden adopted infant lad . . , "Wonderful Town" returned to backers 20, per' cent of $250,000 investment in last 24 hours, quite a feat for 3- month-old musical, which requires about 34 G's a week to "break." NORA HAYMES, Dick's ex, a tor Lance Fuller's flame ,t . . Gal,, 5th offspring, for David Willocks. He's a networker . . . Gypsy Rose Lee's comedy creaky on other nite's "Author Meets Critics." B. Cerf seemed embarrassed . . . "Keep It Gay" and "No Other Love," from Rodgers & Hammer- stein's "Me and Juliet," can't miss Hit Parade. Wanna bet? ; . . Mus-| clemen muscling into movies. Lou Nova, ex-heavyweight pug, signed by Allied Artists . . . And Steve Reeves, former "Mr. America,"! inked by Metro . . . Dolores Gray, rehearsing in Stone-Sloane musical, "Carnival in Flanders," and Milton Rackmil, chief exec of Decca and Universal Pics, oblivious to- capacity crowd at Copa. TALLIFXAH sashayed intd ijands, Las Vegas, with snuall en- wffW&e?╟÷maid, secretary,- poodle and 2 trunks. As expected, took!-. tavern and town by storm with f clever act of smaht songs, spirited! terping and sharp satire on gamb-.j ling . . . Flack flung a fast one tot iourth-estater with filler: "George] Nader will play a young American J newspaperman in 'Sins of JezeJ bel.'" Plot of picture placed in] 9th Century B.C.! This Clipping From LOS ANGELES, CAL. MIRROR MAY '?·5:195 dick mm CUPBOARD IS GITT.NG BAI* I on,yadonnnewS^geaa A total of 12?╟÷vea 19 ?╟? here this week AndL ,W movies ??A When that time arrives ??kat are the first ?Σ≤ arenT/f* t0 d0? Th?Σ≤ ?╜ent going to be enoinrh m shows to g?╟? arc?Σ≤"!* the upeoJngV^^'8 T W"h "T"??-,- Tan JS Had Ta"W,ah S^ating /S iallulah BankheAri'c ?╜, ** / week night-club act whS^taffi h6* *^?╜??* m Vegas iaSt week (because^hfw^ thel%& she ^^ origi- ^-^ e had no act' w8el?? nally signed) s gave her an attack of shingles tne morning of her opening. , But Tallu snapped ot*tr of lit to whop over ra corker of an act which in- eluded a funny monologue on gambling, a five- minute version I of Dorothy Parker's "Telephone Call," a Charleston and a couple of songs. ?√ß She did NOT wear that pinafore and hair ribbon shown in Picture at right. Jthe switch is j[or her new hiovie, "Main ptreet to Broad- way." puonc will never understand