NOW
YOU SEE 'EM.
NOW YOU DON'T
Back
in the 1930's, 40's, 50's and even 60's --
when nightclubs were everywhere -- it was
standard practice that in addition to a
headliner, there would be an opening act
that would be there to warm up the audience
for 20 or so minutes.
They
would go on and
-- before you realized it -- they were done
and off-stage.
It
could be a comedian, or it could be a troupe
of high-energy musicians who also sang and
danced and maybe did acrobatics.
We've
got four of these acts to show you.
But
first, we have these lovelies to show you from our website:
Coming
out of Louis Prima's band in the 1950's, The
Goofers specialized in "zany." How
zany? Imagine playing swing and bebop
on a bass fiddle while hanging upside down
on a trapeze.
Presenting "The Goofers":
"The
Charlivels" were the sons of legendary circus
clown Charlie Rivel.
They
learned acrobatics at a very early age and
started performing their combo of
acrobatics, dance, and music while still
children.
It took them to the best circuses,
nightclubs, and variety theatres around the
world.
Here, from a 1955 broadcast of "The Ed
Sullivan Show,"" are The Charlivels:
The Treniers were three Alabama-born
brothers who came into prominence in the
1940's.
They
specialized in swing and early rock 'n roll
rhythms.
Humor and acrobatics were key ingredients in
their act, and they became mainstays in
Vegas lounges and similar locales.
Here they are in 1958 on the Johnny Ray TV
Variety Show:
Long before there was Sammy Davis Jr., there
was The Will Mastin Trio.
When they started out in the early 1930's,
the trio consisted of Will Mastin, Howard
Colbert, and Sammy Davis Sr.
doing a flash dancing act.
Colbert was Sammy Davis Jr.'s
tap teacher. When Colbert left the
act, Sammy Jr. -- at the age of 16 -- took his
place.
Then, on Academy Awards night in 1951, at
Ciro's -- the premier nightclub in Hollywood
-- the Will Mastin Trio made showbiz
history.
Opening for the popular performer Janis
Paige -- in front of an audience filled with
dozens of Hollywood stars -- Sammy
Davis Jr. (now 25 years old) dazzled the
crowd with his dancing and with his
impressions of famous movie stars, some of
whom were sitting in the audience (Humphrey
Bogart, Jerry Lewis, etc.) in front of
him.
The audience clapped, cheered, hollered, and
simply would not let the Trio leave the
stage.
This went on for so long that Janis Paige --
the headliner -- never got to perform.
From then on, Paige insisted on opening for
them!
Here's a sampling of the kind of flash
dancing they did that night
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