seen from China
seen from Yemen
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Russia
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from United Kingdom
seen from China
seen from China
seen from China
seen from China
seen from China
seen from Malaysia
seen from Bangladesh
seen from Nicaragua
seen from Russia
seen from United States
seen from Yemen
seen from United States
seen from China
16. Playground in My Mind by Clint Holmes debuted Feb 73 and peaked at number two, charting for a lengthy 23 weeks, and scoring 1610 points.
Clint was born in Bournemouth, England, and raised in Farnham, New York. He is a one hit wonder, never charting before or after.
John Klemmer
LIFE
PAL JOEY
1989
Pal Joey is a musical with a book by John O'Hara and music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. The musical is based on a character and situations O'Hara created in a series of short stories published in The New Yorker, which he later published in novel form.
The title character, Joey Evans, is a manipulative small-time nightclub performer whose ambitions lead him into an affair with the wealthy, middle-aged and married Vera Simpson.
Directed by George Abbott, the musical opened on Broadway on Christmas Day 1940, at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre and ran for 374 performances. The cast included Gene Kelly as Joey, Vivienne Segal as Vera, and June Havoc as Gladys. Van Johnson and Stanley Donen were also in the cast.
Throughout much of the 1940s, the songs from Pal Joey were banned from radio play by ASCAP, preventing them from becoming popular standards. But in "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" was covered by many artists and it became a hit, inspiring a concept album and a Broadway revival in 1952 starring Harold Lang as Joey, and a young Elaine Stritch as Melba. This production out-ran the original clocking in at 540 performances. Two years later the musical was in the West End.
In 1957 a film adaption appeared starring Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak, and Rita Hayworth.
In December 1957 Joey was in Atlantic City at at last - albeit on screen at the Beach Theatre on Atlantic Avenue. In the years ahead, the theatre went from first run films to porn before being damaged by fire and closed. Although no longer a cinema, the building (sans marquee) is still intact today. But back to Joey...
Bob Fosse headlined a 1963 City Center Revival, earning himself a Tony nomination. A second Broadway revival in 1976 starred Christopher Chadman as Joey and lasted just two months at Circle-in-the-Square. An all-black version titled Pal Joey ‘78 was even less successful on the road and soon shuttered. In 2008, a substantially re-written production briefly returned to Broadway. Produced by Roundabout, it starred Matthew Risch (taking over for an injured Christian Hoff), Stockard Channing, and Martha Plimpton.
By 1940, Atlantic City was no longer an out-of-town tryout destination. With theatrical venues converted to cinemas or burlesque houses, there was no shelter by the sea to birth new shows. Instead, the honors went to to cities closer to the Main Stem like New Haven, Hartford, and Boston. In her one-woman show At Liberty, Elaine Stritch talks (and sings) about her experiences out-of-town in New Haven with Joey, while simultaneously understudying Merman in Manhattan.
Fast Forward to 1989, Pal Joey finally plays Atlantic City in a tab (90-minute) production at the Palace Theatre in the historic Claridge Casino-Hotel.
The show was produced by Maynard Sloate, directed by Jack Bunch, and choreographed by Jack Payne starring Clint Holmes as Joey, Barbara Henson as Vera, and Trish Gorman as Linda. It opened on April 11, 1989. The cast also included Scott Jarvis, Randy Riegelman, and Trish Dowd, to name a few.
Most critics praised Holmes, especially for his vocal prowess. But not all thought he was able to overcome a partial Pal.
“Because Sloate and Bunch used a chainsaw rather than a scalpel to make the show conform to its casino-mandated 90-minute running time, the coherent story was replaced by a series of out-of-kilter vignettes separated by unsatisfactory renditions of some of Rodgers and Hart's greatest hits.” ~ CHUCK DARROW, COURIER-POST
The production was schedule to run through June 25, but was extended to September 3, 1989.
The extension, however, did not feature Clint Holmes. He was replaced by Tony Darrow. Sadly, he was welcomed with more jeers than cheers.
“The Claridge's version of 'Pal Joey' is too depressing to ponder.”
“Rodgers and Hart's 'Pal Joey' is a classic, and the Maynard Sloate production of 'Pal Joey,' at the Claridge's Palace Theater through Sept. 3, is a disaster.”
When it comes to tab prods, Alvin Klein of the New York Times preferred Pudgy in Nunsense (playing at nearby casino showroom) to Pal Darrow.
Like Holmes, Darrow was an Atlantic City favorite, performing on club stages regularly. He is probably best known for his mob roles on screen, especially the New Jersey-set “Sopranos”. In 2011, fiction met fact when was charged with extortion and sentenced to six months house arrest.
Clint Holmes left AC for LV, becoming so popular in Vegas that they named a theatre after him. In 1996, Holmes returned to New Jersey to premiere his biographical musical Comfortable Shoes at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn. In September 2021, Holmes was back in Atlantic City performing to sold out crowds at Harrah’s.
This song is VERY CREEPY but hey, I'm a creep! And this song is just. So. CATCHY.
Here's the part the creep walks around town with on a loop in my head:
[In the voice of a child:]
MY NAME IS MICHAEL. I'VE GOT A NICKEL. I'VE GOT A NICKEL SHINY AND NEW. I'M GONNA BUY ME ALL KINDS OF CANDY THAT'S WHAT I'M GONNA DO.
The celebration of the music of Ray Charles started life as a one-off show at The Smith Center. Now it's a 30-show mini-residency at the Venetian, starting September 18. Clint Holmes anchors the show, but he won't be alone. Take 6, Nnenna Freelon, Kirk Whalum and the Las Vegas Mass Choir will also get their turns.
The Kats Report checks in on the what the new show at the Wynn might look like, a new singer in the Eastside Lounge, Oscar Goodman's upcoming monologue (we'll be attending) and Clint Holmes signing off until December.
Golden Rainbow 28th Annual “Ribbon of Life”
Golden Rainbow 28th Annual “Ribbon of Life”
Golden Rainbow reveals the thrilling lineup for its 28th annual “Ribbon of Life” production at The Penn & Teller Theater at Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino on Sunday, June 22 at 1 p.m.
Golden Rainbow – Under the Big Top
This year’s production, “Under the Big Top,” will be full of exhilarating circus-inspired acts with performances by entertainers Clint Holmes, Josh Strickland and Reva Rice. Also in…
View On WordPress
Lydia Ansel: Interview with Andre’ Haynes
Lydia Ansel: Interview with Andre’ Haynes
Lydia Ansel: Interview with Andre’ Haynes
In what will be a regular feature in the Guardian Liberty Voice, the publication is again very pleased to feature another interview from Andre’ Haynes who had a chat with the lovely and talented Lydia Ansel. This impressive individual with a long list of accomplishments took time out of her busy schedule to have a talk about her achievements and to impart…
View On WordPress
