Friday, Nov. 7, 2003 | 8:27 a.m.
A man wearing a cowboy hat sat in the shadows at the back of the 400-seat Post Time Theatre lounge at the Frontier.
He was the only customer for several 3 p.m. performances by pianists Mark and Clark Seymour, twin brothers who have been a professional team for 40 years.
It was 1968.
Mark & Clark, natives of Columbus, Ohio, were in Las Vegas for a monthlong engagement. They performed their Ferrante & Teicher-like routine at 3 p.m. and again at 9 p.m., following shows by such entertainers as Vic Damone, Jackie Leonard and Frank Sinatra Jr.
"It was a beautiful lounge," Mark recalled. "We were afraid that we weren't going to be hired back, because only one person would attend the 3 o'clock show."
After a few days they learned that their job wasn't in jeopardy.
"That one person in the audience was Howard Hughes," Clark said.
Hughes had bought the property the year before.
"He liked us so well he closed the lounge off so he could have a private show," Mark said.
Those were the days when you could get steaks and eggs for a dollar, and there were free cigarettes at tables in bars.
Mark & Clark, 56, have been in and out of Vegas ever since, sometimes performing in showrooms, sometimes in lounges.
They moved here permanently four years ago, after decades in Florida, where they owned several nightclubs, including the Keyboard Cabaret in Ft. Lauderdale, which was a favorite hangout for celebrities.
"Showrooms are where we really shine," Clark said. "We don't want to go out as a lounge act."
Nevertheless, they may be seen at the Imperial Palace's Kabuki Lounge on a rotation basis with other acts.
Their next dates are Sunday to Nov. 15, Nov. 30 to Dec. 6 and Jan. 18 to Jan. 24.
"This is odd for us," Clark said. "We're not a dance band, we're an old Vegas kind of act."
The twins are dynamic, performing every kind of music, from classical to jazz.
"We're trying to put together a showroom," Clark said. "We have some people behind us, but everybody wants to four-wall or two-wall."
While they're waiting for something more in line with their high-energy shows, they will continue to do corporate gigs and lounges.
Mark & Clark have been playing piano since the age of 4. They turned professional at age 16 and worked their way through Ohio State University.
While performing at a club in Canton, Ohio, Ed Pucci, an ex-bodyguard of Frank Sinatra's, told Mark & Clark to go to Los Angeles to see another friend of his, Joey Bishop.
In was 1967 and Bishop had his own short-lived, late-night talk show.
"We sat in the lobby for seven hours waiting for Joey to see us," Clark said. "Finally, he was walking out, leaving, and we grabbed him and told him Ed Pucci sent us."
Bishop put the pianists on his show that night, and their performance led to appearances on other shows, including "The Merv Griffin Show" and "The Mike Douglas Show."
In 1974 they were on the bill with Phyllis Diller when she performed at the Tropicana.
There were only a few hotels in those days, and Mark & Clark played all of the major ones -- the Flamingo, Riviera, Dunes.
At the now-defunct Maxim, they performed with Jerry Van Dyke, Dick's brother.
Even with an illustrious career, Mark & Clark are not as well known as they perhaps should be.
"People think we're the dueling pianists," Mark said. "That's demeaning, a slap in the face. It's a terrible drawback. We created our act more than 30 years ago. We don't do it for tips, we're a show -- we're anything but dueling pianists."
Lounging around
Steven Lee Group will perform songs from their new jazz CD, "From the Ground Up," at Border's Books Music & Cafe, 2190 N. Rainbow Blvd., at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Saxophonist "Frankie James" Buserwini died Sunday in a local hospital. The 58-year-old musician was a popular performer at the Casa di Amore restaurant on West Tropicana Avenue. Services were to be held at noon today at Palm Mortuary, 7600 S. Eastern Ave.
A celebrity impersonators' karaoke contest will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Imperial Palace's Tequila Joe's. The winner will receive $500 and an audition for "Legends In Concert," which has been at the casino for 20 years. For more information call 794-3114.
"Gumbo Heads" probably already know their favorite New Orleans band, Big Al and the Heavyweights, will perform at Boulder Station's Railhead for the weekly Boulder Blues series. If you aren't familiar with the unconventional, original music of Big Al, check out the group at 8 p.m. Thursday.
Blood Junkies will perform at the Double Down Saloon, 4640 Paradise Road, at 10 p.m. Saturday. The Los Angeles-based band plays a confusing blend of punk, rock and country music.
archive
