New York Clipper (May 1923)

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May 16, 1923 THE NEW YORK CLIPPER 11 STATE (Last Hmlf) Five vaudeville acts most of which could easilr hold A spot in two-a-day boxiscs. Equally as good as the vaudeville was the overture "William Tell," played by the house orchestra of 22 pieces under the direction of Joe Jordan, who has been in the Loew service for years and , who opened the State theatre. Mr. Jordan is not only a leader capable of playing routine stuff etc, but one that seeks to add to the theatre entertainment appeal, setting a good example for other directors. The Billie Gerber Revue, two girls and two men, in the opening spot proved to be an of- fering worthy of any position, from several entertaining angles. Miss Gerber did a bit of prologue and introduced her company, and was followed a fast selection on the accordeons by the men. An Oriental dance in "three" was the next bit, unusually well done. Subsequent bits included an Apache scene with Miss Gerber singing "My Man," and toward the close of the act she affected male attire while dancing and singing. The male members of the company filled in the intervals with various selections on the accordeon. In the second spot Turk and Clare, sent their acrobatic, fumbling and contortion offering over for a decided hit. The tumbling of one is marvelous, as well as the contortion stunts of the other. The latter was done with a bit of comedy and the whole act is done in a style that is different. Held over for the last half, Newhoff and Fhelps, delighted with their singing act which is well known to patrons of big time vaudeville. Their style is always refreshing and consistently good. Opening with "Toot Toot Tootiie," which is a classic as they do it, the routine concemiog newly weds, was carried out in song in clever fashion. For an encore they did their old suc- cess, "Ain't We Got Fun," scoring as usual. In the next to closing spot, Laurie Ordway and Company, offered special songs of the type usually written by Blanche Merrill. Miss Ordway, assisted at the piano by a girl, opened with a "Vamp" song, and followed with a "Bride" and "Married Women" songs the latter being done with the aid of a baby carriage, etc The comedienne's style was funny and gathered many laughs. Shortening one or two of the numbers wculd not hurt, especially the second one. The istikiwawa J.npn, elnscd the show with an artistic Japanese novelty act, that included acro- batics, hand tulancing, juggling, etc. The act is well staged and moves along smoothly, while the various stunts are performed with ease. M. II. S. PROCTOR'S 23RD STREET PROCTOR'S FffTH AVE. HAMILTON (Last Half) The attendance on Thursday afternoon was bigger than it has been on a matinee here in quite some time. The big draw for the last half was the motion picture "Souls For Sale," and with it a five-act bill of vaudeville containing a strong oitertainment value. The Lomas Troupe, consisting of ten people opened the show and gave it a good start. A comedy "horse," done by two men drew plenty of laughs, with falls and dance bits. For a closing, the entire troupe docs the Bobby Poganny bit, coming on one by one, wearing false faces and on stilts, ranging in sizes from five to fifteen feet in height. The same bits used for laughs by Bobby Poganny and company, are also used by this troupe. Rule and O'Brien have injected some new num- bers to their song offering, but still use the Irish bit for the punch, and scored nicely here. Helen Ware and Company more than pleased with a comedy playlet called "Her Dearest Friend." The writer caught this same act on the preceding day at a different bouse, and reviewed it for new acts, and in justice to Miss Ware and the author of the playlet, it roust be said that the manner in which the offering was received at this liouve, was one hundred per cent better than it was in the other theatre, with the result that the offering appealed to us much more than it did in the other theatre. Yorke and King stopped the show with their "tin-type" comedy- The talk hits kept the laughs coming, and the clon-ning and dance of Miss King livened up things. "Shadows" with Collette Blain and Company, proved to be a very welt staged dance offering, written by Frances Nordstrom. An old couple, who talk over old times while looking over things in their attic, (a typically Nordstromish situation) and a wonderful little dancer compose the cast of the act. The girl is very sweet, and dees a toe-dance, a doll-number and a Gypsy routine ex- cellently. She is probably not - more than six- teeiu and hence adds to to her work a youthful personality which is very refreshing. C. C. (LattHall) The feature picture* "Souls For Sale** is tbe real draw here, although the vaudeville section offers by far the best bill of the season. The combination stood them op six deep on the lower floor. The morbid had undoubtedly expected to see an expose of the supposedly gay life among the film f(Jk of Los Angeles, but instead followed the trials and tribulations of a fcmine Merton who becomes a cinema «Ur in spite of her awk- wardness and annexes her director as a husband. Paul Nolan and Company opened the show with a lively juggling specialty. Nolan bandies all the stunts, the young woman in the act merely working as an assistant. He does the routine juggling act hut does it in a tnfficiently likeable way to make bis stuff entertaining. Frost and Morrison, two clever boys, con* tributed the regulation piano act. managing to keep the mob entertained with.their songs and departing to a load hand. They opened with a double **A Baby's A Baby That's All." Followed with "Maggie Blues" and wound up with **The Thief," a novelty number in which they disclose the source of some of our popular hits. If their dope is right practically .every composer in a tune thief. Comedy and thrills shared honors in a melo* dramatic farce. "One Fearful Night." Prelud- ing the playlet an ennunciator keys up the audi- ence to tbrill pitch by coming on and making an announcement that a dangerous criminal, who bad figured in a number of brutal murders and had been senccnted to Matteawan. bad escaped and was last seen in the vicinKy of the neighborhood. With the audience gripping their seats the curtain rises on the skit and the thrill stuff is maintained until near the close of the act when tbe piece as- sumes proportions of a travesty. Dabcock and Dolly were easily the hit of the show in their happy mixture of clowning and tongs. Babcock is one of the bat comics we have glimpsed in some time, while DoUy does a French girl that is a classic. Both work well to- gether and keep the audience at a high pilch of hilarity every minute they occupy tbe stage. Their material is good and they know how to sell it. If the act isn't grabbed up for the big time we miss our guess. Lorraine and Minto, assisted by Margaret Davies. closed the show with a spectacular dance revue. E. J. B. REGENT (Last Half) Of the five acts that composed the bill at tbe Regent tbe last half of last week, two went over with better than average punch. These were at the end of the bill and created the proper at- mosphere so that tfaose in the house would think they had seen a wonderful show. The other three acts were just so so, each with some good spots. The Kitaros, a Jap foot*bajancing act, started things going. They perform several difficult stunts toward the end of the act. but their big fault lies in their faking. They started purpcsely missing the barrel right in the beginning of the act instead of saving this for the end. One of the men tosses his partner around in great shape for a punch finish that goes big. A woman is used in the act as an assistant. Cbas. Root's Steppers is a hoofing act composed of four men. There is nothing spectacular about ihe act just a gcod number two act on the family circuit. Una Clayton & Company, including Herbert L. Qriffin, in "The Spite Fence." a sketch by Mi&s Qa>*ton herself, proved a disappointment. The act is an "Abie's Irish Rose" sort of thing with a reverse twist. Miss Clayton playing the part of Katie Murphy Scbmollowitz. In capable hands tbe sketch might have proved attractive but the acting, without exception, was of low order. The juvenile in particular was tbe worst offender. He played the entire act displaying a set of teeth that, must have cost at least $100. He hardly closed his mouth to talk and never to breathe. 7elda Santley, an attractive young lady, did a series of imitations, and did them well. Her reportoire consisted of copies of Eddie Cantor, Pat Rooney, Nan Halperin, Ted Lewis, Jimmy Husxey. Belle Baker, Nora Bayes and Grace I-aRue. insisting on giving the last whether the audience liked it or not, an effective way o I killing applause that might have stopped the show for her. The act went over big, because of tbe popularity of faer favorites and the exactness of her imitations. She has the makings of a coming hcadlincr and should develop them easily. Claude and Marion closed the show and did it in great fhapc. This team can nuke any audi- ence lauflh and the woman's wine cracks about herself win her sympathy and applause. They know show business and put their knowledge into execution. C. *C. (U«t Half) A seven act bill evenly divided with big and small time features sounds a happy medium for this house on the last half. The bookers had evidentally calculated for warm weather and ar- ranged X typical aununery bill, but the weather man fooled them. Notwithstanding tbe weather break tilted the attendance record and the show seemed to hit with the audience. Daley, Mac and Daley, akatorial artists, were tbe pace setters, offering a novel routine of roller skating stpnts which included both trick staff and dancing. Gene Morgaii, a likeable chap with a decided Southern accent, deuced with ■ tome tiifty ulk that made for laughs and several snappy dances. He lost no time in selling his stuff and departed with the approval and applause of the ctistomers. Nolan Leary and Company, on next, offered an abbreviated farce. "Yes Means No," which proved an admirable vehicle for the popular juvenile and was rattling good entertoinmeot as well. Leary is the shiftless son of a finance king, whose main income is derived from loans, during his father's absence he has been in charge of affairs. Succumbing to the hard luck taJes of various debtors, he grants extensions, which greatly displease his father. Tbe latter accuses him of being a namby*pamby that cannot say no to anybody. The boy has just proposed and been accepted by his sweetheart. He begs his fother for another chance. It is agreed that every time he says no he is to receive $100 towards bis honeymoon expenses. During the action he gets into alt sorts of trouble yet sticks to his bargain and convinces his father that he is a business man when be wants to be. He. wins a fat check and marches off with the "only girl" at the finish. The situations are bright, the dialogue brisk and in fact the farce has every- thing essential toward making it enjoyable en- tertainment. Three others appear in the cast. Thornton and King hit mildly with their usual routine of nonesense which was in decided con- trast to tbe wow registered by another comedy duo. Seed and Austin, whose clown antics took them from giggles to roars and hack again. Dave Seed, the abbreviated comic, seema bom to this sort of thing he does in this act. One of bis cleverest stunts is a monkey bit in which be leaps all over the place aud lights upon the shoulders of his partner. Venita Gould, borrowed from the big time, offered her usual routine of impressions of popular stage folk. Of the collection her impressions of Grace LaRne and Lenore Ulric were decidedly her best, although the others were well done and managed to entertain, Ernie Golden and his orchestra closed the show. The band is one of the beat combinations that has played this house and were received with greater warmth than any of their predecesaors. The combination utilizes sjrmphonlc arrangements ' and several of the numbers are built up with effects. Toward the close the ttiba player does a travesty on Gallt Curci that is a scream. All of the numbers are played well and arranged so as to provide the desired result at the climax of the offering. £. J. B. FRANK VINCENT BACK IN N. Y. Frank Vincent, general booking man- ager of the Orpheiim Orctiit, and Ray Me3rers, his assistant, who hav& been tour- ing the circuit for the post six wedcs, will return to the booking offices in New York tomorrow (Thursday). The two visited all cities in which Orphetmi theatres are located as far as the Coast, and in San Francisco established a third booking office of the Orpheum Grcuit, with Harry Singer at the head of it. SIX WEEKS MORE FOR HELDS W. C. Fields, who has been playing sev- eral weeks on the Orpheum Circuit, has been booked for six weeks of additional time in that chain of houses, which are to be played in Los Angeles and San Fran- oisoo, in both the big time and jimior hoitscs there. He will open in LoaAngeles on May 20th. - FRANKLIN <Liut Hidf) l>espite tbe immente size of this boojcv it never aecnu to h»Te any barren spots mm far as Tacant seats are coocemed* and TlraTads7 niglit was no exception. Jim Fortheringham stuns to have been' vay successful in exploiting the **Keitb Idea** of a oommDnitr theatre in this sec- tion of the Bronx, for he always has a theatre party of from five hundred to ooe thousand peo- ple in his house. Considering that there arc 3,S0(> seau in the house to Of, these paitic* hdp not a little. Fortheringham has done more than just **fiU** the house, for be has also made of % jau-mad audience, one that rcoeivcs every type of act with, the proper apprecialioa. It mi^it sonnd like stretching things to give a manager credit for this, bat if any one attcsdcd thii theatre in its early days, and noticed the at- titude of the audience then and compared it with the way the audience acts at present, he'd realise Ihe truth of the atatemenL Four tiyoBts were ofTcred on Tbttrsday night, consisting of Amira and Rasima, a Spanish danc- ing act, Mansfield and Weir, a piano and sing- log offering. Gold and Lynn, a good gymnastic ofTering, Ann McCccc and Company, a giti singer and a pianist, and Adams and Tunstall, a colored team who sang, danced and did piano bits. The regular bill was opened by tbe Sig Franc Troupe, two men and two girls, who used bicycle*, unicydcs, and cycles in all shapes and dimen- sions to big comedy results. Franz also does some talk bits which eontain some risque lines that should be omitted. One would he ready to take oath that Rnth Roye, who was here last week, was making a re- peat cogageraent here in the person of Sally Bcrrs. If ever a peraoo was the duplicate of another, in voice, manneriims, delivery, gestures, and even the walk, it is Sally Beers of Roth Royce. Miss Beers has a great future ahead of her, and proved that the day when she will "arrive" isn't far off, by stopping the show here. She rendered a speech in a very sweet manner that incieased tbe good impression she had al- ready created. Block and Dunlop, a boy and girl team, also scored with a comedy, singing and dancing routine. Both are likeable performers snd handle their material well. Howard and White followed with a farce comedy baaed on the Al Woods* idea, that of twin beds. Th^ laughs came r«pidljr and they were accorded heavy applause at the finish. Mary Haynes. assisted by a pianist, was a riot with ber character songs. Miss Haynes not only has the material, but delivers it as no one else can, and scored the hit of the bin. The Eight Blue Demons closed the show with their whirlwind acrobatic offering. G. J. H. MURPHY AND WHITE CLOSING Bob Murphy of Murphy and White, who have been playing continuously all season will end their season in two weeks. Mur- phy has purchased a new Cadillac and will motor east to his summer home, Bingham Beach, South Royalton, Vermont, where he will rest during the summer months. N. V. A. GOLF TOURNAMENT JUNE 25 The third annual golf tournament of the National Vaudeville Artists Qub will be held on June 25, 26, and 27, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, on the Garden City Country Qub course on Long Island. Qualifying rounds, match play and special events will prevail. A new comest will be_ introduced for beginners, with special prizes for the winners, as well as prizes for ladies' contests. The regular prizes will consist of the Tom Nawn Trophy, the Durant Cup, and - cups and prizes will be given by E. F. Al- bcc, B. S. Moss, F. F. Proctor, the Or- fheum Circuit, Marcu.'s Loew, Mike Shea, red Shamberger, Jules Delmar, and Wil- mer'^ and Vincent. The Tom Nawn trophy-.and the Durant Cup, must be won twice for permanent possession. Jack Ken- nedy and Hal Fordc each have a leg on the Tom Nawn trophy, and Hal Forde has a leg on the-Durant Cup. PETROVA PREPARING ACT Olga Petrova,'^the motion picture ^ar, who for the past two years Has been ^ pearing in legitimate attractions, the last of which was "The Hurricane," will again be seen in vaudeville next month. SIw is now. preparing a vehicle and will probably be seen alone, as she wai. during her last tour of vaudeville. EDDY FOY SIGNED BY LOEW Eddie Foy and his family have been signed to appear over the Loew Circuit and will open in Buffalo on May 21. The rest of the circuit is to follow.