New York Clipper (Jun 1923)

June 27, 1923 THE NEW YORK CLIPPER 11 REGENT (Urt Hatf) There are only five acu on the bill at the Regent this week, the Regent Songland, a local talent show, taking up 35 minutes of the eve- ning performance. This latter is one of the best of the amateur shows, with about six cos- tume changes for the chorus and four changes of scenery. It is aimed to tun coincident with JubQee Week and is done in a prologue by Father Time, a scene concerning the landing of Columbus in 1492, a Dutch scene showing New Amsterdam in 1609. a Bowery or Streets of New York scene and a 1923 scece showing the birth of the modem jazz era. In this last scene an amateur jazz band of £ve pieces does some fine work. There are 64 girls and boys used in the cast, with Harriett Aaron son and Pete Mealy carrying off premier honors, the latter with bis soft shoe dancing and the former with her rendition of blues tunes. Many sjiecta] numbers are used, the entire production being written and staged by Harry Shaw. The regular bill is started by Kennedy and Kramer. This team went right after them from the start, the heat seemed to make no difference to the audience, all of whom seemed anxious to applaud every Atep these clever dancers per- formed. The act went over great. The Phenomenal Players followed with their act and collection of stan of yesteryear and kept up the good work. There was a lot of dancing in this act, too, but the audience seemed to like dancing today and the act scored heavily. jUst in case the audience had not bad enough dancing. Gene Morgan, with his patent leather hair, fold a few jokes and then moved his feet to syncopated rbjrthm and the delight of the folks out front. His act also pleased. Harry J. Conley & Co. gave their delightful little sketch of bucolic romance and It was thor- oughly enjoyed. Conley was forced to make a speech and surprised everyone by calling at- tention to the £sct that in an act such as his the work of the orchestra is an integral part and extending his heartiest thanks and appre- ciation for the fine support and cooperation ren- dered faim by the Regent house orchestra. The leader blushed like a schoolboy and worked his bead off for the rest of the after- noon. Cahill and Romaine, the wop and the black- face female impersonator, closed the show. This was hardly an afternoon for their style of comedy at this house, but they went over well, nevertheless. C. C. FRANKLIN (Lut Half) One could form a mental picture of "props" at this house, sinking down exhausted at the end of show, and sobbing, **Yes—we have no pianos." If ever there was a piano show in a vaudeville theatre, this layout was the one. Eleven acts on the bill, and we doubt if more than three didn't use a piano on Thursday. Six of tficftc acts were tryouts, and of these six, five had the piano brought on. "The Franklin Bathing Girl Revue" was the headline feature for the entire week. Manager Forthcringh.'im couldn't have picked a more ap- propriate show for the weather than if he had been forewarned several weeks ago, when he announced the show, that it was going to be hotter than Hades during this week. The "Bathing Girl Revue" had seventeen of the prettiest amateurs we've ever seen in a review for its cast. The show consisted for. the most part of a bathing suit fashion show, with sev- eral song and dance bits thrown in for good meaAure. A young man did a specialty, and had the envy of every "cakie" in the audience. "What a tough break for him," they all seemed to be saying, "one guy and seventeen girls." The girls were all very well rehearsed and db- played beautiful figures in bathing suits of various styles and colors. The six acts "showing" weren't quite as good as the average bunch of tryouts which have b e en shown here on previous Thursdays. In fact they were onfe of the poorest lots seen here in a long time. Marsh, Doss and Company, two men and one woman, were the openers. The woman, heavily built, did a lot of dancing, for which she might have been given credit for doing because of her weight, were it not for the fact that the most uninitiated theatre-goer could see that most of her dance work was amateurish. A piano and some scDg bits were also used. RAYMOND ON LOEW TIME Al Raymond has received contracts to ?lay the Loew Circuit for the Summer, le will open at the American, June 25th. HAMILTON (Last Half) On Thursday afternoon, the attendance could be called very good, as far as matinee business goes on week-days here. And when one takes into consideration the heat of Thursday after- noon, the attendance might be called wonderful, for, despite the fact that it really was much cooler inside the theatre than it was on the street, it is a welt-known fact that few of the theatre-going public believe it generally is cooler inside. The big attraction for the last half of the week made its appearance during night perform- ances only, and we missed it, therefore. It consisted of the Grand Opera Society of New York in the "Doll" scene from the '*Talea of Hoffman." The Royal Gascoigncs were scheduled to open the show, but on the opening outJnee were caught in a traffic jam, and couldn't nuke the theatre on time. They were switched to close the show for this performance, and the opening act consisted of Davis and Bradnor, two girls spotted number two for the regular running order of the bill. Opening the show with a song repertoire consisting mainly of semi'Claasi* cal numbers tm no easy stunt, and it is to the credit of these two girls that they held the spot excellently and gave a very good acconnt of themselves. Both have fine voices and have arranged their selections well, with the cxceih tion of the opening number, which seems out of place in their offering. We*d suggest that both wear simpler gowns or frocks, which would be more in keeping with the class and refine- ment of their offering than their present heavy colorful gowns. One thing is oeatain, they'd be much cooler in simpler dresses. Billy Shone and Louise Squires have an en- tertaining offering, Shone*e comedy going over nicely, and Miss Squires lending very capable assistance with an attractive figure displayed in an abbreviated frock, good looks, and also as a foil for Shone. Emilie Lea, with Qarence Rock and Sam Kaufman supporting her, scored heavily, the. hard work done by the trio being received by an appreciative audience, who realized the strain of doing such difficult dancing in such heated atmosphere. Miss Lea has, in addition to won* derfal dance ability, especially with kick, a very nice personality, and the boys are also likeable. Kaafman*s work, however, could be toned down to a ffreat extent, for while the affcctedness may be done for comedy, the major portion of the audience is inclined to think that he really is **showinff off," to use the expression we overheard in the audience. Moran and Mack kept them laughing with their very funny blackface comedy. The boys are doing quite a lot of new material, and the boxing and shuffle dance bits went over very well. The Royal Goscoignes closed the show. Gas- coigne*s juggling and comedy kept them laugh- ing and applauding heartily, despite the inclina- tion, caused by the warm weather, to sit and faU asleep. G. J. H. The Crinoline Four, consisting of a quartette of girls and a man at the piano, might do for the small time after they have worked the rough edges off their act, and re-routined their act. The man read the music from sheets, and gave it an amateurish appearance in doing so. Edwards and Dean, man and woman, also using the piano, had a routine of old-time songs, which they rendered in good harmony, and showed themselves capable of playing the Sf^it- week houses right now. George Dale and Company, the "co** being a pianist, also offered a song cycle. Kalamanu and Company, two girls and a man, have a fairly good dance offering fcr the small houses. One of the girls is very amateurish, the one doing the toe-dance, while the other is very good. George F, Owens and Company, another singer assisted by a pianist, will do for the three-a-day route. James and Etta Mitchell opened the regular bill with their aerial work. In addition to very good stunt, Mitchell keeps a steady run of dry humor flowing which is clever. Bigelow and Lee are doing the same act, practically, which Bigelow did with Clinton. They went over very nicely. Anna Held, Jr., and Company are doing a playlet by Jack Lail. in which Miss Held ap- pears to better advantage than she has in any act we have seen previous to this. She does an exceptionally good portrayal of an old woman prctecting a young girl from being led astray by her former husband. The man in the act if the weakest character in it. The act runs much too long and can stand cutting of about eight or ten minutes. With this done. Miss Held will have a good vehicle. Charles Olcott and Mary Ann are favorites here and had to take several encores before being permitted to leave. Otcott's comedy kept tbem laughing, and Mary Ann*B cute person- ality and voice drew -former admirerv closer and created new ones as well. Hnrst and Vogt are doing a vehicle contain- ing, for the most part, bits which Hurst did with Connie O'Doimell previously, and which O'Donncll did with Russ Brown before that. Not only gags, but the "Hoo-ray" bit as weD. Most of the other lines are old gags, but all the material is done well by the two, and they went over. The bit of one chap Ulking while the other does the band notions wu a riot. C. J. H. STATE (Last Half) The hot weather had little effect on the at- tendance on Thursday afternoon, the house- being one of the coolest places in the city. Samaroff & Sonia opened the vaadeviUe end of the sbow with a pleasing dog act, the ani- mals doing an ordinary routine of tricks, mostly jumping and tumbling. Northlane & Ward offered an excellent series of dances in the second spot, both being full of pep throughout the act. They sell their ataff very well and the girl's costumes were novel and attrsctWe. Lillian Morton proved to be one of the bat tag singers we've heard at this house in some time. Her jazz numbera are put over in a style of her own, getting aa mueh out of each song as possible. Ballads and character songs are done also by Miss Morton, who docs them equally good. Kelly and Wise, who were seen recently at some of the Moss and other houses, gathered a number of laughs with their cross-fire and vari- ous wise cracks growing out of a broken-down car. The girl seems to have improved in her work since we saw the act last. While most of the talk is funny. It could be impraved con- siderably, and made to appeal to a better an- dicnce by cutting out a few of the vnlgar cracks made by the male member of the team. Kramer & Boyle did their usual stuff, with new bits of dialogue put in here and there. The race track bit is as funny as anything they ever worked np, and it would not be a bad idea to gradually put in new stuff as they go along. The act is pretty well known to vaude- ville patrons and there is no fun listening to an act that yon know backwards. The Meyer Davis Band, one of the Davis orchestras out under competent leaders, closed the show, with Boyle ainging a song in the act and Kramer clowning all the way through it (See New Acts.) This makes it possible to get only a vagne idea of just how good the hand is. The nine musicians played all of their stuff in a real jazzy style, one of the cometista shining in particular. Kramer played the drum pretty good and did an imitation of Frisco^ The rest of the downing wasn't so funny as it was all in pantomime. We know an actor that fooled around with the basa-violin better than Kramer did and he was stopped by a N. V. A. complaint. If. H. S. PROCTOR'S 5TH AVENUE (Lart Half) The current bill contains nothing to elevate it above a standard small-time show. This house, like many others, has been hit a severe wallop by the continued warm spell and un- doubtedly the bookers are economizing on the weekly expense until there is a break in the weather. McGlynn and Sully, two men working in lux, opened the show with a series of balancing and gymnastie feats. Pietro, the accordeonist, followed on with a varied repertoire of selections, which included several classics and a potpourri of popular melodies. Frank Davis and Adele Darnell sounded the first ripples of the afternoon with their long- sincc familiar flrrtation comedy, *'Bird Seed." The skit gains its title primarily through the girl's interest in a canary. When the flirtations young man finds that bis only method of ap- proach is through his feigned Interest in the bird be essays the role of a "bird seed** sales- man. Consequently he marches off to matri- mony at the finale. The act has a number of clever situations and some bright lines. Yet the audience seemed too overcome with the heat to make any fuss over them. Burke and Durkin, a mixed team, managed to wake them up and hold them for 6fteen minutes with their delicious song and eomedy offering. The man solos ''Every Step Bring! Me Nearer to My Honey Land" and pnts it over with a snap that makes them boiler for more. The girl follows with "Cryin* for Yon," while her partner retaliates with another hot blues, "Highbrow Blaea.'* Both join forces for *'SpeakI Speakl Speakl'* and get In some good- natured foolery. For a finish the OLaa offers "Francis, Don't Dance Any Morv,** a new anm* bcr which bids fair to be a worthy sueeessor to "When Francis Dances With Me." Tho act provided a show stopper from beglnntng to end. And anybody who could accomplish this at this house on Thursday is entitled to on- qualified praise. Bert and Harry Gordon managed to evoke oo little amount of humor out of their skit, **I1te Singing Lesson.** while Yorke and King sang, danced and clowned their way throagh aa re- plicas of "an old-faahloncd tintype.** Bekefi*8 Theatre Grotesk rides in at the fag end of the Rossian craxe, and yet it has many Ci-mmentbhlc qualities that may keep it gaing for some time. Aside from ita introdoctioo, in which a duet is worked by tw^wwin^y ^||| the heads and hands of the amgera prriina through an accotnmodating alit. the act contains the usual mixture that has been teen in piscti- cally every Russian act that has reached vande* yille. Some remarkable dancing is revoled and it is upon this feature alone that the act will have to depend. Miacahoa, an attractive brunette of diminutive stature, closed the show with a scnntional slack wire specialty. The little lady danced ftod did all manner of sttrats without the aid of the usual balancing props In a manner that was thoroughly enjoyable. E. J. B. PROCTOR'S 23RD STREET (Lut Half) Six acts of vaadeviUe and tlw motion pio- tnn dnma. "Mar7 ot the Movies" anaprises the new bill here. Sankus and SyWers* a iDixed team, who offered a lively cornbioation of gymnastics and acrobatics, proved to be adequate pacemaker*. Dorothy Taylor, assiitcd by an accompanist on the piano, diioed with a ' song offering that won her instant favor. Miss Taylor Is a striking blonde who knows the Jmaek of getlnty .everything possible out of her songs. She opened with "LonisvUle Loo," followed with "The Kind of a Girl That Men Forget" and wound np with "In the Day of Old King Tiit." Hibbitt and Malle, two likeable chaps, set the comedy ball arolling with a talking ikit that was a faithful representation of what is supposed to occur between 6nale hoppers when their flappers are on "the pan." Both have ■ weakness for the ladies and both declare that a nutle of a skirt will never again upset their squilibrinm. Bat despite all good rcaolutiona as soon as a girl appears on the horisoo they do a marathon to meet her. The act is deverly put together and is admirably presented by the boys. Barret, ' Clayton and Company offered a dramatic allegorical playlet, aeasoned with romance of the Far East. A prapenms busi- ness man believes fate has cheated him in not providing him with a soi to cany on the family name. He has a diarming daagfater but this does not obliterate his desire for a ■on. A yogi appears in the garden and in- Irigues the dao^ter, who invites him into the hooscL She tells the yogi of her unhappy state and the reason. In an ensning oonvctsatian the yogi eiptains why the gods had bicaaed htm with a daughter instead of a son. Thei« is a flashback and the father is broui^t face to face with the sort of son he im'gbt have had. When he peers at the miserable, nerve racked drug fiend, he is cured. From then on he promises to concentrate his life toward making his daughter happy. The playlet is gripping and is interpreted well. It is far above the average • for small time. Janet of France, assisted by Charles Ramp, scored as usual with her scngs and clowning. Miss Janet seems to improve at each saceeaaive perfomunce. The Rainbow Six, a tabloid minstrd enlisting five men and a woman, offered the usual com- bination of songs, gags and dances as the closer of the vaudeville section. Instead of appearing in burnt cork, the men appeared in red, purple, white and other colors of the rainbow. "Mary of the Movies" foDowed the vatideville bill. E. J. B. MORGAN DANCERS GOING ABROAD The Marion Morgan Dancers have ac- cepted an offer to appear in London and Paris during: the sumnier months. They will_ sail for London on June 27 and will begin their engagement at the London Q>- liseum shortly after arriving. The latter part of the summer will be spent in Paris. Jules Delmar is vacationing on the Great Lakes and will return to the Keith office next week.