Motion Picture Herald (Apr-Jun 1931)

50 MOTION PICTURE HERALD April 11, 19 3 Stageshows Are Entrenched by New F.&M. Studio Omaha Orpheum Week ending April 2 The "Second Hungarian Rhapsody" by Liszt, featuring Frank Strawn, pianist, is the opening stage number, with "Eddie" and his R-KOhans in the pit plaving the obliggato. Others on the week's bill include Sidney Tracey and Bessie Hay, Nelson Clifford and Marie Marion, and a company of nine operatic singers headed by Caesar Rivoli. In the Tracey-Hay act, there is a rather replete group of dance numbers. In their first appearance, a third member of their act, a youth, accompanies them on a piano. He later also sings "O Give Me Something to Remember You By." In their next dance Tracey does considerable balancing and swinging of Miss Hay, presenting a dance in aesthetic-athletic style. Her share of the number is a toe dance. He next dances a tap number. Their last number is the presentation of an Apache dance. "Just Dumb" is the name of the comedy skit offered by Clifford and Marion. Miss Marion is the clown of the act, a mistress at facial expression and ability to clown with her body. Clifford recites to music something about the uselessness of arguing with a wife, when she reappears in a most gaudy red and green dress and red hat, with large stems of goldenrod dangling before her. She also brings a cornet with her and finally leaves without playing, except for a few measures of what was asked to be "Ramona" but actually was "My Old Kentucky Home." They clown along with the pit musicians and she finally sings "When My Dreams Come True." More clowning follows and the act closes with her song, "I Love You, I'm Yours." "The Melody Parade," introduced with a drop front stage showing in black and gray a mixture of musical interest, fantastically done in affected modernistic fashion. Caesar Rivoli, leading the pit orchestra for the act, presents his conception of the "St. Louis Blues," the curtain rising and revealing three men and four women seated and standing nonchalantly upon and along a stone fence. They wear calicoes, polka dots, bandannas, straw hats, etc. Rivoli from the pit then gives his own impersonations of Johann Straus, Franz Liszt, Suppe and John Philip Sousa, the orchestra playing compositions of each and Rivoli wearing masks and affecting the conductorial peculiarities of each with striking effect and hearty, appreciative applause from the house. The last of his group is presented from the stage. It is of Victor Herbert, the group of singers representing the "Fortune Teller," "Mile. Modiste," "Sweethearts" and "Babes in Toyland," singing "Kiss Me Again." Then back of them a second curtain rises and in the center of the stage is a trumpeter in white and still farther back, elevated, Caesar himself, both of them in pantomine to appear as statues. It is a picturesque scene. Salt Lake Orpheum Week ending March 31 One of the most entertaining and all-around stage and screen shows seen at the Orpheum in many weeks is headed by Johnny Burke, soldier-monologist, who entertains with surefire comedy patter of his army experiences. He provides more fun with musical numbers. Jarvis, Harrison and company have a new idea for making laughs, called "Twenty Gallons of Gas," wh[ch produces a bombardment of fun and introduces a youngster in well-presented dance numbers. Wilton Sisters, with a selection of delightful melodies and Mae Falls, Johnny Reading and Ted Boyce in what they call "Versatile Doings," complete the bill. "Kept Husbands" is on the screen. Denver Denver Week ending April 2 The outstanding features of the stage bill at the Denver this week were the junior chorus of twenty-five and the Easter overture of the Denver Grand Orchestra, directed by Fred Schmitt. The youngsters, members of the Denver Post Kiddie Club, sang the Russian religious chorus, "Kamennoi Ostrow," and the manner in which they sang it was a revelation. The music was arranged for the girls by Miss Geraldine O'Neill, musical director of the club, and Fred Schmitt rehearsed them into perfection. The orchestra presented an overture appropriate to the season and it was well received. The stage show, a Publix, "On With the Dance," was a splurge of nonsense, melody and footwork. The opening setting, with a medallion background, showed the stagehand spread out more than usual. Dave Craig merely ran the show and the audience missed his usual vocal offering. It's not so good, either, for patrons to expect something and not get it. Folk here like his singing and want it every week. Ted Leary, hiccoughing artist and comedian, helped Dave with his m. c. work. Gus and Will tapped a military number and the mechanical dance of Erner and Fisher also went over well. The Fred Evans ballet and a specialty dancer did some nice work and the finale was better than usual, using giant musical instruments for a good closing flash. Omaha World Week ending March 26 Under the leadership of Frank Hodek, the orchestra plays an overture of popular airs, including parts also of "Toreador," before the stageshow. The stageshovi; opens with the World band upon the stage, Orville Rennie, m. c, directing. The musicians are in an oriental setting, a nomadic tent in orange and black stripes. A style revue, under the auspices of a local department store, is conducted during the stage performances, interspersing acts. A stairway leading down from center backstage and seeming to be a part of the oriental tait is used to introduce the various gowns, street to evening, the girls descending singely and in pairs from time to time. On the vaudeville bill for the week are the Letts sisters, three harmony singers ; the eight girls known as the World Rockets; Jack & Jerry, who clog dance on roller skates, and Clifton & Brant, who do eccentric tap dance numbers and a fiddle stunt in which the instrument seemingly falls to pieces, reminding one of a "Taming of the Shrew" scene. The World Rockets first appear in a dance number wearing gaily colored pajamas and colored wide-rimmed straw hats, this fitting in with the style revue idea. The Letts sisters sing "The Little Things in Life," "You're Driving Me Crazy" and medleys of other popular airs. Jack & Jerry, in white clothes and on their roller skates, get a big hand from the house in the clog dance number. Orville Rennie sings "Lady of the Evening." when evening gowns are in revue. Roxy Concerts Resumed The Roxy Symphony Concerts, recently discontinued, will be resumed Sunday morning:, April 12, being broadcast over the NBC network. Forbes Directs Band, Too New Orleans — Lou Forbes, orchestra leader, hereafter will direct the stage band as well at the Saenger, acting as master of ceremonies. (Continued from preceding page) wonderful as they are brought to the theatre from the Fanchon & Marco shops. The efikiency code of the organization is well represented in the scenery department. Paints in a variety of colors are in constant use in this unit of the studio . . . and the pots containing them are kept heated on a special steam table in order to insure instantaneous fluidity of the pigments. Carpenter shop requirements are strenuous in the Fanchon & Marco studio. Every stage production demands "hand tailored" woodwork in surprising quantities. A corps of workmen is maintained permanently in the shops of the Hollywood studio, doing nothing but construction of act settings. A staff of electrical technicians also forms an important part of the studio. Lighting effects, majored as a stage feature by the Fanchon & Marco producers, are planned and tried out in the studio. This phase of the revue production is steadily gaining in importance as tests on theatre audiences have indicated that modernistic illumination effects add greatly to the attraction of shows. Many of the "Ideas" on tour have highly skilled electricians traveling with them to handle the intricate switchboards which control the startling electrical "Ideas." Spacious store rooms are contained in the studio constituting a veritable museum of the theatre. Uniforms^ enough for whole divisions of an army . . . musical instruments . . . dancing slippers enough for a nation of centipedes . . . paraphernalia for almost any kind of an "Idea" which might be conceived. All are contained in the studio morgue. Fanchon & Marco have provided an unique angle to the stage busiiiess in their entering to talented beginners. They brought out Mary Lewis, Nell Kelly, Nancv Carroll, Frances Williams, The Dodge Sisters, Paul Ash, Abe Lyman, Horace Heidt and scores of other names. Youngsters showing promise are entered in huge training classes, and are coached until they attain the perfection of veterans Commanding talented stage directors, Fanchon & Marco's studio is in the position of being a college of the stage. The little revues produced by Fanchon & Marco have always been noted for the youthful enthusiasm of performers and this appealing exuberance is due to the "give the beginner a chance" policy. It is planned that within the next few months effort will be directed to running the newly acquired studio on a full capacity basis, which will allow doubling of the present producing budget. Bluementhal, Graham Here Ike Blumenthal, Paramount general manager in Germany, and John C. Graham, European general manager, are in New York. Blumenthal returns to Berlin after four days. Drops Warner Houses Washington, Pa. — Nat Walken, in the theatrical business here for 12 years, has resigned as manager of Warner houses to take over the State, Royal and Grand in Salem, Ohio. "Home-Made" Stage Music Units Los Angeles — The Paramount will have stage shows of home product in the future, instead of New York units.