Variety (February 1909)

VARIETY 19 FIFTH AVENUE. The retirement of Jane Courthope and Company from the bill made neceiaary many changes in the running order of the program. Miss Courthope was scheduled for a place well toward the end of the evening. To fill the gap Charles R. Sweet was brought forward from the early first half: In revised form the entertainment ran off nicely. It was largely made up of singing numbers with Burr Mcintosh's new lecture on the Navy (New Acts), a big applause number on the strength of its topical character. Franz Raine's Fourteen Tyroleans opened the show, an important number in that position. Some of the "yodling" has been replaced by concerted numbers. Perhaps the reason the music of the foreigners does not score strongly is that they pay little attention to contrasts of harmony. The singing is all on a dead level. One of the women does a curious, quaint dance and this went a long way to give the act life. A closing song in "one" was a first rate applause getter and the turn closed to enthusiastic response. O'Brien-Havel and Bessie Kyle had first call on comedy and were suitably re- warded, while the Village Choir were com- pletely to the taste of their hearers. They make a good deal of the church atmos- phere nicely worked up through their scenic effects. However, the bass might try to get into his coat before taking a bow at the finish. "Spiritland" has undergone several changes since its first presentation in Greenpoint two weeks ago. An Indian number is interpolated in the third scene and the latter half somewhat shortened. Having introduced one song, why not go the rest of the way and make the act a singing and dancing "girl" number T Such a move might rob it of its pretty poetic atmosphere, but it would make the pro- ceedings more intelligible. The Nichols Sisters made a capital laughing incident to follow "Spiritland." Their dialog has several good bits of give and take, but the endless rhyme de- livered by one of the girls is a cheap trick. Also, what has become of that infectious laugh T Charles R. Sweet had his "kidding clothes" on. He "kidded" everybody back of the stage and then went to the or- chestra pit for new subjects. His finish in "one" was a first rate bit of nonsense and the trick playing on the cornet brought him any quantity of applause. In next to last place he had to follow all the comedy of the bill, which was not a great deal, and he held the stage entertainingly for upward of twenty minutes. Pal fry and Hoefler, comedy bicyclists, closed. The comedian uses the conven- tional tramp makeup and follows pretty closely the familiar routine that goes with it, from the slow entrance through all the rest of it. The straight rider has less to do in single feats than is the usual rule, although a handstand on the moving bi- cycle looked well. Both men are con- cerned in an acrobatic trick or two near the finish. These were neatly executed. The act moves along smoothly and stops at the right point. Notwithstanding the absence of Miss Courthope, the show ran until 11:15. Rush. COLONIAL. The light business at the Colonial Tues- day evening was probably due in a measure to the farewell appearance of Harry Lau- der at the Lincoln Square the same even- ing, and then again it may have been the absence of a "big name." Agnes Scott and Horace Wright in third position gave the show its real start "The Wall Between" improves with age. At one moment it seems to be the sketch that is the important factor and the next it is the players, but it is of no moment as Miss Scott wrote the sketch and it is again Miss Scott who makes it. The sweet, simple girlishness of- Agnes Scott is absolutely refreshing and the impetu- ousness of the whole-hearted Irish lad as done by Mr. Wright mates it beautifully. It is a pleasure to note that a solid vaudeville success can be recorded by a sweet, clean, straightforward little play- let like "The Wall Between. The Empire Oity Quartet were never in better form. Although following a big laughing number, Harry Cooper went right after them and picked up the going where Conroy, Le Maire and Co. had left off, scoring a big success. It would never do to overlook those new clothes. The stylish, pearl gray English frocks with fancy waistcoats and grap top patent leathers brought the boys out like real Easter Sundayers. A few of the quartets that are still imitating banjos and caliopes should see what the Empire City get out of that opening song, and they will then begin to realize what's expected of an up- to-date singing four. Conroy, Le Maire and Co. were a long continuous roar. Some of the small talk has been juggled a bit until there is now a laugh in almost every line. George Le Maire shows steady improvement as a .straight man and his work is of the best brand. Conroy's quiet effective style is set off in excellent contrast. Edith For- rest plays evenly and looks the part of the French grande dame to the ground. "The Gibson Girls' Review" made a good opener after intermission. It is a "sight act" purely. The pictures are nice- ly arranged and well posed and held the interest. Clara Nelson is featured. All the fault found must be laid to Clara, for she is so far ahead of the other six girls employed that they seemed to have, even lost their desire to be Gibsonesque. Harry Turpin, the one lone man, sings a couple of songs and gets in a picture or two. Oh, say, Harry, that white suit looked a trifle mussed Tuesday night. Casselli's Dogs, quite the cutest canine act in vaudeville, closed the program and were thoroughly enjoyed. The act is most attractive to the women folk, who simply rave over the cuteness of the tiny dogs. Mr. Quick opened the show with some rapid sketching showing one or two new ideas. Three Lelliots from the little music they handed out should be able to frame up a good musical offering. It would be worth while to try a neatly dressed straight musical specialty. Harry Rulger and Co. and Smith and Campbell, New Acts. Dash. KEENEY'S. The new policy of moving pictures and vaudeville at popular prices was only two days old Tuesday night, when the Fulton Street house was visited. An audience of fair proportions was in attendance. The former patrons were not a very discrimin- ating lot, but the new crowd is infantile in its tastes. It was after 10 o'clock when they put on George Barron, by long odds the light- est item in the show. Barron is a Hebrew comedian and parody singer. He tells stories in Hebrew dialect! This was at 10:15 or thereabouts. The show began about 8 o'clock with pictures. From 8:45 to 9:30 right in the heart of the show they tore off five straight reels of moving pictures. Rice and La Dalla do an acrobatic knockabout turn which, from entrance to exit, follows Rice and Prevost. The clown works in whiteface and appropriates every trifling mannerism and grimace of Jimmle Rice (whether or not he has also appro- priated the hitter's name or really owns it, does not appear), and the straight man follows the original with fidelity except that he is not acrobat enough to copy Pro- vost's grace. As usual in like cases, the "steal" is a base libel. As this popular priced vaudeville thing advances and spreads there is every likelihood that more instances of theft will develop. The bright spot in the show came in the act of the Three Musical Keltons. The prominent member of the trio is a seven- teen-year-old girl, a bright, unspoiled, plump little "kiddie" who played the drum and xylophone as though her life depended upon it and captivated her audience with her pert vivacity and girlish graces. Later she did a bully little clog dance. The other two members are apparently the girl's father and mother. The act is neatly dressed and handled with snappy style. It was far and away the best thing of the evening. The Rialtas worked twice, as also did "The Widow's Mite" (New Acts). The former is a talking, singing and dancing arrangement, well enough handled for an act of the class. The talk, as always, was the least amusing of the material. It con- tains a quantity of released stuff. The man delivers it capably and is undoubted- ly able to handle a better quality of goods. The woman is a mild sort of foil and "feeder." Gordon and Shankon, colored, were the other number. The put over a fast danc- ing routine and several first rate "coon" songs. Rush. SUES CLOWN MARCELINE. A suit was on the court calendar this week started by Richard Hyatt, the Lon- don agent, against Marceline, the Hippo- drome clown. Mr. Hyatt wants commis- sions upon the salary received by Mar- celine under the Shubert management, al- leging he is entitled to it under an "office copy" contract which provided that Hyatt should be paid a slice of all salary received by the clown for a term of years. Upon reaching the Hippodrome, Mar- celine was placed under contract by the Slmberts direct. COLUMBIA. It was capacity at the Columbia Wednes- day night, and they were turning them away at 8:20. Chuck Connors may hart had something to do with the draw, and Volta also can be accredited with dragging not a few into the house, but no matter what they came to see, they all remained for the finish. The show is some better this week. There was enough things to keep the audience laughing and to distract their attention from the show so that they all seemed to be having a great old time. The illustrated songs were all to the fore again. This week there seems to be some rivalry between several child won- ders over in Brooklyn, and each one got a chance to sing a chorus alone from various parts of the house. All had friends pres- ent, so the supremacy could not be decided. But we'll lay ours on a little black-haired girl in the upper right-hand box, who started at high O and went up from there. She sang two notes that wern't on the piano, and had the pianist in the aisle on his back. The Gordon Brothers opened the show after "Brooklyn's Favorite Baritone Sin- ger" had obliged. The Brothers did fairly well with their bag punching. They show about the same routine that all the others do, working smoothly and easily. The boys have a good appearance, and the apparatus is bright. The Omega Trio showed the same act that they have done before. The house thought the German funny and laughed their heads off. The Trio do just three distinct acts. They have a sketch which involves all three. There is a sidewalk conversation between the two men, and one of them also does a monolog. Almost an evening's performance. Volta caused talk. The announcer is hurting the act about as much as any- thing can through a poorly arranged speech and a not over-paid manner. Volta himself has a pleasing personality, and gets something out of the work. He dresses in Scotch kilts. The work is interesting. Seeing a man light a gas jet with the tip of his tongue is apt to hold the attention if nothing else. There are several other "tricks" as good. It is more a side show attraction than a vaudeville number, however. Four Sullivan Brothers pulled down the real hit of the program with a dancing finish. This should tell them in what direc- tion to strike out. The boys look and sing well (although not well enough to ever branch out without the aid of the or- chestra) and dance well. They sing too much and dance too little. The solo and violin selection should be omitted; they slow up the entire running. Proper ar- rangement will place the Sullivan Brothers in line for good time. The Robinson Trio did very nicely. The comedian has worked out in good shape, and is doing some first-class work. The straight end is Inclined to be- a trifle too straight. His solo should be shifted around to something with more of a colored at- mosphere to it. Chuck Connors and Co. and Archours Four, New Acts. Dash. Howard and Howard, Ila Grannon and the Ferroe Bros, were placed this week through E. S. Keller for the Orpheum Cir- cuit next season. Paul H. Lieblcr lias announced his de- termination to become a producing man- ager in the legitimate. Violet Pearl with "The Rollickers" was treated at the City Hospital, Wilkes- Parr?, Pa., last week for peritonitis. Miss Pearl rejoined the show on Monday after an absence of a week.