Variety (October 1913)

VARIETY 19 nr: Johnnie Stanley and Stella Tracey. Talk and Songi. 16 Mins.; One. Columbia (Sept 28). It seems as though Johnny Stanley has landed an act with Stella Tracey for his side partner. Also Johnny will have to stop calling himself John Aloysious Lay-Off Stanley, as he did Sunday night, unless. this latest turn is disappointing in its expected re^^ suits. Miss Tracey looks nice, sings well and plays up to Stanley excel- lently, considering the briefness of the partnership to date. Stanley displays a moderate quantity of flippancy, stuff that will get over before an average audience, sings a well written topical song that has a Thaw point in its last verse, and limits his imitations to one George M. Cohan, which Miss Tracey secures a laugh from by wrongly guessing who it is. For the finish and the exit of the turn proper Stanley has one line that will make the act a go. It easily brings the couple back for an encore, where they do a neat little Chinese bit in character. Sitne. Sullivan and Mason. Songs. 16 Mins.; One. Avenue, Chicago. Chicago, Oct. I. This singing team has a good routine of songs and is one that is bound to be heard from in a short time. It is new, now, but has many elements of success. Sullivan has a good baritone voice, which he handles well, and Mason's tenor is of excellent quality. They have some good harmony work, and the solo singing is also pleasing. At the Avenue they offered some com- edy, which is to be eliminated in the future. The young men make a pleas- ing appearance, and their air of studied carelessness helps. The act was a big hit at the Avenue. /Jeed. Robert L. Dailey and Co. (2). "Our Bob" (Farcical Sketch). 18 Mins.; Pull Suge (Interior). Colonial. "Our Bob" isn't really a sketch at all. It's just a title to identify 18 minutes of ad. lib. rough-house busi- ness. Most of Dailey's clowning is funny in that way. Dailey simply lets himself go the limit of flash "kidding." The sketch needs a snappy opening. Dailey's entrance was preceded by several minutes of aimless dialog, and the comedian arrived just in time to check what might have developed into a frozen atmosphere. Rush. McGee and Reece. Dancing. 14 Mins.; Full Stage. Miner's Bronx (Sept. 28). Man and young woman do a rather good series of dances before a green velvet drop in "two." They appear from the center opening of the drop and start with a series of soft shoe stepping. The woman later fills in an interval with toe dances; her partner does a little novelty dancing, and they finish with hard shoe steps after a change from all white to green and white. A neat, clean speci.ilty of the unpretentious sort. Rush. Commodore Alfred Brown. Long Distance Swimmer. 12 Mins.; Special Tank and Curtain. Union Square. Commodore Alfred Brown, of the College Point District American Life Saving Society, who has some record as a regular life saver, and whos6 en- durance in the water has brought him recognition far from the beaches of College Point, is a "special" at the Union Square this week, reproducing by photographic display his wonderful swim of 22 miles from the Battery to Sandy Hook in 13 hours 38 minutes, Aug. 28 last. An announcer (Brown's manager during the swim) first tells of his success in long distance swim- ming, then introduces Brown, who doesn't stay on long enough for one to get a good look at him before he enters a small tank to show different strokes. Pictures follow of Brown's entry into the surf at the Battery, sub- sequent points along the route and his arrival at the Hook and reception by life savers there. At times during the running of the reel Brown remains in the small tank below the curtain. His movements are mirrored just below the picture. The effect is to show Brown swimming, as though he were in the ocean picture where he is not really cameraed. The picture display for the most part is clear and distinct. Brown's a modest, unassuming chap as far as his vaudeville appearance is concerned. Mark. Hunter's Statue Dogs. Posing. 8 Mins.; Full Stage (Special Set). Fifth Avenue. Man and two setters. Usual cards announcing the poses, usual musical accompaniment, regulation poses. As good as the others in that line. Jolo. Coogan and Cox. Singing, Dancing, Talk. 13 Mins.; One. Fifth Avenue. Straight and eccentric. Open with a topical song, loose stepping, song with comedian changing to exagger- ated woman's apparel, talk, dance. Fine small timers. Jolo, Fisher, Green and Co. (1). "The Partners" (Comedy). 18 Mins.; One (4); Full Stage (14); (Special Set). Fifth Avenue. Fisher and Green, Hebrew come- dians, and James Horan, author, de- serve credit for their enterprise in be- ing the first in the vaudeville field with a condensation of the "Potash and Perlmutter" idea. The author has taken the two characters "Abe" and "Mawrus," rechristened them Louis Rosenbaum and Sam Lowenthal, placed them in the first act atmosphere of the show at the Cohan theatre and then paraphrased a scene from the second act of that piece. They have for a feeder for their crossfire, "Yiddish" tangletalk, Mabel Hazelton, a compe- tent young woman. All three roles are well characterized, the skit is well written and works up to an excellent vaudeville "curtain." "The Partners" sliould go the full two-a-day route. Jolo. Bert Klein and Grace Qibaon. Songs and Dances. 14 Mins.; Two (Plush Curtains). Union Square. Bert Klein and Grace Gibson offer a combination of songs and dances with Klein doing two costume changes in a curtained dressing room upstage during his song, "Styles Are Chang- ing Every Year." His first was a female caricature, while the second was a male English fashion plate. Just why Klein picked these two^and two only—is hard to tell. He might have gone into the "style changing" idea on a more elaborate idea and made something out of it, but his present effort in this respect doesn't go far enough. Four numbers are offered by the team, with neither Klein nor Miss Gibson displaying a "voice." Miss Gibson makes several changes, the last a Mexican outfit in which she does a rag dance with Klein. It was in the last few minutes of the tango that the act got any hearty response from the audience. Klein and Gibson have not arranged their turn for the best results. Klein should get more out of that upstage changing. He might as well make all his outfit switches there and work in a few more. If not, more attention to a more con- tinued dancing routine as shown at the close would help. They dance far bet- ter than they sing. Mark. Claud and Fannie Usher. "The Straight Path" (Dramatic). 27 Mins.; Three (Interior; Special). Union Square. It's Claud and Fannie Usher and the ever-faithful mut, "Spareribs," in a new comedy-dramatic playlet, entitled "The Straight Path." Claud Usher is Jerry Kelly, a character not unlike that of Fagin in which he has been identified for several seasons. Fannie Usher plays Jac, Jerry's little sister in knee- length skirts, who makes a strong plea for Jerry to cut out the booze and be like the other men in the neighbor- hood. "Spareribs" is "Spareribs" who sticks close to Jac, although he is not used as much for a comedy foil as in "Fagin's Decision," a former offering. Jac is dressed rakishly, although she and Jerry have pretty nice living quar- ters. She attends school while Jerry divides his time with the little store they own, politics and the stew stuff. As the curtain arises Jerry, sober, and Jac, just home from school, have a heart to heart talk that brings out some wholesome repartee—handled amusingly by Miss Usher. Jerry's ways are such he can't change, and he quits the house. Jac, weakened by recent scarlet fever and suffering from eye strain, loses her sight. Then fol- lows a pathetic scene in which Jerry renounces politics, communicates with the doctor and declares he's with Jac while little Jackie says she loves him more than her eyesight. Claud Usher does his character as well as he can under the circumstances, but finds the emotional work pretty hSrd rowing. Miss Usher stands out best when rip- ping off a witty remark, but gets con- siderable out of her pathetic play for sympathy. The comedy as sustained by the clever little comedienne was thoroughly relished, although the crowd Monday night received the whole act enthusiastically. Mark. Samuel Leibert and Co. (3). "After the Wedding" (Comedy). 25 Mins.; Pull Stage (Interior). Palace, Chicago. Chicagp, Oct. i. This sketch, by Addison Burkhardt, i" lifted almost wholly from "Louisi- ana Lou" by the same author, in which Mr. Leibert was seen for some time a season ago. It is an elaboration of the chief character in the musical com- edy. Some new dialog has been intro- duced, and it is bright and full of ginger. Mr. Leibert sings two famil- iar songs from "Louisiana Lou" and has some pathetic scenes, which he handles rather well, although he lacks unction. James Hanley, who plays straight; and is at the piano for ac- companiments, is a clean-cut young man who plays well and feeds Lei- bert's comedy effectively. Miss Rose- mond Martin, as Rosalie, sings with some spirit. There is no plot of any consequence, and the act ends quietly, with Leibert, as David Levi, falling asleep to piano music. At- tempts have been made to introduce pathos, but they are not always suc- cessful. Outside of Chicago (where Mr. Leibert has some following) the act will not do much. Reed. The Youngers. Posing and Balancing. 6 Mins.; Three (Black Curtains). Union Square. The Youngers first do a few minutes of statue posing on a pedestal. This is done on a dimly lighted stage, yet the figures are clearly discernible. The reason of the dimness is apparent when with full lights the man and woman step downstairs on a mat and do some neat balancing. Neither has any of the plaque daubing or whiten- ing on his or her body. The woman is shapely and graceful and the man handles her with comparative ease. It's a pleasing "sight" act and well worth vaudeville attention anywhere. They opened the show, but could have handled a better position. Mark. Conly and Webb. Singing, Piano, Talk. IS Mins.; Two (8); One (7). Fifth Avenue. Jack W. Conly has the nucleus of a great comedy idea so far overshadow- ing the remainder of the turn of Conly and Webb that all the rest might be discarded. It is a sort of travesty melodrama stunt in the form of a pianalog. But it has not been worked out to its full value yet, probably never will. It seems capable of unlimited development. An elaboration of the travesty "bit" with more mock heroic lines and "business" would stamp the "new" Conly and Webb act as one of the best comedy acts in vaudeville, Jolo. Moss and Potter. Rathskeller Duo. 12 Mins.; One. Grand O. H. (Sept. 28). Usual published ditties and conven- tional piano-playing. nesiral)Ic three- a-dayers. joto. If jau don't •dv^rtlM In VARIBTT. d«B't •dvcrtiM at aU. '