Variety (September 1918)

LOEW’S METROPOLITAN. Brooklyn, noted for having produced The Brooklyn "Eagle" and being a part of New York, had an "opening" Monday night, when Marcus Loew presented It with a new theatre, Loow’s Metropolitan. Ono-balf of Brooklyn seemed to bo in the theatre and the other halt on the outside, wanting to get in. The Metropolitan seats between 4,200 and 4,800 people, on two floors. The orchestra holds 2,0r>0 and the floor above 1,400. Added to which is the capacity of t|io many boxes and the number ol seats yet uncounted up to Mon- day night. There are 42 rows of much breadth downstairs. The first impression received when enter- ing the theatre proper and noting that the stage is about a blook away is that "talking acts" in this house of vaudeville and pictures will have to use megaphones. But this did not appear to be a fact during the performance, although one turn with talk in It failed to register very strongly, while another, pre- viously always certain of a prescribed number of laughs, fell below the customarily guaran- teed total. "Sight" and "dumb” acts, how- ever, are apt to be favored in the hooking. The Metropolitan as a structure and a the- atre is a $2 house it ever there were one, and it’s selling entertainment at the usual Loew scale, 10-15-25, slightly tilted for Sunday. The theatre is imposing and justifies its name, even in comparison with the Metropolitan Opera House, New York. The rear of the mezzanine floor, with its many highly finished rooms, is somewhat fashioned after the simi- lar arrangement at the Met. Marcus Loew has poured money into the Metropolitan—and in war times. He ex- plained that when urged to the stage through the remarks of N. C.- Granlund, the Loew press agent, who did most of the introductory talking of the evening. Mr. Loew said the Loew Circuit Intended to give Brooklyn the very best, and though we declared war about the same time, he and his associates concluded to go through with their original plans under the belief America would finish the war about the same time they finished the theatre. That the theatre was finished three weeks ahead of the war, added Mr. Loew, was their error. Everyone who spoke about the Metropolitan on the stage called it magnificent. Edward Riegelman, President of the Borough, said it was the best and most magnificent theatre for the best and most magnificent people, meaning Brooklyn. Mr. Riegelman la a great booster lor Brooklyn, and incidentally men- tioned Mr. Loew. After hearing him, you know why he is the President of the Borough. The house is richly built. Everything seemed complete Monday night. There is a lighting effect from varied colored lens that is changed, dimmed and glowing during the overture, giving the theatre a very classy atmosphere before the curtain goes up. The lights sbluo on columned arches bolding the front boxes, while on either side of the pros- cenium at the top of bronze untitled tablets Is a clock, the only thing in the theatre at the opening not in operation. The electrio connection for the clocks had not been made. As a single example of the lavlsbness of the furnishings, after the wealth of construction forces Itsolt to the fore, may be cited the men's smoking room. It's In heavy dark walnut and takes the lead of all theatre rooms of that sort. To the rear of the orchestra and on the wall of the theatre at the edge of the large oval opening from the floor above is a painting In oils, surrounded by a gold frame, composing .a very effective picture In Itself and to the' appearance. The lobby lead- ing to Fulton street is marblellzed and spacious without being space wasted. The location of the Metropolitan Is on Fulton street, between Smith street and Gallatin place, the site of the former A, D. Matthews department store. The standard preliminaries on a Loew first night were gone through with In Brooklyn, marking the premiere of the Loew Circuit’s biggest and best house, apexlng the theatre building of this popular priced vaudeville cir- cuit that started with nothing and now owns bouses running into the millions. Loew cer- tainly has no theatre around New York, of his many, that can equal the Metropolitan. If his Orpheum, Boston, even approaches It, Loew should move the Orpheum into Times square. The Metropolitan not olone stands up among the best of all vaudeville theatres but among any theatres. It's another case of where It’s worth the money to see the house. After a large orchestra had played “The Star Spangled Banner" to an audience that had bought out the house before the box oflloe opened that evening, JuIIs Steger ap- peared, and with a few appropriate remarks appertaining to the subject at band. Intro- duced Anna Case, the operatic star, to dedi- cate In song the new Metropolitan. Mias Case, comely and gracious, sang three numbers, ac- companied by Gilbert Ross at the piano. Mr. Ross composed two of the songs, "The Dawn” and "Robin.” Miss Oase stopped the show be- fore It started. The house was with her to every man and woman, and she had to sing another, "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," or a war lyric set to "Glory, Glory. Hal- lelujah,” with the house joining In the chorus at her request. Then the regular vaudeville bill of the theatre for the'first half, consisting' of five nets, commenced, with PIpIfax and Panlo open- ing In thqlr Rice and Prevost act, the turn tickling "the children In the audience, who mado that known by their loud laughter. The Brown Sisters, two girls with accordions, second, did very nicely. The Pour Enter- tainers followed, doing little excepting with a solo, "Boy of Mine,” and sliding away fast with their minstrel end-men jokes, one of the quartet being In blackface. They sim- mered to' nil at the finish. Next were Jos. E. Bernard and Co. In "Who Is She?” their standard laughing turn that should have made Brooklynites howl and didn't. How far the dialog reached In the large place couldn't * he determined. Mr. Bernard pitched his voice for a long reach, but the pantomime of the playlet brought the moat. Anna Chandler, with Sydney Langfeld at the piano, closed the show proper. Miss Chandler had a new act and dress. Sue did not change the gown. Her first two songs were by Mr. Langfeld. The pianist opened the act with a rhyme about Miss Chandler. Her first number was called "Cecelia,” with a verse of the parlor singer of the high and faulty notes, and other verses draped alongside for light effect. Nothing remarkable about it excepting it gave her the opening. Miss Chandler next sang Mr. Lang- feld’s best number, “A Hard Luck Story,” a "fly” song of the poor but,good girl with a longing, a lyric that was amazingly in aheord with many Irene Franklin has done, and Miss Chandler at times during it appeared to be giving an imitation of Mies Franklin, vocally. The closing lines were: '' "Now that I've been wea/lng this hat all season I am at last willing to listen to reason-^ I’ve Iota of luck—hut it’s all bad.” Miss Chandler then sang "Smiles” with some talk, doing very well with It, used' "I’m Sorry, Dear,” with, a special version, then "I Wish I Could Sleep Until My Daddy Comes Home,” a new war lullalby ballad, and closed with “Dancing Mose," that sounded like a new and published war rag. Miss Chand- ler got away over fo£ bis first appearance on the Loew Circuit She remains the full week at the Metropolitan. Mr. Granlund then bounded forth, Oran- lund must live in Brooklyn. Someone ap- plauded him, though his name was not men- tioned, tboud> he mentioned all the others to follow. About midway in the performance two boys In khaki had entered Marcus Loew’s stage box. The house noted and It com- menced to bo rumored over the theatre that Irving Berlin Was one of them. ‘ 'When Oran- lund commenced to talk about a song writer In uniform, the audience burst into applause and Mr. Berlin walked on the stage, to sing "I Hate to Get Up,” Mr. Berlin (always with his head on bis shoulders) Introduced his piano accompanist as Private Bert Grant. Mr. Berlin Is very familiar with applause, but be won’t forget that Brooklyn demonstration In a hurry. Granlund said that It was but 10 years be- fore that Marcus Loew bad commenced his vaudeville career, and In Brooklyn, with the Royal, only a block distant, seating 729. It was that, added Granlund, that brought about the Metropolitan, But Loew and Gran- lund had failed to rehearse, for Mr. Loew said It was a letter from an 11-year old girl, received by him after the "Journal” made him a millionaire In the first edition one day. The girl wrote, said Mr. Loew, that she read he had built theatres in every city and / why miss Brooklyn. So It was. Mr. Loetv exited on applause with his happy thought about finishing the war and theatre simultaneously. Jnst before the boss builder showed, Mollie King tripped on, invitingly presented by Granlund, and Miss King looked as happy as she was pretty, doing her original turn In vaudeville after coming hack from filmland. With so many high salaried .film people In the house, her remarks anent the change must have been peculiarly Interest- ing. Several of the' picture stars were intro- duced and stood up when applauded, and they all were more or less, the lesser applause com- ing toward the ending of this period when the hands of the people must have been very red. The first to be mentioned were the Lee Children, and they were almost cheered. Then Madge Evans, another child who slipped over a short speecb, Following were Betty Blythe, Agnes Ayres, Harry Morey, Alice Joyce, Wal- ter McVall, Gladys Leslie, Corrinne Griffith, Virginia Pearson (speech). Marguerite Snow, Doris Kenyon, Carlyle Blackwell (speech). During the introductions others responding were Carl Laemmle. with Ralph DePalma and Ted Kid Lewis as specials, Adolph Zukpr closing the show, before "The Hun Within” started as the film feature nearly at 11. Sime. PALACE. Monday was the second opening day holi- day this month. Two weeks ago Labor Day was a guaranteed sell out, but the current Monday In the two performances drew even more people. That because of the Jewish Day of Atonement, a holy day and not sup- posed to be given over to entertainment—at least not at matinee. The afternoon per- formance was sold out by noon and there was a line for several hours buying for the night show. Matinee saw the standee ropes used, and while It was not quite that heavy In the evening, .Timmy McBride admitted his fingers were sore from tearing coupons at the door. At night over 60 per cent, of the bill went over for hits, the Avon Comedy Four, ,Ruth Roye, Wiliams and WolfUs, Bowman and Shean and Valeska Suratt easily making that score. The quartet, however, "mopped up” over all others. The Avons have been heading for a continuous playing record In vaude- ville. but they side-stepped for a few weeks to dally with Fannie Brice In "Why Worry?” They didn’t dally very long. Even before the piece exited, they had themselves outfitted with a new set of songs and returned to their first love In the funny "Hungarian Rhap- sody.’’ There are some new lines In addition to the new numbers, and there are Just as many laughs as ever. If not more. They are singing "I Wish I Could Sleep Until My Daddy Comes Home,” "Rock-a-Bye Baby with a Dixie Melody” and "Tell That to the Marines,” The quartet iq booked for two weeks at the Palace, but could stay a month, and may do so. Willlama and Wolfus were fourth, an early spot for them, blit necessary since they doubled with the Royal. In spite of the long journey uptown they did not cut. One thing might go out of Williams’ routine and that is the "soldiers’ blood” line. It can be spared and Isn’t In good taste at this time. Will- iams calls his' partner "unessential,” which Isn’t true, but ip funu]r. considering her spare “flgg^ra** The presence of these two strong comedy turns made up for the appearance of two playlets whlob were Edmund Hayes in "Moomdiine” (New Acts) and Valeska Suratt In "The Purple Poppy.” The first named was No. 7 and the latter was on seventh. Miss Suratt has evidently given the musical glass of the turn the go-bye, and she isn’t to be blamed, for she dellvera with dramatics. Miss Suratt drew a flock of curtains. An early solid hit came with Sergeant Bowman and Corporal Shea, the "Treat ’em Rough” boys, who are in vaudeville under the auspices qf the United States Tank Corps. Bowman was formerly in the French Foreign Legion, and knows something about "Over There.” Hia talk is Interesting, though his manner Is not finished, and he Injects a cer- tain zip to bis work. The singing of Jimmy Shea (probably a former professional, although not identified) is the big end of the turn. Shea sure can put .over nmnhers. His voice isn’t the why, it’s more the pep and personality of the man. Shea handles lyrics with the class of an artist. Hb did wonders with "Prenchy” and Ernest Ball’s “You Can’t Beat Us,” and the others were just ns good. The appearance of the men and the Tank drop Is a pippin boost for the Tank Corps. Ruth Boye planted a real punch next to closing. It is a bit over four years ago that she came from the west and did the same thing in the same spot at the Palace. And at leaM' one of the numbers she had then Is still In her routine, which may prove It’s the singer and not the songs that makes an artist. Miss Roye gave “Yfhy Do They Call Them Babies,” "The Irish Were - Made tO Love and Fight,” "How Do They Get that Way,” “Robert B. Uee” and •'He’s a Devil in His Own Town.” She still is as clever in her ability to deliver comedy lyrics. Miss Roye could perhaps secure exclusive songs, but it Is hard to see bow she can improve in pleas- ing. George White and his quartet of Broadway dancing girls closed intermission, this being the act’s third week. It again proved its class, the nifty stepping of White and the good looks of the well dressed girls working a strong combination. Last week George bad his hand bandaged. Monday Ethel Delmar had her left arm draiied In cheese cloth and there was a jeweled pin to bol^ it In place. She Is, by the way, the-best dancer among the gals. The Boyarr Company of Russian dancers gained considerable attention from those who were in early. The stepping of the men stood out and was applauded. The routine appeared to have been cut a bit because of the length of the show. After Miss Roye there was an exodus, very, few staylfig to see the Darras Brothers in the bead balancing on the flying trapeze. The show was out at 11.16, the final turn cutting to five minutes. Tbee. COLONIAL If Tuesday is any criterion, then business is decidedly off at the Coloilial this fall. Alfred T. Darling has alibis to burn, but no lights. That seems to be the biggest reason. The audience while small Tuesday night, with the bigger percentage upstairs, was noticeably demonstrative and made up in applause what it lacked In numbers. There was some shifting from the original - layout. The Six Klrksmith Sisters had been assigned the spot just .after intermission. 'They were not in the bill, with Collins and Hart substituted, with the travesty comedians following the Blossom Seeley act appearing just after the rest period, although carded to close the first part. The "Somewhere With Pershing” act was programed for the sqventh position, but was placed In the fifth spot ■ (where Seeley was carded), and fared much better through the shift. Ha'd)ithe Klrksmith Sisters been in the sec: ond‘part it would have featured all women, as Janet Adair appeared next to closing, while Robbie Gordone olos^. The women have .earned their vaudeville spurs even to comedy attainment, but on the general run of shows it falls upon the male contingent to sustain the funmaking. This was shown when the feminine comparison was made at the Colonial, and especially during the second part of the show. Miss Merle and Co. were programed to open but In their stead appeared Jack and Kitty Dema'oo, with their neat ring act, the stage apparatus, being cleverly camouflaged with an outdoor sports aspect that was pleasing to the eye. Well arranged turn and not overdone. William Ebs was second, and the surprise twist at the finish caught the audience com- pletely unawares, and they had the vertrllo- quial imitator singing several encores. Lester Sheehan and- Pearl Begay form a clever dancing pair, with Mies Regay’s work standing in the foreground prominently throughout. Her acrobatic dancing in par- ticular proved a big bit with the Colonial hunch. But It remained for that versatile pair, Olsen and Johnson, to clean up in every phase of the term. This male combination, which bubbles over with talent, especially Olsen, won the Colonial “clap.” Their early hit made it pretty bard for'subsequent singing turns and may have accounted for the "Somewhere in France” act being placed to follow. The war sketch bristles with talk, with the Colonial audience appearing to obtain much amusement from the slang the American non- com exchanges with the loquacious French girl. Overdrawn, but calculated to entertain those not so exacting In stage skits. During intermission Andy Byrne took the spot and showed that one doesn’t have to stand on the stage to play a violin and do It grace- fully and effectively. The Seeley act made its usual hit, with one ' of the Interested spectators. Rube Marquard, Blossom’s husband, how wearing the U. S. navy blue. / There was a new twist to the turn when Miss Seeley dragged'ClIft Hess down to the footligbt glow and announced that the piano player was going to Camp Upton on the morrow, and she gave him a big kiss just as a little send-off, Janet Adair in the important position worked hard to please, the Colonial audi- ence approving her efforts most enthu- siastically. There was much topical song stuff ahead, and while Mbs Adair brings several papular numbers into play she puts person- ality and a characteristic style as well as an Inserted comedy lyrical twist that makes her song awing out of the ordinary channel. Miss Adair’s "song recitations” are worked up dif- ferently from the average, and that may ac- count for her success. mark, ' AMERICAN ROOF. It was a pop house show that the American dished up to the holiday crowd Monday night, but a bill calculated to earn the admission price of a flock of holldayers. The American both up and down drew Its share. Pepplno and Ferry started with a musical turn that got the' biggest returns on Its finish, when one of the boys switched from the accordion to a violin and jazzed up a few numbers with his partner. Act well received and could have remained In view longer. Dorothy Roye showed uptodateness with her song routine. She varied her numbers, with the last of the bunch proving unusually full of jazzing surefire pep. Miss Roye is girlish, has regular Mary Bickford curls and doesn’t take too much for granted in her work. The Lorimer-Johnson Troupe of , cyclists, with two women and two men, one doing' comedy In rakish makeup, did unusually well, the act having a satisfying wheel routine that bad the comedy man doing some corking good riding. Tom Mahoney told his usual stories, recounted a few war puns and wound up with his Irish meeting "bit” and a war song. "Rocky Pass” (New Acts) closed the first part. • After intermission appeared Harry Tenney and Co. (New Acts), followed by Chisholm and Breen, who worked up some fly exchange of patter and a dramatic travesty on. “Oliver Twist” that seemed to meet the approval of the American crowd. Canfield and Cohen (New Acts) were followed by the Martini Duo, which reeled off a familiar line of acrobatics, with the ground work of the youngest Martini prov- ing the piece de resistance. Mark. 23D STREET. To see the patrons ol Proctor’s downtown house file into the theatre Tuesday night would give one the impression admission was free. By 8.15 every available seat in the house was occupied and a good sized overflow was In evidence at the rear of the orchestra, Pat Garren is now managing. The show for the first half was cut down to six acts owing to the length of the clos- ing turn, "The Tick Took Girls,” which ran 60 minutes. "The Tick Took Girls,” closing the show, had a bit of trouble getting started, dragging about half way through, but finished better on the comedy court Yoom scene. George Yeoman and “Lizzie,” In the next- to-closing position, did nicely. He scored one laugh after another, but at the conclusion the patrons were rather stingy with applause, as he only took one bow. His vehicle Is funny, and although billed with "Lizzie,” ho does a single and refers to the girl as his stenographer who has not arrived yet. He deserved better returns. R, J. Purdy, one of the Washington "Four- Minute Men,” spoke that--length of time on the present conditions, and at the conclusion presented Mr. Duffy, who represented Mr. Proctor, with a certificate of appreciation from the chairman of the Four-Minute Men for the good work the 28d Street Theatre has done for this organization. ' Esther Walker, with a. male accompanist at the piano, did five songs, all nicely rendered, and hung up a well earned hit. Miss Walker opened with an Introductory number explain- Inlng her reason for being there, and fol- lowed with some clever "jazz” and rag num- bers, closing with a "jazz” dance. She makes one change, looks well In her costumes, knows bow to put over a number, and should go In the better houses. She was forced to return for an encore Tuesday night. Coley and Coley got off to a poor start, but finished better./ Their comedy Is weak, singing just passable, and they will have to be satisfied with the small time houses, Lil- lian Teece (New Acts) pleased in the second spot. The 'Van Cellos opened the show to a nice start with comedy juggling and Rlsley. The man in evening clothes does all the work and the woman In tights' lends to the ap- pearance. The work is clever and earned a good score. (SHOW JIBVIB'WS continued on page 22.) i