Variety (July 1919)

•- <$&?*-' ■■; ■ r^-'- : SHOW REVIEWS. (Continued from page 19.) act, when Lorctte pulled a quick little "shlmmle." Oh, boy! Let's hope It Mays In the act In Boston. Probably won't, though. Moran and Mack, billed as "Two Black Crows," came pretty near being the hit of the show. They occupy the spot Just ahead of Frisco, and hold it well. A oouplo of comedians working in blackface with a fine ollectlon of new Jokes and gags, and know- ing bow to put them over without playing for applause, they bad the house from the start. Their stuff hasn't been heard here be- fore, they brought it in new. Incidentally one of the team did a Jazz dance that was as good as one would wish to Bee. . Cbilson-Ohrman, the prima donna soprano, occupies a prominent place on the bill, wblcb Is at It should be. Her voice Is wonderful, although at times it must be admitted that the tones fall to reach the outer edges of the auditorium. She. has five songs, all of which were well chosen, and she closed with a popular number. Mr. Wu, who accompanied her on' the piano, Is entitled to a vote of thanks for always remembering that he Is an accompanist, and It would be well for some of the other accompanists who work .with stars to emulate him. She announced at the conclusion of her act that unfortunately she bad lost her trunk with some beautiful gowns. Miss Ohrman wore one gown during her en- tire act. But sbe brought her voice along with her, and that was the Important part The Musical Johnstons open the show la a xylophone act which was very fair for an opener, i They work hard, picked their se- lections V with care, and therefore got over very well. Alfred Farren and Co., the com- pany being a clever little miss, have a novel act. It is based on the Idea of trick picture painting, with rags instead of paint being used by the pair to get the desired effects. Homer Dickinson and Oracle Deagon fol- lowed. They make a good working pair, she being especially clever In her Imitations of a little girl and he carrying along the act In Just the proper maner. Bert Fitzgibbon always gets across here with his usual line of crazy stuff. Charles and Henry Rigoletto, assisted by the Swenson sisters and a company, closed the show In an act called "Around the World." Len Lftoey. FIOTHAVENUE. Enough vaudeville'Vans passed up the wake of John Barleycorn Monday night to (111 the 6th Avenue comfortably. The optimists who gave John the cold shoulder were rewarded with a seven-act hill that played for good entertainment. Murray Bennett (New Acts), next to closing, grabbed the applause honors. Blllle Seaton (New Acts), in fourth position, was well received and shared the remaining honors with the "Suffragette Review," a girl act with seven principals, 10 choristers and the usual light book. AH the ingredients were present, Including the "Elixir of Love" and the comic who Is mistaken for a baron at the "Buffs" hotel. Nevertheless, It entertained, and the work of Bobby Bernard as the Hebrew baron was very funny. Frank Neville made a pleasing Juvenile and handled numbers Bmoothly. Velma Htnkle, the Ingenue, hogged attention every time she was on. This girl has a good vocal equipment and much per- sonality. Laura «nd Billy Deyer, In a straight dancing routine, followed tbe, opening pictures and Mabel Burke. The msn sbowed some neat stepping In a solo soft-shoe buck and wing and finished tt with a new eccentric break. The girl is a slender blonde and a good hoofer. The opening dance Is In Chinese costumes, and they do some back to back double stepping that starts tbem wed. They are a good big small time acquisition. Fox and Ward got over, but they are on too long and might move the rhymed recitation about their careers up, In place of some of the ancient crosB-flre. / Le Malre, Hayes and Co., the blackface comics, are still experimenting for a finish. The dialog Is banged over to good results, and Le Malre is constantly improving as a reader, but tbe finish 1b still weak. The act doesn't wind Itself up, and the drill dance leaves some of the audience mystified. Three Les Genie closed. These women are showing some new wardrobe since their recent appearance on tbe Roof. They are featuring ring work and have a fast smooth routine. . HAMILTON. Considering a quartet of disappointments the bill at the Hamilton Monday evening was well balanced and well arranged. Louise and Mitchell, substituting for Ed. Oreer, are a combination that can give any show a good start. After briefly opening in "one" they do a' pleasing routine of acrobatic work in "three," featured with comedy aplenty, es- pecially by tbe girl. It is a brother and sis- ter team, and they can stand in line with competitors. Harvey Haney and Orayce were billed for No. 8, but dud to their predecessors, Schram and Armstrong, disappointing, and the sub- stitution, Dancing La Van, placed at the end of tbe bill, they were forced to come on No. 2. Besides Oracye was absent, having contracted ptomaine poisoning after the mati- nee. The two boys were formerly of the vaudeville team known as the Three Liars. They are billed "On the Course," meaning a golf course as represented by a special drop. One works In blackface, more or less for the preliminary comedy. Their subsequent play- ing of various musical Instruments called for an encore. The blackface artist especially stands out as a drummer. Jean Moore and Co. were next. The company part la her piano player, who could not work owing to receiv- ing severe sunburn. Miss Moore's endeavor to entertain singly did not hit the mark, nevertheless it was convincing enough that tbe girl was under a severe handicap. The announcements of her numbers should be made so everyone In the house may hear. Private Bobby Randall (New Acts) fol- lowed, and scored the hit of tile evening. The Hippodrome 4, originally scheduled to close the show, preceded the closing turn, and registered. The tenor and the comedian do tbe most, the latter being responsible for con- tinuous laughter during the school setting. Although possessing quartet vocal ability, they fall with the right selections. Several good additional numbers offered with effort, would undoubtedly strengthen the act. The Dancing La Vara, before an exquisite drop, closed the show without a single walkout. Tbe couple are of the dapper type, with toot work that held the Interest at all time. Constance Talmadge In the "Experimental Marriage" film finished the performance tor tbe evening. 81ST STREET. A really Interesting Educational travelog study opened the show on schedule, with Brown's Dogs opening the vaudeville. A stronger finish would not be amies, that being the only thing lacking to the turn. Nora Norlne, before special curtains In "one," offered four song numbers, the last being In the nature of an encore, somewhat forced. Florence Henry and Co., the latter a man essaying a "patient" character, and a youngster, preached the gospel of domestic happlnes to good returns. It Is a fair sketch, Following intermission, Douglas Fairbanks In "The Knickerbocker Buckaroo" met with a good deal of approval. Ralph C. Faulkner, trading on his really remarkable resemblance to the President, offered a new monolog, and scored the hit of the bill. Faulkner Is a good showman. The LaMont Trio is an interest- ing wire act, held them In. The Oaumont Graphic concluded the program. Aoei SHOWS LAST HALF, r (June 46-29.) FIFTH AVENUE. There was but one new act in the eight-act show at the Fifth Avenue the last half. Con- sequently there was a lot of speed to the show with the possible exception of the Charles Chaplin picture "Sunnyside," placed In the centre of the program, and which, because of Its failure to win laughs slowed up the enter- tainment considerably. Incidentally it seems to be a mistake on tbe part of the vaude- ville theatres to run a comedy of this sort because of the fact that the majority of the audiences that are attracted have seen the picture elsewhere. This was quite apparent at the Fifth Avenue on Thursday night through tbe audible protestations from those seated in the audience. The vaudeville started with Arnold and Miss Florens. The Arnold of the team offering his feats of balancing on glassware and Miss Florence acting as tbe assistant His tricks were productive of hearty applauBe. Keating and Walton who followed with their "long and short of it" specialty gained a few laughs, but for the greater part their work seemedvun- usually forced. There Is a rough 'un lnihe act that should be eliminated and It is the fact that the girl of the team wears a huge artlfliclal rose at the end of her spine and the comedian starts to sing "Rose of No Man's Land," as she turns her back to the audience and exposes it Zelaya, the pianist, with his combination of talk and music, pleased the audience, as did also Joe Maxwell and bis quartet of singers in the fireman act, which seems to be featur- ing "Bubbles" most effectively. The Chaplin picture followed. Opening after the celluloid the "Fiesta Es- panola" (New Acta) with a flock of the for- mer members of the "Land of Joy" with Bil- boa as tbe featured member of tbe aggrega- tion. They were an absolute and unqualified hit, but the act needs a little speeding and perhaps James J. Morton standing on tbe side lines (after the fashion that Julius Tannen was employed at the Park) might enhance tbe value of the turn for the big houses and give It a comedy element Georgle Jessel seemed to walk away with tbe laugh and applause honors of the ebow. The boy Is "there" with the laugh produc- ing material and be has a delightful little method of slipping the audience the laugh on their own thoughts. Charles Howard and Tyler Brook, assisted by a young woman un- billed, were another of the hits of tbe bill, but this act needs a little speeding also. Duquesne, the magician, closing the show, found tt rather difficult to get anyone to step up from the audience and finally he landed two young men who had every earmark of plant, although the majority of the audlenae did not seem to suspect them. His efforts seemed to hold those who got into the show late and he managed to pull some laughs from about half a house. Fred. AMERICAN ROOF. A badly blended bill, top heavy with an over- abundance of elnglng aits at the American the InBt half. The Vita fomedy which started the show, one of the most tiresome and un- funny films ever perpetrated since pictures were Invented, put a damper on the proceed- ings that would have killed any bill. "Flips and Flops" this alleged Vita comlo is en- titled. It's a cinch that It will never have any difficulty In living up to the last part of Its name. Charlie Chaplin's latest, "Sunnyside," at the other end of the bill, offered a start- ling contrast .although not up to Chaplin's regular standard. The Three Herbert Sisters, placed for clos- ing, would have fitted in much better in the Initial spot Tbe girls have youth and some slight dancing ability and little else to rec- ommend them. A season in the outlying email timers would do the act a world of good. The turn Is much too long as It now stands. Nell McKinley next toicloslng with the same act shown around the local pop houses for the last five years grapped off his full share of the comedy honors. McKinley works in an easy confident manner, a little too confident at times, especially in the audience stuff. A plant In' a balcony b ox singing the second chorus of "Friends" out of the, northeast cor- ner of his mouth, much after the fashion of the warblers on the rear seats of the Coney Island trolleys, hindered rather than helped. McKinley doesn't need singing "plants." Kamerer and Howland have all the ear marks of the Middle west small time singing and dancing turn. Tbe man handles the com- edy which consists in the main of released gags. The woman sings fairly, and! wears a couple of tasteful costumes. On second they did fairly well. Adonis, an equilibrist with an average rou- tine of hand balancing stunts, overplays the spotlight Adonis, by the way, was not the only offender In this respect, the entire nine acts using spots indiscriminately. A cute lit- tle fox terrlor. assisting Adonis shows evi- dence of competent training. The finishing trick, performed on a whirling chandelier. Is showy. Tabor and Green stall too much. More of the real coon comedy and less of the high brow singing would taper off their/act prop- erly. The tenor has a sweet voles, which could be used to much better advantage If bandied with discretion. Larry Rellly struck a soft spot wltL pos- sibly three-quarters of the audience of Irish ancestry. Rellly handles his heroic Celtic character with considerable charm and hla supporting company give him -unusually good support Morris Samuels and Co. In "At Bills Island" cleaned up. Samuels is playing the act as low comedy instead of seriously as the late Joe Welch did. Crane Sisters (New Acts). Oliver, an accordion player, opened and scored exceptionally well. Ben. 23RD STREET. The show stuck to seven acts for the last half, not reducing the vaudeville section in spite of the presence of "Sunnyside," the Chaplin comedy being spotted in the middle of tbe bill. This made for a bill of extra length with the feature "The Blazed Trail," also a. feature. The 23d Street but partially knows what it is to expect in the way of a show. Oftlmes several "harpoons" are thrown into the works In the way of new acts of unknown worth. There were several such "Jabs" In the show and aa one or two didn't deliver the goods the going was bad, tbe under standard Chap- lin not helping any. The noted screen comic slips In a bad boy once.In awhile and "Sun- nyside" is one of them. Bartholdl's Cuckatoos opened the show amid much chattering from the birds. The con- stant squawking and brilliant plumage of some of the birds made the stage resemble the In- side of a zoo. Various gear, supposed to be operated by the birds, made the offering a novelty with the bicycle stunt of one cuckatoo quite a trick. Al Rlccardo a ventriloquist, followed (New Acts) doing fairly well. Vine and Temple on third started some- thing and that through the personalties of the pair. The man's business with a cigarette stub Is an exposition of what was once con- sidered a sort of fine art He does all the tricks of old "masters." The show was given no special tilt by Beatrice Morgan A Co. In a sketch on fourth. Just the same as playlets go, It was a chance of pace .from the Jungle of triangle plots. Renee Bonatt (New Acts) took up the go- ing after the Chaplin and could do nothing.' This left Lewis and Dody In next to closing to cop an easy hit (New Acts) which they could have stretched had they prepared any extra material. Goslar and Lusby, a newly formed piano, songs and dance turn (New Acts) closed very nicely. It wasn't the spot for them and placed down earlier they might have scored strongly. Tbee. 125frTsTREET. Five acts on account of tbe Sunday law was the program at Proctor's 125th Street Sunday afternoon. The Berlow Girls and Lillian and Twin Bros, were off the bill. The American Comedy Trio didn't appear, although Messrs. O'Donnell and O'Nell kept the wires hot try- ing to locate them. A Sunshine Comedy opened and the Pathe Weekly closed tbe matinee. Jimmy Savo and Co. got tbe comedy honors in third position. Assisted by a girl in a riding habit Savo makes a grotesque appearance with an ill-fitting suit of the type adapted by most picture come- dians. The girl does straight and her efforts at vocalizing, etc., arc continually Interrupted by Savo's eccentric clowning. He is a good comic and puts over a series of eccentric dances and finishing them all with poses, that won big applause. Gretta Llttlefleld, a female song "plugger" from Wltmark's, was disguised as an act by the absence of .slides. Sbe sang two ballads and a Southern melody to mild returns. Gretta followed the opening picture. Fox and Ward, the old school comedians, were second and delivered through their In- teresting routine. They look like tbe old car- toons of Mark Hanna and Tom Piatt, and It is probable that at some time they had a frame up caricaturing those late celebrities. Their cross fire about the old prices and the present, and the old material and the present con- tained a lot of truths and blended nicely. They close with an old song and dance, the same as shown by them 50 years ago at Tony Pastor's. Barring a tendency to do too much, Fox and Ward will appeal to the old times and most of the new ones. — Bob be and Nelson scored In the next to closing spot The straight exhibits a pleasing voice but should avoid the assured way of reading that he has adopted. The talk doesn't amount to much, but the comedian nuts it over with his mugging and clowning. A medley used at the finish Bounds rather long. Brtndamoor (New Acts) closed. ciW. Were It hot tor tbe Burke-Valder classy dance turn, and Ben Bernle'a surefire hokum, aided and abetted by the "unlooked for" ap- pearance of hla old partner, Phil. Baker, the entire show would have been a flop. Even the Chaplin feature contains few real laughs ex- tended spasmodically at points in the run of the film, with lew high lights. / Two new acta, in the forms of Cuba, a rope monologUt and Allen and Richmond, started the vaudeville, after a clever Universal short comedy reel. Work and Kelt fared well wKb their "souse" acrobatics mixed with some chatter. "Sunnyside" interrupted the bill here, with Yates and Reed resuming the vaude. One of the men pulls an Eltlnge and fooled the house up to the unmasking. When he later renders a ballad, using the second verse and -the T. R. version chorus, It sounded - wrong.. It la bound to, when the original^- version Is not sung first. This is probably done in an effort to make it sound new, al- though it fooled no one. They stopped for extra bows. Burke and Valdor Co. (New Acts) preceded -Ben Bernlce, next to closing. Phil. Baker, who is playing a date at Loew's Ave. B, not far away, helped out Thursday with his ac- cordion aa in the days of yore. The stunt must be reciprocal, Bemle no doubt hieing himself down to the eastern part of tbe East Side for the same purpose. They cleaned up between them and individually. Leo Zarrell Duo, a heavy built chap with a diminutive top mounter, held 'em in with handstands, The feature completed the program. Abel. The Lights Club's feature of last Wednesday's entertainment was. a travesty on the coming of Prohibition entitled "John Barleycorn's Funeral and Resurrection." The playlet? based on the recitation used in vaudeville and called "The Wake" carried the fol- lowing cast: Pall Bearers: Bert Kal- mar, Geo. Barry, Tom Dugan, Herbert Williams. Mourners: Lew Kelly, Chas. Middleton, Harry Sullivan, Fred Gray, Jas. Diamond, Harry Von Tilzer, Geo. McKay, Victor Moore, Billy Mont- gomery and Roy Summers. Three Vis- itors: Billie Reeves, Eddie Carr and Joe Towle. The club's clam bake. July 4. OBITUARY Memorials In this department in dis- play type, are charge* *5 per Inch (14 lines) and 110 two inches (28 lines). No spaee smaller than tt inoh (7 lines) accepted; % inch. lASo. All memorial copy must be accom- panied by remittance. Luigi Sertori. Luigi Sertori died in St. Luke's Hos- pital, New York, June 25, after a long illness. The deceased, who had been a guest of the Actors' Fund of Amer- ica for 14 years, was a retired grand opera singer. Eddie Gorman. Eddie Gorman (Smith and Gorman), also well known in legitimate circles, IN FONDEST MEMORY of My Hatband LOUIS FOWLER Who. departed this life July 5th, 1918 Hit Wife EMMA FOWLER died June 28 at the age of 47 at the Manhattan State Hospital. He had ap- peared in a number of stage produc- tions between vaudeville engagements. Helen Armstrong. Helen Armstrong, of the Kenneth Gratton Co. vaudeville act, died June 21 and was interred under the direction of the National Vaudeville Artists of which she was a member.