Variety (Dec 1929)

Wednesday,' l^ecember 11, 1929 VAUDE HOUSE REVIEWS VARIETY 53 ' m vetierati • vaudeville reviewer Clipped the arms of .his chair and prepared to suffer). Turned out to be the plantlner of a shrewd trick. Only a phrase or two of. "William Tell," and then into the fastest and hottest kind of Jazz with acrobatic business by xylophonlst for a whale of a finale. A knockout in the open- ing spot for a single is something.to lalk about ill a vaudflilm small timer. Bobble Carbonl ..and Co.* No. 2, went right Into the low comedy knockabout with his stage hand trio got, Big. blonde woman stalls as •Ingle singer for the introduction of Bobble as a piano-playing stajge liand, who then is commandeered for the act. Carbonl has a nice baritone Toice and a good rough style of Working that this mob loved. Third member is page boy or bellhop in uniform, who aids comedy business and contributes a brisk tap dance. Comedy smash herie. Gertrude and Eleanor Bond, illus- trate a certain style the small-time audiences of this kind enjoy. They ^o a couple of humble stenographers attending a rltz dance and out-ritz- Ing the affaift They are in a rest riDom between dances and crossfire lor the entire 2 minutes, the talk having a fairly paprika flavor by the hard-boiled gold-dlefs'er brunet partner. "Old: men give you what young men promise" is a sample, but there is plenty broader than that. Pleased mightily at this stand.' Penny,' Rego and .Gold,. couple of years old now,: have outgrown the red-hose technique, but are as .ro^vdy its before and no cleverer. They go stronger foir the comedy and are ■lowly easing out of the musical ■Idei which no.w ortly makes the ilnish,: with one . playing plano- accordion and other doing trick bit playing- two clarinets at the same time. Plriish is strong and the best «f the act.: Comedy Is pretty torrlble ,and wouldn't do except in Lincoln Bquiire grade of stand. Katie Pullman and Charles Cal- .▼ert do. BO-mlnute revue-flash with about 10 people .(New Acts) for the JJnale; "Why Bring That Up" (Par) film feiature and perhapd explana- tion of the Sat. attendance. Rush. RrVERSIDE (^t. Vaude) Upper Broadway's big, time, or more precisely, two-a-day, currently offers what may be reported as a good average bill of seven acts. .Vaudeville bills in general might be classifled under the single, word ."good" with auxiliary descrlptives to modify, as: unusually, very aver- •gely, pretty, and not so.. And, of course, the location, clien- tele, policy, scale and opposition of •ny given vaude must be considered. These are fundamentals both of booking a vaudeville bill and from a trade paper's viewpoint, of apprais- ing its success. It is perhaps useful to occasionally restate such funda- mentals, r. Riverside's location is in a pros- perous semi-swank neighborhood, its clientele is literate and more or less disorlminating, its policy, fixed by the terms of the lease, is straight vaude twice daily with reserved seats, and its opposition is pictures and a subway circuit legit house of slightly higher scale. With these circumstances in mind the vote on Mae Wynn and Buddy, Tabor and Green, Cullen Landis, Josephine Harmon, . Felovis, the Newells, and Henry Santrey would probably return a plurality. Mae Wynn and the gent who con- sents to be introduced to the world as Buddy opened speedily with nifty taps. Tabot and Green; following, were a little light for the Riverside but did okay with their yodellng and harmonizing which alibis the feeble humor. From pictures . and a . session in legit comes. Cullen Landis (New Acts), attempting to create a real reason for being booked by having bought himself what probably is still called a "vehicle," a word whose triteness got it barred from "Va- riety" some time ago, although some of the trite. or tripe writers still use it, .Josephine Harmon, that virile comedienne, banged and blustered across her u.sual good-natured suc- cess. Then came Felovis, who, without disparagement to Henry Santrey's masterly showmanship, was on this bill the concentrated .essence of vaudeville's perennial claim to popularity. People carry away a remembrance ot such talents and fmd the ordi- nary effu.<)ive adjective "marvelous" I'ather weak to conviey the full nu^asure of awe felt at the ability f'f a human being 1;o be able to achJPYe these I.mpos.sn)illtIe.s. With unu.sual simplicity iind re- •sti-aint Felovis hills himself .'iiniply ^liliiJj;he^urQiK;an^^lUggku\'^-. -Thatl^^ ii" smile in U>'.olf. TMlly and El?;a. Xewell have boon tl'iinp nicely, frtr some little while, ibi'.nU you. And if It'.s nc'.v.^, ITonry >S;-It; * y hti.« a pood hand. . 'Uisintsf! a; ihe li'iatinee was just y'-^o. nif-anins: half a hou.ne or less. T; is is e.-^siMitlally a niffht house .'"• ■au^e in the day the pos.sibilitles ■ liniltod lo housowivp.s and f^hll- i,< in r(v-:idfniial nf-iy)ibor- •■'''''-■ fV -i'v fi-r m the ));ith of the '.I'.i <il,-, ).; Jon.. LiLlld. GRAND O. H. (Vaudfilm) Vaude, three acts, took but 35 minutes in full stage for the first half of the week. Col's lengthy fly- ing special, "Flight," featured, and took ud the remaining time with the hielp Of Pox Movietone News and attempted community singing from screen slides. This house usually plays four or five acts. Fairly well filled and gave the turns niore re- sponso than deserved. Just an easy neighborhood audience. The Flying Thrillers, three youths, started their human aeronautics and closed after but six minutes. Boys are nicely built and appeared to en- joy the jumps and catches as well as the customers. Display the usual trapieze routine. KIrby and Diival took the middle spot for 16 minutes. Five minutes too long. A mixed duO composed of fire and warbling duo composed of elongated blond chap and a much shorter and blonder femme. Patter di-ew a few laughs at the start but lagged toward the fihlsh. Gals stereotyped laugh became nerve- wracking after the first few min- utes of it. Closed with the boy solo baritoning a ballad and later joined by the femme for a duo. The girl couldn't arid knew it, so she let her partner's strong pair of tonsils drown her out. . Gheaip g;lrlie fiash, Jack DeSylvia, closed. DeSylvia himself is the only worthwhile entertainer among the crew of surrounding femmes. These gals are stripped to short trunks and brassieres with a little drapery and plumage added, Simply poseurs getting by on the display of eye- filling pulchritude. Their attempted chorus hoofing didn't. Everything is wrongs fi'bm routine to manner. Specialty feriime warbler wasn't easy on the earis. Main pleaser was comedy Dutch Apache between De Sylvia and another femme. 81ST STREET (Vaudfilm) Agnes Ay res- and' Arman Kaiiz (New Acts) are the names of the first half vaudo section,- but the name on the screen, Clara Bow, should do most of the extra draw- ing-. Bow film is "Saturday Night Kid." Miss Ayres and Mr. Kaliz are In the middle of a five-act bill that won't further In this neighborhood Keith's drive to restore the stand- ing of vaude. The show hasn't a sock and plays like a crystal set re- produces static. If this Is the atten- tion on tap for the 81st, Keith's will have two fiot»s uptown, this one and the Riverside. They've long since given uP hope for the Riverr side. : But the. 81st retains a light grip on its patronage-and still has an even chance. - Marty May doeS his. single next- to-closer and returns as conducting m.c. of the girl band and specialty turn, "Through the Periscope." Those lifted gags of May's, heard often in this wise neighborhood, didn't go so well and May. did much better at the piano. Jim McWil- liams hasn't beien around lately. In the closing band flash are sev- eral excellent specialties, routined in a stereotyped manner that doesn't desire full value from them. This is Intermediate entertainment In a house that should be kept big tiiney as possible. Billy Greene and Blossom (New Acts), No. 2, polish up some old ones and make, them. shine with knockabout antics to rate as aver- age for the spot. Uncaught openers, Ray and Gold, the compromise act in Henry Bellitt's settlement with the booking oflnce, started the show early. Undercapacity for the 81st on a Saturday night. . Bige. Some real talent in this lineup with the Zeppelin Four, harmonists and Instrumentalists, ^ttlng a torrid pace while Josie Carole snaps across a couple of numbers like no- body's business. Luell Sisters hoof and warble between and with gen- eral result making for a snappy revue that got a great more than usual from the mob for type of act. "The Kiss" (M-G-M) screen fea- ture. Edba. LOEW'S MET. (Vaudfilm) Brooklyn, Dec. 7. Cracker jack bill for current week to capacity Saturday afternoon. Christmas shoppers dropping in to rest and be entertained after early mbrnlrig bargain hunting undoubt- edly, enhanced. attendance. The show was worth it; Sun Fong Lin Troupe, six men and two women. Opened with a snappy combo of triclts, gymnasts and plate spinning. Hewitt and Hal), two personable chaps with one at piano, registered with harmony singing. The boy-^ have appearance, harmonize well 1 and have a happy selection of num- bors. All pops, handled for tops. Wally Sharpies and Co. in their tab revue "Clippings of 19-29" got first crack and clicked as rib tick- lers. The layout is the usual re- vuesciue blend of blackouts and numbers. Nothing-new in the fadfi- outs. Just the usual burlesqur. J^tiiffbiit for laugh.s_. , Ben J-Jarar")TISS'ing"": WOTlfCy-"^^^^^^ ; pictufos, toplinod and held down noxt to shut as.signment with mon- olot,'. lat^r bringing on Bobby Calla- ha'i diminutive comic, for some ; nifty cross fire thaf rolled thr-m. ! rall'ahan makes u corklnpr parlnr-r for Bard, with the latter snap- ' i)in-c: it up as strai.crht and also . ocrasionally noppinpf a few laii.crhs at liobby's fxiiojse. Went blf?. i "Headln* For Harlom," unblcach- , ed rovuo, whaniuu'd over in olosr r. ACADEMY (Vaudfilm) Badly spotted vaude on the first half bill. Long and tedious layout of seven turns with Eddio Leonard (New Acts) topllning* The Vet min- strel man, with a recent picture un- der his belt, probably accounted for some draw on 14th street, but the rest, and as entertainment, was just a scramble. How fotu: of these seven acts, all qualifying for either opening br closing, were booked on the same bill is a mystery. But there they were Saturday afternoon, interlock- ing^ with each other and dampening the ardor of a good sized audience. Looked like a coin was tossed for the ante spot with the Eno Troupe, Chinese risley and perch foursome, being nickied.^ Nice and neat stuff from the troupe, but nowhere near the pace the spot should have set, and could have with any of the other turns. . Russell Markert Dancers came next with a pip flash of. 12 ti-ained steppers and a specialty girl, but didn't mean anything in the. spot. Also It made two full stage acts following each other, and for no good results. Markert girls are. a nifty bunch, with preclalve . and picturesque routines, while the specialty girl does two boy num- bers,, one of which can be dropped advantageously, as 18. minutes is too long for this turn. Cy Landry, In the trey, eccentric dancer, who acquired a rep.in pic- ture houses, doesn't look the same in vaude. His hOoflng Is still aces, but the nieariingless chatter with a girl singer is out. Ariiong other things Landry has stopped Using special comedy music for. his danc- ing; a mistake. Landry is too clever a performer to go along long with his present routine:. The Gh-^zzis, Paul and Nino, started the show all over again with their slow motion acrohigitics that put everybody to' sleep. Made no difference how good these boys are, they didn't belong in No. 4^ While probably the best of hand to hand and head to head workers, the Ghezzis couldn't help holding an already wobbly show down further. Passing over the Leonard Inter- lude, a mild affair, the first and pnlv punch on the bill was regis- tered by Collins and Peterson, two boys who know all the ins and outs of hoke patter and gags.' Marty Collins, forcing the laughs, and Harry Peterson backing them up with solid straight work, cinched for the pair. It's the sort ojf act they go for by leaps and bounds at this end of town.^ The DiGatanos, dance flash, closed to medium returns, though turning oUt some classy terp work from the featured team, with a dar.b Apache which, had Collins and. Peterson 'Tsutting in" for a build up. Team carries a speedy little spe- cialty stepper who fills in nicely. . "Seven Faces" (Fox) screen fea- ture. Span. HAMILTON (Vaudfilm) Saturday change day brought 50-50 vaude ensemble to this neigh- borhood that flaunted a. Clara Bow film, real draw, and giving what could be considered near-perfect en- tertainment for a middle class ca- pacity crowd Saturday matinee. Four acts with Al Trahan head- lining. He was new to house-rbut he won't be after this day. He also doubled in . the Lester Irving Trio. Others were Radiant Trio', comedy song and dancing gang, and Earl Hamilton, composed of two: men and girl in comedy, song and chat- ter bit. Trahan knocked customers cold'— revived them, socked them again m 28 minutes of piano playirig, com- edy, songs and dances, a.sslsted. by girl partner. She's., statuesque, blonde and easier than that on eyeg. Her name's Cameron. Irving Trio looked good enough to own closing spot. All action grace- ful, steady and impressive. Big Item was douWe lift bj Lester, Radiant Trio is new according to "Variety" files. Just fair turn that starts off .slow and v/arms towiard end. Got what is rated only fair hand at this plfeatie-ea.sy. (New Acts). Harililton and his two partners pas.sed muster and edged customers' enthusiasm up just .that much where they were straining for real comedy that Trahan followed with. f=NMv-«Acts)T HIPPODROME (Vaudfilm) In first week of vaude replacing presentations at the Keith Hip, lack of a name among the six acts was called unfortunate. This, the sec- ond week, also sees no name among the six acts making a fair bill, hut the picture Is a second run, Clai-a Bow in "Saturday Night Kid" (Par). It went two weeks at the Paramount. Apparently the booking attitude is to furnish a stage show for sup- port of a picture in this large house. If It's a case of neglecting one or the other, at least the right one is being neglected. Stage show was a dud on comedy. Only act going after latighis pri- marily was Weston and Lyons, next to closing. . Other comedy attenipts. were incidental, as tried by a jug-' gler, acrobatic team and others. Princeton Ian s, eight-piece band with singing but nori-playing' di- rector, besides two girl and two boy dancers, opened (New Acts). In view of what picture houses have taught, a band in opening .spot is not misplaced. Thi.s one only fair. Bobby ilay, juggler, who starts weakly as a harmonica player, did very well once he went into rou- tine with clubs and balls. Worth any house, a.nd would be much bet- ter without the harmonica. He knows it himself, as evidenced in his remark that everybody thought he was going to be terrible wh^n he started. It must be a party en- tertainment complex. "Chinese Sho.iv Boat," third, pre- tentious. Oriental revue, was the layout's flash- Seventeen people, in native costume and delivering in good English. Worthy of exploita- tion. ' " combination of eccentric dancing arid foot balancing done by the Gel- lis in fourth spot, liked. Two men bring on a. riiidget for the finish, tossing him around for a! strong act capper. Weston and Lyons, mixed com- edy team, showed the same cross- fire weakness noted when Weston first started the act with one of the Eline Sisters. Fake encore Is a Bowery cafe bit and is why the act plays the good houses now and then. Tliose opening gags get very forced. Three White Flashes, male trio on roller skates, closed with a fast whirl and acrobatic mixture.. Ex cellent dumb act, byt playing to the inevitable backs. Saturday afternoon business fair ly heavy on the main floor. Bang. 58TH ST. (Vaudfilm) Respectable bill of vaude for the first half. Great Rolle. midget magic turn (New Acts), an Interestli?g opener. Magic stuff Is new from midgets, and they liked it here. Bobby O'Neil and Gertrude Man- ners clicked handily In the deuce with their tried and true musical skit, "Gas." p'Neil's trouping for years makes him a standard, while Miss Manners is u tidy bit of per- sonality in support of turn that smacks of smart yet clean stuff. More prim material from Use Marvenga, blonde Hungarian war- bler, who deserted the operetta for viaude. It's a musical act that should go big around family stands. Went over in this house. Earl Col- lins tenors rather weakly, and D'An- drea and Walters are a fitting adr junct with dances. Hunter and Percival, riiixed com- edy duo, had the old hOke, thickly applied to the likings of this audi- ence. Hunter's wop dialectics and Miss Percival's looks combine for results. On the closing end Ida May Chad- wick and her colored aggregation of spiritual singers and red-hot step- pers lent a corking touch. Miss Chadwick sports a nifty, wardrobe and registers as always with her tap work. With "The Saturday Night" Kid" (Par) the screen draw, that same evening hejd-a -well-filled house. Span, Customers were mostly kids. They go wltli and against an act at tho same time, but nobody mind-s, and the better class comedy- gpts it,s dps<^rts fi'om the young .hyenas, re- prardless—but they've got to be fomlcal. Film, "The Saturday Night Kid" n>nr), C3 minutes. Vaude went 67. j Aesop Fable, sound news, and 9 imlnntos of trailer stuff for 160- niinutp performance at 30c, LOEW'S STATE (Vaudfilm) A two-and-a-half hour vaudfilm show here at 75c. that's worth it. Vaude composed of an above aver- age collection of six acts, with Bert Gordon, and Frances Arms head- lining, while the picture, Greta Gar- bo in "The Kiss'' (M-G-M) down from its first-run hereabouts at the Capitol and rated by "Variety" as one of the best this , star has done, serves to ploa.se a:s well as draw. At 8 Saturday night the State had seats to spare on the lower floor. Christmas shopping period now on hurting biz all over. Two act.s—^^opener and closer- New Acts . These are the Royal TjyT<ria~'trSps'rand"TH€'"M-5yer3r^ and Rice Revue, botli with a wel- come due them from the bookers. An act that's played about con- siderably in the last few years, Ben- tell and Gould (Harry and Helen), had the deucer to contend with, but found the .solution easy. Working fast and hard, the team got across safely In a routine that has bocn conshU-rabl.v improved on, and for housf^ llko the .State i.s entiifly o.k. for the No. 2 position. The xylo- phone specialty by Bantell in which he changes hats to Indicate various nationalities^ meanwhile doing ap- propriate dance steps, and the hoof- ing specialty • by his partner while. skipping rope are the moments. Tlie Briants were on third In their w. k. pantomime In which the pair by drowsiness, laziness, slowness and looks Show what a heluva life It is to be movers and having to lift such hefty things as dining room chairs. (3bmedy without talk that has every reason to expect results, most any\vhere In vaudfilmers. Frances Arms, next, and assisted by an unbilled piahsit (male) has an act of songs, including "SIngin' in the Rain" fr-om "Hollywood Revue" (talker); "Am I Blue?" from "Oh With the Show" (talker), and, in character, ImpreSsIotis of people in I one of those congested; apartments somewhere on the east side, permit- ting her; to do Irish, Wop, TlddiSh and other dialect stuff, all of it good. Best done and outstanding her drunk bit, closing. Hopping around among the cir- cuits, Bert Gordon landed here in next to closing to find some= of his recent Keith and . Fox iaudlences have thought., a shade more, of hi^ stuff. Pulled the laughs, however, frequently resorting for special ben- efit of State payees to cracks Keith's would, doubtless doom to death Gordon's burii poetry lines for a very -brief encore n. s. g. Newsreel of Heart-Metrotone in sound and M-.G-M Jnterna-tlonal (si- lent), and regular orchestra ovei:- ture by Loew's State Senators, with Ruby Schwerling conducting, bal- ' ance of show. Char. PROSPECT, B'KLYN (Vaudfilm) , Sat. mat here is literally a kid- die sliow. As a kiddie show any vaude goes big, especially comedy crossfire and dialecticians. The kids, as a rule, are well behaved except for stretching their response beyond' the usual time and holding up the action until quiet rules-again. Only other trouble with these kids -flfi;' that they . persist in giving t'he' ushers barrels of trouble. They buy a bale seat and try to slip Into the Ibges. Keeps the ushers on the con- stant go checking up stubs. A luke warm neighborhood offering of vaude kept the kids busy applaud- ing. Harum and Scaruni (New Acts) took off. Just, a duo femme com-!^ edy acrobatic turn. John and Paula Carbraiy, spotted deuce, proved a hoofing turn. Roger Imhoff and Co., handed the youngsters plenty giggles with their hick dialect and prop room fur- nishings. Skit revolved around Im- hoff as the bUccoUc gent who rents a room in mining section hotel. Kids took nicely to Imhoff's char- acterization, ' , Maley and Howland, next, have, what an audience of this age likes. Maley's "nut" work drew plenty laughs. Comedy patter and songs, and goes in for' a bit of legmanla. Howland as foil. Grade Smith and Four Buddies drew the final curtain on whirlwind legology, stepped by four colored' boys and Miss Smith. Boys are a quartet of fast hoofers,''working to- gether and later separately for In- dividual honors. Miss Smith, of high brown color. Is a hot warbler and a fairly good stepper, but suf- fers in comparison to the support. F. N.'s "Young Nowheres," fea- tured. iSportUght and Pathe News. SCREEN BUGS AGAIN (Continued from Page 1) choir, but wants to get awa.y from it all. She says, "I know, ..Mr. Cast- ing director, v.rhat the price of fame Is, but I am desperate and am wlllmg' to ray." But all letters do not come from the peasantry. Some are from \trell' educated people. A local . business mari writes in asking, "If you can use a man with a hearty, attractiv'e, in- fective laugh (natural) you might give me a tryout without obligation." Another offers his services free. Stat- ing, "The object of this letter is to . ask you just, one day's work. My ' highest ambition Is to enter motion . pictures—nol for the money, mind you, but for its art, which is greatj' I have, so I'm told, riiuch talent, so why should it go to waste?" A letter from St. Paul, Minn., says,. "Find Inclosed a photo of little Cinderalla. She looks like a princess when dolled up and draws attention." Because of the over abundance, of screen talent to be bad on a moment's .notice, casters do not re- ply to those letters. Producers As- sociation is doing everything pos- sible to discourage the screen in- clined, but a year's effort can be / toppled over by a single newspaper yarn telMnc: the country^tliat the studios are after now fuccs.