The New York Clipper (July 1917)

8 THE NEW YORK CLIPPER July 18, 1917 AMERICAN In spite of the warm weather of Mon- day night, the usual good business pre- vailed here, downstairs and on the roof. Billy and Ada White opened with a song and went into a dance. Miss White then rendered a juvenile song and followed with a dance. Then the man gave a single dance. The pair are very clever with their feet, their soft-shoe work being particu- larly good. Miss White pats a song over in good shape. The act received hearty recognition. Sam Harris, the songologist, held down number two position. He gave two songs, followed with some comedy talk and finished with two songs. Harris is a clever enter- tainer, and puts his material over to the best advantage. His patter is good and gets many laughs. His songs are mostly topical and get results. He registered a hit. Walter Manthey and Sonia Baraban, as- sisted by Virginia Syms, presented an up- to-date dancing, singing and piano act Miss Syms opened at the piano and rend- ered a song. Manthey and Baraban then danced a la cabaret. Miss Syms followed with a song, playing her own accompani- ment. Then came another dance, another song and a whirlwind dance. They are artists in their line and the act scored a well deserved success. Jack Housh and Kathryn La Velle in their comedy skit "When the Worm Turns" came in for their full share of ap- proval. Miss La Telle opened with a Scotch song. Housh joined her, and then followed some comedy talk. Then Housh sings and more talk follows, and they finish with a song. For an encore Housh sang and Miss La Velle recited. They put their material over welL Housh has a good voice, and his partner renders her Scotch number with good effect. Dinkins. Barr and Everett, three men, one in white-face and two in burnt cork, presented "How It Happened," which they style a "minstrel first part rehearsal." They have a special setting in two, which represents a livery stable in which the two mokes are employed. A minstrel man- ager appears and engages them for bis show, and the rehearsal follows. The skit is full of bright comedy, of which they make the most. Everett sings a tenor sonj; with good results, Barr yodels and Dinkins renders a comedy song and dances. They are capable performers and present the best black-face skit seen at this house in many moons. This act should have no dif- ficulty in getting bookings. They scored a big bit. Al. Shaw and Sam Lee sing a couple of songs, and dance. It is in the latter that they shine. Their dancing is of the soft- shoe variety and they introduce a number of novel steps and twists. Hearty applause was their reward. Chauncey Monroe and company, two men and a woman, were seen in "A Busi- ness Proposal." The sketch tells the story of a man who believes in having only mar- ried men in his employ, although he himself is a bachelor. He determines that his chief clerk shall marry the stenographer, and tells him to propose to her. The clerk fails, because of his bashfulness, and the employer shows him bow to propose. The boss makes an impression on the girl, and she turns the tables on him and wins him. It is one of the best written and best acted comedy sketches seen hereabouts in years. It is rough comedy, without the slap-stick stuff, and wonld go with any audience. It scored a great big hit. Baker. Sherman and Brannigan, three men, presented an act made up of mirth and melody. They sing three songs in good harmony, and two of the trio render solos. The tenor has a good natural lyric voice and an unusually good quality falsetto. They received rounds of applause and were forced to respond to an encore. The Belgium Trio of gymnasts closed the bill. Two men and a woman make up the act. They are clever performers, and won well earned approval. E. W. FIFTH AVENUE There was not the usual amount of comedy on the bill presented for the first half of the week, a fact that was apparent at the first performance on Monday. This fact, coupled with the muggy, uncomfort- able weather, made the audience a hard one to please. The Great Johnson was in the number one spot and proved himself to be a top- notcher in the contortion line. Almost all of his work is done with his feet caught np back of his neck, and, in this position, he does many stunts, working on the stage and on a pedestal as a starter. He finishes on a trapeze, on which be does some troly remarkable feats, tying himself into knots, while he bangs by his toes. He works with the greatest ease and is won- derfully quick in making his recovery after each stunt. He received some applause, but not as much as the merit of his act deserved. Smith and Farmer, a man and woman, presented their "Nifty, Natty Nonsense." They opened with a line of patter, some of which earned laughs. . The woman fol- lowed with a song, and then came more talk. They finished double, with the woman singing and her partner playing the cornet. They worked very hard and should have fared better, as they get their stuff over very welL Barnold's trained dogs and monkeys were in number three position. These little animal actors went through their well- known routine with the same cleverness they usually show, except that they worked more slowly than is their wont. This was undoubtedly due to the heat, for the dogs all worked with their tongnes hanging out. It seems strange that a trainer as clever as Barnold has proved himself to be, should be satisfied to keep to the same routine of tricks year after year. He needs two or three new feature stunts to add newness to his act. Henry Clive, the magician who tells you he is going to show you how a trick is done and then fools yon with a variation of it, went slow at the opening, but not through any fault of his. Clive is among our most entertaining sleight-of-hand performers. He presents a good line of patter, while doing his tricks in a most pleasing style. He woke 'em up a little at the close and re- ceived a fair share of applause. Frank Burt, Ed. Johnston and com- pany, two men and a woman, presented a skit called "Bluff," which tells of a young woman who is to sing at a concert and engages two musicians ta play for her. The "musicians" appear and carry out their part by bluffing it- The skit is really a skeleton vehicle for the presentation of Burt and Johnston's act. They are real comedians, and one is a capital eccentric dancer. One also plays a banjo and the other a flute. The young woman is good, looking and a good feeder for the two men. The act opens full stage, changes to one, and goes back to full stage. It is a good comedy act. The Royal Hawaiian*, six men and a woman, closed the bill. They open playing ukeleles and guitars. One of the men, who possesses a baritone voice of consider- able volume, renders a song. Then follows more instrumental music and they finish with the men playing while the woman gives a Hawaiian dance full of wriggles and wiggles. One of the men plays several solos and proves himself to be an expert on the guitar. The setting is an elaborate full-stage scene showing a seashore, with tropical plants and trees. Ed. and Lew Miller were also on the bill. The usual photoplays and topical views of the Hearst-Pathe service were pre- sented. In addition, Charles Leonard Fletcher presented what he styles "Screen Jazz and Jazz Jokelets on Timely Topics," which consisted of jokes thrown on the screen. Many of them were funny enough to get a laugh. E. W. JEFFERSON A classy bill, well balanced and of un- usual merit, was on view at the Jefferson the first half of the week, and found ready favor with even the drowsy patrons at the supper show, which is admittedly a cold proposition for .any act to face. Jackson and Wahl were the favorites, and deserv- edly so, as theirs is an exceptional piano and singing act. The DeVries Troupe, three shapely women and one man, opened the vaude- ville part of the show with a speedy act of iron-jaw and acrobatic work, in which the women showed, not alone great skill, bat strength out of the ordinary. They won applause for everything attempted, and closed strong, after eight minutes in full stage. Pam Lawrence, whoBe "props," which she displays bare for about a foot above and a foot below the knee, causing'more than one sleepy eye to take a new slant, offered a song routine in which she was assisted by a young man. Miss Lawrence lias personality, and puts plenty of action into her work, in addition to putting her songs over well. The man displayed a few dances, and capped them with an eccen- tric: number lifted bodily from the spe- cialty of Lloyd and Wells in the Ham- merstein operetta, "You're In Love," music and all. The act runs fourteen minutes, from one to two and back. El Cota, xylophonist, appeared uncon- cerned at the Monday supper show, and rattled off his numbers with the apparent intention of having the ordeal over with. He plays a wide variety of selections that indicate thought in choosing, and his skill with the little sticks cannot be denied. He worked in one for thirteen minutes. Edna May Sperl and Company, three women and one man, have a comedy sketch that lacks strength in construction, but which breaks about even through the work of the four artists in the cast. It tells of one of the girls falling in love with a supposed doctor, who passes her window each day. She has never met him and does not know his name, but frames up a ruse in order to make his acquain- tance. After the "doctor" is called in to attend a fake sprain, it is discovered he is a piano tuner. The act is set in three, and runs thirteen minutes. Ben Smith, the rotund blackface gloom- chaser, opened off-stage with a song that gave the impression the audience was to see a society tenor, and this started laughs that he kept going throughout the act. Some of his stuff is old, but he puts it over in an acceptable way, and fills in the rough spots with a song number or two. Jackson and Wahl, man and woman, offered a piano and song act that is about as classy as anything this reviewer has seen in some time. The pair are exceed- ingly clever, and have voices far above the average. They have framed the act in a clever way that holds interest and causes it to run smoothly throughout the whole fifteen minutes. As far as dressing is con- cerned, the act cannot be beaten. Jack- son and Wahl are big time artists, with a big time act, and should be a hit any- where. From one, special, to three and back. Foster and Seamon, two men, one doing eccentric comedy and the other working straight, have one Qf the few surviving old-time hokum act's whose popularity nowadays is questioned. They managed to annex a few laughs and some applause now 'and then, and went over very welL They work in one, for ten minutes. Herbert and Goldsmith, man and woman, opened with a song and then swung into a dance routine that took them through some steps in one, to a sort of classical concoction in full stage, with special set and lighting effects. A flood light should be used for this part of the act, as the man was in darkness most of the time. They are talented dancers, and have no need of the song as an opener. L. F. CITY Music and mirth can always be relied upon to make up an excellent Summer bill, and, from this viewpoint, the booker must have decided to make the City show for the first half a fit candidate for the hottest day possible. Marsh and Lawrence, an eccentric pair who worked in two, with a Bpecial pur- ple and yellow drop to correspond with the costumes in which they opened the act, started the show with an ordinary routine of juggling by the man and some clever dancing by the woman. A change of cos- tume helped things along considerably, and they went over very nicely. The act runs ten minutes. Brown and Jackson, man and woman, are doing the same act which has stood them in good stead for some time, but it is possible they could give themselves a boost by framing a new act. They work in one, with special drop, and open with a sing, followed by patter which they have worn threadbare. The man changes to eccentric costume and does some dancing that is appreciated. They are clever peo- ple, and their fourteen minutes are none too long. The Cliff Dean Players, two men and one woman, have an interesting sketch, set in three, as an office interior, which has enough red-blooded action and clever work to put it over with applause to spare. The act is reviewed under New Acts. Universal Weekly Events were interest- ing. The Romany Trio, three girls in gypsy costume, bare legs and all, played the piano, cello and violin to the approval of the entire house. The act is nicely framed and costumed, hut the selections are not well chosen and the girls appear to lack stage presence and showmanship. They worked in two, for eleven minutes, and went over. Charles Reilly, who bring his red hair with liim as additional proof that he is Irish, has a song and monologue act that is Celtic all the way through. His sing- ing voice, a typical Irish tenor, is fair, but his enunciation is not as clear as an audience likes to hear. The gags had lit- tle to recommend them, and Reilly could strengthen the act considerably on this score. He makes a good appearance in full dress, and has a pleasing personality. With the proper material he would be a welcome addition to any bill. He worked in one, for nine minutes. Lloyd and Whitehouse, man and woman, have a rough-house act that goes-better at times, than at others. Monday, it dragged its full length, but through a spurt at the close, went over very well. The man does a nut-souse character that shows talent developed in the wrong di- rection, and his idea of an eccentric cos- tume with which to close the act did not strike the audience as acceptable. The pair worked in three, parlor, and closed in one, after fifteen slow minutes. Eva Shirley, a dainty songbird, with Maurice Abrahams at the piano, brought out a genuine ray of sunshine when she appeared. She offered several new songs of the type so popular nowadays, in ex- cellent voice, and changed her costume while Abrahams entertained with a dis- play of speed up and down the' keyboard. Miss Shirley is good to look upon, chooses her gowns well and knows how to wear them, and her voice is above the average. The songs, while good, did not show enough individuality to make the audience think twice about them. The act runs twelve minutes, in one. The Platinum Beauties, four women pos- ing in bronze, closed the show with a nicely framed and presented posing act that held interest throughout the entire seven minutes. The act works in full stage, and can be used as an ideal closer for any bill. A feature picture followed the vaude- ville. .. - L. F.