The New York Clipper (August 1917)

August 1, 1917- THE NEW YORK CLIPPER PALACE Although the bill this week lacks its usual quota of comedy, the show, neverthe- less, was thoroughly entertaining all the way. The bill proper opened with "Dream Fantasies" a conglomeration of wardrobe and dancing that is more fully reviewed under New Acts. The Primrose Four, with one new face in the quartette held down the second spot, singing a revue of old song successes of the ballad style. The men were poorly clad for a Palace engagement. The harmony in the act was beautiful and the turn did nicely until the very finish when it let down the quality. Charles Withers and his very capable company of performers returned after a seven weeks absence with their rural tra- vesty melodrama. The act ran smoothly, and Withers proved himself a comedian of merit in the principal part as an "opry" house manager. Arthur James proved of valuable assistance in several roles. Al and Fannie Stedman offered their well known nut piano specialty entitled "Pianocapers" in which they worked hard for a good finish. The tintype gag has been overdone in vaudeville, recently, but, to the knowledge of this writer, it origi- nated with this act and they should be entitled to the credit for it. The "Petrova" bit was well done by Miss Stedman and the final bowing stunt of Al Stedman brought a good laugh. Leona Lamar closed the first part with her mysterious work of mind reading. Miss Lamar's offering was introduced by W. A, Shannon and was the main topic of conversation during the intermission period. Miss Lamar probably has no peer in her line of work and, in her mind reading of- fering answers all questions put to her with marvelous rapidity and accuracy. Although many mind reading acts have come and gone at the Palace Miss Lamar more than holds her own. Her act is a complete puzzle. Herman Wasserman opened the second half with a piano specialty, in which he demonstrated that he is an excellent pianist. But the act lacks showmanship. This turn is reviewed under New Acts. Pat Rooney and Marion Bent are still doing their news stand act, which has shown but slight revision in the last several years. The act slows up perceptibly to- ward the finish, and the only thing which helped to pull it over was Rooney's eccen- tric and diverting dancing. The peculiar part of this is that there are usually several dancing acts of this kind at the Palace weekly. But this week only the Rooney brand was on view. The ven- triloquial bit was done by Al and Fannie Stedman earlier on in the bill, and the finishing stunts, with sylph-like Kenny, the property man of the Palace Theatre, did not help matters much. The broom dance, and the gazatsky bit were well done and Miss Bent appeared to excellent advantage in a Spanish number. Elsie J an is, playing her second week, was the first act on the bill to offer a war song. She impersonated Laurette Taylor, Eddie Foy, Sam Bernard, Sarah Bern- hardt, Emma Carus, George M. Cohen and Harry Lauder, singing different war tunes. She then offered the Will Rogers' routine of talk and rope tricks and the Fred Stone dance.' As a special bit she impersonated Frances White and the latter should feel highly complimented that a star like Elsie Janis impersonates her in her specialty. Miss Janis closed her act with her well known specialty dance. The Kanazawa Brothers closed the show with their clever rialey stunts and were fairly successful in holding the house. Al- though the weather was torrid both in and out doors it must be said to the credit of this act that the usual rising of the crowd did not take place until the very finish of their act. The new bits of comedy injected into the turn made it practically new and at the finish the boys- could have taken several bows bad they so desired. S. L. H. SHOW REVIEWS (Continued on Pace* > and 21) RIVERSIDE Rice, Elmer and Tom, in a well put to- gether trampoline and bar act, opened the bill and were followed by the Hearst- Pathe News Pictorial, which, with its timely war views, was particularly' in- teresting. Tod Lorraine and Frances Pritchard, in their clever musical comedy bits, found the number three position an easy one and put over all their numbers with fine effect. The depressing hea'„ of Monday night had little effect upon these artists, who put as much snap and vim into their work as though it were mid- winter. Frank Burt, Ed. Johnson and company, were amusing in their roles of musicians, while the company, a young lady, played the straight acceptably. Golet, Harris and Morey, an old-time rathskeller trio, entertained with a number of songs which have seen service in all the local houses for many months. But, their pleasing manner of rendering them, won applause. The boys work well to- gether and, while, individually, their voices do not amount to much, they have learned to use them with good effect in their con- certed numbers. The Dolly Sisters, with the exception of some new and gorgeous gowns, and a couple of new songs, are doing the same act they presented last week at this house. Their first number is a Swedish song and dance, and the girls, in the costumes of Sweden, looked very attractive. The song itself, however, does not amount to much. This was followed by "San Domingo," an- other new song and dance, which served to introduce the sisters in some exceptionally beautiful costumes. The dance which fol- lowed, done to the accompaniment of castenets, was one of the best portions of the act. The next number, a dance called the "Bridal waltz," elegantly costumed, and with one of the girls dressed in a beautiful bridal gown, while the other was attired as her bridesmaid, was enthusi- astically received. The last dance number was called the "Jass-a-Ma-Ta," and was given to tike accompaniment of the colored Jass band, which played even worse than last week, if such a performance were pos- sible. Nella and Sara Kouns opened intermis- sion with their short song recital and scored one of the real hits of the bill. The young ladies, devoid of all stage tricks and with none of the usual striving for vocal effects, render their entire programme in an artistic manner. Their voices are of fine quality, even, and blend beautifully. Miss Sara, whose voice is of that luscious quality so rarely heard in a soprano, does not sing as well as her sister. Like so many other singers to whom nature has been lavish with her gifts, she is often careless. She lacks the precision of at- tack that is so noticeable in her sister's vocal method and her voice is not as well placed. These faults, however, are minor ones, easily remedied, and the act, in its entirety, is far and away the best singing turn heard in vaudeville in many a day. Laurie and Bronson, next to closing, found the spot a hard one. They are a clever pair, and mnch of their act is amusing, but several of their comedy bits have been heard in other acts, which have played this theatre. The "ocean" gag in particular was used in James B. Carson's "Models Abroad." Robert Everest's Novelty Circus, a clever monkey act, closed the bill. The stage setting is that of a theatre. A monkey orchestra furnishes the music and all the performers are of the monkey tribe. They go through a number of clever tricks, closing with some effective trapeze work. W. V. ROYAL It is doubtful whether some of the acts on the bill Monday night knew there was an audience in the house. Let it be said to the credit of all that they worked hard and, despite the humid atmosphere and a house seemingly impossible to please, went through their routines with the same "pep" and good-naturedness that would have marked their efforts in ap- pearing before a winter holiday crowd. Early on the bill, William Gibson and Sylvia Clark took away whatever hon- ors there were in the show, with Willie Weston a close second. After a Hearst-Pat he News Pictorial and a screening of some of Charles Leon- ard Fletcher's Jazz Jokelets, the bill was opened by the Lameds, a trio^ of cyclists. The hard work falls upon the girl. The two men do the clowning. The act, at best, can never rise above the standard of bicycle acts, being content to jog along at about the same pace as the average act of its kind. The comedy is rather Charles Ahearnish. Charles and Adelaide Wilkens are re- viewed under New Acts. The Five St. Clair Girls, in a high-class musical offering, will be reviewed under New Acts. William "Gibson and Sylvia Clark cleaned up with as much of a clean up as was possible on Monday night. When the cards were put up for the next act, some of the audience still were applauding. Even Gibson must realize the success of the act is due to his clever little partner, who is improving every day. Her cheery way is infectious, and she is one of the few comediennes, bordering on the "nut" variety, who does not overdo her funny work. Gibson is a good feeder, but seems to find it rather difficult to get accustomed to working with his new partner. But, when he begins to feel more at home in his new role, it is the opinion of this reviewer that the team will make a bet- ter working combination than did the old team of Gerard and Clark. Conroy and Le Maire got a number of laughs out of their skit, "For Sale—A Ford." We understand that Conroy was suffering considerably from the humidity and was far from well Monday night, and, such being the case, his work is to be especially commended, for he worked hard all the time and did as well as ever with the material he has to work upon. The audience at the Royal did not seem particularly anxious to hear a discussion of suicide, and Paul McCarty and Elsie Fay, in "Suicide Garden," found the road a bard and rocky one. They realized their shortcoming, for, instead of exiting after their "That's All" number (as they usually do) they stayed on the stage and went right into their encore number, not daring to exit, for it might have been im- possible to get back. It is about time that this clever duo searched for brighter material. What they have is original enough, but the subject of suicide is too morbid to attempt to turn into comedy. Willie Weston, with a quintette of songs, and much of his well-known mono- logue, scored satisfactorily. Considerable Yiddish was sandwiched into his work, but it seemed to tickle the Bronxites. The Breen Family have a novelty act, ranging all the way from dancing to jug- gling. All of them are good dancers— that is-, they do some effective work. But their dancing lacks grace. If they could overcome this fault, they would be among the topnotchers in their line. Their jug- gling and other novelty work was well done. The show closed with a Keystone com- edy H. G. NEW BRIGHTON - Despite the intense heat on Monday afternoon, the reception tendered the acts on the bill at the New Brighton was rather gratifying. The bill would have been more snappy if the order of acta had been slightly changed, for, as matters stood, three acts which might be termed of the "high-brow" variety were on in the first half, which consisted of five acts, in all. Cecil Cunningham and Bernard Granville ran neck and neck for headline honors. Although the Dance Fantasies, with b. Stewart Gerhart and Florence McNally, opened the show, the act is sufficiently original and distinctive to enjoy a better spot, and could easily be booked as a feature dancing act. The turn, which was conceived by Maxwell M. Kennedy, Is well thought out and excellently put on. All of the dances are done well, and the Tennis Racket number brings the act to a classy finish. The dress worn by the girl, as the milliner's maid, was very becoming, and is deserving of special mention. Hans Hanke, billed as the eminent con- cert pianist, rendered the "Rustling of Spring," a left band arrangement of the sextette from "Lucia," Liszt's Second Hungarian Rhapsody, and an original ar- rangement of Sousa's "Stars and Stripes," played in the order named. The repertoire is too much along the hackneyed line of piano acts, and Hanke, if be wishes to make his act stand out, should get away from the regular routine. It took the audience several minutes to become acquainted with Tom Smith and Ralph Austin, and their motor boat busi- ness caused hardly a ripple of laughter. The song and dance with the dummies is a splendid bit of business, and was appre- ciated, as was also the hokum stuff with which the act closed. Medlin, Watts and Townes are better with their harmonizing than with their dialogue, for, if it were not for the fat member of the trio, the dialogue would go over cold. He manages to inject a little comedy into things once in a while, but it is this reviewer's impression that he could be even funnier if he would let him- self out more tban he does. There is en- tirely too much talk along hackneyed lines, such as saving wives from their husbands, wifey's bard cooked biscuits, and similar subjects which monologists have been using since time immemorial. Every once in a while, when the act is skidding on thin ice, a song is interpolated into the proceedings, saving the trio from going cold. The first half of the bill was closed by "The Futuristic Revue," further re- viewed under "New Acts." Cecil! Cunningham, considerably thinner than when seen here last winter, opened intermission with a cycle of four songs, written exclusively for her by Jean Havez. The comic opera number went over strong, as did the number which tells, in ragtime, of the history of the United States. A new number closes the act. in which Miss Cunningham has considerable fun with the orchestra in a rather original way. The number brought Miss Cunningham out for a series of bows. "The Night* Boat." a comedy playlet by John Hyzner, got a good quota of laughs in a choice spot, but is little more than a fair vehicle at best. The end is entirely too risque for clean vaudeville. Nina Nes- blt, the only woman in the cast, plays her role excellently, and Frank Herbert also deserves a word of praise. Bernard Granville has a way of taking an audience into his confidence so that they feel as if he is one of them, and bis songs, recitations and dances all pleased immensely. His rendition of "If," by Kipling, and "The Fool," by Robert W. Service, was the work of an artist. Janet and Warren Leland closed the show with their act, "Paiat-O-Graphy." The pair are very skillful with the brush and paint a number of sketches excel- lently. H. G.