The New York Clipper (December 1917)

December 12, 1917 THE NEW YORK CLIPPER DORALDINA & CO. Theatre— Palace. Style— Dancing, Time— Sixteen minutes. Setting— Special. Doraldina and her players program their act as a "Revue Sensational." The billing, however, but merely describes the act, which is divided info four dis- tinct parts. Doraldina is assisted by eight men, who assume various charac- ters. The opening scene shows a room near a bull-fight arena, and Doraldina enters to do a typical Spanish dance to some Rubinstein music, accompanied by the men, who are dressed in Mexican cos- tumes and playing various instruments. In this scene the piano should be draped in order to add atmosphere. The second scene shows an Indian en- campment and the men represent Red men, who play tom-toms and accompany Doraldina, who does a short series of steps to semi-popular Indian music The next scene is a peep at a Hawaiian ' background, while the men are dressed in natty Hawaiian costumes and sing "Aloha," accompanied by the playing of guitars, etc. Doraldina then steps out in a shredded- wheat skirt and cuts loose in one of the fastest and cleanest Hawaiian dances ever seen. The act is beautifully mounted, with special settings, rich in color and that look great under the lights. The men assisting are capable singers and instru- mentalists. Doraldina herself makes a charming picture in her various changes of wardrobe and dances with a pep and zip which keeps the act running at top speed. As a dancing feature, the act is a nov- elty to be contended with on a big scale and worthy of big honor on the big-time bills when rightly placed. S. L. H. NEW ACTS (Continued an pate ZS) KEENE AND DEAN Theatre— Proctor 1 * 125th Street. Style 1 — Singing and dancing. Time— Ten minute*. • Setting— In one. Keene and Dean, a man and girl, have a very meritorious offering. Dressed in football togs, and wearing footballs on their feet, in the first num- ber, they make a lasting impression on the audience as they go through their opening song. They then go into a novelty dance, which is neatly and cleverly executed. A singing number follows this, after which an eccentric dance is rendered. Keene then does a soft-shoe dance, in which some new steps are used. They finish their act with a burlesque baseball game which had the audience laughing all the time. This act should make good in small time houses. M. L. ARTHUR AND SQUIRES Taeatre— Proctor'* 23d Street. Style— Song and donee. Time— Thirteen minute*. SettiBg— One and /u«. This act, consisting of a man and a girl, is just another combination of song, dance and patter. The circuits are full of acts of this sort. Working in one, and using a special drop of their own representing the ex- terior of two apartment houses, they open with a telephone song, put over in a manner that pleased. Then, going to full stage, tuey open their routine with the usual talk and follow with song and dance numbers. The pair are good dancers, with a style all their own. The woman of this team wears pretty gowns, which offset her figure. She also sings well. She does not possess the best voice in the business, but it is pleasant. The act is a good one on the time they are playing. M. K AMES & WINTHROP Theatre— Palace. Style— Comedy skit. Time—Thirteen minute*. Setting—Special. Florenz Ames and Adelaide Wintbrop were formerly known in vaudeville un- der the name of Kolb and Harland. They left the two-a-day to join "Hitchy- Koo," into which they interpolated a scene. This scene is the basis for their pres- ent skit. It represents the outside of a black and white futuristic bungalow, and, at the opening, a woman's skirt gets caught in the door. A man then enters on the scene and endeavors to extricate the woman frcm her predica- ment and suggests that he go and get ber another dress. While he is away, a spider appears and the woman is frightened out of her clothes, appearing in white lingerie. The man then re- turns with a bridal dress and they sing a bridal number which leads into a travesty on ballroom dancing. A spe- cial patter song arrangement of "Gungha Din" comes next, and then a few steps and the act is over. The skit has several excellent laugh' spots and, at the opening, just borders on suspense with several bits of comedy business built for laughing purposes. The dancing and singing is nicely han- dled and carried them over in good shape. "Caught In the Jam" is the name of the act which should not need a Houdini to show it how to get out into the open. S. L. H. HEIDER AND PACKER Theatre— Fifth Avenue. Style— Singing and talking. Time— Twelve minute*. Setting—Special drop. This team needs new stuff in the way of dialogue and songs to get over with any force. The lines are all pointless puns, which never get a laugh, and the songs are weak, one of them, a Chinese dialect song, being a popular favorite of about seven years ago. The man opens with a nonsense song and the girl then enters. Talk ensues. The drop represents the office of Cook's Tours, and the lines deal principally with the countries of the world. Here is a sample gag: "Golf was invented in Mexico. Haven't you heard of the Gulf of Mexico t" Both dance speedily and have great bodily freedom, and the man's acrobatic steps are especially remarkable. They should do more dancing and less talk- ing. The girl has one beautiful gown and one ugly one. Her voice is rather pleasing. If they cut the talk and let the man dance and the girl sing, and do nothing else, they could get over in splendid shape. P. K. FRED ALLEN Theatre— Eighty-First Street. Style— Juggling and comedy talk. Time— Seventeen minute*. Setting— In one. Appearing in one and introducing him- self to the audience as a juggler and ventriloquist who will endeavor to make them laugh, Fred Allen easily fulfills his mission. He has the usual routine of juggling acts, using balls, hats, hoops and various other paraphernalia, and talking all the time. He also introduces a comedy ven- triloquist stunt that was put over in a manner all his own and hit the right mark. Then, having the pictures, of great men flashed on the screen, he appears between each one, while the audience is applauding, and takes his bows. The act will succeed in the smaller houses. M. L. HELEN GLEASON & CO. Theatre— Eighty-Firtt Street. Style— Skit. Time— Ten minute*. Setting— Special. T. C. Gleason presents Helen Gleaaon • and company in their comedy skit, "The Sub-Marine Attack," written by Allen Lieber. The scene represents a state- room on board an' American steamer and is very well worked out. A young married couple, journeying across the ocean on their honeymoon trip, are about to retire for the evening when the bride, who is a worrysome sort, thinks of the submarine scare and gets her husband all upset by telling him different things that are likely to hap- pen to them if they are overtaken by one of the undersea craft. She then hands a telegram she received during the evening to her husband, and it is a warn- ing not to sail on that boat as it is one of the many picked out to be torpedoed. A steward who happens to be passing their stateroom at the time drops in on them to find out what all the noise is about, and is asked how far out they are. On being told that they have not left the pier yet, the wife falls into a faint. The idea of the skit is original, the comedy is good and the company gives a pleasing performance. M. L. ORNAN TERNINI Theatre— Oreenpoint. Time— Fifteen minute*. Style— Monologue and songs. Setting— One. This is, without exception, the worst act the writer has ever had the misfor- tune to witness. In fact, it sounds as though the dialogue is one of those "any act on our list of 400 for 10 cents in stamps. With each act we will fur- nish a complete set of make-up and in- structions." After the "comedy" he sings in a falsetto and baritone voice, and then has some lines with the leader, when "Ah ha!" (enter Mephisto!) Ternini faints. The devil, turning his back to the audience, throws bis cloak about him, and Ternini changes his wig to a la Marguerite, and sings a selection from "Faust" in a falsetto voice. The next and last stunt is "Carmen," with a super, who doesn't speak a line except as the devil, where he has one, as the Chevalier. The only tbing in the way of praise must go to Ternini's falsetto. It is im- possible to see how the act can make even the smallest of the small time. L. R. G. CONROY & O'DONNELL Theatre— Loeu>'» American Style— Skit. Time— Thirteen minutes. Setting— In one. "TMTLetter Carriers" is the title of the skit presented by these two men, one doing a straight and the other a blackface part. Their routine of talk is based on the parcel post mail, and is put over cleverly. The act is opened with a song by the straight, after which they go into some rapid-fire comedy talk, extracting laughs from the audience, especially the talk centred on the signing of the applica- tion to the "gettem club." This put* their offering on a firm basis. The con- cluding song number of the act is a patriotic one. The act is a good laugh producer and wen assembled. M. I- THE SINGING COAL-MINER Theatre— National (try-out). Style— Singing. Time— Fifteen minute*. Setting— Special in three. Ralph Madison, who calls himself by the title given above, has one of the few genuinely novel acts seen in vaudeville this season. But, originality and novelty do not alone suffice to make beadliners, and this is the difficulty that Ralph will prob- ably run up against. His routine is poor and his voice is only average in quality. He has gone to a lot of expense for his act, opening with a movie, which shows him working with other miners in the coal mine. This vanishes, leaving him before a set representing the entrance to the mine. He opens with a song called "Down in a Coal Mine," and follows with one about a lighthouse. Both are of the recitation species. He got an encore, and did another song. He will probably get booked on the sheer strength of bis idea, but, if be got some new songs, he might fare much better. P. K. MANTELL AND ENNEKING Theatre— Greenpoint. Style— Singing and piano. , Time— Fourteen minutes. Setting— One and two. _ The act reminded the writer of the time he had to sit through a song recital, only it wasn't as long. Mantell and Enneking are a man and girl, who sing high-class ballads very well. The act opens in one with both in a duet. They then go into two, where the girl sings a solo, accompanying herself on the piano. The man should let the girl have the stage alone in this num- ber, as he does nothing else but stand there and look pleasant A duet war very well handled and sounded very pretty. They close with a duet in one. It is a very high-class singing act and, in an early spot, should go well over the big time. L. R. G. FRANCES WILSON Theatre— Proctor"* oSth Street. Style Posing. * Time— Eight minute*. Setting—One. Frances Wilson, in her offering styled "Modern Mirage" presents a pretty pos- ing turn. On a raised pedestal, situated in the centre of a white drop, she poses, while a machine flashes stereotype pictures of various kinds onto her body. Some of those receiving the most applause are: "The Oriental Girl," "The Picture in the Frame," "The Flower Girl," "At the Fountain," "The Dancer." "Peacock," "Chariot Race," "Butterfly," "Blossom Time." "The Storm," "Joan of Arc," "Spirit of "76," and the "Statue of Lib- erty." This act is a good opener for small- time houses. ^ M. D, WARREN AND TEMPLETON Theatre— Proctor"* VZSth St. Style— Singing, talking, dancing. Time— Thirteen minute*. Setting— In one. Neatly costumed, these two boys pre- sent a well assembled lot of material in song, dance and talk. Their dance numbers are very good throughout and help greatly in enhanc- ing the value of the act. The song they put over is very impressive. The comedy talk is all very humorous, and, with the other material, blends the act together very nicely. These boys should find tjelr way Into- the big time houses very easy as they have put together an act that ii deserv- ing of booking. M. I*