The New York Clipper (February 1919)

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10 THE NEW YORK CLIPPER February 12, 1919 VMC/ DRESSER AND GARDNER Theatre— River tide. Style— Talk and Song,. Time— Twenty-five minute*. Setting— Special. The act opens in the home of the Gardner*. The time is late in August and Loniae and Jack are packing their trnnka prepa ra tory to beginning the fall vaudeville tour. They compare their booking* and try to find aome week dar- ing- the season -when they win be at beat near each other. Only one ia found. Ghriatmaa week, when one ia in Chicago and the other in Milwaukee. As they plan to apend Christmas Day together the phone rings and the booking agent tella Miss Dresser that her Christmas week booking has been changed to Omaha. Dismayed, they look at each other and abe recalls the past ten years of their married life, bnt six months of - which has been spent together. They declare a strike and phone the agent that henceforth the lionise Dresser and Jack Gardner act ia a union and will be played aa one. From this on the act becomes a sing- ing and »»iw»g bit at entertainment *a which some new special numbers are in- troduced aa well aa sev.-ral old ones used by each m their previous acta. Gardner baa * clever snag In the "English Bag" aa well as "The Ghost of John Barleycorn," which got a lot of Tt"g*e Miss Dresser has two great lyrics in "The Skeleton in Her Closet" and "How Do They Fail far Those Gays7" and another clever song is tile "Neighbor" number with a good monologue chorus. A duet called "Love He Aa a Leading Man" was well rendered and some imita- tions of Broadway celebrities kept the interest running throughout the number. A duet of the choruses of some old-time song hits closed the act, which in its . present shape is a corker. As unnamed pianist furnished the accompaniments and a small part ia played by a maid. The Union scored one of the bits of the bfll and will doubtless keep the Gardner combination intact for months to come. W. V. NEW ACTS AND REAPPEARANCES ED HILL Theatre— Keith'* (Jersey City.) Style— ArtUt. Time— Eight ««.«<«. Setting—/* One. Ed Hill gets, away from the average rapid cartoonist who works on the stage in that he uses sponges to put on the color of his'picture, his work being in black and white. —, . He starts in by drawing is crayon out- lines the head and long scrawny neck of a woman. This picture be builds up, first with several styles of hair dreaa and in succession more than a dosen styles of hats. He also drapes the body with a for coat and long matt over the arm. During the course of bis drawing run keeps up a patter that refers to the advancement of "Bany** from a poor country girl to a woman of ease and luxury. He is a quick worker and a clever artist. B- W« DENNY AND DOYLE Theatre Twen ty- third arrest. Style— Song and piano. Time—Ten missis*. Setting—fn one. Lieut. Jack Denny and Ellen Doyle open with a Httle dialogue and then bare a piano brought on. Denny plays and Miss Doyle sings three songs. , Denny- then plays a born while she dances. He then plays while he talks a song about the work: in the amy. FOX a finish Denny plays "taps" is jass style while Miss Doyle dances. _ The act was well liked. E- W. RALPH CUMMINGS & CO. Theatre— Keith'* (Jersey City.) Stylaj— Comedy tketck. TIlllS .Til IIIIs) (inn minute*. Setting— Boxed *oene in three. Balph Gummings, beet known for his stock and dramatic work, has * very clever comedy skit in which be is as- sisted by two women. The scene is laid in a lawyer's office and the characters are the lawyer, his wife and bis stenographer. It early de- velops that husband has long since ceased to care for bis wife, who belongs to the freak class. Lawyer and Us "etenog** an getting along in the love making business when wifey is announced aa the lawyer's washerwoman. ' The wife tells hobby that she found on the street a pawn ticket celling for a seal- skin coat and asks him to go and 'get it. When he leaves \rifey, in a phone con- versation, discloses the fact that the cost , bad been purchased for bar by as old Hani admirer and the pawning idea was her own to disarm husband's suspicion. The stenographer then appears and, aa abe does not know wifey, she "calls her down" for calling the lawyer by bis first name, tells her the lawyer does not love; his wife and does love her (the stenog.). The husband returns with a dilapidated coat which the wife says is not hers and a messenge r boy brings in a handsome sealskin coat which the lawyer presents to his stenographer, and which the wife, later, recognizes as hers. Because of bis wife's anxiety and remarks about the . coat the lawyer suspects all is not right and, assuming the role of injured in- nocence, accuses his wife of receiving gifts from another man. The bluff works. The wife is completely cowed and the stenographer geta the coat. The skit is bright, witty and well written and ia well presented by Cum- mings and his assisting players. The only fault that miaht be found is that the ending ia too abrupt. E. W. EMMA CARUS Theatre— JUvenide. Style—Sow* and Talk. Tim*— Twenty-five minute*. Setting—Special. TBiptnn Cams, after. a short musical comedy engagement, is back in vaudeville with a new partner and a brand new act. The partner is Walter Leopold, who fur- nishes the piano accompaniments, sings S solo, joins in a dance and works well with the clever comedienne. Miss Cams opens with a song called "I'm Glad to Get Back." This was fol- lowed by a six-minute talk on pro- hibition, a collectisn of stories clever and pointed so well put over that the great value of Miss Cams as as anti- prohibition orator was apparent. Leopold, who had been excused to get. his handkerchief during the.monologue, returned and sang a ballad while Miss Cams changed to an Irish costume and sang a rollicking song telling of the time when the fighting Irish come home, -a. coos song in which a colored lady de- scribes the appearance of the darky who ia "stuck** on her was put over witii great effect. Miss Cams next sang "Ja-Da," a novelty number with telling effect,, and then a "somebody will love me" song in which Leopold joined is the chorus. The act finished with some clever danc- ing on the part of Miss Cans with Leopold as her partner. The new act, like all the Cams acts, is smooth, fast- running and entertaining every bit of the way. There was applause and encores aplenty at the Monday night showing. W. V. THE MEMORY BOOK Theatre— Fifth Avenue. Style— Dramatic Playlet. Time— Fourteen minute*. Setting— Special Frances Nordstrom, William Fink- ham and two children are featured in "The Memory Book," a unique playlet. The offering is remarkably well staged, the characters perform well, and the act holds interest throughout. There is a drop with- two «iM8ng jsbsBss, so ar- ranged that when.they.arrdrawn apart a circular partition is left, allowing one to look in upon a full stage setting where the action takes place. Upon the panels being moved, an old, white-haired lady is seen at a table, looking into sort of old album, where- in she keeps tokens of happenings of long ago. As she thinks of each one, the panels are drawn together. Then, in changed settings, the happenings re- ferred to take place. first, she is seen as a child with her youthful playmate. The second scene shows her with her husband just after the birth of their first child. In the third scene, she is seen in old age, play- ing checkers with her aged husband. Finally, she is left, soliloquising over the death of her husband and son and remarks that she is soon to join them. The lines for the sketch are well writ- . ten. - It posseses a bit of humor in the child scene. The offering has sentiment that should appeal to almost any au- dience. I. S. ROBERTS AND RODEN Theatre— Fifty-eighth Street. Style—Singing and talking. Time— Twelve minute*. Setting— In one. Roberts and Boflen, a mas and wo team, have combined some singing, whistling and nut comedy into an act that possesses very little class ssd fails dismally in producing laughs where they are needed. The pfagtng is poorly done, the comedy is poor and tile whistling - po ssesse s more volume than anything else. The woman member of the team starts with a song about her partner, who ap- pears when she is through. They follow with the usual sort of dialogue employed by nut comedians, she acting as the straight. This part of the offering is hot only poor as far as material is concerned, but they do not put it over well. She then leaves the stage and he whistles some popular tunes. She afterward re- appears and sings a song, after which they render some more dialogue. They leave doing a sort of dance, be whistling. The offering, as it is, can not hope to get over anywheres except on the small- est of small time. It should be entirely revised. The nut comedisn is not only naturally unfitted for the part he plays, but is poorly support ed. L S. SERGT. JIMMY DIXON Tbentre^r—Twenty-third street. Style— it analogue. - Time—Ten minutet. Setting— In one. ; Sergt- Jimmy Dixon, d ress ed in khaki uniform, presents' a monologue on cur- rent topics, which he delivers in Italian dialect and at the 83d Street theatre last Wednesdaywas so well liked that he was heartily recalled. He finished with a song. -... . -' Dixon's material is fairly good and la delivered in a manner that gets the most possible out of it. ' BL;W. KNUTE ERICKSON Theatre—One Hundred Twenty-fifth Street, (tryout). Style— Monologue. Tims— Twelve minute*. Setting;— In one. Knute Bricrson received a generous- amount of applause, considering the act he presented. He entered pretending to lead a lady in on bis arm, for comedy pnrposts, and received a giggle from two persons in the house. Then, offering the imaginary woman a chair, he immediately forgot her until the end of the skit when he- pretended to escort her out. That part of the act could be worked up a bit. After having seated the imaginary woman, he went into a "n u t" song which be followed with some verse set to music. Some poor patter that needs improve- ment followed the verses. The best part, of the act was a "coon" song which he rendered with the assistance Of the or- chestra. The number was very well presented and scored high. Some comedy in pantomime followed and went over. " A recitation impersonating an English "Tommy*'. telling his opinion of the- Yanks before and after seeing them fight .sent the set off to a good finish. - Al- though the act is poor in spots, it is nicely delivered and should find the small time houses easy going. G. J.H.- MABELLE AND BLOME :•-■:- ■■■"£ ■■■ '-" - Theatre— Fifth Avenue. . Style—Dancing. - : :■}■ ■ -.<■,' Time—Fourteen minute*. Setting— Special. MaBelle and Blome, who have been seen in several Broadway shows, are- doing ia dancing act in vaudeville that should ciimb to the top in short time. The two. look well and dance well, the turn generally po ssessi n g all of the re- quisites of a good dancing act. -" - Miss MaBelle is a toe dancer of no- mean abEjty and Blome also knows a thing or two about stepping. The of- fering is nicely put on, and the manner in which the two go through thefar routine of dances is graceful and ar- tistic - They start with a dance together ' Bert is nicely done, Miss MaBelle step- ping on her toes. Bach then does a. - dance alone, Blome displaying agility and speed. Another dance ensemble i» foBowed by two more single dances Their concluding number, a double- dance with numerous difficult steps and? variations, is a corker and won them * urge sized round of applause. As it is, the act seems to be ready for a swing over the big time circuits. IS. MILDRED ANDRE AND GIRLS Theatre— Regent, Style— Mutical. Time— Sixteen minute*. ...^ Setting— Special . MUdren Andre and four girl violinists have a musical act that seems destined' to play the better small time all. oyer the country and, perhaps, some of the sassiasss big time. The offering is nicely put on, ^he girls play well, mo ve ab out with grace and ease, and the turn, as a whole, has a big pnneb. Mildred Andre starts things with a few explanatory Bses in one, telling of what is to follow. The drop is then raised and the girls proceed' to render s> number of classic and popular tunes ensemble. There is a song by one of the girls, for variety, and the violin- solos also help to do away with any monotony that might be caused. The songs for the set have been care- fully selected and the girls put then* over welL They are neatly costumed, work: well together, making up a good' musical offering. L iB.