Exhibitors Herald (1926)

December 11, 1926 EXHIBITORS HERALD 41 girls shed the ginghams and did a neat step routine in green jazz costumes. “Meadowlark,” by the band, was the next number. It was well done and took a good hand. Following this Sidney formally introduced Miss Gillette, who sang Herbert’s “Sweetheart,” and for big audience returns. During the running off of this number two “vision” pictures were created up and back. Miss Gillette next announced a girl and boy dance contest, which was decided by the house for the boys. This the band started with “Black Bottom” for music, swung into “Milenberg Joys” and went back to “Black Bottom” to close. Sidney, in street clothes, did his “Charleston” novelty recitative and then sang “I Wonder Where My Buddies Are Tonight,” which went over better than any of his other numbers. “Hello, Bluebird,” sung by Miss Gillette with a Sidney assist, was the next offering. Halfway down the eight girls and eight boys, all in bright blazers and whites, came on and went into a “choo-choo” production offering that was good stuff and hit hard. It looked like a musical comedy lift, but was the kind of revue material picture houses can use to good advantage. Morton and Mayo returned and did their burlesque apache, creating gales of laughter. Another addition to their act was set into this part of the turn — reading gags from the newspapers. Most of the gags landed. To close, Miss Gillette sang “I’d Love to Call You My Sweetheart.” Ddwn near the end the black drapes behind the band were raised, revealing three sets of stairs on which the girls and boys of the chorus were spotted, attired in colorful costumes. The whole finale was a splash of color and indicated good production effort back of the show. Observation : Talk on the Rialto early in the week was to the effect that the band didn’t mean much. Maybe that was true early in the week. The outfit was new in the house and probably never had played for an act. But when the show was caught on Friday night the band was doing much better than the run of girl bands this reporter has heard, and he’s heard many of them. Miss Gillette, good looking blonde, is made to order for her role of mistress of ceremonies, and in addition has a splendid voice. For improving the band: The drums and the brass choir need to be muted considerably. The drummer at times becomes so ambitious that half the instrumental effects are killed. The first trumpet knows her notes and is a big asset. Miss Moneak directs with nice economy of gesture, and her girls respond _ well. She probably would look better attired in a tuxedo. Chicago Chicago Week Ending December 5 Paul Whiteman brought his show to this house this week, and what a show it is! What a show what a band what a leader! And what a reception from what a crowd. Then after he’d done his stuffs— what an ovation! Paul’s got everything. The show in full ran like this : Overture: “Four Indian Love Lyrics,” title taken from James Fitzpatrick music reel, which ran with orchestral and vocal music, directed by Adolphe Dumont. Nothing finer than this in all the wide world for this purpose. Dumont and his associates deserve a world of praise for what they did with this number — and Fitzpatrick deserves another for the film. “Temple Bells,” “Less Than the Dust,” “Till I Awake” and Abbott Ballet — Central Park , Chicago. Akimoff, Alexander State, Los Angeles. Albert, Don and Orchestra State, St. Louis. Amedio Brothers — Central Park, Chicago. “American Beauties” (Hendrie and Biese, Adele Gloria, King and King, Hicks Brothers) Am bassador, St. Louis. Andre, Mildred and Co. — Rialto, Omaha. Ash, Paul and Band — Oriental, Chicago. Barrie, Stuart^— Ambassador, St. Louis. Bernier, Peggy Oriental , Chicago. Brader, Harry and Orchestra Rialto, Omaha. Brock Sisters — Capitol, Chicago. Connor Twins State, Los Angeles. Covington, Esther Capitol, Chicago. Dean Brothers Norshore, Chicago. Delbridge, Del and Band Capitol, Chicago. Demeaux and Hamilton Revue Norshore, Chicago. De Merle, Dorothy Missouri, St. Louis. Dolores and Eddie Grand Central , St. Louis. Dumont, Adolphe and Orchestra — Chicago, Chicago. Fisher, Max and Band State, St. Louis. Foursome Oriental, Chicago. Gillette, Ruth— Harding, Chicago. Givot, George Central Park , Chicago. Graham, Danny Strand, Omaha. Jensen, Axel— Capitol, Chicago. Kahn, Sammy and Band Central Park, Chicago. Keates, Henri A. Oriental, Chicago. Kent, I. ee, Metropolitan , Los Angeles. Lane, Drury Metropolitan, Los Angeles. Lang, Arthur — Missouri, St. Louis. “Kashmiri Song” are the four numbers combined in the reel. Newspicture, including “Chicago Daily News” views of Army-Navy game. (They advertised these out front.) Pit accompaniment. Murtagh doing “Bird’s-eye View of My Old Kentucky Home” on the organ and sticking in “Rock Me to Sleep in My Old ’Tucky Home” (an oldtimer worth reviving) and “Kentucky Home” for adornment, finishing with vocalist in organ loft singing chorus. Good returns. Paul Whiteman and his band working in white uniforms and paralyzing the house. Among his numbers were “The Girl Friend,” “How Many Times” (sung by his trio), “Rhapsody in Blue” and “When Day Is Done.” Wilbur Hall, who does impossible things with a trombone, also worked an eccentric comedy fid number for gales of applause. The trio, great looking chaps who sing softly, but how, got similar returns. The featured trumpeter is a show — and a band — in himself. So are the pianists. But it is Whiteman himself, whose personality, announcements and such have the world stopped, who gets and deserves the credit for the best entertainment yet sent out oyer the Publix route. For the benefit of musicians present who want what should be an expert report on the technical aspects of the unit, here’s what Edward Moore, stiff collar music critic of “The Chicago Tribune,” wrote about it : “Paul Whiteman and his orchestra are at the Chicago theatre this week — they are to be at two other Balaban & Katz theatres for two weeks after this one — and it is worth dropping in to hear them if only to inculcate a humble mind. For the Whiteman organization is so agile, so alert, that it makes other orchestras, symphonic or operatic, sound sluggish and heavy footed by comparison. “There is a trombonist who is simply incredible in his speed ; a couple of trumpeters who sound three or four notes higher than anything you will find in symphonic or orchestral scores, and do it merely as part of the day’s work ; a clarinetist who takes a glissando slide for home along about half an octave ; a saxophonist whose tone is a fine and lovely art; a banjoist, a pair of pianists, people who play half a dozen different instruments and think nothing of it. “And when Mr. Whiteman announced yesterday that the next number would be the “Rhapsody in Blue” the audience exploded into applause. _ What other major native composition or foreign either, can equal that greeting in America?” Observation: If it is possible to set a band show into the Chicago theatre for the purpose of keeping that house as permanently packe 1 as Ash keeps the Oriental, Paul Whiteman’s is the show for the stand. And his reported Publix figure ($9,500 weekly) would be a moderate one for the effect he’d have on this box office. On his opening night he was as intimately po^ ular with his audience as Ash is with his, yet the styles of the two men — and their music — are different enough to permit featuring them in houses a block apart. Chicago Central Park Week Ending December 4 (Last Half of Week ) To produce two shows a week is no small task for any man, yet the Harry Gourfain (producer), Sammy Kahn (conductor and master of ceremonies) combination has been doing very well at this house for months and shows no signs of dropping off. The show for the last half of last week, though caught on opening night, looked well and Loomis Twins^— Ambassador, St. Louis. MacFarland, Helen Grand Central , St. Louis. Marseilles, Maurine Central Park , Chicago. Maye, Edy the— State, Los Angeles. Moneak, Elena and Band— Harding, Chicago. Morgan, Gene and Band— State, Los Angeles. Morton and Mayo— Harding, Chicago. Murray and Levere— State, Los Angeles. Murtagh, Henry B. Chicago , Chicago. Norman, Karyl — Missouri , St. Louis. Perkins, Johnny— Central Park , Chicago. Rennie, Orville— Grand Central , St. Louis. Rice, Edgai^— Capitol, Chicago. Rizzo —Capitol, Chicago. Rodemich, Gene and Band— Grand Central , St. Louis. Rose, Irving and Orchestra Ambassador , St. Louis. Sidney, Jack Harding , Chicago. Silverman, Dave and Orchestra Missouri , St. Louis. Slosser, Milton— Missouri, St. Louis. Small, Paul— Oriental, Chicago. Sorel and Gluck —Oriental, Chicago. Stadler and Duffin— State, Los Angeles. Susette and Jose Harding , Chicago . Vernon Serenaders Metropolitan , Los Angeles. Vernon, Walter Central Park , Chicago. Watson, Milton Norshore , Chicago. Webb, Louis— Rialto, Omaha. Wells and Winthrop Oriental , Chicago. Whiteman, Paul and Orchestra — Chicago , Chicago. Wong, Joe Norshore , Chicago. the house loved it. The show here reported, titled “You Must Come Over,” ran thusly : Drapes parted revealing colonial-house drop, in front of which worked the band, the men attired in tuxedos. “How I Love You” was the opening band number, into which Kahn set a vocal section. Following, in number one position, were the Amedio Brothers, musical combination playing accordion and sax-clarinet, accordion and clarinet, accordion and sax and, to close, two accordions. Amedio the elder, long one of the finest accordion players in the business and one worth the money ,to any picture house, has reshaped his act with the addition of the other man and the other instruments. The act as here reported is new and had a few rough spots in it. Amedio the former single has enough experience to smooth these roughnesses. The other half of the team is able. Practice in duet is what the boys need. They played a series of popular numbers, the band backgrounding, and once or twice becoming too loud. Following the Amedios were Fern, Anderson, Melba Cordes, Muriel Moore and Emily Perbohner, Abbott girls, singing “Nize Baby” and putting four dolls through a trance routine. This number was one of those “cute” things that picture house stage shows need. But SYMPHONIC I HAWLEY I I Original Singing Dancing I ORGANIST Covent Garden Theatre CHICAGO 60 Acts Reported in This Issue