Exhibitors Herald (1927)

EXHIBITORS HERALD 37 September 17, 1927 compelled to play several times before the audience would let him sign off. The several little tricks and pieces of pantomine which he injects here and there during his band conducting makes him stand out as an individual entertainer. The next act on the bill was Bailey and Barnum, the biggest hit of the program. They did nothing different than was offered by them before in another local house, but it seems that the audience was so fed up on the sad melodies of Arabian strains that anything peppy and of popular delivery seemed to hit the right spots. They closed the bill here after taking six encores. The finale was called “Fairest of the Fair,” and brought in the male chorus again, as well as some of the slave girls, who sang the theme song. A caravan was also brought in here, in which the American girl was placed, as the tenor 6inger paraded off with her singing the song. On level platform curtain goes up, displaying beautiful Arabian background, with some of the girls assembled on it as the bands plays “Son of the Desert Am I,” while the entire cast assembles on stage for a harmony finish. Observation: The theme song and the leader’s antics saves this show. Brooklyn Strand Week Ending September 9 Due to the unusual length of the feature picture, John Barrymore in “Don Juan,” the musical portion of Edward L. Hyman’s program was somewhat curtailed. Two stage presentations and the Topical Review were the other three incidents of the show. The deluxe performances started with the overture, von Suppe’s “Pique Dame” by the Famed Mark Strand Orchestra, Willy Stahl and Emil Baum alternately directing. The overture was followed by the Topical Review, which in turn was succeeded by “A Slavic Interlude,” introducing Thalia Zanous, Louis Sclden and the Augmented Mallet Corps of twenty girl6. The production was given an elaborate setting. The routine was as follows: a Mazurka by the ballet corps ; a special dance by Zanous and Selden ; “Dark Eyes” by Amund Sjovik, bass baritone, and Liszt’s “Second Hungarian Rhapsody” danced by the ballet corps. Kansas City Newman Week Ending September 9 Jules Buffano and His Newman Merry Makers were featured in conjunction with “Rustic Revels," a Hay and Hay frolic, this week. Buffano resorted to a practice previously found popular when he allowed the audience to have a voice in the selection of the orchestral numbers. Fred Fauntleroy, Jimmy Van and Louise Ploner were featured in musical and dance numbers. Curry and Osborne had a novelty number, while Don Carroll, Tim Marks and others were blended into the production with musical and dance numbers. The Newman Merry Makers played popular selections as an overture. Omaha Riviera Week Ending September 9 “Montmartre" was the name of the Publix stageshow at the Riviera this week, and it lived up to its name in being a cabaret show and with the orchestra in artist garb, but further than that it was not Parisian. A1 Evans was called upon to do much of the entertainment, singing tenor solos. On his repertoire was “Rio Rita," “Me and My Shadow," “Stolen Moments," and “Forgive Me" and he sang from the list in accordance with the wishes of his audience. Another good singer was Don Carroll. Irene Taylor also sang. Jack Born and Gene Lawrence were the outstanding hits of the week, with their comedy dancing and singing. Their song, “Sally," acted in pantomime at the same time, started them off to continuous applause. Billy Randall played the violin and danced at the same time, doing both strenuously and successfully. Ann and Jean were good dancers, together with the regular chorus of six girls, who also essayed to sing. Among the numbers of the orchestra was a bassoon solo by Wallace Wheeler, who ordinarily plays the piano, which was well received. The picture was “Swim, Girl, Swim*” with Bebe Daniels and Gertrude Ederle sharing the honors. Will Rogers, congressman at large, went over well with pictures of himself in Ireland. Houston Metropolitan Week Ending September 9 “Knick-Knacks,” Publix bandshow, is presented at the Metropolitan this week by Paul Spor and His Merry-Mad Gang. As a whole the show went over very nicely, the only critical comments being on the fact that the setting was not as beautiful as that of the “Jems of Joy” company last week. Setting represened a Venetian Palace, with back drop that raised several times during presentation for different scenes. “Light Cavalry Overture” opened, with six dancing girls stepping a lively time to it. Woods Miller, billed as protoge of Paul Ash, goes over great next with his redition of "South Wind.” Keliog and Lewis, in "College Capers,” present a snappy college pep leader dance that was especially interesting owing to the fact that many students of Rice Institute were in the audience. Loraine Tumler follows, with an atmospheric staging of "Just Like a Buntterfly,” back curtain parting, showing a butterfly girl caught in the rain. Blue spot and commendatory backstage lighting carried out the effect beautifully. Novelle Brothers, famous patominists, come on next with a comedy skit that was received all week with a huge hand. These boys easily top the show. “The Pilgrims Chorus” from “Tannhauser” was the number offered next by Spor and the Gang. Walter Vernon in misfits, comes after band number with a good routine of rube stuff. Gets three and four encores each show. Novelle Brothers, Tumler and Miller, Keliog and Lewis, and Dancing Girls all give second number, coming on ensembled for the finale, which is a unique arrangement of “Fifty Million Frenchmen Can’t Be Wrong!” Show went over great, with a perceptible change of the audience to the good toward the bandsshows as a general thing. Picture was Clara Bow in “Hula,” which, although it was not erratically different, went over solidly. Johnstown State Week Ending September 10 This week Johnstown's most beautiful theatre, the Million Dollar State Theatre, is celebrating its First Anniversary, and what has been conservatively styled the greatest and most appealing program has been assembled by Managing Director Lee M. Conrad. Opening the show with a special Overture by the State Symphony Orchestra, Don Cameron, the director, presented a most unusual novelty. After a powerful opening by orchestra and organ combined several slides were thrown on a scrim drop, expressing the thanks of the management for the audiences attendances during the past year, also the thanks of the organist and the orchestra and its director for the audiences generous applause. After that the curtain behind the scrim drop parted, disclosing a huge birthday cake with an immense candle on it burning, when the candle opened and little Mary Sauers, six years old, stepped therefrom, going into a short but very clever dance to the tune of the Doll Dance. M-G-M News followed and then Mack Edwards, on the mighty Wurlitzer, went into his organscrim presentation of “At Sundown," using one verse and one chorus of this number on the scrim, the scene gradually lit up, disclosing a beautiful exterior set with a little cottage, from where the audiences heard the strains of an electric amplification of the same number in jazz-tempo, and organist Edwards following same right along with the organ. After which DeRonda Read Elliott, soprano, repeated one more chorus with the organ as all lights gradually went out, giving a wonderful effect of the setting sun. After the comedy Big Boy in “Kid Tricks" came the “Yale Collegians," who offered a very wellbalanced program of jazz syncopation. The band dressed in a manner suggestive of the college campus, opened up with the famous Yale college songs, going immediately into a marvellous rendition of Gershwin’s “Rapsody in Blue." The band’s leader does a “Paul Ash," announcing each number in his own peculiar way. Their second number, “You’ll Do It Some Day," with a vocal chorus, proceeded a new number called “Rain," written by Eugene Ford, of Ned Wayburn’s fame, and same took the audience with a popular fancy. A beautiful rendition of “When Day Is Done" and a medley of Yale. Harvard and Princeton songs concluded their act. Then followed the feature picture, Norma Shearer in“After Midnight," rounding out a well-balanced program of two hours, which was enjoyed by the vast audiences that were present for the entire week. AL BELASCO U’ The Dynamic Director and His Novelty Syncopators FEATURED IN LUBLINER & TRINZ STAGE PRESENTATIONS, Alternating at HARDING and SENATE THEATRES, CHICAGO Affiliated with PUBLIX CIRCUIT *He’s the Last Word " INIMITABLE DON ISHAM FEATURED ORGANIST MARKS BROS., EMBASSY THEATRE, CHICAGO Formerly with JENSEN Von HERBERG, JOHN HAMRICK and Other West Coast Circuits JIMMIE FERGUSON Late Co-Starring Comic of SISSLE & BLAKE'S “CHOCOLATE DADDIES” Also Producer of the Revues for CAFE De PARIS Now Playing the Better Class Presentation Houses Personal Direction — LEO SALKINS Standard Oil Bldg., 910 So. Michigan Ave., Chicago