Exhibitors Herald (1927)

EXHIBITORS HERALD November 12, 1927 32 phone solo in his entertaining way which makes him the popular draw that he is today. This is one of the many numbers that Victor Young arranged that are becoming the talk of the town. Bayes and Speck follow next, they are two men in blackface who recently were in the Chicago company of the “Spider’' and who offered practically the same routine of comedy, wise chatter and eccentric dancing. They are without a doubt a very good act for this type of work and should prove very successful in presentation. They were the laugh hit of the bill and stopped the show cold. The Roma Brothers were next with their clever acrobatic stunts and gold painted bodies that have made them a standard novel act in show business. They also received their due round of applause for their splendid efforts. The Moscogni girls appeared again, this time in jingle bell outfits as the entire cast assembled on stage for the finale with a huge swinging bell in background as the Roma Brothers decorated the front as ornaments. An all-around good show from the standpoint of talent and musical arrangements. Des Moines Capitol Week Ending November 5 “Limber Legs” Edwards and Eddie Hill jointly grabbed the honors in the Publix stageshow, “Banjomania,” this week. Edwards gave every indication of running away with the show until Hill appeared and made him look to his laurels. Against a banjo background, the five banjoists strummed the strings in true A1 Reeves fashion while a comely and well costumed chorus helped build for the flash finish at the close. Edwards displayed the most flexible legs observed at the Capitol in many moons. He combined acrobatic, soft shoe and jazz dancing in the slick routine he put over in the time he was on the stage. Hill, with his radio reading and his impersonation of an hysterical woman, got over in fine style. He is a hard worker and never stopped for a second. A sister team and a blonde dancer supplemented the performance with some good dancing. Jimmy EUard sang with his usual gusto and was required to do “Annabelle Lee“ and “Broken Hearted.” With his jazz jesters and their peppy music, Jimmy cemented the show together into a logical whole. The feature picture was “The Fair Co-Ed.” Milwaukee Wisconsin Week Ending November 5 This week's show is “Knick Knacks,” and it might be appropriately added, “a la Joe Cook,” for Joe Cook, former star of Earl Carroll's “Vanities” and three of his unnamed assistants really take up the greater part of this week's bill. The presentation opens with a large laughing face of a clown in front of a red drop. Through the mouth of the clown the Six Abbott Dancers make their appearance while Billy Meyers in clown costume sings an introductory song. The Abbott Dancers in blue costumes do their stuff to the tune of the orchestra behind the drop. When the drop is raised it presents the orchestra in a regular Coney Island setting with all the members of the band in brightly colored clown suits and caps. The leader sings an impromptu song with three of the Abbott girls on either side of him, during the course of which he introduces Joe Cook. Cook is a versatile person and runs the gamut in his performance from dancing to playing a banjo. His first bit of nonsense is a vaudeville performance and ends up with the reading of a bed time story. The orchestra plays “Just a Memory” with Meyers singing the chorus. It is a popular number and gets a big hand. Scotty Weston, in sailor’s garb, obliges with a bit of tap dancing to “Just Once Again,” and “She Don’t Wanna.” He answers an encore with a dancing imitation of a fife and drum corps. Cook next does some dancing and 6hows some Indian relics. He then manipulates the drums while Jane Geddes does some clever dancing to “Falling in Love.” Cook does some juggling which tickles the audience. “Swanee Shore” is next by the orchestra with Meyers singing the chorus. The Six Abbott Dancers next come shotting onto the stage from a slide and do their stuff in a hot dance which draws a good hand. Cook is on again to do a balancing stunt on a see-saw which draws good applause. Miss Geddes again appears to do some more dancing, which includes some neat bits of cart-wheeling. She draws a big hand. Houston Metropolitan Week Ending November 3 Paul Spor and His Merry Mad Gang present “Young America,” the Publix opportunity show, to good crowds, and hearty applause for the girls who go to make up this company. Dance, song and instrumental specialties are featured by girls from the various cities, and Miss Houston — Cordelia Mayberry — is given the spot number for her comedy stuff on the French harp — she is also clever with her tap dance. Bob La Salle and Doris May go over great — they are the professional members of the company. Miss Houston again makes a hit with her direction of the gang in a medley of late blues numbers. This girl has the makings of a rare ad lib comedienne if she gets under the proper management. The show goes over much better than expected, as by this time it is presenting a finesse that sometimes is lacking in the 60-called professional turns. The picture for the week is “My Best Girl,” with Mary Pickford. Maurice, guest conductor, directs the pit orchestra in “Faust,” with a technicolor on the screen. Chicago Chicago Week Ending November 6 Spitalny’s musical production “Memories,” with J. Nastri using the baton and the fine voices of Arch Cannon and Mabel Markell, was the best part of the program this week. A very well arranged motion picture accompanied the music and singing depicting an elderly couple recalling memories to such tunes as “When You and I Were Young Maggie,” “School Days,” “Tell Me, Do You Love Me,” and “The Sweetest Story Ever Told.” The motion picture showed the old couple recalling many ludicrous events in their lives, such as the day she stole the clothes of the boys who were in the old swimming pool and also their first automobile, which situations the audience seemed to enjoy to great extent. “Jazz a la Carte,” as they called the stagehand part of the show, had for its scenery what seemed to this reporter a sea of music. A sextette, singing songs from “The Student Prince,” did some fine work and were rewarded by ample applause. It didn’t take A1 and Ray Samuels, military tap dancers, long to impress the folk present that they were just about in a class by themselves when it came to doing this particularly named dance to perfection. Rose Mary, singing the “Shadow Song,” was quite appealing in this number. The orchestra then played Jules Buffano’s new song hit “I Can’t Forget You” and were joined in the chorus by the “Happy-Go-LuckyBoys,” a trio of pleasing voices, who later sang "Nuthin” in likely manner. Chas. Rosella, that veteran vaudeville comedian, as usual just about held up the show. He demonstrated to the audience that he could play music on a smoking pipe, a lamp post or whatnot. There was a noticeable lack of applause when Peggy English, the blues singer, did her numbers, “Just Another Day Wasted Away” and “Sing Me a Baby Song.” Paul Howard, billed "Just the Last Word” is certainly correctly billed. This reporter saw him for the first time some months ago at the Oriental and never before this was such contortionistic dancing ever viewed. At both the performances the audience showed their appreciation for the work of this young artist. A classical jazzy revue ended this week’s show with an evenly divider! number of voices singing the classical and the jazz side of music and all aided in trying to preserve both classical and jazz music in this most difficultly arranged musical number. Omaha Riviera Week Ending November 3 The first New York production of Publix stageshows was shown during the week, with the original cast from the Paramount theatre, Broadway. The show was Frank Cambria’s “Orange Blossoms,” with a wealth of stars, including Dorothy Neville, Dezso Retter, Earl and Bell, Eugene Cibelli and “Toots.” A1 Evans and his stagehand had as much to do in this show as in any of the earier ones. As the name implies, the setting was of the orange blossom type and bridal decorations were much in evidence. High class music was a feature of the stageshow, in addition to attractive settings. Cibelli, operatic tenor, and Miss Neville, late of "Artists and Models,” were the headliners. Earl and Bell pulled some entertaining selections from their record and radio programs, while “Toots” clowned his way into applause. Arrival of the New York stageshows brought big audiences during the week, according to Manager A. G. Stolte. The film was “Rose of the Golden West.” SAM KAUFMAN “ The Painless Pianist” Now Conducting Stage Bandshows at the new MILLION DOLLAR LAWNDALE Chicago’s West Side Deluxe Theatre JOE FRED McKENZIE and BISHOP f Formerly with Babe Ruth) Now Touring the ORPHEUM CIRCUIT In a Band Syncopation Show Picked by BABE RUTH as the best singingteam in Presentations. Discovered by JIMMY KEEFE, publicity director of the First National Picture* West Coast Studios. INIMITABLE DON ISHAM FEATURED ORGANIST MARKS BROS., EMBASSY THEATRE, CHICAGO Formerly with JENSEN Von HERBERG, JOHN HAMRICK and Other West Coast ED MEIKEL’S ORGAN CLUB Conducted Each Week at the HARDING THEATRE, CHICAGO