Exhibitors Herald and Moving Picture World (Jan-Mar 1928)

March 10, 1928 EXHIBITORS HERALD and MOVING PICTURE WORLD Chicago Avalon Week Ending March 4 A wonderful stagcshow, perfect arrangements, and ;i pleasing audience. Such was the Avalon theatre this week. Roy Detrich and his band presented through the courtesy of the Herald and Examiner "'O K M N X." The stage was arranged on the order of a lodge or meeting place with the members of the orchestra dressed in Billy Goat hats. The first number was "Horsefeathers." played by the orchestra with the Avalon girls kicking, jumping and what else that goes with a dance. Roy Detrich the well liked leader, appeared and introduced a member of the orchestra, Anthony Kizzo. Rizzo plays the accordion and what don't come out of it isn't in there. He played a selection of songs and then was called back for an encore. The Avalon1 girls, clad in Billy Goat uniforms, did another dance routine to the tune of "Barney Google." The girls were given a nice applause. A special arrangement of the piece "Did You Mean It," was rendered by the orchestra in a very pleasing manner. Detrich introduced Spark Plug's little brother. Hank, the mule, next. This act consists of two girls. One girl is dressed as a mule, and the other as an ordinary girl. The mule did a clever act by going through the audience and sitting on the people's laps. It was given big applause. The next number was just what the people were waiting for, Roy Detrich, the golden voice tenor, sang "My Ohio Home," and was called back for more. Jack and Kay Spangler, reported many times before, again presented their usual routine, which was well received here. The finale was a band arrangement of "I Scream, You Scream" and Detrich introduced Barney Google himself. Barney entered with a baby goat and walked around the stage with the goat following him. A few of the boys in the orchestra sang a little solo in a comical manner. A tricky lighting effect and the accordion player chasing Detrich with a razor closed the pleasing performance. Salt Lake City Capitol Week Ending March 3 The Capitol theatre, under the management of Geo. E. Carpenter, offered an unusually colorful and appreciable stage presentation this past week im the form of Fanchon and Marco's "Harvest Time Idea," in which the famous Welsh Gleemen were presented. This group of 14 male choral artists is recognized as one of the finest of its kind in the world, and has just returned from a triumphant world tour. Ranging from tenor to deep bass, these voices blend perfectly in their varied selection of numbers. Featured with the Welsh Gleemen were another group of Sunkist Beauties, adding the touch of beauty, grace and loveliness to the presentation by their artistically arranged performance. Jelly Bean Johnson, known as the black cloud of mirth, and who appeared here on the opening bill of the Capitol, was heard in an entirely new group of songs and dances. Alberti and his band, with Alexander Schreiner at the organ, rounded out the program with a selection of especially fine musical offerings. Chicago Norshore Week Ending March 4 Al Kvale and his Jazz Collegians have a good show this week. The show opens with a sort of little sketch, wherein Al is forced to give up all his ideas on producing the show. Then he has to think up new ideas for the show, and this is carried out through the entire show. It makes a novel opening number. Margaret is the first on the show and sings "Dream Kisses" and "I Told Them All About You." Her singing is quite good and she gets a good hand. She is followed by George Taps and Mae Lubo, tap dancers. The girl does a high kicking and hand spring dance and Tap follows with a good dance on his toes. The applause is good. Then comes an unusually clever and capable routine dance by the Gould Girls. They are dressed in abbreviated police uniforms that are as smart as can be. Their routine is well timed and their tapping to the rhythm of the music with their billies gets a good hand from the audience. Jimmie Dunn is next with whistling, singing and wise cracks. He gets a good hand for his fairly clever stuff. Margaret Richard and a young man enact a very clever playlet using nothing but song titles for lines. It is comical, and snappy, getting a good hand. Then comes the Chicago favorite, Milton Watson, back in the picture houses after a short time in "The Desert Song." He sings "Smile for Me." "Among My Souvenirs." and "The Lilac Tree." His reception is all that even Milton could have desired, and when he left they still wanted more. Deszo Retter, a clown, is next with a lot of rough and comic falls. As an encore he poses as a wrestler and succeeds in wrestling himself quite effectively. He gets plenty of laughs and a good hand. For the finale Margaret Richard comes out to sing "Moonlight in Balooa." a very pretty song, as the Gould Girls come out with steel guitars, and dressed in Balooa costumes. They really play their guitars ands it makes a hit with the audience. Then the different acts come out to do short bits and as the curtain lowers the Gould Girls appear in beautiful green costumes that match the effective stage set. A good show it is. Detroit Michigan Week Ending March 2 Comedy and fast and furious stepping coming by what might be termed "special delivery," featured the Publix-Frank Cambria presentation "The Fast Mail," with Del Delbridge and his Michigan Syncopators. Mail from all over the world is the novel idea of the show. The Foster Girls, that i6, one of the Foster troupes, were billed from England, and did some clockwork and exact stepping. From France came a parcel post packet comprising the Lo Groh Trio, a group of acrobats that) combine comedy with suppleness. Two singers, Eva Thorton and Myrtle Gordon, won much applause as did an acrobatic dance by Roy Shelton. Keeping in mind the idea of letters and other mail, Eddie Hill was billed as "unclaimed." His antics and foolery were much appreciated and the audiences were delighted that he had been delivered at the Michigan theatre instead of the Dead Letter Office. Eduard Werner, conducting the Michigan Symphony Orchestra, presented selections from "Firefly," and Arthur Gutow, at the organ, gave his impressions of "A Miniature Concert." Chicago Tivoli Week Ending March 4 This week the theatre celebrated with an anniversary show featuring Bennie Krueger and his band and Rae Samuels and many others in a huge stage presentation. In addition to a Publix Unit called "Highlights" there was a Birthday Greeting show. It ran as follows: Opening: With band in the pit while slides were flashed on the screen announcing the anniversary as stage-lights went on. Two girls dressed as pages, took position on each 6ide of procenium with trumpets and as curtain parts a girl comes out to announce the affair in rhyme. Behind is a scrim drop with huge cake design and a large candle wihch turns around and exposes the eight Morgan girls with Phyllis Crane, a little tot, who offered an acrobatic routine and cute baby song. The next ballet number by the Morgan girls was a novelty one, with each girl holding a flower arch as a large design bearing the words "Birthday Greetings, 1928" descending from the fly. This completed the first part of this show and as the second part was reported before, we will not repeat same here. We might add that at the opening of "Highlights," Bennie Kruger was accorded quite a recption and it was evident the crowd missed him during his absence and was more than happy to see him back. Chicago Crown Week Ending March 3 The stageshows at this theatre change every night, as Al Copeland, its band leader, announced. peggy CHAMBERLIN and HIMES (Positively the World's Worst Apache Dancers) Featured Comedy Dancers, "ZIEGFELD FOLLIES OF 1927" Headlined and Held Over for Two Weeks at KEITH'S PALACE, NEW YORK ROSS Copeland introduced Alma West who sang. "Just Love Me," for a starter. She then sang "I Aint Taking Orders from No One," "Some Day, Sweetheart," and "Who's That Knocking at My Door." This earned her an encore of a little dance and a chorus of her last number. The band next played "Sobbing Blues," with Al playing a hot chorus on the piano, Al had to encore this number. A collegiate team. Bud and Bernice Foley, was next, who opened with a little telephone skit. They next offer a smart buck and wing dance. Bernice sang "Rickety, Rackety, Shack," to a good hand. A sign then appeared on the side of stage which read "What Monkey Glands Will Do." Bud entered dressed as nn old man and did a very good eccentric routine. Bernice next sang and danced an Irish song and jig. They were very well received and won two encores. For a grand punch finale Al and the boys each play a hot chorus of a popular number in which they inject a lot of comedy. The presentation was well received. Chicago Granada Week Ending March 5 The show this week at the Granada is called "Hello Charlie," because Charles was supposed to have been in New York making a record. The show opens with the eight ballet girls singing a song which might have been called "Hello Charlie." Then a voice, supposed to be Kaley's answers from a large masque placed over the proscenium arch. The voice stops and the girls do a snappy routine. With the first pianist, Wayne Allen, leading the band, in Kaley's absence, a band number, "I Can't Believe You're in Love With Me." Mabel Hollis, a blues singer, sings capably "You've Got Nothing, I've Got Nothing," and "Here Comes that Showboat." This number is especially good, and the song gets a good reception. De Winters and Henry follow with very good classic dancing. The act is further enhanced by being a bit different from the usual type. This act is followed by a band number, "Tomorrow," which has a very good and unusual arrangement. Brown and Howe, colored man and woman, follow with a pleasing singing and dancing act. Both can dance with no little ability and the man's singing of "Miss Annabelle Lee" deserves good mention. Their dancing both singly and double is good. Lee and Bergere follow with jazz singing and banjo playing. They sing "Ain't She Sweet" and "Good Bye Blues," and the act 6eems to please although there is nothing unusual in the act to mark it. Al Rome, comic tap dancer, gets a big hand with his comedy dancing. He does a clever dance to "The Doll's Dance," for an encore. This is followed with a band number in which each member of the band is featured. For the finale a girl comes out to sing a pretty Spanish song as the girls of the ballet promenade in gorgeous Spanish costumes. As is always the case with the Kaley shows, the finale is the spec of the show, and this one is as pretty as most. Sidare in a Show Hal Sidare, a presentation dancer who created quite a success in Chicago picture houses last year is now being featured in a similar role in a musical production by the West coast producers of Broadway musical successes. Sidare is one of the many picture house artists who has won fame that won them a place on Broadway. PAULINE GASKINS "The Presentation Song and Dance Girl" Now Touring as a Fea i tured Attraction * in a PUBLIX UNIT Many Thanks to MAX TURNER, PHIL TYRRELL and SAM ' BRAMSON of the William Mor ris Agency