Exhibitors Herald and Moving Picture World (Apr-Jun 1929)

122 EXHIBITORS HERALD and MOVING PICTURE WORLD May 12, 1928 Chicago Chicago Week Ending May 6 "Steps and Steppei-s" is the stagre presentation at the Chieag-o this week. The show oijens with a fine tap routine by four boys and girls of the ballet. This is followed by the band number "Little Coquette." The stage set represents a scene in a large conservatory and is very effective. A member of the band sings the song well. Ilomay Bailey is next with a group of songs, including "Without You Sweetheart," and "A Shady Tree." As she sings the latter a shady tree drop lowers behind her. As she exits six boys and girls come out to do one of the best tap routines this reporter has seen in many days. They dance to "Shady Trees." and then another drop back of the orchestra appears which shows a night scene of a city from a roof garden, and the effect of being on a roof garden is very skillfully produced. Charles Huey, a very young chap, is next with a very good whistling act. He renders "I Told Them All About You," "Listen to the Mockingbird," and "Is She My Girl Friend." The boy gets a fine hand which he undoubtedly deserved. Lou Kosloff next announced Glenn and Jenkins, t%vo boys dressed as negro porters. They do a short dance while sweeping the stage with long handled brushes and this is a riot. They then go into the best line of wise cracks heard in any picture house since way back when. These boys sui-ely have the gags and know how to put them over. The house laughed itself out of breath. They offer a clever hard shoe dance, and do their stuff on a banjo and harmonica. The best blackface team in a long time in picture houses. They belong back in the old minstel days. The tap dancing ballet of six boys and girls do another splendid routine to the tune of "There Must Be a Silver Lining." And then a wide flight of stairs appears and the ballet does a knockout tap routine on the stairs. This ballet is the real hit of the show. The curtains close as they finish. A fine presentation. Boston Metropolitan Week Ending April 26 This week was celebrated as the first birthday at the Met of our popular band leader. Gene Rodemich. The John Murray Anderson production, "Cameos," was presented. The first number was by Gene and the band buys, folowed by "A Cameo of Dance" by the popular Foster Girls. Then the Lett Sisters and Louise sang some harmony niimbers. Tommy Wonder, juvenile dancer, did some snappy jazz footwork. The first dance was done in Russian costume and consisted of difficult steps but Tommy sure could step them all. Gene and the band gave us another selection made up of hits played during the past season. Then the Foster Girls put across some acrobatic work on a huge spider's web which was lowered to the stage from above. Coscia and Verdi, stringing comedians, entertained with jokes and musical take-offs. "A Crystal Cameo" was the name of the final act. The girls were in gorgeous silver spangled costumes and stood in a framework in back of the stage. The entire company came on again for a last short act. A very attractive finale. Film : Pola Negri in "Three Sinners." New York Strand Week Ending May 11 Leon Navara, in his second big week at the Strand, features in H. W. CruU's "Radio Nights." Show opens with gigantic radio set on stage, and loud speaker on top of the set — Leon Navara, in the speaker, announcing a special line of chatter to open the show, then introducing : The Mark Strand stage band, billed as The Aristocrats of Jazz, who offer "The Dance of the Blue Danube" — better playing, and seating arrangement than last week. The Ada Kaufman Girls present a Boxing Dance — the eight girls dressed as boxers, giving a fairly good imitation of our champions. Madame Mignolet, in the loud speaker before scrim cover, does a very beautiful Italian Operatic number, went over very good. The Meryl Sisters — artists of the dance — present a snappy jazzy high-kicking number which is full of vim and pep — pronounced as exceedingly good. They did a double, each a single, and a double closing. Leon Navara again treats his newly found friends to one of his peppy piano solos — of the type that stopped the show last week, and it did the same this week. He has a hard time refusing an encore. Billy Claire — clicks with usual resounding applause — a favorite in New York. Ada Kaufman girls — another cute little dance — going over big. Julia Gerrity, two "blues" singers rolled into one — which goes both ways — puts over two numbers, one of them, "Back in Your Own Back Yard." She has a little cry in her voice, and does her work in good style — big hit. Joe Randolph's Six Banjo Daisies — offer a banjo selection, and when another light is flashed, they are in blackface costumes and makeup in a second. Reversible makeup, in three colors, white, red and blackface. The six boys do specialties, and finish in a snappy banjo selection. Philadelphia Carman Week Ending April 28 The "White Way Revue," a swift-moving presentation of comedy specialties, catchy melodies and brisk dancing, scored a decided hit at the Carman this week. Harry Ross and Eddie Edwards provided hilarious comedy in an amusing sketch "In Wrong." They kept the house in an uproar with an unbroken line of comical dialogue and theirs was the outstanding I)erformance of the evening. The OUie Thomas Saxymphony, a quintet of saxophones with the size of the instruments increasing with the height of the players, offered a variety of melodies. The Gauthier Sisters, danced and sang with grace and spirit. The Dufor Boys and their eccentric dancing were well received. They have individuality of style and their diflScult steps were clever and up to date. Mildred Byram sang off stage in a pleasing voice as a feature of the overture and also accompanied herself on a mandolin in another song. Selections from "The Student Prince" were played by the Carman Grand Orchestra under the leadership of David Pesetzki. San Francisco Granada Week Ending May 3 A Publix revue, "Blue Plate," with a delectable assortment of melody and fun, and plenty of local trimmings, was the stage dish offered Granada patrons this week. Incidentally, it served to introduce Phil Lampkin as leader of the Granada SyncoSymphonists and master of ceremonies. Young Lampkin, a native of San Francisco, has had a lively career within a span of a few years, having been successively an actor, a band leader, a prize fighter and a radio entertainer, and the qualities which made him a leader in these activities were in evidence in his Granada performances. The act opened with the appearance of Lorraine Tumbler before the curtain singing a song about Holland and when the curtain arose it disclosed a Holland setting in blue and white, with a huge plate in the background. The twelve Foster Girls offered a Dutch dance, all in blue and white costumes. They carried the novel neck yoke of Holland, from which baskets were suspended, and concealed in the baskets were carefully tuned electric bells, on which they played, as they danced, to the tune of "Two Little Wooden Shoes." Gordon and King, male dancers, offered a Dutch number, which brought an encore, and the orchestra offered a novelty number descriptive of a small town circus. Phil Lampkin demonstrated his versatility by playing on several instruments and ending by singing "I Still Love You." The Foster Girls next offered an unusually effective dance, which proved a study in blue and white. Myers and Hanford, introduced as "two butter and egg men from Amsterdam, and the whole cheese, too," sang "Down in Arkansas," played a duet on a musical saw and danced in true Arkansas style. Koehler and Edith gave an exhibition of fancy skating which was one of the best this reporter has ever seen. The blue and white plate in the background went up and a bevy of girls was disclosed posing on a Dutch windmill. The act came to an end with the windmill revolving, the girls still decorating the fans. New York Roxy Week Ending May 11 A very high-grade brand of entertainment was presented on the stage this week, opening with the Symphony Orchestra's Overture, "1812." Beatrice Belkin and Douglas Stanbury present a duet from "Rigoletto" — with special scenery and lighting, and costumes to fit atmosphere — very dramatic opera number. "The Spider and the Fly" — a living picture of the fable, by Flora Duanc, Lillian LaTonge, Rath Porter and Harold Arias — interpreted in a striking stage silhouette, beautifully executed. Dance of the Skeletons, by Markert's 32 Roxyettes — another demonstration of the novelty and precision that has characterized this troupe. "La Marseillaise" by the Roxy Ensemble, a dra matic and musical staging of the famous scene of French Revolutionary days. "Moonbeam.s" — a big ncene with Gladys Rice, Aldo Bomonte, the chorus and the Ballet Corps, — Victor Herbert's masterpiece presented in a truly wonderful manner. "Story of the Flower" — by Joyce Coles, Nicholas Daks and the Ballet Corps, presenting the birth of the flower, its growth, the bee coming to take the honey, and its final death — the petals are by the ballet girls, the pollen and bee by the two stars mentioned above. Danse Moderne-Religio.so, by Von Grona and his Dancers — a recent arrival from Germany, and an expert of the new school of dancing based on the abstract. Chicago Uptown Week Ending April 28 "Milady's Fan" which was reported at the Chicago theatre last week was the title of this week's presentation at the Uptown. The Ada Kaufman Girls assisted by two clever dancers Ojeda and Inibert opened with the performance in a snappy manner. Benny and Western were introduced by Frankie Masters as the two boys who were rocking the country with their sensational dancing. The boys also rocked the Uptown patrons too. Frankie Masters must be commended on his clear announcing. Bcrnice and Emily went over in a fine manner with their clever acrobatic dancing. The patrons wanted more, but two numbers was all the girls would do. Dorothy Neville, the girl whose voice goes as high as the moon received considerable applause for her number. Lamberti, one of the oustanding numbers on this pi-ogram was given a big hand for his interesting playing on the xylophone. For the finale, the orchestra played "Milady's Fan" while the entire cast assembled amidst beautiful stage settings for the curtain. Detroit Michigan Week Ending May 4 "Galloping On" is the Frank Cambria offering on the Michigan stage this week, a presentation of a Ziegfeldian nature in its general opulence and impeccable staging. The scene is an English countryside during the height of the hunt season, which of course gives the cast ample opportunity to appear in colorful costumes. The Bachelor Octet and the Equestrienne Quartet are singing ensembles of importance which indulge in luscious harmony. Another elaborate musical number is the playing of "Rain" by Del Oelbridge and his Michigan Syncopators. Ben Blue provides some great comedy and proves to be an eccentric dancer of no mean ability. Mariam Lax, a pleasing soprano, and Robert Cloy, a splendid tenor, contribute a hai-monious duet. Ample comedy is provided by the antics of "Bonzo," a qtiaint bull dog, the characterization presented by Alfred Latell. Animals are Latell's forte and he has played all manner of such parts, from the wolf in "Little Red Riding Hood" to the complacent cow in "The Wizard of Oz." "Bonzo" is the melancholy mongrel which Latell first made famous with Maude Adams in her immortal success, "Peter Pan." He is assisted in his present act by Sylvan Dell — a cognomen which sounds quite nom de plumish — whose love for "Bonzo" leads to a series of mirth-provoking incidents. Eduard Werner's symphony orchestra has some vocal trimmings in the rendition of selections from the opera "Faust." Philadelphia Fox Week Ending May 5 Dave Harmon and his Everglades Syncopators at the Fox this week supplied the background for the Syncopated Revels, which provided an evening of entertainment that was varied and uniformly good if not strikingly original or noteworthy. Dave Harmon acted in the dual capacity of orchestra leader and master of ceremonies. The act opened with the orchestra seated behind a curtain of glittering, iridescent strips which rose to show an attractive tropical garden with deep blue sky dotted with stars making an effective setting for the opening number, "Mandalay," played with spirit. Al Bundy and Tess Norway did a whirlwind dance and the ease with which Bundy flung his partner around him made the audience gasp. The orchestra intervened with a clever parody entitled "How I Love My Vulgar Boatman." Benny Kameroff, in Russian costume, did amazing things with a miniature accordion, playing a medley