Exhibitors Herald World (Jul-Sep 1929)

ulv 6, 1929 EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD 119 TAGE SHOWS Chicago Uptown Week Ending June 27 I After a short stay in the loop Verne Buck relurned to his old stamping grounds and did he I tamp in "Rainbow Trail." hi? stage offering for this I reek. "Rainbow Trail" is a real wild west, shoot ' 3m up, Jesse James massacre, reminiscent of those i aye when the women backed up their arguments ' rith a six-gun. r The show opened to the tunes of an Indian medley. i Tie orchestra dressed as cowboys was arranged in I* sort of sheltered nook in some canyon, river in the background with an Indian lazily paddling his canoe. ■This setting was exceptionally good and well lighted. Vith the opening number the Sorrel Girls, dressed |i£ snappy cowgirls gave a routine dance and ended Its the Bachelor Four Quartette took up the melody. Kt the end of their number Verne made his appear I ince and what a scream ; all dolled up as cowboy je luxe, chaqueta, guns aroarin' and everything. To ihow his hard hearted nature he suggests a stampede ind leads the orchestra into "Stampede" with the , ?nsemble singing and shooting pistols. Next came fean Deveraux, an acrobatic dancer who was called >ack for more and then follow* d Bud Carlell with several clever rope stunts and dances that was folowed by the Sorel girls in a dance to the tune of Verne's characteristic march. The girls then danced | to the tune of "Rose of the Rio Grande" and with real guns and bullets, shot at targets fastened to *.otem poles and as the bullets found their marks whirling lights would appear. After the smoke cleared away and the dead were carried out. Jean Boy dell, comedienne, entertained with several clever imitations and impersonations and featured "Wild. Wild. Women" and "Dance of the Wooden Soldiers." Frank Wilson, not to be forgotten, sang "Louise," was called back several times and Verne augmented the encores by demonstrations of his versatilities. Next came Ossman and Schepp, banjoists, who featured "Precious Little Thing Called Love." "Girl of My Dreams," "Cream in My CofTee" and a medley of southern airs. The finale consisted of the entire ensemble shooting, singing and dancing to the tune of "Rainbow Trail." As this number started, a back drop was lowered, which was a cutout of a mammoth Indian face with the feather headdress composed of members of the Sorel Girls costumed as Indians. San Antonio Azrec Week Ending June 14 The stage show presentation featured a new master of ceremonies, as Ralph Pollock was called to the bedside of his ill mother in San Francisco. Cal. Jack Amluntr. sax player in the band, stepped out for the week and led the Kane and seemed to make many friends with the patrons with his saxophone playing, and boy. when it comes to waving a mean baton, page Mr. Paul Ash and how ! Miss Betty Kane, songstress, was the best act in this unit stage show. She will make Mary Garden look to her laurels within a year or two. thinks this scribe and a wonderful personality too. Others in "The Art Ideas Presentation." included Bob Ragland, who did a trombone solo which went over nice. Bob is one of the regular musicians in the stage band and a number of this kind is always well liked by all sorts of people. Frank Hernandez, grand symphony orchestra maestro, received a big hand for his classical music that pleases the natives. L. J. ("Larry") Pico. "The real pep organist." has new novelties to offer at the console each week. Corinne Griffith in "The Divine Lady." First Nationals audien picture was the screen attraction this week at William ("Bill") Epstein's popular Aztectheatre. Business, above the average and the weather, fair and warm. Next week's bill is Billie Dove in "Careers." with Ralph Pollock back as m. c. on the program. Portland Fox Week Ending June 26 , The Fox Broadway continues their excellent Fanchon & Marco ideas with "Oddities." Though not as spectacular as some, it look honors on the bill throughout the week. A most unusual feature was the xylophone number by a dozen good looking girls, who danced onto the stage with replicas of baby grand pianos each apparently the center of the in strument. Tho pianos turned out to be camouflaged xylophones and the girls played a number of harmonious numbers. Edris Purcell, a dainty miss, conducted the group and led them in a pretty dance. Eubie Blank and Broadway Jones, singer and pianist of dusky hue. were the featured members of the revue. Blake sang and shuffled acceptably and Jones made the piano talk. Both got good hands. Followed the Ben Ali Hassan Troup, a half dozen talented acrobats, who performed with apparent disregard of the laws of gravity. Harry Mason proved a rapid fire monolcgist reciting the tribulations of a head waiter. Tish Joseph's personality singing rounded out an exceptionally well-balanced bill, all introduced by m. c. Jack Kauffman heading the Broadway stage band, whose outstanding novelty number was "Louise." New Orleans Saenger Week Ending June 28 Since the time Noah staged the first vaudeville entertainment in the Ark. "nut" comedians have always occupied a prominent part in all vaudeville bills, and invariably have been of the "he" brand. But this week a novelty with the Publix Unit. Cheerio, in the persons of Grace and Marie Elaine, two buxom lassies has the general run beat four ways from the ace. The ladies sang, danced and gave impersonations out of the ordinary, and more than pleased the audiences. The "nut" brand of acts opens a new field for pretty comedians who in the past have merely kicked off a few steps, gave their impressions of Vesta Tilly and others of the long ago. and got their names in big letters on the program. Helen McFarland was decidedly versatile — sang, danced, kicked up her heels, makes love (stage love, you know), to Ray Teal, and ended her act by a novelty number on the xylophone. Xylophone playing is somewhat tiring, but Miss McFarland makes you want to see and hear more. Dorothy Nelville, an excellent soprano singer, surprised those in the audience with her excellent rendition of classic selections, as acts of this quality are rare, and elicited much praise, both from the local critics and those up in musical technique. The honors of the bill this week however, go to little ten-year-old Rita Moore, a winsome New Orleans dancer and singer, whose numbers far surpass few years. The little miss is a student in one of the city schools and began her "theatrical" career at the age of four years. She is destined to be a headliner on the big time ere many years have passed. The Gamby-Hale Girls, and there seems to be quite a bit of a family of them, had gorgeous wardrobe, knew how to dance and made themselves otherwise attractive to their audiences, especially in the song "You Are the Cream of My Coffee" accompanied by Ray Teal and his stage band. Speaking of Ray Teal it might be mentioned that BOB WEST The Organ Maestro Permanent Addres: Paramount Theatre Brooklyn, N. Y, he if developing into a vocalist of no mean ability, and his rendition of "You Were Meant for Me," etc.. went over big. Castro Carazo and the Saenger Grand Orchestra as an opener to the bill discoursed "Memories," which brought back to the old-timers the days of the seventies and eighties, when music was music and jazz was yet in the unborn state. Wesley Lord at the organ is endeavoring to popularize community singing with the audience, which. Though timid at first, is gradually warming up to the subject. One selection in which the female specie heartily joined was "Papa, Come Home on Pay Night," which proves conclusively that the weaker sex has the true appreciation of money. The film is George Bancroft in "Thunderbolt." which is pleasing. Chicago Regal Week Ending June 29 The Regal is under the new management of I. Jay Faggan and the house it presenting some very interesting stage shows * he.-, days. The Regal has also a new band leader that calls himself Al Bakay. and after getting our first glimpse of Bakay we would judge he'll pass. The band is exceptionally hot so much that the Regal has installed another plant to keep its patrons cool. The presentation opened with Bakay singing or rather talking "Glad Rag Doll" to a pretty colored girl. It didn't get much attention for an opener though. Rather weak. Yech and Stewart, acrobatic on the comedian style, offered 10 minutes of laughs. The boys improved .since last seen. The orchestra was next featured and many of the members gave pleasing solos. We would say that the cornet player, Rubin Reeves, is about the hottest flayer heard in some time. He should be brought on the stage for solos and plenty of them. Bob Morris, sawed off comedian, furnished some clever jokes and dances. This boy got a laugh on each appearance and there was plenty, too. Jean Star, favorite singer in this house, offered "How Can Anything So Good Be Bad" for her first number and she clicked. Her second number won a big applause. It was called "New Kind of Old Fashioned Girl." Miss Star won a flattering hand and she deserved it. The feature on this program was the Three Gobs. This trio was about the most talented ever seen. The boys started out with a song and it took the house down. This would have been enough to prove they were good but. they also danced and after all was done we found out that their dancing was the main event. Clever as could be and the orchestra had to play to keep the audience's applause covered. The finale brought out the entire assembly to do a «hort dance. You'll find you can spend two hour? of enjoyment at the Regal. The Versatile Master of Ceremonies M I L L Now Guest Conductor at the Branford Theatre NEWARK, N. J. "DOC" WEBB Original Organ Novelties at the MARSHALL Square Theatre, CHICAGO UNIFORMS FOR HOUSE ATTACHES COSTUMES FOR STAGE PRESENTATIONS BROOKS 1437 B'way N. Y. City