Exhibitors Herald World (Jul-Sep 1929)

120 EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD July 6, 1929 WITMARK SONG SLIDE ORGAN PRESENTATIONS OF HIT SONGS A SONG DERBY Featuring WHY DID YOU LET ME HAVE MY DREAMS AM I BLUE? (A race track song idea and sure applause winner) MAYBE— WHO KNOWS DANCE OF THE PAPER DOLLS By Sam Serwer LADY DIVINE I'M THIRSTY FOR KISSES DANCE OF THE PAPER DOLLS SMALL SETS MAYBE— WHO KNOWS (YOU MADE ME LOVE YOU) WHY DID YOU? I LOVE YOU— I HATE YOU (THEME FROM "CAREERS") VITAPHONE RECORDS AND SLIDES I LOVE YOU— I HATE YOU MAYBE— WHO KNOWS Write for Slides and Information to JIMMY CLARK, Mgr. Organ & Song Slide Dep't 321 West 44th Street, New York M. WITMARK & SONS 1650 Broadway NEW YORK Milwaukee Wisconsin Week Ending June 28 Fanchon and Marco's "Idea of Beauty" opened this week with an overture by the Joyboys under the direction of Al Lyons in honor of the International Kiwanis convention which is being held in Milwaukee. The ballet of 24 Sunkist Beauties staged an attractive dance before a background representing a basket of flowers. The dancers were garbed in yellow and orchid and purple costumes. Miss Carita, the dancing soloist, entertained with some intricate movements. Johnnie Dunn, formerly in "No, No, Nanette" did some clever stepping accompanying himself at the same time on the uke. ' The boy is clever with the instrument, making the one -sound like two. He also obliged with "Tea for Two," and drew good applause. An Egyptian scene furnishes the next setting for the ballet with the Joyboys in the pit, playing "My Blue Heaven." Lucille Page, the youngest acrobatic and novelty dancer in the company, did the solo dancing with rare ability. The number was beautifully staged and well done. Ralph Erwin and a girl staged a skit with dancing and violin. He played and danced at the same time to the tune of "I'm Going to Marry My Sweetheart Soon." Then another Egyptian scene for the ballet with atmosphere furnished by tom-tom music followed, the chorus was garbed in brilliant costumes, carrying large vases. A gold curtain drop furnished the background while the stage was hung with violet, orange, green and rose draperies in beautiful color harmony. A solo dance by little Lucille Page, dressed in a gorgeous white costume with an ostrich fa i headdress completed the number, Miss Page's fine acrobatic and novelty dancing came in for a big share of the applause. Chicago Granada Week Ending June 27 Benny Meroff's stage show was entitled "Let's Laugh Awhile" with Willie and Eugene Howard, formerly with the George White's "Scandals," as the featured attraction. The show opened with the ballet giving a rhythmetic veil dance. At the end of this number came Snap & Ginger with several tap dance numbers and got a big hand. This team was followed by Little Darlienne, who sang "Honey" and then executed a number of back-breaking dances. She was very good and was called back for more. Hal and Marion Vest were then introduced and gave a snappy dance number and were followed by "Benny." himself, who showed that he was not half bad in the use of his hoofs. The ballet then entered, in strut fashion, to the tune of "The Wedding of the Painted Doll" and gave a novel display to show their red and silver costumes. Hal Vest then returned and got a big hand at the end of his solo dance. Then came the Howards, the feature attraction of the bill, who kept the hou.se in an uproar with their fast stream of wise cracks and funny clowning. The finale consisted of the entire cast, each act appearing with a short number and all working into a whirlwind finish. On the screen was Phyllis Haver in "The Office Scandal," Columbia's Screen Snapshots all in dialog which was a decided hit and got a hand and a Vitaphone act. "Jack White and His Montrealers," which was very good and seemed to be liked by all. Kansas City Mainstreet Week Ending June 29 Vertita Gould, in a series of impersonations, headed the stage program at the Mainstreet. So outstanding is the talent of Miss Gould that she proves to be more clever than most of the persons -she imitates. She met with hearty applause all week. Billy Glason, late star of "Gay Paree," offered a round of jokes and songs under the title, "Songs and Sayings." He intermingles his jokes and vocal numbers in a pleasing manner. "The Black Kat Four" are a quartet of Negroes who have a fast dance act which is not excelled by many similar acts seen at the Mainstreet recently. The "Nine Allisons," billed as Europe's greatest family of Risely Artists, come about as near being pin wheels or skyrockets as any act seen recently. They are fast moving and appear to be all over the stage at once. Kelly and Jackson have a comedy turn with a mystery angle to it. The sketch is titled, "Oh May." A large number of laughs are included in the number. San Francisco Warfield Week Ending June 26 This week's stage show at the Warfield theatre is of more than ordinary interest to the theatre-going public. In addition to being a crackerjack of a show, combining the Fanchon and Marco "Opportunity Idea" with the O'Neill Sisters Kiddie Show, it marks the end of the San Francisco engagement of Lynn Cowan, popular composer-singer-director, and brings stage shows at this house to an end. It's a show that entertains, pleases, yet brings a tinge of regret. Lynn Cowan comes before the curtain and explains the "Opportunity Idea" of Fanchon and Marco. This had its start in a contest held yearly in the large cities of the Pacific Coast in co-operation with leading newspapers, when a girl is chosen from each city for some outstanding quality in entertainment. The girls are then taken to Hollywood and trained, afterward being sent out over the Fox-West Coast circuit in an act. The Opportunity Girls make their appearance in costumes representing Gladstone bags and sing an original song. Each introduces herself and it is soon apparent there are girls from San Diego, Pasadena, Oakland, Seattle, Salem, Long Beach, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Portland, Fresno, Sacramento and San Francisco. As they leave a fat girl from San Jose rushes in and expresses fear that she has missed her train and sang "Dream Train," while an odd looking train resembling a caterpillar, with its multitude of legs, rambles on the stage, the stamping of feet imitating the getting under way process. Lynn Cowan presents his orchestra in a rendition of his own number. "Then I'll Know Why," ending by singing the words and thanking the people of San Francisco for the way he has been received in his stay of twelve weeks. He introduces Katherine Orsini, the Miss San Francisco of the Opportunity Girls, who offered a Spanish dance, the act which won her title for her. The O'Neill Sisters Kiddie Revue is next in order and a bevy of dimpled cherubs, clad mostly in smiles, come on and sing and dance, oblivious of all else. A solo number. "I'm Walking Around in a Dream," is offered as the saucy sprites decorate the runway built over the orchestra pit. A wee dancer comes on and dances to the music of the "Pagan Love Song." going off with a fine exhibition of gymnastics. A lad sings "From Sunrise to Sunset" as a girl poses, and is followed by a girl who did a difficult Russian dance. Twenty-four tiny tots then came on and did a Russian peasant dance in costume. A boy and girl did a tap dance and were followed by another diminutive couple whose offering was the "Merry Widow Waltz," with fancy steps. A lad who might still be in kindergarten sang "You Were Meant for Me" and gets vociferous applause, and a wee maid repeats with a fan and toe dance. Three couples sing "Me and the Man in the Moon" and Lynn Cowan plays the accompaniment on his tiny piano as a small girl sings "Button Up Your Overcoat" and other recent successes. A colored quartette sang as only the colored race can and received a great hand. The girls in the revue came down the stairways singing "Where the Shy Little Violets Grow," each in a flower costume, and finally the entire company of forty group on the stage, while the Opportunity Girls pose in the background. Not an adult in the act, except the musicians, but a constant standing line at the entrance and box office, attests the fact that youth is the attraction. New York Roxy Week Ending June 28 The new summer policy here has Lou Holtz, the Broadway comedian, as master of ceremonies and a ca^t of fine stage artists. This week the presentation is called "Le Perroquet." and reproduced the well known cabaret in Paris of that name. The cast included Patricia Bowman, the Roxy danseuse, Mary McCoy, and Paul Davin as vocalists, the Trainor Brothers in an eccentric tap dance routine on a mat, Bud and Bess Carson, whirlwind dancers, and the Roxy Ballet with the Markert Girls. The Overture was conducted by Erno Rapee and presented song hits from the "Fox Movietone Follies" with a fine symphonic arrangement by Maurice Baron and vocal accompaniment by Reine Valerie. The song that was featured was "Big City Blues" staged in full stage setting to represent a large street scene at night with bright lights and Reine Valerie, as soloist, sang the number. Then Lou Holtz came out in front of a plush drop to do a bit of his gaging and later introduced the rest of the evening's fun. We must say that in such a large theatre as this, Holtz's personality as a comic is buried and lost. The amplifying horns help to carry his voice across the large auditorium but that is not the real thing. There is no doubt that his name means something along Broadway, but then the Roxy needs no big name to pull them in, it's always packed. Somehow or other we do not like the summer policy as much as we do the fin* high class stage presentations offered here before. Style made this theatre and that's the only thing