The Film Daily (1927)

THE -.%g^ DAILV Sunday, October 23, 1927 Presentations By CHARLES F. HYNES How B'way Does It Capitol "Orpheus" is the overture with a Capitol novelty, a scenic, finding second place on the program. During the showing a chorus of mixed voices is beard hack stage singing, ■i.ook for the Silver Lining". For the third time in as many weeKs ueorge Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue" finds a place on a Broadway picture theater program, offered in conjunction with an elaborate ballet. This number is opened with a violin solo, played by a member "of the orchestra from the pit. The scene shifts to a full stage draped in blue hangings of fantastic design giving the effect of a cave. The dancers and girls of the ballet are dressed in blue. There are solo dances by Maslova and Rauth and by Bobbe Amst aswell as unison steps by the Chester Hale girls. The magazine continues and then the chief presentation event comes on. Nora Bayes is featured in this "Spirit of Syncopation" which has Ben Bemie for master of ceremonies and conductor of the Capitolians, stage orchestra. Bernie and the orchestra are presented first, the musicians, wearing black and white clown suits, seated on a movable platform, black curtain to the back with tinseled hangings. The entire stage is given over to Nora Bayes for her number, black drapes for a background with the accompanist seated at a grand piano to the left of the curtains parted center back for the singer's entrance. She sings two songs. The show continues with the Hale girls in a drill dance, their novel costumes outstanding. They are two color scheme affairs carried out in green and blue, the front green and the back blue, for one group of girls while others have dresses of pink and white, pink fronts and white backs. The skirts are feathered and the color scheme is carried out even to the feathered caps. Lester Allen and Nellie Breen, Bobbe Amst and Morton Downey, tenor, are also featured on the bill. The climax presents the entire company, gowned in white and silver costumes, in a tableau staged upon a series of platforms ranging hipher toward the back of the stage. The feature concludes the program. Colony In a program made up of ten numbers, the popular ballad "Ju't a Memory," is played as the introductory offering. This is one of the pleasing renditions of Riesenfeld's classical jazz. Domra solo an instrumental number played on the balalaika is Riesenfeld's contribution to the "Hear one new instrument every week" campaign. AuKU't Werner, baritone, sings "Rose of My Heart." No. 5 is a Tony Sarg marioneUe fantasy "introducing Standard VAUDEVILLE for Motion Pic^are Protealailon The FALLY MARKU8 VAUDEVILLE AGENCY Laekawanna 7ft76 1579 RRO\»WAY, NEW YORK CITY AM/VLGAMATED VAUDEVILLE AGENCY Attractions for Picture Theatres Standard Vaudeville Acts teOO Broadway, New York City Phone Penn. 3580 a sheik and one of Scheherazade's girl friends." "Charmaine" is the next number, sung by Natalie Alt. The new^reei continue . and then "The Seventh Queue," a fanciful dance pantomime that tells the story of an evil-eyed mandarin who collects the queues of Chinese boys and their heads as well. The setting is futuristic in design, screens and drapings being effectively arranged in the background with a string of lanterns to Oiie side while the "heads" of the victims are hung on a line to the other. The dance pantomime shows the six Oriental maidens luring the unsuspecting Chinese boys to destruction and resulting in the loss of his head which i, placed on a table and after passing a scarf over the "head" the "dummy" is replaced by a real head protruding through the opening in the table. Oriental costumes and atmosphere prevail. The feature, a comedy and organ solo are the concluding numbers. Paramount The overture was "Indian Etchings," with tab scenes opening at sides of curtain, the hrst presenting an Indian chieftain, and the other two Indian maids. They sang the current Indian melodies. A great flash was a dancer manipulating filmy white gauze to simulate the Maid of the Mist. The newsreel followed, con-,iosed of clips from Kinograms, M-G-M and Paramount. Then the Crawfords at the two consoles in a medley of popular airs, followed by the Sportiight short, "Football Sense." The stage act was "Dancing Brides," devised by Jack Partington, with Ben Black's stage orchestra carrying the various numbers. The stage set was striking, with the band on a movable platform beneath steps going above them from sides to form a platform above. The first number was "The Waltz Bride," and Ben came on in high hat and all the togs that a best man wears at the wedding. A center panel opened on upper platform and the bride and groom appeared to join the bridesmaids in orange costumes on the stage.. A jazz number by the band, and then a soprano solo. The "Ballet Bride" was a good number, with a couple doing a snappy dance. The comedy was contributed by a tramp who did some great stuff with impersonating of birds and other animals. The soloist was back with Irving Berlin's song, "Together We Two," and the finale brought the ensemble on in fanciful costumes symbolical of wedding cakes, with candles for headdress. The feature was "Tell It to Sweeney," rounding out a popular program with lots of pep. Rialto The Rialto devotes its program entirely to pictures with an orchestral prelude and a vocal ensemble as other features of the entertainment. The overture opens the program, followed by the news weekly and one of the Famous Melodies Series, "Songs of the British I?les", next. In conjunction with this the vocal ensemble is heard. The feature. "Jesse James" and a comedy conclude the bill. Roxy The customary overture opens the program, "William Tell" being the selection of the week. Divertissements which formed the first portion of the pre entation unit consisted of two numbers, the first called "Nocturne," an artistic ballet offering that used a full stage and was carried out with excellent pictorial results in a garden scene with a color scheme of white objects against a purple backdrop. A white "summer house" in the center and two large white urns on either side containing drooping vines which a white scarf draped over each, and white hangings of vine design forming an arch across the front of the stage. As the curtains parted five men and five women, adagio teams, gowned in white with white wig.s, were po^ed in the "summer hou>e" and to each side. They held these po us while 24 girls of the ballet, in white tulle dance frocks and white wigs, performed toward the front. White spots illuminated the dancers while a pale green spot was thrown upon the "statues." in the garden. Wliile the dancers performed the ballet posed and for the finale the original position was reverted to. The second divertissement was the picturesque silhouette, "The Spi.ler and the Fly." explained in detail in la t week's review, the number being retained for a sec ond week. The third unit offered a Georgia Camp Meeting. The scene used was the interior of a meeting tent, through the entrance opening the river was visible with moonbeam > dancing upon the water. The plantation singers, dressed as field workers, were grouped aljout a leader who directed from a small wooden box and started his choristers off by striking a key on the small organ at his side. Negro spirituals were offered. The magazine followed and then the main presentation event, "On a Roof Garden," which presented Irving Aaronson and His Commanders, dance orchestra, the mu icians seated on elevated platforms. A backdrop showing a New V'ork skyline with a huge cutout of the "horn of plenty" was used for a background. Tables were arranged across the front of the raised platform and grouped about them were the entertainers and "roof garden" patrons. "East Side, West Side," sung by the male quartette; "Down by the Winegar Woiks," sung by Frank Moulan, a novelty dance by Elsa Greenwell; the Commanders playing "Miss Annabelle Lee" and "She Was Just a Sailor's Sweetheart," "Wabbly Walk" done by "Red" Stanley, assisted by the ballet and then a Bowery Dance, ending with "East Side, We t Side" by the ensemble, the girls of the ballet wearing red and white dance costumes. The feature ended the bill. Strand Owing to the length of the picture, "When a Man Loves," the Strand presentation is curtailed to the extent of a brief ballet number in which Mile. Klemova and the ballet corp perform "Minuet' and Glenn Dale signs "Love and the Rose." A prelude by the orchestra and the newsreel are the only other numbers on the program. Mark Strand (Brooklyn) Running time of the show was two hours and eight minutes, with one hour and seven minutes going to the feature, "American Beauty," 12 minutes to the Will Rogers' travelogue, 11 minutes to the newsreel and the remaining 38 minutes to the mu ical incidents. The orchestra opened each de luxe performance with Liszt's "Sixth Hungarian Rhapsody." An original piano cadenza, arranged by Willy Stahl, conductor, and played by Otto Schlaff, was interpolated. Lights: lemon ceiling spots and blue borders; green side strips ; three lemon floods from dome, ; potting pianist on cadenza; bridges two green floods on draw curtains and sides. (10 minutes). For the second musical pre enta tion, Fabiano, who plays viola in the orchestra, stepped to the apron of the orchestra stage and played three mandolin selections, "Gypsy Airs," "Just a Memory" and "Gorgeous." He was spotted from the dome by an amber light and all other lights dimmed off. (Three minutes). Following the newsree' came Waring's Pennsylvanians. Their set composed of a silver eye as a background, with an arch drop six feet in front of it. The band, too, was seated as before on an 18 inch platform, with two Steinways on either side of the stage. The band boys attired in collegiate sweaters and white flannel trouser--. Six amber spots in front of arch and six in back of eye; six light blue side spots on floor hitting eye from bottom up; blue borders; light blue floods from dome and bridges. The number opened with draw curtains on production stage closed and all stage lights out. The cardboy in a nightgown and cap and carrying a candle, walked across stage under white spot from dome. At exist draw curtains opened disclosing the band which played "I Wonder How I Look When I'm Asleep," followed by "Bye Bye Pretty Baby," with vocal chorus by Tom Waring. Steel blue spot on singer; bridges light blue floods; dome .steel blue, white at finish. Next came "St. Louis Blues," in a special arrangement. Lemon borders and foots; bridjies and dome three lemon floods. Last half minute of number dome, bridges and stage lights finished flashing, with dome and bridges changing colors. The band then swung into "Just Ano'her Hay." with Waring again singing a chorus. Magenta borders, one half on silver eye; liTht blue box lamps and blue borders; bridges violet floods; lemon when pianit was singing. Number closed with college medley of songs of big colleges. Finn Gets Post Birmingham, Ala. — The Lyric now is under direction of Bennett Finn, who took charge for Inter-State yesterday. OAiU TIPS WHICM M£AM OOUAQS TOC SUOWMtN "The Big Parade" (M-G-M) Flags were borrowed from the Naval Reserve Signal Corps to run down in streamers from roof of theater to top of marquee. Permission was secured from the Army and Navy Recruiting officers for the use of their "A" boards, situated in the down-town district. Special onesheets were printed on tie-up with the Army and Navy. — Lyric, Cincinnati. "Ben Hur" (M-G-M) A letter was sent to all the clergy in Duluth, telling them about the picture. Window display on "Ben-Hur" books was secured in the Glass Block Store, as well as one in Stone's Book Store with an oil painting in each window. — P. F. Schwie, Garrick, Duluth, Minn. "The Cat and the Canary" (Univeisal) Biggest stunt was a "rube" couple ballyhoo, the woman carrying a bird cage containing a canary and the man, a gray cat. Worked the busiest streets, carrying on a conversation through an ear trumpet. At frequent intervals the woman would shiiek, "Look out for the cat and the canary." They were on the street for a week in advance, and proved a riot. Before the opening they were followed by a Chrysler car, bannered with signs reading, "The Cat and the Canary, Univeisal M. P. Co." and bearing a cameraman and dummy camera. The car was escorted by a mounted policeman and gave the impression of taking running shots of the couple. At each corner the car would stop, giving crowds a chance to collect, and pieces of fi'ms containing a sticker, "Scene from 'The Cat and the Canary,' see it at the St. Francis," would be distributed. Five thousand pieces of film were given out. — Herbert Polin, St. Francis, San Francisco. "Fast and Furious" (Universal) Each ad on a co-op page carried one or more misplaced capital letters which, when discovered and put together in the proper order, spelled "Universal." Each space also carried a cut from the "Fast and Furious" press book and copy about picture or star. Window displays were used by the merchants who joined the theater in the ad page. The local agency of the Auburn car. which has tied up nationally with this picture, took space in the page and placed a car on the street properly bannered. — Tim Roberts, Ritz, Mansfield, O. Stein Renews with De Mille Paul L. Stein has been signed to direct for De Mille for another \'p^r. He leaves this week for a short vacation trip to Europe before starting the new contract.