Inside facts of stage and screen (March 15, 1930)

PAGE FOURTEEN INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN SATURDAY, MARCH IS, 1930 Vaudeville and 'Presentations RKO LOS ANGELES (Reviewed March 7) The five acts all sold their wares for heavy returns to a big house. Opened with Three Alexander Sis- ters, an ensemble in song and tap routine, the blonde stepping out for a solo tap, the two brunettes off to return in Russian costumes for a soft shoe number which had a few rough edges. The blonde came back to fiddle and dance en single, then the dark duo on again for an Apache number that was good and almost stopped their act. Blondie came again to tap a solo on a prop drum, then all three in a line tap routine, spotting some freak steps and building them to make them look difficult. Nice personalities of the girls and cute costumes sold the act. Ken Christy, supported by Bar- bara Bronell and Helen Hunting- ton, breezed through his domestic comedy sketch, using the theme of jealous wife No. 2 meeting wife No. 1, opening in one and going to full stage, finally breaking out into a dance. The house enjoyed the frothy nonsense and gave him extra bows. The name of Healy and Cross, headliners, on the annunciators won a welcoming hand, showing they have a following. They sold their _ stuff a hundred per cent, working every minute, mugging for comedy and gathering every laugh. Healy at the piano and both _ singing. They duetted “Cryin’ for the Carolines,” “She’s a Good Girl” and “Things That Were Made For Love,” closing with one of their own on the idea of youthful days back in the old home town, which brought out the heavy artillery. Block and Sully, working in one, offered a line of snappy repartee that kept the house giggling. Some of the lines ran close to shocking the country cousins, but their clev- erness put them over. They closed hoofing, which was just good enough to not spoil the act. The bill closed with Howard’s animal spectacle, using four ponies, two collie dogs and four terriers. Billy Small and his R-K-Olians, assisted by Eddie Eben at the or- gan, preceded the acts with selec- tions from New Moon. F. Y. R-K-0 GOLDEN GATE SAN FRANCISCO (Reviewed March 10) This was another of the four- act vaude shows sent westward by the RKO booking office, and a show that was easily topped by Scott Sanders, that glib gentle- man with a free tongue he knows how to use. Sanders next-to- shutted with a line of exception- ally clever one way conversation embellished with songs that drew him back at the insistent demands of the customers. His was mighty smart stuff and nothing less than the best of showmanship. Closing the show, Pepito, the Spanish clown, was a cinch to win heavy response with his rou- tine of exaggerated comedy stuff that got over. A clever dancer who also played the piano and accordion and a pair of male dancers—the latter recent addi tions to the act—aided. Despite their handicap in open- ing the show, Four Cirillo Bros, scored with precision tap work and singing, the latter reaching its highlight in the solo work of one of the brothers who strongly resembles Nick Lucas. A comedy afterpiece, an impression of the Marx Bros, in “Cocoanuts,” drew the laughs. Monica and Ann Skelly deuced it in a chatter and dance turn that had its merits. Sisters obvi- ously let down for this Monday night show and as a result their returns were slim. Pair of boys and a cute looking girl completed the act which was built around two gals, posing as wealthy, and making a play for a pair of boys at a southern resort. Claude Sweeten and his RKO lians had a nifty offering in “Man From the South,” which was zip- pily presented and clicked for every possible return. Sweeten is doing some outstanding band num- bers here. The screen held Wm. Boyd in “Officer O’Brien.” Bock. R-K-0 ORPHEUM SEATTLE (Reviewed March 9th) Business so heavy at this show the crowds jammed the aisles to standing room to witness four acts of vaudeville and make the artists repeat heavy. Gang out front were in high Meiklejohn Bros. ASSOCIATED VAUDEVILLE MANAGERS Fourth Floor, Spreckels Bldg. Phones: 714 So. Hill St. TRinity 2217, TRinity 2218 LOS ANGELES VAUDEVILLE AND PICTURE HOUSE ENGAGEMENTS AVAILABLE FOR STANDARD ACTS spirits, applauding liberally with the English section breaking forth with their usual “ ’core,” and the balance of ’em getting extremely noisy at times, breaking up the acts. This in no way detracted from the enjoyment of the paste board holders, the acts falling in with ’em and registering accord- ingly. First up was the Arthur Petley Four, three men and a fem, aerial act with Petley providing plenty of humor in his work. Snappy spring work, with the two boys on the bars, kept up a fast tempo to a whirlwind finish that brought applause even from the S. R. O.’s. In the deuce spot were a couple of lads, Sid Gold and Don Raye, who offered a cycle of clever dance steps. Florence Tempest and Marion Sunshine in “A Broadway Bou quet” were seen next to shut, as- sisted by Stuart Lewis at the piano. Marion Sunshine offered an impersonation of Lenore Ulric’s “Mima” that was a gem, while Helen Kane herself sounded no different than this same artist’s impression of Kane singing a parody on “I Want to be Loved by You.” Miss Tempest is a Broadway artist who is really Broadway, and the crowd out front readily appreciated her mono- logue song work. Her “Mayor of New York” was a pip. Sol Gould, assisted by Helen Kay Booth and his two Eskimos, George Shafer and A1 Gould, closed the bill with a pot-pourri of gags and songs. Miss Booth landed nicely with “Chloe” and proved an adept foil to Gould, whose gags brought out a load of belly-laughs, though we figured a couple of ’em a little off. Still the gang liked ’em. There’s a youngster in the act, George Shafer, whose deadpan looks get no place, but whose voice knocked ’em over for an encore. A1 Gould did more deadpan with far better success, and between the four they kept things moving rapidly and closed in great shape. Preceding the vaudeville, “Tiny” Burnett and his RKO-lians, ably assisted by Myrtle Strong at the organ, offered excerpts from “Mile. Modiste.” This hit heavy, evi- dently the crowd liking the little symphony so well that “Tiny” was forced to take a bow for his gang. The screen opus was “The Case of Sergeant Grischa.” Jean. WANTED—Acts Suitable for Vaudeville, Picture House Presentations, Clubs and Talkies AL WAGER T “ AL (Artists’ Representative) 221 LOEW’S STATE BLDG., LOS ANGELES, CALIF. Phone: VAndike 3619 LOEW’S STATE LOS ANGELES (Reviewed March 7) Eddie Peabody didn’t do a thing at Loew’s State on the night this reviewer caught the show except pack ’em in to the roof, stampede ’em with his personality and ban- joline and banjo, and keep ’em ap- plauding for minutes by the clock after he had taken two encores in an effort to keep the show moving. They were laying for Eddie, and when he made his initial hop onto the stage he got an ovation that was about as enthusiastic as any- thing heard at Loew’s in the last some several years. Obviously Ed- die has completely upset the law of diminishing returns, for the more supply of Eddie there is, the more he’s in demand, and every return engagement goes over bigger than the prior ones. The feature picture was a Wil- liam Haines, and not as good as some of his former ones, even for RADIO- KEITH- ORPHEUM CIRCUIT OF THEATRES VAUDEVILLE EXCHANGE General Booking Offices PALACE THEATRE BUILDING 1664. Broadway RKO FILM BOOKING CORP. General Booking Offices 1560 Broadway NEW YORK CORPORATION 1560-1564 Broadway, New York Telephone Exchange: Bryant 9300 Cable Address: “RADIOKEITH” RKO PRODUCTIONS Inc. Producers and Distributors of RADIO PICTURES LAUNCHING AN ERA OF ELECTRICAL ENTERTAINMENT 1660 Broadway New York those who like the screen’s premier smart-aleck. But the crowd was, for the time of evening, the great- est this reviewer has ever seen at a Haines film, and the answer is spelled P-e-a-b-o-d-y. The Fanchon and Marco show was the “Coral Idea,” a mediocre enough affair other than for the presence of the banjo king. It opened with David Due sing- ing a plaintive ballad in front of a scrim, the number being no more and no less than just all right. This went to full, revealing George Stoll and his Orchestra ensconced in a shell, and on came the Royal Samoans for a native dance and drill, all male except for one girl solo dancer. She did a hula which was as good as anything in the turn, but that’s not saying much. The number also had in it a dance by twelve of the line girls, with the Samoans giving atmospheric warwhoops in the background. Georgie Stoll and his Orchestra followed with a band number which got over to the usual good returns these boys pull. Following was Due, singing in two voices, both of which could be well traded with a bonus to-boot for one good one. He had the girls picture-posing in the background, and they followed up with a well- executed dance number. Then came Eddie, opening with “Rio Rita” on his banjoline and with one chorus vocalized. Direct hit No. 1. Then he shelved the banjoline for his banjo and offered selections from “Sunny Side Up.” Direct hit No. 2. The show stopped cold, no number of bows sufficing the customers. So out came Pea- body and called for requests. And that, of course, meant “St. Louis Blues.” It was a riot which had the L. A. “Communist revolution” of the 6th instant looking like a calm sea at sunset. Unquenchable applause and “Happy Days” ivas the result, and Georgie had to force the show on its way or Eddie would have been encoring yet. With the proceedings moving again, a back curtain went up to disclose niches cut in over the or- chestra with living statuary groups in them, and Due warbled some themie or other. The statuary then came down on stage for a line number, featuring a prolonged one-foot-backward hop which carried them out. It clicked. La Petite Marie came on for some high kicks and contortionists work which was class material, feature being the ease with which the girl threw herself head-over- heels, round about, and up and down, all with extreme grace in her lithe, well-modeled figure. This brought on the finale, with Marie doing an iron-jaw lift-up twirl toward the flies, and several (Continued on Page 15) PATRICK and MARSH (AGENCY) VAUDEVILLE—ORCHESTRAS WANTED! ACTS SUITABLE FOR PICTURE HOUSE PRESENTATION AND CLUBS WRITE—WIRE—CALL 607-8 Majestic Theatre Bldg., 845 South Broadway, Los Angeles Phone TUcker 2146 Walter Trask WANTS STANDARD ACTS and ENTERTAINERS for THEATRES, CLUBS, LODGES and SMAROFF-TRASK PRESENTATIONS WALTER TRASK THEATRICAL AGENCY 1102 Commercial Exchange Bldg, 416 West Eighth Street Los Angelos Telephone TUcker 1686 WILLS-CUNNINGHAM 7016 Hollywood Boulevard Studio of Dancing GLadstone 9602 Professionals Taught by Professionals Routines Created and Perfected for Single, Double and Ensemble Dancing Acts Walter Wills Theatrical Employment Agency Talent^ Booked for Pictures, Vaudeville, Production. Clubs Ackerman & Harris EXECUTIVE OFFICES THIRD FLOOR, PHELAN BLDG. Ella Herbert Weston, Booking Manager Market, Grant and O’Farreli Sts. SAN FRANCISCO LOS ANGELES—20 Film Exchange Bldg. Washington and Vermont — Telephone: BEacon 7966 LYNN YOST Artists Manager Telephone ORegon 5071 Address: Bank of Hollywood Bldg., Corner Hollywood Blvd. and Vine St. Artists and Acts Register For Theatrical Bookings, Orchestras and Club Entertainment IRA F. GAY AGENCY 206 Majestic Theatre Building 845 South Broadway FA 3421 * Los Angeles