Inside facts of stage and screen (May 24, 1930)

PAGE FOURTEEN INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN SATURDAY, MAY 24, 1930 MILLION DOLLAR LOS ANGELES (Reviewed May 15) The quality is away off now, and at the rate it is declining it don’t be long before the custom- ers get jaded. The acts creak, either with tryout or with old age. At least one good strong headliner is needed to hold the bill up. Mitchell 'and Louise opened this one with their strong act, the lady doing the under work. Hoked the way it is, it would sell better in clown dress. Only fair reception. Rhythm Kings held No. 2, three boys and a piano, opening in pop song numbers and patter, then go- ing into a comedy taps routine. Their voices are only indifferent, but the dance sold well, and they might take a tip from that and develop the stepping, letting the vocals go; there are so many who sing better. * The Haines Sisters treyed, a pair of attractive blondes, bringing on steel guitars, harmonizing vocally then going into the William Tell overture. Then they went out to get ukes and danced while they strummed, for a fair hand. Next, they brought on banjos and woke the customers up to the tune of three bows. - This act could be staged better; it is not fast enough to stand for exits and they would hold attention better if they had their instruments stacked and grabbed them without stopping the act. Pellicord and Co. offered a school act, brand new offering but weak in cast and material. Looked amateur; no punch; kindergarten gags and quips. Schoolmarm, comic and straight boy all weak, three girls best part of the act. Needed at least three more in the girl line, and Oh, how they need gagging up! Any high school could do lots better. Fields and Fields in. next to closing. The man opened up on “I Want My Rib,” the rib came on and they clinched. Knockabout stuff, some off-color gags and a little in the song line. Joy and Lazzaroni, roller skate team, closed and got about the best returns of the bill. Picture was Paramount’s “Young Eagle,” with Buddy Rogers. Yeates. RKO THEATRE (LOS ANGELES (Reviewed May 15) A top-heavy bill, with two full stage flash acts as one and two, headliner Nan Halperin in trey, and the Burns and Allen two-act for closer. The speed and pep of the closer was needed in the deuce spot, and Manny King could have closed. Opener was Frabell’s Frolics, in- troduced by the Cherie Sisters (2) harmonizing on an introduc- tory song, then joining with Fra- bell for a taps number that only registered fair. The Cheries then sang “Painting the Clouds” from behind a scrim, in a baby spot, then the scrim up for the act— a tight wire. Margie Hoey walked the wire with airplane wings for balancers, then Frabell appeared for a hoofing routine on the wire, with Margie down on stage, fol- lowing same routine; returns fair. The girl went up for a wire dance and won a good hand. Cherie Sisters came back to warble a baby number then went into taps. Frabell on the wire again for a comedy dance that scored heavily. All on for a Wild West finish, for one bow only. Manny King and His Merry- makers deuced, with “A Night In Greenwich Village,” opening .with Manny and straight man in chat- ter, bringing plenty laffs. Straight man offered “Cryin’ For the Caro- lines” for fair returns, then Mhnny back for more chatter and lots of laffs. A hefty fern warbled “Here We Are,” with Manny fiddling, mugging for laffs, and sold very fair. A hoked Apache dance by a clever team was followed by a burlesque between Manny and the big girl for a good payoff. Nan Halperin, headliner, singled in three character numbers and had no trouble selling her artistry. Opened as a poor little rich girl with a book, “Famous Women of History,” then characterized Cath- erine of Russia in costumes and with a clever comedy song, and then Scarlet Sister Sadie, dramatic. She scored a great hand and came back for a little speech, paying off big again. George Burns and Grace Allen dished up some clever Boasberg lines, big in laff returns. The girl was especially good. They took the edge off their act, however, by closing with some very ordinary hoofing. Before the acts, Billy Small lead the house band through a selection of numbers from “Cuckoos,’ put- ting a little hoke in it and getting quite a hand. Film fare was “Lovin’ the Ladies” (Radio) with Richard Dix. Yeates. HIPPODROME THEATRE LOS ANGELES (Reviewed May 18) French and Parrish, two colored boys, opened the show with three different routines of tap dancing, none to effect. Looked like they did not know what was coming next. Not up to standard of the colored dancing acts. Jay Johnson, a young man who can sing, play the piano, tell some clean stories and also plays the ac- cordion, very good. Jay opened playing the piano and had songs which seemed new. He closed with selections on the accordion to good advantage. This boy has lots of personality and always looks good. Delmar and Haitt, man and wo- man, opened with a routine of com- edy talk. They had the old bit of how old are you, when were you born, etc. Man offered song in middle of act. After that they had a few gags and offered a yodeling song for finish. Claire Vance, a good-sized wo- WALTER S. WILLS STUDIO OF STAGE DANCING 7016 HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD GLADSTONE 9602 PROFESSIONALS TAUGHT BY PROFESSIONALS Students of the Wills Dancing School are now engaged at RKO, Warner Bros, and First National Studios, and in the George Olsen’s Plantation Revue WANTED—Acts Suitable for Vaudeville, Picture House Presentations, Clubs and Talkies THEATRICAL AGENCY AL WAGER (Artists’ Representative) 221 Loew’s State Bldg. Phone VAndike 3619 Los Angeles, Calif. Meiklejohn Bros. ASSOCIATED VAUDEVILLE MANAGERS Fourth Floor, Spreckels Bldg. Phoneti 714 So. Hill St. TRinity 2217, TRinity 221* LOS ANGELES VAUDEVILLE AND PICTURE HOUSE ENGAGEMENTS AVAILABLE FOR STANDARD ACTS man, entered and sang a song to start herself going. Then she had a good routine of comedy talk, all about her being so fat. Then had more comedy talk regarding other women, and finished with a song. The lady is a standard act and al- ways goes good. Fox and Ferris, next on the bill, opened with the lady at the piano singing. A gun was heard offstage, man entered in misfit suit, lady talked to man but he couldn’t hear, so answered questions with big pad and pencil. Lots of comedy was gathered here and man made many comedy falls. After that lady got uke and man small harmonica and offered number. For finish lady at piano and man offered comedy ec- centric dance. Good hokum act. Bob Curwood and Buddies, four men, opened with straight man tell- ing about the act and who Bob Curwood is. This introduced Cur- wood and both had some comedy talk. Straight man then brought two men from backstage who, he said, wanted to go on the stage; one had a violin, the other an ac- cordion. They played while Cur- wood told of the new picture he is going to make. Straight man then introduced Francis Corby as Curwood’s director and Jack Gray as his assistant and Ed Carlie as the straight. Then the boys played while Curwood danced for finish. The picture was “Madame X” (M-G-M). Bob. LOEW’S STATE LOS ANGELES (Reviewed May 15) Three acts, all clicking material, featured the F. and M. “Brunettes Idea.” In addition to which there were some artistically conceived settings and ensembles. Armanda .Chirot and Jose Merca- do were the singers with the Idea, and they got over to high apprecia- tion. Miss Chirot opened their spot with coloratura work done in a voice clear as a bell, sweet in all registers, and with an ease in the upper notes which made the cus- tomers give and give. With both in Spanish costumes, Miss Chirot and Mercado then did a Castillian duet, which also proved immensely popular. Following a line number, McDon- ald and Dean offered a patter of fast comedy, with some sure-fire laugh-getting manhandling of one partner by the other interspersed. The way the boys sold it, it could not fail—and it didn’t. Some soft- shoe dancing also was worked in. Flash of the act came in the clos- ing episode, when a series of scarf dances were offered by the line, concluding with tumbling by the Ali Ben Hassan’s Blue Streaks. The setting was elaborate and the girls well trained. As for the Has- san Troupe, they pyramided, whirled and did lightning acrobatic stuff for a solid payoff. Feature picture was M-G-M’s “Lady of Scandal,” featuring Ruth Chatterton. F. A. H. CASINO SAN FRANCISCO (Reviewed May 19) This was Will King’s second week as featured performer at this Ackerman and Harris house and business was capacity at the mati- nee. Show, in a roof garden cafe setting, opened with Willard Hall acting as m. c. and introducing the acts. After dancing and singing “Then I’m Happy” the 16 girls retired to give the stage to King and his aide de camp ; Lew Dun- bar, who used the radio gag: mix- ing up cooking lessons and setting up exercises. It’s being done by Ken Murray in “Hi There” at the Columbia but it got the laughs. Then used Eddie Lambert’s Cin- derella gag and did well. All of which goes to prove that it’s com- edy they want here. Back to full stage again Hall sang “Stein Song” with the girls dancing. Followed by Jacqueline Brunea singing one of her colora- tura numbers, “The Wren,” which displayed an ability to hit a top- ping high C. Ann and Elinor, next, danced to “Painted Doll” with the 16 girls using dolls on strings as a back- ground. Hardgrove Bros., a pair of better than ordinary hoofers, executed clean-cut tap and soft | shoe numbers effectively, getting good returns. Finished with com- edy acrobatic-adagio that took the laughs and they bowed off to a heavy hand. Nearing Sisters on to lead the line in “Girl Trouble” and then King and Dunbar went okay in more comedy stuff. Hall back on stage did “Girl of My Dreams” with recitation and then a parade number with the gals representing countries, seguing into the finale. Picture was “She Steps Out.” Joe Livingstone and orchestra in the pit. | l-%j R. C. PARAMOUNT SAN FRANCISCO (Reviewed May 17) Next week this house will join the ever increasing roster of the- atres that are adding stage shows to their policies. Meanwhile the inperson entertainment has been bolstered up to an appreciable de- gree, totaling approximately 25 minutes of music and singing. This was Ron and Don’s initial week at the organ. Show got started with Don! George and the Paramounteers in the pit garbed in navy uniforms and playing “Anchors Aweigh.” Cleverly interpolated throughout the tune were sound newsreel shots of what evidently was the Annapolis personnel singing the number. By this means the tune was built up heavily, coming to a rousing finale with a quartet of drummers joining the orchestra. As the second unit of the show Ron and Don, at the Wurlitzer, unfurled the “what’ll you have” idea,” using “St. Louis Blues,” “Bundle of Old Love Letters” and “Have Little Faith In Me”—using parodies on these—and bringing their offering to a close when a sound trailer of the “Soldier Song” from “Faust” was cued in. Organ duo, dressed in white, presented a nice appearance and were well re- ceived. Billing him heavily in advertis- ing and in the lobby, house man- agement next presented Henry Starr, NBC vocalist, whose chant- ing of pop tunes rates second to none. With a baby grand piano on a platform at the right of the orchestra pit Starr stepped into the spotlight to play his own ac- companiment and sing “Hope Chest of Dreams,” “11:30 Saturday Night,” closing with “01’ Man River” and encoring easily with “Vagabond Song.” Picture was Paramount’s pic- turiaztion of the Katherine Brush newspaper novel, “Young' Man of Manhattan.” Business good. Bock. FOX EL CAPITAN SAN FRANCISCO (Reviewed May 18) Throughout the evening there was a long holdout—as is the usual custom—waiting to get a glimpse of this Peggy O’Neill stage show, Jay Brower, master of cere- monies, and Sylvia and Clemence, big Mission district favorites. Show started on a half darkened stage in a western setting with Frank O’Leary singing “Moon Is Low” and the girls dancing and chant- ing. As another of the contestants in the orchestra popularity contest Pic Smith, stage side kick of Jay Brower’s, stepped off the movable orchestra platform to put the boys through his themie, “Piccolo Pete” with Pic doing a pic solo and Bob Kimic contributing a singing out- burst. Pic is not without his fol- lowers here and he had to encore. Brower then brought on Sylvia and Clemence who have about 50 weeks in this house to their credit. They but recently closed an ex- tended run at the downtown Ca- sino and El Cap management scored a decided scoop when they booked this versatile pair into a district where Sylvia and Clemence are household words. Girls came on to a big hand and went into “Honey,” hoofing and vocalizing it nidely. Had to beg off for a costume change and while they were gone Brower introduced Jack and Virginia Bellthazer who went through some exceptional acrobatic work that pulled heavy applause. Sylvia and Clemence then re- turned to do a whiskbroom dance in bell hop outfits. Scored the laughs easily and had to go in for the speechifying again. Pair can easily hold over for another week and probably will. Again Brower trotted out an- other of the nut band numbers (Continued on Page 15) PATRICK and MARSH (AQENOT) VAUDEVILLE—ORCHESTRAS WANTED! ACTS SUITABLE FOR PICTURE HOUSE PRESENTATION AND CLUBS WBITE—WIBE—CALL 607-8 Majettic Theatre Bldg., 845 South Broadway, Lot Angelet Phone TUcker 2140 Walter Trask WANTS STANDARD ACTS and ENTERTAINERS for THEATRES, CLUBS, LODGES and SMAROFF-TRASK PRESENTATIONS WALTER TRASK THEATRICAL AGENCY 1102 Commercial Exchanga Bldg. 416 Watt Eighth Street Lot Angela* Telephone TUcker 16M LYNN YOST Artists Manager Telephone GRanite 8410 Address: 522 Taft Building Corner Hollywood Blvd. and Vine St. Artists and Acts Register For Theatrical Bookings, Orchestras and dob Entertainment IRA F. GAY AGENCY ZOO Majestic Theatre Building 845 South Broadway FA 3421 Los Angeles