Inside facts of stage and screen (Jan 11 1930)

PAGE FOURTEEN INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN SATURDAY, JAN. 11, 1930 Uaudevilte and Presentations RKO LOS ANGELES (Reviewed Jan. 2) A well-balanced bill greeted the patrons this week with all five acts contrbiuting a fair measure of entertainment value. Jimmie Gleason and Robert Armstrong co- featured in Pathe's comedy flicker, "Oh Yeah?" constituted a percent- age of the reason for the capacity attendances, and the vaude did the rest. Of the quintette of vaude acts disporting on the rostrum. Buster West with his dad easily copped the top honors. Buster's acrobatic antics gave him the prize and he walked away with a heavy barrage of finale and interpolated applause. The Kentucky Jubilee Singers, a colored octette of mixed male voices, were close behind at the tape-line. Not sensational, but sold their "Swanee" standards to a nice return. George Alfonzo, hoofing ar- tist, scored some solid applause for a tap routine neatly executed. Ethel Davis satisfactorily filled PAUL MALL "HOT DOMINOES" Idea Fox Theatre, San Francisco Thanks to Fanchon and Marco SYLVIA DOREE Featured in Fanchon and Marco's "JAZZ TEMPLE IDEA" Broadway Theatre Portland, Oregon the deuce spot Johnson and Duker, hat scaling lads, opened the bill. Pair do a fair act of its class, but have been seen too much around this locale for full returns, act having played around the small-time dates and one-night stands for more than their share. Okay for small-time. Schepp's trained pets closed. An entertaining feature for family audiences, sure to please the old folks and children. Eddie Meredith. ORPHEUM SEATTLE (Reviewed Jan. 4) With Olsen and Johnson pla- carded all over town, and even dropping 'em from the skies, it was no wonder that the opening show was jammed. They were the whole bill with the exception of an opening act, Gaynor and Byron, a fast, snappy male duo of skaters who get the show away to a fine start, and Johnnie Fulton and Peggy Parker in deuce. This well looking couple in their "Diversions a la carte" had the laughs coming fast and furious in some splendid material by Paul Gerard Smith. They go through the works very smoothly, putting the customers in great humor for the big splurge that followed. ' Olsen & Johnson's hokum, black- outs, and whatnots, got over with the usual bang. The boys had the audience squeaking the seats. The Park Sisters, cute looking duo, warbled a couple of harmony numbers in great style. Clyde Hager landed with his clever hawker bit. While Sidney Gibson grabbed his share of laughs in the black-outs and specialties. Ausie Hooper does his straight-jacket bit for plenty of laughs. They've got a redheaded boy called Red Pepper who's sizzling hot with his trombone in the pit, grabbing off a nice hand on a spe- cialty between black-outs. Al Art- ega holds his end up nicely as orchestra leader. Don Rice works well in one of the black-outs as does June Johnson. There's the "What a Night" black-out, a bedroom farce, and another bedroom farce, that de- spite Seattle's normal tendencies, grabbed the heaviest- laughs. There is a Paul Revere black-out that goals 'em. And so on for an hour. For the finale a colored hoofer. Bill Dunn, and a young- ster the same color, knocked 'em spinning with some neat fast hoofing. Artega with Olsen and Johnson go into a musical bit that's a pip. Fulton landed with his "Miss You." There was the usual plants in the house and their musical re- quest number that between 'em kept the ball rolling for guffaws. Myrtle Strong at the organ pre- ceding the vaudeville dovetailed nicely with Tiny Burnett and the orchestra with excerpts from "The Vagabond Lover" next week's at- traction. This week's picture was "The Racketeer." Jean. selections with Katherine Bannon, aiding at the organ, and Preston getting off a classy violin solo. Bee Starr highlighted this unit show with clever aerial work, her stunt of doing a flock of revolu- tions in the air while hanging on to the rope with one hand draw- ing heavy applause. Whoever staged this show had a wonderful memory. All the old gags in show business, from bust- ing bladders over the straight man's dome to the funnel with water in the comic's pants—but the ticket buyer's laughed so what more can be asked. In addition to Bee Starr the show had the Kelso Brothers, Josephine Fontaine, a pair of hoofers, and a line of girls who were not so hot. Hal ORPHEUM OAKLAND (Reviewed Jan. 5) The western premiere of "His First Command" with William Boyd heavily plugged about the town drew heavy business for this evening's show with the Kelso Brothers' revue holding the stage Opening the show Oscar Pres- ton and his RKO-Hans offered a syncopated version of Wagner's FOX OAKLAND OAKLAND (Reviewed Jan. 5) And a band number topped it all. It was a walkaway for Hermie King and the stage band to put on a medley of Russian tunes that easily topped Fanchon and Marco's "Carnival Russe," a cir- cus-like Bolshevikian revue that the customers didn't go for in their usual big way. It was a nifty bunch of num- bers that King and his gang had and it was sold for plenty of re turns. They're popular with Oak- landers, evidenced in the fact that they're now in their second year and going stronger than ever. Billy Knox was at the organ, providing excellent console music. The picture was Metro's "The 13th Chair." Hal. LOEWS STATE LOS ANGELES (Reviewed Jan. 3) The "Ivory" Idea was built around 10 girls and a man who, for the finale of the show, gave a "Rhapsody in Blue" number on 11 pianos, and did so with great effectiveness. To build up the idea of ivory, some film was run off showing the locale of ivory, to-^yit, a herd of elephants in the African swamps. The Idea opened with Bety Lou Webb introducing herself as mis- tress-of-ceremonies. She brought on the ensemble for a Far East rhythmatic number. Carita, a vivacious little girl with extreme prettiness and a whole load of cutisms to back up her excellent dancing and back- bends, got over for big applause. She was followed by Four Hi- Hatters^ a male group who ped- (Continued on Page 15) JOAN HARDCASTLE Featured Ui FANCHON and MARCO'S "FAR EAST IDEA" PHIL SYLVIA WHITE and NOIR TENOE Booked Solid Over R-K-O Circuit SOPRANO In "Songs and Steps" HARRY and FRANK SEAMON WITH THEIR LAUGHING SENSATION Featured in ''Manila Bound" Idea at Loew^s State, Los Angeles, This Week, for Two of the Best People in Show Business, Fanchon and Marco /, Opening Indefinite Engagement Jan. PATIO BALLROOM