The Billboard 1924-06-14: Vol 36 Iss 24 (1924-06-14)

12 The Billboard JUNE 14, 1924 This Week’s Reviews of Vaud Palace, New York (Reviewed Monday Matinee, June 9) Salt and Pepper, two youths discovered by Kary! Norman in a Detroit cabaret and spotted number four as a@ surprise, stole the show this afternoon at the Palace. Other high spots on this week's bill are Adele Rowland, making her first appearance at this house in two years; Pat Rooney and Marion Bent, winding up their season in their pretentious revue, ‘‘Shamrock’’; and Karyl Norman, ‘**The Creole Fashion Plate’, in a new edition of whatever it is his particular brand of entertainment is called, entitled “The Tuneful Song Shop’’. H. and P. Beatz, ‘‘The Equilibristic Wonders’, open the show with a thrilling exhibition of balancing feats that scored a marked impression as well as a rousing hand. Tommy Russell and Ernie Marconi pleased the folks mightily with fiddle and piano accordion in the spot following. soth proved themselves accomplished performers on their respective instruments aud well merited the applause they received. Harry Holman as ‘Hard-Boiled Hampton’, in the sketch of the same name, garnered laughs galore with his telephone Wwheezes, giving way to Salt and Tl’epper, the two lads who scored the outstanding hit of the show, This duo’s specialty is hot ditties in close two-part harmony, with yodeling embellishments. Their stuff certainly struck ai responsive chord. The audience couldn't get enough of it and when later on Karyl Norman let ’em in on the reason for Salt and Pepper's unbilled appearance the folks out front made him cart them out again for another tune. Adele Rowland, with Dudley Wilkinson at the piano, sang her way into a neat hand with a delightfully rendered routine of popular and special numbers. Her act is prefaced by a short movie showing Miss Rowland in Hollywood with her husband, Conway Tearle. Pat Rooney and Marion Bent closed intermission with their fast-moving tabloid musical revue, aryl Norman next proved himself the king of female impersonators, or should we have said queen? It’s so hard to get your genders straight in @ case like this. He wears dazzling gewns most fetchingly and we don’t think it amiss to add naturally. He also sings in a very feminine voice when he wills and in a very muasculine voice as well. Quite an accomplishment He got a rousing reception. Gordon Dooley and Martha Morton clowned and danced thru the next spot and were votell # ubanimous success by the audience. Gordon’s falls are as funny as ever, and Martha shows real class as a stepper. Bob Anderson and his pelo pony closed the show with an interesting exhibition in which equine intelligence is the feature. ED HAFFEL. B. S. Moss’ Broadway, New York (Reviewed Monday Matinee, June 9) Lewis and Dody have become a standard, surefire act. They have been heralded by the high brow observers of our vaudeville stage as the chief exponents of the new school of cuckoo humor. Obviously all Lewis and Dody have to do to make a laughing impression is just sing a few verses of “Cherabum Chick” or ‘Hello, Hello’, and at the close of each ‘stanza throw in some nut line utterly foreign to the substance of the verse, such as ‘“‘You can’t make a horsefly’’ or ‘Fish don't perspire.” Their ventriloquist bit is. mild stuff and their general clowning a little less so. Again, it is their cuckoo soug that has made Lewis and Dody a standard, sure-fire act. But Frank Dixon, a comedian of parts, and fer the most part distinctively clever, prefers t to the old school of sure-fire hokum— f a theatricalized slant of life—and alichieves the same results as Lewis and Frank's new vehicle, with the Times Square out-of-town newspapers stand as the kground, is the old story of a fellow and f the sticks, Broadwaybroke. The skit morous in its general intent, but its real derived from the threads of effective aving their way in and out of the a f gags. Frank and his talented girl make the mistake of burlesquing the £ wong at the outset. A word of commen dat s due 1 ung fellow who fills the role the guardian of the newsstand. That stage face of * may be its natural cast, but withal it’s a corker. Amazon and Nile, premier contortionists, opened the show with their alligator wriggling and study in spine and limbtwisting, collecting a firm hand for their efforts. James Thornton. snubbing at deuce, paraded his antiquated, antediluvian wheezes and sang a medley of his gwn songs, bringing occasional titters and a splendid closing hand for old-time’s sake. And for old-time’s sake the reviewer will pass bit in which they go on squeaking their eville Theaters HIPPODROME, NEW YOR (Reviewed Monday Matinee, June 9) Corking, fast-moving bill of eleven acts, more than half of them comedy turns, and all of big-time, expensive material. Comedy offerings were of the kind that went over strongly, and the show itself got a great start, the momentum never being let down a minute. Clear weather, With much sunshine that made its appearance about noon, helped to fill all of the orchestra seats, except a handful, while the mezzanine was just below capacity. Monday afternoon business like this is considerably greater probably than the management had reason to expect. Bowers, Walters and Crocker, as the “Three Rubes”, in a comedy acrobatic festival, started the show with a mean shove. Their opening dance and tumbling bit was unusually fast, and the subsequent burlesque jazz trio, trapeze comedy and other stuff completed eight minutes of the best entertaining knockabout offering that ever gave its followers something to think about. Ray Hall, Edith Erminie and Louise Brice, in “A Night on Broadway”, combined excellent comedy offered by Hall with the high-class violin and piano solos offered by the girls, both of whom displayed above the average style and technique. Hall did some comedy early in the act, as well as a song and dance specialty. Following the musical end of the turn, of which the piano solo by the girl playing both the melody and accompaniment with one hand was particularly clever, the comedian again did his stuff, including a sort of dance on a monocycle. This novelty got across with ease and closed the trio strongly. Les Ghezzis, marvelous young duo with a remarkable routine of handbalancing and other acrobatic feats, in their third and final week scored as usual. Their entrance is built up great by the combined Hippodrome girl ensemble, who do a cute turn in white and red togas; very effective. The boys work their offering up to a sensational climax, aided by a clever little stall at one perk of the kind that comes under the head of clever showman ship. Apparently their feats are simple; nevertheless, few fail to discern the difficulty of the stunts while they are in execution. Carleton Emmy, with his mad wigs, proved a novelty treat for “Children of All Ages”, as per billing. Possessed of a pleasing personality, Emmy opens in one with a song done in juvenile style, singing of his “Wags” he collected in different parts of the globe, leading the audience to believe that they are girls. Going to two, a neat set in blue cycs. and a table full of sixteen fox and Scotch terriers were revealed. The act, with the exception of the last few minutes, was done on the long table, while Emmy was assisted by an unbilled woman. Bright and snappy thruout, the unusually intelligent-looking animals did their stuff in breezy style, while their master kept up a similar line of talk. The offering will be further reviewed under “New Turns”. Johnny Burke, in his funny monolog, “Drafted”, scooped up no end of laughs, as is his regular habit. Preceding his appearance the Hipp. girls did a wooden soldier march to the tune of “March of the Toys”. The piano bit at the close was worked up nicely, as usual, Burke putting in some additional material while getting the house musicians to play the counter melodies, and, again, Burke is not afraid to throw out a gag belonging to him, no matter how good, when he knows it has been stolen and is being used by others. Gilda Gray closed the first half, singing and dancing three of her best numbers formerly done in the “Follies”, assisted by the Hippodrome and Foster Girls, her act being the same as that done last week. An unbilled solo dancer, who filled in before the final number, was warmly applauded for her efforts. The act seemed to do much better than it did last Monday, and it develops that the closing song and “Beale Street Blues” can be done to outshine even the opening radium gown number. Miss Gray wore a lightcolored gown in place of the fringed costume she wore last week in singing her blues, and she sure did hand out a mean blues. Last week, due to the fringes, we were in doubt as to whether Miss Gray was the champion shimmy artiste. Now we're fully convinced. It stands to reason that the best way to do the shimmy is to do it right. Monday matinee it was perfect. Act is further reviewed under “New Turns”. Eddie Nelson, with Dolly and Policeman Patrick Rafferty, held over for a second week, again had easy sailing with his own peculiar style of comedy. Nelson has his two partners do straight for him, while he springs an inimitable line of funny pieces of business. His way of traversing the stage, burlesque on melodrama in his lovemaking and eccentric dancing is powerful stuff. Added to the novelty and diverting style of turn is the Oriental number by the girl and Nelson's travesty along the same lines. Nan Halperin, in a repertoire of character studies, opened with a clever kiddie characterization, did a bit of Queen Catherine, who defended her many loves; a “Kiki” number and concluded with a jazzy bride song and dance, the latter in contrast to the military bride number she did some time ago. All her songs registered equally well, while her changes were made in less than a minute each. Miss Halperin does her characterizations with a great deal of charm and léss apparent effort than most comediennes. Elly, artistic lady juggler, also held over for a second week, dispensed with the few minor tricks she formerly did in one and opened in a full-stage nursery set, where the Foster Girls did a mechanical doll dance. Elly followed with the more important of her stunts and included the juggling, balancing of seven articles at one time and the balancing of a settee on her forehead while she went up one side of an eight-foot ladder and down the other. Act is further reviewed under “New Turns”. Roy Cummings, ably assisted by Irene Shaw, handed the next-to-closing spot a wallop and there was no mistake about it missing. It hit the audience right between the eyes as well as the spot. For the first minute he was 6ut Cummings was immaculate. The succeeding minutes he was in a whirlwind of comedy antics and retired in tattered clothes, having been mixed up with his trick drop and piano. Miss Shaw wore a funny freak outfit and made an excellent straight for her partner. At times it seemed as tho his tricks with the drop would result in Cummings being crowned for a goal, but that bothered him little, for he later took a beautiful “Brody” into the orchestra pit. Toward the close of the performance he mentioned that Mr. Shultz (Hipp. booker) had sent him over to sing a song or two and he closed with song and dance. The Cansinos closed the show in their colorful and artistic Spanish dance offering, assisted by the Hippodrome Girls. This splendid dance quartet kept the audience quite intact, despite the lateness of the hour. M. H. SHAPIRO. up the opportunity to comment on the pathos violins while going thru a snappy acrobatic of passing fame and passing years. and tumbling rou'ine guined repeated ripples of Arnaut Brothers scored heavily and heartily applause, while their bird cooing and quarrel wilh their rasher of diversified entertainment, ing dialog served to demand an encore. a combination of instrument playing and acroEdith Clasper, aselsted by the two Peule— batics blended with a lot of tomfoolery. That O'Neal and Yocan—failed to get a substantial (Continued on page 13) Palace, Chicago (Reviewed Sunday Matinee, June 8) John Steel easily earns headline honors this week. Inclement weather filled the house early Charles and George have a talking, tumbling and balancing act, disguised with comedy and surprises, that fills eight minutes nicely. In one; two bows. “Milton Aborn'’s China Blue Plate” tells of the legend of the Chinese blue plate, and how the little slave girl “crossed the bridge’ in seareb of jewels and riches and returned in shame. This is joined with a story of the modern flapper. The music is typical, and Matt Mlanley’s Oriental restaurant role keeps things alive when the dialog is long and action slow. Nicely set. Twenty-five minutes, in one and four; three curtains. Fred J. Ardath, with Earl Hall and a girl who is the waiting wife. Ardath is adept as a souse, springs the old gags and new ones, and Hall feeds him some clever comedy. The situations are good and this Is the best act Ardath has had. Sixteen minutes, in one, three bows. Roscoe Ails, Kate Pullman, Charles Calvert and a jazet orchestra, There is a little too much Ails in the first part, and too much talking, but when Miss Kate kicks up her heels and Alls and Calvert unwind th®ir lightning steps and the noisemakers on the stage get going it is a near riot. Thirty-one minutes, in four; four curtains; encore. Charles Olcott and Polly Ann, with Eddie Lambert accompanying. The songs are all written by Charlie and his moving picture song is the best of these. Polly does a good bowery song and a two-piano encore is well placed. Twenty-two minutes, half stage; three bows. Franklyn and Charles made a hit in spot six with an acrobatic ‘‘dumb’’ act that got too good for opening or closing. There fs a song start, some acrobatic dancing, some aesthetic dancing comedy and a real thriller encore in one that pulls continuous applause. Eighteen minutes; four big bows. John Steel, American tenor. A happy change from the falsetto-finish type of vaudeville tenors who sing of the Emerald Isle and Mother Machree. Sang a bit from Rigoletto, two songs of his own, and one by Frank Tours, and encored with Roses of Picardy and Marcheta, both of which drew ovations. A smooth mellow voice and a willingness to give generously of his genius distinguish this singer. But his compositions are not as good as his singing. Nineteen minutes, in one; five bows; speech. Three Danoise Sisters, trapeze workers, with one girl on top holding the ropes. Attractive, fast working and with thoroly pleasing climaxes. Six minutes, full stage; two eurtains John Steel again next week. LOUIS 0. RUNNER. Majestic, Chicago (Reviewed Sunday Matinee, June 8) A fine bill at the Majestic this week opened with the old favorites, Lamont’s Cockatoos There is no better bird act. From the merrygo-round to the fire scene it is first-class and demonstrates what patience, cleverness and work can do in training those splendid birds. Ten minutes, in full; one curtain. Good setting: two people. The Hannon Four give a male quartet program strong in comedy avd with considerable musical ability. Ten minutes, in one. La Fantasie crowds into twenty minutes a program of dancing, magic, singing, @ trunk mystery and novelty poses, all of which were good, out of the ordinary and attractive. Fine setting, In full stage; six people. Lew and Madeline Wilson gave twelve minutes of comedy in which the radio imitations and the new line of patter by Lew were especially well received, Madeline fs pleasing in personality and plays to her partner well. Two encores and two bows, “The Different Revue’? lived up to fits name. Nine doughboys In feminine clothes gave a fine burlesque of the style shows, and their songs and dances were gll good comedy and refreshingly different Eighteen minutes, full stage; fine setting: one encore; one curtain. Rives and Arnold make a jolly team, with good repartee and catchy songs. Fifteen minutes, in one, Hickey Bros., with their erratic dances, their clever makeup, their jokes (some new and some old), were favorites with the crowd—and deserved to be. They were given one encore and four bows. Fifteen minutes, In one. The bill closed with the Trennell Trio, an athletic act, in which is introduced considerable comedy, toe dancing and some genuinely good tumbling acts. The comedian is good both in his comedy and his tumbling, and the little lady of the company ig as pretty as she is clever. Twelve minutes, full stage; fine setting. AL. FLUDE. Look thru the Hotel Directory in this issue. Just the kind ef a botel you want may be . listed, a a a eS