Variety (Oct 1931)

40 VARBiTY NEW ACTS Tuesday, October 6, 193i MILLS BLUE RHYTHM BAND (18) (SpMlalitta added) SS-Miht.; Full 8Uoe : Palace ,' Another of the Irvine Mills col- ored red ,h6t-musical combinations. And ' another - sta^e hit' apparently, trotn 'the'way the. Saturday, mati- nee audience at the P<a,lace went tor .the music and the specialties. 'Mills has done considerable.to up- build a .hew 'vogue of colored enter- tainment and muslo on the radio and stage. This double playing pace Is of but cbmparatl.vely re GLORIA FOY and Co. (2) 'Stars in Satire' (Skit) 18 Mine.; Foui^ Palace (St. V.) Olorla Foy Is entertaining suf- ficiently for -the Palace and 'vaude In a skit carried over by her Im- personations of film celebs, and .the work of .'her two male -assistants, Sam Crltcherson and Walter Iiane. They ace program featured. This skit Is one of the tvrr built for vaude houses that can play the picture palaces. It would be okay for a Fanchon & Marco Idea unit, with a back line of Oarbos, Sle- CLARA, LU and EM . Housewife Skit . 10 Mlns.( Special Oriental) Chleaae One of those strictly radio acts whose popularity defies all accepted dictum of show business. Which means that for. show biz It's of rig- idly limited appeal. Past experl ?roposition; and It was some dlfB-l trlches and D'Orsays. Miss Foy does >uke EUinisrton, followed Wlt^. the] all three. She makes up to look Cab Calloway orchestra and how like Garbo and Dietrich particularly this piue Bhythm band. Each of I well, and Dietrich , niore so, even to these orchestras had to nwke them- the legs. In the, D'Orsay bit It Is selves known .by' radio before the | Crltcherson as McLaglen and Lane theatres would touchv theim; But as Iiowe who did. the most for. It once the theatres' did'go for 'the EUich bit lands,' the turns move colored bands, they played, each of 1 swiftly and it's entertainment the names generouialy and are still I This Gloria Foy (distinguish from in^A V?^ rhir?i^? wifi.%5Sn^?^^^^^^ whioh he didn't composs nn ni^i«r« ^S^B^ Sirt^Ludailile^ popularize extensively. M'hi'l^°nVr?bersSdl this is the bunch which Ben best in' the neighborhoods, mean little In the loop. Oriental had that experlieince with an all-radio revue, holding half a dozen air celebs and making but a feeble tinkle at the doing so. ' While Mills engineered the entire proposition and It was some dlifl- oult proposition . to. start with, the l>uke Elllngtoh outfit must be given undivided credit for' furnishing the kind of .popular and. hot music seeming Ite own and not easily du plicated by apy other than another 'colored ba,nd.' ' Duke Ellington did a most sur the Foy family) came in vaude last spring from musical comedyi where she was an ingenue and of fair note along Broadway. She broke :ln this turn around New York, grolng out at once over the RKO Intact ^F'oute. without playing the Palace. A blonde looker on her own and doing her stuff well, Miss Foy might Increase her line . of ' limitations among the picture names until :baV' box Qfllce. As with so many other radio turns Clara, liu, and Em Iwve no the- atrical background. They Just hap- pened. Radlioi originated them and fostered them and conseauently' their poise Is something to ms^e charity Imperative. Beeahkay's realism correctly summed .up the problem. They are dlscoyered seated at a. kitchen tabia They never move during the ten 1>rl8in^'teat of .showmanshlp_when | a sufficient number to-change her act And If not on a variety stage, then again In a show.-' The' picture star end makes It miuch more easy tor . her nowadajrs when only the picture people are uni- versally recognized. Bime, he held the stage bt the Fulton theatre. New Tork, tor the first 50 minutes of the Maurice Chevalier solo show' In that" house, which broke the Fulton's house record at the .$S scale tor two consecutive weeks. That was the test of pres ent day colored muslo In the Jazzy way beciause Ellington Ih those two weeks pleased some'of the best so- 'IMPROMPTU REVUE' Flash («) .M'n»-5 Full (Speelal) clal lights of the metropolis, those hvcadenvy » ' Who believe the show can't be much one-fourth of the 19 mln " i.1 '*''™,V v "t^B run up by Impromptu Revue' ; Then Ellington a^n did remark- reveate meritorious entertainment, able buslnessi In tte picture the- T^e rest is hardly so-so, leaving ntres, and Is sUU doing It His band fl^sh In the posiUon where It will played the Publlx ^Oriental In .Chi- strengthening In many ways cage tour tj'ne?^"'''" attain desired seaworthiness-for which speaks for Iteelt With the' Calloway orchestra almost directly following Into the theatres and reaching Ite own success as well as drawing power. This directing of these . colored bands' engagements by Mills as the pUot, tells more loudly in dollars. For the Ellington band Is how rated at 16,000 a week; with the Callo this class ot theatre or better, Personnel Includes'a slhger-m. c, pianist, mixed team, and two speolalty slnglies, an acrobatic and a comedy ballet dancer. Of' the group, tkaia ■ leaves everyone else pretty far behind in fast, well- developed and marketed routines. This is Don Costello and Aniiabelle ^, .Lee; who, as.with the others,'get way orchestra at' $6,000. It's some their names over orally through money, lads, for a band of any color, victor Dunn, m. c That a white promoter. Mills, did second place It's between this again appears to say that . It Madae White, acrobatic dancer, and needs a white to get the most lya Tlchenor, whose comedy bal- money and show out of the blacks, lerlna effort despite repetitious spills, like Lew Leslie with his colored | gete well beyond first base. Miss stagre shows did also. And now the Bhythm Boys, who win likely go towvd the helghte their musical predecessors have reached. This bunch Is lust as hot 'White's first number has a draw back in that It Is too long. Striving tor' something unique In opening a couple of the' girls are doing a pose In a circular cut^iout as they come; It can. play, hot and I as the pianist goes to wbrk. Dunn, sweet Proven this week at the Palace when 'Star Dust' with the band subdued and the melody a piano solo Is the musical hit of the turn. Even with 'Star Dust' a Jack l^llls published song. But when the in the audience. Interrupts'with the observation that people nowadays want something hot That's his cue for a song, a pop that Is helped none In the selling. Later on Dunn does a 'John McCormack with 'Irish group played hot It was heat from 1 Eyes Are SmlUng,' with this a Uttle the feet UD I better. T_ tt,t^ TthvtiiTn 'Rnvn Routining and staging not away l''«fi!5^i;f;,S^ «£r?h" EI from the usuaL SetUng delivers the proper flash. Char. are most presentable, like the other colored orchestras. Sonny Nichols Is the leader. He sings and prob' ably daiices, but held himself In at the opening Palace show, perhaps because of the Interpolated special lata. Johnny Hudglns, Florence Hill and Wells, Mordecal and Taylor did their specialties. Hudglns in his panto work Is, of course,' the best Hnown of the three colored turns ERNESTO LECUONA And His Palau Cuban Oreh. (11) Mafquert' Revel, Hollywood i Lecuona is the composer of the' famous 'Slboney' and the more re- cent 'Afrlcah Lament,' 'Malaguena'; and 'Maria - My Own,'- which cpm- prlsed his program, topped off by a unique arrangement- ot 'Peanut Piazza discovered' in Havana , when- doing some -location - scouting tor Metro - Ooldwyn - Mayer's "The Cuban,' Importing them on special permission ; from labor - and union authorities for six months providing' they do nothing but picture work. Thus autom^atlcally barred from stage, radio aiid other public per- formances, Lecbona's. Palau Cubiin orchestra have been'the delight' of sundry private picture and social gatherings on the coast Everybody comes away raving. Lecuona, a pioneer In the ghourd, tom-tom and rhumba school of mu- sic, doesn't try to outdo the origi- nal, as .have , the American disciples Lectaona, sitting . calmly at the piano, chewing his cud lackadaisic- ally, pe'rmlte his ruOled-blue-shlrted musicians (with green bandana Ues) to do their stuff. First the violin carries the melody through; then the trumpet takes the lead, with the rhythmic ghourds In the background. Accompaniment pauses sharply at Intervals and then the stiaecato of the rhumba orchestra- tions resumes, making tor a mar- velous rhythmic effect . Lecuona can play anywhere but tor the A. F. is. labor restrictions, . AbeU - of witticism the curtain' rolls down and covers them. Thus was avoided any strain.upon their unique e<lulp- ment ' Perhaps beeauise Ite so homely, so kitchenslnklsh, so shorn of fancy trappings, this radio program Is liked. Some relish it, no doubt, as a slice of the familiar. Others may like to chuckle, condescendingly. Clara, Lu, and Em are small town gosiBlpy housewives who don't know, anything except wh&t they misread and misunderstand in the daily, ne'wspapers. Their mental level Is the washtub and their chief prob- lem what kind of soapsuds to use. . Oiie of the players has a whlney voice that amuses some and exas- perates others. None of them Is a trouper In any proper- sense but simply and solely. In combination with the other two, a radio phenom- ena and for anybody's stage a dubi- ous freak. For their Oriental engagement the trio selected some better than average materlaL Comment about .Queen Mary's hate. In turn suggest- ing Empress Eugenie, was quite drolL Indeed their theatrical chat ter tar outehlnes their dally et.v(f on the air which Is pretty terrible. There was more than a ripple of genuine welcome and the .Oriental, or a substantial portion, didn't sulk while they were on. So a case could be built In favor ot some slight drawing power. But as entertainment ^here's a large question mark anchored about Clara, Lu, and Em. Land, MAX FISHER and his Callfamians BOBBY PINKUS (2) With Isabelle Dwan Comedy, Dancing 14 Mins.1 Dne 86th St. Bobby PlnkuS looks something like Charles Butterworth, but Works something like James Durante. He _ nearly kills you in, a couple of spota. MVss"Hliris'aVnr earnesVand aglle I Wl^ more development may have dancer of the not unfamiliar kind. T them kicking the seate to pieces, The three colored boys are hard and hard working hoofers. The vaude acta helped to make the orchestra the sort of a stage act all bands want to be at the Palace. Bime, SIX PASHES Arabs 6 Mins.; Full Academy . ... Six boys In picturesque Arabian attire In a snappy act of Arabian Plnkus Is paired with Isabelle Dwan, a stooge who for exciting a stare has tew equals. She buckles the glim.lers throughout, including while in the. motion of doing that neat hick-kicking exhibition. Taking a lot of spills, Plnkus is knocked Into most of them by his comely, stooge who can't Stand that special song he's, trying and nearly goes dementia over the crazy ec- centric dance later. Plnkus also footballs his partner around a. Uttle. There is little that's substantial to. the routine, but-for the tadeaway ground work. About 10 years ago there was an act of similar sort playing around , *v . billed as Four Pashas; These boys Plnkus goes legit enough with that, probably Intended billing them- eccentric legger specialty to music selves as Pashas, but ite spelled that lies in front of him at the foots Pashes on the annunciator in the house and the billing outside, Snappy turn that is an opener for any bill. CAROLINA, HARRIS and HALL Dancers 7 Mins.; Two RKO, Lob Aneelpr Just a dancing school act oC two boys and a girl. Not much for them hereaboute. Girl opens weakly with a ballad. Boys carry the tapping end and dis to strongly invite an encore. All along working the hat busl ness as the Durante might, he gets nearer to the genuine -article, in a fast song number. In penultimate up here to big re turns. Char. (18)1 Band 20 Mins.; Full Stage Palace, Chicago . From out of the west comes Max Fisher and .a musical, aggregation the east won't be ashamed of. Fisher has been dabbling .In cafes and theatres on the Coast tor a number of yeara He even went for a bankroll with a spot of his own in Lo» Angeles, bu^ kept trying anyway. Fisher is dot new; In vaude, west or east He's been around for many years, always rating a good bands man. Possession ot a good band Is something else- agrain, mostly de pending on being able to get hold of the right men. This Fisher seems to have done this time and with 13 men behind him seta out to prove to easterners that the Coast is not so tar behind. Hot and different arrangemente for a stage band is Important and Fisher's' organization apparently is hep to this into. Boys are a snappy bunch, on their toes all the time, clowning SHtd playing real music at the same tline. Neither does-their boss try to hog It, another point for Fisher. His fiddle comes Into play where and when necessary but hot unduly or for grand stand purpose. Surprisingly good vocallsta amopg the ^oys. Most Impressive, however. Is the speed and snap from one number to anothpr. They open with a set of Negro spirituals, where the vocal comes In effectively, proceeding from there to a medley of pop tunes, with 'room, for light comedy. An- other arresting number Is Fisher's own arrangement . and good of 'Waters ot Minnetonka.' In all, enough music and enter; talnment packed solidly Into 20 minutes. Span, HERBERT PAYE and Co (2) Comedy,'Songs 16 Mins.; .One Academy Herbert Faye has a pleasant Ut- tle ipomedy turn In this, whloh on a laugh barometer, would score a Uttle above the ordinary. Since 1028, when last caught by 'Variety,' Faye has changed every- thing but his style. In this turn he's supported by a nlcer looking straight man .and a good ^looking blonde girl who tolls nicely. Two comedy bita. makiB up the act with a song by the straight man breaking It up in the -middle.'' First bit Is about Faye's attempt to make a glrL Straight man coaches and coaxes him. The. girl turns out to be the other fellow's wife. Second bit has Faye trying to cop the expensive necklace the girl is wearing. It- falls down her bosom, which cues the act Into a few dance laughs from that source, , Numbers themselves don't mean a thing. It's the incidental chatter between the trio, with Faye's comic mannerisms. BELL TRIO Acrobatic Adagto 11 Mins.; Full RKO, Los Angeles Two women and a man in a class _ _ act from all angles, Trio has Just play" nothing unusual," then the girl [ returned from Europe. Formerly solos with a toe tap to fair results. | a two-act a German toe dancer Call. WRANGLERS Quartet 10 Mine.; One RKO, Los Angeles Formerly a trio (Riddle, Brady and Murray), fourth voice has been added. It's Just a quartet Men are In cowboy outflte but don't go in for prairie dirges. Conventional arrangements which lactc the modern teuch. Call. was -added abroad; her solo toe dance, done with the European soft shoes, is a pip. In the adagio numbers, trio doies some hefty work, particularly showy, because the man Is a light- weight and both women are larger than the usual. Gets, spectacular when the man catches both girls as they run from either side of the stage. Trio good for vaude, production, or floor shows. Call, GAIL and CARSON (1) Comedy, Dancing 12 Mins.; One JefFerson These two boys have got them- selves an act After doing a series of lightweight flashes tor side-street producers, they have gone Into 'one' with a girl, Helen Thompson, tor Skcellent results. Both boys have developed into coniedians since get- ting away from plenty of straight dancing. As hooked up now they should be able to go sailing along In vaude with no trouble. ^ Opening between the drapes set their pace. A laugh opening Is hard to get, but It Is here. Miss Thomp- son does a nice soprano pop solo and tolls okay. The boys have many gestures, natural and funny. The song, with the you'U-soon-be-dead punch, evidently d Special, is sure- fire. EarL HILL'S. ELEPHANTS a Mine. Full^ (Special) «tata, New York Looks like an old time circus «ot though the name doesn't aDD^jTlS 'Variety's' New Act files, it ^Sj }* vaude, a, welcome arrival here. NiJ! rout ne, well timed oind with show! manshlpi predominant »"ow» Act cohslste of two nachviia,^^ well'trained. High spot? are bSHf the big fellows on a rolllS| And Ihe other spanning a nartoS \ board bacV and forth, later SSaSS" ing routes amidships. SurptSrtwe that one. of these clumsy anln^ can be brought to change ditecUou on a space barely a toot wide, good tor an easy hand, even from those who don't generally go fop anfc mal acts. Finishes up with doln» trick dance routines, plus a mUd cooch, , Okay opening or closing act in any hbuse, deluxe or otherwise, . ■ . ■' ^9*f. BELLETT and LAMB Comedy „ . 10 Mine.; Two ^ Audubon Not much to the early part ot this turn but the finish brought Marian Bellett and Oil Lamb idoa returns through the acrobatic woA, - especially the Arabic spins by mi^ Bellett Lamb Is an elongated individual • who Btarte with an eccentric dance ' and gete' In some rather dlffloidt spUte. There Is the usual hoke play both in the 'way they maul each other around and in a mild exchange of patten- Miss Bellett also sings but no standout although it brought out a decided contrast later when aha * went into her fast akro routine. ' Act entertaining in a way with finale Ite standout MarK . THREE yBkOES Bicycle 7 Mfhs.; Full Coliseunr Two women and;a inaii, billed as Nipponese riders,' work along the lines of old standard trick bicyclists. Much of the tricky and difficult part of the Tokoes' routine is done by the man. The ' women don't do much but what's attempted is gracefully done. For the finish there Is the trio pyramid, and balancing tricks.on the single bike. Granting bike acta have become more or less a drag on the vanoe market, this Japanese trio by Its Oriental dressing, drop, neatness and dispatch ot tricks, is effective Received applause at the Collsenm, showing that such acta are stUi «ni tertainlng. Jiorn. BILLY WILD (6) Comedy Flash , , 21 Mina.; Full (Special) Jefferson " ^ , • Attempt to put on a fiash along a new or . somewhat different Wes. It muffs because of Ite too thea- trical angle. The Idea is an audition held to select stage talent BUiy Wild as the major dome favors » sister team while passing up hlgii- class singing talent to the disgust ot a German orchestra leader. Support has six people. Tbeo Pen. nlngten, Carl Bunn and Al Green are biUed. Whether Bunn or Qrwa is the Dutch leader is hard to teifc but whoever does it turns In, a good performance. Wild does mue, but boss the Proceedings. MJ» Pennington sings weU and the cast is capable^^ /ohn D., Ballet Hope JACK and RUTH HAYES Comedy 8 .Mins.r One Jefferson This man-and-woman comedy team do nicely with their present material, even though It is one of many similar mixed teams doing a reflection of the Burns and Allen BENNY ROSS (2) Songs, Comedy IB Mins.; One Hippodrome Benny Ross comes to vaude after an extensive stretch as .a picture house m.c. He is new to vaude and welcome. The lad is youthful In appearance and has a. pair bt pipes big enough to flU the. Polo Grounds, but ot a sweet musical quality. Ross Is assisted by an unbilled girl and colored boy hoofer; He could easily go it alone in vaude without either. The girl dances and foils In okay misinner tor gags. The colored boy does not hold enough at tapping to Justify carrying him along. Ross', imitations of ' JesdeV Tito Ruffo and Harry Rlchmann are con- vincing. He plays a pip piano and shows assurance. His style is vaude through and through. Earl. THE FLORENIS Posing Acrobatic act. |The dumb dame and wise male I 6 Mins.; Full (Special) are rather hackneyed In vaude, but | Jefferson these folks . have such unusually bright material that it carries them past the objections. ' The team needs more work be- fore final Judgment should be passed. Miss Hayes should eventu- ally develop Into, more prominence as a dizzy dame. Right now she is a little unnatural, especially is this evident by her pigeon-toeing and gestures. These things she do not need. The team Is nice entertain- ment, however, and even, now In n rather unpolished state wlU satisfy. JSarl. A man-and-woman acrobatic team working on a pedestal built up like a fountain with running water. Trick Is that the man stands on a circular disk about a foot across and holds hfh partner in various acrobatic positions. • - Turn is slightly slow, perhaps due to newness. Team looks ap- pealing in white .tights. None of the old-time bulging muscles so prevalent in posing aero acts of the past. Closed the show here to good rc suite. Jlarl. (Continued from page 1) change in the Met management may then occur, WUh the Rockefeller in- fluence bringing in some of Ita o^ people with Ideas that may am^ greatly from the European^ stsno- ards now maintained at the new York Metropolitan. That 'RockefeUer' Influence above riather Is shrewdly suggested » connecUon with Radio City. Othw than as the prime realty movers *i the Radio City development RockefeUeira wUl have no flnW^** concern in the theatres <>' site. So far they have not dlrww, hiterested themselveis, as represeni* ed by John D., Jr., in the entertain Ing side of that mammoth tneaw proposition. . . „„< But that a 'Rockefeller influence can easily establish Itself In throughout Radio City Is wnp'y supported by the '"side stories o the Rockefeller-Radio City enter- prise, now under way. Vaude in New RKO Albany, N. Y., Oct.i- New RKO theatre here wlU ope" Oct. 23, with vaudfllm. ^ . Albany and Schenectady ""OS^ do come a spilt week for the circuits Intacto, It's reported. *ro Schenectady the RKO sho^'.w""!. move on to Syracuse and tne malnder of the route.