Variety (Jan 1933)

Tuesday, January 31, 1933 FILM HOUSE REVIEWS VARIETY IS NEWSREELS EMBASSY While tn American newareel quar- ters It's regarded as straight propa- ganda, and reported to have been purchased from Amkino, both news theatres lead oft with Moscow re- membering Its revolution. In the clips are a few fleeting glimpses of Stalin. At the Embassy, which has cultivated foreign neighborhoods for trade, the Russian dictator draws applause, while In the Luxer the subject passes for just one of those things. Kmbassy had nothing exceptional In the Saturday afternoon program to draw. Fifteen-year-old Boy Scout who trapped a thief jin Brooklyn photo- graphs,if^tralghtforwardly.. But his diction, were the face unseen, would be taken for the Hollywood gang- ster. jPosslbly out of deference to the deed the audience doesn't laugh outright, although the lad does pro- voke smirks." Few at the Embassy Saturday saw much more In Harold McCor- mack's clip than that of a mlddle- age man attempting a whistling act. The fact that this millionaire al- lowed himself to be recorded under such circumstances would probably be appreciated by the Luxer's regu- lar audience. For once Japan's Emperor Is pro- vided With means of Identification. He Is . the only member of the cav- alry to ride a white horse. Not to be outdone by the RKO Roxy's current program evidently, the Embassy has Ted Lewis and his band oh the newsreel screen. . Lewis sings for Hearst's 'Buy American,'* and It's a lot better than the pre- TRANSLUX Unlversal's hew slant on titles this week. First attempt by any of the reels to get away from straight motionless type. While it's a cour- ageous attempt to do again some- thing new, this time U will prob- ably find it will have to revert to the conventional. Titles that move across the screen are hard on weak eyes. And titles that move as fast as those of U are doing this week are too rapid for the strongest eyes. Both houses cover almost Identi- cally Washington's move to cripple the power of Its future lame ducks. For those who understand Ger- man, Luxer's statement from Ger- many's war minister may have some significance. The two theatres also cover a number of Florida subjects, includ- ing the Tilden team. Camera work In both exceptionally good. This time, instead of concentrating on moving heads of the audience on the screen, as Is the way of the lazy grinder, the lenses pay attention to volleys on the courts. In a Washington conference on homeless boys some statements, re- markably frank for newsreels, are obtained by Pathe. Other Luxer clips. In addition to the usual shorts, Include dog-sled races in New Hampshire and Can- ada, hoirse-shoe pitching in Fla. Waly. vlous Hearst episodes In this cam- paign. Other clips: Wrestling, skating, Chinatown's New Tear's, Parisian cross-country races, Tuskegee choir, Old Ironsides In a Cal. port, flres in Texas and Liverpool, hockey, and Havana trace track. Waly. PARAMOUNT, N. Y. New York, Jan. 28. The Broadway Paramount Is get- ting a one week's sample of what majr happen If and* when the well of high-priced name attractions runs dry ;and the house has toJCall back on' shows that play on their merits and not on their reps. And at the same price of admlsh. This week's example may be pretty severe, because' the stage show Is not only lacking the Par's now customary high-tone coin as- pect, but also misses as entertain- ment.. Willie Howard worked hard and got on base personally, ■ but there was no team behind him. Pic- ture, Par's 'Hello, Everybody* (Kate Smith), win be okay when It gets outside the city limits, but for Broadway It certainly needs more help than It's getting. This Is a Kate Smith hangover week for the Par, the songstress having been here In person last week as a living trailer for her new talker. It was all lip to the Smith name on the fllm to catch the trade, but returns were extra bad Friday night. In addition to not being fascinated by the name, it's likely they sensed the current drop In stage-show value. Along with the Howards the bill apeclallzes in Dopald Novls, Berry Bros., Loomls Twins, and Melllssa Mason. The Berrys were the ber- ries, as usual for these colored kids, but theirs Is a fast on-and-ofC right under the finale without contribut- ing mu(!h weight to the general pro- ceedings. Miss Mason, an elongated loose-limbed dancer who has pufCed up one comedy kicking trick Into a full-grown routine, ran away with the specialty honors. Novls, a tenor from radio, indi- cated he is much better suited to his home Held. 'What he lacks in stage warmth and acumen isn't quite atoned for by a nice pair of pipes. Chief fault is Ills preference for all slow numbers. Loomls Twins, who are lots bet- ter up close in a nlte club or smaller theatre, found the Par's spacious- ness a handicap for their close har- mony. They didn't make much of an Impression. David Bines house line, increased to 20 girls this week, filled In the btdlet spots without meaning as much as 20 people should. .The way the ballet stuff is now Jammed down the customers' throats here, the girls are becom- ing Just a necessary «vll, the idea being that a presentation couldn't be complete without them. The best way to avoid that would be something new or novel in the way of routines or costumes now and then. The Howards are on four or flv.e times for their own talk-and-song business and some blackouts. They were responsible for the Infrequent good moments. Willie has one very funny Idea In that Hebe hlll-bllly, but It hasn't yet been developed as far as It might be. They're Just getting a flash of it now, but a clnch they'll stand for more. Rublnoff selected one Irving Ber- lin song out of the resume of his writings for a flddle solo that sold the pit overture. The conducting showman and his players snared the heaviest applause turns of the shoy. Bige. RKO ROXY New Tork, Jan.-27. Third week of the 6th avenue Roxy makes it Just old enough to compare with the better days of the 7th avenue Rosy. The old, old Roxy used to have some back- grounds that would stir up^ conver- sation when the payees got bock among their neighbors. It didn't have three or four revolving plat- forms. It dropped a scrim in a modest minute or so to change. But when that scrim or thin cur- tain lifted or parted there was something that usually got a res- piration of admiration—something deflnitely big and Substantial and •really colorful. This is strictly by way of com- parison; nothing to take the edge off Ted Lewis' current endeavors, because Lewis and Co., including the band., ballet, Dixie Four, Esther Pressman, Mildred Gave, Doris Deane and the infant 'Snowball' 'Whittler (who really cops the stage show) rattle oft a routine the !ra- pldlty and smartness of which was seldom, if ever, to be recollected at the 7th avenue emporium. Again, but the Roxy grandchild currently has about as much color stagefldly as the plafness of its new walls. 'Where it Impresses with its luxury In the wash and lounging halls it's Just a bowl of light sepia from any seat during the brief in- tervals of light. Those mechanical platforms strip the veil from that certain illusion which the original place had in its heyday. Lewis' band plays. Then the audience sees it take an about- face. At the same time it sees scrims, effecting weeping willow wisps, drop. And it perceives the band go into scenic reverse, with the rear denoting the trunk of a huge tree. Simultaneously, like a cross- word puzzle, the payees apprehend two parts of the stage fitting to- gether, baring people as they travel, until a. tree, moon and garden ef- fect are provided in the course of one minute. And upon completion it's Just like the background that could be provided, with more time, in the average vaude house. Only, excepting the visible mechanlca. not half so complicated as that in the average vaude place. ' The most conspicuous thing about the Friday night show was the audi- ence. Maybe it was because the fans were new to the grandchild and had been impressed by the breath of Its cold fountain the lobby. Or else it might have been that barge-like elevator with Its silver- like trimmings and the tiny boy in the corner who helped add to the Immensity of its proportions. Whatever it was—and It couldn't have been the Radio feature, 'No Other Woman' — this particular audience applauded everything— even the short subjects. The kind of rendition that Lewis' band provided Isn't new. It's like a lot of other bands that have lis- tened to far less applause. And as for Lewis he got out on the kind of a runway the burlesque houses use to have to exercise their girlie trotters and amuse the baldhcads alongside. Lewl.s' routine was smart, but he could have made It a lot smarter by having lopped off 16 minutes or so. With the exception of hittiself no one was allowed to suggest the longitude of boredom. "'And, as Lewis admitted, the little colored kid stopped the show. That: Friday audience, however, flgured everything Vas good. Parts of the feature which will be laughed at, silently or otherwise. In other less luxurious surroundings were applauded. Lewis was applauded at appearance. 'Every time Lewis crooked his cane there was audi- ence approbation. Even every short subject pleased some group in the house. It's probably saf^, but a little daring, to predict that when the audience gets house-broken and begins to overlook the permanent glamors of interior decoration Roxy, Jr.. will And it necessary to take to the days when Roxy, Sr., was taken seriously. Waly. CAPITOL, N. Y. New York, Jan. 27. Must be tougher and tougher booking these Broadway deluxers. Mary Garden and the Four Mills Bros, are the> current top and bot- tom liners. It's a repeat for the Mills and won't be for the diva. With product such as 'Employees' Entrance' last week and 'Whistling in the Dark' currently, both good enough features, but sans draft, It places an undue burden on the thea- tre end, which, striving for some- thing new and no repeats, cooks up a hodge-podge such as currently holds forth on the Capitol rostrum. Mary Garden doesn't mean a thing and impresses less, and the Mills Bros, are now too standard also. There's Bill Demarest and Es- telle Collette in between, but an adagio foursome, Peggy Taylor- Gary Leon Co., and the Maxellos im- press _ best. Both are essentially sight turns, which is something else again which the big capacity de- luxers, even with the microphonic equlppage, should never forget. Cloaked only in a reputation of many years' accumulation which has made this 66-year-old vet of the Chicago Opera Co. worth |3,600 to the Loew management. Miss Garden Is not good presentation stuff. None but a ballyhooed diva could have gotten away with 'Anna Laurie,' 'Comln' Thru the Rye,' the 'Carmen' habanara (In French) and, as a routine encore, 'At Dawning.' Bill Demarest gave her an en- trance Introductory buildup, but she never rang the bell thereafter. Looking blonde and slim enough, the Cap scheme of things didn't help her when she had to span the trough from the rostrum onto the fore platform, where the mikes are stationed. Peggy Taylor and Gary Leon, with two unbilled male adaglolsts, have one of the best of such foursome terp turns£ She is extraordinarily limber and daring in her flying maneuvers from throwers to catch- ers. The Ave Maxellos (also at the Paradise cabaret restaurant on Broadway) were effective despite their top-off spot, which let down an already sluggish sequence. Dem- arest and Collette's stuff Is standard and was well received. Along with 'Whistling,* a Laurel and Hardy slapstlcker, 'Scram,' bol- sters the fllm end. Also usual Hearst Metrotone News. Biz light opening night. Abel. Paramount, New Haven New Haven, Jan. 26. It's all over but the shouting, and the management will do that when reviewing the figures of the past few months. Stage shows at the Paramount are no more after today, and it's a big change in a house that used to break In the old $6,000 and $6,000 Publlx units and now winds up with a strictly sound diet. Final week's figure of $8,200 was prSEiibly helped by a farewell gesture on part of fans sending off house regulars. Henry Busse, musical director, and Eddie Weaver, organist, out after three and six years, respectively. Whether or not this town will stand absence of stage fare very long (never without It in at least 25 years) remains to be seen, but the demand for a return will have to be pretty heavy before the house will dip into the field again. Only locals showing anything resembling a profit in recent months are Palace (Arthur) and Roger Sherman (WB), and they both dumped the stage stuff overboard ages ago. Final unit, 'Sweet and Lovely,' Just so-so as entertainment. Pro- duced by Leonldoff, and obviously built to display the Blanche Sweet versatility, which registered in all departments except vocal, which probably never should Tiave been attempted. Otherwise, former fllm star does herself credit and steers clear of the usual Hollywoodlte's walk-on for the edification of the natives. Unit opens with one of Stroud Twins as m. c. to Introduced Miss Sweet, who steps through a pink traveler to a nice reception. Chat- ters a bit, and then, with Stroud off, Miss Sweet Introduces next number, called a symbolic fisherman dance, by 12 line girls. Set Is in two, atirt shows, center stage, a huge table F-M Stage Show at Two-Bits Jumps Old Roxy Gate 4-Fold to mOSO; Air Tieup PuOs Army of Kids New York, Jan. 27. More kids are seeing the Roxy show this week than all the Broad- way houses together have seen in a year. Altogether the capacity audiences to which the Roxy is currently playing is a huge contract to what the house has been doing at the b.o. The week will bring in four times what the theatre grossed last week when it went under $7,000, a new low. The mouth-to-mouth advertising which the house will get, especially with the current show on tap, can't be under-estimated, which is where the exploitation gets Its biggest pat. There'll be 100,000 people coming and going from the Roxy this week talking about the Roxy and its show. Fanchon & Marco have devised a stage show for the Roxy that is the strongest hour of stage enter- tainment the house has offered in a long time. The bill Includes 'Just Plain Bill' and hie daughter, 'Nancy,' also 'The Radio Rubes' song and instrumental quartet, as airline contributions. Neither Is w.k. to theatre audiences, although the quartet has played around. Although without marquee lure the show is well grounded. It is backed by Dave Schooler and pretty good bunch of musicians (24). It is clean, fast, continuous and climatic •entertainment. There is a comedy element almost throughout. It may not wind up as the ulti- mate stage end of the Roxy. What is being given now may be changed, but under the Roxy's new 26-^6c policy, it's going to be difficult to top. It's the way the show is put together and how the talent is bleiided, more than anything else. Talent is made worthy where other- wise it might be weak by the very pattern which has been fashioned. If this grade of entertainment is continued with the house keeping an eye out for entertainment vari- ety, the Roxy looks to be over on Its new policy. It's over this week anyway. The most Important angle brought out is that this kind of en- tertainment gives the house some- thing definite and tangible to sell the public, whereas before the Roxy was mostly fumbling in an attempt to phoney the stage end with a color flash and dancing. . That the layout is pulling and even above the fllm end which has 'The Death Kiss' (WW), a weak screen slater, is evidenced by the b.o. pace. A gross of around $28,000 Is indicated for the week. This flg- ure means profit. The house budget has been trimmed down to $18,000 on the advice of Harry Arthur, con- sultant to Receiver Howard Cull- man. Figure Includes fllm rent. A class touch in the performance Is a well rendered piano, solo of Tschaikowsky's 'CJoncerto in B Flat Minor.' by Schooler. Latter looks good on the Roxy stage. He pos- sesses personality and talent and when he solos on the music box, he crashes. Schooler In his open- ing week's appearap<fe seems to have Improved slncernls days at the Capitol. He harmonizes his ap- pearance on the stage with the spe- cialty performers rather than diverting their performances. That's an asset Not as simple as it sounds. Lengthy overtures are out If the lamp, glx girls in red tights arid boots, representing flshermen. come on from behind lamp and are fol- lowed by six others representing flsh. Go through a neat routine on a colorful stage, and climax dance by flshermen enmeshing others in large net and dragging them off- stage. An effective opener for the girls. Table lamp is on a revolving stand, which turns to show a barge set for a scene from 'Anna Christie,' which offers Miss Sweet an acting oppor- tunity. Did original silent version of fllm, and this excerpt is a nice follow-up after the fisher dance. Scene Is done on a black stage ex- cept for center overhead spot, and a soft stringed accompaniment helped a lot. Strouds ,on ne'Jtt in 'two,' with same act used here previously. These boys have the questionable distinction of putting on two acts at the same time—one for the benefit of the cash customers and second under-the-breath affair for the boys in the pit The latter must hnvc been funny, as the musicians got plenty laughs out of It, but It bo- came monotonous to tho.sc beyond the 10th row, who mls.sod out on whatever witty gems wore flyfnfr about. Twins off for a French roof-toi> scene that had no rhyme or re.'json. Line on In long black ttijlifs. cut- away coats and topper!". Ji any- one's imagination \v,n«-- \v'(ii<iir- (Continued on p.-in' I'l) sparkling entertaining precision dances of the Roxyettes are missing from the Roxy stage, these are fully made up by a troupe of 12 acrobatic dancing girls. These 12 are ad- ditionally supported by 12 other girl dancers. The stage has been extended to cover most of the pit. It's over the apron and leaves only a centre elevator platform in the pit for closeup performances for person- ality type talent. That's Judgment. Bringing the stage closer to the audience transforms the theatre and makes the stage possible for utilization by .personality actors. That the present show goes over from the mezzanine where It was caught indicates the effectiveness of this thing. The foots are back of the apron. Besides which the stage has been rendvated so that it can separate in the centre to provide other trick stage stuff if wanted. The bandwagon sticks to a normal 'two' position on the stage in the current show and so Isn't too far back for proper sight appreciation. Show opens with the girls after a brief musical Intro. Opening sequence Is fast. It catches Immediate audience inter- est, as the girls split Into groups. The acrobatic ones perform against atmosphere provided by the remain- der, who are clad in long, flowing colored gowns and drape the stage. F. & M. culled talent from vari- ous of its uqlts to build the present show. 'The Three Gobs.' a whirling colored trio of dancers and song- sters, are from 'The Georgian Min- strels.' Putting these boys in the present show and providing them with the dressing rendered here lends a developing eye to the lads. The same goes for the rest of the talent, which may not be so well known, thus demonstrate an under- lying strain In F. & M. handling that leads towards developing new talent right along. Acrobatic troupe of dancing girls are here called the Gae Foster Girls. They are recognized as the Freethy Troupe, which spotted In F. & M-'s Monte Blue unit that recently played the Brooklyn Paramount. They look to stick here. They pro- vide a puncbful flush toward the close. They strip from red, flowing gowns Into trim and abbreviated blue gym costumes for a climactic wallop of precison stuff on the roman wings and traps. Radio Rubes are second on the list, introed, as, are the others,' by Schooler, whose verbology is lim- ited, and wisely. They punch over with simulations of various instru- mental and mechanical noises be- sides rube tunes. After them come Gobs, who dance together, in duets and singly, flnally climaxing with a corking Harlemanlac number that gives the audience a good laugh finish. Schoolers' band music is sub- merged mostly and Judiciously be- tween numbers. This not only helps Schooler himself, but the other per- formers as well. Instead of working the acts around the band, .the band Is used principally to back up the performers in a musical way. For weak chatter acts it gives great support. Annette Ames, a tiny handful of blonde femininity, reaches out In the lower bracket of the show. Her chatter stuff is thin material, but does no harm. Schooler and the band background support her. The sprightly Miss Ames, scarcely -fetet tall, and in an abbreviated cos- tume, sings and breaks into strong finish with a buck-and-wing. She's over that way. Two girl speclaly performers, (Miss) Chic Kennedy and Loretta Dennlson, work out of the band. They lend femme allure to the spe- cialty end of the show. Miss Ken- nedy Is a pepped up blonde who chortles rather than sings, and thus flings up comicality. Neither is al- lowed to overstay. Toward the finish 'Just Plain Bill' and his daughter Nancy appear. A special radio effect Is given his en- trance from the wings by an an- nouncer before a table at one side of the band wagon. Bill Is not an actor. He proves It In his six minutes on the stage where he docs nothing but straight oliatter. But his presence at the Iloxy this week Is In the nature of a lle-up through WABC of the Co- lumljia Broadcasting chair. In con- nection with the appearance of Bill at the Ri)xy his toothpaste sponsors liave invited listeners to the Roxy fieo. They are admitted by pre- .-■ontini' ,1 loothpaste wrapper which i!ie t(>t)thj>n.ste company exchanges ■ for c.ish to the Roxy. Company pi\.s b.'K.k 10 cents to the Roxy for cm h canlljoard admission. Tho lin-up Is announced dally .i\f r tl)o nir on the toothpaste hour (Continned on page SO)