Variety (Sep 1933)

Tuesday, September 12, 1935 VARIETY HOUSE REVIEWS VARIETY . IT'S 11 WASHED UP' Below is a review of the Op- pheum, Minneapolis, as written by the^ locat correspondent. It is the reviewer's opinion, on seeing the first regular vaudevile show to play_ Minneapolis in a long while, thatM^VHe new show looks too much like the old shows; that vaudeville apipears outmoded, and that vaudd- viMe in its unchanged .form is a passe form of amusement, as en- ^tertainment and for the box office. If that is-the opinion in inne- apolis, it must reflect the feeling tiiat prevails elsewhere, for that average American big city is like other cities in basic entertainment likes and dislikes. From the notice on the Orpheum's opening, or reopening, bill, it would appear that vaudeville In its original form and pattern is washed up.' That may-^be so, although It shouldn't be. Vaudeville means, or should mean, entertainment and talent—Individualized, specialized, expert talent. And talent isn't washed up, in Minneapolis or any* where else. Vaudeville's fault is that It Is not entertaining its audiences. The talent in vaudeville Is not asserting itself. It's the system behind the talent that's outmoded, that smothers the real talent, that reflects itself in the-.yaudevills show; it's the sys- tem the audience .really sees, but mistakes for failure of the talent. In the boking, the staging, the the- atre operating and the Inside and outside selling of vaudeville under methods now in use, lies the answer to 'What's wrong with vaudeville?' The answer is to be found In the booking offices and operating departments, and man agers' offices of the circuits and independents.. The system behind the vaudeville, phase by phase, seems tt> be: « Vaude a Stepchild Operation—As a circuit proposi- tion today vaudeville is distinctly a stepchild. They don't want it, they admit they don't, and they won't play it unless there Is no pos- sible alternative. RKO, formerly the most prolific variety circuit and one whose vaudeville Is a her- itage and the foundation on which It was built, Is now d:ecldedly antl- vaude on the frank admission of Harold Franklin, its operating head. RKO's playing time has shrunk from 70 weeks to seven weeks within one year. The decline on other circuits has been in propor- tion. Those 70 weeks were not created in one year. That they were reduced by 63 weeks in that brief period was not due to an .oversight collapse of the variety form of entertainment, but to a . complete • change in sentiment toward yaudeville, from prp. to anti,through a change in. opersl- tion. , .Vaudeville to.the average circuit .theatre operator • oh all qlrciiljs now is considered more troubl^- .'.some /-than valuable. . Operation with straight pictures Is 50% .eas- ier, "With RKQ still 'used as the exiimpie, th4 fact that those.. 70 w:«ek9 of vaudevile were largely .responsible for..any profit shovvin ,.by many, of the theatres. Involved was hoti .con3i(JerQd when vaude- ,ville was, ordered out. The entej;- ta^oment consistency which vaudQ- ' vUle had established served to oo.uhteract a notorius weakness \n. '.the' picture product. That weak- ness still prevails to a great ex- tent, but now a bad picture al- ways nosedives; there is no con- sistent stage entertainment, in fact, no stage entertainment at all, to help the bad picture out of a bad hole. The reason' for drop- ping vaudeville as always issued by the circuit operators Is that with vaudeville the theatre is los- ing money.. In such cases, that di- agnosis Is usually correct, although In no Instance on record has any operator making such a declaration been known to delve into the rea- sons for the overnight failure of the formerly popular vaudeville to continue its box ofllce and enter- tainment consistency. A search for causes might reveal that the im- movable anti-vaudeville sentiment of the, superior operating (depart- ment has had its devastating effect on the booking oillcie and bookers. The seepage of the 'we don't .want vaudeville' attitude Into the book- ing office is a psychological handi- cap for any booker. Fright Booking Booking—The booking office, un- der this condition, is no longer on its own. In truth. It Is not a book- ing office, but an admittedly neces- sary evil that's merely tolerated, not respected. The bookers know it. Holding the Job is considered more important than the show, and the fear is so great It does not occur to the booker that an Im- provement In the shows through use of Initiative and thought would be the best guarantee against total extinction of bookers and booking offices. But they book their shows from fright. Chances are not taken where a gamble might turn the trick. The few reliable acts that remain are played week in and out. The booker's immediate worries preclude thoughts of future so he passes up the long shots for the sure-fires that can't remain sure-fire forever. Talent—^When the booker will not. take a chance, the new talent has no chance, and that applies to most bookers and all new talent In vaude- ville today. Minus a chance, that new talent cannot develop. With no new talent, and when the old t£tlent dies its natural death, there will be no vaudeville shows—and no vaudevillie bookers. The talprit prob- lem In vaudeville at the present time is severe. Continuation of the fright booking system is bound to prove fatal sooner or later. The talent is there. The bookers must go out and find it. Entertainment — Booking, besides the purpose it should serve in the talent development way, is not merely a matter of obtaining good talent, finished or otherwise. The good booker always has and always will be a booker who'knows how to use that talent. Five good acts can make a bad bill. Five fair acts can make a good bill. It's In the blending, of course, and blending, is booking. The average vaudeville bill today is a strong condemnation of the average booker. Either doesn't know, or doesn't care. Policy—^Vaudeville, as a circuit wide proposition, is not a hit or miss affair. Minus the names it once possessed of its own making, and without the former ability to draw by itself, vaudeville is re- garded chiefiy as protection against ;i!^f:'iiM>m^^hortvozniaso,^ It-!n.«st. '"^O. consistently played and consistently good to serve its real purpose. It requires the setting of a definite, regular policyj under heady book- ing. The 'occasional vaudeville' policy that's being widely tried this season bars the establishment of a policy. The now-and-then shows cannot build up a steady draw, so an occasional, ordinary, regulation bill of acts, soft-shoeing in, cannot attract much attention. The now- and-then shows draw only when of- fering an exceptional name attrac- tion, or a tab. with an established legit title that may be recognized In the hinterland. Names and Tabs.—The name on today's vaudeville bill is not a vaudeville name. It must be bor- rowed from another field. That's a situation that cannot be corrected. ■The time wasted and chances lost by vaudeville during the years It has neglected Its own proving grounds, cannot be recalled. So the vaudeville bill contains a name only when one is available from the out- side, and in such cases vaudeville must pay the price. Tabs- in the majority of Variety theatres now- playing them ar-e a partial surrender to the conviction that most pictures can't stand up alone, where more than a fair picture is demanded by tlie audience.. They are a com- "promise with the demand for addi- tional entertainment. They preclude chances for establishment of a regu- lar policy, because the . supply of playable tabs 6f sufficient merit is extreniely slim, but the indlrefct value of tabs to vaudeville now is the possibility ot their leading to the establishment of regular stage policies in theatres that find them successfu business-getters. Costs.—Playing of vaudeville with pictures often means 25% or 30% additional overhead. The business with vaudeville must show an equal increase over the business with straight pictures to justify the dif- ference. For various reasons, it isn't always possible. The bare cost of the talent alone- is incidental. There are the union requirements and the other trimmings. The union problem, is one of vaudeville's worst stumbling blocks; For instance, the Paramount theatre, New Haven, re- cently installed the now-and-then pollcy.playlng band shows. Local musicians' union demanded employ- ment of a house orchestra regard- less. The pit hand was engaged, but not used at all, and the cost to the ' theatre was $^00 a week for musicians who did not participate ill the show. The circuits in many other similar nredicaments show no fight. The vaudeville is not of sufficient im- portance to bring the union prob- lem to ^n issue. They give in to the union or they drop the vaude- ville—giving in either way—and the result is a resort to straight pic- tures. .Straight pictures are easier, cheaper and 'less trouble.' They also might mean less business, but that seems to be of no consequence to the operator who picks the easiest way out. That's the easiest way out for him, and for the booker the easiest way is the same old routine bill of acts, week in and week out; and the vaudeville now.is seldom in; it's mostly out. Orpheum, Minneapolis First stage show in many weeks and the first straight-out vaudeville bill for a blue moon brings home the fact that vaudeville today con- tinues in the same 'groove to which it lias clung from time immemqaial. A -leopard may change its spots, but vaudeville sticks steadfastly to its original pattern. As vaudeville bills go, this four- acter probably passes muster, but, because of its strict adherence to the entertainment code which thls- form of theatrical endeavor adopted In a less jazzy and slower era, it lacks the punch, outstanding glamor and exceptional traits, not to say diversity, which undoubtedly are es- sential for ■ pulling power today. And, as a result, it apparently is unable to demonstrate sufficient box office prowess to overcome the han- dicap of ordinary screen fare. Each act is good enough in itself and, for names, there are the Pat Rooneys. But the general effect of the whole Is not stimulating or provocative of enthusiasm, and the show, therefore, fails to convert customers into the word-of-mouth boosters necessary for important grosses. Bryant, Rain and Toung, a Her- culean young man and three girls, open with a first-rate adagio danc- ing act. In the deuce spot Lillian Miles, who reveals herself oft the screen as a snappy blonde, wearing alluring form-fitting evening gowns and ex- hibiting a high degree of talent in the art of selling jazz and torch numbers without the aid of a mike. Her voice, not so husky as that of most torch singers, is entirely- okeh for v§.udevlllje!, anj|,j^ide-fr.om^a pj^., of torso wiggling that isn't hard to lamp, she confines herself entirely to vocal efforts. Each of her pop numbers . met favorable audience response. Next to shut, the Pat Rooneys scored, as usual, with their dancing. Closing, Dalton and Rose ofter practically the same comedy rollei skating act which they have pre- sented here before and which is a topnotcher of its kind. On the screen 'Her First Mate,' (U), Pathe News, a Sweet-Grlbbon comedy and a FitzPatrick travelog. In addition, an overture by Al Rudd and his orchestra. This show is in line with the the- atre's policy of occasional stage en- tertainment. Business not so forte, despite Fair W'eek. Beea.' garty and Katherine Parsons. Trio and Fogarty were In for coluniis- tic blurbs, which a lot of people believe fool a lot of other people. Miss parsons, radio's 'Girl of Yes- terday,*^ is the wife of Kenny's city editor, George Clarke. Kenny, serving as m. c, spied the Landt Trio in the orchestra. He asked the boys iC they'd come up and sing a song. They came up and sang two. The. first number required some props, such as a baby's milk bottle. Second called Cor a set of whiskers and some hats. The boys produce'd them out of iheir pockets. Impromptu like. In his own 'Radio Scandals' Kenny employs two girl singers, Kay Fayre and Babe Miller; Wil- bur Hall, Andrini Bros., Fred Mdr- rlt and Jewell Morris.. All de- scribed by the regular house m. c, Dave Schooler, as Uncle Nick's •discoveries.' Superlatives were tossed about like chips in a pfflcer game. Uncle Nick didn't describe anyone as 'marvelous' because the word isn't flattering enough. Babe Miller, according to Kenny's announcement. Is only 'immortal.' Others were equally terrific and gi- gantic, before the customers found out for themselv^. A colored boy was just plain Jesse something, but he did as well as anybody else re- gardless. Miss Miller, who sings very nicely, was discovered by K^nny, so Kenny said, 'at Cooney Island lahst summer.' After their specialties the Kenny gang blend with the Roxy house line into a glorified production plug of Uncle Nick's latest song. Up ahead the house supplies two spe- cialty acts of its own, Al Norman and Bob Ripa, both standards. The Kenny bunch had to follow, them, but it should have been the other way around. Picture is 'The Man Who Dared' (Fox). Also another of the 'Tar- zan' serial chapters and plenty screen fillers. Considerable bally- hoo in trailers and otherwise for next week's feature, 'F. P,^ 1.' Lobby display Includes an electric sign with letters about 12 feet high, - planted in the middle of the Roxy's spacious foyer. Bige. ROXY, N. Y. Maybe there are some who be- lieve that log-rolling Stuff on the stage through employment of :a newspaper columnist, with that columnist tripling as a newspiaper. writer, free-talent coaxer and actor, Is a.mlxtui'e that breeds theatre at- tendance. There must be some, else Nick Kenny of the New York 'Mirror' wouldn't be in the Roxy. stage show this week. But If those who believe it are right, there was nothing in- a box office way to support them' F*rlday night. This is a repeat engage- ment for Kehny at the Roxy. Everything's repeating but the' cus- tomers. Business for the night show was awful. Kenny is pretty much of an all- around fellow. He acts in talking shorts, on the radio and In vaude- ville; writes lyrics for songs, makes after dinner speeches, discovers new talent—and writes a radio column. The column is mentioned last, but should come first because It's of first Importance. When he acts in talking shorts, Kenny sup- plies the shorts producer with talent,' and also -wnen he acts in vaudeville. Now those free actors don't usually work for the fun of it. "There must be reasQn. It can't be the column—not much. That the free talent angle was the reason behind the booking be- came too obvious by the Roxy's billing bn Kenny a week in advance. It stated Uncle Nick, as Kenny makes himself known on the air and In the column, would deliver •I'iew names daily. The 'names' he delivered Friday evening were Landt .Trio and White. John Fo- IMPERIAL, TORONTO Toronto, Sept. 8. .. '.■5Viyraiift.al»-.j?iPR acrpaa th.«j.,.5Kay into it^ new 8-act vaude and pic- ture policy and the major down- town flicker houses offering such competition as 'Tugboat Annie' (MGM), 'Song of Songs' (Par), and 'F.P.I' (Gaumont-Brltish), the Im- perial is taking no chances. Stage and screen show strength and, with Jack Arthur just back from New York with a flock of ideas for the autumn bills, current fare is an in- dication of what's coming. Pit band is out of summer whites and into new dinner jackets again and cool- ing plant is scheduled to be turned ot£ .any day. With the Canadian National Exhibition closing tomor- row midnight and beach attractions folding, the FP-Can entrepreneurs are cl:earlng the decks for action with this week's bill as the opening salVo. With 'Morning Glory' (Radip) offering no inducement to the youngster ..draw, stage presentation 'offsets this by headlining Baby Ro^e Marie and staging a novelty dperi- Ing; that has strong kid appeal. This has the ballet on in dog: costumes befoi-e' a packed grandstand baelf- Ing for canine contortions complete r with barks.. Beauville is out as tlie .ringmaster for whip, snaps with partner^ Tova on In cat cpstanie with mutts in full cry for a dos^. .Then Baby Rose Marie before the traveller for-three pops and clincH- ing I with 'Lazy : Bones,' complete with ibaritone throat-gurgles In tl^e traditional Harlem manner. NBC tot weiit over nicely. Ballet traits in full stage before a garden set for the butterfly number, skirts sup^ ported on wands for fan effects and pretty In the flutter finale. Beau- ville and Tova close first half with a ballroom number, dusky lass in black and white evening go-rcn and man in tails. Waltz numb^ also quite formal and has a nice recep- tion. Senator Murphy next In one for the political burlesque address on Roosevelt and the NRA, with blue notes on the bankers and the nude cults. TimfUness scored and Mur- phy had to beg off. Mangean's In- ternationals-next, to closing with thrilling tceter-board work, com- plete with shoulder mounts and double chair-catches that scored the best response of the evening. Com- pany rally Cor finish in full-stage sot mostly Hags of all nations. Overture is 'Dance of,the Hours' with Jack Arthur conducting. Runs '8 mins. Prez goes 44 mins. and 'Morning Glory' (Radio), 72 mins. Comedy and newsreel fill. McBtdy. ALBEE, BROOKLYN They are making an earnest ef- fort over here to diversify the vaude shows through the use of a line of 24 girls and specialties .to wind up show in place of the usual closing act. Alexander Oumansky is stag- ing the special girl numbers on a limited budget but with assistance from the Music Hall, he is able to do fairly well; This week the produstioi. around the 24 girls, called American Beau- ties over here, with Camp and MOoncy, dance team, and Madelyn Kleen, prima, as specialties, looks like any flash. Main difference is in the total of 24 girls instead of the small lines flashes would carry. Girls are beautifully costumed, flashy fans helpin" Latter were supplied by the Music Hall's pro- duction department currently. Hereafter Oumansky and Paul Oscard, Paramount stager in New York, better get together. Bdth houses are using a Clyde Beatty cage and wild animal idea as buildup for a dance routine. At both houses effective. While Oscard at N. Y. Par has his dance team going into an animalistic adagio-Apache, over here Camp and Mooney step into a regulation adagio. The Oumansky presentations runs only 14 minutes, having nice speed, 'deftness in routining and no stalls ° or repetition. Camp and Mooney, with two rou- tines, are at their best in the society Wjaltz. Miss Kleen, ^7ho3e soprano voice reaches pretty far, also on twice, doing pops. The headline act Is Block and Sully. With a lot of new material that lands on laughs, they should come closer to being a solid hit Sat- urday afternoon than they were, ljut in view of the skimpy audience on hand they could have been farther from stopping the show. Venlta Gould third in impersona- tions of star personalities also down lighter than deSeirved. On whole her character picture of w.k. char- acters are excellent but the one of Marie Dressier could-go. Miss Gould Isn't the type and Dressler,,.be8ideB, would be hard' for anyone to do. Like most other impersonators, this headllner of the old two-a-day area closes with Durante, very good. Her Ed Wynn also fine biit Garbo only fair. ■ No. 2 attcactlon.^Dave Harrlq and flash to bill but' on the comsdy. nothing td write the booking office about. Gets over okay, filling re- c.ulrements it is expected to fill^ however, and not out of place on this theatre's show. Gilbert Bros., In their slick hand- to-hand and horizontal bar in- augurate the proceedings. Over good, Saturday, as usual. No orchestt'a overtures currently, probably due to necessity of cutting somewhere. Feature 'One Man's Journey' (RKO) and filler a car- toon and trailers. There is a special l^KO star chat in trailer form on current- RKO Greater Show season campal^, in addition -to custonnary material on coming picture aiioi 'stase bill. House goes .tb Friday openings (15) that making current pro^^ram a six-day affair. C/tar, PALACE, CHICAGO Chicago, Sept. 8. Bert Lahr IS another one of those performers -vi^ho are so legit-mlnded that they can't picture anybody not knowitig what Bfoaldway Is all about. - For Lahr this Is something inexcusable after having had a ses- sion' on the air soothing listeners. But to. expect' that the farmers and: farmerettes up from downstate Illinois, and.upstate Missouri to know who Clifton Webb is doesn't say much for Lahr's understanding of the small town psychology. And Chicago's loop theatregoers today are 96% smalltowners in to see the World's Fair. Most of them have never heard of Clifton Webb, who is wholeheartedly legit. Only Lahr'e mugging saved the number. Another similar point might be made of Lahr's 'Flying High' medi- cal examination scene with its ques- tionable punchline, but there were enough laughs ahead of that final bit to more than redeem it, Lahr, Eleanor Powell and Eddie Garr, assisted by Bill Halllgan, make an Impromptu revUe of the vaude bill and for a last-ininute arrange- ment do a noat job of it. They hold out for 60 minutes of real entertain- ment, with the.other two acts on the show adding half that time, to deliver a total of 90 minutOH of solid variety. On the opening end the three Thrillers were weak, thoutjh they were probably laboring under some difficulties, the skating arena being apparently split on vme aide. Ctos- (Continued on pft^e 25)