Variety (Oct 1933)

18 VARIETY VARIETY HOnSE REVIEWS 'Tuesday, October 24, 1933 MUSIC HALL "Witnessing a Music Kail ghow Is ■getting to be- like opening a package <>f' cigarets. ' Just like the. one be lore.; Same faces week. in :and week out, ■with everything left to the pro- duction'"departinejit; There is some- thing different only .iwhen the stag- ing fetaff haippens tb land a briglit Idea, but that. doesn't happen with great frequency. Thart the Music Hall's physical glamour lias spent Itself and that the shows now must do the bulk, of the drawing is illustrated fey recent glossies., And with the stagfe shows all the same, It narrows down to a . matter, bf whiat's . on the- screen.- Last; \\'eek's opening day ■with UA's 'Henry; the Ei&hth' grossed |18,.000. ■This week.; •with' 'Aggje Appleby' (Radio) the first day's box office registered a comparatively bad $8,- •xm'f ——---■v .And. .this week the stage sliowp': while-following style. Is, a better one'than last .week's, as entertain- ment.: But ; without bearing oii the att'erid^^nce■. Because' comedy presents a diffi- cult problem-In this hug<d house, they are.doing without.it altogether- Ko longer are there any attempts to .fiiid :a way to make 'iem laugh, but,only cojfhplete. resignation to the belief thit it caii't -be done. That leaves everything up to the singjqg, idjanclng.and scenery. The most im- -portant element in. lioprpriced amusement — comedy — is -ftiiisislng, which places ah extra heavy burden on the" other departments. ' •- There are. the R65yfettes,-. tKe bal- let, the singing chbrUs and the pit orchestra. Last week, this week, and next week. The ,ballet starts off the stage section with an 'After the-Ball' idea, in which the dream- ing ballerina, the dancing master and the revolving stage :are used.. Stage,' picture and dancing both, pretty. Helene Denizon,- who did a 'flash act in vaude once, Is Patricia Bowman's^ successor as ' the ballet leader. She may ahow more later ; ■wlien not blockaded, as she is this week, by.'the leaping Nicholais Daks, staff tootsie- tbsser,^ who specializes In getting in the way of all. current .ballerinas. •The Roxyettes, a 52-week lucky break for the Hall, are next In -what looks to be. about 'one' for a baby tarria'ge i'biitine. Katalie Bodanskl and Willlim': Castle of - the ' vocial staff stai't it off - with a duet on. '.In thei Park in Paree • in the Spring' from the last Chevalier ■ picture. ,T,he Ro.icyettes. are In juve dresses decorated with . white elephants, IcJokihg like the Philadelphia Ath- letics-in uniform, but cuter. After discarding the go-carts^^ they - turn on the, iteani -with a precision rdu- tine and snare the customary • clas- ic resul'ts..,. ', JJew^reel breaks it up at this ■pbint, -whereupon the production re- turns to full stage for 'The Hunt.'. Entire, house staff eventually par- tlcipa;tes after a- comihcncement by the singing corps. Florence Rbbin- Bori, redheaded buck dancer, steps doijvh to the apron'for a specialty. It was the <stager's Idea, to ha-ve .everybody else suggest nonchalance. 'Th^y: gdther in groups for. private boii'versations^ none looking at^ Miss Robinson, while the lone.girl Is "Work'ihg hax'd in an attempt to keep the (Civistomers interested in a single dbwn in front. The 60 or more peo- ple in 'the background, all doing eibmethlng.'.felise, are disti'acting. It AvInds up like a 1925 flash act vritii two hbrses on a treadniill in a cutout in the rear. ■■ Ahead of everything Emo Rapee conducts the pit symphony through biie of hie favorites, 'Orpheus.' The Violin cadenza as played by Cbn- certmaster Jacques Gasselin, who frets a nasty Stradivarlus, makes 'it the, standout item . of the current '•■iBhow. ' : ■ ~ ' ■ - . . Alpng with the. feature and hews 'reel, screen offers the flrst of the Culbertson bridge shorts, 'Murder" at the Bridge Table.' It's spotted last on the program, following 'Ag ' gie.' Bige. PALACE, N. Y. A fair feature, ,'Wild Boys, of the . Road* (,WB), Pathe \News, 'Three Xittie iPlgs' (UA)., and a show of flve a:cts that. ne-ver; will'.be one of the 'world's. wonders, niako up this ■week's dish foi* the Pal patrons.. Of it all, 'Pigs' will probably mean more to the box.olflce than anything ^Ise, . Stage Bhovf Incepted by Allen and Kent (New Acts), novelty dance act ct two juvenile tappers, assisted by parents, who almost outshine them. Odd spotting for.a tuirn of this type, but. that nieans no handicap. Andre Renaud (New. Acts) on sec- ondr Looks like an importation, =Tn'Db'aW3nfrom="-'Frahce.==^but—worth bringing ovier. Renaud Is a pianist playing two pianos at once, a hand at each, but saving a Llzst Rhap- sody legit for the closer that really puts him over strong. Friday night's audience.found the Act moire tbfin a 'Buiter. Joe and Pete Michbn raise the niost Jaughs on the bill in their 'sailor clowning and teeter-bbard .turn, "well kno^wn to most vaude and ^pleture—hbuse—audiences. ■ — C l ara . Barry and Orval Whitledge, old- timers, running second in their comedy routine. Barry and "Whit- ledge have some good material, but were not. registering as well as usuJxl at the Friday .evening's show, although okay. jpaiul Tlaen and his orchestra, with Jack Holland and June,.. dancersf; plus a single, uriblllcd and unmen- tioned, close the'sho-w,: faring only moderately. Holland and Junie do txv^o numbers, but fall to impress as much .as the single dancer, whose specialty On the toes wins, her in- stant applause. The' 16 minutes' running time about right for this offering. Business not ho* ^*<^^y evening. Chat. STATE, N. Y. Ambng the novelties tried but in the past on Broadway have been vaudeville . bills composed of all-. Amerlca;nr ■ itir-EngllshT all-male; all-female and all-comedy acts. Those .wiere in the. days -when bbokr er» v^ere still trying: ■ As a small .suggestion,. offered gratuitously, why couldn't some booker electrify show business and the public by putting on an .all-new act bill? Or is .such a thing for-, bidden by the NRA; nature,, or-the lia^w bf supply? Anyhow it would be getting back to fundamentals, ..if mii?ht click with the public,-and for once vaudeville-goers wbuldn^tlcnbw. every line, bit, routing and prattfall n practicaHy every act, . jjaybe a review of the .State-is the. \vrbng spot for such a, commu- nistic suggestion.;. Hasn't the State actually got a new -act this week, sbrhebody may point out^: And. what a daring thing booking a new act Is these days; But that new act fol- lotv's the Five-Elglns, Klnjg, King and King> Zelda Santley^ "William and Joe Mandel a,nd Roy Atwell, so the booker l^emained essentially a standpatter. Thpse. five acts belong to the ha,nd-^plcked memory-booked lisC Qf 60 acts or i^ss that are shuf- fled arbund between 'RKO, Loew, Warners and iPublix.'. and sure re- peated so often they leave their laundry behind ■with the property man and pick it up ph-their next date. ' By npw it bught to be pretty clear that five good acts don't automtttl'- cally .create a good bilk This week's lineup is dull, and the same could probably be said for bther- bills by other bookers oh other circuits that likewise would claims truthfully,; that all I their ; acts were standard. Standard the way corduroy piainta are in a mining, to-wn. Lacking win- dow-dressing appeal. Bought; but not sold.- Sam.. Robbins Orchestra (New Acts) ".lis the Ctate's show-closer, but lop© before . the bill gets that fa.r it is-guilty of allowing long gaps between laughs, protracted periods bf aimless getting nowhere, acts bowing off to light enthusiasm from a not very, large audience. In other v/ords, pretty much of an all-round bore. Land. ORPHEUM, N. Y. Draw is distinctly on the screen this week, b'ut. in 8.upport house has h, fairly entertaining, well balanced vaude show of flive acts Which .ex- hibits its best strength, in the. Cioni-r bdy division. . Feature is 'Too Much Harmony* (Pai^^), Whlbhi aided by a l4iurel and Hardy short, should, mean more than the usual box office this half (four days). ' Safiirday matinee take w^iq abbVe average, with low>- er .flopt'. well filled. Opener the . Dbnai Sisters, two sturdy young Iddles -in hand-,to- hand and balancing routines that call, not only for acrobatio form, but more than..the usual endurance females ppssess; Girls ate, plrcysy. In presentation, but no matter. . Adding to the novelty is a female Impersoniator, No^ 2, - Jackie Maye <New - Acts). ■ ■ -Pools - most-"Of—the folks, on the opehing nuhiber and then tips Identity, but nb, un-wig- ging. until the flnlsh. A fair act and over bkaiy Saturday afternoon. ■ Middle of the bill holds Ames and Arno (New Acts), who supply the majority of the laughs. "The girl, who can be funny, engages in .all kinds ■6f falls and cloWner-y.-— Herbert. Faye, in his. fout-people comedy turn has enough singing and, dancing to set it .^piart from the. preceding turn, thougjh.both are strongest on laughs. Spine of. the cpmedy up frpnt could hit ^harder, but toward the finish-this is foi;^- gb^ten thrdVigh Faye'S' impfession^ of Durante and. ■ -his: Straight'ig Cheyaller. both excellent. The two girls' caxried are bkiei ' Ciosin;^,' Bob Larry and hand, which looks tb settings , and scehlc effects, for majority of audience sup? pprt.- At first the orchestra is in the:' Interior of a Pullman car, with passing scenery . and. clbUd iefCects backing,'While later it's a boat with similar'effebts. Three specialty ar-^ tists - are carried, each . appearing' once. They - include a colored boy dancer, hot- much; a -torch singer who's fair; and a girl doing a tPe buck, excellent. Ted king and his orchestra this week essay a special"arrdhgemen't of a standard, opera, a little heavy fbr up here but' well handled. Char. . hPuses-coVer- -either^had ALBEE, B'kLYN Entertainment ■value, seems to be the: keynote, of the Albee this week. Nothing .very astonishing in the way of stage fare, but it unites into a bit. over , an hour of solid amuse- ment; Phil iFabellb's pit mob start the proceedings currently -with 4 nice overture snack that hits ^the mark. After a "few mittntes a girl comes through the curtains ■ in Chinese dress to sing, -with t'hat leading di- rectly into the .first! act, .which goes under the title -Of 'Singapore', it's a Chinese strieet scene, the 32 Albee- ettes in Chinese costumes and in a neat though unimpressive Chinese number. Costiim.es are flashy enough and. the girls have their routine down pat^ ^ Mills and Fiddler' fit intb the set- naturally. Standard act, of a Chlr hese and colored boy;. Good comedy turn, though a bit antiquated be- cause .seen around tob : long; • For purposes of this show,.they fit. Les Gellls, in one, follows. Standard vaude, again, and good^ a§ usual. . Another recbghiz'ed vaude ..turn fbllowis in Charlie Ponahue and his trick mule. That mule's been trained to the smallest and most surprising fraction. Giood laugh teaser, .Biack to production for the follow- ing number, 'Songs of the Sputh' About 40 people on stage, with the girls in cute Southern frills bf the old days for singing and dancing. Nice routining here. This again fades, nicely into a vaude act, Har- rison jubilee Singers, with Blanche Collins. A dozen colored 'lads in some honiey. Southern tunes. . "Vaude once more , by Hill .and Hoffman, for nice results.' Chiariey Hill had a tough time getting start ed with hig pianblog nutteryj.but =once--he=got-.golhgr=artd-=especially after Laura Hoffman, joined him, Brooklyn's City Hall was his. Now the flashiest, set yet, titled 'Merrie "Wives of "Windsor,* for the finish. Stage as set is replica of a Scene in 'King Henry the Eighth' (UA), which is also the .current fea- ture. Entire stage cast is on in an- cient costume^ tot a quickie flash. "While they're dancing, a number*, scrim descends and feature begins unwinding, wi th the stag^ e nd slow-^ ly disappearing as the credits finish and the film story begins. Kauf^ PITT plttsburgii;, Oct. 29. /Fairly decent array of talent in the curreht.layout, but there isn't a single socko,'and seven acts^^vylthout at least piie sock, doesn't average up too. well. ' Beet results weren't <)b^ tained, due to some clumsy routin- ing, with everything coming in the final sectibn.after. a slpw first; lialf.' . "Vaudfilm- looks like a toss-up at this site-right, now, .Understood no- tices have been posted backstage, but that's. merely a precautionary measure and may not ihean a thing. This is the fpurt-h week of Gebrge Shaffer's effort to put the policy across; First forthlght okay, due np doubt tp noVelty pf stage, shows, re- turning after year a;nd a half iab- sence more than anything else, but last week feir off and- opening day hot encouraging.. '. It's an uphill fight for the Pitt. In first place, it's limited .in capa- city, necessitating low overhead. That-makes ittoiigh to get the right acts and they- don't keep ' coming albng With chiefly grade B stuff, particularly .when-there's nib picture pull to keep *em satisfled... Current -opener Gilbert Brothers, equilibrists, and flrst rate in their line. Boys have a couple of stunts that brought the mob off its hands and they wound np strong. Smith, Strong and Liee in 'Hi Elmer' fol- low;' One of those Old-time op'ry- house acts that's, neither here nbr tliere and= pretty . sloW'.. Carter Brothers* revu^, ■with Cliff Dixon, Dawh Sisters and Florien'ne, has a pretty fatr'temme tap dancer-and little else, with a vigorous; comedian under the impression that. results ar^ merely a matter of breaking' into a 'sweat, . :0'N.efl and .Manners, bring some life back to the show with' a neat little comedy Offering, with Bomby (Aldb Bompnte) and 'His Gang,' two women, a.man ah<l girl pianist, on next/ Bpihby annbiinces. himself as one bf .radlb's original tehors with Roxy's Gang,, and his turn cbnsiists of a group of grand opera arias, and it won a big hand from thb crowd this afternoon. Acts like these used, to be quite common, not so much so bf late, but according to reception here, there's still a place for 'em where they're not too particular, Next-tb-cloSing, Clyde Hager in his famiiiar street^-hawking actT Ha- eer'S. a familiar face in Pittj3bui*gh, and .he's brightened up his act slightly for better results, :although -h'c.still,.has:a^e.WL.blu.eLXm.esJi.e^c^^ eliminate. Helen Carson revue. 'Dancing Arbund,* closes, but act doesn't make the most of Its pbsslbllitles. Dancing is good, with-Bernard and Shea*s tap .specialty to. 'Poet and Peasant* ovierture and rhumba of Sultana and "ViVera registering a solid cllcli, but singing of pouple of principals not so forte and «'Mracts otherwise from ,twb fii^st-rate danc ing. specialties^ Picture, 'JNotoflous But Nice* (Chesterfield). Cohen. TRANSLUX The newsreei. houses are dusting pff all their war rah-rah pennants. The off rscreen reporters are making pmlnous recording for stock nayy shbts along With some n^w .materiaK Lui«r <i.ipi^ into the 1919 files for treaty COnfer(enc:es iip tb-Hitler, the Nazis and' other European troops. .Embassy sticks to. the reliable, or that 'strong right, arm,* the .rtayy. Both houses have the new. English p]a,ne designed to destroy, .subma- rines. The '■ Enib follows up an in- terview With an English statesman, who~"aeinores~i*fe"n»^^ quate' coverage, with views of wiar- shlps at. target practice.. Biack tp "Washingtbn it has cbngress through a . spokesman approving the Presir dent's hands-off-Eurbpe policy. . Not satisfied with .this, as the lead, the Lpxer plunges its audiences di- refCtly into another war, that, against "crimen--TWhile-thtB-two^l Attorney-General- Cummings and America's. Devil's Island formally, LUxer through Pathe Stops . some pedestrians, as it has done abput unemploynieht): et-C;,- and queries them on their attitude toward crim- inals. Then Pathe . peeps in " oh Ma- chlne-Gun Kelly's wife Iri-'a Clholn- nati- jail.' Ypurig and- attractlye, the wpman has- a. perfect screen per- sonality. , This giv«s i. the subject sbniewhat bf a. studio, atmbspheFei, And, still- on the subject of. col lective interviews,. Pathe''aisp nailed a few bystanders to get their re- actions to mayoralty candidates.- Luxer gives-over more fbotage to repeal, than the Embassy and. makes the subject exceptionally timely by getting Jim Farley to rtame .Nbv. 7 as the. day When the hard-stuff dike: will break. It then dips into gin and champagne .places. Embassy, just, gives repeal a sneeze, cbncenr trating ph Califomla Wine bottlers in'bhe of "those stock Views. . Paramount presents. a "worthwhile stpry about quack, medicines and 6bismetics. Through Professor Tiig- well it: has graphic iUustratlbhs of t«ikers that recommended' and died, arid Weird test-tube plaCces where the . truth is . revealed about some rbugeS. and lash, matilcures. . But none of the trademarks is revealed, giving the girls no chiance to dlf- ferentiatje^. These second marriage clubs are nothing new to reel aUdl6nceS, but they alWay.is malie good program EMBASSY . Fp;x-JHearat. boys had - crew planted before-..the speakers' table and got .full views, descriptions arid comments bf^..thb three mayoralty candidates. And. the audience Sat-' urday •reacted accordingly. . On football the: Ltjxer has more complete coverage currently.. Where the Emb has only the Navy-Pitts- burgh-game. Lux takes, in Notre Dam;e-In<ilana. Coverage by all reels was- g^d, .cameraeye faculty for following the ball being, ei- tremely good, generally. Emb let some English football run a little lDngr"^althPugh"the- Bkirmlshes-on-Tar inuddy field were worthwhile; On the! mud subject Emb also took in the last at the Empire track, clbse- upping jockeys .after the race for additional proof of bibtchy weather. Emb did a better job than the Lnxer; '.oh the- French-German air trlckmeh's - contest. -. The Fox boys either^had-a-in«r^-ppwerf-UHensV br- else kept., their own plane within dangerously- close- range" of the stuntmeh. ,- Heartening ■ word was released frpm '"Washington that, the Presi- dent is looking for ai way to honot books' on som^" pf:. those closed, banks. There are several, welcome- home' pai'ties in. the program, onie: for Carhera in. (^enoak and the othejr' for Terry, in Mjeiniihls. Incldentailyi the Emb program ia not 'without that well-worn filler. The Japanese bull fight and the Mexican cp^ps have been here sev- eral times before. And the F-H editors alsb dug one put on a Niag- iara Falls wedding. - Bavarian dapclng .kids are good for.all seasPns of the year wh<^n it comes, to pasting up hewsreel menu. The Jugoslav, singers against a boat backgrbiind, French sea cadets, an American hunt In the English man- heri and. Several others wind up the' Emb bill With twp shPrtSi WalVi filler, paramount tries another In. Philadelphia fbr 9, few laughs.. Universal gets strikebreakers go.r ing tP wPrk In Fprd's CJhester plant. This affords ah off-spreen cpm- mentai*y on the NRA. U .also gets a cameraman to, strap himself to a periscope and get his feet wet. The reporting Is more, ex.hilaratlng than the action. Chibago farm lad who plays tunes with his hands Is really funny when he tells how. Waly. ORPHEUM, SEATTLE Seattle, Oct. ii. This week marks reopening of the deluxe Orpheum under ; Apex pr- pheuni Cp- bperatlbn, with Oscar bldknow the head man. Policy iia to dish out quantity .at . low prices. Ten acts . ballied,. with- no names considered Important enough tp mention in the ads. .It Is old-time variety, minus, tppliner act, singles, duos and trios coming along .con- ventionally, except that there is an m.c, Clarence Stroud trying his hand at spilling blarney. House overheiad down over prior Orpheum management, rent and stage show costs being drastically slashed. This holds out a 'chance even If take is less, ahd NRA re- puted leisure also prospective help.- This spot should get its share, es- pecially if pix holds to Initial cal- ibre, 'Bureau of Missing Persons' (FN). Trailer. next feature,, 'Three- Corhered Moon* (Par) not so hot. • Tiny Burnett, pioneer vaude or- chestra leader, is back with .10-piece, band. He is .^glven a spot pii; the stage fbr a number on the Steihway, and later does . some crbssTfiring 'with the m.c. Orpheum would nbt he Orpheum -without Tiny. Three or. four of the acts rate good, which is.- about the expected per- centage at this budget and scale. Those rating are Marve Jenseii T*rio, Chapelle a Ad . Gay nbr Twins, Mb- rella- Brothers and Gordon and Le- Roy. GbPd resppnse. Others fair. Scott and Lambert, 'gymnasts, average, open. Okay. Roy Dove, juggler in No.:2 spot,-all right;. Ulis and .Clark gag and. harmonize next, but rowdy In efforts to force laughs. The Morellas are Np. 4, Italian fun- makers, with dialect and harmony; their ■voicings are dandy, their dia- lect talk funny. Nlles Marsh fpllbws in female im- persbnatloh travesty. Chapelle and. Gaynor Twins, are liked, with 'Miss (aaynor doing a' new kind bf a. floo""r roll-split that takes, the ..hbuse. Strpud and Beth Dodge fbllow In =harmiess-chatteri^with=MisS~Dodge= showing something. In her whistling number. Marve Jensen Trio step okay with one of the lads doing an outstanding dance bit on an ele- vated six-inch rail tb big results. Paul Gordon and Fay Le Roy, cycl- ists, with the equipment and know- ing how to handle It. Neither is a foil, the girl contributing as much as the man. Act closes the bill for big returns. In the lO-act billing S troud is counted for one, bu t ther e ^ia no kick on this ifofiht;'" stage show ran 60 minutes. Trepp, FOX. 3R0PKLYN Three points bf interest this Week* First; the Fox has jf show the cur- rent week that carries talent. Sec^ ond, the show -hasn't a single chat- ter, turn. Bert.'Frohman does all that^B necessary and nbt too' much. Third, Mary McCormlok. '^atur- day*s Millions* (U) on the - screen and biz. ought to hold up, providing Misi3-M<JConnldk-aoeS--not:-pFove.>too- classical for Brooklyn patronage. "When caught Friday (20) night, downstairs biz looked . okay. Here she's billed as Princess "Mary Mc- cormick Mdlvanf. "With her voice she doesn't need the princess bill- ,Ing, but lii view-, -of the notoriety the three. Mdivanl boys receive .al- most continuously, and almost .everywhere, 'm^tybe it's a good handle for stage purposes. The combination handie should lend itself to .paper - space around where the blpndc Chicaeo songbird appears. It's her .second pop. vaud« showing, sb far as accounts show;, and she tops th,e grade easily from a. vQlce .angle.'. .A charming voice backed by a handsome personality. When all. the trick singers of vaude. iand elsewhere haVe tb depend on the. mikes for volume or other ahg.ieS, Miss McCormiCk needs ho mechanical assistance to carry her through. ThatjS :Sbmethirig of npvelty fPr these days. Tliere's pne. thing about haying surrounding talent' that's ' capable. The 'ni.c,. doeshH ha-ve to dp things , he neither, wants nbr should do on th^ stage. Thus Bert Frohman.gets a - much needed lift fpr'. his efforts in having two other . turns like Barry, Greeh and Wiler :and' th© Mahgean Internationals tb carry a, fjood load of- the "^program. The line does a couple of numbers, but that's all, .although the oostumes look better than hitherto, and the settings are better looking also. Frohmani sings a couple after; the first line number. In a good spot. That Barry; iQreen and Wiler trio is a tumbling, ■ active and rough idanbing tUx*n. Very good reactibn . The show Is more nfeariy straight vaude stuff than anything else. The line is chalked down as an act, and Dorothy Justiuj -who prlmas as a ballerina in a toe ensemble with the girls for the close, also has in- dividual hilling. Universal newsreel and a cPupie of shPrts, one of which is on NRA. On this end becauise the particular NRA .shpvt smacked . of newsreel character, lopked like overdone. An "Aesop Fable, TSarklng Dogs' is the other short. Shan*