Variety (Oct 1933)

14 VARIETY VARIETY HMSE REVIEW* Tuesday, October 31, 1933 MUSIC HALL, N. Y. li^ith the Music Hall settling possessing excellent caxying powers, Is not what they call hot stuff at the State. Some of the regulars can't savvy a singer who sits In the sanie down into ©iretty much of a pattern, ■ o-... j ~. —— ^ IVs stUl Idod enterta^inment this place through her entire act. Fol wiek because the mosaics in that lowing the opening day her vole. that the socle is. supplied by a the rest of the weeK, vaudeville act: A novelty acrobatic Bill opened nicely by Downey and turn is the one thing that's different the Lee Slaters, with POwney cariT- from what they had the week bC'- ing the comedy and the two gius lore and the week before that. contributing some nice,^ though riiikM»¥^^-! K to'Se whTs Se?\^al£"d\iKo?;trthe p^rrell is second, with Slim Tlm- chdrus^ the ballet and the Roxy-' win third. For some reason TlmbUn fettes not to mention this orchestra; w^^ hot over to his; usual punch. Arid after that's-been fed to them tliouffh Staite. audiencesi through.xe>. there is little room left for novelties, peated appearai.oes, have been r>n*»rier is the overture to «Wil- trained just Where to laugh. Plenty liam Tirr ied.^t Te show caught, -chuckles, but not unanlmmjs. hv^Jclfa Violin. Not helped any Miss Morgan follows, giving place hv Xttte attiront at!llght «fCects4 .±olMurphy-and-thett-l^lph^^^ i'^ite^ipScon c'ffu^^^^ and lah- his. 'Broadway vs. Hollywopd' seven-! tern slide lighthlrig. It would have people flash, been better for the Hall's veputa-l This is a flash that flashes. It tlbn for vast lighting resources had tears along with a swift change of this display been abandoned, with pace, nicely dressed, plenty of ya- the brchestra playing stta-iSht. In rje^y jn the work, and some capital spite of its size and the ca:reful con- | dancing. It got them out In froiit PALACE, N. Unpretentious policy of the Pal- ace under Its present policy . and moderate scale, current bill serves nicely. It has a flavorlilg of nov- elty, fair enough comedy values and lops off with a touch of artistic class, pleasing entertainment in these several departments.. Feature that goes with the stage layout i^ rather better box ofBce than the run of - material to TVblch. the- house has access and the result otight . to be a better-than-average week at the gate. 1 tbved a Woman' (WB) on the screen.' f One of the details that helps the EMBASSY Emb showed excluslv^ely Saturday direct coverage of Germany's walk- out from Geneva and the rebuke by the disarmament chairman Imme-. diately after the Hitler prbclama-! tioh had been read. The house also brokie with the daily newspapers on the 'Llterifiry Digest'^' New York mayoralty poll. • P-H house, which has aped the program tb. deliver is- the. presence I Luxer on several program changes, in the final spot bf . Roslta and Ba- including the showing of short sub- .mon with . iBdoiuardb Blanco's Ar- . j^ects, . this .w^e started igrqupingf gentirie orchestra (New Acts), a some of its lesser, h6w8 under etich welcome variation of stage band Readings as' 'Metrotone Snapshots* and dance r^vue numbers. Differ- -and- 'Picture Paragraphs in the ence is worth examliiihg ill detail. Day's News.' t>athe was the first --Trouble- with- -the run .ofi-bahd Unewsceel. toabbreviate on. _ .title, units Is that they won't flit Intb most space in this manner, bills except as closers, in that spot Emb. this season either, Is in- they are something of an embar-. tentibnally putting down on football rassment because they have to cll- footage or else,It is waiting for the max a shbw made up of a succes- bigger games. A lot more coulp sion of specialties, ieach Individual have been iused on that Columbia and arranged on a crescendo scale. | Princeton, game and . the Carnegle- ducTing, the number lacked cplpr. I Jf^the clcsinl curtain; arid that's The peak of entertalTime^ "onener is Tschalkowaky's 'En- goiriething. One of the girl dancers comes with the next to closing turn F-H editors went to the other ex- chaSted l^e' (not new), an ornate l^2?to^^^^ thereafter the unit has to pick treme, oyer-footlng many of the settlne iri dull tones with set trees exhibits In two numbers, but the up the running at top speed and games..^ ^ , x „ ^ „ d?wnfi^5\it and a metallic surface SStstaifding fact Is that Jimmy Du- carry it along. Instead, the revue .-The New York tailor who won in oSe ^tage trslmu^^^^^ water. The ^ffie ?s not Included In some brief ordinarily has tp lay Its pwri grpund the Irish sweepstakes preyed one of ballet Is disclosed all in white prps- imitations: Unbelievable, but true, work In audience interest an.d work the most h"™S*f.^S,,^™!^V w trate on the floor, but Comes to life gi.^ acts instead bf five push the up to its own climax and the pfo- reels have so far, interviewed. FjH to flutter around bn its collective shpw over the hour Hriilt, and the cess involves difflcqltles. | crew must have caught him right toeis in fluent movement. _wtth the | entire bill opening day passed the ] it is otherwise with the Roslta solo by Heiene JJenizon, whoTsrin— terrupted by Nick Uaks, who heads the other male dancers as the arch- ers who fall in love with the swans. Smoothly effective bit uritil the men come: one,. but these United States are not yet hardened tb the male ballet daiibers. Newsreei breaks the continuity, here with the usual clips and after he gbt the news of his forturie iFeB^^hour-oiiariCi Film is "Torph Singer' (Par). b5ftinp.n fbr th«^ -reason that M-^^g^-^^^^°£fh^f-^^^^ Also dance pair are a top feature turri m l ^o^h noTises^iaxJ-that-Brpmc^ilK jJS;r i^" ^^1^ I Ihf^op fhr^^^ I jessing ajd U ^drjw only ^a few ' 'a band and a group of specialty ^^"sns, tne suoj«-i8 J^JJ" people only elaborates and sets off stagey and impressing as wek-n newsreei and a rather Ipng trailer. Chic, their Individual appeal Opening has Rpbbins Trip, two ^ Q U nien and a girl, in a striking acrp-> ■ • • batic specialty: pn skates, making a DPwn at the Grand Opera Ilpuse, lively display. Pepple gp In for gag in a silent comedy. Waly* TRANSLUX In political flavor both houses are pn ist par currently. They lead off w'lth ' the Presiderit's radio review and his trip, to Maryland as the guest Pf Hlrarai Brown/ siain develbpment is cpvered by al- ludlri^ tp pld. news clips. In tiiie New York mayoralty trpuble i^uxer is pne week behind the Emb Pri; the speeches ever the same table by the three ■ candidates. Pathe seems destined tp carry trie newsreei banner against racketeers. It fpllpwed the t;pngresslpnal ccrii- mittee out tp Chlcagftlior the. testi- mony of Factor and O'Connell, The latter Is a colorful character on the screl^n arid one whose advice to the young against , rackets brinig,s only laughs. There. Is Some . gppd cpmedy thb tiuxer line-up. The dry woman: In Atlanta who revives an bid pic- ture' of the horrors of rum is a headllner. Her. voice breaks Into falsetto, she gets so excited. The 6(H)-lb. wrestler in Massachusetts who all but smothers a partner .Is another. A shptg:uri wedding In France with the bride described, as., thirteen and the grppm with hat pver eyes, is difflcult fpr the audi- ence tp classify. ^GarrieraHat-the-famil-y-tablOrT-tur-— keys, Byrd leaving en the first leg pf his Sbuth Ppii) vpyage, mbre gpld mining and the Graf zep, are ethers. Waly. ROXY, N, Y. Sr^^^how wS'Ws^fra^^^^ fllk'^iPhe l Wich smells differently- since cold.l whirls eriiphaslzlrig speed" ari^ new The 'ole Roxy is stlU" the best i«, value on Broadway, with its notr the flver so-firersale show at bargain ad- tne nyeri_._^ —quantity, not ar mervlUe-Pltts comedy." Also an overplus pf trailers, including a visible ad fpr Taisty Bread, but plausibly gotten away with through Jbnes and Hare broadcasting thrice weekly from the Rbxy stage in That's an ingenipus cpmmer- su^er iKted brihe P^^^^^^ 11^ ^'"^ ^t^^^ ^^.^'^'^V"^^ Fan- I claHzatfpn"pf thl^visfble audience ff^tiiirht^ hut mpdern. Pleases the crcwd and prpbably tipn in a sprt pf adagip hold on the. ^pst remarkable m tnese r.an ^ ^ ge wffi sStly w^^^^^^ . ^ trio and nets good results. ... rental tp be^abie tP ^^or^. ^J.^J^ t^e flyer. has beeri able tp dil radlp pices-direct from the. Rbxy stage. Finale Is a fpur-part: CPncpctlpn Diggers Pf -19.33/ which ^^^^ Britt Wcpd fitted admirably ih Samer Sp much fp t^^^ the hpuse an ppportunity with the VPcai chprus lined acrcss neit. Pic Is, •Chlnatpwn Nights/.Kj^e np. 2 sppt, with his quiet, ef- ^''i^ New Yprk has fpr a. JIttle extra gravy, thrpugh.the the stage against a set tPP dark tp which Parampunt released In ,1929. fectlve cemedy. style and his inter- ?f^® eonb' after some of tliese tieup. . It's the first time past for be clearly deterriilned. There's .a Only one features so Its five and not esting use bf the harmonica,, with ?" gr^ celebs for nocturnal enter.r a stunt F&M has capitalized pn largo Circle In the back drpp, and four acts pf vaude. Intricate trick effects. • talnment having the same eye tP the west cpast, nptably with Al intp this comes a tableau platfprm Bill, which runs 53 minutes, starts .jean .Sargent helped by her mu- the budget that pbtains with F&M Pearce and his Radic Gang;, with a violinist and harp to give oft with Kirk and Lawrence, ih aUical comedy backgrpund, pffered a and the Rpxy. ' -^"^^ Shubert's 'Serenade/ Jacques Ges- cpmedy bit In ene. Back in 1928 a .mild sPng cycle, using pnly well -when no name is available, the selin exhibiting a full, musical tone reviewer intimated that the act was Uforn pop numbers entirely includ- house sort of creates a name aura that holds Its own well with .the capable bf . belrig fixed up into a jngf 'Don't Blame Me/ 'This Time about Its show and kids the audi- chpral response. . A pretty number good turn. That still goes. It is ifs Love' and 'Talk of the Town,'Unce in believing that somehow and all too brief. The platfornn atiU possessed of a goo4 Idea, butlNbthlhg to set the turn pff or glVe they must have missed Rice, Lane darkens and is drppped tp be re- nothing seems to have been done |t special Individuality. Just a quiet and Vine (Three Radio Ramblers) CHICAGO Chicago, Oct. 30. _ _ _ When.R &'K. gets an act for . this iplaced by a Spanlsii scene while I about'it. It's a. basket horse act I moment" In'~N^^ •I^zVbones"*'CrVor"(alsp Beatrice Belkln does a solo and with the man and the girl both from the Paramount Grill. billed as a radio artist), although did this with John and Edna Tor- Zaricy an4 DeLlma contribute-three -mounted.' Any old basket horse IS . left it un to SI WiUa and as happens. Iri the sepian Crybr's rence. A good dancing act, but-it. bits, a ppse fpr Serranp's 'Marie- Uoed fpr a laugh, and always has jo'^^Jj^X "^^^^ man a^rid ec- instance he's painfully Inferior: has played this house, too. Some 11 alia,' a Qsipe dance by the man and been, but here the man works out JJJtribwc^maJ knfckabSit tp carry With them are. the standard Bay. weeks a^o B. & K brought Sally a brtef Castanet dance for the pair, k number of good ideas to get a "reh f^rn^tt^^^^ and LaRue, among the best Rand in to do her fan dance. With Another blackout and Jan Peerce variety of paces and leave behind JP*;''*^";^''^^ the mayhemesque adagio three- the fair dragging thpusands Pf peP- Blngs Tpselll's 'Serenade' with a the old ideas. But the stufi! Is still "Jll^ rouJhhouae^lS^nln^ the somes; Pansy, 'the human horse,' pie Into town business was big. gondola passirig without action tP prudely put tpgether and the herses' f Is mbstir we^ IJcce^^^^^ »»arks back tc a brand pf ifg easier tP rebOPk an act than explain tp.^thpse who have «p pre- heads lack cemedy expresslpn. Alsp , | flnj^by girttp man^sguU vaudeville that, with its departure, get a new shew. Sally Rand Is grams that this is the Italian sec- they're cramped by werklng in ?ar^^ ^la^^^ the knell of vaudeville as |ack, stopping off to break her jump ^o„ 4P-match_the German and .one,' Building up the material Into {JJP^^^ family institution. Pansy, along to the west coast. She would have Spanish, serenades. I a nfai^a not wniilrl T»robfl.hlv heln I ".""^ * " ^""^ irum a, «ign pow l^ity, wnnnma nnrl HharlftS. mu- I w.. * o* t i- /-n*.. -H,^ ^ .. . , a stage act would probably help ered cet-awav Then the Roxyettes in ugly py- plenty. In any event they need a f**^*" away,, jamas of purple and green, with sll- better finisher than the race, which ith Williams and Charles, mu- i been great iri St. Louis, Kansas City «r,A ar^A T,i„„„^ I ^^^^^.l clowris who havc shnozes or Minneapolis. Here she Is dying .^?f"^,^o^ ^*^.?*"„*!^? bulbbusly and Whp because the Fair mpbs aren't here Ver spangles, rather hideous as .to jets them go back to the dressing Bi-oup run 24 minutes for the wind- perform on scaled musical disks, cut and with the baggy trousers | fooni with no re-demand, flapping without grace. But that's The girls go. off aft^er just to tease a moment to reappear in scanty blue velvet trunks, and' bodices to swing into the fanilliar precision work as Is precision; They can swing a line without a waver iand even on the third show they went through the precision work without a hitch. They wor'k to an abrupt ending this week that robs the show of its flnal punch and spoils their applause." . .• " Feature is' the first pop showing of 'Berkeley Square' (Fox), the hou^e newsreei and,-two shorts,-the first of the Slbwglow cartoons and a Magic Carpet,. With exception of the top shelf, business strong. CMc^ STATE, N. Y. Appareritly .Lbew' bookers figured that Helen Morgan would be good booking. Alsoi apparently, they were right. . Ruslness above the a.vera^e Frldiay afternoon, fpr bbth shpws." And yet thi? big! nelse went tip a yaude. eld-tinier and net tb the lady Who has. sat pn more p(ahps than; Shipwreck ICelly has fla^rpclcs, "Wliobper Clipper on the six-act ill is Bob Murphy and his kids in next-tp-shut. Act shews new. dreias ing fpr here and the stuff is batted over smartly, with the result they g'et a spck recall after drawing laughs and applause all thrpugh thie turn. Abput the pnly new stuff is a __ bp 6ze_pa rp.dy_by Murphy himself lie's working "hafabrTo piTshjEhlrige over, than he did lately at the Acad emy. Probably the respprisivb audi e'nce. Reversing the Murphy frame-up there's Billy Farrell with his dad, arid dad, instead pf the kids, getting the whppps. Plenty pf life in the —^^Id gentleman, and he's sure fire. Miss Morgan sits out four songs and back for ar encpre that's sin- cere if npt vociferous. Her line of Bongs does liot harmonize with the rough grood humor pf the preceding two acts, and her light voice, while Marlp and Lazzarin, twp bpys with gppd. enpugh vplces, harriionize rilcely and-clean with a medley par pdy tp pperatlc airs. Being their pwn, it dpes net lose freshness as rapidly ias pop music. They lack assured presence and. the head tones, of the tenor are' not always quite true, but it counts as good singing down here, and over nicely. Middle spbt goes :.to ■ Johnny El- liott's revue. He used to have a four-iirirl line and How WOrkS Wlth six and a soloist, the latter particu- larly, good in Russ squat- steps on her toes. She starts pff in ia com- edy co!9tume for an. opener, but doesn't do anything With It. Elliott is a good hoofer, particularly, in the eccentric steps, and the pa^lr hold, the stage while .the girls change costumes, "iwo sets bf cos'tumps are a little , old. but still sightly. The, operilng' set of dresses more br less entitled tb an old age pension when they get .enough, consecutive tlifie to. be able to make a change. Not a bad flash;, "as- flashes go dpwn here.. It would .. have " fitted better as ■ the pleser. Good finish In which EUiptt and the girl dance in the same pair of trousers. Big. nplse is J. Francis Dcpley, whp meaps It when he says he. Is assisted by Mildred Bensori. She's a good 9-16th bf the turn, rough and hoydenlsh, with a fondness for the goose gag, but she's exuberant and puts a lot of Jazz Into the work :rDboley-ieasiess^ov-CK.=.some^old=.J.okiea. slickly, and the. turn Is pretty much what the natives. like. It's up te him whether he does 14 minutes or sticks arpund a bit. Cleanup Is the Three La Marr brpthers whp start put as the cen ventienal hboflng turn, with sbme gppd wprk and then cpme back and forget all about it to do Bome..acro- batic stuff, largely harid standsr- The finish applause tells why they get last position rather than the flash, it's a real palm warmer^ up to strikingly few departures. Rnsh. ipitched old-fashioned automobile I horns, phoney champagne bottles, etc,, , are of the schppl which tppk vaudeville .through its sundry evo- lutions of Sun, Pan, Ackerman & I Harris, WVMA, lK)ew, Proctor, Oi;ph and Keith vaudeville time. any more and to the natives she's I no hoyeltyi At the second show Friday there were wide open spaces on the main floor, something that's a genuine novelty in this house after three I riibnths of capacity. Real honors for the show cur- rently go to Fred EVans for three PARi^OUNT. L. A. Los Angeles, Oct. 2$. This Is Bing Crosby week at the I depending on the progressive stages Par, and packed houses. Surround- and quality of the talent.. ing the crooner, Fanchon & Marco '. And so, as a reflex from $5,000 I excellent ballet arrangements. Three has placed' a smart show, full of to $10,004) headlineris, houses like numbers that have variety and entertainment. While the picture, the Old Roxy afford outlets for punch, a rustic number, a ballet sie- "Take a Chance' (Par) benefits from talent of .this type.. And it works qu^rice and the top of. them all, a no advance bally, isuch as a West- out handily. So much so, irideedi. socking jproductlpn number with the ccasi-iriade musfcai'miYM have,' it tha'l ft Is fbcd fpr .cbrislderable girls in cellpphane. .Otliier click pf and the stage pertipn prpvlde a let rthbught tp those who would foster Uhe afternbori due tb another house of what they^warit/ the return bf combination enter- nian. Cherniavsky directing the Openirig in a good-lbokirig set, tainment on a. moderate scale. . overture and selling music .as the band, arid ..dancing Urie wead their ] Rice, Lane and Vine are broadly highlight bf the'show, way through a wbod'enrshoe number effective wtih their radio imper- Performance Itself-ran ragged and that Is not as Smboth as most sonatlons of names who are now gcatter^d bn a nuriiber of singles routines, at. this hpuse. hpusehold wprds, They're three U^bo-wandered in and put. Every- Crpsby Influence has affected men,, but one has a three-pitched [body.was a single en this shpw; not Gebrgie . Stpll,: the cbnductor, who I falsetto which dbesn't d^eter him' a gag in the entire running: Not gives his;announcem(ents.that, bari- frem running the: gamut .of . imlta- onp wprd speicen in 60 minutes pf; tbne tremplp;. AIsp, the singer -in tiph frpm Kate Smith.tp Rpsa Ppn-. p^e;^^ Only time ariybpdy the HPwe,'Leo.riard and Alyce turn selle. Presentation is^ good wlth L,pe^ed their mouths V^ras to sing, does a Crosby takeoff. ,. {V^^'^^^^'^ ^P*^*^^^^ nllTmC the vocalists -being Jame-s Melton Two band numbers are well-done, in turn, each behind-his pwn "iikc k^jj^ j^gjj KellV although the secpnd, a comedy Pov-: -^.^i^„^^v-.^^ ^w^?f With the liVie of girls on and bit smith Brpthers, with their dogs, are He is unctuous and ingratiates Loniphodv it and nlaopH Another a little slow in starting, but. once only, himself but his fellow talents, somebody g^^^ underway click strongly. Girl line Tlie 24 Gae Foster Girjs are ^^"ci^g follows for. a good rumba. , Howe, nifty, with the swellest collection for m Leonard and Alyce are solid with of underpfnnlngs, for one ^JO^V. ^L^Juf u "^p ^^^^ their laughs and hoofery. Wind up this, side of a $4.40 musical show- ?^ fjt *^ave^5f « out with a'neat pedestal dance. and many times better than- most J^'f^ J^^o^ke^^^ Crosby is introduced in a produc- Pf 'em, One of the girls "ashert f encing- and i?^^fJ^^'^'^f,,f 1'^^^^^^^ tion number, the claasreom . scono, a bandaged , gam and obvipusly had ater on. n the out pf '.Cpllege Humor.' Wows them to sltaff her stuff. Migh€ have been e^u^ with it, supported ably , by the girl more politic to have excused so with .moie .dancing. Sally Rand also =lingaTM-V1ckI-Jpycef-"Thcn^he-'glve3M obviQiifilyH ^"~V^~^,r~7'^" ~J ;fi^ them 'Tuast Rpundup' fpr another Their routines are more than pass- Stan Kavanaugh walked en cold velley pf applause and winds up ively impressiye, tliat bouncing and Juggled himself to an ^easy with spme Pld favs, backed by StoU's" ball numl)er . particularly getting flick. But -where, the show should violin and Bobby Sherwood at the 'em. The routine with the red and have built from there It dropped guitar, a la: Joe VenUti and the blue scarves was capable of greater away, each act somehow nulhtying late Eddie Lang. His 14 minutes riot elJibpration; somehow the fullest bno another. James Melton head- enough for the opening shew mob, possibitities there hadn't beeii lined the show ".nd unloosed a neat which irislsted on another number, plumbed. In totoi Jack Partington pair of pipes. Principal draw, o.f the crooner!has done, an excellent staging job. | House brings .'Three Little Pigs On screen this week is a .Mickey | cartoon back to the.loop afer it had l)layed all PVer town. Picture is boys predoihinating. House packed. | Kick-Off,' a gridiron three-recler, |'Evcr in My Heart' tWB) with Pur- -openlng afternopn was frpm among On screen tni the^'hlglu^chppls and colleges, wlth-lMaUse - -('Gala bpys predoihinating. House packed. Kick-Off,' a gi „ .i i ^ , *, Betty Booper and Par newsreei and the feature, 'Love. Honor and amount newsclip.s. completing the round out the program. Leny, I Oh! Baby' (U), indifferent Sum- ' screen portion. Loop.