Variety (Feb 1934)

Tuesday, February 6, 1934 VARIETY HOUSE REVIEWS VARIETY 15 Music Han for First Times Goeis Real Music Hall in Current Show PARAMOUNT. N. Y. 1 PALACE, N, Y. This week's stage show -would There's nothing about the current scarcely be held up as a model of {-^^^-^"ff-tr^-^Jf ^^^^ leasB BincB il noiaa n conirtiut i * should be. But, Uqu,, but with enough nice Samples P?x reel ma'de one conspSukly reversely, It could be held up as a Lf this and that to g6t by the less advantileoT?^ move this wiek when typickl sample of what a stage show captious. If the Population of a bill it put Thorgeson, ex-broadcaster, these days Is; apt to be. could be used fj^ iito thfe recording. The rich Thorgy Its faults are^ off springs of econ- measuring entertainment value^J^s baritdne Imbues offscreen observa- omy. Too little time, top little one :; would rate^ par excellence. oanioMB iiuuuoo vilb^-icou uuooiva, I jjjjjj^gy .jQo mtig gypervlslon are ex- | Opening act numbers nine personB, biggest contributor to the l/amet program, many of its ecoops over the Elniib coming out of rooster ranks. Luxer, however, can still se- lect material frsm Pathe's national (release, since it holds a contract. The more-than-6,000 seater iij «a- edy, of course, 'Is still needed. It's tions with an uriusual sincerity, a money, too little supervision are ex- opening act numbers nine ^persons, dlo City has finally hit on something apparent that, because of the huge marked and pleasing' contrast t6 Ih^ pended.; The girls, for example, in- while the finale Item, billed a-s the worthy of its envlromnent; The g,^^ the auditoriumr that cohcen- piping McNam^ no enthusiasm by their pre- Radio City Music H^l Choral En- •first Radio City Music Hall Revue. Uration on song lyrics,. or diligent p^olee used In sbme of the He^^^^ ifc thing more absent than semble, accoimts for 3?. which is. slated to .hoi* o^^^ vocalizing, cSng 1^^^^ McManus, whb pro- present. And the big finale with Show as a unit is a sharp letdown weeks with 'Nana' (UA). booked in ^^atter the quality of the acous- vlded the corned^ in reporting for balloons is rendered unsatisfactory from the previous week. So was the for a fortnight, is the type of^care- ^1^,3 ^hd the though mikei doesn^^ shortly by faked pirouettes. .. attehdance. that gi;eeted the war- fully planned and well-executed ^ ^ .^jj^ .-.^ fn aonVe of the P^^^ 'yet, amidst the. perfunctory and hiing mob. from Sixth avenue at the production which^an B^sin^^^^^^ workaday flaws^ of the show tbe fact pHd^y n^^^^^ P^^^*''^"iT^4n^^*''„SS evjch as the Hall should foster. record DroportiohsT Carriage trade, Sartiri^ M that thanks chiefly to Mil- the main arena were .many and There are a host of credits fon- PJJfJ^ P™P°^^^^^ gone fo^ those!the presentation clicks, wide. For .Screen sustenance there's .hected with this Leon I^onidoff w"'^" ^^^^^^^ ^ curreht Luxer brogram Indeed, the applause lasted welUnto .i Am Suzanne' (Fox), newschps and production, but it evidences a judl- Sorl than ever Jo m?ch ^d that the Lpithe staeS f d^^^^ the balloon number. That, need- a reel about Fatber John Cqughlin. clous blendiftg of all the collabora- "^9^^^ t^^ to say, is pumping plenty of , Frequency of slips indicated that tlve talents to good purpose. While jegui^ar reviewers w^ caicn ^ne hou^se fJ}\llJ-J^^^f^%^;^l th th*. response out of a O'lmes Square the Royar Uyeho Troupe, lineup's there was oi^e misfit in tbis initial^ M^^^^ I starter,'was Vber breaking in a *"f.,.H-^n.:enterta^nn^^ EnUx ^^sp<^^imi^^l calibre, that is but an . incidental Primarily it proves .that a different type of. entertainment-can b,e fcon- trlved other than the formula .suc- cessions of ivpcal ensembles, Rdxy- ettes, tableaux, et al STATE, N. Y. 2iSfreel"citt roJm^'^it'* delive?s°? the post-Hoover -Broadway has al, I nttfe difficulty warming up. newsreel city rooms, it. aeuvers a .^^^^ discussed and cussed | whole, the. mixture of rlsley and On the ^Ti^ir^-^^r. wi.of'f In thft fnr™ of ready ibeert discussed and cu SlE^^^aglSftlSi IStSlzel 1 beyo?id the publicity dreams: of whole, any I somersaults fared generously. ' I o*«5r,t>t\»viin"ciioii tiHBftri luxuries as 1 nio<iern headlinen^^^ As an Issue, he Oookie Bpwers had the next niche Although T^unnihg overboard on [tjS?ff,V®^-$hffuMft^to5^ I stlU hot. He sings a spi^g In fact |. for his outlay of oral sound effects until ■ after a. chart has ously utmzed to project ^ fast-moy- | &f^J^^Sw'^S&gSg Ilifting. Altnougn xunping o.veruuo.iu v" *r^fh-n rrtiiR' 1ittl<> touch does nOt 'i"-'^* ■»«=.='"'b» fv?^ lor nis ouimy uin-i svuii« ^^^•■^y-^" r -. A ... , , . time, this bill carries a heavy load fPotbail, Instead, the revolving, stage and i^^. .^^^^ eMertaihm6nt, much mdre ^S„;*H„""Vh« ilxoa^ a^d sometimes violent. With oth- amply, particularly his takeoff of ri the scrim set-pieces are advantage- | than a clevfir Dersonality like Georrge l gnp^n "pw the taxp^er s . d^^^ actors. He brags about his gag- Delancey street matron's frolics in 7 ^ -.- V- :i " 1 Me»BCi iio«5u» vu ui.wui^ . Even credits some pf. hls | a public bathing pool l'lSJi^*l^i^?y^5-^¥^^^?i5}*^>^-,'??^^ iV^iother flood of world | sources, Biamed_Ed^^ Cbmiffig under the heading of of tbent^ surefire before aildlertcesl i^^fifii^vifJ couple Of gags went dead. What j gmartness deluxe was the tap exhib- ^ T.T4,,, w * I suoh the State caters to,v With trouljle in th^^^^ ^°^i*®nv;%* V '^"^"^^ Wm^^ West jessel as one of tbe sli and wprklng most, equa^^^^ like that? . , , and the Lathrop. Bros. The boys and. .Mo.Qlnty. who were, droppedUhjUout: as m.c.; the layout plays the belght^of the ^epresslon^^^^^^ Yet Berle indubitably .. can do shone brightest with their pakewalk after. the matinees) nor d d it is. J^sael says . the-wj^ arid to an audience, concept, while the girl, endowed ably require the substitution, of ti^g .ig hlg.fl„t time at the State. ^ .don. ,hi «L>maS His tempo is^ terrjfic, hip vitality In ^oth W th looks and a figure that ^y.i^.t*^ Bubbles, who wer? added Fifteen minutes- could have been 'attack against the NRA by postma^^ .g^ng jg joisonesqiie. and help, had a couple specialties of her yith the rsecond day's (Fjrlday) .per- p^^ned from the do the layout is substitutes, .^and Jj„ Anstria^^^he K^.g, is. like any of ^wn that garnered plenty approval, formances. For, sans that unit, it running, however, to the advantage news^^^ specimens* spmethlng to aYi act cut to a fine, brilli shaped up as a fast 46-50^ minute j^e shove's speed.. Jesserhimself reanda againstvHW^^^^^ viii««n wonder about. . His main failing re-J ^^^.4^^ and an asset to any bili; revuette that, waa yarlegated and ^qui^ ,gtand most of the slicing. Paramount,.following "P.kidnap- h^toTQ, his excreable judg-1 May and Jean Carroll ex- versatile without boring; tn fact, though it would kill a IPt of laughs, pers, got som^ intimate views of t^^^ 'j^ working with women. chanked their pat line of patter, had one^f those reprises^ of 'Blu^.^hile the rest of the shaving could latest Toughy gang fr^o_as._ For ^^.^ jj^^el Shutta, and ^^^ade the next-to-shut interlude be done on. the Harry Savoy and some reason .or other ,the Lyxer J^^lle he's polite enougb In building ^ has it would have helped still further. Uiiuan Shade.turns. overlooked a Fox interview with a ^ f g^j^ goes in. plenty for J?fi5^^t^yS It becomes obvious that a plug be- . savoy gets them quickly, loses Penrisy congressman, whose adyor j^*! IhA ifrieer tik^^ out to fore a 6.000 capacity audience, four them towards the finish, and then cacy that all abductors who kill hy the results lie gets ^^1^^ arid: give them her times daily. mak«s it exceedingly scores with his set encore, the Rich^ their victhns be placed before a his own bits and burlesque it's S.n bit a la tights. ~ It was the worthrwhile for almost any song- ard the 3d solllpquy. Hels using a firing squad.got rpusing applause at ^^^^^^ apparent that Berle doesn't. ^^"^3°^.^ Perhaps the chilliness' smith to work with Leonldoffi tail, gbodlooking brunet as a foil the Roxy. earlier Saturday after-i ^ged to do" a lot of things. One of Rapee, Florence Rogge and Russell and for a sorig, but the comedy ber- noon. . ... I them is the borrowing of other peb- Markert to supply whatever special tween them is none too strong. LaGuardia's plea for tbe citizenry I'-i^'s gags. He gets more combust song material may be necessary. It's I jjjiss Shade is a sock rhythm to back up his program and ..war {^^j^ results with his own clowning probably the only worth-while the- ginger, but doing too much In her against politicians, generally cov-ij^^^ ^^^^^t of gags atr plug left ;outside of^ the radio, | own turn and in an afterpiece with ered, ip going Pver big. The .x^eaction jy^^g ghutta, of c and so that^ fiiil^t;^ ^iie H^ I ^^^^ ca?e ^ S a^^S tSd^S? f J^f'iS^'l^'ii^^ worries. There can be no-libretto ©nee anxious for more. Looks well talks about ousting 'loafers' from Kabit of getting oVer is seldom P,"i,t^°l Viola pijoblem?, for the capacity, forfends I in a sklh-tlgbt, white g city jobs. punctured by exceptions. Even In Ufuo °He>s is a i^lce that tickles girl, is in a pink gown', also moulded Remainder of the Luxer program 'Plggle to Market* song, cer- JJj^o- to the figure: andJhe>^^ .iTO'^^^'ilL^1^?,!!^ I tainly a poor selection for her style.|^J|,J®J^JJf^^^^^ the act Thows her oral lute off at Its best. As a supr payees' loss; Perhaps of the weather had something to do with it. .. It's likely'the mixed chorus from the Music Hall-was sllplped in hero to help take care of Radio City cpn- Slnging was good any book stuff, got over in'jthe rear of the second mezzanine without difficulty.. Reviie opens with 'Doin* The Swank' (by Mildred and Alvln Kaufman and Ed. Heymanri) with Jacic Arthur vocalizing, Jenry Coe the cute lltUe Peggy Taylor in the chlinps, Florida and the Brooklyn | g^e held the audience. doing his eccentric legmania, the I petus with-snapp'Uy delivered tumb Roxyettes and soine other girls piir- j ung and teeterbpard. stunts. Their Kitchen Pirates' adagio act, furnish gre to lessons in basketball. Waiy. the B.a, for. the week. Six Royal Buccaneers, five men | and a girl, give the show its Im- Usual acrobatic turn now stand-1 tb her lyrical flights the choral ard on a picture^ house stage Is the [^^g^^ble reclstered solidly. Odec. admirable Maxellos this week. Berle flirts with. bruises In the name of . -1 I laughter for the big wallop.-; Act] Little less than the u^iual show ^^^^ ^^^^ Barbara Blane did ii=*.?*""Tf i"oo*o®*o^V^*lo!f*®* tab- two and three-high catches ofi! the ^ the regular bill running excellently with her contortion ac leauk. It was a fast start. 1 springboard on shoulders and in a ^'^^^ ^ 7 -7 , w^,,^ ™ifh robatio danclrie. 'She has femlnin The No. 2 scene, 'Home Sweet rock^'^ are applause-getters. Jessel six minutes shy of three ?'>"'^s. ^'^^^ [fy ^nd ^ her work anS ap- ROXY; N. Y. ORPHEUM, L. A. 1/08 Angeles, Jan. 31. , , , !„ 2i.na iii iici wuin. aiiu i Sioce adapting Its present combo Home' with WUlie, West and Mo- follows them with, about five mln- the Tastyeast broadcast taking an- pl^^nce That's rare In contortion- policy some months ago, this house. Glnty, Miller Bros., Belle_ Flower utes of patter anent a prevl^^^^ 20 minutes three nights a jgta. Routine works up to a strong one-time show place for the best-in ana J. f. coombs, didnt show and, pearance at the Paradise and the I , ♦vk-A oi.* nniv fmip arts ffpfawiiv vpt it does seem that the I vaudeville, has been using as slp- with the familiarity of their house- audience Is sold for keeps. Four week. Also there are only four '^'^ts getawa3^ yet it d^ to ^sis" those Sns '^^ Tlnte Orpheum Vaude- wrecking scene, obviously out or step Brothers, colored, deuce. Their instead of the usual five. Stage sec- gW^^^^^ J-^^e ^^p^ ^^^^ double-time hoofing is fast and | tion of the show runs 68 minutes. Variably stay on the stage too long. Vaudeville in Los Angeles.' Opens with the dae Foster girls 'All of Me' (Par) is the screen This week's stage show niust as Cl6ps in short shorts for a fair | fodder, and the showjs conp^^^^ tlace. I double-time hoofing is fast Instead, Vera Brodsky and Harold J draws response,, but riot usually as Triggs with some pianology at the] much, as Jessel helped them get at two concert graridS were an effec- this catchirig. [ as cops in snon. saorui;, « j.*" i '"--^v '?";:^rt"«,rhinAff'"i^ dancinff acts arid two musical tive interlude. It was. also a bit too Savoy's stuttering is spptted enough tap number. Nothing to gal- ^y two-facej the six-act bill and long however, possibly extended-as thlr^^^^ He works as^ though he's hize the house, but over. Wak- ^^^^^^^ages to of them qualified for the 'big Sli?" .M^e.'^ee" the rest of lt--ln the making his act up as he goes along, ,g ^o„e b^Ramon and Vir- whiTe klepLg^^eye on^ time' label. Of. the six acts only ?wi't^« ?,*VT®'«^*'?fff]'°"*'* up gets the .crowd right down to bis j^ia Caldwell, who bUf tbem with SubinOff S an old & her^a^^ could by the remotest stretch of the_yoid_:of the omitted scene. | level, and finds the laughs comliig | ^^ther dlflferent Style of acrobatic J^reUabV^hooper-^^^^ Land., the imagination be classed as a on top pf each other until he starts L.Q p_ sifehtly built girl does the ' 'Blue Bird of Happiness' (by Sari- dor Harmaty and Ed Heyman), punning with the girl. Here the ner^Tatent^reader gag Introducedi sounding like a foreign tune which audience sits back with a 'sbow me' ^lll, by t^e Boganny troupe] Heymann equipped with an Ameri- attitude until the serious encore. foTa bit She keeps to It for most can lyric, worked in the revolving Shade follows, assisted by a niale]):^^ Ave minutes they fill. Then stage and a nifty cellophane set pianist, and is on the pit Stand al- ' ramme» wnjjr u t. | with girls' cpstumes likewise in the most all the way. Has special ar- dlaphanous product Evelyn Duer-1 rangements for every song, but none ler. Jan Peerce and Jack Arthur of them as strorig :as those she got talking turn. Following a decidedly short over- turn by the Waldemar Guterson or- chestra. The Saunders, mixed hoofr Detroit, Peb. 4. ]ing team, started the display of unit, and while | terp8ichore^_that^_ n^^^^ MICHIGAN SStS^^glVes hJrsoSI^tossi* thiti n-^'Sy well"'under" the""cos't"of I until th^ final curtain. Pair olfei are smoothly done and nicely sold. P^o^^^y thf"in?rct tab shows iJ sbfe-shbe and tap routines, p us a weVe-The-lnleVreTlve-songsJ^^^^^ '^"^ ^^^^ backed up the ballet in the crystal I Miss Shade and Jessel_ start a.serl-| ^ec^f.^^litt^^^^ the Three Chocla garden (ciellophane) set. The re-|ous duet of 'Mighty Likei a Rose', operatic sure flres^ winding up with . Pftntt~«in*~t«utHe - other I J-'euce spoi uas mc ahico y,.ui.*a- „ , r ~, -, - — - - 7 - ,7 . . ^1 the finale to 'Fausf In too placid a pn® act. Pops ana i^is©. [ teers, trio of colored boy steppers, volving stage returned to the organ- Jfssel ,thumplrig^ the ivories, and JJJj^nna'* ^ ^ h brass to workh^^®"* *H fal^ Jo^^^^ who offer nothing new in hoofing, grinder intrpductory which made for f^^^J^^^ ^ J. at the finish so she ^th. but he should have gotten Se steee ?o?trait what they do they do well. Two an extraneous reprise. h*? * j*"^^*., ♦u^ more vo^l^^ -«If^i?^h?w r;v; straight danclriS acts in « rnw Gine. DeQulncey and Lewis, who Jessel's three songs and the phone ] v,^^ ^i^^^ T4/rn-.,,„/ston^ scrim and lighting up i grinder introductory which made for clown it a bit at the finish so she should have gotten *^*?efs\S'fth"l?son|fand the Pbone U-e^volume fo^^^^^ -^^^^^^^^^1^\1S^^^^^ overiooied ^for'^a" were at another Broadway deluxer] ^t with his mother. Popular part hjj^ *S.1th Ss8-Stone mo?S leJ?y ^^"'f Seigl playing the violin ^^^1 Jo^nt F?ank sSg offered a but a couple of weeks previous, of his radio programs, stopped the^ "^^^^^ J^l to the choral group singing f^y^^^y\'^^^^ll{-^^^ wowed 'em with their swell, adagio show in his own, the next-to-closlng. PJJ" ejl^.^^ ^ Ross o^asslcal bits and the Carta Torney | IIr^J|;?*^*^^^^^ uke. with a Txowense; Thls is w mixed three- *rame. m begged Pff after intror .^"^^^^J^^ t^.jh^^^^^j^^^^ a nice toe routine. Afl some Which opens very legit, Impec- duclng the 'Kitchen Pirates'.. This ^^na^^P ^ ^ ^ number. ^HJ^b. the overture pl^aijes and tossing of the slight girl by four I ^Jli^^SSmrSf tSe. I Instead of the. usual house or- terpsichoreari Mandel Bros Incidentally, this rapid >iiuiuciiLuuy. ynis rapia inter-i v,,/-,,,- ._ a „inoin^ on« nh aw I ~"t~ir~i^ii^~Z^ 'ri\^^\, —Trvrvla-lnn. I enougn lu jjui, mo i cbange.iof talents from opposition ""^^'^^ Foster number was In long sHlrts, [ on mouth organ and uke, with a gbpd Ibwdown blues number , on the" former. Wyrin and Harwyn, mixed pair, open with some comedy gagging, and then, by way of diversion male, member does a bit of nifty tapping, enough to put the act in the semi- houses is one Cf' the paradpxes. of the business at this moment, evi denclng a dire dearth pf worthy, ma tefial. For as. soon as one house, does shbw spniething new, the Same act can play a route that.constitutes Broadway: from 61st dowh to 43d street arid then over to 6th avenue ^*'FuSlt^''?Sl^rs' (Metr on the I halfin^'pirk'and haTf in blu^^^^ "S"al solo. a. ^guest^. organ is^^ j^^^t to shut .uncorked another sc^eS.Sl aS: thr^^^^^ a. walk-Sround to.the spng, but well | comes down the_alsle^ to^t^ake^^the |;5,usical,turn. this time Morro and first show Saturday. TRANSLUX worked out and effective. Hope place, of .the supposed^ sick,^C^^^^ garbed and performine / Minor and EdWard Root on for a with the 'guest one . of the carter p^ir of Italian street mus^^^ spell of ballrobm dancing, rather and Holmes act and the other lel-. ^ brief and too cbldly formal to suit low interrupting from..the pit a^d aind deserved the encore accorded, this crowd. Good stuff for a floor ! Joining pa/tner on the stage for | then. Novak and Fay. acro- That proverbial first time arrived stipW. but that isn't familiar to the the balance of the act Act finishes hjatlc act closing, open with a bur. The same applied to. Jerry Coe and] this'week for the. Luxer when it had ,Roxy patrons. They did beitter at | as Jf Started as their his brother. Coe was at- the old a program representative bf all the the finale with their second number, Roxy but two or three .weeks ago. | reels. Incidentally leading off with | but it was too la,te th;en; Barney "Grant;- heading- his hill billy aggregation, as funny as ever, second time here recently, but wel come. Not quite as big as last time, 'Streamline Blues?,' by Vernon I Fox, But it. won't be but for a Duke and Ed Heymann; was the week, since the Embassy Saturday finale, a fast-stepping, number <10) rebpens under new manage-, backed by a nifty-Vincehte Mlnnelli ment with an allrPathe card, set, the same staff scenic and cos- ' Situation now may mark the cli- tu.iiie ai'tist who did everything else max In newsreel theatre history, in tlu.<3 revue. It was here that Coe Courtland Smith while with Fox got anil hi.s ' i)rothor again wowed 'em credit for conceiving the all-rieWa black wigs, blaqk satin skirts and with precision snakchipsology, pol.cy, thus the Embaa.sy. After his bra.saiers and "^'Tcd-lined '.white "-^a:c1t?d"bTffi^'^TO¥W^^ little chance tp get going. Follow- ing this a'hews reel with.-,the or- chestra using the opportunity to climb on the stage. For the stage show, proper Pops and/Louise open. This duo is little ^t first, stanza. hoke athletics. Both affect dead pans and evoke plenty of hdwls. Screen has 'Midnight' (Rel) and ♦iibne Cowbby'' (Par) with j hews reel. Lower floor comfortably filled but that was the audience rather I short of Sensational. On next, than' the act. Agnes AuerS made the mistake of Edwa. Finale starts with all the girls in The .^hpw certainly evidences, so far as tompo is concerned, that a cpuplb of specialty wrtrblors are bet- ter" than, a whole 'choir. The regul; Radio City Vocal Eni>cmble wii Viola I>hllo has been farmed out t' the PJCO Palace this week, and in- stead the show hits been built for speed and pep, and heavier, on the fla.^'h, eolor and -terps, with the vo- e.'ilizinc. at a minimum. Some com- in selling the theatre; idea tP the original Pathe-Luxer outfit. And now Smith is back in his rlginal spot and the Fox people, •vho never had a kindly word for the opposition before the Emb dipped them into the red, are let- ting their relea.se be carved to. the .satisfaction of the- Ltixer manage- merif.s liking, ■ Pathe right along has been, the a variety of effects. As good a fla.sh as they have had recently, and a nice background for the Minor and Root second number. Oddly the girls got more, of a hand on this than some of the acts. Film section is 'I've Got Your Number' fW-B), 'The Good Bad Man' (Educational), a Mickey Mou.se and Fox. News. Busines.s only fair. ChUi. . singing. Without the vocal attempts fMPFRlAI TORDNTO ,shc can and does do okay. Will,and HVirtRlAl-, IKJT^MIMXJ Gladys Ahearn do okay, 'but find Toronto, Feb. 2. ■•what-:h as-gone-bef ore=;and-t^ of cohesion of the staf'*' .shbw top much to. pvcrcpme. Fpr the "finale the line does an expert drum corps; routine With a flag .waving finale' using dummiefl a.s part pf. the background with four soldiers .standing in front of them. Fooling none, it cheapen.s the idea of the entire finale. , 'Fashions of. 1934' (WB) on screen. playing the I'-1*-Can doluxer under head office superviHion, Japk Arthur has had no opportunity recently to rut lob.se. Current bill, however, tagged 'The Cay Ninettes,' is . a straight Jack. Arthur prez .that .sf'ore.s. I>ad has gone to the mauve decade for ideas In costuming and presentatldn. There's a beach scene (Continued on page 25)