Variety (May 1934)

Tuesday, May 8, 1934 23 PARAMOUNT, N. Y. Back to vaude a,t the Par this week, show being tabbed frankly 'Spring Varieties' and acts run off In a regulation vaude man- ner. Six acts plus the line of girls. Except that everybody works only a few minutes here and there, and the headllner, Milton Berle, works about 36 or 40 minutes. Say any- thing you wainf to about the Berle, you can't, deny him one thing—^he works hard,- At the Ear Friday night; with as many empty seats as occupied, ones, Berie's hard work seemed to; get him places, tod. The response was long, and sincere .and the customers seemed eager to recall him even after the final curtains were pulled and It w&s evident the picture was about to start. Maybe that can be explained, however, by a, knowledge on the part of the audience of what the picture, 'Double Door* was. like. Girls are on. fore and aft, and both times- In cutely staged- niim-. bers. Especially Is ' the opening stanza effective, set being, a luscious one with gigantic chandelier and silver fountains, girls in - springy white clothes dancing to Mendel- isohn's 'Spring Soiig.^ Orchestra managed to. get it somewhat, off- key and in a strange orchestration but the girls romped prettily -about without worrying. Moore and Revel follow In one pleasantly enough with their drunk dance. Took some pratfalls ieind got some laughs. Gertrude Niessen foHows •*rlth two songs. She's been playing Broadway house" sb much of late that she's almost become a etbck company oh. her awn. Still effective piping, however, and she could well have done a third nUm ber. Berle lad bows in here and starts right in, never leaving the stage again except for a few minutes. His stories and mannerisms are still the same, still filched from anywhere at all, still a bit too raw in spots, but still effective. There's a freshness about him that intrigues and holds. Berle has a gag writer, now, on , salary, a good one, but doesn't bother usMig too many, new gagsr-^ it might spoil his reputation. After about ten minutes of chat- ter, Berle brings out the Nicholas Brothers, youngster colored tapipers. who do themselves proud as usual Then Berle joins them for a final challenge which surprises by his capable, use of his tocitsies.^ He ought to do more dancing in the future, no sei^se forgetting it. Worman Prescott, mind Worker, follows, and again Berle is on stage, Berie. being Prescott's stooge. Pres cott is a. very clever meiitalist, working through the audience for some good effects. Berle has been taught to get His signals and handles them kll cleverly with some neat gagging. Milton comes back again for some more talk and winds up with his radio, takeoff, a very funny bit. Has a. new ending for this now, black Ing up rapidly on stage for a Cantor imitation. He doesn't sing any. of his parodies - during this show, which is a blessing and, all in all, .impresses about as well as, or bet ter than, ever. Although the show might have been a better one had he. worked' less and some of the other acts more. Girls finish off with another Springy number, this time In sports outfits. No overture this week and no shorts, but ne.wsreel pads the show out to about 140 rolnuteSf fair enough. Kauf. ROXY, N. Y. It's an off week, artistically, at the Roxy, but as usual untrained juveniles, frankly offered as such, Wlft- greater 'applause than more practised performers. Audiences everywhere fall for the kid stuff, and here they get—and ajpparently enjoy—a whole mess of it. It's a Fanchon & Marco unit, 'Tomorrow's Stars,', which suggests a greater optimism than these veteran pro- ducers usually show. -But It seems to be holding, the crowd nicely for 66 minutes. . . Opens with boys and girls danc- ing before the bandstand in a more elaborate setting than usual. Wes- ley Eddy, the house m.c, on to launch the first turn, Lane and. Buddy, who do a taps on top of a pair of prop drums and then use the stage for the second number. Not bad dancers and they get the show off to a good start. . Followed by Tom, Dick and Harry In a mild 'mq.yhem ; sequence, formless and with little humor. It's a poor imi- tation oiE a dozen similar acts; With- out the Bpontanlety, yet they get off for i big hand after staying on for an .overlong session. . Then Gil- _bert Diaz hobs iup to.^hg^mike to sinp: *I,ovo 'Thy Neighbor' ahd'^TKIs" Little Pip.' In a cross betweeh a croon nnd a shout. His voice Is unplaced and unreliable, but he has a nice .smile and an assured air and the aurtience took to him. First touch of professionalism comes -with the Foster girls in back- ie.s.c ccstumes, very short- skirts and trunks of equal and sometimes too mucii brevity. They work with Eddy in ji familiar bit in which they arf .•"iiMfi.<.-f d to halt when he blows, a A\lii.«ilf, which, o£ course, is at the .ihbst inopportune time. They fall down and sprawl their legs around, and the audience fairly rocks with glee. Gladys Reck does three numbers ,n an assured mezzo-contraltOi suf- fering from a poor selection of num- bers. Ra,ther too ostentatiously led to the mike to eimphasize her blind- ness and create the kind applause appeal. She does hot need this fakiiig, for shei can: get over without stall- ing. Jack Liss and a small band work on a band platform in the old orchestra pit; . the stand looking rather dlmimutlve In the. wide open spaces.; They play well for y6ung- sters, though';yOung Diaz horns In on the middle of three selections.- closer is Chuck and Chuckles, two. negro boys, who are burdened with the billing, 'Vest Pocket Edition of Buck and Bubbles,' which., only serves to emphasize how thoroughly lacking they are in the . qualities which, make the established team a. draw. They do a little good danc- ing, but not much, and for the most part , they fall short in every de- pattment^. particularly the talking.- Eddy annouiices the llnie $:irls will show their yeriiatllltjr In a^ military drill and they come on in blue chiffon oyer hip length shirts, which permits S, very ample display of. their rather ample ' versatilities. .Wind up with beating the drums and then evesyone on to take the curtain b0:w. I^ilni is 'No Greater Glory' (Col), with a isfIckey Mouse, a travelogue, which dwells at undue length on the Taj Mkhal, and the newsreel. Ooin- plete show ruijs two , hours and 66 inlnutes. Chic. ORPHEUM, DENVER -Denver, M!ay 2. Denver is apparently finding but what is the matter, with vaudeville. One answer, is the Brown Derby Reyue. . A group of doubles for stars make up the show—or .at. least try to make it up. They .sit there, around tables, the setting supposed to simulate that of the Brown Derby in Hollywood. They sit there until called lipon to do their trained seal act, and the best thing some of them do is to.;w.alk back to their chairs. Local theatrerhen. bemoan .the fact they can't get better acts, but their hands are 'tied and they have to take what they can get most of the time. Some of the acts, when they get but. of the double stuff a.nd do some- thi'iigs, such as a dance act, fan dance, or similar, get places. Recep- tion of this unit by Denver au diences disproveis the assertion that Denyer audiences, are cold. "They were generous beyond what was deserved. Denver did not fall for the Holly- wood premiere stuff. At eight o'clock on the opening, night, when' the doiibles were to enter In style, .be Ing driven up in llmoUsIiies, about a hundred were In front of the theatre. Denver wants entertain ment aiid not .lobby ballyhoo. Dou bles do not lntei*eSt them. Show pipens with Gene Morgan, boss of- the outfit and m.cl, telling his story, and by the way, he talks too much. . Folks at a vaudeville house don't want a. , lecture, they want to see or hear folks do some thing. Dbubles*'are dancing to' give It the Brown Derby atmosphere. For Initial routine line dressed as daisies, with huge floWer hats and pink dresses slit to hips to make dancing easier. The Moore twins, being Gary Cooper's, double, do a twin dancing act that gets a hand Miss Blair tells the m^c; a story that never got a giggle. She's Joan Blondcll's double. The Johnson Bros,, not doubles for anyone, play some 'atmosphere' music and are applauded freely. Greta .Garbo's double and Gene Morgan put on a restaurant argument and fight, and Mae West's double swings her hips and says 'come, up and see me some time.' Benny Standlsh, Buzz Berke- ley's assistant, does a number being taught to girls In a picture in. Hoi lywood. (That's what he said.) The m.c. and John Gilbert, tortured the audience with one of those gags where the aniswer Is forgotten— when they finally get to it. Travis and Sharpe, billed as stunt men, do some strong-arm stuff, but Loraine Lloyd, Joan Crawford's double, copped top spot with her impersoni- tlohs of a number of stars.. Line In white Satin collars, bras sieres and trunks trimmed, iii . black do a fast. Short routine for. finale. The. line can always be., counted to put pep eyen in an otherwise dead stageshow. Orchestra under capable direction of Milt Franklin, gave the layout strong support. With 'This Man Is Mine* (Radio) on screen, biz fair. jfoae; ond run on half of the Par product after it's played th<> Paramount. While chances are Palace In long run will be playing better box of- fice pictures, now and then the Casino may hit something pretty good if willing to outbid the Roxy,. Riaito and May fair, all in. the field for what's loose. This week 'Whirlpool' (Col) Is rolUiig past the prpjection lenses, It'is a fairly, good picture and Fri- day night was apparently drawing rather well, Lineup In order played Friday; evening is Jeannle Lang aiid Three Rascals, Carlton Eminy and UIs dogs, California ReveIs^ Gordon and Sibley and Arthur Petley and Co, Each of these acts Is okay with other company btit together they don't add Up to much of a show; No outstanding punch In any .of the five slots,, which Is where the trou- ble lies. Bert Gordon, With Olive Sibley, h this side of the dose, Is not only old stuff by now but neither his present act and material makes the act what is used to be. oh laughs, Emmy's dog: ict tops Gprdon. It's better than It ever wais. PjBtley-s efforts fdr laughs are minor In connection with the cast- ing trampoline act he and. his three comradeia offer, wlilch leaves the show weak. in the comedy division to begin with. California Revels Is the fastest, iivterlude 6n the bill. It's a dance flash of slix people which ranks high in talent and staging:. One of the mistakes avoided Is trying to do too much and taking too long to do It. Songs to a mlke» assisted by three lads, one of whom piaiios, is what Jeannlie Lang has put in her act. The girl has an odd person- ality and. forces it but on selling son^s, she has a way that takes. A pleasing little act. . ' The ushers and other attendants up here are very polite^ thank you. Char. CASINO, N. Y. Casino has the edge on the Pal =.a£e=JLoL^^^JLe.aat^ne.=r.iespectn=:^It!i a more modern, better, appointed and finer'; theatre. But here, as tiiree blocks down the Street at the Palace the Show consists of acts that have been seen. considerably If not too much and too often. On pictures up here it's catch-as catch-can. House Is playing: stuff product first riin, while the Palace gave thdt up to go second run fol lowing the Music Hall on RKO Fox, Universal and Columbia pic tures playing there, as well as sec NEWSREELS (EMBASSY, N. Y-) While newsreel circles are buzz- ing about what's going to happen when Hearst gets on his own, there's little in the current program make-up to show 'that any of the i-eels are. fortifying against possible competition. Paramount carries off. honors, for the week with eight bonaflde. news clips in a house reputably partial to Cukor Says (Continued from page 2) offer in its screen version the qual- ity that made it greit. Respect the original and its adaptation will move the screen audience a,s the work Itself hds gripped its readers." irst :Job Gukor's first job In Hollywood was Pathe. The Ropster reel Is^second (ijalog director for ' Quiet." with four such subjects, Willie Unl- ^ewis Milestone taught him, when- versal and Hearst tag with two 1^^^ ^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ ''^AJtogether that's hardly a show- the book fpr Its solution, to find in ing for the representative screen the/ book its answer, never to news of the weekrT-a g^rand total of outside the text. That is the most 16 cliiks. It 6nly beats out com- I valuabie lesson Cukpr's received in plaints thrust at the reejs fbi^ their pictures, he says. The. Academy lethargy and Indicates stronger than K^^j^^.^ adaptors of 'Little any wordy description the need for U^^j^^j^, ^^^^ ^^^^^ particularly * Locking at the programs this |»aPPy- because th^ week even phlegmatic observers of 'Little Women' was precisely that— the reels cannot picture cfllmeria. an .adaptation, crews cutting each other's hoses and- Through weakness and jstrength fighting for first posItIon,.let alpne it adhered to the book. Though rushing the negative back to the they were tpld that it was poordra- lab for the flash that forinerly ^^^j^, g^.„^jt-^ 3^4,, meant a ^coop. „. „^ nffloAr twice, that tl»6 Professor couldn't It's over a week since the omcer i„ *v.^ locV *v^^ who was shot in the DlUInger.hunt aPPear last third of_the was burled. UrilversaV grouped into picture, that these, amongst other this subject a new interview with points of the story^ would hiive to pHly's father which Is the big laugh be changed, for pictures, still the of the week. Not only that, a lot Lj^claptatlon clung to the priginal, of people are heartily applauding r^jaj-egarded the conventional taboos Dad Dllly's commentory that his ti^e ^^j^^^^ ^ukor ad boy mieht make a good cop. ' The fleet in Panama is also stale news. Paramount had it in detail ORIENTAL, CHI last week,, and now Fathe is follow- ing with a reh&sh. For three or. .four consecutive mits, nipst' gratifying. To - Cukor, the importance ot the success of 'Henry the Eighth' and Little Women' is thus: As both classics and. successes, they're a weeks attendees have been looking K^edge to the literature of all the at Philadelphia pbUcp hustling L^^^^^ They've shown the picture l^,»'*ttlng industry that with an equipment of a third time, at^ least. Par shows, a I i.-lvi^ „„j ..n «^„„„„ k««.« woman being handed into the paddy - two hands and 10 fingers it s^bee^ wagon. " > operating with only the knuckle of Among Paramotint'S gopd .ones is one thumb. These pictures open the the first real Study of Insull since lie -gates to. the classics of all time, •left Oreece. He submits to. a close- the great things that have been up Pn board ship, dnd H looks as U^^itten. through, the ages, show to though ft. Par xrew la making ^e ^j^g industry that it doesn't have to voyage'; with hlmv Par cameras' ■ even maidBg^ to board the train. But InsuU Ipts the reporter, do. all talking. ^ ' Sa;me reel filets ft darb pn the Rus sla rescue 6ft Npme. Vidws- of the Chicago, May 4.' . Since the opening of this house In March as a Vaudfllm spot at 40c top, the eriehtal has'dropped from a $17,000 grosis to under $11,000, and It's still dropping. There must be a reason. And the reason may be that'the shows haven't held up to the Oriental standard. This is due to the fact that the hous* has lacked a booking head with real authority. Every act booked into the spot has to hftve a.t least five to six okays. Nobody knows who's on the bill or what's set. Confilctiohs and doubling re- sult. Acts that are. right here in. Chicago are booked, by New York sources with the coses oh the acts being aO% to 60% more through this method. House started out to be booked singly but now okays are necessary from execs ranging froAi Walter Immermah and John Balaban to Lou Lipstbne, Nate Piatt, Nan El- liott, Morris SIlver^ Sam Bramson and Charlie Cottle. This is cost- ing B. & K. money at the box-oflice ahd in the overhead, and if allowed -o—•« to continue might result in the retirement « cloising of this house, as it closed ~ " " contrive and . sweat .■ out plerniy sto- ries, that a gold mine awaits. 'How hiuch easier if is to do ai great workl' eitclaimed Cukor, stirred by the prospect. 'How much the .Tivolli unless the Fair comes to ' ttio rescue* On the show this week four of the six turns are novelty acts, and the headllner, Solly Ward, doesn't rate headlining such a theatre. Ward fits as an act,. Opening was Walter Nellson, cyclist. He was novelty No^ 1 for the opening spot and does an excellent Job of it. He cycles on everything from a tooth- pick to a barrel-tpp and had this audience in his hand throughout. Vox and. .Walters. are the ventrllo- qual duo how. working with a dirig- ible, backdrop. .. In . the third spot is an act labelled the Three Racket Cheers, three men in an attempt at comedy. Their Idea is hitting each other on the head with hats. It's okay pnce or twlc^, but later gets annoying. No material, no routine and no act. . Vaude end finished with a..genuine act, Stan K'avanaugh. Stage show opened with a Walter dralg, out of the band,, warbling a la Crosby, and he does well with those pipes. Has the quality this audience likes and had to give 'em two encores, kirk and Lawrence , were brought back to town with the novelty horse act. Act goes nicely in a presentation, better than as a iatraight vaude turn. It's all up to thei' man's horseback riding mim- icry. That's all there is to the act, but it's , enough. Ward closed the show. In between there was the line die girls, gone sloppy again. ' Picture, 'Lazy River' (MG). Busl- r.ess off at the first show Friday. ^„^_..._;_ ^-.w-.^.^,..-;,v r-Gold^^ shii> which marooned 1Q2 people on more interesting for the director, the'ice ttre included; ,SubJe«t rep- the cast—and the audience] A gold resents some real mine—but look out for the pitfalls! Details of the Trotsky story, witfaiio? fir<it <ir »ii showing the Russian and reviewing W»»at Plt'alls? Well, first .of ^11. his iFrench hlde^'away are Par's, most of the classics have to be done Dog brought to life by science, is an In costume, and there's something unusual. Pathe gets a statement about ' a cpstume that kindles tT .e from the surgeon-scientist which is ham in an actor,-makes him carry liable :to send many fans home u^- on like he's doing opera In English, der the delusion they can forget the gg^g i^jg reading very sonorous, his ""^''Sient universal camera re- ^^^^^''^^ «'1««P*"5-.^,, views posses at-w6rk in the Arizona . Stop Kiddino kidnapping. Incidentally, the U 'Then you've got to beiat down a reel falls^tp mention anythlng^a^ut tg^^^n^. ^i^ \t, -Dear, dear, isn't S\',^ihlIc?trsS^^^^ i«?e this quaint,' everyhody-s ap^ tbmur- sl^rvices toxit, and get cute. Watch out for While* reporters were interviewing that. It's'only natural, but don't let Schwab camera crews were record- J. it get In frPnt of the cameras while ing questions and answers. .Ac- they're grinding, rflow it ptt before- qulttal of Blishop Cannon on elec- hand. Above everything, ft"- classic tlon charges, but failure to jnentlon done ' with sincerity and anything abput his reported forced I j.-g_^t^» retirement,' were • Par.'s.. Hearst-[ ^ „w,.~-^„„«„„j,,^ ^^uA^r shows some signs of life with a .CuJ^o*-, «; venr-respwisive fellow, booze fire In Kentucky aAd Gov, though before 'Little Women' they Plnchof taking flying lessons, used to say he had no heart and «o Other subjects: New, Blue Eagle, selected him to do brittle plays and May Day, skiing.. King George and ] drawing' ropm stuff. Is . thrilled by a Japftnese spokesman, more Texas the scope -of pictures, believes that wrestling, English. American and the only thing that cpnimunicates Spanish armies, old and young lion I all peoiJles la emotioh— Ki^elt'^Srr cJS;^1?&. Which pictures are sp jxpert^t get- King Leppold, college athletfrn. new ting over—maintains that the unl- Italian cruiser.. Waly. | versallty of pictures—their wide audience—^Is ' not a limitation—In- been pencilled Iri. And is again; I slsts tliat censorship is not a Ilmlta- sp If the town is patient it'll be either, *you can dp anythng you vouchsafed a gander. Ahyway, La want and they cain't catch you. It's Fleur-is-garnering, a wealth of ad- all in the way ypu do it,' and cpn- vance billing. . . . fesses a whole-hearte^ allegiance to Just four acts and, on collation, p,,5ture8 hpw that he knows them measure up deeidedly to the mus-' ^ ^ v..Bi^u« »..vir»o tard. Opener, Adair and Richards CENTURY, BALTO. Baltimore, May 4. Fortnight ago, with 'Tansan' (MG), consuming 107 mins., house cancelled Arthur La Fleur's novelty act to compress vaude running time. Currently, 'Viva Villa* (MG) shades 'Tarzan's' time by five mins., so once again an act Is sacriflced and. oddly enough, it's La Fleur's. Had (New Acts). Dance flash, that equalizes Its lack of elan and speed with a deluge of color and flash. Deuce, Rio Bros. Quartelt has a nice opening bit that IntroS a single on rostrum announcing imitash of Durante. Gets started; lis inter riipted by another Schnpzzolia from and loves them, even though he fl'rst went out to do them, ieis a stage director. With bit of cpndescenslpn and a, big hankering for the. dough. .'A director- has so mtich more to say in pictures than in the theatre, a BO much more challehglng asslg^- nient. Which asslgnihent I believe audience, who mounts stage crying he should approach, hot with the 'fraud.' Then another wades up j idei^ of Stamping his own personal- with same story; then another. Bit I ity upon it—although I grant yott terminates with foursomp arguing that is better for his own Oommer- A'?l''?i!i^^n!iII>r.!lT«n*«n«v"Sli^^^ Interests-but with the en- Also, they contrib a snappy preci- slon scare-crow dance; plus some <ieavor to tell that particular story slowrmotion antics, A Joint imItash as that particular story should be of a 'goose' Isn't In best of taste, told, With a respect for that story considering this, house's clientele, that makes Its own mOod trU and furthermore. It's old here, Roy Smeck stepped put In 'one' and held down the. trey for 10 mins., sailing over au frond. Fingers a classy rep of guitars and banjos. His 'Grass Shack' strumming is =str6rchiea""py^riimg;'^'==^-^'=—"=^^^^ Harry Howard closes well with his conglomeration of Stoogery. Looked like legalized lunacy to the customers at Outset, but once caught UP, mob rolled rightly, Howard mainly relics on his stooges' Insane succession of costumes and on turn's lightning pace. Has fouir men. Including lilUputian, stooging, plus single femmc. Along about mid- way a languid, Indifferent pooch walk on and mhkes a stooge out of Howard. Schnrper. umphant.' BOOSEVELT'S HPIE PIC Andre Roosevelt has returned =from=;PanamaT=-where:=h<ushot=a^fea=^ ture film. —He's in NeW York distribution deal. Faiil Cavanaugh Spotted Hollywood, May 7. Paul Cavanaugh gets, the top. lead opposite Gertrude Michael In 'No- torious Sophie Lang' at Paramount, Adrionne Ames also Set for a part.