Variety (Mar 1935)

ITednedday, March 6, 1935 F I C T Ii R E S VARIETY 37 Mouse Remew$ STATE, N. Y. (Continued frotn page 17) ' Hebe, Italian..and Irish dialect bits. She also had to curtain-qpeech Fri-° 4ay .eveiilhgi'•■■ ■ Another novelty, but wholly di£- . ferent from this' opener, Is at the quarter post In - the person of DeRoze (New Acts), foreign trick-, ■ter'who turns water liito. any drink named. Savo, follows him, and olosing Is the' Hal Menken Revue (New Acta), a slxTpeople dahcing, ■Inging and musical- flalsh. that's an •xcellent curtalneir. On the screen Is 'Devil Dogs of the Air" (WB) but the 75rmlnute itaige show is almost enough by Itself. Scho. " ORIENTAL, CHI ■ Chicago, March 1. They've decided hot tio isut up any fight for- business here,. Jhis week on the assumption tiiat no matter what tliey might dish up here, they couldn't conipete with . the magnetic strength of the shows at their own ace Chicago, where Jack Benny is repeating, or - at the :RKO Palace, where the :French -Casino's new 'Hellol Paris' sb'pw is making Its first .dive Into Vaude.. And that figures as pretty sound logic, because both.: of the rival houses started oft to capacity busi- -^.nessi^-dni Er-ldarjt-. Reisult Is that cui:rent show is apmewhat of -a i cheater. Certainly a cheater on money and pretty .much of a cheater on entertainment. Only five acts .lh the Jine-up, which; . usually runs six or seven turns. Only three acts I n the y aude porr " tloh, with fhsliriia-of^rls shoved Into the deuce \spot to serVe as. an act". Would" been air right ifv, the girls' routine had . been okay, but unfortuiiately neither the music or the feet could get toisether. . Headllner currehtly is 'also a -Jcheaiter; ....Top.', billing" ..la: jgoing- :to. ■Pinky. Tbmlin, whose only clalmi to fame, apparently, Is that his name appears On thei title page'of the tune 'Object of My Affiections,' which was a pretty good seller but .liever the; best seller. Tomlih is spotted: in the band ' show and sings, surprisingly enough, a song called 'Object of My Affection,' and probably the song was never sung BO badly anywhere. Tomlln comes into town with re- ports ^hat he did a run, ieit the Paramount In Los. Angeles. Rut he --is-an—unknowji^n^hicago and to. expect him to buck Jack Beniiy on one side and 20 undraped dames ^ on the other Is asking too. much. Besides singing: this song, .Tomlln flllH the rent of the _tlme_ln_hla. 10r_ miniite act : warbling other ditties /composed by himself, of; which . Tou Are the DiSh -Pan' and I Am the Dish' was dished 'out as tbe outstanding number.. Tomlln needs much more build-up to get across ■ and, what's more Important, needs an audience that knows him. . Show , .is opened :_by .-.Glair - and Senna Sisters In a family-time skating turn. Usual sort of skating tricks that served as.a falr-istairtier for this layout. Then comes the line ' of glrlis,' then liito a long-winded .. flash act composed of flVe people but billed only for. Jeanne' Deyeraiix, who does the same toe-dance twice, The Drum-Major-Domo JACK POWELL Enjof Ini;. a Second Week at the . CASINO DE PAREE and DonMind; at the CAPITOL, NEW YORK This Week (Mareh 1) AIM Making a Picture for Warner Bros. Personal ReprifVental'ive MARK J. LEDDY 15flO ^roadfvar. New York; ' MGM STUDIOS . CULVER CITY. CALIF. once in a costume which is Inex- cusable in a vaude house and later in a costume which befits a toe dance and which sold the number. That net outfit wouldn't be per- mitted in the Stat* and Garter and is particularly out of place for a toe- routine. Other single in the revue 'is a male long-legged hoofer wlth-a snlopth and easy style that gets across the footlights enter t taiiilngly.' Two men and a girl In a ballroom number first, and then an adagio routine, complete the act. Stan, Rollo and Dixort are three comics "Of the knoclt-about type,- with the act ■ of . helter-skeltei- routine that hops from one gag to another in search of laughs. Trio play fast arid garner laughs on most of their items. They do a series of . pretty clever , comedy imitations and then go into some good hoofing. They did well here to close the vaude half.' Barr and Csteis were . in the presentation halt of the.show.with their eccentric dancing arid coriiedy mugging. "Were over without any difficulty in front Of the band. ^ . Picture is 'Bordertown' ("WB). Business fair at the second show Friday. Gold. FOX, BROOKLYN ■ .brie of the F"our rDlplortiits is the current m.c.. 'That Won't last long, probably. Two of the line girls double-as plano-mbversr-r-That-'s be- tween the singing numbers of the Diplomats, who" otherwise are a smooth- singing and entertaining outfit. Lad also tries to lead the stage band and doesn't do that too well, either. - 'Grand^bld -Girl' (Radlo):^ Is-the feature, running 70 iriinutes, and light biz when caught at the dinner show Friday. Running time Of the stajge end is not bad at 60 minutes, but could be Improved by cutting. Opens with a line number that'is, fast enough for closing except that the girl who yodels the pperiirig chorus appears uncertain of her own measure. The m.c. faUs to Identify her, but maybe she's Rosa llnd Kirkland, as of the theatre's signboards. - ^ When-- the—m.c; arinounceis. the Carlos, Lilta: and Mfa adagio trio, he makes it sound like something else, A^.. tap trio, Pete, Peaches and Duke, are light-shaded colored lads, despite their names. They wear purple Etons atop gray trousers over . lavender s hoes ■ an d whiti nautical caps. Most of their' tap ology Is to march music. - They per- form nicely. After John Masbn, of John and J^la^y_MasQn^.on_EQller-akates,_wears Jilmself out whirling a couple of 'plants . around, the: act gets Identl-^ fled. They pleaise easily. Finish is a one-foot neckhold .whirr by the girl over the boy, both pirouetting in that kind of an embrace, close to the pit. \ Joe and Jane McKenria split their routine and,. do . their - burlesque adagio In the .finale number, where Carlos, Lita and Mia also perform against a girly background. Iiine appears to be doing an Improvised routine, arid : n.s,h.' The ' McKenrias get laughs. They earn them. As an extra attractlori there's Charles Allen, winner of the thea- tre's recent amateur contest. . He uses- a mike ..to make his voice sound even more loud than It al- ready is. Shorts, . Universal newsreel and trailers round out. Sfton. fi- -stage- Metropolilan, Bostpii . . Boston, March 1. Keynote of this week's stage of- fering at the Met is the p.a. of Kitty Carlisle, from pictures. . Miss: Car- lisle is spotted at end of the bill and on show caught it was evident that the preliminary acts had warm- ed up the audience.to Just the right degree for her appearance. Miss Carlisle's personal appear- ance, Is -typical, but in the selec- tion of musical numbers she mani- fests a true sense of showmanship. Her .talent centers on her siriging, and cleverly she adhered exactly to this department. Singing three numbers,-rOf-a3-many-type3r-she-of— fered 'Love in Bloom' as the open- ing pop tune;' an aria from 'Caval- lerla Rustlcana,' and 'I Give My Heart.' from the nppi-ipttn 'DnRnrry .^ A well'Organized; publlcity campalgri had prepared the Hiib audleriie foi; her operatic . number;, and .Jt, was flatteringly received. ; Her closing selection was the outstanding of the three In-lts rendition; and, strangely enough, the-'film tune ranked third. Beautifully gowned 'arid poised Miss Carlii^le made simple, direct ariribuncehients for; her own nuni- •bers .and avoided .the usual gush ac- cbmpariy ing a personal .appearance— GOMEZ A N D GROSVENOR HOUSE, LONDON INDEFINITELY except for one unfortunate Instance, in her introduction. Too bad some one. had not tipped her off,.but she used, almost verbatim, the lines of Polly Moran In satirizing a personal appearance of a film queen (that old wheeze about the cold camera ,and the warm,' Ilye audience). Miss Moran played here t\yo weeks ago. ; Elida Ballet have two excellent routines this week; the first a soft shoe musical comedy type; the closer an Intricate military tap done in severe black rigs patterned after Hessian costumes. The applause on this latter number was the most en- thusiastic heard for the ballet girls in many weeks. Betty Friedman, ballet mistress, deserves a bow on this one. • T ■ Phir • C66k's'"offerlng'" rs7 &triTlljff the routine he presented here three years ago; and although his radio characters are not as well knoWri now as they were then, neverthe- less the clever lines they deliver put over the act. Cook Is an outstand- ing example of the Premise that a really clever humorist can win over an audience handily without the slightest taint of dirt. : Joe Donatella, in the deiice franie, opens with , a converitiohal cla.ssical rendition on an accordian, but closes with an unusual slow-motion dance routine' that clicks in a big way. Paul Gordon, comic cyclist, next in line, hands out a pack of thrills and lalughs with his exceptional routine of bike'balariclrig; Wow bit is his closer on a triple-sprocketed bicycle, on which he climbs up on the three seat positions while riding it as a unlcycle. -. Kay P ic ture-single- dan cer,, comes, on next"'for" two routines, a sweir stop-time buck, arid tap numbers that speed the show. Ballet girls who have been making unison in- troductions and serving as. back- ground up to this point, offer their first: precision- rtfutlpe. '.and.^ .then leave the stage - for Phil Cook and Miss Carlisle. In the latter Instance Henry Kalis and the stage band demonstrated their capabilities in deliverlrig jazz and operatic niuslc with equal, facil- ity. A refreshing stage set, in the Remizo'ff motif,, serves as a color ful frame for the entire unit, Fabien Sevitzky and the Grand Orchestra, offer '"Concert impi-es slons,* in which Edward Goldman, local pianist. Is featured, ' Film feature » 'Living on Velvet' CWB). Biz good. Fox. ALVIN, PITT. Pittsburgh, March 1. Doing i little: cheating on the this-^<ek,-figuring-the-flicker 'Good Fairy* (U) strong enough on; its own. Maybe and maybe not Competition all over Is plenty keen attendance wasn't any too good, wlth--only--a--three-quarter-:^-down- stairs checlc at the last show, Indl eating perhaps that .a little more sta^e strength wouldn't have hurt. Show Itself only fair and top bill- ing goes to Aunt Jemnfila, although her de luxe value may have been dissipated a bit by a recent engager ment at a downtown nite club. Big Tess-^stlll dieliyers, carrying a sock as of yore. No m.c. this week, with a couple of kids from the chorus stepping out in 'one* before each turn and announcing it'ln a little piece of verse. . ' ; : Opening has line In a slow garden routine, in which Moritez and Maria, ballrooriiers, corine on -at the finish for only moderate result. Followed by Flying Three, locals who won the Alvlri's .:Sunday night amateur coJir test and got a week's engagement at house with pay. Three boys on roller skates got over only through ahiateur build-up. A spill, bearing out their non-pro standing, was of endless help to them. Four .Southland Rhythm Girls on next, .doubling from a local nitery, Music Box. Gals have a vigorous novelty turn, all hot Instrumerital- ists, piano, bass, sax. and trumpet, with one doubling in some hl-de-do warbling. All they need is a trifle more theatre experience to make them-as sure-flre-behind the foot- lights as. they are In cafes. They could have picked on a stronger fin- ish, too, but even so register favor- ably. ; . . Chorus production number has the girls in tights and flowing capes, rounded off by Montez and Maria again In a polite adagio. Just so-so. -Mob~by—this tlroe-wras-ready t or a laugh and Lartiberti, trick xylophon- 1st, had a push-over. Had 'em chuckling aili through with his hbke " a nd when ho wont in for hi s l egiit mate pbunaing' he developed Into a show-stopper. Had to beg off with a speech. • ■ Aunt Jeriimia winds Up presenr tatiori in hot style. Does several of her. revising; cobn-shouting numbers arid grabbed neat hand.s on all of them. . She's on at the finish with the line. -■' ■. Eernie Armstrong is introducing a now weekly stunt in his organlofr, playing a tune, written.by a Pitts- burgh copipbser. Uses It at the end of his community singing and the .dinateur influence was further em- phasized AVben number got a big liand, probably thfough civic pride more than anything else. Armstrong bxplains, it to the audience and then a-sks them to submit tli.cir musical brain children and he'll pick one a week, Al.so promises cbmposers he'll try to help them get a pub- lisher... '^u^ _ ....Ciafeen..-i Enrle, Philadelphia Phlladelphlo, March 2. Clientele of this east Market street vaude-pic house,' which is one of the most difficult in Phllly to gauge, seemed to like this week's bill Immensely arid, although biz !Frlday and Sa,tiarday was not ex- ceptional; a plok-up was indicated and favorable word-of-mouth should help It achieve a nqat week's gross. Picture is 'The Best Man Wins' (Col). stage.' show is a, pleasant out- stander after some rather , dismnl programs, It is the Benny i)avis unit, 'gtar Dust Revue,' and is dis- tinguished by youth and vitality, with,;Ap.plaUse:Jreely distributed. Evelyn Farney arid Jimmy Byrnes, offering a song and dance number, open and clicked Vilcely, as much on their personalities as on their material. Next come the Winstead Trio, billed as Red, Hot and Blue, combining instrumental and vocal harmony. Reception for these two men and a girl okay. Edith Mann's toe dance Is even enthusing the Earle's not too discriminating pa- tronage. Bobby; Bernard, comlrig next, slowed things a bit. His ren- dering of. such ballads as 'Be Still My Heart' and 'Tiriy, Little Finger- prints,' with dramatic overtures, Is in the n.S.g. class. • The show's stock rose high again, how^tyer,-with the/next act, Blanche.. Lewis, :v.wlio dl(i a. striking and novel tap dance to the tune of 'Poet and Peasant.' Jay Jaysori, riumber seven, offers imitations, all of them familijar, but effectively done. Bernle, jyynii;iPainer7"T'red^A'iren "arid, Jtosz: cpe Ates jare the subjects and. Jay- son's technique is workmanlike and easy.; Bebe Sherriian, follbwirig, got as vociferous a reception aa anyr body. In a style generally reminis- cent of. Sophie__Tucker. Miss Sher- man sings 'Some ' of vTHese Uays/ 'Dinah' and 'The Object of My Af- fections.' Jimmy Shea and Guy Raymond, eccentric daince ' team, justify their larger type in the bill- ing. Their comedy clicks as strong- ly as their dancing, and that's saying plenty. Rollo Plckert,. also given special billing, dances in the mariner of Will Mahoney and ends with a .dance oa stilts that's also okay, This brings It up to Davis him- self and, by merely culling over a number of his biggest. song hits, he gets his audience with him. He also offers one new one, 'Tours Truly Is Truly Tours,' which impresses, and introduces a young blonde lad, men- tioned only as Rex, who sings 'Irish Eyes Are Smiling.' All in all, a good unit. Water*. PENN, PITT. ^ ; Pittsburgh, March 1, A.:bangup- five-act bill. that the presence of George; Jessel as a sort of m.c.rat-large riiakes everi' ^iribre so. Straight vaude has .usually, been poison in. this big de luxer, but Jes- sel g'lves the whole thing a neigh- borly intimacy. ' It's; the first time for Jessel here in a movie house, previous visits having been confined to legit and thait one-night barnstorrtiing tour ; W'ith the iiow: Pebeco salesman, A cinch for him all the way through and he had' 'em eating out of his mitt for a solid clean-up. Jessel's own next-to-closlng specialty is sinillar to. his fo.rrner radio routine, a few gags and anecdotes; a couple . of sorigis and the phone bit in Avhich he talks to his mother In the Bronx. Bui everything packs a wallop arid the way that bird dresses up ;a whiskered story Is sbmething- to be- hold. Disguises it so well thiat the tag line is reached before you're ; aware that It's a chestnut, but by; that time it doesh't matter. - - In a couple of earlier appearances In the m.c. guise,'vJesSer emplbys a stooge, a bespectacled,: middle-aged kibitzer introduced as his . uncle. .. He's supposed to help his nephew.' introduce the acts, but after stalling arid.;hcmrand-.ha;wirig^JiE\:!wlrids ivp;^^ admitting he's forgotten the name. It's good for laughs. ■ Opening turn, the Two Kahesj who have, a femme. merely, as; ■at- mosphere;. One of the neatest,, b.al- ' ancing acts in the business, It's a ; series of neck-risking stunts and registers an unusual click for a starter. No. two spot goes to; Lita Grey Chapliri, who works In one with . a male pianist. She sings three numbers in an' attractively husky voice arid for her getaway: ■has- the -assistance of .--Jessel, •. who helps her make a neat exit. Gala's first visit here in ^several years and 'mob ' expected" to ■ see little except the former Mrs. Chaplin and we're-, pleasaritly surprised when she deliv- -eredlso-aaequalily^ She^s fbllowed^by Chester Freder- icks, former hoofing single, rioW do- irig a turn with three Stewart Sis- ters. Still a bit rough, but whole thing has the makirigs and should get places.. Girls are all' lookers, harmonize—neatly; - and E^'ederlcks''. dancing remains topnotch, althou.c;h he's doing a little too much talk. High-spot of their offering Is the imitations of Bubbles Stewart. Starts oft with Mae West, which is air right, and then goes.; into a Stepin Fetchlt and- a Joe Penrier, both of which are wows, especially the Penner stuff. ' ; Closer, on the heels of Jessel, is Tbuthful "Rhythms Revue, made up" of five good-looking youngsters. One Is a crooning guitarist, the others dancers, arid they, come across with some neat; terp efforts. Best here is that ballet burlesque by- a femm© with plerity of coiriic talent and a swell flair for riiuggirig.:All kids and. okay; a little weak for the curtain perhaps, but, with a flashier finish, should be able to hold up their -heads anywhere. , ; ' -. ■ Picture, 'After Office Hours' (MG) and they .were standing in the aisles at the first show this .nftcr- noon. , . Cohen. Lineup for 'Guns* .: - Hollywood, March 5. • Fred McMurray and Sylvia Sid- ney will be co-starred in Para- moUnt's 'Guns.' Netc; York Theatres ii iiiiiiiitiiiiitiiMiimi PARAMOUNT'''*^^ Georgs Raft - Carole Lombard "RUMBA" "RUGGLES OF RED GAP" with Chas. laiiKHton - Chtis.: Bngvles RIVOLI Maurice CHEVAUER IN FOLIES BERGERE HELD O.VBR 2ia> WEEK RADIO CITy MUSIC HALL EDWARD G. ROBINSON • In "Tha ■ — WHOLE TOWN'S TALK!NG" at 11:65, 2:25, 6:08, 7:51, 10:2t . ON STAGE: "HIghliihtt." In five uenti, itaged by Leonldoff . . .. "Orpheui," by Symphony Orehntrt, .Dir. Emo Rapee., RKO THEATRES 86th ST. at liex. "THE RIGHT TO LIVE" and "A NOTORIOUS GENTLEMAN': . Wed, to FrI., March 6 to 8 Ifaist ST. ■ ' on.'. B'way "THE RIGHT TO LIVE" and . "FUGITIVE ; LADY" I IRAN m':^'^ 25c to 1 V.M. Beg. TMurs., .9: A.M. .. KAY FRANCIS GEO. HRENT. 1VARREN ^VILLIAM In "LIVING ON VELVET" Warh^r BroSi''■Newest Hit! ' ' Wed. LoNt Day RUDY VALLEE 111 "Sweet MaNic," .with Ann Dvorak -Roll ANY DAY 25c to 2 35c to 7 ANY SEAT "MURDER ON A HONEYMOON" PluH Diflr. StHKe Show 7th Ave.pOY Y Show Vaiue 50lh SL^VA » of Ihe Nation AYFAIR Broadway at 47th ■;, Street ■ New York Premiere—NOW ' "Red Hot . Tires*'jii^V^X' -MIDNIGHT 8H0W-T0NIOHT I HARDING MONTGOMERY "BIOGRAPHY OF A BACHELOR GIRL" | .)il SUlg(f—BOB HOPE, JACK POWELL I and Other Arts «ltk (TMECT •*e«ow«v.- •DEVIL DOGS of the Alii ■ with Jamei Cagney.' .Pat O'Brien Oil Hlage: JIMMY 8AVD and othrr; : Jitart3 I'rltla.v RONALD COI.M.VX "CLivK OF INr)T.\" ASTriR J-»'way M5lh —. At I'opulnr . r^*^*^ rrlcea r- Midnight Show ., N/ Y. Prcrnl^re^^ox Picture. 'The GREAT HOTEL MURDER' - Edmund Lowe and Victor OIcTynglen ■