Variety (Jan 1936)

Wednesaay, January 8/1936 VARIEIY HOMiE BEVIEWf ROXY, N. Y. Certainly, thla week, It may be stated that the Boxy's blirgeat selW Ingr point Is its price of admission. The show is a potpourri of specialty novelties, and the picture is 'First a Girl' (GB), Biz under snuff when caught Friday Aight. The assemblage of acts curious. Of the five numbers that precede or follow the Gae Foster gflrls, in the current presentation, oiie is an equllibrlstlc. exhibition arid another is a tumbler. • Bob Howard,. . Introduced. : with a; WHN background, is a Harlemi.anical colored night club product. He ewlnga tunes through a piano n^lke while rattling the keyboard, Howard pulls th^. old' gang harmony, trick for a finish by inviting th* audience to join in his presentation of 'Music Goes Round and Round.' Edgar Bergen is standard^ breaking, the chain of specialties preceding him by his clever ventriloqulstlc performance. Bergen builds his laughs to a point where ' audience anticipation runs ahead of his per ^ formance. His femme associate looks new. Her stage gait is the tipdfl but the. act is clicker , in toto. The acts perform in 'full' against set backgrounds or in front of the travelers. Ther^ la no attempt to blend the performance by sequence of action or kind of ofCering except by background setting. Therefore, It Is. ah episodic and vaude style of a show with the Foster girls' routines breaking it Up. Among .the acts lis an amateur accordionist, John Skolnlki, winner of a Fred Allen air program contest. Skolnlki wears, a tuxedo and for his first of two numbers, takes a colored spot that makes his skin look sallow. Has no stage presenbe. A distinct, novelty, and good, is Lela Moore's Dance of Lovers.' Ijooks like an act at the French. Casino. This single offers a clever bit of artistry in her manlpulaltldn of ai'ihs iuid legs to simulate a msln and woman, with the aid of a coetumei half of which is. dress the other a trouser leg. Thriee Walkmlrs, billed, didn't show, replaced by 3 Jackson Bros,, who open with their balancing to good results. Later the Stanley Bros. .(2) tumble all over the stage In tuxedos. Strange that evening clothes should: be utilized for this kind of floor act . but the boys are fast; if not orlglnaL One number is a rubber drunk. Freddy Mack leads the band and Intros, now and then. One ' of the line numbers offers the girls in pantaloon pajamas of white under poor lighting efCects in specialty bits; A short subject and Universal newsreel round out the program. Shan, EMBASSY, N. Y. (NEWSREELS) News items pertaining, to the new year of 1936 and the vast N. Y, crowd New Year's eve, political developments and ■ sports hold sway on the new 60-minute program at the Embassy. Little of it is particularly striking but most of material is seasonal enough to be of especial appeal right now. Variety of subjects fftlrly well split up among the five newsreelSuWith Metrotone, Universal and Paramount getting a little the better of it because of resourcefulness or ingenious treatment. Hearst Metrotone copped first laurels on the New Year's eve celebration, with its view of the mob in Times Square and in front of the Paramount building, and good coverage of Mummer's Parade In Phllaphla on Jan. 1. Universal was nearly as well represented with its view of new crop of 1936 babies in a New York hospital and Belle Bart,, noted seer, making a 7-year prosperity prediction based on the stars. Paramount chimed in with Al Smith celebrating his 62rid birthday on New Year's day. Trend in politics covered by nearly, all reels, with Dr. Townsend explaining his old-age pension plan. Commander Clark of the Crusaders denouncing it and Senator Vandenberg CMlchlgan), tossing his hat into the G.O.P. ring. In the field politic is a fairly detailed, explanation of the Unemployment Insurance plan which went into effect first of this year. Paramount dug up some iexcellent spokesmen on this, and then explained it more fully by using an employe and employer in a confab. Loomed as tops for a political topic. Preparations of Olympic fancy skaters, bobrslcdders and swim stars covered by Paramount, Pathe and Metro in such sweeping fashion as to lead sports field, Pathe showed some fancy hunting on Long Island. Race of huskies in Pennsylvania was depicted by Fox while Universal staged a terrapin race at Miami (with interest focused on bathing beauties) and caught blg-tlmc hrldge match in Madison Square Garden. Newburgh's eastern skating classic by Metrotone. Humor of program provided by five-man free-for-all rassllng match, by Paramount, In Florida; and Lew Lehr'a (Fox) comical description of ^ police dog's tricks. Norfolk waterfront blaze (Fox) rovlded biggest thrill among world news events. Sleet storm at Atlanta that caused |2^000,Q00 damage was given graphic coverage by Metro. In the-, foreign field, Fox. did a swell Job photographing world's largest dirigible which Germany is constructlns. Mexican workers demonstrating foi* their hew president from Par,, and Japanese children in mass drill at Yokohama a Metrotone contribution; Wa^r fi:ont dimmed Into background, with Fox Movietone catching what purports to be a skirmish between Italian troops* and natives. Used machine guns but natives ref ased' to drop. Same newsrcel did. nice job showing change in conx.mand and other phases of tbe sltua^ tlon. Universal again filmed > Halle . Sellas.8le. as. hp pr.epajfed to leave for ..the.... front. Same reel photographed' Senator Nye asking for stricter neutrality and : a sweeping plea by Gen.: Mitchell for a bigger air force in the U. S Latest in beach, wear, as shown in Florida, provided display of pul.chritude as captured by Universal. Government tests on wearing iquaiitl9s of silk stockings, shoes and auto tires, and models displaying fans of fur came from Fox. 'Wings Over Mt. Everest* (Educational-Fox) the short featUria of Emb's program. Wear. SHEA% TORONTO Toronto, "With vaude back at Shea's after Its all-plx policy brodied after a brief try, it's a Haippy New Year for Jerry Shea, with istandeea at the rear for the opening night show. Little Jack Little and his band^ plus three pilck-up acts, comprise the €5minute stage bill, with the tunesters taking 35 and Little forced but for more bows after house had gone dark for the feature.. Everything over with speed and flash ahd-'looks like a good week. Ingratiating personality of Llttloand his' generosity to his men lent a . Qharm to the proceedings which draws strong audience . response: Self-effacing but :workihe hia.rd. Little sings, plays and conducts, converses intiniately with the audience but never lets down the tempo. Band plays old and new faves, a medley of the Little songs, and does style-imitations of . the Hal Kemp, Eddie Duchln. Lombardo and Berhie aggregations, with Little paying warm tribute to fellow-leader& P^ announcement has the band here through CBS courtesy. Little's finish In dark' stage at an Illuminated keyboard centers the attention on his sWlft finger-mahlpulatlohs and goes over on novelty. Three acts preceding the band session all get over without any trouble. Jack Hedley Trio, two men and a girl in' ski costumes, open with clever head-to-head stands and some blindfold work on the teeterboard; Joe and Jane McKenna are out for knockabou( clowning, a concerto eccentric and a, burlesqued adagio, and have no trouble in getting across; Johnny Hyman is back with his blackboard act' and showing a surprising knowledge of local politics and inside stuff on the prominent peasants. Whole bill pleasesthe customers. Feature, 'Stars Over Broadway' (WB). McStay, National, Louisville Louisville, Jan. i. Layout this week has several Weak spots, and pace is generally pretty slow. Has every indication of having been slapped together at the last moment. House band directed from piano by Elsie Weber, femme leader, is spotted on stage, and bill opens with acrobatic dancing by Five Wonder Girls, each of whom steps out for a bit of contortion work, which did not arouse any noticeable enthusiasm from the audience. Girls appear to be rather muscle-bound and their movements are characterized by a stiffness which is unbecoihlng. Unlcycle turn next on, with two men doln^ familiar routines on the wheels. Some good falls garner an occasional laugh and they bow off to mild returns. Convey and Rowena next for the comedy spot.. Femme partner relies on grotesque appearance and gangling figure to snare the chuckles, while man has his moment In an eccentric dance which clicks. Receptloh mild for their closer, which Is a reprise of their eccentric work. Harry Kahne Is the feature act oh the bill, and he sells 'em with his mental trickery. Closer is Irving Edwards, comic, who m.c.'s the show. He found house rather slow to respond to his gags, and they were still tepid when Edwards directed his remarks to incoming patrons, in search of iaeats. This particular bit has been much overdone by .two or three* recent masters-of-ceremonies, and there's Just the bare possibility that the seat-holders are weary of the repetition. Edwards finally dropped the 'extemporaneous' stuff and wound up his time on the stage with a song and recitation, which sent him off to a gdod hand. Wonder Girls were then on for a fast routine of acro-danclng, which clicked. Rounding out bill, 'Forbidden Heaven' (Rep), and Universal news. Biz fair at first show Friday. Wiede, a O. H., N. Y. House booker rummages through the dustier sections of the files this week and emerges with a four-part bill» three-quarters of which has been oh the boards in present form .for' lo,. these many years.. One newcomer, .Don Trent, puppeteer, completes the lineup. Show is a notch above the ordinary G\ . O. H. fare in seasoning and jierformahce. Films are 'Peter Ibbetson*^ (RKO) and 'Grand Exit' (Col), the works commanding a 35c top.' ' Harry Small and Sisters open with a round of tapping billed as 'Top Hat' ' stuff. Trio hammer out ah ensemble nuniber, then, dpn tin toppers which, are subseqtjently used as miniature platfo^s for a second ensemble. Windup lias some isolo exliibltions with Small the standout. Routines are snapplly delivered, and the s.lster pair is becomingly decked out In white overalls with black shirts underneath. . Trent is in the deuce. Emerges from the, wings with a gadget resembling a screen which, when unfolded, is the facade of a house for a Punch and Judy show. Later he produces a large colored pujipet which is manipulated through a soft , shoe tap number. Punch and Judy versibn strictly stereotype, but okay for the Saturday p.m. drove of kids who called Trent out for the soft shoe puppeteerlng as an encore. Abbott and Robey In the trey, assisted by a tall tltlan who goes thrbugh two changes of svelte draperieis. Open with a blackout skit good for .only sprinkled applause because, of the gags, but wariin up asthey go along. Chatter and comic, singing In front of a mike draw better reception, with one of the boys scraping but request numbers in hillbilly style on a fiddlel "Pair are "eqiilpped "with fair voices which, could be used to better advantage. , Windup has, the Five be Guchis, acrobats, who became a .quintet since the addition of a fenime. Act has played the bigger houses oft an on for years, and has all the glistr enlng equipment arid sartorial, trappings. Juggling, turiibllrig and acrobatic strong man' stuff delivered with polish. Finish is a socko balance stunt directly over the pit In which one of the lads, lying on his back on an elevated platform, balances another atop a series of chairs. Chairs are kicked away and the top man lands neatly on the feet of his partner. FOX, PHILLY Philadelphia, Jan. 9. Run off m vaude style except that house band is on stage, show at Fox this week has five acts above average in talent. Three Sailors, ballyed as 'direct from European engagement,* headline. Film is 'Kirig of Burlesque^ (20th). Caught three days after New Year's Eve opening. Three Sailors are really tops, too, laying out sundry giggles with dizzy chatter and cut-ups. Most of stufC Is . fairly old riow but it's all presented with slight variation. Tftam saves best gags for last and leaves 'em wanting more. New act for this sector, Lorraine Santscbl and Josephine Buckley, although not puffed in billing, gives the Gobs a chase for first honors. Girls comely bninette and blonde, show exceptional taste for rags, sporting long black gowns with -white lace collars. Offer three unison terp turns and contrive to look like they enjoy it. Doubling at Arcadia International Restaurant. Balance of show has Jackie Green, m.c, offering the usual Jessel, Cantor, Arllss and Glvot mimes; Selma Marlowe, topnotch tapper whose choice of get-up Is glaringly bad, and Randall Sisters, harmony trio doing unvaried hillbilly tunes. Latter have fetching faces but they bounce with rhythm and concentratie on the mike instead of looking at tiie audience^ Hohe. KEITH'S, BOSTON Boston, Jan. 2. Jane Froman heads a . bill that 'can't riilss. It carries with it about all the ingredients needed .for a general vaude appeal: comedy, top singing, novelty, good hoofing and girl fiash. Miss Froman has not iappeared here before in a vaude date; although last year the $3.30 crowd saw her In 'Follies.' (Customers obviously don't believe In letting her off with Just a . few nunibers, and she's getting demands for plenty bows and extras this week. Haloed with that Hollywood aura and big radio build-up, she rejglsters from start to curtain speech. Onie of the most sightly femme vocalers in the big time. Miss Froman sells her sbngs and personality with a flourish. Next-to-shut, and separated onlyby a productl6n number from Miss Froman, Is Eddie White, another .song-seller, who, In contrast, does not register at the take-off. But, with unrelenting vigor and troiipIng, he wins over ultimately with the help of some handy gags, until his 'Music Goes Round' demands ari encore of the same number. In the dance end Bankoff and Cannon are outstanding specialists. in a hoke adagio that Is meticulously developed and pruned for plenty laughs. Fetch arid Deauvllle show twice in some neat aero work that adds much to the consummate flavor of the whole show. Ray Saxe, deucing. Is vei'y oke ■with his flash riiuslcal novelty that works into a finale of rope -twirling, sax playing and dancing, simultaneously. Line flash Is supplied by 24 girls who show to good advantage in three, production numbers. Line will be held over another week; and that makes sense, judging from their routines in this. show. Billy House takes the m.c. assignment and does himself and the vest of the company a Ibt of goOd in tying tojgether the several acts. Blond femme partner assists in a brief bit of grind work' as a scene shifter, arid she, another woman and a young man help on the sltlt. Stage policy here looks set. Jackie Cobgan and Betty Grahle and Joe Morrison for next week; Ken Murraiy and 'Sketch Book'; Fats Waller in a sepia show; Joe Cobk; Wayne King; Ruth Ettlng, Toby Wing and the 'Folles Bergeres' are all booked. On the screen. Face' (RKO). Fox. HIPP, BALTIMORE Baltlmoi-e, Jan. 3. With 'Dream Too Much' (RKO) majored bn the marquee, the Hipp has good stage show to augment. Lottie Mayer's ' '16' Diving Girls headline vaude, and prove to bd an even dozen In numben Girls are versatile. They slip on for three drills iniserted during show. Open bri roller skates, giving place momentarily to the Three Whirlwinds, two boys and girl, standard skate turn which whirs through usual assortment of antics, then closing with the 'act for nice' flash. Professor Lambertl follows with -his xylophone, arid in his highwater dress ^ult made' of mohair, -waiter's dlckle and red flcuinel undies. Same bl' stuff, bouncing out to always appreciable audience here. Mayer line follows for a sinuous -writhe to score of Berlin's 'Heat Wave.' Radio Ramblers (3) next with their imltashes, which totaled 18. Much of earlier proxies have been done often here before. The closing counterfeits, which deal with p|x nanies, itad much better mob value through their freshness. The Mayer maids closed with that disappearlrig water ballet. Complete cascaded set used. Incidentally, for those who remember when Lottie Mayer herself did that final high dive at close, her dotter does same chore currently. Miss Mayer originally started this act 27 years a|ro. Puttying up rest of bill are usual trailers and Pathe clips. Capacity, lower floor, Friday afternoon. JEFFERSON,; N. Y. Second week, ot the' return of vaiide to this 14th Streeter found the ' customers reacting lively enough to the Individual acts, but not enough, customers to indicate a happy future for the combination policy. Main floor at the early Friday night show 30% of capacity. Entertainment as a whole had an air of sklmplnesB about it, and even, at 35c top the five acts as presented and the feature, 'Frisco Wa.terfront' (Repub) -wouldn't be rated by this nabe clientele, or any other, as a bargain. Plenty of action and acrobatic skill derives from the opening and closing acts,' the Four Robeys and Jack Rahdell & Co., respectively, while Mells, Kirk and Howard make of next to shut a fairly sj^ry session of assorted clowning and harmony. Lillian Carman fills the midway spot with the Ibbks that It takes plus a knack for getting 'em excited over her pop tune deliveries. In No. 2 it's. Ross & Bennett, the girl sporting a perpetual giggle and the boy proving that he's passing up a fine talent for eccentric soft-shoe dancing In an effort to become a comic. Four Robeys mix headstands with hoop juggling arid develop a routine that's bright, fast and in a large measurjs spectacular. , Th.ey registered solidly. . Ross and Bennett start slowly. Pair's major handicap is matierlal, while the qualities that pull, them over the hurdles are the girl's infectious good humor and nifty underpinnings and the. lad's adroitness at acrobatic shuffling. Miss Carman shows she knows her audience by the numbers u.sed for the warming process. She completes the chore In a big way with 'Music Goes Round arid Round.' It didn't take any wheedling to get the bunch out front to Join her in the yo-hoolng portion of the chorus. Brought back for an encore, she gave them a sizzling interpretation of 'Truckin'. What thb Jack Randall entourage Of three men and two girls lack in finish they make up In piinchiness of performance. The acrobatic adagio stunts are of the regulation sort, with the umaller of the girls taking one stiff toes after another. What gives the turn a touch of the difference Is the skillful stances that the contortionist of the femme twosome took as she swings BuqcessIvely from the arms of each under0tander. Odec. VARIETY 17 SMASH TICKET CACE GLASS, $300 SnCK-UP Minneapolis, Jan. 7. Bandits who smashed the glass of the ticket window at the Minnesota, theatre, ace Pdbllx house, compelled the two cashiiers on duty to push across niore than $300. 'The hold-up occurred at 9:30 p. tn., when patrons still 'wiere buying tickets. It was thesecondtheatre robbery within a fortnight, the Orpheurii b6x-offlce also having been held up, si llarly. . Four hours after the Minnesota theatre robberj", a pair of bandits attempted to hold up Bob La Finer, Publlx, circuit official, but were foiled by the latter. J. P.-Exhib Hijacked St, Louis, Jan. 7. George R. arf,. owner of a picture theatre In Ferguson, Mo., suburb, was victim of armed highwaymen last week. Driving his auto-r mobile on contemplated trip to Washington and New York, Hart was intercepted in Wellston, Mo., robbed of $370 In cask and ejected from car which highwaymeri drove away. In car were two steamer trunks arid two gladsfone bags filled with clothing, two hats in box and an overcoat. Hart is also Justice of the Peacft In bis town. 30 BEST OF 1935 West •Coast Preview Committe* i • Assn. with Hays Org* List* 'Em West Coast preview committee, comprising eight organizations Judging pictures in Hollywood, in cooperation with the Hays organizations, has listed its best 80 fea» tures for 1936. Committee, which Is made up of representatives .from Daughters of American Revolution, National Society of New England Women, General^ Federation of Women's Clubs, California Congress of Parents and Teachers, National Council of. Jewish Women, thei Wbmen's ' University Club of L. A., Southern California Council of Federated Church Women .and 'California Federation of Business and Professional Women's Club (L. A. district), conHldered the year 193B notable for large number of excellent pictures. Its. 30 b^st for year are ^avld Copperfleld,' 'Bengal Lancer,' 'LltUest Rebel,' 'Cardinal Richelieu,' 'Mutiny on Bounty,' 'Top IIat>' 'Ah, Wilderness!' 'Crusades,' 'tK)Uis Pasteur,' 'Anna Karenlna,' Tale, of Two Cities,' 'Crime and Punishment,' 'Dark Angel,' 'Diamond Jim,' Informer,' 'Escape Me Never,' 'Midsummer Wight's Dream,' 'Peter Ibbetson,' 'Private Wbrlds,' •Naughty Marietta,' 'Ruggles of Red Gap,' 'Alice Adams/ 'Sanders of River,' 'Oil for Lamps of China,' .'Scarlet Pimpernel,' 'Broadway Melody,' 'Scoundrel,' 'So Bed the RosiB,' 'Les Miserables,' and 'Thanks a Million.' ' Folds Davis, Ftsbg. Pittsburgh, Jan, 7. Reopened couple of months ago principally to unload lot of accumulated product, WB's Davis will fold again. Thursday night (0). House had bepn closed for couple of years, and, with nabes running short of flickers, Warners decided to try the Davis to help out, situation and at same time give house another chance. Ho'wever, with only class B pictures available and Competition plenty stiff, Davis never got started, and has been a consistent loser. Likely WB will make a deal for its sluff product, which has been piling up on shelf through recent WBLocw pool, or else. Ed (Hip) Segal, upped to managership of Davis from RItz when house reopened, goes back to latter house. EABBINa GETS 'GHAIB' Hollywood, Jan. 7. Next for Ann Harding at Radio la 'Witness Chair.' Cliff Reld puis the picture in. production Jan. 14. Connelly Starts 'Pastures' Hollywood, Jan. . Marc Connelly has started rehparsals on 'Green Pastures' at Warners, ilcnry Blanke supervising. A tralnload of the orlg cast ar*. rived last week froni the east.