Variety (Jan 1936)

Wednesdayt January 22, 1936 V4RIE¥¥ HO»§g BEVIEWS VARIETY 17 f or^ trot on for some high class strong arm stuff and then Perkins rounds out an active afternoon by doing a, trick or two with them at curtain. It's an always sure-fire stunt, particularly, when the outeider Is of Perkins' proportions. First show ran overboard on time, about 75 minutes, and elimination of quarter-hour or so should make loads of difference. Dave Broudy's orchestra on stage, moving up from pit after overture, with conductor In for several dialog spots In tlie familiar vein of vaude's twoa-day era* Picture 'I Dream Too Much' (RKO) and snowstorm crimped biz, although llhe-up was strong enough to attract full downstairs and quarter balcony at opening despite tr^ather. Cohen, ROXY, R Y. Ko big names in new stage show: at ihO'Roxy^but good; smooth ehterr tainment fore and aft,' If anything/ bill goes in for more spectacular, ; eye-filling buUd-up of Qae Foster girls, regulation line here. Routines more colorful and better done, too. Mildred Patterson stepd from usual spot in Ihie to do neat acrobatic routine perched on high pedestal, Fred AUen'a amateur hour cpntributes tvfQ turns 'because recent broadcast resulted In tie for laurels. One is Gertrude Gtoldy, black-halriBd miss, who gives plenty of lilt to 'Music Goes Round 'U' Round.T She virtually tied for applause here, too, wlth.Gibey Sisters (Frances, Wanda and Aim), whose close harmony contribution Is Tou Are My Lucky Star.' Both coiitestants on briefly and bc>th show promise, . Opening is with Capt Proske's tlgera aiid lions, ^ one. of top-notch animal acts currently indoors., In troduced /here with . whole line of Foster g;Irls draped Around circular iron cage, (with wild beasts absent) » Regular tricks by cats but without ataiiing., Comedy and knockabout acrO' batics and hand balancing by Thr^e Nonchalants keep .the ball rolling. These boys, who've been iaround enough to know the ropes, climax with a nifty triple bulld-upi Ross and Stone, with latter's sleepy stuff going great at . this house, on next fo close. ' Combination of Ross' classy piping and ivory massaging and the blonde partner's high kick Ing muy bueno for the. auditors, Bhayne and Armstrong, acrd-ball room stepping team, worked into final Foster girl appearance. Satis tying. ; Freddy Mack, orchjestrai leader, actd as emsee for entire proceedr ""lifigB, doing: aweir Job. Whole show should get more than Its share of juvenile patronage, especially with the prevailing. 15o fee for. young Bters. Feature Is 'Charlie Chan'4 Secret* (20th), while shorts are 'Stranger Than Fiction' (Universal), . UnlVer sal Newsreel and 'On Ice,' Mickey Mouse cartoon (UA). Wear, LOEW'S; MONTREAL Montreal, Jan. 18. Sub-zero weather and bitter winds couldn't keep 'em a, way from 'Music Goes Round and Round Re vue* at Lioew's currently, with all seats filled opening night Friday (17). Prez has. minimum dancing ef fects, depending on smart patter, clowning and novel sunts for sue cess. Al Gerson's, orchestra does a lot towards snapping up the show. Girl line starts with backflipping and leapfrogging in flowered .pa ji9.mas, variation , to usual routine. Reynoldis and White, headliners, ■•■■.clown-'.through'.aorobatics-"t4;>a/" goodhand,, stepping up. show to speed that is maintained almost' to the end. Followed by Smart Set Four some in tails and evening gowns crooning into mike. Girls are look ers but. act slows up show to some extent. Ward, Pinky and Terry tumblers, put on a burst of speed and get an earned first call of (evening in good acrobatics, taps and knockabouts with, slow photography effects that have crowd on their feet. ■ ' Girl line in silver transparencies agaitist. black drbp.and lighted from rear are background for tall blonde in black who taps, and backfiips to another good hand, mainly on looks Johnny Hymari follows with his clever work on blackboard, pattered smartly and wins good audience re ceptlon that would have been bet tered if he hadn't mentioned Taschereau to end his act. Tas chereau is premier , of province and not too . popular in this City. Goodrich atnd Schaefer, kiiock about instrmmentalists, play all sorts and sizes and, using electric and fireworks Nftffecta, have the fans excited from start, building up to surprise ' finish when one of them turns, out to bo flemme. This earns a couple of curfain calls, femme re turning to tgJre call and play violin Tall blotide returns for taps and backfllps before crlrl liiie and the foursome croon 'Round ahd Round' with girl line as chorus and going into dance. Rest of acts .file down theatre through audience for finale and curtain to 65-mInute show, •Annie Oakley* (RKO) and 'No Ransom' (Emp) on screen, Lane. PARAMOUNT, L. A. Iios Angeles. Jan. 16. Herman Tlmberg and company head the stage bill along' with Al Lyons' orchestra; In for a third consecutive week, but it takes Etta Moten, who did the 'Carioca* number in "Flying Down to Rlo,' to nab top honors with her rondltlon of 'The (31ory Road,' it is a difficult song for a woman, but Miss Moten, introduced by Lyons as. the 'brown thrush of filmdom,* presents it in a truly capable manner, ahd was recalled for four, encores at the second show. Faiichohettes, good as usual, open show with an , Americanized ' Swiss dance routine with taps predominating. Band is behind stirlm at opening, but moves up front for Bob Rogers, tenor in the band. Nick Cochrane follows with a comical ditty. He. repeats with ohe chorus of 'Round and. Around,' which he did th© week.previously. with Judy^ $tarr. Miss Starr had Jto leaveL the band after figuring In auto accident. Cochrane didn't do so good alone, }ut he does play a wicked ti'umpet. Joyce White Is next with a tapsong number, which could be -hot, but isn't. 'Lyons outfit then swings Into 'Dinner for One, Please,' James,' with leader doing vocal chorUsi Timberg entourage! with, his son,. jjQW,-liilUed .. aa ._Tlm. Herbert,r jand Audrey Parker follow, with everything landing, Fanchonettes return to do a butterfly number with Rogers vocal-; l2tin^. Dance, staged personally by Fanchon, features flower^opsning sequences Used so many times in films. 'Bride Comes Home* (Par), Girantland; Rice sportUght, Popeye and newsreel complete the. bill; With Roscella In support. th« hoklst got the crowd fairly quickly, though his tendency to play to the pit hurts his score. He's also building himself UP as the first to take from Berle instead of being on the loshig side. He's using one of MUton's choicest gagi. Another turn that glovefits this nabe is the trey-spotted Zeb Curver and Folks (6), mixed bill-blUy act that came rather late in the cycle, but almost sure-fU-e here. Foreigners make up a good portion of the residents around the Jeff, and a sight act is always safe. Carver's turn Is chiefly novelty musical and singing, but hoked plenty. The Kltaros, two men and woman, open this show, and their rlsley juggling, also sight, brings them an unusually strong reception for this type of an Another thing Jeifl audiences demand Is s.a.., and. there's enough women In the Grace DuFaye closing act hot to mention the deucer. AQce Dawn," to satisfy the tastes of theseparts. Miea Dawn is a nasal torcher who worships the mike, but the crowd here called her back for ah encore. Miss DuFaye's aero dancing in her. nicely mounted act is received well, with the same, going for the femme challengehoofing trio in her Support, Boy who hoofs on the prop piano also got over. Layout makes it In an hour flat. Bcho, St* Louis 3rd Week OIU>HEtJM^ LINCOLN Lincoln, Jan. 18. Very short on talent,, this shbw waa. likewise short by considerable margin b£ entertaining the' fe.w: customer's liured in through the weelc-' end snows. In spite of the fact that it runs more than 50 minutes, larger ly due to the headlining Budy Buhdy band, It could have been more happily done lii less time. For the first,, time ° in some weeks the house standby is in the pit. Band, with Bundy in front, takes the stage in full when the traveler Opens and It's for 'Music Goes Bound' which features Al Kollat, 'Who wades .adenoidally through it with only minor applause success. "Vaude istarts with the Mah Jong Trio, an Oriental novelty dancing threesome.--Act and-^ band seemed still at rehearsal on this, second show until the turn Is half over, when it begins clicking. Ope of the girls is a clever dancer and the male member does some tough splits. Bundy is featured "at a quartet of horns next, Wherein the stunts he saw daily as a member of the Milt Britton-Behny MerofC school of nuttery, creep in. As Meroff comes out to stunt with a flock of instrumehts, so does Buhdy, only Meroff Is able to sell IL Kdllat tries the fall off the«dtand. etc., but it's sour, Wright and Kelsey,'Who have a hew horse blanket for their old 'Spark Plug* a<ct, play horsey next. Like the liV ery stable, this horse business has long since seen its day. Grade White, buxom blonde. Is called to the mike for a whirl at 'I'm in the Mood for Love,' but it goes flat. • Oracle has no life, and this tune Is dragged to pieces. She ahd Kollat take the spot soon, after in a medley and sing a pair of pop tunes, still negative. Kollat, who does yeoman service : as the band's stunt man, tries again in pseudo comedy with 'Here Comes the_British/ Ray Vaughn, who has a noveTty xylbpHono "ali.i, is"next"to close. He plays the traditional num bers, then for an encore brings out some variously filled liquor bottles on which he bangs out some tunes His St. Vitus tactics detract from an otherwise very fair turn, Bundy and his clarirfet close. Time is 53 minutes, but. seemed longer. Pic, "'Forbidden Heaven' (Rep) and biz slow, partly due to the heaviest snows in four years. Barney, JEFFERSON, N. Y. This is the nabe where the. audi ences talk back to the actors. But that^s something of a healthy sign for vaude in these parts — ^It hasn't been often lately that audiences have even been within screaming distance of actors around 14th street. The Jefl! resumed five-act bills on flrst-halves only a few weeks ago. P'reyious to that, for more than a year there wasn't a variety house in the city below 23d street. This is also the type ,of house where early-comers ■ save seats for relatives ahd friends, and all of the latter must've showed up Friday evening. The house was. quite filled just before the start of the last show, with 'Bad Boy' (Fox) draw Ing from the screen end and a nicely blended bill draughting from the stage side. Freddie Llghtner, next -to -closing, laid himself wide open for the audience comics, most of them spotted on the shelf and upper boxes, but pulled past them without casualties.. CENTURY, BALTO . Baltimore, Jan. 17. This week's show is at least 80% vocal. Two oi the turns are singing singles while two others contain large portions devoted to larynx unleashings.. Opening act is Liazeed Arabs. Deuce detailed to El Gaxf, winner Of. series, of 15 commercial (brewery) halt-hours, over WBAL. A local lad, Gary is getting $200 lor this date, half of .%hich is being paid by the radio sponsor of con^ test he. won, alohg with the. title of •Maryland's most popular ratf* star/ Ross and Bennett, mixed comedy team, iare both personable and po tentlally a .fine act, but need miaterlal, Man is a feather-footed hoofer, and the girl cah toss a toot sie too. Their singing is okay, with Improvement to be gained by better selection of numbers. The girl has a lot of personality.^ Emile JBoreo, who hasn't shown here in some years, makes a slight impression. Formerly he -used to. bounce 'em out. of the benches in Balto,_lbut this time he foUhd' it far from a skylark getting over to'ah'y degree. Started with French jingle sung in his peculiarly hoked style, then Into his 'Wooden Soldier.' Last week a trio of boy hoofers did the^ same bit here, but much more colorfully; yet Boreo originally intro'd number years back. His demented soldier bit is perhaps timely as diatribe against war, but mob had difficulty following meaning of piece; and anyway, people here don't eXf cite easily to pseudo-patriotic, button-bustln' arousings. Closes with 'Dark Eyes' as done by a Spaniard, Greek, Jew, Frenchman and Tankee. Lack of tact displayed was Boreo's unsubtle begging for bows, at each of which ' he pantomimically Inquired if mob wanted more and when he thought crowd signaled assent, claimed his throat troubled him and regretted his inability to continue. Closing, a classy flash team of Marian Pierce and Don C'arthay getting, billing. Opens before a really striking and novel 'full' set with a ballroom glide, then an unbilled baritorfe in tails steps out in one and sings a lengthy number while ■stage gets-fresh-setting^—SIngeEvhas. nice pipes ahd delivery, but. is awkward. For its closing caper, the team does one of those slick and slithering modern moochlngs, prefaced by a song from the baritone which gives the bit some story body. On the. screen, 'Exclusive Story' (MG), a cartoon, and. Metro clips. Preluding the vaude is usual organlog by Harvey Hammond,. a,s well as the first pit overture George Wild's 12 men have granted the customers In about a year. . Consideririg that overtures are as -.rare in the Century as all this, more, preiparatioh might have been expended. Attendance fair. (Continued from page 4) In St. IjOuIs from destructlonu' Wolff said Zukor told him he considered the Ambassador and Missouri theatre's as the best in St, Louis ahd quoted the fllnx exec as saying, 'We big companies sometimes have to do things we prefer not to do.' Wolff testified that Zukor proD^lsed to send a wire thatnight to learn If something , couldn't be done relative to the St. Loula difficulty. Objections to Wolffs alleged conversation w:lth Partington and Joe Bernhard, general manager . for. WB Circuit Management Corp., were upheld by the court. In his^. cross-examination by Reed, Wolff acknowledged ; tiiat -Harry Arthur was in St. Louis during Federal grand Jury inquiry, and had phoned him In L. A. on Jan. 11, 1935; when indictments were voted. Wolff admitted he was entirely familiar wltl\^all the facts Involved in the case, explaining that Arthur, as v.-p. and gen. mgr. handled business details of F&M's properties here. A question by Reed drew from witness that Harry Koplar first ap preached Arthur relative to possi bility of F&M asspolating them selves with' Koplar In bid for lease oh Ambassador, Missouri and New (Srand Central theatres, Hei did not remember exact date of overtures but related that Arthur told Koplar F&T^ vr&a not Interested in deal. Partinaton'e .Testimony Jack Allen Partington, y.p.: . of F&M, niohopoUzed the witness chair all day Thursday (16) and the Court called it a day at 5; p.m. In opeiilnjp direct testimony Partington reviewed his r theatrical career which began at the Imperial theatre,. San Francisco. Leading, up to the now famous .conference with Hermahr Starr, Abe Cary Thomas and Gradwell Sears in WB's New York office on March 6, -1934, Partington said he was lunching with Arthur when the latter said he had been told there was trouble in the picture field , In St. Louis. Partington was not per mitted to repeat what a trade newspaperman is alleged to have told Arthur, . , • . ArthurT wltnessTtegtlfiearsaW He. Scouting Campuses (Goritlnued from page 3) concerned, Pasadena Community Playhouse and the Goodman theatre in Chicago are tops. Rest of them contribute little or nothing to the screen or stage. Finecomb Broadway Broadway is finely combed each season by all studios. Occasionally they overlook a good bet, but the .search is quite thorough. Best possible harvest grouncl is the universitieo. Studios figure to watch the development of talent there in . the same fa-shlon as ball clubs o, o.. the bush leagues for possibilities. had made ah attempt' to get 'both Harry, and Albert Warner on .the phone, but both were out arid Albert Warner's secretary suggested he talk to Sears, As they walked Into Sears' ofllce, Partington testified, they saw copy of a trade paper In which war between WB and F&M ^-was streamlined, Arthur asked Sears wha.t It wias all about, Part-^ Ington continued, and . Sears replied that WB had a $4,000,000 Investment In those theatres; that they belonged to WB which intehded to have them. Partington quoted Arthur as sayr ing to Sears, 'There must be something than , can be . done abput .it. We don't wiant trouble. There is no reason we can't get together.' Sears, according to witness, called Starr oA the phone and arranged for them to go to his ofllce. When they arrived there^' Sears is alleged to have s'Jd, 'Fanchon & Marco have gummed the works for Warner ^ros';'—'-^ — — -' — ^ : -■ Partington said Starr sent for Thomas, and he and Starr did 90% of the talk'ng, repeating that WB arid $4,000,000 Invested; they were the only ones who could operate properties; -it had the personnel and film service necessary to run them. Partington said he, interrupted to remark, "We are little fellows and. don't wa«t to fight you. There riust be some way^ that we can arrange this.' Witness said reply Was we could get out of St XoulS. 'Arthur;' Partington testified, 'said if we did that we would lose our money and that Snyder would probably sue F&M for breach of his contract.' Cross* Examination Partington was given a rough ride on cross-examination by Wood who, refexTlng to v.itneBfl' testimony at previous trial, brought out that some of testimony given today had not been given during criminal case. Partington explained that his recollection of what transpired at the meeting was clearer today than last November. It was Wood's cross-examination that established fact Partington 'forgot to mention name of Harry Koplar as beliig brought into conference but Wood'js qufestions recalled to his mind that Thomas had niade somo very caustic ref ercnco to the St. Louis exhibitor and said Koplar had cost WB, $80,000 In St. Louis and they Intended to'get him.' Partington was. reluctant -.to ,re«peat Thomas' exact words but Judge Molyneaux ordered him to use the exact language until the witness called Court's attention to fact'there were, several women spectators in room. Judge Mblyneaux rescinded, order smilingly and permitted Partr Ington to whisper and then designate cuss words as 'tha,t iso and so.'^ Hardy was considerably miffed when Wood made, repeated ^reference to fact that Koplar's name waiahot mentioned In criminal case and, at one point. Judge Molyneaux said. Ordinarily a lawyer does diiscusa' matters with a witness before he puta him on the witness stand.' Partington deihiiad to Wood -that, suggestions, were made, to hlm -not to refer Koplar's name being mentioned at the conference. Hardy Interrupted to Inform the judge that he resented the BUggestlon that he^ told witness to withhold any testi-' mony: 'I told him to tell the truth and tiie 'whole truth' Hardy shot at the whole courtroom and sat down. No further comtaent was. niade by the court on the subjeet.^ Kreiimann's Tettlmony Former Mayor E^rederlck H. Krelsmanp: of St Louis, another Government witness, member of bondholders' committee for theatres, told of a conference held June 6, 1934, by . the committee, its,'eounsel and representatives of WB at office of Thomas N. Dysart, chairman of committee. Meeting, he testified,, wa^ ealled at request of Sam B, Jefft'ies, of local WB counsel, to.i>ut before committee WB's final plan of reorganizatiO|i. .'^ Just loefore .Court adjourned* Judge Molyiieaux summoned . all counsel to bench and,~ notified them; that, . at conclusion ot'ciase^ he would „ . hear arguments, on question as to; whether he would permit testimony, of J. M, Ulmfer and 'B, b, Gordon, both of Cleveland, relative to confereh<;e wlth Starr in New York In reference to Wheeling, W. Va^, to remain In record. Testfanony of tiiese two wltbess0s was ^excused several days ago as it #as accepted with teservatlons, A new Witness, present but not ceiled to the stand' during the iix weeks* criminal trial last fail,_was! the main .witness Tuesday Tr4).. He was Spyros P, Skouras, f orhier head of the family which operated the Ambassador, Missouri and New Grand Central theatres until 1931, and now presldfent of Skouras Theatres Co. and second v,p: and .gen. mgr. National Theatres C6. Dhring Skouras' testimony, the defense attorney scored what he believed to be an important point In the trial. when.> bringing out that Harry Kbjplar, veteran St. Louis exhibitor, was a ©itter enemy of >Warner Bros, In criminal trial Judge. Moore first ruled out the 'Koplar litigation* testimony on objection <bt prosecution but later permitted It to go Into the recosd on offer of proof that it was relevant. In June,. 1931, testimony and records showed Koplar iiled several receivership suits in Circuit Court against Warner interests and receivers ivere atppointed. However, in November, J933, following a referee's report Judge Hamilton dissolved the receiverships and entered Judgment for defendants. It has often been pointed out by defense oourisel to this litigation as one reason for WB's refusal to do business with koplar heire, the latter belrig associated with F&M in operation of theatres, Gov-., ernment again streriuoiisly objected to receivership litigation records yesterday but Judge Molyrieaux admitted them. He directed defense counsel to refrain from readlhg contents of varloiis records, including referee's report and Judgment, but said they could be incorporated in the brief which will be filed at end of trial. Skouras occupied the stand almost the entire day and wben cross-examination was concluded, he ..was succeeded by Joseph. H, Grand, local counsel for bondholders' committee of three theatre properties. Grand repeated previous testimony of statements made at several conferences in the spring of 1934 to bring proposed leases .of three houses to Bucces-sful conclu^ aion. He said, at this time, WB. was attempting to persuatle the local bbndholder.s' committee it was making a bad move in leasing theatres to Allen L. Snyder and F&M., Plans for this lease had been an-' nouriccd in March, 1934, and approved several months later by th© Federal Court.