Variety (Mar 1936)

Wednesday, March 18, 1936 P IX ¥ E S VARIETY 35 House Reviews EMBASSY, N. Y, (Continued, from page 16) premier In Japan after completing his cabinet. The balance .of the clips are of a. miscellaneous character, none of especial importance. They range all the way from another oil fire, this time in Alabama, to the latest fashions in timepieces. The matter includes preparations to launch the Queen Mary: an Austrian sleigh race: investigation of cave-in in Florida; Brazilian and. Munich: car- nivals; giant student at college; denial of released French prisoner that he betrayed Edith . Cavell; Daytona Beach ' auto race; Alamo centennial in Texas; shipment of giant eye to California; England's king honoring the Welsh guard; ice damage in Pennsylvania; construc- tion of biff dirt dam out west and some other lesser items. - H-M Bends in some film on the recent Academy awards. Frank Capra is shown presenting Irving Thaiberg with hia trophy for. best picture of the year and D. W. Grif- fith making presentation to Victor McLagten for best performance. Clip is topped by a few scenes from the Winning picture, 'Mutiny* (MG),. a good ad for subsequent run book- ings, Where playing. , . ; Lew Lehr on twice, once straight, on the other occasion doing dialect. His • straight bit with the pooches the best. Show • includes two shorts. 'Stranger Than Fiction' (U) and 'In Morocco' (BKO). Char. Ambassador, St. Louis St. Louis, March 14. The amateur .erase,, though well established locally for the past year, has its first de luxe presentation this week at the downtown Ambas- sador, where Ed" Lowry Is dishing out a fast moving 'discovery' unit. It features the winners of a four weeks' quest, for talent conducted by theatre management and finally auditioned by Lowry himself. Lat- ter's local popularity made the show a promising affair from the begin sented in groups at each of last week's 29 stage performances. Show opens with Lowry at the mike singing ditties covering the search for talent idea. Following, his musical explanation is Rosemary Brethroad, a youngster on skates with fast singing and dancing rou- tine that starts the show away to a bang. Kid handles herself like a pro. and closes her three minutes' routine with a rope skipping skate bit that wows. Next are William. Yoepel and Lou Steiner, firemen, winners of their class. Tenor and baritone. One for two minutes, a short song each for pleasing re- sult's. Then a line of girls, 12 kids rang-' Ing In ages from 14 to 17, in a cute routine that gets a smash hand. Following is a group of four danc- ers: Betty McClure, acrobatics; Margaret Rbdcay, tap; Hess and Swable, mixed dance team, and Au- drey, xylophone and tap miss. Group takes no longer than aver- age dance act and registers big. On with an added attraction here, the Police Quartette, appearing as a courtesy for publicity given the coming Police Circus. Four person- able fellows with good voices aided by accompanist at the piano. They do 'Shine' and 'Wahoo' and take heavy applause. Follows Leo Byrnes, local edition of Hal LeRoy. Cowry then springs hla own surprise, little Mickey Car- roll, 16-year-old perfectly formed boy midget who looks like four. Stands 88 inches- high and sings, dances and impersonates! Applause tremendous and his return later in the show for a Mae West bit. in costume... goals 'em. - The kid has bepn working cafes and some out of town theatres, but this was his first appearances in a local deluxer. Lowry follows with a fast black- out that gets laughs and then into 'Music Goes Round/ with Flossie Lavell. who did the sketch \ "tlr him. Two personality youngsters. Betty Jane Wilkinson and Colleen Mitchel. remind the natives of Jeanie Lang and'others who worked the house several years ago when Lowry was the Skouras standby at the Ambassador. The Wilkinson kid has plenty of pep. a good voice and makes a swell foil for Lowry. while * olleen is a sophisticated type-Willi class appearance and good looks. George Rico and his band. 11 kids averaging 14 years of age, do a Knockout rendition of 'St. Louis Blues.' Freddie Begeman. billed as the 'local Allen Jones.' and Laverno Hutchinson, colored 'tenor, also go 0 o. the former copping the np- PUuise honors of the show next to httle Mickey. Fin- the finale everyone walks on inmvuhially. witn Lowry signinsr ore "mi staging another song. All in all. a corking show, actually bettor than simv'.pro shows that plenty spots punliu-e. Manager Charles E, Kurtz- man oi the Ambassador worked ul re GAYETY, BUFFALO ' , , Buffalo, March 15. This show represents an improve- I?l ei lL ln J" he character of offerings at this house. ... Current production marks the third week of the present Policy of three musical stock with cookings of special acts weekly. It would be hard to imagine a greater change than this from the show of the week previous. What is responsi- ble for the improvement is a notice- able pickup in the tempo of the. per- formance and vaudeville specialties of decidedly higher calibre. Perhaps it takes three weeks to get a show of. this kind moving smoothly, but it is beyond dispute that talent remains head man in the theatre—and par- ticularly in this kind of a show. Performance consists in house company numbers and the special- ties. Currently the chorus and house personnel are clicking, better, .than at any time since inauguration of the policy. While the chorus work Shows the influence of burlesque, particularly In the abbreviation of the costumes, the routines are bet- ter synchronized and the house com- pany now seems to be decidedly on its toes, although weak on 'talent ft would probably be just as well if the chorus alone were retained as a permanent fixture and the singing, dancing artd comedy were left to visiting artists; The difference be- tween the stock personnel and the specially booked acts is so great, the former suffering so markedly by the contrast, that a switch would im- prove the set-up 5 George Pronath, who is doing: the producing, has smoothed out much: of the former stage difficulties and the proceed- ings have begun to take on the as- pect of professional musical cbmedy. On the vaudeville end the present show includes the Three Kanes, who are in for their regulation perch routine. The act carries on with speed and precision and clicks un- mistakably with the customers. The splc and span paraphernalia of the performance helps decidedly in building up the thrills. Bradley and Ambial go along nicely,, and while some of the material and themethod of its delivery is hackneyed; the pair build up a blg-tlme atmosphere on which the girl in the act capital- i, . . — Aiiiuussauur wurnci un i, 111 ' l " C01 '«iLlng the amateurs -ant Tiii — <uit the impossibles befon w»wry came to town. m rowmemWng Brie of Hepburn, and an acrobatic dance, all bf which seem good enough. Three Tryes, harmonlzers, booked in from a local radio station, do nicely but still can travel a long way in building, up their stage pres- ence.. Their melody is easy to listen to : and the boys are dressed up in approved crooner style. Gregory and Raymond are on with a novelty mu- sical act, also' good for telling re- turns, and. the program Is rounded out by a first-run of 'The Leaven- worth Case' (Rep). The atmosphere o.f the proceed- ings-is -not improved by the preSr ence of the candy butchers In the aisles during the Intermission nor by the advertising olio whioh still smacks of burlesque and Is. an im- position on the paying customers. KEITH'S, BOSTON Boston, .March 12. Ralph Bellamy, top-lined In this week's show, and one of a long line of Hollywood screen names to make p.a.'s in the Hub this season, can lay claim to at least one distinc- tion: he tries something different. The formula Is usually: gab, then sing, then gab, then sing (even if you can't- sing). Otherwise just gab. Bellamy cannot sing, so he con- centrates on the gab, with the aid of a competent, heckling stooge from a box. Another new note is 'Rev.' Bellamy's sermon on Holly- wood. Although never publicly as- sociated with the Hollywood cham- ber of commerce, this star acts as unofficial defender of the pure name of fllmdom and vehemently denies that 'champagne flows like a Nia- gara every night.' 'Hollywood ac- tors must' be clear-eyed and keen for the next day's work.* That's a sample. His other chatter is okay, but the cross-hre with his heckler is better—and on this count alone, Bellamy must be credited with a slight edge. Show stoppers on the bill are Chester Fredericks, with the.Gislon Sisters and Helen King, in the trey, preceding Bellamy. No strangers in this town, these youthful come- dians, singers and dancers get their share of hussahs from out front. There's Fredericks' heated hoofing (of which there is too little), some Impersonations by one of the girls, and some adequate harmony bv the fern me trio. Fredericks registers with his usual consignment of falls, skids and clowning. Another high peak in the show- Is the distinctive turn nT Loo Sims ami llomav Bailey later in the line- up. Exceptional vocal arrange- ments. Miss Bailey's singing, and Si is' potent pianoforte, nlns their own two ,-hoiro pjvT-o.ialitlcP blend into a most enioyablo act. Climax is Mi** Calloy's lyric interpreta- tion of Ravel's 'Bolero.' Bebe Barrl Hue girls, ending a two-month's s'.and at this house, open with a leg and arm wavrvr colliint'. followed l»v some bftlll'wom aero dancing by Shayne and Arm- strong, who show to better adv n- tage in the midway production number with a dressed-up stage. Mells, irk and Howard in next- to-shut open up with, some rough- house stuff that gives no intimation of the clever impersonating un- loaded in the last chapter of the act. Although the Selassie-Mus- splinl-Hitler flash is about tops, the Scotch gag, -with the boys all gargling very exaggerated burrs, is close to it. Prelim to this 'higher grade' of entertainment, is a ses- sion of goofy gags by the middle man, who is batted around by his two confreres-.as a reward for 'each quip. Just before it gets monoto- nous, the boys shift into the im- personations which win a bunch of bows arid an encore. Closer is a production, number, spotting Nir.ska in a butterfly dance iri which .lighting plays a part al- most as important as her graceful handling of the two mammoth silk wings. Ideal flash for a folder- upper. Screen: 'Farmer the . Dell' (RKO). Fox. SHEA'S, TORONTO Toronto, March' 14. lash finale of current week's prez, with some. 40 people on stage, is one of the,most spectacular pro- duction numbers staged here this season. Speed and diversity mark the entire bill, with the Twelve. Aristocrats, double sextet of male and femme dancers;- contributing class to a fast 68-minute stage ses- sion. Show gets off to a quick start with the Aristos out before a pleas r irig full stage frame of blue drapes, boys in white tails and girls in sil- ver scanties, for a hot tap routine oh toes, complete with challenges and precision. Nice.jwarmer-upp.er to Ward and Milford for their, piano and vocal clowning; .Both sell With- out difficulty, the frenzier pianol- ogy- scoring heavily. Then Margot and Libby Robin out for Hollywood impersonations, their Garbo-West bit getting best, response. Person- able girls also contribute class ap- peal to the prez. House line opens second half with a ballet routine, meant for toes but the work of the Aristocrats. Trail- ing are Revel, Baxter and Dean for slapstick, palaver and instrument playing, their nicely done dance while playing piccolos and guitar going over big. Joe Morris, back for. the first time in many moons, still wows them with his standard box bit, Dorothy Ryan o_n stage. Then the production finish in full stage country club set, with line out in garden party attire for a hl-kick routine. Then the Aristos, the boys in tails and the girls* in long white satin gowns for a concerto adagio, then into taps and climaxing with their thnilllng toss finish. Smooth teamwork and class appearance draw an ovation from the custom- ers. Biz just fair opening night, but should build on word-of -mouth. Feature, 'Next Time We Love' (U). McStay. CENTURY, BALTO Balfmore, March 13. Vaude lineup had been of four acts' dlmeriion, but a. last minute decision cut out one comedy turn, The remaining trio of turns, how- ever, total up into 51 minutes, very ample to brace 'Fauntleroy' (Metro)-. Further, the show proves as bully a. bill as house has had in some time. The Andresse.ns, excellent act, open with man at base of balancing pole and girl shinnying up for stunts; first man does no-hands shoulder brace, then another stem Is hitched to belt and he swings his horizontally hanging partner; highly exciting and smartly presented stuff. Between the two highlights the girl holds them with aero wheel arid dance oh hands. Roger Pryor (New Acts) follows and stops the show decisively. Fats Waller's band closes with 35 minutes that leave 'em apart. Band has never had another ether outlet in this town, never played dance-date (save strictly Negro, one) in Baltor yet it jumped into favor to such an extent that music stqre sales rate Waller's as second-best seller of re- cordings' among all orks. The band, 14 excluding Waller, who squats at the Stelnway upstage, combines rhythm and music in manner not always encountered in colored or ofay comboa, It also has piping hot individual musikers'. and as a unit it knits into strikingly smooth aggre- gation, Waller crumples the customers with his antics at the piano, espe- cially his yelled time-beats and his other can tings and mugging. Ho reallv ropes 'em when he heaves in for some trucking-on-do -n during a torrid tune. Maude Russell, tall, colored girl. Is on once for a song doiie in the French-tease manner, and a strong click. Several Unbilled boys from band step down and have Individual innings, especially the lad who trucks and toots a soorchy hnrn: another tonster is tile eJ.Ti-nn-i puffer who holds a high note. CALENDAR OF CURRENT RELEASES (Continued from page 34) Or. Socrates. Medicine and gangs In conflict. Paul Muni. Ann Dvorak Bar- ton MncLune, Robert Burrat. Dir. William Dieterle. 70 mius. ttel. Oct. 19. Rev. Oct. 9 Freshman Love. Frank McHugh. Patricia Ellis, Warren Hull. Joe Cawthorne. Dir. Wm. McGann. Rel. Jan. M. Frisco Kid. Barbury Coast action story. James Caeney. Margaret Lindsay, Ricardo Coitez. LIU Damita. George E. Stone. Dir. LloyU Bacon. Uel, Nov. 30. :Rev. Nov. 27. Going Highbrow. Kansas farmer suddenly rises to riches through the stock market. Guy Klbbee, 54rSu Pitts. Kilward lOverett Horton. Dir. Robert Florey. C7 injns; Muddled motives In a mountain shack. Rel. July 6. Rev. Sept. 4. Goose and -the Gander. The. Ralph Forbes. Claire Sept. 21 Rev. Sept. 18. I Live for Love. Spanish artiste oh American stage. Dolores Del Rfo. Everett Marshall. Dir. Busby Berkeley. 04 mlns. lt«l v Sept 28. Rev! Oct. 23. Life of Louis Pasteur. His trials and triumphs. Paul Muni, Josephine Hutch- inson, Anita Louise. Dir. Wm. Dleterle. 85. mlns. Rel. Feb. Kev./Feb. 12. Little Big Shot. Two tough guys as a baby's guardian. Sybil Jason. Robert Armstrong, Olenda FaneU. Edward Everett Horton. Dir. Michael Cur- tiz. 72 mins K»l. Sept. 7 Rey. Oct. 9. ~ Man Hunt. Stirring drama with a thrilling chase for a murderous bank robber by Federal agents and the part played In It by a hick reporter and his. sweetheart. Marguerite Church I'll; Wm. Onrgan. VMcarfln P^rtez, Chlo Sale. Dir.. Wm.'Clemens. 65 mins; Rel. Feb. 1, Rey. F^b. 12. Midsummer Night's Dream, A. Spectacular production or the Shakespeare comedy. Extensive cast of stars. Dir. Max Relnhardt, Wm. Dleterle. 133 mlns. (Roadshow.) Release pending. Rev. Oct. 16. Miss Pacific Fleet. Hilarious comedy romance. Joan Blondell, Glenda Far- rell. Hugh Herbert, Warren Hull. Dir. Ray Enrlght, C6 mins. Rel. Dec. 14. .Rev. Dec. 11. Mr. Cohen Takes a Walk. (British Made). Merchant prince brings his busi- ness to the point where he Is shoved out. He' fakes to the road. Paul Graetz: Dir. William Beaudlne. 79 mlns. Rel. . Feb. Rev. Feb. 21. Moonlight on the Prairie. Uppei class western story. Richard Foran. ShelJa Mannors, George E Stone.' Dir.' D, Ross Lederman. 63 mins. Rel. ' Nov. 2. Rev. Feb. 21. Page Miss Glory (Cosmopolitan). Living prototype of Ideal beauty In Holly- wood. Marlon Davles, Par O'Brien, Dick Powell. Mary- Aptor. Frank McHugh Lyle Talbot, Patsy Kelly. Allen Jenkins. Dir. Mervyn LeRoy, 92 mips Rel. Sept 7. Rev, Sept. 4. Personal Maid's Secret. Housemaid manages her employers Into prosperity. Margaret Lindsay, Warren Hull. Anita Louise, Ruth Donnelly. Dir. Arthur G. Collins. 68 mlns. Rel. Oct 26. Rev. Dec. 11, ' Petrified Forest: Based on the Broadway st^ge plftv. With Leslie Howard, Bette Davis. Humphrey Bogart. Dir. Archie Mayo. 75 mlns. Rel. Feb. 8. Rev. Feb. 12. • Special Agent (Cosmopolitan). Wpnian G-man has her troubles. Bette Davis, George Brent Jack La Rue. Ricardo Cortez, Henry .O'Neill. Dir. Wtl- i Ham Keighiey. 78 mlns. Rel. Sept. 14. Stars Over Broadway. Broadway theatrical story. Pat. O'Brien, James ton, Jane Froman. Dir. Wm. Kelghley, Rel. Nov. 23. Rey.. Nov. 89 mlns. Walking bead, The. Thriller revolving about discovery of Lindbergh heart Boris Karloff, Marguerite Churchill; Warren Hull* Ricardo Cortez. Dir. Michael Curtlz. 62 mins. Rel. March 21'. Rev. March 4, Widow from Monte Carlo, The. Farcical comedy of a Boclat climber. Wm. Warren, Dolores Del Rio, Louise Fazenda. Dir. Arthur G. Collins. CO mins. Rel. Feb. 1. Rev. Jan. 29. i urn mi b us liceflaneous Release* Between Men (Supreme). Western. Johnny Mack Brown/Beth Marlon. Rbbt. N. Bradbury. 60 minS. Rel. Jan. 25. Rev. Jan. 29. Fast Bullets (Reliable). Western. Tom Tyler, Rex Lease, Margaret Nearlng. Dir. Henri Samuels.. 69 mins. Rev. March 4. Land of Promise (Urim). Photographic survey of the Palestine of toda'y. 67 mins. Rel;- Nov. " Rev. Nov. 27. Outlaw Deputy (Syndicate). ' Tim McCoy Western. Dir. Otto Brower. 65 mlns. Rev_Dec. 4. Penthouse Party (Liberty). Swlfty (Diversion). Western. Hoot Glbnon. Rev. Jan.. 29. Timber War (Ambassador). Curwood western. Kermlt Maynard, Lucille Lund. Dir. Sam Newfleld. 56 mins. Rel. Nov. 20. Rev, March 4. Trails of the Wild (Ambassador).' Canadian mounted story. Kermlt Maynar Rillle Seward. .Dlt. Sanv Neufleld: fi.1 mln«. Rel. Aug, 7. R^v, Dee. 4. Toll of the Desert (Commodore). Western. Fred Kohler. Jr., Betty Mac Dir. Lester Williams. 69 mine. Rev. Jan. 16. Drive Against Admitting Children Into Pix in N Y. The N. y. police department with the aid of the Children's Society agents continued its drive to halt admitting minors into theatres un- accompanied by an adult. The area covered during the past week was on the West Side in the small cin- ema houses. Eleanor Plaza, 24, cashier of the Nome theatre, 2828 Broadway, and Irving Goodman, 22, ticket taker, wore arraigned before Magistrate Hulen Capshaw.ln West Side Court. They pleaded not guilty and asked Cor further time. It was granted and bail of $500 fixed and furnished. They will .have a hearing this week. ABSCONDING ASST. MGR. GIVES HIMSELF UP Baltimore, March 17. Detective hap brought back to Chevy Chase, Md., Frederick Birds- eye, 22, assistant manager of the Avalon, Chevy Chase fllmerle, who is chai'ged with embezzling $1,472 from the hoPse. He will be prose- cuted. When picked up in Cleveland he had but few cents in his pockets. Birdseye, after lamming out of Chevy Chase, says he made for Los Angeles! there was robbed of $700. nnd came cast as far as Cleveland'. From there he„ phoned his mother told her he hnd spent the money r.nd wf?;hcd to give himself lip to the authorities. She agreed to notify the police and the boy made a rendezvous in the Hippodrome theatre, Cleveland. He bought a ticket and sat in the logo, after lr-aving hi« name with the usher with the info that 'someone is com- ing to get nie.' Said he sat through two shows before the dicks showed. The father of Birdseye is a division chlof In the Geological Survey of the U. S. (lOvernmerit, stationed in Washington. 4 Laborers Hurt on New B'way Theatre Bldg. Four laborers were badly hurt when a scaffolding on the third floor of the new B. S. Moss theatre con- struction on the site of the old Loew's N. Y: Roof collapsed, cata- pulting the quartet three stories to an extension. The scaffolding be- came weakened as a result of the incessant rain, building department inspectors believe. The crash occurred early in the forenoon. On line at the Paramount theatre were at least a hundred young men waiting for the doors to open. When they heard the cries of the injured workmen they raced to the scene of the collapse. Cops on strike duty warned them not to mount the weakened struc- ture as another collapse might occur. The Police Emergency Squad soon arrived and removed the Injured to the City hospital. MD. GETS THE 10% YEN Maryland, March \1. Bill Intro'd last week in State legislature, Annapolis, which . pro- poses to plaster a 10%" *ax on all amusement admission does not seem to have pix exhlbs particularly perturbed; as yet' they have not banded together to lobby against it. Alarmed ahd up in arms are the legit houses. Leonard B. McLaugh- lin, operator and booker of the pair of indies, Auditorium and Maryland, last night sent a 'ong and frantic wire to the legislators while they were in session; claimed such a tax would dump the bottom out of legit her*'. Harry Henkel, manager of the ■UBO . Ford's, tipped the legal de- partment, of the Erlanger's outfit, and It Is thought pleas will be made from that end for the law' makers to consider carefully before passing such a ruling. There has never been any state tax on amusements in Maryland.