Variety (Jun 1936)

; jfedn<:Bdft^< June 17,1986 VARIf T¥ HOUfE RE^VIEWS VARIETY 25 ROXY, N. y. stage melange TVjjilch, occpmpa-' ni« *Sewi6t aervl?e^ <G») give? the. |}j^>g{ijfli huntei^ this wei^lc ' .both ^uwitlty and "qitialify, iPractlcal\y nU tjje quality Is wrapped up In the lierformancQ of Bapttael-on the «on- t^iia and * novial hit of vehttil- eoulsin l)y Senor Wence,. Paul Ash Is^stlU on hand to call 'em ojtt by name and-cue the applause when- ever needed, while the-|>roceedlngs are nicely rounded out by Frank Convllle's talent for roughing up - his femme partner, Marie Hollls' Knack- for twisting her limbs to dance rhythms and the male choral interludes of Roy Campbell's Con- tinentals. - Show caught Friday night found •them-going strong for the melodies which Raphael got out of his little pleated box.. The fnterpretatlons which particularly made the con- certinlst aces all around Involved Kreisler's 'Caprice Vennols'. and. Chopin's 'Minute Waltz.' What gives Senor Wence's act a touch of nov- elty Is the us6 of .a small rag doll instead of the usual. .large sized dummy. The senor supplements a cotoslstently diverting-tine of crossr Are with 'a routine of copper-pan spinning. B0th sectlobii of the act reglBter solidly. ' . It wasn't until he went into his Chaplin rjiutine that Conville had them, warming iip to him. His Imi- tation of a Minsky strlpee seemed to fall oh alien soil, but the going got boisterous ih-a big way when Con- ville. and his tall, blond partner, Sonny Hale, uhllmbered their shoy. Ing iand mauling match. ;Of the three Innings allptted them the Qae Foster Girls show best .in a sequlh'COstume conceit which is ispo'tted half way down the bill. Opening number is pretty much of a walk around while the finale has the chorus mixing sim- ple tap designs, executed on mobile staircases, with semaphore calis- thenics. Odea • LOEW'S STATE, N.Y. Benny Davis, who can always be ,4epended upon for a fine array of ajteptaltles, tops himself this weel^. r ilfs.lineup currently at the last of the Vaudeville house in New York is of his best. His salesmanship naturally counts high in the appear- apc» Ot the performers, but some haV|& enoug:h on the ball by thetn- selyiKB to stand out like the Emplrd State,beacon on a clear night.. For^bnce. Davis' iact does not take up the entire show, though, In run- nlh.^' 66 iminutes Whei> caught Fri- day.'lt could, jiist as well have been the sole istage fare, Monrde ahd Grant are the- opehers; standaird trampoline turn that's one. of the tops in its line. They socked at this catching. In the middle stanza Is Charles 'Slim' TImblln, also ■ standard and plenty okay for laughs. Blackface 'preacher' has been doing the role of 'Jeeter lister' in 'To- bacco Road' on tour, but reverts to his old act for his return to vaude. Mixed team is still in his support . in the 'encore' marriage scene. Ruby Zwerlihg's pit band switches to the stage to background the Davis roster of -'future stars.' • There are 15 people in the latter, besides Davis, and all of them count, some, of course, niore' than others. Standouts are the Three Wiles, not necessarily Davis' discoveries, but made to look ■ better as presented. Boys are hoofers of a different sort, doing two quick changes, following their opening sand dance, and smashing to the point where the audience wouldn't let them off. First switch has them Imiperaonatlng Chaplin, Durante and GrouchO Marx In a dance routine, but their session as wooden soldiers, turning prop ' tuxes Into uniforms and dabbing on makeup from the soles i>£ their shoes, is as good as It ia original. .Joe Doris, whom Gus Edwards discovered' at the short-lived Sho-. .Window, is the layout's No. 2 sock as .a counterpart of Hay Bolgei*. He's a clever dancer and his Imi- tation Is pretty near letter-perfect, Irtit he's not going to get much fur- ther if sticking to that imitation. Should get something of his own, perhaps using the Bolger routine as a sort of dessert. Rosamonde, a femme accordionist of ability; Bee Kalmus, who once . did a vaude single, and the Man- nattanltes (3) rate about even in re- turns, which were big for all three. , Miss Kalmus also does an imitation cf Benny Fields singing 'Broadway «hythm.' although her opening 'Is It -True-What They Say About Dixie' makes it obvious that she also doesn't have to Imitate others. Man- nattanltes, a femme and two boys, Of the latter at the baby up- f. * * harmony "trio who go m for unique arrangements^ Girl . noa personality. ^^°^y Angelo, singer of the same sman structure as Jackie Heller, ^nom Davis also 'discovered,' ap- ? headed on the same upward road Heller took. He can sell a »ong. Barbara Blane, who does a nice acro-hlghkick routine, Cath- erine Harris, toe-tapper of ability, ^^f Jr ,.I^ave Dawson, mimic (but «nctly of the vocal eccentricities of the stars), are the others in the act. Davis, per usualj winds up sing- ing the songs he has written in the past and It sounds like, the list of all the hlt^ ever composed. • 'Showboat' (U) follows the 71- minute stage show. Biz good Fri- day, scho. STATE-LAKE, CHI ' Chicago, June 14. Just as the Prairie Farmer sta- tion, WliS, has built its own audi- ence for Its hill-billy twangers, its home-and-flreslde poets and its folksey announcers, so has this indie State-Lake house surrounded itself with Its own folksey and cute cut-up m.c.'s, low hokum, comedy and good flag-and-country flickers. With such a picture as 'Pride of the Marines' (Col), the house zooms into better than average trade. Just give 'em a picture here that has as Its climax cue-line, 'Thank God—the marines,' and this audience comes a-runnlng. They were packed In comfortably at the. last show Saturday, while the rest of the loop's theatres were wallowing In the doldrums. And this mob thought that Bob Hawk, local freelance announcer, and Verne Buck, house miC, were pretty swell. With much cross-talk that they dug out of the' dusty files and considerable .old by-play, they were a minor riot for this audience. Because Hawk freelances on the local transmitters with his commer- cial announcements, under the label of 'Red Hot and Xiow" Down,' the current show Is so tagged. Not a particularly expensive show, with a number of performers . who look new to the professional stage, particularly such Individual specialty workers as Don Jacks and his harmonica, and Lois Malstrom and her tonsils.. These tw6 opened the proceedings and made the going look toiigh, and it was not until the Andresehs, ' Fid Gordon and Lewis and Mopre arrived that the show began to look like a profes- sional bill. ',. Jacks plays the harmonica, but only with so-so effectiveness. Has much to learn about both salesman- ship and showmanship. Lois Mal- strom .was pretty sad on her vocal attempts and the session was saved when Etawk and Buck* stai'ted their clowning behind her back. Took the audience's mind off her vocal de&- 'ciencies and prevent the coUapiae of the show before It even gets golnig.' /Alice Dawn later In the running arrives for some real vocal calls-, thenlcs. Miss Dawn bias a neat pair of trained pipes and handles pop tunes with showmanship.' Has com- plete control of her, voice and hits those notes with uhfalliing precision. This was one spot where Buck and Hawk should have kept away from, but they hurt Miss Dawn's final numbeF by needless comedy trying. Andresens go over In clean-cut style with their standard head-bal- ancing and pole-perch acrobatics, Fit excellently Into this show. Fid Gordon Is a surprising smacko in this program, his comedy Addling hitting this audience right. Had to encore and speech himself off. Lewis and Moore, back here after quite an" absence, proceeded to make themselves the rulers of the show with about 15 minute's of genuine entertainment that ranges from hoofing to eross-'flre talk. They give the customers their money's worth and more. Good talk .material, ex- cellent dancing and smart routining that made them the standout act on the show on every count. Gold. SCALA, BERLIN Berlin, June 6.- It's high speed vaude once more at the Scala, contrasting to last month's slow motion entertainment. Bill sails merrily along,-each act & click, although program Is one of the least expensive of the season. Two Juvelys open In a novel equlllbrlstlc and Juggling act that climaxes In a head-to-head stand with two large rubber balls .placed' between the. heads. Toung, good looking people-and fine performers. La Perle, 'light visions^ is an old- fashioned act, throwing light effects through a stereoptlcon on the wom- an's dress. Th€ mob liked it, al- though there wasn't so much of .a mob when the show was caught. This successful showing of veteran acts Is another example of present- day audiences falling easily for the passe. If properly presented. Tommy Dale, youthful xylophbn- Ist and acrobatic hoofer, comes in for a big hand. Carter, card manip ulator, is doing some,,fine tricks and knows how to entertain. Uses a big setting, some novel bits and closes with a shower of cards ■ from all parts of the house. Chris Richards, English comic, hasn't been around here for years, but he Is still an excellent comedian, with a'different sort of routine for Germany, Darmora ballet closes the first part in three different offerings, starting with a Hungarian dance, followed by the mechanical doll number done here some months ago by Stadler and Rose, and closing with the can-can. Nicely executed terp act goes oyer fine. Winifred Colleano, working with a net, thrills with a trapeze act Her sensationall heel catch and plrou ett'e somersault come In for a big, hand. Hugo Flscher-Koeppe, German comic, is quite up-to-date with his Olympic Games' routine and more amusing to those out front that know a bit of foreign lingo. Maurice Colleano Family follows as the headliner of current bill, a brilliant act full of versatility. Gli*ls look good and are fine i>erformers. Boys do all sorts of acrobatics, in- cluding teeter-board and rlsley work, with Maurice's double somer- sault from the ground and his funny antics, especially the; comedy bal- loon scene, first rate. , . Yuk Ching Co.) Chinese entertain- ers, four boys, two femmes, close with extraordinary contortlonletics. slon. It's a new combo after the break-up of the acts of Stuart and liash and Mills, Kirk and Martin. Nitwits do their box bit and then make for a femme attfoge (Mrs. Stu- art). Clowning warms up the cus- tomers for ]EtoB8 and Bennett, an- other comedy team, who get across on their palaver and soft-shoe acro- batics and eccentrics. Production number, as buUd-up to Gypsy Nina's entrance, has the line back in gypsy costume before a full-stage ciamp scene for a tam- bourine routine and Miss Nina then emerges from the wagon. Half-pint soprano offers a couple of classics and a pop, scores on appearance and delivery, and was brought back for Lights Out' as encore when caught. Class act rated a nice reception. Then Stuart and Martin for their second zany spasm and over strong. Best response of the evening was scored by Anger's new and novel finish. Has. the girls, In toppers and tails, out in one before the sliver traveller for a stick-drill to 'Top Haf medley. Screen, 'Sons o* Guns' (WB). McStay. MICHIGAN, DET. ,' Detroit, Jime 12. . The old home town is giving Wlni Shaw a glad hand this week at the Michigan, where she's heading the niftiest show here in several moons. The five-act vaude, coupled with 'Bullets or Ballots' (WB), is draw- ing In the biggest crowd In a month, too. Although Miss * Shaw receives quite an oVatlon for 'Lady In Red; and 'Broadway Melody' songs, Frank Gaby and Co.', billed far down' the list, really are • the show's sonk. Aided by stooges out front. Gaby and femme partner put on a gab- fest that went strong. Spotted in No. 4, he also turns In a nifty ven- triloquist bit. Begs oI£ after one encore, CENTURY, BALTO. Baltimore, June 12. Final performance Friday evening found, packed lower floor and two thirds of a shelf attendance, lured by 'Fury' (MG), Paired with four act layout on the stage that seemed to entertain 'em more than, satis factor lly. On merit and audience reaction. It I was the opening act .that snared foremost- attention. A 14-peopled flash billed as The Daredevils (New Acts), received such acclamation at conclusion of its quarter-hour that the following acts were under a handicap. Deucing are Three X ing ads and on marquee. The har- mony trio is kno-wn here and get by better than adequately. Nice nov- elty nimiber is their special, 'Rex, the Sound EfCects Man,'^ but when caught they dovetailed another nov- elty number about an Italian, vocal instructor and, pupil .onto the al- ready long. bit. They should have used a pop for closer. Lime Trio on No. 3 for their panto comedy's flrisit vaude showing here. Got some strong laffs, with two of the boys dressed as bag- gage-smashers bending into cor- poral contortions the third boy who, as goUywog, seems as boneless as gelatine when his co-workers twist and knot his torso and limbs. Collins and Peterson, regulars at this stand, are giving out, till new material this visit. Cross-fired the mob giddy and ^stopped the show decisively. On long and solid straight through. George Wild's. pitmen favored folks with short stock overture , to the.stage-ishqw, . . Scharper. BROWN, L'VILLE Louls-vrlllo-June 12 Stage fare Is back In town, after an' absence of about three weeks, but in a new location. Brown has decided to go in for vaude, after ex- periencing difficulty in getting pic- ture product, and to. make it more j.ttractive for the patrons, prices have been" • reduced to 10-20-30c, There's a lot of show for the money, ahd quality is okay, too. . 'Blondes'-.vs. Redheads' unit is current, with half of the line being MUSIC HALL, N. Y. Two line numbers and .a .HPyelty apt from vaudeville Mghtlglit the current bill In support ot ..'^Private Number' C20th-Fox). 7 ; Three-part stage show fs "bteezy and sightly, with the production ef- fects In the Hall's <just6mary mag- nificent manner and In two or threo spots being even above the aver- age here; This Is particularly true of the opening phosphorescent bal- let by the more classic of the two dancing lines. Entitled 'Flowers at Dawn,' it has the ballet girls on a blackened stage -with only their. shining costumes visible. The big house has done similar numbers be- fore, but none better, and this one is really the Music Hall at its best. Glee club splits up the two pro- duction Items In Boy Scout garb and out in approximately 'one' for the singing of a special lyric about doing the good turn daily. There are pickouts in which individual men step out for a chorus apiece. The intent is comedy, but this is no house for.lyric laughs. , ~ Final Ite^-i has a striking set to start out with, and holds consider- able animation. Trio billed here ias the Wonder Midgets Is the standard Paul Remos turn from vaudeville, consisting of a pair of midgets and a normal-sized : man. Midgets axe both boys and th^Ir extreme brev- ity is the more accentuated in this huge auditorium. The spectacle of the two tiny mites doing a buck dance on the broad Stage, to accom- paniment by a sea of musicians In front of them, provides a strange study in contrast - The Remos shorties landed solidly, as do most specialty acts here, with the Music Hall playing outside talent infre- quently and picking its spots When it does. . ^ Also in the. C air fall a seml- co^lc and splendldl-' executed waiter routine by the Rockettes, and an enjoyable vocal lesson by Jan Peerce, !DIe Fledermaus' Is the overture. During the newsreel. Hoover \^as applauded In the $1.66 mezzainlne and razzed downstairs, and with President Roosevelt . It was vica versa. Btge. EARLE, PHILA. Philadelphia, June 13. Except for badminton show by Jess Wlllard and BIH Hurley, stage blU 'at Earle this week is below par for course. But the way those boys pop that shuttlecock back and forth across the net saves the occasion. In fact it-had audience hanging on the edges of the seats. Badminton is unknown here, but word of mouth after Wlllard's and Hurley's exhibi- tion should yank 'em into house. Four other acts, on bill, (and they're Just that) might get by on regular show, but as It is they merely fill In time. 'Topics In Rhythm,' dancing troupe, opens show. (Consists of okay boy and gal tap combo of Don and Jerry Lee in two routines, second of which is much better;. Three Brunettes, run- of-mlne tappers, and Pearl Rey- nolds, twisting herself Into familiar contortionist luiots. Maud Hilton and Ethel Costello are .only mildly amusing with abus- ive chatter at each other. Some of It's seml-rlsque and all of it's been heard before. Gals linger too long; Radio Ramblers get number of laughs with goofy Impersonations and general clowning. Act keeps moving and knows when to close, but, like every one of other acts, is without a punch finish. In spot Just preceding badminton players. Lew Parker Is good for some com- edy with swift line of small talk. His stuff Is hardly novel, but he Icnows how to toss a crack over the footlights to good effect and his femme Btooge, Marian Bailer, is a looker. Film Is 'Speed' (MG). Business only fair at Saturday afternoon. . . Hoie, '.X"tr* . •« , X . • 'cf the 'platinum variety, while the Fo lowing 5!arl and Fortune, plus g**^ ^^^^ jocks. Gals Virginia Pope, whose dancmg and several routines which they acrobatic . stufC opens SO-mlnute ^^.y'' "" JJ, - ^ ^hey are all shows and sets well. Is Cardlnl. slick 'f » «> f°'^f^^«*^*^ opSier after a slelght-of-hander His card tricks [^^"^number a femme trio, June, fin..t^.^";.rA„'^^. «*"«|joan\nd Jerl, Gals have good leaves nothing to be desired After Miss Shaw carries the vocal 'torch' successfully, with two en- cores. Gaby and his gang click and shows closes with the Six-Danwells, acrobats and teetcr-board artists. Turn gets a deservedly big hand. For something new In overtures here, Eduard Werner puts on a swell comedy number, with Bo'bby Gilbert tlie" talking violinist chief aid. His 'Turkey In the Straw." In four dllTerent 'languages,' is a honey. The gabfest Is a bit overdrawn. Pete. SHEA*S, TORONTO • . Toronto, June 13. Modest outlay on four vaude r.cts will bring modest b. o, returns this week, although Stager Harry Anger has created a pleasing melange that has no dlfllculty In getting over once the customers are Inside. Trouble will be to lure them In, what with heat and outdoor attractions com- peting. Gipsy Nina'is headliner and may draw the radio fans, but little evidence of this opening night. Seasonal opening has the House line on in fullstage heach scene with reversible placards for her- alding of week's bill. Little sense in this, as far as vaude teams arc concerned, and for some un- known reason the Hipp has dis- pensed with the Indicators. Maket" It tough for the acts, as far as iden- tity is concerned. Girls In bathing suits background the Three Jackson Boys for their balancing and, strong-arm feats, line then going into some swim-theme arm-drills and clinching with a Til- ler finish. Splitting their net, Stuart and Martin trail Cor their first ses- plpes, and are mike broke suffi- ciently so that they know how to deliver their lyrics Into the mechan- ical ear. Warble first a rhythm number, followed by a slow, flra<;gy bit called 'Lavender Languor.' Gals then get peppy and wind .up with a fast tap routine, and off. They snared nice applause. Next on are the Dawn Sisters, who gain plenty of applause by their knockabout antics. Their best bit Is an off-time routine, with both gals stepping as ope in an enlarged pair of men's pants. They make another appearance later on in a bit of fool- ery, burlesquing the ola.ssical dance performed by Ruth Pryor. An un- named harpist Is then on for a solo .spot arid she registers '^'"^ some dextrous manipulating of the aim- cult Instrument. She provides a touch of class to the proceedings. Ruth Pryor, said to have been a premiere danseuse with the Chicago Civic Opera Co.. gives 'em a tlassl- cal dance called 'Deep Purple. A little above the audience's heads, yet the young' lady handled herselt gracefully and proved that she had mastered the dancing art. The laugh hit of the unit Is the team of Eolce and Marsh. Miss Marsh straights for the hefty mem fcer of the duo. Miss Bolce. and proves to be an excellent feeder, The weighty ga- garnered, plenty of laiighs. with her gagging,, and pointed references to her size. They c'osed with a bang, in a rolllpklng slam-bansr Interpretation of a con* cert, violinist playing white going through dance evolutions. Both galB have a fine sense of comedy values. 'Mine With the Iron Door' (Col) on the seroon. ZToId. HIPP, BALTIMORE Baltimore, June 12. They' were trickling slowly past the chopper Friday afternoon when first stage-show commenced, but the handful that attended went barrel ward over a four-act layout that is variegated, zippy and full ot entertainment. Screen feature is 'Let's Sing Again* (RKO).' " • ■ The Four Flying Comets; skat- ing combo' of two men and 'two maids, give show a standard start. Deucing act gets billing precedence over rest of bill—Louise Massey and the .Westerners tNew Acts), war- bling turn that has recently been on Maxwell House hour on NBC, Trey trick is tackled by depend- able Britt Wood, with his har- monicalng and hoked hick monolog, closing with some clog capers, brief guitar strumming and yodeling. Last endeavor didn't par with rest of offerings when caught. Closing act is Mann, Dupree and Lee") dance flash that has played frequently hereto always strong receptions. Witli a fllle fingering piano through- out the two lads and girl taxi off with three-ply trot, then the boy single steps Off his first solo. The blond€ belle and the other boy team for a bit, with the solo man return- ing for his (and act's) highlight, a semi-wiggle limberleg that con-, eludes with him achieving soma swell undulating-arm movements. Rounding out program, Pathe clips and latest 'March of Time.' BcJiarper, EMBASSY (NEWSREELS) Usual magazine and novelty ritual is offered, with some duplication* Hot stuff Is the G. O, P. convention at Cleveland, Par. Hearst and Pathe duplicate. Hoover Is shown by Paramount and his words are Jumbled, his voice twartgy. Hearst offers Sen. Stelwer and his tones are nasal and monotonous. Pathe offers Landon and Presi- dent Roosevelt for contrast There are hisses and applause for all, but only Hoover Is booed at the Bmbas- sy. The President receives the warmest applause. Two shorts consume 20 minutes . of the program's 65. Ohc des<Tlbe8 .%1-alai, but the camera work Is dusky and the game is hard to fol- low on the screen. Other short la a scenic of national parks Fnd reser- vations in the U. S. Scenlcally. not new. Fox and Paramount offer an inx terestlng account of the Paris strikes. Par getting the better ot Our shots and also offering a pose,of. Leon Blum, new French premier. Also, Par's- ofC-screen. naiTa*or Ifl ■ less. provocative t*» his talk th* i Lowell Thomas for Movietone. • It's an unimpressive piece ot Dal- las Centennial exploitation which Hearst offers in an exhibition of fashion marlonets. Movietone's Hol-r lywood man, Jlmmle Fldler, offers * plug for .20th Centui-y-Fox's BhltW I (Continued ott page S2)