Variety (Sep 1936)

Wednesday, Septcmbeir 16, 1936 V AREE ¥ t HOUSE RE VIE W« VARIETY 51 ROXY, N Y. ■s Leo Carrilfo is here this week drawing applause, and ticket sales. ■ Business very good Friday night at the peak hour and likely to end up good, is to be attributed to both the feature, 'Sing, Baby, Sing' (20th) and to Garrillo. •■ The stage, show Is agreeable enter' tainment though not outstanding'by any means. Carrillo :has material that is sold well, including the dia ' lect flavor they're all looking for. He does 15 minutes, a monolog that ends up with a unique description of HoL lywood, set-to ihusic'and written as . Hdbert W. Service might have done it, topped off by a bit in which an Italian tries to dial a phone number, Show Includes Three Majors, har- mony trio from radio, David and " Hilda Murray, dance team, and the Gae Foster girls. This makes it four imlts for a running time, 45 minutes, tbt^t . Is considerably shorter than usual here. Length of the feature, which is 95- minutes, coupled with the likelihood the management fig- ulred Carrillo as a box office aid was all that the stage required this week, probably accounts for that. An ad- dition to the program^ however. Is Buss Brown, news commentator, who foUows the newsreel to give news flashes each day' at each peiiorm- ance. He Is billed as "The Roxy Newstator,' the' news furnished, by the World-Telegram and United Press. Screen continues the rolling globe trademark of Universal News which is used here. A novel stimt for this or any theatre. On the other side of the orchestra pit this week's show starts with the Foster line as models,'doing a routine in fall streei wear. It's different and ra^er effective. Only one other nuih' ber this week, instead of the. custom- ary three, falls to the lot of this, able . group of girls. They close in a mili- tary routine for which the setting is simple. Only a setpiece- represent- ing a magazine 90ver (plug for Har- per's Bazar) is. furnished for the opening, while midships .for the Murrays the house has provided an. orbful, wellhllt setting suggesting an outdoor dance floor. David and Hilda Murray do a pretty waltz here to' a very pleasing arrangement of Hoses of Plcardy,' moving downstage lor their second number, one that tries for and gets some laughs. They, suggiest ballroom dancing as it might be done by an Englishman, (Serman and Scot, topping, that with a comical ^burlesque of an American fraternity hop struggle. All effective and over. . Three Majors (men) indulge in harmony at the mike. Song idea of a boat ride with Chris Columbus and another built around Major Bowes' well-worn 'all right, all right' both prove amusing. They're proteges of the Bowes' Capitol Family. Mickey Mouse roxmds out the money's worth they get here- this week. Char. SHEA'S, TORONTO Toronto, Sept.. 12. Record week at Shea's on expendi- .ture and. attendant box-office re- ceipts is possible outcome of the booking of John Boles. Singing film star is jamming the customers in to an unprecedented degree. For the first time in the history of the house five shows were run off today (Satur- day) and house will do four-a-day throughout week, a venture "never before mdertaken here. Usually staid audiences here can't get enough of the personable bari- tone and he is forced to beg off at each show after repeated curtain calls that hold up the rest of the bill. Stage alley, of course, is jammed' with femmes waiting to catch a glimpse of Boles. Current bill is the most expensive that has ever played this house. Well up in the. applause, brackets if Nell Kelly, red-headed thigh-slapping hoyden, .with a flock of pqmedy warbles and clowning. Red Skelton, as m. c is playing a return engage- ment predicated on his popiularity of two weeks ago. Also dressing up the production are the 12 line-girls and a flock of show girls, first time latter have been introduced here, in a vaudeville bill. Bill opens in full stage with band tiered behind the scrim as line eases on in white satin aviatrix costumes for arm drills and a hot finish that IS climaxed by the parade of the show girls down' the runway and ramp that has been built over the orchestra pit. Marjorie Pahn 'trails for acrobatics in waltz tempo and whamming across.. Then Skelton for the first spasm of his inanities, with Gordon's Dogs closing first half. Skelton has another bout tiiis time usmg his wife as straight. Lad didn't seem as funny as on his first week here. Comic continues, to borrow ex- tensively, but is taking the best. His panto stuff leads. Rosamond fills with a, couple of accordion bits. Line in tight black cellophane gowns and golden wigs is on for modernistic rhythmics. Then Boles, the lad the customers have been waiting for. In tails and using the mike, he does 'One Alone,' 'Sylvia' and 'If I Should Lose You.' En- cores with 'Waiting at the Gate for Katy' in comedy costume, with the audience not able to get enough of him. Got eight curtain calls when caut^ht. Finale has the line back in a mili- tary precision number with neat tap ^ finish and whole company on in guardsmen's xmiforms for colorful round-up and an eye-filling clincher to 62 mms. of speed, diversity and flash. Screen, 'Spendthrift' (Par), McStay. MET, BOSTON . . Boston, Sept. 11. Openmg show had its troubles. In addition to a-few stage waits, dead spots, erronebus announcement by the offstage voIee-^Barto and Mann, billed to close the layout; did . not show at all. Flying from Washing- ton to the Hub, they were grounded in New York by fog. Although there is some worthy talent in this week's' lineup, the structure of the imit wobbles and lets them down. Two sets, in open- ing and closing numbers are out- standing; and evidently the economy drive' In the scenic department is off. The old familiar pieces were missing and a steady customer could sense a freshness heretofore absent. • Best clicks were made by Adrienne, doing a solo aero, high kick routine in one; and Jack Starnes and Co., with their very clever .adagio in an X-ray spot.- Adrienne's sparkling routine, coming In the fourth spot, picks up the pace when It is most needed; and the Starnes turn mystifies by 'floating' a girl through the air. Their number opens as a conventional adagio ' (two men and girl) and suddenly and invisibly two other boys in black step into the fray and. the girl passes ftom one visible man to the other in surprising poses. A fake throw into apparently empty space draws a gasp. ' Five Elgins hold interest all the way with their hat and club juggling. Best bet is the closing cross-fire melee, with all firing clubs at each other. Ah encore in one, featuring a rapid fli:e unison toss, grabbed off good ajpplause. > Eight Lovely Ladies, harmony octet, display some neat voice blend- ing and rate especial credit for their arrangement of 'Let Yourself, Go.' Mixed line turns out unison taps, a group waltz munber, and a disap- pearing fan turn, against a black drop In dark fed foots. Sid Osley delivers an eccentric, dance in one; and" John Steel, headlined, revives some old faves firom musicals, he had played some years ago. It was-one of ttiQse "maybe you'll remember this one' ideas. Although Steel did not earn the curtain speech he delivered, it must be said that he was stranded out in left field at the start,, without a mike. After two solos, a couple of obliging musicians in the pit passed him up a mike on a standard, and he could be heard, from, that point on. If he had had the p.a. set all the way he would have got more serious attention- Pete Bodge, new house conductor is playing his first show under new setup this week. Screen, 'Stage Struck' (WB). Fox.. EARLE, PHILA. Philadelphia, Sept. 11. • Bob Crosby and his. band pr.v<de the flesh part of the Earle's enter- tainment this week, with Patsy Kelly and Charley Chase in 'Kelly the Sec- ond' (MG) on the screen. Attendance at the opening show below average, but rather enthusiastic. Show opens with Crosby at the mike introducing the band in 'Troublesome Trombone,' for which he sings the chorus. Being new here, audience was interested in possible resemblance to Bing, but there's only a-noticeable family likeness. Hank Lawson, trombonist, also solos for the number, which is a good starter for the program. Kay Weber, of radio, sings 'Did ! Remember' with good effect and en- cores with 'You Turned the Tables on Me,' not so hot. She's a person- ality • type singer with nice stage presence. Crosby then does a 'Handles' num- ber. Seems a little out-dated now, but well enough done with the or- chestra chanting the choruses. Ray and Grace MacDonald, attrac- tive youngsters,'come on next. Open with 'It Sounds Good to Me,' doing the comedy number fairly well but give the appearance of being anxioiis to go into their dance, which is an easy and well-routined tap. Ray afterwards does a solo tap—also Edward Bergman, violinist, does a 'Gypsy Medley' which includes most of the old favorites and gets the in- variable hand these kind of romantic ditties inspire. His playing is no bet- ter or worse than the run of fiddle players with dance bands. Band then goes in for 'Heeby Jeeby Blues,' with Nappy Lamaire contributing a solo. The MacDonalds return to interpriet song titles in dance. Not a new idea and only moderately w6ll done. Band then does a novelty number including plenty of trick stuff. Three of the members offer a burlesqued fan dance (fairly funny), and Ray Bauduc, the drummer, joins in with a shuffle. For a wind-up the band does 'Pagan Love Song,' jazzed up with Crosby and most of the mem- bers putting in some hot licks in solos. Band doesn't shape up with some of those seen here during the lapt few weeks, but-pleased Earle patrons. Waters. I EMBASSY, N. Y. (NEWSBEJSLS) Slap-dash editing of reels et this house which was noted recently, is absent this week. Clips are lined up in neat sequences of matched and rie- lated items. Might be a disputed mat- ter of editorial judgment about the ratings given various subjects in the running order, but at least the fish isn't served with the liquers. Mrs. Beryl Markham grinning rather absent7mindedly at Maybr LaGuardia as ;the latter, always a sincere guy, tries to convey, real warmth in his. welcome, opens the show. She makes one remark. Eight words. Her manners suggest a desire to get the silly business over with and a determination that if Ameri- cans hear her spieak it'll be for cash in a theatre. But being an aviatrix and opening the show, the natiural follow-up is Hearst's clips oil the National'Air Races. Eddie Cantor cops a laugh at the trophy-giving to the winning Frenchman. In turn the aeronautical motif- is maintained . in clip No., 3, showing the. structural steel of the new German Zeppeltn. . Universal's -Pike's Peak ascent (old stuff and annual) and .Clem Mc- Carthy's stint for Pathe on the Meadowbrook polo spotted after the three air items and before the Span- ish civil war stuff. Many might sup- pose that in. terms .of news and human values the frightful-mess in the land of the Bourbons is tops this week. . But the Embassy makes th^ public wait for the streamer. It's put- ting* the front-page story on page seven. Which is according to thei London. Times, - where the ' classi- fied .ads occupy -page one. But it's not U. S. journalism. . - • Fox, U, and Pathe, each In turn treat the Fajscist-Leftist struggle. Each aboiit equal. Fox tosses itself bouquets and^ows a woimded man who is' claimed to be one of its cameramen.- Pathe. comes closest to editorializing or taiking sides by em- phasizing that the economic strife is a religious war. That's always danger- ous stuff. Fox couples the Egyptian-English treaty, Herr Schacht of Berlin try- ing to make friends in Paris, a Polish general visiting the French. That leads into. Secretary Hull's staged re- peat for Hearst of his recent speech oh -war. Follows Pathe's peace speech by Gov. Iliandon. All of which shows .the editors have been editing. Silvier fox farm in Wisconsin is developed with more than average attention to supplying the publicivith answers to the'curiosities newsreel items often inspiire but seldom satisfy, Paramount keeps th» news values predominant, taking away the com' mercial curse. Feathers for . milady's shoes and velvet for frocks also got attention. It's almost football time, so the various squads gjet publicity. Admiral in charge of Annapolis cooperated and Dartmouth built a big paper billboard through whichi the war- riors burst for a. camera full-up. Usual assortmeint of trivial runs from ox-carf contest to demonstra- tions of gas bombs and a golf game between a. couple of _gals, one of them Babe Didrickson. Lew Lehr hitp a new low, with not one solitary giggle. Two travelogs fill out bill. One, Fitzpatrick's 'Victoria and 'Van- couver' in color and a nice program dresser-upper from Metro. Other is U's 'Rock of Aden' an out-of-wa^ subject that badly needs a graphic map to make clear just what ob- scure comer of this planet is oc- cupied by Aden. Land. FOX, DETROIT Detroit, Sept 11. A humdinger of a show is here this stanza. Six acts all told, topped by the. Three Stooges,' and a wad of action to keep - audiences on their toes. Plus a nifty setting pro^^ded by pit band, it's, the most entertain- ing layout seen at this spot in some time. Besides .the Stooges, flanked by Eddie Laughton, there's Eddie Garr, who had a nice build-up through his appearance l^ere .recently at tl^e swank Blossom; Heath roadhouse; Miles ' and Kov^r. dance duo: the Fi,ve -Jansleyi;, risley exoerts; E<)lth Griffiths, torcher, and Bemice and Judy Shaw, diminutive aero hoofers. Then, too, there's a .neat jazz ar- rangement of Von Suppe's 'Poet and Peasant' by Sam Jack Kaufman and his pit band, plus a new stunt by theatre's tenor, Frankie Connors, who warbles the 'hit of the week," this time 'Did I Remember?'. Turns are well spotted, despite fact there's six acts instead of the conventional quintet Miles and Kover are on twice, just preceding the Stooges with a fast-tempo ball- room number and then close hour's show with a better slave dance. Cos- tumes in latter bit are excellent Of the lesser acts, the Five Jans- leys .stand out With plienty to sell, the five males don't miss a trick. Their risley feats, including some swell whirls, get reams of applause as they open show. The Shaw firls. in No. 2, have lots on the ball as acrobatic hoofers, but take a little too much time working up to their climaxes. Otherwise, their solos and duets click. Edith Griffiths, plenty .sicko In s green satin dress, can warble a mean blues song. She's spotted third, and contributes a modernized version of •Japanese-. Sandman,' with. Maestro Kaufman performing at the piano. Ksufman, in addition to batoning pit band on stage during entire show, does oke as m.c. Following Miles and Kover's ball- room turn, Laughton assumes the rostrum for a little chatter before introing the Stooges. Latter literally keep audience in stitches for a full 10 minutes with their antics, patter and slapping. Their stuff grows bet- ter as act moves on, and there ■was a couple of calls. . Garr is a mimic extraordinary.. His take-off of a drunk is passable,! but he really goes over with imita- tions of Harry Richman, Maurice Chevalier, and Ned Sparks, finishing up with a medley, as the three would sing it. ' Full house at last show caucht Friday (11). Flicker is 'My Man Godfrey' (U) . - Pete. CENTER, DENVER Denver, Sept. 12. Stage show ciifrent at the Center is built for Veterans of Foreign Wars convention, and with 30,000 here for the meet (nationi^l>, the take at the house will show a decided Increase. Opens with part of line sticking one leg through drop and doing a drill. - They also do routines in front of- sky and Parisian drops. Joe Maige sings 'Goody Goody' to introduce a sophisticated tap dance. He encored twic6» • • The Barlows, male and femme, do hand, chair and head balancing and strong-arm stuff. Culminates with man standing, on -head on small glass vase on stool and table. - Bob Brandies sings some comedy songs and tells some- gags,- besides m.c?ing: the show. Tenor in dough- boy costimie sings song about the waf. Routine by line in tight white bodices and carrying white rifles follows. A trumpeter playing taps over a grave in France finales this number, .'Show is well staged, although somewhat disconnected. ' Runs from French scenes to modernistic, camp- fire, grave scenes and finally a pirate ship. 'Gay Love' on the screen) with a full house at the fourth show Sat- urday. Rose. ORIENTAL, CHI. Chicago, Sept, 12. . Expected ' plenty, of box-offlce .po.wer from, the picture, 'Earthworm Tractors' (WB), this week so house didn't bother too much about the stage part of :the entertainment, Have Lillian Roth on top of the bill- ing as headliner and have surrounded her with a couple of pretty good acts, but it all adds up to one of those mediocre shows. Acts try hard enough and Sylvia and Cleniehce, Joe Morris an,d Lillian Roth really go over. . Lillian Roth somehow manages tp keep her standing as a legitim.ate vaiide headliner, and even as 'per^- sonal appearance' value despite faqt she's been out of big-time flickers for several years. How she does it Is a mystery, but she heads this show and sh^ not only ■ got a reception from this mob, but she also scovd solidly with her vocal routine. She's a good seller of songs. Dorothy Hild balle't supplies the girl interest throughout the sho^^r with three routines which were ne^t eyefulls. Miss Hild goes along week after week with eftectlve numbers for this type of audience. 'In the opening ballet number is - Dorothy Dickson in a tap specialty. Girl's routine is okay, from every angle, with the single exception of musie. With different music she'd go over better. Music and routine don't fit as it now stands, i Sylvia and Clemencfi In the deuce demonstrate what a sreat aid is the right kind of music» Most of the music is old arid familiar, but it's just about- perfect for their knock- about dancing and comedy act. They had to speech themselves off. From the high to the low are Cliff and Dell, who don't have an act at pres- ent. For some , eight minutes they talk without a single giggle. /The girl tries to do a dumb dora and it is - sour. Does a couple of cobch grinds in a desperate attempt for a laugh, but still no go. Act got going in a half-hearted fashion only- on some fair tonsiling by the man and. an acrobatic dance routine by the femme. With an act that hasn't, changed mtich in the years it's been around. Joe Morris garnered a flock of laughs at the last show on Friday, Same gags and by-play. Tn the closing nitch is the Nelson Marionnettes act, which is getting' by on showing hoy they work the strings and pupoets. Couple of such turns have been around lately and eot across on the same stunt Nothing narticularlv outstanding in the operations of this turn, but what they do make" f^od. Gold. G. O. H., N. Y. Billed as a vaude show, the tryoitt policy of ams hardly lives up to the label. More truthfully, it's a non- descript aggregation of small-timers and inveterate tyros who never quite attain the status of pros. It is, how- ever, what the management ordered for its- weekend mats to replace vaude and should be billed thus. Seemed that even the kid audience was a little-disappointed, whereas if they had not been misinformed a better reception might have been accorded.- Result on first show was negligible. . If same persists, house returns to vaude. . Show consists of six acts running a half hour, a- pianist and m. c. - Plays before a drop with the ivory tickler spotted at enid of stage. No stage hands or pit grew gives the nut a coDsiderablie slicing. Joan Atkins, blues singer, on flrst was,strictly a filler. Dumbdora act of Douglas and.Brooks, are more time filler-inner. Sho-w, was sup- ported by the other four,'Ray Janus, Tommy King, Jimmy and Clara and cohferencier Jackie Kaye. Running order had Miss Atkins In the ace. Her pipes okay, but her ridiculous gestures and total lack of stage presence or salesmanship put. her in the background. Ray Janus, second, winner of Fred Allen's All Star Amateur. Contest impersonates celebs to good results.- Kid can wrinkle his kisser with the best Vocal work also realistic. Tommy king's eccenj^c musical creations on tire pumps, inneir tube and rubber glove liked,' Fourth bit a letdo-wn. Douglas and ^rooks, chattery mixed teain, fail to ring the bell. Colored dance team of Jimmy and Clara added a speedy finish. If Kaye is to remain as m. c, for booker Will Green's act^ it might be to his advantage to remember his audience. Material runs into the blue and is frequently over the heads of juve patrons. Harry Spector handles piano, and . Frank Bartell is stage manager." Pacific CoastNotes (Continued from page 43) in contact with . Empreza Musical Company of Rio ' de .Janeiro, to book «cts for radio and theatre dates in South America, Italph Wonders can't make kN^ (Hollywood) gang believe he drove it in four days from N, Y,, being on the road only 14 hqurs a day. Leo Forbsteln goes back on KFWB (Hollywood) with his 'Vitaphone orchestra Sept. 23 ifor we<ekiy airing. Balph B, Brnn'ton named regional chairman of the National A$socla- tiori of Regional Broadcasting Sta- a. tions, which has headquarters in Boston, Mass. ' Clinton (Buddy) Twlss, announcer and emcee, transfers from the NBC Western .Division headquarter^ in San Francisco to Hollywood studios this week to replace Walter Bunker, Jr., who leaves the announcing staff to devote himself to production activities. Gordon Brown, who conducts the Night Owl programs over KJBS, Sah Francisco, commissioned .an ensign in the naval reserve's communica- tions department. Benato BelUni, Tito Schipa's ac* companist and coach, will present two programs of his own composi- tions ' over. the NBC'Red. web from San Francisco Sept 18 and 25. Ralina Zarbva, s.oprano, .will be the soloist on the first broadcast and Tohn Teel, baritone, on the second. Art Fadden, pioneer radio pianist in San Francisco and for years on the KJBS staff,; now directs jfixisic at large sip a.nd sup spot, Jimmy .WalUniiton and his bride of a nionthj the former Betty Jane Cooper, of vaude, visiting her mother in San Francisco before heading for Hollywood, where. Wallington will announce the new Eddie Cantor- Texaco broadcasts starting Sept, 20 over CBS. Fred J, Hart sailed on board the .j S, S. Lurline .for Honolulu Sept 12 for a five-week biz trip. Hart, presi- dent and general manager of KCjMB, Honolulu, and KMBC, Hilo, head- quarters in San Francisco. ' Gershwin Dated Ahead ' Baltimore, Sept 15. . George. Gershwin wjll make key- board appearance here on March 16 when he guest-solos with the Na- tional Symph of Wash,, D. C, at the Lyric, Symph will hop over from the Capital for total of seven concerts during the season. Robert Dwan has been ■ upped to the post of assistant to Dick Ellers, night program supervisor at NBC'si San Francisco studios. Dwan's place as junior announcer has been taken by Frank Barton, former trumpeter and vocalist with Tom (joakley ork. Amle Brunn doing style chat pro* gram for Bedell's women's Wear . , :^ store three times a week for 15 inia* utes on KGW» Por'tlandl,