Variety (Nov 1937)

50 VARIEtIr VASSSOY HOPSE REVIEWS Wednesday, November 24, 1937 MUSIC HALL, N. Y. The stage splash this week i§ labeled 'Tally-Ho,' and, in the main, % is rather under average for the Big Barn. The fox-hunting motif is used throughout. What real wallop show has comes dui'ing jconcluding • moments when , sparkling snappy drill by Rockettes follows strong novelty acrobatic act of Fred Sylvester and his Nephews. Sylvester's hand-to-hand and headi to-head balancing witlr tw& midget? is an act that has varied only slightly in last 12 years and knows no need • to. Man swings two midgets around on his- legs for fine coniedy bits. Straight stunting is excellent. - Up ahead, Florence Rogge ballet • does inevitable 'Hunt' toie. Gals d s- ■ play more sur les pointes than usual. Outline of routine^ however, ii as •' finely draWn and imaginiativfe- as cusr tomary. " ' '. Male glee clab gets bigger \york- out this stahZEt than ordinarily, open- 'ing in' longr file spun across from wirig- to wing, gingihg 'At the Sound of the Horn.' Nuinber isn't much and chaps don't look too' smart or. natural in colorful red coats and whita breeches socialite, fox-bun'.ers wear. Ten dogs on leashes attract ■ attention, however. They are hot all - redl hoiittd'dogs dhd Idok^d a rather .bored'lot. Hudson'Cdrmody did some ,aolo' singing in this scene, In another sstting;'-a forest ivhere !a foxhunt was supposed to be held, Helen Arnold and Robert .Topping' 'ducted •Love Is' Everything.' Miss Arnold seemed somewhat imcomfort- able in side-saddle riding -getup. Erno Bapee's orchestra got' in a good :10'-minute workout ,wittt ov^ir'- ture to Wagner's •Jjannhaaser.' Qn screen,. '9taod-In* (VA), which was, ^reviewed in Vaubty, Oct 6. At sup-, ■per ahow Saturday, biz was oft: ' . Bert/ • PARAMOUNT, N. H; . New'Hiiven, .NoV^, 20. Paramount has brought in its seC' ."ond Mnit on th^ .oAe-a-mionth stage show policy recently adopted T^rben 'Sunday sh6w» w^re legalized here, ^owft has- been slow to grab at the type of entertainmeat that used' to pack 'em at this house in the ' old days and. a weekly policy . would probably be euiciae at this. time. There aren't enough outstanding units to fill-such a 9Ch6dule. A two-weeks advance cdmpaign^ plu^ a sidewalk' premiere on open- ing night, got the show off to a good . start. It held up over the weekend. Vnit is second edition of .'Holly- wotwj IJotel. Revue' which has under- gone revampine since' its break-in. Addition of extra acts and replace- ments during key city runs was said- to have gummed up the original lay- out of the show. Unit is now ^t and travels as is, with Marty Majr and Helen Honan sharing. top billing. New costumes were added this ,)veek and a dog act and aero teain^ tem- porarily used, have been, dropped. , In place of the muscle-grinders. May now works with two stooges planted , in audience. . Unit shapes up as 70 minutes of flash, leaning.well oi> the.nudie side. •It is topped ofiE with entries from the vaude, radio and musical comedy fields. Production numbers include a couple of costume displays, a 'Liv ing Curtain' aiid a telephone switch board opening routine. ' Finale is handled on a cafe setting, with a downstage mike for specialties. Talent includeis' Marty May, m.c. and chatterer; Helen Hohan, imper-! sonations; Mariora, feinme juggler on, first American tour; May McKlm and, Boy Friends, swing harmony; Rob- ert . Barre, baritone; Del Carmen. Spanish dancer; Clark and Eaton, boy and- girl dancers; Herbert Ertle, sin'o>;er. Show went over well with packed Hpu-se last show Saturday. 'Westiand Case' (tJ) on screen'.' Bone. men, ■ however, chuck in gobs, of showmanship and result is rousing reception. There's usual juggling^ balancing, tumbling, etc. Gallerini turns in nice job on ac- cordion, tunes ranging from classical to swing stiifE. Short time.allotted but he takes advantage of every mm- ute. . ■ Sam Jack Kaufman's overture, tagged 'II Guarany,' has Frankie Connors, pit tenor, warljling 'liaddie, his most-requested Irish tune on local- radio program. Pete. FOX, K. C. Kansas City, Nov. 20. ■Just another week. Mildly divert- ing stage bill is headed by Low, Hite and Stanley with 'Danger, Love at Work* (20th) on screeh. Biz sdund- ing an off-key opening night. Bill will be jerked djay early to make, way for Will Osborne's band, which will take over Turkey week. Noticeable thiiig past few weeks is' smoothness ot hause production which has been running far' ahead of acts' quality. Particularly agile and effective have been the ponies. Gals, have really , been coming sildng and should be allowed privilege of more dancing and less arm . posing, which sometimes make them, look baton this week. Line, is seen in three routines. Open, dose" artd' midway drfl • up boards for'control work 61 Dorothy Crooker. Dancer is on' one imat from time she first appears. "While she is okay, lack of action makes Xhs turn fall short.. • Ballroom •team of • Prince and Princess Selatidia (Who admit 'to rdyal-rank) is so-so. Jimmy' Read has a inuifical'ndvelfy. Guitars and clarinets. .Tweeks three oMatter at-one time. Lowe, ..Hite -and Stanley nir^. okay up to point where' you^re satu'tated with fact th&t pne is three^t taU, others five feet five inches and-seven feet nine. They point, at. nothing but their difl'erence in' stature, which gets tiresome. . ^ • - Don Tiff takes over Judy Conrad's baton' this week. Hoyt. • FOX, DETROIT ■ << Detroit, Nov. 2i; Last stanza overstocked with good acts; this week's lineup pretty ^lim, which, for most part, probably ac- counts for half-filled -house at late show Friday evening (19). Pic, i$ 'Secsnd Honeymoon' (20th). Current "lineup,, ; including ■ one holdover, is topped by Wal.ec C. Kelly, who's returning to boards after interlude 'in ' plx. Others are Milton Douglas, baritone; Wen Hai troupe, Oriental jugglers; Gal- lerini, accordionist;- Two Eileens, who rapeat last week's hoofing in two Gac Fosier numbers^ Fortyfive minuie show is opened and closed by line routines, first, a snappy p2as.'.nt number; closer, a sp;Wy tap turn. Two Eileens, blond hoofers with plenty of zest, figure in both. . Kelly's next-to-closing ^Virginia Judge' is a bit too long, although his monolog, whil-a 'hearing' a round ol typical Southern cases, is plenty meritorious, . Stuff is differently amusing but some of it's lost by lack of volume. Smootii baritone pipes and spiffy app'sarance al^ Douglas' forte. Par- ticularly good are his renditions of 'Once in a While' and 'Ol' Man Elver,* in w' ich warbler's quality to"2s ihow best. - • . Usu:»lly, Oriental juggling acts are go;.d but laclc showmanship. The •Wen Hdi tro^p^ two ^ats and six STATE-LAKE, CHI Chicago, Nov. 21. This would seem to be Old Home week iat State-Lake; with every -turn,' except one, a regular on housfi's pay- roll. M'ost of them are taktpg-no chance, for having pleased once, they've brought same material again. Along with saveral other things peculiar to house, audience. greets old gag lustily. , Just why it should be, is one of house's mysteries, but they do, even in case of Lew Parker, v^hose gags seem to be used by other performers from this.stage.every week, unfail- ingly. THe routine done by, his wo- man stooge seems to be exactly that done by another, yet the turn clicks. Gus "Van is one of the reasons why even this much of vaudeville has been kept alive. AH these years would have taken the edge off both the spirit and effect of the ordinary performer. But "Van is not an or dinary performer. His work shows the enthusiasm' and sparkle of headliner, and also . the masterj which comes from experience. After his recital of a popular number, anc three dialect songs, the. tribute to his late partner is a combination of sen timent for the old timers and good entertainment for those who don't' remember. Hap Hazard is another smart showman.' Typically routined-"'lor' hoUse catering to this type audience, his simp characters are whams, not alone because of juggling and good tight-wire work, but also because chatter is fresh and changed to meet' present situations. He misses only in the few seconds cross-fire between him and woman partner. She's not so good on the talk, and made things seem a little -bare. Wilkey and Raye, a young male team of knockabouts, look like comers. They tap a little and gag up some hoke acrobatics that are passable, then come- through with peak finish. Spotted • as closing turn. Lew. Parker gives . filmsy performance (although liked here), because of his old gags. Uses shor^ bald, man, stooge who is very funny; wOman and two hecklers in opposing boxes. Parker opens turn with toastmaster style aeries of gags, is interrupted thi-oughout turn by stooges, anid does a couple of black-outs. At other end of bill are LaMarr Trio, two men and a girl. Thev« are not regulars 'on house list. Dance stuff, tap to open and finish, and an eccentric routine in middle, isn't bad Banjo playing and impersonation of Eddie Cantor reach new lows in re spective fields. ^ - House line adds two numbers to bill. Finale,, an acrobatic routine which drew applause even after cur tain went down, makes one wonder how really valuable these girls could be, if the house used a little produc tion to their numbers. At least, enough to be in keeping with their fine .appearance^ costuming, and routine. Picture for the week is 'Annapolis Salute' (Par.). Business on dinner showj opening day, was off «oh'sider< ably from, avcnrage. * Loop. WEST END, IH, Y. • "(NEW)" All but the four walls were redone to house Harry Brock's West Har- lem flesh shows. Apparently the purse was not spared in the effort to estab- lish a lasting site. Everything is new, from the flooring to painting, and includes seats, lights, stage, wir- ing, etc., reputedly costing $150,000. House Has oeen pretty much of a jinx as an umpteenth run ^Imer, but stands, a chance of chasing the bogey with the colored vaudfilm. Direct booking show produced by Leonard Reed and Eddie Lynch. Any newcomer immediately suf- fers a, comparison with the older Apollo, where colored presentation shows, with a' sprinkling of color mixing, have held' forth for several years. However,- this new spot stands up well on" the whole and might even surpass' in some di-yi- $ions. Will. have a tougher time on film end, haiving.to, b^ck the local Loew arid RKO houses for second and third runs together with the hold the'Aoollo enjoys. Some promise of ihdie first and second runs and bet- ter oldies are'look^d for, to help. ■ Incumbent show is.-said -to have cost $5,500, but that is doubted, de- spite the number of people. . Nut must be pretty heft though, in view of 14-piece band, 10 chorus girls, 10 showgirls and. galaxy of acts. -Locale, bordering between white and'black districts, necessitates mix- ing,, wit the'darker sliade predojni- nate% Arrangement of opener begged- -for improvement-which has also- since been mad^. ' Colored acts set tocr last a pace for whites to fof- low !near the. end. - Band also is not <iuite lip to namers who hit ApOlIo weekly. • House will eventually evolve a policy on music. Right now it's feeling its way oil -buildiug good semi-known's or adopting the Apollo pame'policy. > Will-hold same longer than one week" at any rate, length of stay depending on click. ■ .' ' Enunett Matthews and Charley -Turner's, cats dig plenty on,their swing overturje,- peppered with a Ut- le of the Latin maracas influence. They never'again-attain the heat dished in the first session.^while they play >for the show. Leader Matthews, one of letter tenor saxers, gives off with plenty of Calloway style. Pity is that he doesn't repeat all while the band is' in the pit. liiladeleine Belt, tiriy brownskih with Betty Boop pipes, yodels with the cr'ew as ice breaker and in an- other-productiori number.' Also dou- bles into one of the dance routines :iiter, making a mild hit. Light- Weight dark turn, John' and George, tap Ineffectively. One of twain looked to be suffering from stage fright; • Immediately following the (one) acts, curtains break for first of sketch stuff, which, when freed of little whitening, is old love potion hurley bit that runs too deep into the blue. Same trend is followed by Honey Bdy Thompson, dealer in windy, drr^ stories. He's too smutty In song and story. Crackers Hackley, tramp, comic in jlue 'poppy' bit, aided by Siisaye Brown and Babe Wallace, juve, who later appears in mock wedding cere- mony production turn, partnered with luscious Ruby Hill. Pair sing in solo, with chorus and liners back- ing. Boy is' lost without the mike while girl outshines him. Show begins to take on weight -with entrance of Three Giants of Rhythm, tappers. Ttio' is showman- ly without killing themselves in rour tines. Pigmeat, local comedy fave, takes the vole in following sketch which is also a hurley throwback. His comic Negro patter is all that saves this portion. Jimmy Baskette and Miss Brown assist him. Myra Johnson, formerly with Fats Waller, stops the sho'w here with a red hot medley of -"Yours-.and Mine,' 'So Many Memories' and 'I Know Now.' Cial has plenty of salesman sHip and'voice to put herself over with a bang that calls for more and gets it. Pigmeat, on for a truckin*-'Susie-Q' session with the chorus and little Miss Belt, belts the audience all over the place with his Harlem dragging. 'All are attired, in large black and white checkered'outfits with red face paint for light effects. Plenty com ical and. hot. In fact, .too much for Hyde arid Seek ("Victor Hyde anc Sis Ausley) to follow. Pair jus; about hold down the spot with "blah banter. Eccentric terping saves" then> from mediocrity which spotting caused. Ben Ali tumblers and aero bats are also left in the rush as foUowups. Good enough, but a- severe letdown due to same faulty arrangement. Leonard Reed, producer, is to be credited with turning out an enter- taining though sometimes puzzling aggregation. His dance routines, se- lection of girls and costuming is nifty, but maybe he had too njuch work to do and consequently went a little berserk in reaching for laughs. Mbre-of the Haunted Cave comedy bits, where genuine Negro comedy of Pigmeat, Crackers and Baskette hits the ceiling, would have been better. Girls are best trained group of col- ored terpers yet encountered. Num- bers do them and producer credit Harlem's, famed Willie Bryant stage-bowed for his former act part- ner, Reed, and panicked, the cog- noscenti with his usual suavity. Al- ways a smoothie, Bryant hits it of! best when working for and with his consorts, as In this instance. Run- ning banter of localisms,'etc., was plenty meaty for Harlemites but only, appreciated by others in part. Good sendoff aiid, totally good re- sult, but. for - a few flaws that can and should be worked out. Jlurl. HIPP, BALTIMORE Baltimore, Nov! a2. Strong line up of standard a<its is giving Hipp a well rounded show to bolster 'Victoria' (RKO) on screen. Staged in- presentation form with California Collegians . working full stage tor entire doings, layout in- cludes Allen and Kent, Jackie Heller, and Block and Sully. Runs a pleas- ing 44 minutes. ' Collegians open with 'Working My Way Through College' with various members of band takhig vocal choruses for laughs and combining to bang out a'good instrumental finish. Leader intros Allen and Kent, nice appearing boy and girl in oicay tango tap and fast, hOofery. Boy then i>rings on matronly woman wno goes into very punchy old-time buck. It is good for sock. Elderly gent then brought on for J>uck. and" wing, doubling with matron femme and finale joining the youngsters for a very strong finishing foursome. No mention' of relationship, b^t act has a great deal of appeal and entertain- ment. G^ts matters.off here to rous- ing start. " ■ . Jackie Heller, follows with a well selected repertoire . of pops ■ sold showman style. Does .'Feeliiv Like a Million,' 'Harbor Lights.' 'Canrt Kop Mefrom Dreaming,'- •'Vieni and a medley of 'One Rose' and "That Qld Feeling' for encore. Has gained Con- siderable stage, .presence' and sales- manship since last here. • . \. Block and Sully,: following with some new material and business sock out solid spot,, justifying audible re- ception .accorded :them. iDialogue skillfully timed and ably handled. Song- and dancs finish i8> okay. Collegians close - with routine of hoke, including familiar trained seal stuff, Gable takeoff- and burlesque ensemble of celebrities.' Burnt. EARLE, WASH. Washington, Nov. 21, House, which made its debut with straight vaude back in days -when tad was presentation, has clung to act-by-act stvle with only occa- sional dabbling in unit ideas and hits something of a season's high with six acts this week. Spot is small enough to capitalize on intimacy. No attempt is made at spectacle "other than dressing each turn with smart light- ing and plenty of fresh, rich drops. Audrey Sieber, beauteous m.c, now in fourth yiear at spot, does stfictly straight introductions. Overture, very seldom used at spot now except when occasion-calls for production stunt, is out. Little Aud- rey steps through curtain right after newsreel to announce Four-Spur gats, glittering in silver and flesh spangles that cover body and face. Work on full stage with first half of time spent in statuesque poses, lights, go ing out for changes. Second half lights stay up while one girl and two men stay on to work out wierd con- tortionist handstands and- spineless poses under vari-colored. lighting: Novel .and adequate opening, but loses pace. The Merry Macs bounce out next to warble 'Posin',' smart hot arrange- ment of 'My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean,' straight glee club rendering of 'Way You Look Tonight' and en- core of novelty, 'Mama, I Want To Make Rhythm.' Timing perfect, voices adequate and gal puts enough humor into it to make it snap stand- ard pop turn. Next it's Paul Sydell and his hypnotized pups. Act is regular here, but they still love it when he holds dog aloft in one hand, twirls him about, and tosses him from hand to hand without the pup moving a muscle. Bringd on ^cond canine for tricky balancing. Harriet Hoctor, who g^ts top bill- ing, does a conventional toe ballet on full stage against solid white muslin drop back and sides. Customers didn't get very excited. It was in second appearance, which followed interlude tapping by Jack Dell Trio, that gave them something to ap- plaud.'^he explains dance as 'new ballet interpretation of Duke Elling- ton's 'Mood Indigoe',' and then breaks Into mixture of ' strut and truck on toes. She is'dolled up in black and gold velvet gown with hat, veil and pocketbook and gets nice hand at finish. • Cookie Bowers, whose, stuff is fa- miliar to regular patrons of house, follows. Using man-ih-street bro'ad- cast idea as excuse for working in everything from Chinese dialect to barnyard noises, had.;, 'eip sitting up for a moment, but wiien he an- nounced 'way some men look early in the morning,' sigh of amused boredom was evident. Even old hands couldn't^ suppress giggles, when he got going. Newcomers rolled in .aisles. Lady-in-swimming was cut to essentials and rest of time given to somewhat newer girl-going- to-bed, kicking off girdle getting him off ainid howls. / . : Four Kraddocks close bill with acrobatic slapstick, overdose' of pansy'"pantomime, variety of strong arm tumbling and three-high truck- ing, done with such timing, smooth- ness and consistent rhythm that they forced top hand. Pic, 'It's Love I'm After'; biz satis- factory. Craii^. ' WINTERGARTEN (BERLIN) — Bemn, Nov. 8. If such a bad bill has ever trod the boards of this house, it's hard to remember. Perhaps, with the Scala going h.o., Wintergarten figures it can get by with a lightweight pay- roll. But if s sure hard lines on the guests, even if non-paying, to have to sit through the offering. The Marbes, in the opener, have one good stunt. Two of the troupe, in - horizontal' poses on poles, hold two ropes; around the tight one a femme twists her frame, and then goes in for rapid-fire rotation, while a guy under-her on a loose rope does some lightning-like, swinging. Lilian Ariston Co., in the deuce, specializes in balancing on pyramided chairs perched on a floor lamp. They have nothing new to offer and their total lack of showmanship is obvi- ous. S.enta -and ' Hans Dabelste.n, billed as artistic dancers, with, leaps, banners, and plumes, - seemingly try to convey -something about heroism. The. writer tried- to figure it, but couldn't, "When vaude in a metropo- lis sinks this far, it's -plenty sad. Gordon and Lester, with their neat, easy-going trampoline fare, didnt take long to eaten on. One, in-tramp attire. Working with hands in pocket -, wowed ' the house with his back somersaults from stand into tram- fiolin, and onto shoulders of partnec". t's one of two SKts on the bill wit.i real finish. Comparing Medlock a.^d Marlowe with the other acts oh bill, places it, above average; compared with other terp teams, it is decidedly mediocre,' The man, when alone,, is sans form or shovvrmanship; get^ out of breath and shows it. Their closing number, 'Alice Bl^e Gown,' is a hodge-podge of straight and clown- ing that is no dice. < .. High spot No. 2 is Rebla, the bored (or - is it displeased?) Juggler. He never deigns to tackle more than three things at a time, and even these he inevitably slings away in disgust' His wry grimaces at himself put him oyer wl !i the audienc^e. Richard Kistenmacher, single, 'seems to like his own jokes, which are of the breed known as 'homey.' Jonny Lang's 14-girl band closes the first half. Orchestration is dull, songs more so, and comedy attempts brodie. There's hiOf an hour of perfectly harmless beasts, so obviously con- tented with life that thfey = wouldn't dream> of a roar if papa Court just didn't keep a cracking a whip right in their ears all the time. Bears, lions, tigers and panthers stand, up, sit down, run around and tajce bows, while the spectators heave ho-hums. Rob and Ralph Darras close with an aero turn. While'- big guy lies oil ■floor with feet in the air, kid does a head-stand on the ball bottom of one foot and then is jogged by j)artner from one hoof to the other. A good act that misses through lack of show- manship. EARLE, PHILLY Philadelphia, Nov. 20.. A well-balanced bill with three headliners is at the Earle this week. Well-filled house at first show voted okay without going overboard on en^ thusiastic side. The pic is 'Fight for Your Lady.* With house orchestra under Lou Schrader on stage, the show opens with RosSj Ross and Bennett, one of the acts, doing a pseudo m.c. He announces the first act,. which is Robbins Trio, two men and a girL They're good serviceable hopfers, offering break-leg taps and winding up with topnotch somersaulting. "The two men, particularly, look like human pinyvheels. The girl's tum- bling is above average. The act got a good hand. Dropping m.c. gag, Ross reappears next with feminine member of act (Bennett). Pair offer a comedy dialog which contains some of the most atrocious piins and ga^s heard here in weeks. Ross varies with capable slide tap which, is a relief. He also does a song number. First of headliners is dance act of Gomez and. Winona, old favorites here. They' offer two numbers, a straight ballroom routine and the second is Spanish. Their waltzing, as usual, often verges on swing- adagio, and represents grace per-, sonified. Jane Froman, 'next, sings four pops. Best is 'Old Feeling,' which she renders wfth considerable feiryor; . 'Me, Myself and ' V ■ next best^ with crowd. But shg makes one mistake —she asks audience to join lA one number. 'No soap' as far as Earle bunch is concerned. The. Michon Brothers, also well known' here, render their knock- about skit and go over like wildfire. Dressed in sailor suits, both talce amazing falls and. tumbles from their- platform-diving board contraption. A rapidfire wisecracking barrage ac- companies the acrobatics. It is mild- ly effective. A comedy .song (n.s.g.) and a little fake magic round out act. The audience gave Michons ■ swell hand. Borrah Minevitch's Rascals, with- out Minevitch, close show. Har- monica outfit goes through its .accuss- tomed routine, rendition of 'Lime- house Blues' being standout. 'Shorty, little comic, helps with ,his funny business. Offering, as a whole, smooth and not overlong. It .sent, crowd out happy. .' Waters. '