Variety (Sep 1938)

Wednesday, September 28, 1938 VARIETY HOUSE REVIEWS VARIETY 53 ROXY, N. Y. mid Abbott & Lou Coatello, Flor- ence & Alvarez, Radio Aces, Earl & Frances, Collegiate Majorettes, Gae n*ter Girls, Paul Ash house orch; SoS That Co-Ed' (20th), reviewed in this issue. 'A long and generally tiresome stage show accompanies 'Hold That Co-Ed' (20th), comedy grid subject, which with the dressing added, in? duding a fashion short, news"reels and trailers, almost compels one to scream for the end. Paul Ash's departure from pit to stage, with his orchestra, is a pleas- ing change but otherwise the usual routine show persists. Ash m.c.'s and, at the beginning, announces the various acts that will appear. Pro- cession opens with Earl and Frances (New Acts), tap dancers. The 50-minute stage session runs Into some laughs with Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, here about a year ago, then switches to the Radio Aces (Stoner Bros, and Drake), trio of harmony singers. They're not bad, yet don't sock either. Act wears out its welcome by sticking around too long. The Gae Foster chorus girls, badly out of line and acting very tired when caught, serve as intrq medium for Florence and Alvarez, who also carry the clock too far. A fair enough act, fair attempt to improve on the Bolero with a very unortho- dox arrangement of their own but Ravel's classic remains unap- proachable. Abbott and Cpstello/ who earlier had done a slapstick routine, return near the close for a play on words concerning baseball figures. Act gets laughs and easily outdistances all others on the show. Radio Aces, spotted with the band, go into a medley of college songs for the finale with the Foster line while the Majorettes, baton-wielders, are held over from the prior show. Business light Friday night (23). Char. RKQ 58TH ST., N. Y. Jerry Baker, Jack & Alyce, Edith Brown, Lois Leonard, Anthony Tosca house orch (13); 'Four Daughters' (WB); 'Speed to Burn' (20th). This show is another copy of the bandvaude trend and a step in the right direction. Whether or not it will mean anything at this peculiarly situated house is another thing. House can draw both a middle-class clientele and also the smart set, both of whom are in the neighborhood. Policy is weekend vaude, two days only, Saturday and Sunday. Current bill, with two pictures, is light, and used as a feeler. If suc- cessful, it will expand, with one film dropped. Present show is well-lighted, but pacing could be better. Needs a flashier start, which second act, Jack and Alyce, could supply. Anthony Tosca's band also should be spread out more over the large stage. • Band, a former nitery crew, is plenty strong for such a house, but there again the clientele comes into consideration. A swingy aggrega- tion, with good arrangements,, a de- parture for most house bands, this crew may not be what the oldsters want. Youngsters, though, ate it up at first show Saturday after noon (24). Band's pretty loud in solos, having two trombones, three trumpets, four saxes, plus bass, piano and drums. Plays well for the show, though. • After Tosca's swing opening with 'Alexander's Ragtime Band,' rest of 32-minute show gets started with Edith Brown (New Acts), mimic. Jack and Alyce (New Acts), fast tapsters, follow and are best bets on bill. Band vocalist, Lois Leonard, brunet, makes a nice appearance and sings 'Now It Can Be Told' well. Jerry Baker, radioite and some- thing of a local fave, then on with a medley of 'Music, Maestro,' 'So Help Me' and 'Change Partners' from latest Astaire-Rogers film, Carefree' (RKO). Loses some at- traction of his pleasant baritoning .because he shifts about on his feet too much. Band show closes with a 'Bugle Call Rag' that goes way out in an- other world and has gallery kids stomping. Tosca introes the acts, and while making a poor m.c, is showmanly while batoneering. Last year, house tried Opportunity Night (acts for free) but the union and bookers beefed, which ended that. There was also an attempt at vaude but mediocre acts killed that, too. Hurl. suitable pictures weekly at this Brooklyn theatre. New setup of one good second-run and vaude enables management to book half as many films annually, ostensibly giving spot a better break on product. Apparently; plan is to. bring in acts from Strand and Loew's State, on Broadway, and night club names. Theatre can't afford to compete for name bands and consequently will 'strive to .develop house' orchestra under Teddy King. Management seemingly wants to appeal to jitterbugs with Frances Faye. She's okay and personable, but, oddly enough it's only when she vocals straight that she garners heaviest applause. Introduced as the 'miss from 52d street,' Miss Faye indicates she's under wraps. Opener is 'Za. Zu Zaz,' for which she's noted, followed by 'A-Tisket,' accompany- ing self on piano. After putting over 'Weekend of a Private Secretary' with trimmings, Miss Faye follows with 'Old Man Mose.' Encores with straight 'Music, Maestro,' which really sells her. Slate Bros., recently at State, N.Y., get by with much of their clowning. Fay Carroll, stately blonde, foils for many of their best gags. True Con- fession' offers her a chance to dis- play torchy warbling. King, m.c, is improved from his opening week's effort and consider- ably better than last season. Directs virtually the same house orchestra he did last year here, five brasses in 12-piece combo making for hefty voume. Main fault of orchestra is leaning too heavily on brass. King offers three soloists from orches- tra, including drummer pounding 'Rhythm Mister Drummer Man,' after he tries vocalizing it. Idea of getting audience to guess what drummer is pounding is excellent but fails to jell because of difficulty to tag onto tunes. Three Sophisticated Ladies, Flo Neil, Bella Lyons and Renee Randal, in opening spot, click as they did recently at Manhattan's Strand. Tapstering, acrobatics and rough- house clowning have been tightened since N.Y. showing. Frank Paris' marionettes go across well; Manipulating figures of Vera Zorina, Walt Disney's Dopey, Jose- phine Baker, a jitterbug he calls 'Polyhotcha,' and Sonja Henie go over solidly. Ice skating by Henie doll drew biggest applause at show caught. He's also from the N. Y. Strand. Entire setup runs 60 min- utes. Wear, APOLLO, N. Y. STRAND, BROOKLYN Teddy King house orch (12), three Sophisticated Ladies, Frank Paris, Frances Faye, Slate Bros. (3) with Fay Carroll; 'The Gladiator' ICol). Looks like vaudeville is' on the way to permanency in Brooklyn again. Its second week here this season is doing nicely at the box- office. Since many metropolitan houses began 4ualing on a wholesale scale, u had become tough to dig up two view Andy Kirk Orch with Mary Lou Williams, Pha Terrell, June Rich- mond, Moke & Poke, Pigmeat, Diane & De Campo, Five Shades of Rhy- thm, George Wiltshire, Jimmie Bas- kette. House Line (16); 'Reforma- tory' (Col). It's clicko week at the Apollo with Pigmeat, a frequent entertainer here, back in the lineup, and Andy Kirk's orchestra (Band Reviews) beating it out on its third appear- ance here. Current offering is one of the best house has had lately, being lively, compact and well- paced. With Moke and Poke (New Acts), funny youngsters from Baltimore; June Richmond, who'll be with Cab Calloway for the reopening of the Cotton Club, New York, ai d Pig- meat, plus latter's straights, George Wiltshire and Jimmie Baskette, there's plenty of real comedy. House line, too, is much improved over recent showings. Pigmeat is the pet of Apollo audi- ences, and they giggle if he just shows his noggin. Appreciation is well merited, .too. He's on in several spots, best of which is his first, a pantomime bit, with the finale find- ing him cracking a safe to cop a pin for his pants. Follows it later with a blackout, nicely done, but not as effective as the opener. Five Shades of Rhythm are in between, including a hi-de-ho singer, backed by a sax, guitar, piano and bass violin. Except for the singer, who's unbilled, turn doesn't seem to have much to recommend it, but it clicks anyway. Bass twanger also trips out for a tap, but it's the vocalist who really gets over. House has made some improve- ments in the pony line, apparent in several spots, notably one in which it backs Diane and De Campo, Who open with a semi-rhumba, and re- turn in straight ballroom stuff. In the latter girls decked out in blue and white beaded attire, wave large, red fans. Diane and partner are smooth and make excellent appear- ance in front of black drop on full stcl£6. Although not part of the Kirk set- up, Miss Richmond works with it here. Once with Jimmy Dorsey, she's appearing here with Calloway's okay. She mixes her vocals with impromptu terps and sets herself solidly with the customers. Voice and style are suitable for most any type of tune. Swings 'Weekend of a Private Secretary,* ballads 'What Do You Know About Love?' and begs off with 'Darktown Strutter's Ball.' Even then the customers are loath to let her go. Mary Lou Williams is the band's pianist and Pha Terrell its vocalist, both covered under Kirk's band re- STANLEY, PITT Pittsburgh, Sept 24, Kay Kyser Orch, Virginia Simms, Ish Kabibble, Sully Mason, Harry Babbitt; 'Garden of the Moon' (WB). Kay Kyser has gone a long way since he left here a couple of years ago after an eight-month engage- ment at the William Penn hotel. And it's not hard to understand why, either. The bespectaced maestro, in addition to his crack radio show, has developed a stage entertainment that's among the topnotchers; Show is merely an elaboration of Kyer's air program fitted to the foot- lights. There's an informality about the whole entertainment that sifts contagiously through the pews. Never has a Stanley audience en- joyed itself more completely. All this can't be attributed to the fact that Kyser's more or less con- sidered a local product. He gained popularity here for some time pre- ceding his network click but then again Smoky City payees are usu- ally pretty apathetic to home-town- ers. It's all in the Kyser manner. With success have come showman- ship, assurance and an infectiously antic style that set him definitely apart from the usual band leaders. Chef secret lies in Kyser's apparent enjoyment of the proceedings him- self; he's all over the stage and get- ting a big bang out of everything. Kyser on his own is practically the whole works. Orchestra is all right, but not too much above average, and it stands or falls on batoneer's per- sonality. First half hour is devoted to regulation band stuff, with Kyser holding court in slick fashion, with latter section going to the musical quiz in which six ticket-holders are drafted from the audience and fight it out for first and second prizes of $5 and $2.50. Remaining four get a pair of ducats each to the theatre. The quiz stuff produces a barrel- ful of laughs, all due to Kyser, as- sisted in part by the boys on the stand. He gets his contestants to loosen up, clowns around with them without ever growing offensive and generally makes them feel they're as responsible for the unit's click as he is. Mob eats it up here. In the opening half, too, Kyser is everywhere, wise-cracking, whoop- ing up a novelty presentation of 'Hi Silver' in hoss opry fashion and get- ting the gang out front in his corner before the curtains have had a chance to stay put. Specialists with the band are Virginia Simms, looker with oodles of aopeal and a corking vocalist; Harry Babbitt, personality- plus crooner; Sully Mason, kicking off a crack novelty, 'Stop Beating Around the Mulberry Bush,' and Ish Kabibble, dead-pan comedian, who's always been and still is a Kyser standby. Despite fact that opening show went on an hour before noon for first time here, house full at break Cohen. Roxy, Salt Lake City played at Butte last week and ac- companied his daughter here. After his daughter vocals 'Stardust' and displays some hot cloggery, father joins in a challenger hoofing con- test, with each alternating. Father, despite his portly appearance, is agile *otf. buck-wingamology. ' O'Brien and Goldberg, in striped blazers, stage 'A Night at the Radio,' chiefly tepid mimicry of ether com- mercials. New material and less drollery would buoy act into audi- ence acceptance class. Billy Irons, Negro youth, manipulates aptly on a pair of roller skates, executing, too, Boj angles' staircase routines. Guss. EARLE, PHILLY Salt Lake City,. Sept. 24. Grace Johnson, Jackie Fields, Doris Myston, Alexander Micucci, Bert & Betty, Billy Irons, O'Brien & Goldberg, Billy Broadway, Joe & Marie Smith, Bill Floor house orch'; 'Saturday's Heroes' (RKO). Major Bowes' current unit,"'Inter- collegiate Revue,' whose personnel was supposedly recruited from American rah-rah institutions, pre- sents a variety bill, but its length, 64 minutes, robs the show of brisk pacing, which sold previous tyro units at this vaudfilmer. Bill Floor's regular house band opens with a medley of college pops, with entire outfit on stage for a brief warbling session. Grace Johnson, blonde and statuesque, m.c.'s nicely, doubling effectively as a torcher, aided by novel musical arrange- ments. Ice-breaking tyro is redheaded Jackie Fields, whose forte is opera- tic airs on varied . harmonicas. Youth, apparently green before a packed house, appeared nervous at the offset of show caught but gained confidence as he caught his second breath. O.K. for an opener. Bert and Betty, mixed team, has 'em vociferously palm-patting as they produce music with a pair of drum sticks on all the stage props. Pair have latent talent and of the two standout acts, theirs by a narrow margin, is best received. Doris Myston, the 'mascot' of the unt, displays senior talent in tapping while ropeskipping and precision cloggery. Moppet's costume hinders her shapely gams. Groan-box offer- ings of Alexander Micucci borders on the long hair variety, but, after a call, responds with 'Alexander,' in the groove all the way. Having gained praisery in Ripley's 'Believe It or Not' cartoons as the most prolific boy soprano, Billy Broadway unleashes his pipes to cive out three lush classicals. Miss Johnson's turn next, singing a couple of pops. Her subdued contralto voice is effective and she under- stands mike technique. No. 2 standout is the father- daughter dance team of Joe .and Marie Smith. Pere Smith, it's ex- plained, isn't a member of the •troupe, but -came from New York City to visit his daughter while unit Embassy Newsreel, N. Y. Storm damage in New York, Long Island and New England states steals camera spotlight from European crisis on this program. Paramount, Universal and News of Day got a break on coverage when Wednes- day's- (21) storm let up, permitting excellent shots from airplanes. Pos- sibly the most pictorially graphic Story the newsreel cameramen have secured in months. Par and U special their storm footage, and with good reason. Par leads off with Gene Marshall's crisp word picture enhancing superb photographic story, from New York City and Long Island, up the eastern coast to New Hampshire and Con- necticut. Airplane shots give com- prehensive idea of the destruction. Water front damage, wrecked Long Island train, state guards on duty in Providence and an unusually effec- tive night scene of a New London, Conn., blaze highlight U's excellent footage. N. of D. includes a second wrecked train and numerous close- ups of Westhampton, L: I., wreckage. All three handle Westhampton dam- age and New London fire from air. Nuremberg meeting with Hitler, in closeups, is hissed. Movietone and N. of D. treat the subject well. Former also has speech of Chamber- lain before boarding plane for first Hitler conference. U obtains speeches from Key Pittman, Senator Nye and Dorothy Thompson, jour- nalist, on significance of European situation. Par also is right on the job at Southern Pacific rail wreck in Ari- zona, air view and closeups showing effect of terrific crash in desert re- gion. Tokyo flood gives U a disaster yarn. Pathe and N. of D. cover American Legion parades in Los Angeles, latter giving interesting treatment. N. of D. also shows Gold Star mothers hosted by Metro and Marion Davies and Norma Shearer greeting Legion Auxiliary members fit A. tG3. Honoring heroes of Panay sinking in China-caught by Movietone. Par has monument to Wiley Post and Will Rogers in Alaska and unusual flower show on the Coast. Lew Lehr furnishing mild humor with chatter about Chicago bears in zoo and an Australian bird. Chicago horse race is covered by U while Movietone catches a turf race in England. Latter also pro vides kick with shots of Texas grid players training in cowboy garb, N. of D. shoots Belmont racing in downpour. Log rolling, competition on the Coast by U is thrilling. March of Time's Czech Reel With the eyes and ears of all America trained on the present Eu- ropean situation, March of Time launches its new season (No. 1 of Volume 5) with timely treatment of Czechoslovakian Droblem. Issue has been cleverly split up between war —as typified by developments in Eu- rope, 'Prelude to Conquest'—and peace, 'Father Divine's Deal,' as typi- fied by his flock moving into new peaceful resort on Hudson river banks. Europe's war clouds subject looks as though it might have been pro- duced just after Chamberlain's fli'st visit to Hitler, so concise is its pres- entation of motives in Germany's move to help Sudeten Teutons in Czechoslovakia, as well as whys and wherefores of Czech attitude. It is nicely balanced between parade of the military, graphic charts, close- ups of leaders and routine daily scenes in Czech territory. Smoothly built up, with .some pho- tographic shots that have'been seen before, this recital of causes and possible results of biggest story in today's headlines obtains its lift from forceful narration of veteran M. of T. announcer. Father Divine's arrival with his flock on bluffs of Hudson opposite Roosevelt's family estate is pro- jected as the 'legend of 1938' as com- pared to other legend of Sleepy Hol- low country. Possible resentment by the nation's chief executive is briefly touched, with Krum Elbow estate owner designating it as 'Father Di- vine's Deal,' in contract to New Deal. Arrival of colored preacher's flock on river boat is accidentally climaxed by sudden slip and fall of Father Divine as he is leaving boat for opening of Hudson river camp. Comment of Walter Winchell on possible controversy is handled via a photographed scene of Daily Mir- ror columnist spieling before mike the actual item used in his column. Audience reaction at Music Hall, N. Y., to Czech portion of release was a round of boos for Hitler and applause for Benes and the forceful Czechoslovakian scenes. Wear. Philadelphia, Sept. 24. Buddy Rogers' Orch (15), Mary Brian, Britt Wood, Elizabeth Tilton, Bob Hannon, Dick Kissinger, Dick Fisher, Al Leno, Lew Schrader house orch; 'Secrets of. an Actress' (WB). Buddy Rogers, back at the Earle with an orchestra Of 15, specializes in comedy and novelty numbers. Seems that his night club experience has smoothed Rogers' style, though bill, as a whole, while not one to ex- cite the more extreme jitterbugs, is fast and entertaining. Opening with a neatly played swing medley, band demonstrates its flair for novelty the first time with 'Horrors, the Horoscope,' with' Rogers soloing the lyrics and some striking lighting effects helping lift the whacky number. Principal femme soloist of the outfit is Elizabeth Tilton, who dem- onstrates personality and a good voice. The crowd likes her 'A Tis- ket' and 'You Go to My Head.' Britt Wood, in his hick makeup and with plenty of clowning, harmonicas well, but a lot of his gags have whiskers. No question about his scoring, how- ever. At second show Friday (23), audience insisted on three returns, and Wood ran the gamut of opera and strictly pop tunes on his instru- ment. Dick Kissinger, stout member of the orchestra, always popular, ex- tracts a lot of comedy from his bull fiddle. Mary Brian appears late on the -program;-she- and Buddy ex- change some mildly amusing wise- cracks. Miss Brain introduces her tap dancing offering amusingly by calling out her two, male partners in the routines, Dick Fisher and Al Leno, and explains that the reason they're teaming up is that they hap- pen to be on the same bill. Miss Brian's tapping is okay, climaxing with a hotcha number. Bob Han- non, malt soloist with the outfit, warbles two numbers brightly to fine reception. In the final number the orchestra gives everything it has and Rogers returns to his familiar, but always popular, custom of playing virtually every instrument. There has been a change in the presentation, but it still clicks, especially the part call- ing for the other members of the band to strike because Rogers is 'poaching' in their fields. Waters. JUBILESTA, K* C. (MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM) Kansas City, Sept. 24. Hugh Herbert, Uncle Ezra, Elea- nore Whitney, Hoosier Hot Shots, Henry Burr, Les Juvelys, Art La Fleur, Dorothy Hill Line (16), Ray Steck orch., Roslta Royce, George Burns and Grade Allen, Ruth Pryor, Bartel-Hurst Foursome, Three Tro- jans, Samuel Bros. & Hayes; Carl Freed's Harmonica Band, Joe & Jane McKenna, Jack Fulton, Billy House, Laugh Liner Radio Show, Jimmy Dorsey Orch., Rudy Vallee Orch., Caryl Gould, Chick Kennedy, Vic Hyde, Mirth & Macfc, Cyril Smith, Edna Strong, Pansy, the Horse, Seab Waring, King's Men. The town's annual vaude feast, the Jubilesta, ended a nine-day series with more than 90,000 in attendance and the tills ringing up slightly under $100,000. The Jubilesta, staged in the 11,000-seat new muny audi- torium, and running three shows simultaneously, dwarfed any other "show of the year in the midwest. Rudy Vallee's crew, playing -the last two days, was the only act which played to a packed house. Lincoln Dickey, in setting the lineup, counted on Vallee to put the show in the money, with a final splash. Monday (19) and Tuesday (20) programs brought on Hugh Herbert and Eleanore Whitney, who gave way to Uncle Ezra and his Hoosier Hot Shots. Ezra's sentimental trav- esties and the Hot Shots, regis- tered solidly with some pop num- bers. Les Juvelys, French balanc- ing couple, likewise clicked. Art La Fleur, human top; JSosita Royce, dove dancer; Henry^Burr, singing old songs; the Dorothy Hill line (16), the Dancing Greyes (5) and Ray Steck's orchestra rounded out the hour and a half. Midweek, Burns and Allen, with the show built around them,-reached a slightly higher standard than the two previous ones. Their 20 min- utes of gags were interrunted only by one pop song from Miss Allen. Another act of their calibre would have Dut this show on near par with the closer. In support, the Three Trojans, with some collegiate acro- batics, and Samuel Bros, and Hayes, adagoists, were outstanding. Main event Friday (23) was the Jitterbug dance played for by Jimmy Dbrsey r s band, which also brought in four nearby college bands to present a rhythm rodeo with about 6,500 dancers in attendance. Earlier in the evening The Laugh Liner show from CBS in Chicago presented a preview of a broadcast. Billy House m.c.'d this one while Jack Fulton was outstanding. Fri- day also included a special school kids' matinee, with some special acts brought in, some for kid appeal. Closin* unit, with Vallee. had ft (Continued on page 6?>