Variety (Oct 1938)

44 VARIETY VARIETY HdlifSE REVIEWS Wednesday, Oetober 26, 1938 MUSIC HALL, N. Y. *AU-TschoiJcotDsIcy/ with Beatrice Joyce, Leon Fokine, Alma Lee, Alice Young, Norma Gdllo, 'Xvonne Ravell Hilda Eckler, MaSctne Williams George Kiddon, Fred Nazinoff, Vol Geurdl, Carlos Peterson, Igor Meller, Glee Club, Rockettes, Ballet; 'Mad Miss Manton' (RKO), reviewed in Variety, Oct. 12. The Rockefellers are giving 'em an 'AU-Tschaikowsky' show; a double^ dose ot class, pretty lah-de-dah, gorgeous scenery and general, all- around- boredom for most ai^body except a confirmed Carnegie Hall addict Considering that the 'Mad Miss Manton' is not by any conception an arty picture, this stage show doesn't seem to fit its screen ad- junct. No outside-booked acts this week in the Leonidolf-produced exposi- tion of some of Tschaikowsky's works, notably the popular *Nut- cicacker Suite.*^ Mostly all special- ties, plus the glee dub, ballet and Rockettes; with. Norma Galld, con- tortion-dancer, standing out in. a strikingly beautiful desert scene. Show starts with the symph's. inter- pretation of the familiar overture, ^812,' and ends with the "Waits of the Flowers,' by ihe ballet,, choreog- ra^y by Florence Rngg^ Bodcettes get their Inning in "Dance of the Mirlitons,' a novelty that could do i-or Xmas. It's' all very pr**ty, but, once past the crashing:, cymbals and cannon- flire in '1812,' irs.an insomnia.-cure. This, however,, is.not aimed as criti- cism of tte tuneful singing by Bea-> trice Joyce of *None but the Lonely Heart,* or Leoa Fdkine'a expert •Chinese. DancCi' nor, ^ fact, any of the talent . iq a - particularly aiissthetic frame. . openMg:. was. hardly robust, Scho. CHICAGO, CHICAGO Chicago, Oct. 22. Ortin Tucker Otch- wUh Bailey Sisters & Bottnie Baker, Paul Sydell & Spotty, Harm & Shdre; 'tf I Were King' (Par). Orrin Tucker's orchestra has- caught on around here and flgures; as a good' bpoiking fbr thf^ house. TUcker has a youthful aggregation eeneridly, and thii can serve as an' excuse:, for." several numbers' wjbich, may nojt be completely admissible as entertainment these days. This in- cludes Oie band lining.up as a chorus ani. 8tvin$blinjg through what is sup- posed to tie a burlesque. Even re- sort to one fellow's garter flapping around in a hunt for laughs.-. Not funny in .this house,, and doesn't fig- vure for comedy in anything but the smaller spots. His musicians, are good. Tucker has a good, clean-cut appearance and does a good job of singing himself on the lighter numbers. He misses, however, at the ballads. But Tucker does have femme sing- ers who are topnotdi. The BaUey Sisters give out With plenty of Swing and sell, solidly..° Appearance and pipes rate as surefire anywhere. Soloist is Bonnie Baker, ivho has possibilities, with a<j)aive.^ae West quality iti her tonsils. .Dimpled anal denture, she crosses 'em up" with come-hither eyes that has this audi- ence rolling; She should, however, stick to the lighten sbiS. on account of this personality twist, and lay off the heavier ballads, such as The Man I Love.' Two. acts in front of the band aiid both good. PauI. Sydell has a rank- ing dog turn, with his Spotty never missing .on the paw-standing. Har- ris and Shore have changed their routines somewhat but are still cinches with their bufleiique ball- room numbers. Gal has a good sense of mugging and clowning, getting ovev even .in such.a bi& house as the Chicago. Biz excellent at last show Fri- day (22). ' Gold. STATE, HARTFORD Lips' is effective, and the aud treats it accordingly. The Benn«^ Sisters .ihtersperse their vocaling With some fair hoofing. Gals sing 'Lambeth walk' and then demonstrate the dance with boys from the orchestra. Wayne Gregg, baritone,-is a'win- ner with 'Change Partners,' 'You' Go to My Head' and 'Deep in a Dream.' Melissa Mason's lanl^- nut* hoofing and operatic mimicry are well re- ceived. Tiny Gonnan> heavyweight hoofer, also clicks. Vocals 'Some of These Days,' too. Band finales with a jam session. On Friday night (21), when caught, McGoy had for his guest a six-year-old local moppet, Mary Ann Lacedina, whom he picked from an amateur show held at the house the same night. Youngster has nice pipes and scored heavity with *Bei Mir Bist Du SchoeJi' and other num- bers. Biz good. Eck. HIPP, BALTO Baltimore, Oct. 22. Chick Webb Orch, Ella Fitzgerald, Chuck & Chuckles, Lindy Hoppers- (4); 'Girls School' (Col). First hometown appearance of Chick Webb since hitting tiie upper bradcets is-a:;kiner-dilter—rand how! Walloping out .45 hunutes solid, swing, Webb, Fitzgerald, etc., are- not ohty attracting the town!s cats and sending in robust stgde, but drawing, many conservative, curious stub-holders. With Webb modesUy seated be- hiad his drums'band fronted by personable stick>-weaver from the band;, who pleasingly handles the layout- Opening number by band,, however, (|uickly reveals prowess W«bb at the hides and h&.gets show off to a rousHig .stark Pace. hold& wotfa appearance of four Lindy Hop- peis itesA, who-'«et right s{k>t for bend's- jam session whic^ follows. 'King Porter Stomp,'- by band, with solo members coing- to town and- audience joining hand-dapping, holds hectic pace- an* precedes Cliuck and Chuckles, whose hotcha legmania ties up matters tightly. They're difficult to follow, but Ella Fitzgerald does that to . an ovation. Sings 'You Go to liy Head,' 'Jitter- bug,' 'Saving Myself for You' and the inevitable *A-Tisket.' Entire en- semble joins in lengthy, hut effec- tive, swing finale. ' Biz big.. Bum. EARLE, PHILLY Hartford, Oct. 22. Two Funks, Jack. GilfoTd, Frank Conville & Sunny Dale, Melissa M. CDn, Clyde McCoy Orch (13) wl..i .Bennett Sisters (3), Wayne Gregg, Tiny Gorman, Sam Kaplan house orch,; '10th Avenue Kid' (Rep). Another sock show at the State this week with: Ctyde Mc(^oy's'or- choctra headlining. Bill opens with the Two Funks, whose balancing on a platform atop a ladder, clicks. Next is Jack Gil- ford witli impressions that get over, particularly those of Rudy Vallee and Charles Butterworth. I'rank Conville and Sunny Dale supply the comedy with their rough- house and repartee. He's short, she's tall. His mimicry of Charles Chaplin In a dime-a-dance routine with Miss Conville brings hearty laughs. Clyde McCoy, .on next, uses his theme, 'Sugar Blues,'. to , open, also to close. Plays twis other composi- tions of his own, 'Tear It Down' and *Ride to Glory.' Hiis ttumpet imita- tion of Henry Busfie playing 'Hot J>hiladelphta, Oct. 22. Freddie Bartholometo, Herbte Kay Orch, Jjunes Etdns, Nancy Healy, Marion Bellett & English Bros., Wi/nne Foir, Fuzzy Combs, Lou Schrader house orch; 'Youth Takes a FliTiflf' (U). Although one of the most costly shows to hit the Earle boacds in months, present combo failed to dick at the opening sesh. Major operation was immediatety performed on it by 'Skip' Weshner, Warner exec in charge of the house, which perked it considerably. Still pretty flat, however, despite the fact that acts are. individually good and 14-year- old Freddie Batholomew is about all Uiat covld-be-wished for in a p.a.. House is bteak. without a name band; which when played here, nearly, always dicks. So, to take care* of this situation and still not go overboard on the nut,, considering, the-heavy coin required for Barthol- omew, Werner got^oae of the low- er-priced bands, Herbie Kay. Young Bartholomew m.c.'s. Result is vaude of the old-fashioned sort. Instead of what has often occurred recently, the band carrying the whole show with no outside aid. Kay's crew get£> practically no Chance to perform, although it clicked amoothty in a nitery engage- ment here last season. Curtain ups on the band, with Bartholomew running, from one wing and Kay from the other. There's some patter as to who will m.c., the youngster getting the lion's share. He has a likeable person- ality, is suave and sure in his gab. Couple gags between the two aimed at heating .up the house fall some- what flat. But then,, after Introing the other acts, Kay brings oh Mas- ter Bartholomew for his turn, which is similar to that which he used at the State, New York, last week. Screen is let down and Judy Gar- land appears on it. Conversation en- sues between the two. Lad then switches to the screen with the gal and they go through ia scene in 'Listen Darling' (M-G), current at the Boyd. Interesting. Then back to Bartholon;ew, on stage,, for the finale. Bit is okay, but suggests too much a trailer plugging a pic. James Evans, juggler, lies on his back, first twirling balls on his feet, then a bed. There's a comedy touch when covers fall off bed, revealing a pair of dummies. Marion Bellett and the English Bros, also good. Gal and two fellows knock about, gar- nering plenty of laughs. Femme," with her contortions, is especially funny. Nancy, Healy, tapper, recently in the tryout here of Max Gordon's legiter, 'Sing Out the News.' is a good. technician. Herb. Wintergarten, Berlin Berlin, Oct.. 15. Ballet, Josef Blank & Co. (3), Josef Lobers, Tilly Schumann dr- ew, 4 W.indsorettes, JfCannon fietn« bayo, Caletti Cloum THp,-£d0ar, Re- gine & Shanley, Helena- & Partner, 6 Gridneffs, Ray &■ Eddie, Non-star, lightweight payroll bill here this month, likely to puU enough do-re-mi to keep shy of the ried. No. 1 outfit is the Hungiaria-ballet cavorting aimlessty in hodge-podge wardrobe. Strong deuce is offered by Josef : Blank & Co., two man-one femme combo, in A-1 juggling. Males do a hfiad-to-head stand, with the under one juggling silk toppers and passing them on to his partner. The latter's^ getting shifted to his part- ner's palm is neatty timed. The next niche is filled by Josef Lobers, single, with jokes of yesteryear. The TiUy Schumann' miniature circus is now on with its ponies, dogs, monkeys and a goat that frolic about and do their stuff to the great ddight of the deni- zens. Goat, on a barrel, which it makes revolve, is the oustanding fea- ture. Act plenty liked. Next are the 4 Windsorettes, tagged in the second half of the bill as the Herzog Luft Girls, Contortionist takes, a smoke, with, her toes, and the others go in for whirlwind acros. They have some good stuff and go over well enough, but are short on S>od-looking duds and style.- Kannan embayo, on the slack rOpe, goes to town with the double-back somer- sault In next-to-closing of the first half is the Coletti Clown Trio. The Charlie Rlvels steal is not necessary; they should cut it because they are quite able to stand on their own. They do some hot acros and have some nifty business. Musicking is weakest spot. The Hungarian line is back with the Magyar males looking- the'nertz in white capes and. full white trousers. Joined by the femmes they do a peasant terp, hwdi 'supe- rior to the first in form, i>antomime and. costumes. Herzog's Girls are now on, two of them opening with corking effects on the hanging rope. A plant, coming on stage to work with three of the gals on the flying, freeze, furnishes loads of laughs, knows, her stuff and reaps good returns. Edgar, the ven- triloquist, with his wooden foil, Joe, is well liked. His collection of dolls, caricatures of Laurel and Hardy, Hans .Albers, etc., goes over big Re- gine and Shanley. ultra-mQdem ball- room terpers, look well and are dra- matically effective to the strains of 'Liebestraum.' Going from the sub- lime to the very ridiculous Is Helena and Partner, the latter being a pup-' pet with feet attached to hers, in a dance that is stiff; dull and sans all chanh; After this painful fiU-in, Re- gine ° and Shanley are back, the femme-stunning in white, in contrast to his' black outfit. An interpretation of Rayel brings in plenty of palm smacking. The 6 Gridheffs offer balancing on ladders arid are replaced by Ray and Eddie in excellent floor tumbling and •acros. The one with the deadpan provides laughs, music is snappy and act is plenty liked. The Hungarian terpers close. Trask. APOLLO, N. Y. Big-time Crip, Cook &■ Brown, Bartell-Hurst Foursome, Sandy Bums & Johnnie LaRue with John- nie Vigal & Vivian Harris, Noble Sissle Orch with Edith Wilson & Billy Banks; 'Highwixy Patrol' (Col). Noble Sissle's accomplished rhythm-makers are the whole show here. Stage presentation has too much and too-prolonged trimmings before Sissle's aggregation is offered. This is a mistake of arranging be- cause more of Sissle and less of routine production numbers would go smoother.* Sissle has one of slick- est oiitfits to play here in some time, being particularly effective with his specialists and novelties, r. Sissle opens singing and then also creditabty vocals 'Alexander's Rag- time Band,' his .^rst announced num- ber. 'Jitterburg Jump,' novelty tune, rings in an tmusual sax solo and fancy warbling of another member of aggregation. Both deftly present- ed. Jam session with six selected members playing is great stuff, and wows 'em. Leading the band's specialists Is Billy Banks, voice manipulator, who does about everything but play a musical instrument, making up for this by trumpet imitation. Encores With 'Jam Session,' after popular treatment of 'Small Fry.' Other billed specialist is Edith Wilson, who went so well with her 'Can't Face the Music,' when caught, that she had to counter with 'Want a Rough and Ready Man.' Latter brought five bows and three verses for encore. She finally had to level off with 'I Haven't Changed a Thing' to keep the show moving. Excellent diction ^and pleasing pipes are her chief assets. Miss Wilson is on earlier for 'Starting Revolution' song, with chorus boys, but it could be eliminated because it's not particu- larly flattering to her. Sissle concluder is 'One o'clock Jump,' which is an excuse for bring- ing on the line in the show's most colorful number. But it still leaves a demand for more Sissle. Bartell-Hurst Foursome, white adagio combo of three males and plump, blonde miss, is smartest sin- gle act from remainder of lineup. Veterans all, this group has been around blg-tlme as headliners in vaude dance r^vue act, and preseht turn looks geared to present-day vaudeville demands. Johnnie LaRue and Sandy Bums comedy duo, assisted by Johnnie Vigal and Vivian Harris, garner big- gest laughs with familiar ghost-der serted house skit from burlesque. Two comics are faves here. Cook and Brown^ two tapster youths, have makings of a creditable turn if aero tricks are developed. Bigrtime- Crip, husky one-legged male, does remarkable dancing, aided by crutch, and also without it, in fast tempo. A hard worker, he surprises with the variety of fancy steps he does without a miss. Opening has chorus girls and boys, in football garb, and Apollo stock company doing rah-rah formations. College, swing climax is okay, but grid scuffle on stage is superflous and meaningless. Wear. Embassy Newsreel, N. Y. Current newscUp parade- allows for a substantial amount of exdte- ment, with most of it deriving from tife lens reports of six football games (one professional). Dividing the ma* jor Interest with the Gridiron events is Paramount's covering of the Naiii spy trial in New York and the Eucharistiw Congress in New Or- leans. The commentator on the last item imparts a bit of drama with the passing remajrk that the film of the meet's opening- day had been burned during an airplane accident in Ala- bama. For those. indined to give open opinions of personalities in the news this we^'s dips provide a field day. •When reviewed it was curious to note that tiie same element that ^p- plauded Hitler accorded equally, em- phatic approval to Charles Lind- bergh, while the hissing dU:eded> at the aviation hero was of no less vol- ume than the bronxeroo that the Fuehrer's map provoked. Fox in- troduced the Lindbergh Incident, while. Universal contributed the scene with Hitler. The latter shows the triumphant Hitler and Goering being greeted by the Sudetans. Hit- ler, visits what'had been Czech de- fensive pillboxes, while Goering ap- plies himsdf to bestowing cookies upon flaxenhaired little girls. Par piQtures President Benes' resignation, with the reaction, when caught, be- ing nothing but applause. Nazi spy trial is treated with con- siderable detail. All principals, in- cluding judge and prosecutors, are captured by the two Par clips. There's also a touch of comedy. The narrator remarks that 'now we will enter the trial courtroom with a Par cameraman.' Latter is shown snap- pity entering a revolving door and the next moment he's seen getting a fast brushout through the same door with a cOurt attache lending a bit of propulsion. RKO gets into the international department with two clips, 'One showing the British Legion ttiat was supposed to police the Czech plebis- cite and the other dealing vnth the intensive organization that has been created among Chinese for the medi- cal treatment of its wounded soldiers and noncombatants. Fox likewise de- livers a sidelight on the Sino-Jap- anse imbroglio by parading a regi- ment of Chinese women in soldiers' uniforms. Par accounts for still another in- teresting strip in reporting the suc- cessful docking of the Queen Mary without the aid of a single tUg dur- ing the recent New York harbor strike.- Lew Lehr goes over some of his old gags in. commenting on a monk's antics while it waters- a lawn, but clicks nicely when the subject is a baQitub elevator. As usual, the gridiron division In- cludes a lengthy clip of a collegiate clash which the Embassy covered for Itself. Event caught was the Ford- ham-Purdue game, and it was crack newsreellng. Oder.. DENHAM, DENVER Denver, Oct. 22. Morton Downey, Faith Bacon, Frances & WoUy, Elite Trio, Blue Streaks (13), Sam Leschel house orch; 'Sons of Legion' (Par). Morton Downey is the big click here this week, and the tenor rates it. Working alone, he accompanies himself on the piano and also sings numerous selections with the or- chestra. He has ai first-rate string troupe in support. The Elite Trio, deadpan ballroomologists, work well and the crowd repays them. The Blue Streaks, a roUerskating trio, plus a youngster who sings and dances, get over big, too. Frances and Wally clown in their singing and dancing for good returns. Closing, Faith Baqon, In her orchid dance, which is only a variation of the fan and balloon terps. Mildly received. Working with flimsy mate- rial, she flnalty strips. . Business good at Saturday night (22) show. Rose. LOEWS STATE, N. Y. Helen Reynolds Skaters (8), Jom and Jane McKenno, SehnicJccl/ritz Band (S), Benny Baker Co., Salid Puppets;'Spaw n of th e^North^ (Par). Two acts with a film flavor, both new, color the current quintet of turns, at the State. Layout in toto. is .fair vaude, but nothing particu- larly soqko or distinguished save perhaps—of aU things—the clbsine marionet turn, Sallci's Pupipets un- auestionabty the best Punch-and- Judy revue in the business. It's a dandy , sight act, ideal for a spot such as the N. Y. Rainbow Room and a cinch for anybody's theatre. Helen Reynolds and her Cham- pion Skaters (8) open on, rollers with their standard daredeviltry Femmes do amazhig acro-terp rou- tines and are a flashy opener. Joe and Jane McKenna are knockabout of a typed vaude vintage. The somewhat heavyweight sister threat- ens mayhem and assault Upon her vls-a-vis and that constitutes thfe major burden of their slambang WbrettO. I^edffle fisher and iSS Schnickelfntz Band (New Acttf) have been around.-but for the ret- ords they're , "noticed' again. BennV Baker, stooge alumnus, now has a stoogery aU his own (also under New Act8)„' and he comes here as a sort of minor film name—a type that's proved strong b.o. around- the country. Baker does well. v.^,?,*^'^* .Puppets flbale with their highly elaborate revue, wherein no detail of costuming or musical syn- chronization has been slighted. Abel. LYRIC, INDPLS. Indianapolis, Oct. 22. Pepper Martin's Mttdcot Band, Milt Douglas <fr PHscilla Pierce, Aris- tocrats (12), Gilbert Bros. (2). Carl- ton Emmy; 'Broadway Musketeers^ (WB). Wtth no names to draw in the shekels, coupled with a weak pic- ture, house Is due to slow down this week. Running time of 54 mins. has okay acts, but no standouts. Given headline billing is Pepper Martin's Mudcat Band, consisting of Rip Collins, Francis Bordagaray, Bill McGee and Bob Weiland. all with the St Louis Cardinals.. They have a dugout Informality but lack smooth operation. Get off some gags and play a few hillbilly tunes to fill their 14^inule spot. Gilbert Bros, open with slow mo- tion control balancing on horizontal bar, coming out to one to work with hand-to-hand balancing. Win a healthy salvo. Aristocrats, six boys and sbc girls, split their turn into two appearances. First Is musical comedy tap, okay without causing any excitement Carlton Emmy scores solidty with 12 perfectly trained dogs, who gar- ner a lot of laughs with their com- edy antics. Has an unusual opening when Emmy comes on as single to sing about his girl friends, finally introducing those who have re- mained faithful, the hounds. Milt Douglas takes over the lionti share of time with 21 minutes of gags. TeUs theiA himself first, then acts as straight for femme, Priscilla Pierce, ending up with more gags tossed back and forth. Material is clean, and audience responds with plenty giggles. Aristocrats close with dance, routine in whicji they combine waltz, adagio, tap and ballet, for okay curtain. Biz thin at third shoW Friday (21). Kiley. STANLEY, PITT Pittsburgh, Oct. 22. Ted Lewis Orch (14), Da, my White, Eddie Leonard, Shelton Brooks, Snowball Whittier, Dancing Gales (6), Loretia Lane, Verne Al- len, Johnny Coy, Lewis Singers (6); 'Arkansas Traveler* (Par). Year in and year out, Ted Lewis becomes more and more of an insti- tution and his sentimental formula a tradition. Times may change, but Lewis stays put and nobody would have him different. Current unit's about the best he's brought around in several seasons, chock: full of solid virtues, best of which is still Lewis himself. Lewis isn't kidding when he steps out onto the apron and says 'home again.' This is one of his hottest spots and if he's occasionally disap- point it by toting tlte same layout several teasons in succession, he cer- tainly comes through this time. The old standbys are here, but they're expected. On the other , hand, he's inserted novelties, sock acts, a swing down memory lane and more A-1 ingredients than the ordinary show- man can properly digest in an hour. Lewis is among the topnotchers and proof of that can be found, in the way he runs off the hybrid elements of his present lineup. For his showy finale he's- snatched a bit of his re- cent engagement at Billy Rose's N. Y. Casa Manana, building it around Eddie Leonard, the veteran minstrel, and Shelton Brooks, latter composer of 'Darktown Strutters Ball' and 'Some of These Days.' Swell show- (Continued on page 45)