Variety (Aug 1939)

20 VARIETY TARIETY HOUSE REVIEWS Wednesday, August 2, 1939 MUSIC HALL, N. Y. June Forrest, Paul Gerrita, Theo- ddre Webb, Corps de Ballet, Rocfc- ettes, GI«e Club, Jan Peerce, St. Clair & Day, Music Hall Symph un- der direction of Emo Rapee; 'Wiiiter Carnival' (UA), reuietued in Varie- ty, Jttlv 19. Extremely effective staging and lighting, with. sets and routines in- clnied towards the fantastic, help make the usual array ot talent here seem more eflfectlve. The Music Hall has framed a strong back- ground to overcome rather weak screen fare. There are no outstand- ing names, but many Hall standbys, neatly impressed into Russell Mar^ ket's conception of the constellations, also help put it over. Show is called 'Stars at Midnight,' theme calling for visits to the stars and planets. It gives the theatre, now a mecca for out-of-town visr itors, a chance for full sweep in manipulating mechanical stage gad- gets. Lighting by Eugene Braun also is a big help. Show opens with 'Stardust' played by the orchestra, refrain keeping apace with the program theme. Trip to Venus gives the revolving stage a workout, one side showing an array of white statues, while one, June Forrest, warbles. Revolving the other side into view, Florence Rogge's superbly trained' toe dis-' ciples go into action. White cos- tumes and wigs add to the bright lustre of the cleverly-conceived bal- let conceit. Call on Mars brings on the Glee Club for its initial appearance, with Theodore Webb soloing the 'chal- lenge to war and prayer for peace.' Background of warrior skeletons is embellished by tricky color lighting. Glee clubbers are garbed as ancient warriors to back up Webb's solo. Paul Gerrits is billed as a satel- lite but the backdrop gives him the comedy billing 'Rollerino.' His acro-skating, joke-telling and fancy rollerskating click handsomely, giv- ing the previous stately proceedings the needed comedy lift Rockettes are sensationally framed Into 'the trip to Mercury,' with the winged cap and shoes a dominating motif for costurnes ot the 32 dancers. Speed idea is further accentuated by each Rockette's garb, with red on one side ail'd green on the other. A typical topflight Rockette number, only done to speedier tempo than usual and made vivid by the con- trasting color scheme. Gene Snyder wins the laurels for this swift dance, which visualizes the spirit of speed- ing Mercury. After that almost anything would seem anti-climatic. But Markert has made the final scene a rare climax. Jan Peerce, tenor fixture here, starts this with 'A Serenade to the Stars.' Full stage shows a re- alistic blue sky backjground with a sprinkling of stars. This is the set- ting for St. Clair and Day ^New Acts), ballroomologists. Glee club, divided equally, with Miss Forrest leading one section and Peerce the other, then swings into action from opposite wings with 'Serenade.' Elevator then lifts an elaborate, electrically lighted human chandelier into view with part of the ballet corps esconced thereon. Besides the feature, 'Winter Car- nival,' screen program includes 'Five Times Five' (RKO) and 'Memory Lingers On' (Progress), both shorts. Symph does "Concerto in C Minor' (Last Movement) by RacbmaninofT. with Henrietta ' Schumann spot- lighted In a piano solo. Biz capacity at last show Thurs- day night (27). Weor. hangover. It's familiar stuff, but lands heavy laughs. The 12 Patricia Wynn girls make three appearances, attractively cos- tumed. Num'cers need speeding and better execution, but the best, an acrobatic routine, is quite ambitious for a line of this type and merits praise. Emil and Evelyn, the latter an eye- filling blonde, perform balancing feats, topped by the man catapult- ing the girl from a teeterboard onto his shoulders. One of the most difficult and thrilling of the' stunts has her somersaulting in mid-air twice before landing or her partner. Gene Fields is just another im- personator of radio-screen perform- ers, ordinary ability and mediocre material mitigating against him. Youthful and personable Billy and Jo.,- Severin step swiftl- through their pleasing taps and then flash a jitterbug number for an even faster finish... The show's only real sock, however, is provided by '^ay Mayer ai-i Edith' Evans, who land strongly Mayer STATE, N. Y. Lflthrop Bros. & Virginia Lee, William & Joe Alondel, Owen Mc- Givney, Sue Ryan, Fats Waller orch toilh Myra Johnson;- 'fnuitation to Happiticss' fPor;. Neither the sUge nor screen will be at fault for the weaklsh b.o. here this week. The house Is again the victim of its feature film having been milked of most of its Broadway biz at a flrst-rim stand, 'Invitation to Happiness' coming here after three weeks at the nearby Paramount On the basis of variety and enter- tainment, the stage portion deserves a bigger audience and better coin break than it will probably receive. Show maintains a fast pace through- out its 67 minutes and, in having a single comedienne in the next-to- closing spot, is reminiscent of vaude- ville's better days. ... J 1 Every act is an individual click, riii "rw- Xv^nflHloMv butSueRyanisTclear-cutsUndout ff-?t7«^r» ^«nHi?=nS h?= <vi?i fem'ne has come a long way nfwil? Th.v i >m" since she worked a hoke turn with Snllrn,, for m^r* ^ ! Iwo men several years ago as Sue ''ffi loweTToor almost enUro^y\^)L'if, l'"^^^ filled at opening matinee slir.w ' I'me at the SUte as.a smgle, but she s bers. 'I Wanna Lead a Band' 1e her best. She's a houstf .standby. The Step Bros., long in vaudeville, are crack tap and buck dancers. Boys feature challenge sessions in the tap and buck-and-wing depart- ments, socking across stronger than anything on the current show. A Harlem street scene, with Miss Diggs doing a vocal introductory, opens the revue half, followed by Brent and Kaye (New Acts), com- edy acrobats. The Lucky Sisters, swing harmon- ists and tap dancers, are on early in a fairish routine, followed by the house's usual burlesque skit It's familiar material, mildly humorous, with 'Dusty' Fletcher, Crackshot George Wiltshire. Vivian Harris and others digging for laughs. Faulty diction by comics and straight man detracts. Talking too fast seems to be one of the troubles. A pint-sized dancer in a brief number appears as part of the burlesque portion. Baby Banks. She isn't much. Business light Friday evening (28). C-ViHT. HIPP, BALTO Recj. ORIENTAL, CHI Chicago, July 29. Evelyn Brent & Harry Fox, Rex Weber, BIocIc & Early, Reddingtons (3), Joe Zina, Verne Buck house orch. House Line, 'Man of Conquests (Rep) and 'Bridal Suite' (M-G). Business Is happy currently and credit goes to the 'Conquest' film and' the Evelyn Brent-Harry Fox combination headlining the stage show. Miss Brent makes infrequent vaude appearances, but despite the long lapses, the aduience evidently still remembers her. She got a big reception here at last show Friday (28). Miss Brent Is doing a bit of com- edy talk with Fox, her husband and also an infrequent vaude visitor arouiid town these days. He winds up with the inevitable 'Chasing Rainbows' tune, his key song for years. Standard also are the Reddingtons, with their .trampoline turn, and Rex Weber, with his novelty ventriloquial routine. Reddingtons are entertain- ing while Weber scores sharply with his closed-mouth singing, and is dynamite with his straight rendition of 'Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?'. He's using femme for closing bit end sings ventriloquially while femme goes through vocal motions. Last'week's amateur contest win- ner Is little Joe Zina,' a hoofing youngster who does a Mickey Rooney impersonation that's excellent He has professional flair. Block and Early do imiiersonatlons, one of the fellows specializing in femme im- pressions. Small-timey for the most part but okay for the family trade. But that gag about the kid sister always getting into trouble should be eliminated. Line delivers capably, clicking best with a fan routine. Verne Buck, m.c, is rather quiet this week, being content mostly in leading the or- chestra. Gold. MINNESOTA, MPLS. Minneapolis, Julv 29. Jack Malerich's orch (18), Lew Brocfc, Patricio Wvnn Dancer."! (12), Emil & Evelyn, Gene Fields, Billy & Joy Severin, Ray Mayer & Edith Evans; "Woman Doctor" (Rep). Four-act vaudeville portion ot the second vaudfilm bill at this 4,000- seater, reopened last week by local independent interests, is second-rate aside from the headliners, Mayer and Evans. However, even after making due allowances for a below- par film, it's still a lot of show at the 15c and'30c scale, although con siderably under the initial week's standard. EMBASSY, N. Y. (NEWSREELS) Exemplary of excellent newsreel- ing is Panimount's work this week at the Embassy. From a production standpoint and coverage alike. Par stands out among the five compan- ies represented on the bill. Ignoring spot news, which more or less has been similar during the past year on the European war ten- sion. Par, instead, retrospects, show- ing reels taken 25'years ago at the outbreak of the World War and de- tailing the similarity between the situation then and now. Although it's not a new angle, it still serves as a grim reminder ot the last world conflagration. An excellent feature. Par also comes through for some nifty cameraing and coverage of the Washington state snow avalanche that killed six college mountain climbers. An exclusive is garnered in Par's story of the U. S.-Japan treaty abrogation, only a day after its pronouncement with Senator Vandenberg commenting. The rest of the card is made up greatly of war preparations abroad. Fox ganders London's air defense raduatcd from the deuce frame since her last appearance in 1937. Miss Ryan shapes up as topflight comedy material for stage, screen or nitery. She's working with an unbilled male pianist doing impressions of a chorine, chanteuse, torcher and oper- atic, singing 'Life Is a Song' and •Merry-Go-Round Broke Down.' Winds up with 'Alexander' as it was done in 1911 and as it's being deliv- ered now. It's practically the same material she did at her last showing here, but now carrying the polish of experience and rendered with excel- lent vocal and physical comedy elo- quence. Her only fault is the brief- ness of the act eight minutes, sug- gesting she may be short ot material. Audience insisted on an encore at this catching, but she either couldn't or wouldn't oblige, finally begging off after several bows. Yesteryear vaude is also well rep- resented by the comedy-acrobatics of William and Joe Mandel, and the protean act ot Owen McGivney. Both turns have been, standard tor years and always surefire, the Mandels mopping up in the deuce, while Mc- Givney's quick-changing in the 'Bill Sykes' sketch gets an extra hypo via letting the audience in on how it's done. McGivney has a tendency of over-emphasizing the wheezing of a couple of the characters, the sound effects in Skyes' breathing being especially unnecessary, but that's only a minor fault in an otherwise A-1 turn. The Mandels did a hoke version of McGivney's act the first couple of shows opening day, but this was deemed too long and pulled out. Fats Waller's colored orch closes the show, while the snappy hoofing of the Lathrop Bros, and Virginia Lee is the teeoff. Latter's stepping is of the precision sort heightened by their nice -appearance and smart dressing. Waller leads his orch's pyrotech- nics via the piano and Hammond electric organ. It's a steam-up crew, aided and abetted by the shouting Myra Johnson, a typical Harlem songstress, and presents a nice musi- cal flash for th^ finale. That, is, everything's fine except the set and the lighting. The former is much too somber for the dusky musicians, while the latter appears to be trying to keep them further in the dark, with the result really a black-and- tan fantasy. Orchestral arrangements are good, but the band's highlights are, per usual, Waller's ivory-tickling and his subsequent organloging of 'Summer- time' and 'Deep Purple.' There were no jitterbug demonstrations at this viewing, but there was little doubt that the audience was interested in what they heard—and could see. Biz only fair opening night, rain and heat hurting. Scho. Baltimore. July 29. Diamond Bros. (3). Helen. Rey- nolds Girls (8), flea Wnin, Hemwn Hyde & Thelnia Lee, Del Rios (3), Felice lua house orch (10); 'Bache- lor Mother' (RKO). APOLLO, N. Y. Jack Malerich's 18-piece pit or chcstra and the leader at the organ l drill, Mosco'w drills in the use of gas continue as features. Orchestra masks (U); while the mystery war- again sends show off impressively fare in Mongolia between Japs and with a symphonic medley arrange- Chinese is told by Fox. Mute testi ment of pop Latin numbers whose titles are flashed on the curtain. Joe Griffin, tenor, a hoi fixture, sings 'Begin the Beguine' here effectively. Malerich's organolcgs again wham 'em, with the audience joining in a community sing. mony-'ofthe King without a crown is seen in Metro's reeling of former King Zog, of Albania, arriving in Warsaw with his half-American wife. Queen Geraldine. The 1940 presidential race is pre- liminarily kept in the news with the Lew Brock, house m.c, handles meeting of Jim Farley, Democratic the show fairly well, but a little | party chairman, and John F. Hamil- more pep and assurance would stand | ton, Republican chieftain. As poli- him in good stead. Perhaps his I ticians, their brief talks included the multifarious duties this week weigh | obvious—slams against the other's him down because, in addition to ■ party introducing the acts, he does a bit ot not-so-good tap dancing with the girl line, and, tor a solo comedy act, Sports is he&ded by Johnstown's defeat in the Arlington cla.ssic by Challedon (Pathe) while Par has an impersonates a young woman ari.'ing i oldie in the signing of Joe Louis to from her slumbers and making her j defend his title against Bob Pastor, wardrobe while recovering from a' Rest mostly stock stuff, Tedciv Wilson orch. Brent & Kaye Mae Di(iys, Lncky Sisters, Baby Banks, Vivian Harris, George Wilt- shire, 'Dusty' Fletcher, Crackshot, Four Step Bros.; 'Jones Family in Hollywood (20th). A mixture of this and that main portion being Teddy Wilson's orch- estra, provides the Harlem patron- age here with its money's worth. First half is somewhat in the form of a revue, with a dash of burlesque, while the second half consists of the band taking the spot, the usual set- up at this house. Wilson's comparatively new 12 piece outfit is headed by the former Benny Goodman pianist, who has a smooth orchestra dealing mostly in swing and killer-diller allegro. Lads all make nice appearances and few double for .solo. One number is a special arrange, ment of a Fats Waller composition tor piano and orchestra. 'One o'clock Jurnp' is another of the louder se. lections used here, much too strong on the brass. Mae Diggs, featured soloist; an. other girl umbilled), who sings, and the Four Step Bros, perform with the band. Miss Diggs, who also ap pears in the revue portion, is a fair iinget of iwmii and novelty num. ROXY, N. Y. Pope A Conchito, Variety Singera (7), Frank & Pete Trado, Eddie Shayne & Charlotte Armstrong, Walter & Paul Briant, Perry Asfcnm Gae Foster Girls (24), Paul Ash house orch; 'Frontier MarshnV (20th), reviewed in Vaiuety, ^uly 26. Slightly more elaborate staging than usual, but only one sock act Averase entertainment, show runs 45 minutes, but there aren't any painfully dull spots. Attendance only mild at early evening show opening day (Friday). After a bright initial turn by the Gae Foster house line, Pape and Conchita present a slightly above- par pole-balancing turn. Act looks like a transfer from the circus, as the pole used in the t>rincipal trick is much too long to be used in a nor- mal house; it's so tall it almost tips the proscenium of the mammoth Roxy. Gal does the usual hijinks at the top, with the man balancing it on his. shoulder. Then they lug out a novel gadget a pole with a hori- zontal bar at the top. Gal does spins with the gent aigain keystoning. Okay No. 1 act Second turn is the -comedy and dance combo, Frank and Pete Trado. Their comedy is only ordinary, the main skit being an attenuated rou- tine about a couple ot film fans needling each other from adjoining seats. They then offer the meat of the act, a fairly amusing dance num- ber with one lad perched on the other's shoulders and the top one Lots of .talent here, with a lineup ot standards contribulinp plenty of entertainment and .<;howmanship. Shifting opening-day routine to spot] wearing a long coat Merely a" twist the Diamond B.o.s. in. the closing a tamilU^^^^^^ u!reo:Ja"y'mls!'n;:;kc 'aS ^-mo?? Next is rather ambitious, a song iinri.1. waj iii.t.s, o jjij^ dance concoction in a kind of grotto setting. After a couple ot way '"piashy" openin?. with the Helen srouo s< Reynolds octet ot femme roller- choruses by the Variety Singers O ). skaters doing the iisuiil sDin.«, sets a fast pace and an elTective con trasting tempo for Herman Hyde's comedy panto in the deuce. Work- ing his funny musical props for ample laughs, Hyde, ably a.^sisted by Thelma Lee, rings ihe bell lustily. Trick piccolo and breakaway fiddle. with members of the ensemble back- grounding and offering visual deco- ration, there's a carioca routine by the Foster gals to 'Begin the Be- guine.' Eddie Shayne and Charlotte Armstrong, ballroom terpers, have a brief featured spot at the end. . They look attractive and show a couple of plus the closing busines.-; with the fa'r tricks, but don't have chance for Dass viol that lays, an egg, still gsu- ner appreciative audience reaction and provide a welcome novelty. The Del Rios, unu.t'.iallv spotted here, come through, nevertheless, in socko style. Experlly sold balancing by two men and a femme builds to nice climax with closing trick in which male top-mounter does a handstand on girl who's in two-high I>osition. Bea Wain follows with _vocals. Formerly featured with Larr'y Clinr ton's combo, Mi.ss Wain has appeal, but hollow orchestral support isn't helping her. Her numbers, all torchy, may be effective in breaking up a band's killerdillers, but they become monotonous here. She's a good song seller^ but needs change ot Dace. The Diamonds close, with all the old familiars, but still good for plenty of laughs. Boys have taken on considerable poli.sh and pace since last caught here. Flip gag- ging, comedy knockabout and hoof- ery follow in rapid order and the interpolated business of a .<itooge banging a pair of cymbals after a Joe Cook and Rube Goldberg build- up is an additional bit of hokum Philadelphia, July 2S. that takes its rlace along with the Catherine Little/leW's Philadelpliin falling plank that has trademarked flollct presents 'Cafe Society,' with the act. Audience ale up every i Miss Littlefield, Tom Cannon.^.Carl minute of their extended lime and, cieiphton, Joe JohnsoTi, Dorotlitf audibly responded for a solid s-erles Sumin. Hn l^me Bpn Her.uchine. of bow."!. Biz okay. . Burm. more. Standout turn follows, Walter and Paul Briant the veteran and always- dependable knockabout comics with the goofy tramp duds and the air ot joyous idiocy. Their routine hasn't varied an iota for years. It's still the business ot the one hobo slowly collapsing while the other indus- triously and somewhat hopelessly props him up just in time to keep him off the floor. Occasionally he tails but succeed or not the proce.'a invariably provides hilarious low comedy. Final number is also elaborate, this time, in a Spanish setting and with Perry Askam singing the Toreador song from 'Carmen,' while various members ot the company try to hide the microphones he's obviously using. With the Variety Singers accom- panying the Gae Foster girls close with a lively routine making use of the cape-and-lining color contrast Hobe. FOX, PHILLY STATE-LAKE, CHI • ChicofiO, July 29. Stanton & Curti.t, Novello Bros. & Sally, Kenny & Burke, Elaine Arden, Elaine Bovd, Dick Ware, Al & Margie Calvin; 'Allen Murder Case' (Par). Lot ot acts this week adding up to plenty of variety and entertainment. Ernie Stanton and Julia Curtis are doing a comedy ventriloquist act and, coincidentally. Rex W<ber is aroimd the corner, at the Oriental, with his similar turn. Stanton makes mouth motions and Miss Curtis ven- triloquizes. They scored remarkably with this supper show mob. Opening are Kenny and Burke, with their excellent acrobatics. Sally is on first and manages some good response with her acrobatic canine, while her partners, the Novello Bros., are on later with their comedy violin work and their standard come<ly talking-bird. routine. Elaine Boyd works early as m.c. and then does her own singing act. Not much of a voice but her patter is good. Reminds of a youngish Sophie "Tucker and is solid on delivery. With belter-trained pipes she'd have nifty possibilities. Elaine Arden, with her comedy Greek chatter and narrative comedy song, impresses favorably. However, some of the latter may be a bit too suggestive for family trade. Dick Ware m.c.s, too, farther down in the show, and on his own does a Bowery song and dance to fair results. From Dixie are Al and Margie Cal- vin, who do some dancing that's oie for the kids but sad for the adults. They do a tap and an Apache num- ber, both strictly small time. Geld. SuKiin, Hy Lowe, Ben Herschine, Rudy D'Allesandro, Joan McCracken, Jack Dunph]/, Miriam Golden, Luke Scott & Co. Music specially ujritten ' by Ferde Grbfe; libretto ond chore- ography by Miss Littlefield; 'Mikado' <V). Fox this week presents one of Ihe most unusual stage shows ever seen in a combo vaude house, a ballet. It throws to the winds all standard ideas of what will and will not go in a large vaudfllmer that must de- pend on wide audience appeal. The unusual booking is not wholly experimental at the Fox. The Litllc- field troupe was in once before, about two years ago, when there was plenty of support however, from other acts. In this case the terpers comprise the entire show. It runs only 26 minutes, just about the maximum length possible. It's half or less, however, than the standard- length show at the Fox. Combined with Universal's 'Mikado,' which is counting for the heavier share of Ihe b.o., the ballet is doing compara- tively well. Fact that Miss Little- field and most members of the com- pany are Phlladelphians aids con- siderably. Presentation is a satirical story in dance tagged 'Cafe Society.' It >s played very broadly for the subwny trade. Music for it was written on commission by Ferde Grofe. Mis'> Littlefield did the libretto . and choreography. It has had three previous public performances, two at the Chicago Civic Opera, with the orchestra led by Grofe, and once iit Robin Hood Dell, Philadelphia, In.-'t month. On each of the.se occasion.1 it scored strongly, but with an audi- ence entirely different from that at the Fox. Audience reaction at first snow opening day (Friday) was one o£ close attention. Most of the cus- tomers. Including a generous .sprink- ' (Continued on page 22)