Variety (July 1912)

16 VARIETY NEW ACTS NEXT WEEK attlal Pr«saatat1«a, Flret Appearance •r Reappearance In or Arenas! New York NEW ACTS NEXT WEEK. Girl From Milwaukee, Fifth Ave. Doc O'Neil, Fifth Avenue. 0 Apollo Trio, Hammerstein's. "Don." The "Talking" Dog. 12 Mins.; One. Hammerstein's. "Don" and Loney Haskell should divide the billing. The program doesn't even mention Loney, which isn't quite fair, for of the twelve min- utes consumed by the show, nine were utilized by the actor. There were those present Monday evening who were rude enough to Interrupt his speech at various times, but then one must expect all manner of people to drift into a public roof garden. It was rather strange that they let Loney go as far as he did before they got after him. "Don" knew what he was up against and sulked through his per- formance, passing over his vowels without emphasis and little apparent heed. This was the first time that Don had ever appeared on a roof and as someone had foolishly told him iq the afternoon it was pretty tough for a talking act up in the air, he was probably a bit nervous. He refused to go on until all the windows were closed. "Don's" voice can be heard quite clearly in the rear of the roof. If one has ever lived on the eighth or tenth floor of an apartment house, it is easy to understand how a dog's voice will carry. It is a question of talking at random with "Don." He is a quiet retiring animal, and, unlike a great many children, speaks only wheu spoken too. "Don" answers questions only; he never asks one. The sys- tem is this: Loney asks the ques- tion in German, explains it in English to the audience, and then Miss Ha- balen (who puts "Don" through its paces) askes the dog the question. Don answers, "Kuchen," "Rune," "Don," "Unger," etc., as the case may be. "Don" has never yet given the wrong answer. Still "Don" is going to get over. The trained growls which emanate from his throat can readily be mistaken for words. On the Roof the audience, skeptical in the first place, became more so at Loney's speech, but after the dog had made its first try they became interested and later en- thusiastic. "Don" is a novelty. He should not be kidded, and may cause talk. There is little reason to doubt but that Willie Hammerstein will ex- ercise his option after the first two weeks have expired. Dash. Wilson and Schroeder. Singing and Cross-fire Skit. 14 Mins.; One. Reporter endeavors to interview ac- tress. She refuses and this starts up a line of "kidding" in which the man shines as a low comedian. Man does a comedy song while woman changes; she sings and he changes to dress suit. They finish with a kissing song duet and neat stepping. The "class" makes them eligible for the big time in an early spot. julo. Olive May and Co. (2). "The Inspector From Kansas" (Com- edy). 18 Mins.; Four (Interior). Fifth Avenue. "One of those breezy skits well cal- culated to please the most critical," sayb the Fifth Avenue program, speak- ing of the piece Grant Stewart wrote iot Olive May. It has often happened the program is the only humorist of a performance. Miss May played vaudeville once before, with John W. Albaugh. Now she appears with a couple of plain male actors, one very plain and the other somewhat fancy. Miss May is Frances Taylor, an in- spector of customs at Centralia, Kan- sas, who walked over to Mexico, arriv- ing in the morning just In time for breakfast. But she couldn't get her fodder, for the Mexican inn-keeper lept stalling, until finally, as the Don Juan of the act made an awful holler for the food, the Mex dropped the tray of dishes, which was tough on Bedini and Arthur. By that time It was 10:12 and the sketch had almost ended. Al) that was left to do in- cluded one curtain call, and they cneated a little on that. This has been a bad summer for sketches in vaudeville. Miss May would be a good actreBB, too, in any other piece, maybe. It's not so certain about her company. For "The Inspector From Kansas" one week will bo a long route. 8ime. The Strolling Players (8) Musical. 14 Mins.; One. Fifth Avenue. "The Strolling Players" are a "three-act," all men, with one in the orchestra pit, at the piano. Another in character make-up sings, after- wards playing the mandolin, and the other, who is featured on the program ct> Eugene Cirina, the Whirlwind Violinist, lives up to ev-y word of the billing matter excepting "Whirl- wind." It was pretty warm at the Fifth Avenue Monday evening, and but a small crowd sat out in front. Besides that, "The Strolling Players" were on "No. 3." To say the obvious, tnat this trio will keep on strolling, but not on the "big time," might be subject to correction under more fa- \orable conditions, though that is not likely. If Signor Cirina's music could attract as much attention as his hair he would be a headllner at the Met- ropolitan, but, alas! the hair is the only feature of the turn. It's pompa- dour, and, having shied at scissors so often, the American climate has sent the tips to the record heights. Now Cirina'6 hair waves slightly at the top and fluffs all over when he shakes his head, while his soul seeks expression through the medium of violin strings. But as before stated, Monday evening was a hot night, even for souls and hair. A trip over tho "small time" may give Cirina speed in his rag work, ard in time his hair may be induced to listen to a barber. A couple of years ago an English act appeared ever here, using for a sub-title "The Strolling Players." They were not the bunch that appeared at Weber's for one night, but nevertheless "The Strolling Players" billing seems to be a somersaulting nom de plume. Bime. Mr. and Mrs. Thornton Friel. "Economy Junction" (Comedy). Hi Mins.; Four (Special Set). Fifth Avenue. As Thornton Friel stood looking at the picture of Times Square, taken by gablight, he thought that some day he and Mrs. Friel might play on Broadway. It seems Mr. Friel knew a fellow named Fred Wyckoff, who must have claimed author qualities, of the "rube" variety. Perhaps Messrs. Friel and Thornton together connived for the said Friel to appear on Broad- way. Anyway, Mr. and Mrs. Friel did, Monday evening, at the Fifth Avenue, in a rural sketch written by the aforesaid Wyckoff. The sketch had a special setting; Mr. Friel, who was the evorythlng-that-is-1-am char- acter, and Mrs. Friel, in a dual role, the first half of it quite active, and the second part more silent than happy. Mr. Wyckoff may have writ- ten in the laugh-with-expectoration business (that may be found in the piece by anyone who can survive the heat while it is going on), although it is conceded the author must have written the rules-of-the-road that Mr. Friel emitted somewhere around 9:13. And it's not to be overlooked that Mr. Friel said as he gave up the seven dollars which had cost him seven years of hard labor in the everythintj- that-is-I-am job: "Easy come, easy go" (with a Harry Fox gesture). Will Cressy used to write these kind of sketches until they got wise to him. Cressy wrote some for himself, and worked longer with them than his customers did with the others. But you've got to give Bill Cressy credit for one thing—that this every- thing-there-is-I-am and the pathos of parting with money mixed in with a laugh and "the rules" (for rube play- ing) were evolved by Bill, who, after seeing "Economy Junction," isn't the bad writer he has so often been charged with. (There are some light effects in the Frlel-Wyckoff piece.) If the weather moderated Tuesday the "femall time" agents may have made offers for It. Bime. Max's Burlesque Circus. Animal. 1/ Mins.; Full Stage. irammerstein's. Max's Burlesque Circus cut to thir- teen or fourteen minutes would come very near being as funny an animal act as vaudeville has seen for some time. There are four people in it, a woman who runs the animals, her as- sistant and two clowns. The clown- ing is the long end of the entertain- ment. The taller of the clowns does a wrestling match that is extremely laughable. A burlesque bull fight is also funny, but dragged out too far. The remainder of the comedy comes from the Berzac revolving tables and unridable mule. Three assistants aro also carried for this. They work It very well. Of the tricks three dog3 riding bare-back on one pony is tho best. Comedy is also derived from this. Cutting away the superfluous matter will make the act a good num- ber for any of the big bills. Dash. Harry Tighe and Edith Clifford. Songs and Talk. 18 Mins.; One. Brighton Theatre. Harry Tighe and Edith Clifford, as they walk on the stage together at the opening of the act, promise much more than they deliver. The first number in the present frame-up is by far the best. Then the couple slip slowly but surely backward. Tighe's laughing, likeable personality and style are well known, but for some reason it doesn't get over in the two- act. It may be he needs more room than is offered in "one." There is no doubt but that in the lounging clothes of the collegian he is much more at home than in evening dress. Miss Clifford is a clever girl with a pleas- ing voice and a very good Idea of handling numbers. She is a splendid foil for a comedian. Tighe would benefit if he gave her more oppor- tunity in the cross play. The "Yid- dish" number should be dropped by Miss Clifford. The couple look classy and are classy; the Yiddish song, al- though well done, clashes. Tighe does the piano bit for his single por- tion, and the pair finish up with a little travesty, which gets them off to a good moon song finish. Harry Tighe and Edith Clifford are not do- ing as well as they should or can. The act might be remodeled from the first number. They can build ten minutes of ascending material from the present opening. Then they will have no trouble finding vaudevllling comparatively easy. Dash. McCormack and Irving. "Flirtology." J2 Mins.; One. Union Square. Well dressed young man and woman ot classy appearance in singing, danc- ing and cross-fire talk with the regu- lation settee on which to carry on a flirtation. The material is fair, but adheres too closely to acts of that calibre that have gone before. Both have attractive personalities and sing and dance in approved musical com- edy style. The act is capable of un- limited development, and is almoo; certain to work out. Jolo. Camilla Jewell. Songs. 10 Mins.; One (2); Two (4); One (4). Possessed of a few pyrotechnical top notes, a pleasing singing voice, good looks, well-rounded though dainty figure, and youth, the girl is a candidate for big time. But before arriving there she'll probably have to discard the opening number. Jolo. Porter and Sullivan. Singing and Cross-fire Skit. 12 Mins.; Two. Skit develops into a dainty little love affair during which they do a neat musical comedy duet with ap- propriate stepping. There is also a very novel ending. Act is full of bright, witty lines and clever situa- tions, interpreted by a classy pair. Good for big time. Jolo. Ernie Williams, of the Loew office, starts on his vacation July 29, for tv/o weeks. Tho Exposition Four will be with the Neil O'Brien Minstrels next sea- son, placed through Gene Hughes.