Variety (June 1913)

22 VARIETY FIFTH AVENUE. The Fifth Avenue bill of ten acts ran through Monday matinee in 140 min- utes, an average of 14 minutes to an act. For the night show Ward and Bohlman and pictures were added. The act did not appear, going in the pro- gram Tuesday. This gave the Monday night performance an early closing. Fields and Lewis, next to the last, were through at 10.12. On the list of acts were several "double" and "single" acts, with one sketch, an acrobatic and a dog turn. Julia Gonzales on the trapeze dis- played a neat little figure while going over and around the bar, also under the spotlight as she perched down- ward to the stage at the end. No change in program position was made with the acts. Lewis and McCarty, Leonard and Whitney and Irene Gran- ger (New Acts) ran in thtt order to Nevins and Erwood, in black face. They received something of a recep- tion from the light house. Both play in blackface, with Miss Erwood at- tracting some attention with nifty stepping at the finish. Her tapping is very neat. Nevins has a comedy way of his own, that still might be likened to Bert Williams', although Nevins' stuttering drawl in song delivery dis- tinctly belongs to him. It gets over easily and his loose dancing also helped along. They were in a nice spot for comedy and might have gone bet- ter before a regular audience. The house was extremely light. Macey Harlan and Co. and Fannie Brice (New Acts) appeared before the Davies Family, acrobats, who were second only in the hit columns to Miss Brice, the latter cleaning up on the show. The acrobats are mostly pudgy built people, with the head of the turn doing great work for a man of his years. Their tricks made good all the time. Fields and Lewis followed, but did not go as strongly as usual with them. They are well known at the Fifth Ave- nue. The routine has been slightly changed, the closing remaining the same. Al Fields had a good time kid- ding with Maude Ryan, who sat in a stage box, first scat on the rail. Laugh- lin's Dogs ended the performance. Sime. 23 RD STREET. The word vaudeville means variety, but evidently the booking agent tem- porarily forgot the definition, as six out of the seven acts consisted mainly of singing or dancing or both. It was really a pleasure to have the monotony of the evening broken occasionally by a rather interesting picture. Major Doyle was fourth. He has added some talk and his closing song is also new. The Major did very well. "Katz's Night Out" played by Ed. C. Jordon and Co. is not a new one. It seemed to get the audience at the be- ginning, but during the dance of the maid in the latter portion lacked ginger and the audience became uninterested. The house wrecking finish gave a lixsly- but mediocre finish. Three Lubins, Belle and Jones, Four Brass Men, Lillian Bradley, and Herbert and Willin (New acts). The house did not fill during th eve- ning. AMERICAN ROOF The show and the house were light at the American upstairs Tuesday night. While the program seemed strong enough, it didn't total A couple of dramatic sketches were there. Perhaps Billy Inman doesn't believe "O'Haley at the Game" is a drama, but it is when Mr. Inman and his principal support, Owen Martin, start to act. This happens near the finale and is known in burlesque as "pathos." As a "straight man" Mr. Martin does very well, but he proves conclusively that a "straight" feeder is not necessarily an actor, and in that class Mr. Inman also enters as an Irish comedian. Bill had better ease up on the heavy stuff and go the finish with a laugh. Besides which the In- man sketch is running 23 minutes. The other playlet was "Their Geta- way" with Charles Bachmann and Co. It is the same piece shown on the big time in New York ^s "Kick In," by Willard Mack and Marjorie Rambeau, now on the Orpheum Circuit. Maude Leone, formerly Mrs. Mack, claims title to the act and Bachmann alleges a royalty agreement with Miss Leone for sole producing rights. The matter is pending in the U. S. Courts, action having been brought against Mack to restrain him from further appearing in the piece. It's a "crook" sketch, with considerable action and pleased the Roofers. Mr. Bachmann and the un- programed woman in the piece played well enough. The detective did not convince. Another feature of the bill was the return of Rita Gould's wardrobe, with Rita inside of it. Yes, all the dresses Frances made for Rita are still in the show business. That was some trunk- full of swell rags when Miss Gould first flashed them on vaudeville and they are still swell for the small time. Besides the clothes. Miss Gould had seven songs and Harry Lauder's leave- taking speech (without the Scotch accent). In "one" Rita sang in front of a sofa out in the woods. It should have been a bench but Miss Gould holds over for a full week and the Loew Circuit changed her billing from May Belle at the Greeley last week to Rita Gould this week. Perhaps Rita didn't use a bench be- cause Spero and Lovens did. Spero and Lovens are not going ahead. Even Mr. Spero's evening dress clothes which do not fit and Miss Loven's fur tipped coat in June don't seem to help them. There must be another way to innoculate class into a turn. The Syl- fonos on the xylophones opened the show. The Mascagnis did some neat dancing, mostly toe work by the girl. Tom Linton and his Jungle Girls closed the first half. It's a lively num- ber for pop time, carrying nine peo- ple but needs a faster finish. Johnny Dove, as a Scotch single, opened the second part. The Demacos closed. Among the songs sung by Rita Gould was "Keep on Walking." This song is undeniably suggestive, based on the s^ry with the catch line in it and the number should be barred from any theatre which professes to re- spectability or a respectable clientele. There's nothing quite cute in dirt like that. f^ime. ^BRIGHTON MUSIC HALL. All decked out in new raiment the old Brighton Music Hall started out this week to add another season to its existence with a good show and a sur- prisingly large audience, considering weather conditions Monday night that made the city preferable to the beach. With the overture on its way, there were mighty few strollers on the board walk and the hotel veranda was practically deserted, for all the town folk were in the hall where the lower floor was filled to capacity and the balcony com- fortably crowded. The house looks better than ever. For some inex- plainable reason there hovers around the old wooden structure an inviting atmosphere that makes one feel right at home. Ina Claire was selected ^o top the opening bill and came pretty near sewing the show up in a knot with her Lauder imitation which called for a speech and an additional encore. Her repertoire includes "The Quaker Girl" the characterization that lifted her to the headliiiC pinnacle, together with a few straight numbers, closing with the Lauder impersonation, a masterpiece in itself. The Gaby Deslys bit could be eliminated, not because it isn't well done, but it's excess. Miss Claire ver- ified the management's good judg- ment in selecting her for the opening bill, for she drew a houseful and sent them away conpletely satisfied. The Glockers opened with their water juggling novelty and made things easy for the Kaufman Brothers, who followed with a dandy routine of songs. They earned their buzz encore, a great finale, and one that always works them into the hit column. Frederick Bowers and Co., closed the first section of the bill. The act is gradually working up speed, although the unfortunate circumstances that called for the absence of the boy's tenor solo behind the church drop took some of the class from the turn. The trio which included the colored young- ster's work combine to make it a standard vehicle. Yvette registered nicely, but would do well to discard the opening costume for another. Yvette deserves credit for stepping ahead of the old time violin- iste, backing up her eccentric routine with a novelty. Jack Kennedy and Co., in "A Busi- ness Proposal" have a unique skit, but one with a mild climax and a finish rather weak in comparison to the pre- ceeding section of the act. It is well lined with good laughs though and ex- cellently played by the cast which helps a lot. The Ahearn Cycling Co., were a laugh from beginning to end and held the house seated to a person for the comedy finale. Fox and Dolly (New acts). Wpnn. AIRDOME INDEX. Long Branch, June 25. There are seven airdomes doing busi- ness here, or all ready to do it if com- ing their way. An index to the box office may be found in the story that some of the airdoine managers are experiencing difficulty in raising the $1.70 necessary to pay transportation for their film from New York and back. UAMHERSTEIN'S. The audience took its time in get- ting seated atop Hammerstein's Mon- day night. There were 14 acts, the show starting at 8:20 and winding shortly after eleven. The bill had no balance and bounced around like a life buoy on a rough sea. Lady Constance Stewart Richard- son is the draw perhaps. Nothing else on the bill was. If the lady did nothing else commendable Monday night she did give Roy Arthur in his ' travesty a chance for a big laugh. It was pretty "raw" and all that, but the Lady had tuned up the atmosphere with her airy costume so the Bedini-Arthur burlesque had to tread close or fall in the discard. It was 9 o'clock before the Roof looked any way full and there were some seats not occupied during the show. Robert Smith, did a small time opening with Indian clubs. Carl Grees returned with his tormer oil painting act. Peppino and his accordion were fairly well received. McMahon, Diamond and Clemence, with some new clothes, put a little speed into the bill. The trio works hard. Harry Breen did well on past popularity. "Prince Floro," the chimpanzee, has some high wheel bicycle riding that raised his batting average. The Stan Stanley Trio, which has been going big in the pop houses, showed big time calibre when the comedian per- formed on the bounding net. The audience flashed some genuine applause for an encore. Doyle and Dixon looking neat in eve- ning clothes put over a hit with their loose dancing. The Jungman Troupe closed the first part. The man's back- ward somersault on the tight wire keeps the act up in the first division. Ellis and McKenna had opposition from the boxes but sang louder than a French party talked and retired with credit. After Lady Constance had done the same dance over three times and got her tootsies dirty doing her bunk trotting, the Equili Brothers showed and did some hand ^balancing that thrilled. Mint and Wertz closed the show. To show that the hillside folks were there the act got a lot of applause when the old wire gag was used in the fake equilibristic stunt at the close. Mark. LA PETIT£ ONRE AND GO. LaPetite Onre and Co. present a dainty bicycle offering that" for class and daring stands alone in the vaude- ville field. Miss Onre is a captivating young woman, as animated and graceful as one would care to watch. She per- f« rms thrilling feats in faultless style and apparent ease. The act has just completed a season's successful tour over the United time and will sail July 5 on the "Kroon- land" for Antwerp to take up European bookings that have been arranged in advance by Charles Bornhaupt. After fulfilling her European con- tracts, LaPetite Onre and Co. will re- turn to America to resume touring on this side. Pictures of the act are on the front page of this issue.