Variety (January 1914)

20 VARIETY COLONIAL An excellent show at the Colonial this week, but the cold weather hurt business Tuesday. The attendance was very light and those who did venture out sat all through the per- formance shivering with coats and wraps on. It was hard for the acts to arouse enthusiasm, but there were two hits on the bill, Laddie Cliff and Emma Cams, although Laddi< was the big- ger hit of the two. H< is singing one or his old songs "The Song of the Tack" (by special request), and it was the biggest thing in his act. Laddie still retains his boyish manner and voice and his work is as refreshing as ever. He is using a new closing song, "Au Revoir Mr. Moore." This num- ber has a catchy melody and makes fine music for the dancing. After sing- ing five numbers and doing his eccen- tric dancing the audience wanted more, so a recitation was given with good results. B. A. Rolfe's "Porch Party" is enter- taining. It is sort of a cabaret all by itself. Lola Wentworth and J. De- laney, singers, are featured. Miss Wentworth is a pretty blond with rather a good voice, but it falls flat on several of the high notes. At the finish Miss Wentworth attempts a "rag" but can't do it. Her voice was never meant for "rag" songs. She does much bet- ter with the high class stuff. J. Delaney sings well and has an attractive smile, that helps him get his work over, Sundberg and Renee are also with this act. There doesn't seem to be any special reason for featuring them as their dancing is not anything unusual. They do a Hungarian dance in pic- turesque costumes, then change to evening clothes for a "Rag." The rest of the company sit around on the porch and play musical instruments. The mating is pretty, and altogether it is pleasing. Mary Elizabeth was well received. She has three songs that should never fail. They are well written and Miss Elizabeth gets every point over. Her enunciation is perfect. Some of the stories are very old, but the Colonial audience didn't seem to notice it. They laughed as though they had never heard them before. Joseph Hart's "Telephone Tangle" makes a good comedy act. The telephone booth and rooms are remindful of the scene in last summer's "Follies." Mr. Hart has a good company with this act. The "Soubret" and "Pullman Porter" get all the laughs, they are both clever. Dorothea Antel is the soubret, and Claude West, the porter. Dorothy Regel is featured as the telephone operator. Will Rogers is trying out some new rope tricks that are a success. He is a clever boy with the ropes, also has "personality." Mr. Rogers has the funniest little way of hanging his head v hile talking to the audience. It would be very irritating if anybody else tried it, but he can do mostly anything and "get away with it." Morris Cronin has a novel juggling act. He has six male assistants, three midgets. They do a comedy boxing match for the finish. Volant and his flying piano closed the bill, and held the audience. It is a good closing act for any bill. The Hickey Brothers were on second FIFTH AVENUE When Jack Norworth said Tuesday evening he could have taken the entire Monday night crowd at the Fifth Ave- nue in his motor launch shown in the moving picture, Mr. Norworth made a comment on the icy weather of the first two days that told every- thing in one line. No theatre could expect a crowd those two nights, nor could actors hope that a frozen audi- ence which got a chill wind every now and then in their seats would applaud, even to warm up their hands. Mr. Norworth is doing his single turn this week. The moving picture portion of it is very funny travesty, but the Fifth Avenue crowd didn't get it for some little time. Mr. Norworth has assembled a number of motion scenes in humorous sequence that one would think everybody would laugh at almost immediately they are shown, but the Fifth Avenuers waited quite a while before deciding it wasn't on the level, and then only woke up after Mr. Norworth tipped it off. "Rough comedy" ought to go in vaudeville, and it's no wonder they laugh at the bladder in burlesque. Mr. Norworth is nattily dressed in yachting uniform, with an accompanist, in almost full stage. He sings several songs, closing by giving those request- ed. Norworth was next to closing, following Cressy and Dayne in "The Man Who Remembered," a title that ought to get a lot of laughs for Cressy from people who know him well. Before the sketch came Sam and Kitty Morton with their laughmaking turn. In addition to showing the house how they will dance ten years from now, Sam and Kitty are reproducing the first song and dance they did in the business, Jan. 10, 1881. They dress in white and green, with Mr. Morton wearing a derby. It got over big. '81 is a long time back. Since then the two-act became a three and four-act and is now again back to the two again, with the Morton family that came in during that time now with families of their own. Mr. and Mrs. Frederic Voelker did "The Wanderer" (New Acts), and they were preceded by Edwin George, a jug- gler who talks and gets away with it. George is not an uncommon kind of performer, either in his work or talk, the latter suggested by others before him, but he is likable and has worked up to a good spot on a big time bill from the small time. Give the kid credit, and, like Von Hoven, he may now be wearing silk socks. The show started early. The fourth act was on at 8.20. That was Bim- berg and Day, a couple of males in a piano act who have labeled the turn "Stop That Noise." It's taking some chance with the title. Looks like a rathskeller act, like the others more or less. Von Tilzer's "Honey Girls" passed along, doing little and not do- ing that overwell. There are a couple of comedians in the act. The Benedettos were programed to open, Fred Morton, second, Miller and Tempest, third. Revolving Collins closed the show. 8im§. with comedy acrobatics and gave the show a good lively start. La Valera and Melvin Stokes opened. Emma Cams (New Acts). Plain Mary. CABARETS Wallick's (formerly Cadillac), at Broadway and 43d street, inaugurated dancing this week, with the formal opening Wednesday evening. G. Taber Murray is in charge of the dancing and instructs, assisted by Miss Clifford. Bettie Martin was the hostess Wednes- day afternoon. Wallick's has taken the grill room in the rear of the main res- taurant on the first floor of the hotel, and converted it into one of the prettiest dancing floors in New York. The warm red walls are decorated with roses and not with the garishness and cheapness of most of the other resorts, but in a refined, tasteful manner that makes the room very inviting. The dancing floor is of Mosaic and a white orchestra of seven pieces, furnishes excellent music. There is no cabaret entertaining ad- junct. Mr. Murray is an expert in the "society" movements, and while not a professional dancer by vocation, has es- tablished no little feputation for him- self among an exclusive clientele, which will be attracted to Wallick's through his connection. The dancing room will hold about 125 people. Mr. Wallick has a son about 17 years old, a student at Lawrenceville, preparing for Yale, who can Turkey trot with the best of 'em around New York. Healy's had another "Dance Carni- val" Wednesday night. Its Tango Eve- ning the Wednesday before was a huge success. The Carnival idea was carried out with caps, flags and paper parasols, together with extra decorations to in- still the spirit of liveliness into the dancers, besides other things. The Paradis de Dance, above the Al- hambra theatre (Harlem), which start- ed off with the B. F. Keith name leagued with it as an extra attraction, is giving "Special Nights," using well known stage people, mostly vaudevil- lians, for the "name" attraction. Last night (Thursday) Jesse L. Lasky was made the guest of honor and some of his acts were there also. Mike Fertig is no longer at the Har- lem Casino on 116th street. Harlem cabarets do not seem to be flourishing. It is a purely local neigh- borhood and with the cafe proprietors giving away entertainment for nothing, the uptown populace grew piggish. It wanted more than comedy and singing with beer. "Beer" seems to be the na- tional beverage between 110th and 145th streets, from east to west. Not many beers, either. One cabaret man said Harlemites can linger longer over one glass of beer than any other people. This holds down receipts to a despair- ing margin. The College Inn, on West 125th street, had to put in a "Country Store" on Friday nights to pull busi- ness up. It costs the house about $15, but jumped receipts for that evening from around $60, where they had fallen to, to over $150. It's going some, how- ever, when a cabaret in addition to the free entertainment must give away com- modities or prizes to increase patron- age, and especially at the College Inn, where there are good entertainers, led by Harry Delson, one of the best com- ics in his line. Delson has funny ideas and carries them into lyrics. He has been at the Inn for four months, but should be in vaudeville or a pro- duction. Others at the Inn are Shep- perd, Corbett and Donovan (Bohemian Trio), Jack Sturgis, basso, May Vin- cent, soprano, Messrs. Gilfoil, come- AT LAST1