Variety (January 1914)

20 VARIETY NEW ACTS NEXT WEEK Initial Presentation, First Appearance or Reappearance In or Around New York A Baldwin Sloane and Grace Fields, Hammerstein's. Jose Demil's Living Statues, llanum-r- stein's. Ray Raymond and Florence Bain, Hammerstein's. Todesca and Todc&ca, Hammerstein's. Marvellous Alexis, Hippodrome. Van and Bell, % Hippodrome. Arenera and Victor, Alhambra. Alfred Bergen, Colonial. Dumont and Arnold, Colonial. Irene Timmons and Co., Bronx. Lowell and Esther Drew, Fifth Ave. Anna Held. Songs. 16 Mins.; One. Majestic, Chicago. Chicago, Jan. 28. Let it be recorded that Anna Held's engagement at the Majestic brought a sell-out at the initial matinee, the top boxes carrying passengers for the first time in several months. Her reper- toire, consisting of three numbers, with a different gown for each, shows exceptional care in selection, running right along the groove of vaudeville wants and displaying the chic come- dienne at her best. Views of her pri- vate life were intermingled to avoid the compulsory waits taken up in changing. Her first, "You Were Made For Me," gave Anna a flying start. It is one of those "eye" affairs with a catchy strain, and was followed by a novelty song about a Kewpie doll, Miss Held distributing small novelties a la Kewpie to those down front dur- ing the second chorus. Her final ef- fort, a medley of popular numbers that seemed particularly suited to her style, brought her off a solid hit. Miss Held looked Monday afternoon to be. the best selection the big timers could pos- sibly have picked for a feature. If her Chicago opening can be accepted as a criterion, she is bound to please, as well as draw. Wynn. Clarence Wilbur. Monologist. 11 Mins.; One. American. Clarence Wilbur is now doing a sin- gle. He's a capable chap with marked ability, but his single will never re- lease the floodgates of applause. Fur- thermore, Wilbur will never get the comedy out of the "alone" stunt that he did in his "crazy kid stuff" in "the schoolroom." He affects a sort of rak- ish make-up, a sort of a cross between a' tramp and Hebrew, talks about be- ing arrested and taken to court in high-browed lingo and winds up with a musical comedy medley with his own words attached. Wilbur's talk seemed to fly over at the American. He has the old comedy business hang- ing over his head too strongly for him to get very far with his new single. Wilbur could have turned around on that bill Tuesday night with his old R-.-hool room act and let loose a small- sized riot. Mark. "i^^tt^Tu^^MlTTrilB^ii^^^BIETY^aon't iiiWt-rti»>o at till. John Hyams and Lelia Mclntyre. "The Quakeress" (Comedy). 21 Mins.; One (8); Full Stage (13). Palace. The return to vaudeville made by John Hyams and Lelia Mclntyre this week, at the Palace, brings with them what is practically the same act as employed by the couple before going into musical comedy, where they have been for four or five seasons. There is a certain personality about the team that will easily put them over when they reframe the turn to meet the ad- vanced vaudeville conditions. The meeting outside the stage door of a theatre, where Miss Mclntyre, as a Quaker girl, wants to go on the stage, Mr. Hyams, as the flip actor who will place her there, and the entrance into a bare stage where a "rehearsal" is held, are now quite old stuff in vaude- ville, not alone through this couple having done it before, but made so by many others attempting the same thing in several variations of the original, whatever that was. Miss Mclntyre sang a "Bear" number, also "Dr. Nicker," the latter through a loud re- quest from above. Some of the songs, including a duet, as well as the dialog and business came from the former turn. Mr. Hyams and Miss Mclntyre should have secured a new act for their reappearance. It was presuming to be- lieve that with the speed vaudeville has acquired within the past two years, their former vehicle, played as they have always played it, could hold them in a headline position that split with Neil Kenyon, on a program as im- portant as that presented by the Palace. They did well enough in a way, but it was not the real healthy hit that should have been registered, and it is doubtful if Hyams and Mclntyre can accomplish that result until they provide themselves with something worth much more to a vaudeville show and the management than "The Quakeress," that has nothing new to recommend it excepting a "Quaker Tango" that could have been called by any other name. Sime. George Ward. Blackface Comedian. 13 Mins.; One. Bronx O. H. (Jan. 25). Clad in comedy military coat, with epaulets, and in blackface a la Frank Tinney, and resorting to asking ques- tions and answering himself, Ward re- lieves himself of a "potpourri" of every- body's discarded gags and finishes with parodies. Personally not funny, but with the accumulation of jokes used on the big time, and concluding with the parodies, will score on a small time bill. Jolo. Piclot and Schofield. Comedy Jugglers. 10 Mins.; Three (Interior). American. Man and woman. The male half ivi'unces heavy weights aft.T t' e fash- ion of several seen on tru- big time. VVoman acts as assistant and puts over *t me tood comedy through her con- stant Hr'ding of the man. Good turn for :he popular houses. Mark. Mercedes. "Mental Telegraphy" or "Second- Sight" 25 Mins.; Five (Parlor). Colonial This second-sight act of Mercedes is not unknown to vaudeville. Many have.done it and like those things in the show business that may be done by many, it depends how any one person will do it for better or worse results. Mercedes is a good showman. That will probably explain why he is now on the big time with this act, having come here from Boston, where he re- mained two weeks at Keith's big house there, as stated by him during the performance. Mercedes goes through the house, from gallery to or- chestra. Mercedes, by the way, is a man. A woman, Mile. Stantone, is seated at a piano on the stage. She is blindfolded, and as an auditor re- quests a certain song to be played, making the request to Mercedes in a tone the woman could not possibly hear, she immediately plays it, Mer- cedes saying only "Play my selection." If there is any cueing in that expres- sion, it was not detected. Mile. Stan- tone, a fair performer on the piano, made but two mistakes when seen. There is some comedy to the turn, mostly through the titles of songs be- ing called out by the audience in va- rious lingos and dialects. Some shout their wishes whilst others appear afraid of their voices. This is a laugh- able contrast always. Other than this, though, the act is straight. When the pianiste errs Mercedes speaks to her. With this act as with The Fays and their imitators, or those they imitated, The Zancigs and others, probably re- membered better by others, it is the way the act is put over, and Mercedes does put it over. He should be made to draw almost anywhere and in smaller cities where the comment over an unusual turn spreads quickly, he should easily attract business. Plain Mary. Gormley and Caffrey. Acrobats. 8 Mins.; Full Stage. Union Square. Gormley and Caffrey are opening the show at the Union Square this week. It's the usual style of "two man team" vnh one working in comedy makeup. An excellent ground routine is offered and some hard falls are taken by the eccentric. Good acrobats and able to hold an early position on a big bill. Could get big results on any small time. Mark. Hyland, Grant and Hyland- Singing, Talking, Dancing, Instru- mental. IS Mins.; Two. Bronx O. H. (Jan. 25). Man, woman and boy. Woman does feeding for man's eccentric comedy during which he uses "I lost my voice in a poker game saying that's good." Then he asks her where's she going, after "guessing" her name. She re- plies: "You guessed my name, now guess where I'm going." Kid, dressed as bellboy, does some ordinary step- ping. For finish he plays trombone, she plays cornet, while kid twists drum-major's baton. Small time. Jolo. NEW SHOWS NEXT WEEK Initial Presentation of Legitimate Attractions In Now York "The Laughing Husband"—Knicker- bocker (Feb. 2). "When Claudia Smiles" (Blanche Ring) —39th Street (Feb. 2). "Shameen Dhu" (Chauncey Olcott), Grand Opera House (Feb. 2). "13 Girls in Blue." Drill. 8 Mins.; Full Stage. Hammerstein's. "13 Girls in Blue" should mean some- thing to a vaudeville house, the same as advertising ik 22 Girls" for a bur- lesque show brings out an almost stag audience. In buriesque they expect "tights" and get them, which might induce the management of this turn to program his act as "13 Girls in Tights." They are in tights, but as they cannot hide their faces, and the forms beneath the uniforms don't give any reason to. rave, the act becomes an ordinary drill- ing one, following closely in move- ments the "13 Boys in Blue," and going back farther than that, the Streator Zouaves. The girls drill well enough, as a drill, but the idea stopped when "girls" were suggested. 13 dandy look- ing young women, collected for uni- formity of height, good looks and fig- ures would have placed this act in much demand. Now it becomes but a "flash" for small time, and as such will be worth a reasonable salary. The division of the young women into squads, for firing, lowering the flag, and so on, leaves them at the finish in regulation military costumes, giving the boys the only treat at the opening, when the fleshing uniforms are on. This is wrong, for if the attraction is the girls, show all of the girls that may be shown all of the time. And there should be some better excuse for the young women dropping to the stage, wounded or dead, than that of firing a Maxim repeater toward the wings, to have the supposedly deadly bullets turn a curve to come back and hit the girls standing behind the canon. Even Mr. Maxim could not invent a gun that would make a shot turn a corner. Sime. Great Harrah and Co. (2). Skating. 12 Mins. Full Stage. Fifth Avenue. The Great Harrah, assisted by a girl and a comedian, present an ordi- nary skating turn. One or two new tricks are shown, the rest has been seen often. A fellow in comedy garb gets several laughs by running on skates and finishes by being taken up in the air on a wire. He does a few other "stunts" besides. Harrah works straight alone and with the girl. They do some tricks that are remindful of Reynolds and Donegan. Originality has been aimed at in the dressing. Harrah wears an English cutaway suit and high hat that gives him appear- ance. The girl also looks well. The act will do to open sh.ows on the big time. Plain Mary. If you don't advertise In VARIETY, dou't