Variety (February 1914)

16 VARIITY NEW ACTS NEXT WEEK Initiil PrM«nUtioii, Fint Appetraf or Reappwranf la or Around Now York "Telephone Tangle/' Orpheum "The Beauties/' Colonial. Joan Sawyer and Jack Jarrett, Palace. Virginia Hamed and Co., Palace. OteriU La Be' e. Palace. "Cavaleria Rv ticana," Fifth Ave. Helen Page and Co., Fifth Ave. Saunders and Van Kuntz, Fifth Ave. "CeUuloid Sara." Comedy-Dramatic-Travesty Sketch (6) 23 Mins.: Pull SUge. (Special Set). Palace. Rupert Hughes, author of "Excuse Me/' and other successes, in his "movie studio mix-up" as he program- mically describes it, has put over one of the very few genuine novelties of the current season in vaudeville. Ba- sically it is a miniature melodrama, but unfolded in comedy form and satir- izing the manufacture of moving pic- tures. It commences with a moving picture caption announcing the name of the "sketch" (let's call it sketch for want of an appropriate title), followed, in movie form, by the appearance of the respective characters, designated respectively as the hero, leading lady, ingenue, villain, camera man, etc. The picture screen is raised, disclosing the interior of a picture studio and in the unfolding of the plot a picture is sup- posed to have actually been taken. It is exposed to the interested and unin- itiated just how pictures are actually taken, that yellow photographs white and hence for the best effects a man's dress shirt and evening gloves should be yellow. While the director plays the leads he is in reality a villain. Be- tween the taking of the scenes on the camera, he (a married man) is making love to the ingenue, who is the wife of the operator. The villain proposes marriage to the leading woman and is accepted. While warning the inno- cent little ingenue of her peril, the leading woman is discovered by the director, who discharges her. In or- der to frustrate h*m she works the camera during the absence of the oper- ator and, having sufficient evidence against the villain in real life, compels him to resign his position, thus pro- tecting her own and her prospective husband's positions. Then to save the poor little girl from being exposed to her real husband, she lets light into the film, thereby destroying the evi- dence. In addition to the novelty of the offering, it is the comedy inter- mingled with the drama that causes in- numerable laughs. For instance when the director orders the betrayed woman to go away and starve, she naively asks him: "Have I time to eat my lunch while I'm starving?" While the villain (in the picture) is saying "curse you" to the leading woman and "choking" her, under his breath he says: "I hope I'm not hurting you, honey." "Celluloid Sara" will improve as it is played—it can't help it. But it's a pity to expose the mechanics of the movie industry. Bare stage acts have destroyed many of the il- lusions of the legitimate and vaudeville stage. Still, if Mr. Hughes hadn't, someone else woald. /olo. The Verigraph. Illuiion. 12 Mint.; One. Palace, Chicago. Chicago, Feb. 11. From a scientific standpoint, the Verigraph, said to be another of Edi- son's discoveries, may fill a void and eventually become a promi- nent educational factor, but, figuring from the theatrical angle, it doesn't belong, for it lacks the necessary action and after the first thrill of interest approaches the monotonous period. The Verigraph is the result of the de- velopment of the third dimenston (depth) in photography, shows a series of still pictures which seem blurred to the naked eye, but through the col- ored lorgnette distributed to the auditor with his program it brings the picture decidedly clearer, has a tendency to play up the background and is rather novel in its own little way. At the Palace it was introduced by a chap with a splendid delivery and for awhile proved decidedly interesting, but only for awhile. The paper lorgnette (bear- ing a Coca Cola advertisement) was in- variably relegated to the aisle before the receiver reached his seat, thus many were found unarmed at the prop- er moment The announcer seemed much impressed with his subject, and after the novelty of the thing wore off became the principal attraction. Around the movie houses it might re- place the illustrated song for a reliever, but with the movies in their present state of development the first and sec- ond dimensions will suffice. It opened the Palace show. Wynn. "Knickerbocker Girls/' (4). Minstrels. 14 Minutes: Three (Exterior). 125th Street. Just why George DeVere, who forms the busiest part of this act, is not feat* ured is beyond explanation. DeVere's dancing is the best thing and really holds the turn from the smallest of small time classifications. DeVere for- merly worked double. He's doing all the steps from the old act and a few more. The Robinson Sisters are the "end men." Miss Day is principal bal- ladist. There are jokes a la minstrel V ith the girls and DeVere doing a noisy closing number. The act needs a few good jokes and a better finish. It's a pop house turn, but at that, can be brushed up a bit. The girls work bard and that's in their favor. Mark. Puchanan and DeVens. Comedy Sketch. 12 Minutes: Four (Interior). 125th Street Comely looking blonde woman in bridal costume and long, dark haired ycung man affecting a "cissified" air \vork up comedy through the former holding the man at pistol point and declaring he must wed her whether he cares or not Rapid fire talk between two with the Nancy boy finally making his escape. The boy approaches a door as though he would escape. She stops him with "That's my bedroom, Don't get too previous." A laugh that's out of place. Sketch not bad for small time production. Players hold up their parti satii^actorily. MorM. Five Musical Marinea. 15 Mins.; Special Set Hippodrome (Chicago). Chicago, Feb. 11. A big act in full stage with special drops, props, etc. The setting shows a dock with ships in the harbor and a lone fisherman in the foreground. At a signal the lights go up in the big boat and there is some comedy byplay in which firearms are discharged and then the act opens in brass with a stir- ring number. Following this is a com- edy duet with oboes and then cornet work of a high class, the men making ? good closing by playing on two cor- nets at the same time. Some good saxaphone numbers follow, and the xylophone number is a big success, as the instruments which have seemed to be parts of the stage setting are car- ried out and offer a surprise. There are five people in the act, two women and three men. As a matter of course, they are in nautical attire, and the act is neat and clean and has just enough comedy to keep it from being a straight musical act. Harry Woods staged it and has produced some novel effects, combining sailor songs and hornpipe music with popular airs in a way to get over with any audience. Seen at the Great Northern Hippodrome Mon- day afternoon the act went over big. Reed. NEW SHOWS NEXT WEEK Selma Walters and Co. (2). **Erz and the Man.** (Dramatic). 20 Mins.; Four (Interior). 125th Street "Eva and the Man" has Miss Wal- ters enacting two roles, one as the prospective bride of the man and the other as the actress with whom the man has become infatuated. Miss Wal- ters first appears and breaks off the engagement with her proposed hubby. She no sooner exits than Eva pops in to make the man's pulse beat all the quicker. Eva has on an outside cloak which reveals Miss Walters in abbre- viated stage attire when the wrap is discarded. Play for comedy comes w!ien Eva's legs are endeavored to be properly clothed as she and the man think that his sweetheart is returning. There's considerable dialog with a portion of the patter good for honest laughter. The sketch is very incon- sistent and hurdles now and then, but on the rebuild can be worked into an amusing little skit Walter Hawley is the man supposed to be recovering from the effects of a night out at the rise of the curtain. A butler is also seen at times. Hawley handles his lines well and puts each point over. The sketch was enjoyed at its 125th sirect showing. Mark. McGloin and Thurman. Talk and Dances. 14 Minutes: One. Bronx O. H. (Feb. 8). Working in blackface with hard shoe dancing their chief stock in trade, this pair registered a hit at the Bronx Sun- day. They have considerable patter with much of it going over uptown. They also sing singly and doubly. One of the boys outshines the other vocally. They are doing a good act for the pop houses. MtM. Initial PfsenU t ion of UfHimato AttmctioiM in New Yoric "The Rule of Three"—Harris (Feb. 16.) Versatile Trio. Songs and Dances. 15 Mins.; One. Fifth Avenue. The Versatile Trio consists of three nice looking, neatly dressed young men, who after opening with a song and dance, changes the scene to "two," where a table is laid with many dishes and the usual stick of celery. Two of the boys enter as "drunks," sing a song and proceed to play poker. Crackers are used for cards and the dishes, in fact everything on the table, is employed for chips. One boy fin- ished by taking the tea pot. This entire poker game is being done in vaudeville by the Stewart Sisters and Escorts. After the game the versatile trio return to "one," and finish with another song and dance, introducing a "Sailor's Hornpipe." The act is a trifle different from the ordinary male trio, but won't start anything on the big time. Howe and Howe. Mind Reading Travesty. 12 Minutes: One. 125th Street Howe and Howe do a burlesque mind reading stunt, one being blind- funded and seated on a chair near the footlights while the other flits among the audience. As quick as the man out front picks an article, the answer is travestied in one way or another. The comedy is best worked up by the audi- ence spieler. They have some funny little bits and on the small time are go- infi big with the turn. It's along the r.nes of many familiar mind-reading burlesques seen hereabouts. Mark. Steve Jennings. Talk and Piano. 10 Minutes. One. 125th Street Steve Jennings shines best at the piano. He opens with a song, goes into a monolog, then moves to the piano and plays ragtime and closes with a baton swinging exhibition with a cane. Jennings was on late and judging from the way his talk was quietly received the folks must have "caught" him at the previous show. Steve isn't a bad little entertainer, but his act is all wrong on frameup. He must also uncork more personality and not take his monologing so seriously. That cane spinning is not strong enough for a closing bit. Jennings has talent, but it's wrongly applied. Mark. Wald and Brown. Songs and Piano. 10 Minutes; One. Man and woman. Former plays piano and sings after the style of the regulation cabaret entertainer. The Avoman received applause on her solo. The best results came with the closing "Midnight Masquerade" number. Best suited for small time. Mark.