Variety (February 1914)

VARIETY 21 AMERICAN ROOF. The first half bill at the American found its biggest hit of the evening, Tuesday, in a three-act, all men and singers. They stopped the show. The turn is Burton, Hahn and Cantwell, with strong voices that do not blend well. The reason for this appears to be the boys want to live up to the billing, "Big Voices," and go to it singly without regard to harmony, al- though in "Mandalay" they did much better. Each might study the method used for this number to interject it into others. Harmony was the fault when the act first appeared around here and still remains. Two sketches were on the program, one dramatic and the other comedy, neither overwell played. The drama was "The Atonement," formerly called "The Arm of the Law" and presented in both instances by J. Herbert Frank and Co. It's a wild story that sees for a finale the killing of two men. The piece closed the first part. Be- sides beings unconvincing it left the light audience in a bad frame of mind. Why these murderous playlets on the small time? Qon't they get enough of that stuff in the picture reels? The comedy was "The Duchess," played by Pauline Seymour, Beatrice Holt and Co., and once presented on big time under the same title by Bea- trice Ingram. The cast of this skit has been poorly gathered. They get little out of the slangy dialog, making their points too evident and trying to bang them over the footlights. The story fakes a turn to the pathetic with about the same results, although it is no piking tale, one of the young women finding herself an heiress to five mil- lion dollars—on the small time. In a picture house that might have been made ten millions. White's (John) Animals closed the show, with rather a well set turn that contains a revolving table, unridable mule and leaping greyhounds. Mr. White, in clown face dressed in a con- vict suit, works the turn very fast and put plenty of action into it. The leap- ers give a sight side to the act, and the comedy is from two colored men, who should be instructed to handle themselves more amateurishly on the table. White has a good turn of its kind. The Roof bill was opened by The Torlcys, who closed the show down stairs, where they used an excellently painted circus drop. It adds greatly to the scene. This (^uple, man and woman, do only straight riding on wheels and have a sensational trick to close, the man riding a tall giraffe, holding the girl on his shoulders, she getting to that position from a trapeze. Mr. Torley foolishly makes an an- nouncement preceding this trick, lead- ing the audience to expect something unusual. He should omit that and put more showmanship into it. Miss Tor- ley had a fall Tuesday night, bumping a wing into the small of her back. It had her going for a moment, but she pluckily went back on the wheel. Belle Dixon was "No. 2" with songs. Miss Dixon should make public who- ever gave her the opening verse in- forming the house she intended doing her best and practically asking their forebearancc. That's about the silliest lyric ^or a professional ever heard on a stage and Belle had better throw it right away. Neither can she handle the ballad. If Miss Dixon knows a professional manager of a publishing house real well, she might ask him to lay out a routine of numbers suited to her, not from his own house alto- gether, but just a friendly list she can do something with. Deltorelli and Glis- sando gave their well-known clown musical turn third, with Brierre and King, in front of their own drop, fol- lowing. The two-act first did 14 min- utes of hardly anything, then made a change to evening dress, putting over a neat song and dance. If Brierre and King want to have a regular act, they had better take that two-minute song and dance, and start with it, building up from that. Their talk is poor, in- cluding such gags as the Lambs' Club tale about "being ahead" that so many burlesque shows have used since it first came out in New York two months ago, and the dance-with-you- to-Heaven-can-you-reverse. This couple hurt themselves greatly in the estima- tion of an audience by a shoe-lace-ty- ing bit where the girl makes an un- called-for display of her legs, which are draped in a full skirt when standing upright, and the man is altogether too familiar in his handling of her foot. Out for that immediately. The young woman can handle dialog better than anything else attempted by her in the act. The turn has come in from the west, where it was playing. It needs reframing. Al Rover (New Acts) opened after intermission. The American is giving two "Coun- try Store Nights" weekly now, Mon- day and Thursday. It wouldn't be sur- prising if the Roof took the course of all theatres that offer extra added at- tractions, getting their crowds only on those nights. Slme. FIFTH AVENUE. The orchestra at the Fifth Avenue this week is having a pretty easy time of it. Out of the eight acts on the bill, three of them use practically their own music and a fourth number is a sketch requiring none. Four of the eight acts also use dancing, two of them being given over exclusively to that form of entertainment. The bill opened with Ramsdell Trio, two women and a man, in toe and whirlwind stepping. Saunders and VonKuntz, second, are a vivid example of the line of demarcation between the two-a-day and the big small time. In' the latter field, placed next to closing, they are strong favorites to that class of audience. On early in a hip; time bill they hardly got by. Helen Page and Co., with their mock drama, "The Understudy," did well. "Cavalleria Rusticana" (New Acts), closed the first half. Intermission was taken up by a one-reel drama, "The Wife." Five Melody Boys, Alexander and Logan (New Acts). Borden and Shan- non, in a lot of clowning surrounding some singing, steppmg, etc. Miss Shannon is an indifferent filler to Bor- den's eccentricities. Chester Johnstone, *vith a girl assistant, preceded tlie clos- ing pictures with bicycle riding of the strenuous sort that was once regarded as a feature in vaudeville. House about three-fourths full. Jolo. PALACE. Too bad Plain Mary quit the paper before catching this week's bill at the Palace, with all its women, in sketches and "singles." They made a display of "clothes" that meant something to the few women present Monday eve- ning, when the snow drifts around town probably kept the population at home. The performance did not start until 8:30, perhaps because the open- ing act programed, Oterita and Tur- rion, were absent. They were dancers, and with Joan Sawyer and Jack Jar- rott (New Acts) also carded, there would have been an overabundance of "dance creations." The "single women" were Elizabeth Murray and Trixie Friganza, the for- mer "No. 3" and the latter next to closing. Miss Murray didn't waste any time after leaving "High Jinks" Satur- day, and she re-entered vaudeville with some of the songs used by her when leaving for the production engagement. "Mammy Jinny's Jubilee" was her first number, a "McCann" Irish song (and a bad boy for Miss Murray) was sec- ond, "Macon, Georgia" third, "Camp- meeting Band" next, with the "Dixie" number winding up the turn. It isn't the best repertoire Miss Murray has had, and her position wasn't any too favorable, but she did well enough. Whoever wrote the "Macon" song, be- sides being inspired probably by "Chattanooga," merely fitted words to an English melody that was liked over here a while ago. This popular music writing thing is becoming very me- chanical. Almost any lyric writer now- adays with a good memory can pose as a composer also. Miss Friganza dropped in nicely in the late spot, her travesty society dances neatly following the Sawyer- Jarrott work along straight lines. Miss Friganza has grown slimmer, is work- ing very well with a good act that carries a man for some little support, and the opening song sufficiently covers a routine of comedy and music that really makes Miss Friganza's turn good before it reaches the finish. No one walked out on Trixie, and that must have been huge gratification for her, not that she is accustomed to see- ing them do it while on the stage, but there are many other single women nowadays who could not hold 'cm at the end of a show. Miss Friganza was well dressed, but it was Miss Murray who made the first blaze with a gown and a hat. Miss Murray's hat was a chic affair, shaped like the sail of a boat. Beneath it v/as a pink overdressing on lace, and if you didn't know Lizzie Murray very well you would never have recognized her. She could go in a strange hooking office in that outfit, tell them sh§ is just breaking into the business and get away with it on looks. One more production will make Lizzie as nifty looking as the best hahy-faccd broiler. Virginia Harned in her sketch CNcw Acts) likewise wore a gown that looked like regular money, and there was a Rirl in the Freddie Bowers aet. which opened after intermission, hesiflcs An- gic Norton in the Nicholson-Norton sketch that got away over despite go- ing on second. Paul Nicholson and Miss Norton are playing this skit evenly and gettmg out all there is in it. Both bring many laughs and it is a howl when Miss Norton, as she is looking into Mr. Nicholson's eyes, says, "My God, but you are a pretty man," and hugs him to death. The "My God" expression, however, should be used but once in the turn. Burley and Burley opened the show. They are comedy acrobats, more con- tortionists than acrobats, who do little specialty work, depending more upon the comedy, gained mostly by panto- mime of the smaller man in a Scotch character. There is some talk ("gags") in the turn that might be dropped, leaving the act "dumb." It would not injure the laughing results, in fact help them, for to be acrobatic and funny is quite sufficient without striving for oratory through bad jokes. There's a bit of business in the act which lies between this team and Herbert Lloyd. It is the use of a dummy pair of legs behind a table. Burley and Burley made a first class opener. They seemed to know it, never missing a bow and borrowing a couple. BifM. 23RD STREET. Business is not what it should be or has been at the 23rd Street, but the heavy snows of late may have lome- thing to do with the crimp in the box- office receipts. The show the first half didn't size up a bit bad from a pop standpoint. The pictures ran more to comedy and a Keystone handed out some good laughter. Another, an Edison, was funny in spots. A third entitled "The Keystone Police and the Baffles Cap- ture" (Keystone) caused intermittent laughter. Mack Sennett was the Police Chief. The house runs two acts and then a reel of pictures. As a rule they get in early down there and when the last two acts appear for the last show there's only a handful left. McCree and LaPort (New Acts) opened. Barney O'Neill, billed as "the Chauncey Olcott of vaudeville," lives up to his reputation as far as a straight Irish repertoire of songs is concerned. His voice at times shows signs of wear, but he had the audience with him Tuesday night and an encore was necessary. Gus Campbell has strengthened his musical act in more ways than one, hut the most noticeable acquisition is the young woman with the high so- prano voice. Slic sings well and car- ries her high notes without a single slip or falter, and she scored a hit Tuesday nij^ht. Gus has changed his finish around so that now he and the other man in the act sing the "Holy City" with the woman. The "Italian" with the turn also sings several num- bers alone. The act is in better shape than it has been for several seasons. Howe and Howe worked in some new anples of their mind reading a la burlesque and hauled down some big laughs. A Kood act of its kind for the pop audiences. Under New Acts are Joe Ward and Lillian Schubert, James Kennedy and Co.. and Prince Runton and Co. Mark. It you flon't tt<lv«rtlM In VAJUITT iloD't advertlie mt aU.