Variety (December 1914)

VARIETY 19 NEW ACTS NEXT WEEK Initial Presentation, First Appearance or Reappearance In or Around Now York Zerah II, Hammerstein's. Mrs. Bud Fithcr, Hammerstein's. Royal Gasgoines, Hammcrstcin's. Grace Leigh, Hudson, Union Hill. The Frescotts, Hudson, Union Hill. 3 O'Neill Sisters, Greeley Sq. (1st Half). Kin Kaid Kilties, 7th Ave. (2d Half). Eva Tanguay. Songs. 27 Mine.; One, Orpheum, Brooklyn. Eva Tanguay's metropolitan vaude- ville appearance after a three-year in- terval is one of the most satisfying and convincing demonstrations of artistic endurance on record. Celebrating her return at the Orpheum, Brooklyn, amid most discouraging weather conditions, the cyclonic personification of individ- ualism and eccentricity is packing them in in her same old inimitable style, giving a half dozen new numbers and sending them home as thoroughly pleased as ever. For her repertoire Miss Tanguay has selected some dandy songs with eccentric themes and self- conscious lyrics, an unmistakable vein of typical Tanguay comedy running throughout. The opening song, "Hel- lo, Hello Everybody" is a great intro- ductory number with a catch line for the audience, allowing them an oppor- tunity to audibly explain their pleasure or displeasure at Tanguay's return. The entire house echoed their senti- ments as one Tuesday evening, which must have made the recipient feel good. "I Want Somebody To Go Wild With Me" follows and then comes a quartet of freakish numbers that none but Miss Tanguay could handle under any cir- cumstances. "A Method In My Mad- ness," "When Pavlowa Sees Me Go Over," "Sticks and Stones" and "Out- side of That You're All Right" with the seemingly non-perishable "I Don't Care" as an encore by demand. To attempt to explain the Tanguay ward- robe would but pen one's ignorance on clothes. It's a wardrobe in its own dis- tinct class. To classify Tanguay in any particular vaudeville groove, as an at- traction, would be equally foolish. She simply seems to be vaudeville's single greatest drawing card. At the Or- pheum she is repeating her former suc- cess which tells everything. Wpnn. Josephine Davis and Billy Geller. Songs and Music 19 Mins.; Two. Hammerstein's. With Billy Geller at the piano, Jo- sephine Davis returns to New York vaudeville as a song singer classified as a "single." Miss Davis sang "San Francisco," "Slowest Gal in Town," the waltz number from "The Taxi Girl," a "Yiddish" comic, and "Long Way from Home," changing gowns three times. Miss Davis' appearance is no small part of her turn. She looks good. Mr. Geller plays a rag medley, his own-arrangement likely, and also sings "Nobody Does It" to fill in while Miss Davis is off stage climbing into another clothes outfit. This couple compose a nice vaudeville act. They were "No. 3" at Hammerstein's Monday night, through Lou Anger having walked out of that position after the matinee. It was pretty early for Miss Davis, but they wanted her far enough away from Lillian Shaw, another single on the same bill of the same style. Evidently they didn't get Miss Davis far enough away from Lillian, for Miss Shaw, who had a spot far down, also retired from it after the matinee. Per- haps Tuesday Miss Davis was given a better position. She deserved it, but had no complaint from her reception "No. 3," which was sufficient in itself to prove Josephine Davis is there. Sime. Warren and Francis. Acrobatic Dancing. 6 Mins.; Three. Colonial. A man and woman team offering some singing and dancing the latter in- terspersed with acrobatics. Closing the show the act seems rather a novel- ty. In another spot they would not fare so well on a big time bill. Opening with a song, which they manage to "kid" their way through, the team holds attention. This is followed with an acrobatic dance after which the man offers a specialty that will earn him the title of the "dancing acrobat." This is followed by a double closing number which has* a comedy appeal and gets the act over nicclv. Rosie Lloyd. Songs. 20 Min.; One. Bushwick. After a long absence Rosie Lloyd returned this week. She is as attrac- tive looking as ever and appears more youthful, with a figure over which her gowns fit like gloves. Miss Lloyd's first number is a Spanish song that shows possibility. Her second is "Charlie's Popper." It has the snap characteristics of the songs used by members of the English Lloyd family. "Wonder Why," a comedy number, does nicely in the manner Rosie puts it over. This is the number that will appeal to the boys and should prove for Rosie the same kind of a hit "What are You Getting at Eh" has been for her sister, Alice. For the closing "It Takes an Irish Heart to Sing an Irish Song" fits in. It appealed mightily and made a good closer for a repertoire of otherwise English songs. Rosie Lloyd will continue in the good graces of the American people and any big time bill will be helped along by her. She has a fine collection of songs and is dress- ed in the best of taste. Whitfield-Ireland Co. (3). "The Belle Of Bingville" (Comedy). 13 Mins.; One (Special Drop; Ex- terior. Broadway. Whitfield and Ireland have been do- ing a "double" but have added a third person. Two affect typical rube make- ups, mannerisms and dialect. Of the two men, one works "straight." At the Broadway the act got the most at- tention on the eccentric dancing and the girl's witty remarks. The trio fin- ished strong. Good act for the three- a-day. Ned Wayburn Co. "The Slave Ship" (Melodramatic). 25 Mins.; Full Stage (Special Set). Hammerstein's. Ned Wayburn's production of "The Slave Ship" is superb, scenically. In that way it is the best play production ever in vaudeville. The set is a ship, looking almost practical, so complete is it in detail. Any number of effects are worked in connection with the boat, upon the deck of which all the action occurs. The opening of the act, show- ing a fog slowly lifting in Charleston Harbor, brings applause, and later when the anchor is brought up, with the pic- ture machine showing a very fine rolling sea effect, the boat pitching meanwhile, the audience realizes that in producing this act, Wayburn has accomplished something. It is always a pity that a production of this sort needs a "story." It is almost impossible to secure a story to fit the bigness of the rest in 25 min- utes. In the Wayburn act the story is of a slave ship, carrying blacks in the hold (these seen through a transpar- ency), and a brutal captain, who has the daughter of an American Admiral aboard for ransom. When her sweet- heart, Lieut. Dobson, U. S. N., steals aboard to rescue her, the ship's master imprisons the Lieutenant, and decides to hold the daughter for his own pur- poses. But there is a revenue cutter in the offing. The Admiral's other daugh- ter, Elsie, has sliped aboard as boy. The stowaway is discovered and put to work. She signals the cutter, which finally comes to the rescue, but not be- fore a bolt of lightning has answered the imprisoned girl's appeal to Heaven for timely help against the fiery pas- sions of the brutal Cap. This scene is also shown through a transparency re- vealing the Captain's cabin in the boat, although the lightning bolt comes down on a direct wire from the flies. The story is very melodramatic, and the lan- guage of it is written in the old metier style, the action taking place just before the Civil War. The audience appears to take the tale very seriously, however, and comment upon it, also the acting as though either could be improved very much under the circumstances. A final picture in another scene shows the prin- cipals adrift on a spar, later rescued by the cutter; and then everybody (ex- cepting Wayburn) takes a curtain, walk- ing across the stage, with the "villun" roundly hissed. The large force of stage hands employed is also allowed to see the front of the house. Wayburn has done noble work in this piece, that should make vaudeville talk, for it's probably the best set boat with scenes ever placed on any stage. It should be the big act of a regular thriller. There are nine principals and about 10 supers. The act must have been responsible for the capacity house Monday matinee, and Monday night despite the weather, it drew in the best attendance Hammer- stein's has had on that evening for a good many weeks back. Sime. NEW SHOWS NEXT WEEK Initial Presentation of Legitimate Attractions in New York "Driven," Empire (Dec. 14). Annette Kellermann. Diving. 12 Mins., One and Full Stage. Palace. Annette Kellermann's return to vaudeville brings back her former div- ing act, preceded with an apology for unprogressiveness. Miss Kellermann opens in "one" in clothes, explaining that a popular demand for tights has necessitated her reappearance with the same old tank act. From this she pro- ceeds to full stage with a demonstra- tion of diving that leaves her reputa- tion unquestionable as the peer of sin- gle diving acts. Those who hadn't seen Miss Kellermann before were continu- ally busy admiring her form, while those who were familiar with the figure were busy watching the display of aqua- tic ability that makes Kellermann a distinct novelty as far as vaudeville goes. Wjfnu. Tameo. Hand Writing. 17 Mins.; Three. Fifth Ave. Tameo may have appeared at the Palace, London, about two years ago and may have been quite a favorite with the high brows there. If so, since then, the Japanese chalk spreader has added many new features. Tameo does everything that could be possibly done in the way of hand-writing with either and both hands. He writes different words with each hand backwards, for- wards, right side up and up side down. His new big feature though is when us- ing a black front drop upon which he writes head-lines from a daily paper while the audience asks him questions which he answers. He writes these head-lines backwards while he talks. Tameo has a very novel turn and be- longs on the big time for besides being a wonder with the chalk, he has ac- quired a keen sense of humor. Morton and Hart. Singing and Dancing. 12 Mins.; One. Grand O. H. (Dec. 6). Two men, who will always do nicely. Both in comedy and dancing the boys show up well and also have a nice way of singing songs. Bert Crossman and Helen Stewart. Modern Dances. 9 Mins:; Full Stage. Colonial. Bert Crossman and Helen Stewart have worked out their own conception of how the modern dances should be performed and are showing them in vaudeville. Of course Crossman and Stewart haven't been working in one of the big dance palaces in New York, nor have they their own orchestra, or instead of opening the show they would have been featured in the bill- ing and have been given a good spot in the running order of the show. They offer three dances, opening with a Prize Waltz in which they display much ac- robatics, a gavotte, for which they use the same music as does Pavlowa for her gavotte and therefore invite com- parison with that artiste. The closing number is entitled "Whirlwind Demen- tia," for which a whirling shutter is used with the spot giving the turn a grand hurrah finish. They went very well in the opening spot