Variety (December 1914)

20 SHOW REVIEWS tea Baa ■BOB PALACL Not a big house on cold Tuesday evening at the Palace, blanche Ring is the headline feature this week of a bill that doesn't get over much at any time, excepting when Frank Keenan and his company of two men play "Vindication." The audience obliged Mr. Keenan to respond with a speech. Annette Kellermann is held over for her second week, closing the perform- ance in a handsome set surrounding the tank, into which she dives as of yore. Miss Kellermann has lost none of the beauty of figure that made her so distinctive when first playing vaude- ville, and has a new dive or two. One of the acts that fell below nat- ural expectation was Doyle and Dixon, opening after intermission. These boys acquired their sudden popularity at the Winter Garden through dancing. They appear to have forgotten that, now going in more for recitative songs and pantomimic comedy. Their first number hardly brought any return, and the second a conversational version of "Victrola," with pantomime, got little more. It was not until the real danc- ing the applause came strongly enou'gh to denote the Palace audience appre- ciated them. It looks as though Doyle and Dixon should frame another turn for vaudeville, one that would permit them to dance at the opening, and then keep it up. Several .acts fared badly in the way of plaudits, starting with Jarrow in "No. 2" spot. The Palace is a pretty classy place for some of Jarrow's re- • marks. He caught a laugh here and there, but simmered away at the finish. Chretienne and Louisettc (billed sometimes as "The Two Hollanders") did little better, although trying their hardest. This couple have returned with what they went away with. Per- haps they haven't played the Palace beiore, but they don't look as good now as when first over, and the mov- ing picture opening failed to start any- thing. The Palace may be beyond them also. They did their best with the finish, a rag medley, something that Clark and Verdi likewise used (as Italians) in the following position. Often the dialog of the two Italian comedians got a little, but it was never hearty nor did they do nearly as well as they have often done in other houses. Clark and Verdi and Conroy and Lemaire are using the same line. Miss Ring's "Oh Papa" musical comedy condensation has four people beside herself and runs over 30 min- utes. It is fortunate to have Miss Ring with her reputation for vaudeville in it. There is hardly anything else. Several vaudeville tricks have been utilized and Miss Ring sings two songs, one "Tipperary." It could not but be noted that the singer walked out of a hotel suite through the first entrance upon finishing, returning the same way for an encore. "Dear Old Pet" was the other song that meant nothing more than a lyric to fit a sit- uation. "Vindication" was played by Mr. Keenan in vaudeville about three years ago. The sketch can stand by itself, and does not need the fiery oath (for the stage) Mr. Keenan uses (it is in the script). Cursing is not for vaude- ville matinees. Fine actor that Mr. Keenan is, he is excellently supported by Mac. M. Barnes as the governor. The story tells of an old confederate soldier appealing to the governor to have his son shot instead of hung for murder. Mr. Keenan is the soldier. His plea wins a respite for the boy. Horace Wright is the third member, the governor's secretary. Gordon and Rica opened the show. Laddie Cliff was placed next to clos- ing, following the Ring act, which speaks aloud for the managerial opin- ion of the boy. Sime. HAMMERSTEIN'S. A bill this week with a freaky tinge should draw extra business for Ham- merstein's, especially from the particu- lar set upon the strength of which Mrs. E. B. Alsop (New Acts) was booked. She represented the freakiest portion of Hammerstein's all over the house Monday. The other museum number is Zerah II (New Acts). The remainder of the show ran to regular vaudeville, with a couple of nov- elty turns closing the performance. The first of these was "The Edge of the World," a picturesque novelty contain- ing highly colored moving displays against a sheet, that please and puzzle. The turn has such good value Loney Haskell deemed it necessary to apolo- gize to the audience for the position given and to request the house to wait, which the audience did. The wait was worth while. Some chemical process is utilized, and the effect is wholly new, even for a picture film, which this is not The other novelty was a good "Weekly." Pathe did something this week with its special, reproducing scenes of the Edison fire last Thursday, also trying a little politics with a boom for the American Ambassador to France. It flopped. Unless the Hearst- Selig Weekly commences to offer something modern in the way of "pic- tured news," it might as well leave that field to Pathe alone. It looks as though the Pathe men travel on the 20th cen- tury and the Hearst Selig photograph- ers use a hand-car. Another act very much up to date was Bert Levy, the sketcher. He drew, with the aid of his unique apparatus, heads of Lord Roberts, King Albert, Kaiser Wilhelm and President Wilson. Excellent they were of the subjects, and Mr. Levy scored correspondingly. Billy Gould and Belle Ashlyn did very well following the freak headliner. Miss Ashlyn sang a new song, "The Moving Picture Hero." Jack Gardner furnished a corking good comedy turn in his "Cm-se You, Jack Dalton," film. The picture has been timed to Mr. Gard- ner's dialog. It's funny in conception and the pictured meller travesty sent Mr. Gardner over very big. Genaro and Bailey, on just ahead, have a new opening with dialog, also a drop, clos- ing with their former cake-walk hit. E. J. Moore, a talking magician, was on too early for full results, but brought considerable laughter with his talk and style of working. He uses a messenger boy "plant" who at least looks the part, and the audience liked Moore's fooling, besides which he turned out a couple of first grade palm- ing tricks. Next to closing were Van and Schenck with songs and one- handed piano playing. The comedian does an excellent unannounced imita- tion of Bert Williams, having a crack song to do it with, but is using his best verse of it first. Mrs. Bud Fisher and Mildred and Josie Hayward, New Acts. Sime. ing's Circus. The animal act held them in fine and the house was well satisfied with the entertainment. AMERICAN ROOF. Splendid attendance on the Roof Monday night and the show was a big success. The weather was rather cold, but the Roof was just the right tem- perature and the audience was full of enthusiasm from start to finish. The show ran very long, a two-reel epi- sode of "Zudora" closing. This new serial has done a big flop and few of the patrons bother to wait for it. The hit of the bill went to Eddie Foyer. He did not get them to any extent with the comedy at opening, but when he started reciting they could have held him there all night. His early comedy work resembles too much of the same kind of material used before. The hash house talk has been done to death in burlesque. "A Night in the Park" in the headline spot came next in the hit column. This act has Ruth Lockwood, Ted Banks and the Mecca Quartet. Ruth is a worker, and if she should form a partnership with the fat boy of the quartet they could do something as a two-act. Each has the personality to get over. The act pleased very well, the four boys doing some barber shop harmony that was liked. Something occurred Monday night en the Roof that was the biggest kind of a surprise. It was a great bunch of American Beauties going over the foot- lights. The lucky one on this occasion was Ethel Kane (New Acts). Second spot and getting roses is pretty good for a young woman. This show opened with Gray and Peters with their bicycle routine. The Roof stage may have injured their work. Something did. Ernest Pantzer and Co. with acro- batics were "No. 3," and put over a good hit. The little dwarf is bound to get the laughs, but he gets but few chances. The tumbling and hand bal- ancing work is done with the snap nec- essary for this kind of act. Hugh Nor- ton and Co. (New Acts) closed the first half. Laurie and Aleen opened after the comedy picture that was used during intermission. This couple found the go- ing rather hard at the start, through their position, but picked up as they went on. The finish was hurt through the kidding with the sign. This busi- ness is useless, and without it Monday night the couple would have been good for a couple more bows. Johnson and D*an had the next to closing spot and, considering the late- ness (on until after eleven), the col- ored couple put over a good hit. They certainly are as classy a pair of dark entertainers as ever played vaudeville. Miss Dean is dressing in the best of taste, her clothes showing up most of the women on the small time these days. The show closed with Gobert Bell- COLONIAL The Colonial collection for the cur- rent week looked exceptionally good on paper, but eventually developed a bit song-heavy, seven of the nine acts present employing the orchestra, the two exceptions coming at either end of the bill in the Three Bonomor Arabs and Lady Alice's Pets (New Acts), the latter in closing spot. The entire interior of the program repre- sented a succession of numbers, with- out any direct conflict, but never- theless a constructive fault that be- came apparent to even the uninitiated. The Monday evening performance brought a change in the running or- der, moving Lambert and ball down to next to closing spot, with Doc O'Neill shoved up ahead of intermis- sion. Clark and Hamilton closed the first part The Bonomor Trio gave the bill a delightful start, the tumbling and whirlwind work of the "straight" men effstanding the short comedy of the third member, who, among other things, introduced the baloon stunt. It's a great opening turn, neverthe- less, and with some up-to-date comedy would classify with the best. Julia Curtis passed the danger mark safely with her singing imitations, a sort of novelty in its way, for which she deserves due credit. Miss Curtis doesn't show any exceptional taste in stage dressing, the pink gown worn Monday evening failing in any way to help appearances. The finale gave her an opportunity to display what ability the specialty carries and Miss Curtis, with a strenuous effort, man- aged to bring out enough applause to warrant her presence in the spot. Doc O'Neill has bolstered up his monolog with some laughable "nut" stuff and succeeded in keeping the comedy section quite up to expecta- tions. O'Neill has a good delivery, gets a number over well and edged into the Colonial schedule very nicely. Clark and Hamilton were in the lead from beginning to finish, the an- tics of Clark carrying the laughs at every point. The piece has all the ear- marks of a desirable vaudeville pro- duction, and the couple have elimi- nated much of the former burlesque material that gave the turn the sem- blance of age. The Jap number with its accompanying changes, utilized for the finale, brought them over with a bang and until Lambert and Ball came to view the English pair had practi- cally no opposition. The Three Leightons with a new member replacing "Rags" have finally replaced their familiar former turn with a likeable sequel, this in "one" which allows for more comedy scope. The new dancer seems to resemble his predecessor in appearance, build and routine, but lacks the ability, although he eked out sufficient ap- plause from his solo to warrant an en- core. The blackface man and his working partner retain all their per- sonality and carried the act through with little effort. Evelyn Nesbit and Jack Clifford