Variety (January 1915)

18 SHOW REVIEWS HAMMERSTEIN'S. "The Corner" has a bill this week that is one of the best at the famous vaudeville resort in quite some time. The show may not have been as long on names as some that have gone be- fore, but it ran along exceedingly well and entertained from the start. Adele Blood (New Acts) was headlined and she undoubtedly drew some of her many admirers to the house Monday night. She had the position closing the first half of the bill and pleased. Diane D'Aubrey, White and Jason and the King of Hoboes, Jeff Davis (New Acts). Opening the show Rose Schmettan and Brother presented something de- cidedly worth while in feats of strength. Their opening consists of poses. Following, they present a num- ber of equilibristic feats combined with juggling and hoop whirling. The an- swer to the value of the act is found in the fact that it received four bows in the opening spot at "The Corner." "Opening at Hammeistein's" is the hardest spot in vaudeville. The team was followed by Diane D'Aubrey, whom the audience was inclined to kid at first, but who held her own and got over quite nicely. The third position was given to "Why Men Go Wrong" as "The Chief of Police" skit has been renamed. The act seemed to strike home with the Hammerstein audience and several ot the speeches were heartily applauded. The act could have gotten over to greater effect if the role of the society girl and that of the police chief had been better played. This will have to be done if the act is to remain on the big time, but if it slips back to whence hailing from, the present cast is ade- quate. Dave Ferguson followed the sketch and soon had the audience laughing. Dave is pulling a nifty in "He looked like an accident that was going some- where to happen." "AH for the Love of a Girl" as put over by him is a riot. His "fag" stuff at the close sent him over in great shape. Opening the second part "On File" was sent along nicely but the act seemed to lack a punch at the finish. The opening started off like wildfire as far as laughs were concerned, but the speed was let down and the traves- ty began to drag at the finish. No- nette, the singing violinist, was next, singing and playing wonderfully well. Tom Lewis and Co. in Joseph Hart's act, "Brother Fans," were just the right sort for the house. After the act proper Lewis gave his now famous after dinner speech to roars of laugh- ter. White and Jason followed, and Davis was down next to closing. The Brothers Arco with a very showy strong act closed the bill with a big flash. The tw© men have a won- derful routine and their work met with frequent applause. Fred. COLONIAL At the Colonial this week are two dancing acts of like construction, Joan Sawyer and George Harcourt, appear- ing just before intermission, and John Jarrott and Vera Maxwell (New Acts), third from closing. Each got sufficient applause to warrant their presence on the same bill. The Jarrott-Maxwell routine will win greater favor and more instantaneous popularity in vaudeville through the newer dances Jarrott and Miss Max- well display in their turn. They have more pep and have lifted the Fox Trot into a corking good variety "bit." Miss Sawyer is using the whirl which Evelyn Nesbit does. Both dancing turns use colored orchestras and each did an "orchestral specialty." The bill aside from its "dancing car- nival" aspect didn't have any too much entertainment although one or two acts kept the show from losing its balance. The Hearst-5'elig Weekly started the show and was as interesting as a snail race. Witt and Winter (New Acts) went through their routine slowly. Jack Ryan and Harry Tierney tried to vhoop things up a bit but the song routine does not help as much as it did in other song frameups these boys have had. Wee Georgie Wood had them guess- ing. Some said "He's a girl,'* while others declared that Wee Georgie was a boy after all. The voice and certain mannerism fooled them all the way. The act appears to drag and not until the imitations did the turn really elicit substantia! attention. Robert Emmett Keane and Muriel Window had a soft spot but did not get what they should have out of it. Miss Window wears a becoming stage outfit but she hangs onto a winter outer wrap too long. The fur on the neck- band appears to be choking her at times. Keane had tough rowing with his monogolistic "bit" at first. Keane offers "as Harry Ford, the great Eng- lish music hall comedian, singing 'How Dare You?'" and it went over cold. They sang "Tennessee" closing, and did fairly well with it. The song was a hit alone on its merits. After Miss Sawyer came intermis- sion, with Morton and Austin register- ing success of the show. They are now "working" two women in the act. Jim Morton did more acrobatics than usual. The act should have been next to closing, with Von Hoven in their place, as the audience was quickly seated before the second half got under way. Von Hoven has some very funny talk and it j?ot over with laughing re- sults. Tjhc Aerial Martins fairly flew through their double trapeze routine. Between Morton and Austin and the Von Hoven acts appeared Jarrott and Miss Maxwell. The Colonial audience did not show any class Monday night and few and far between were the evening clothed folks. Business was not good for a Colonial Monday start. Mark. ORPHEUM. The Brooklyn class house has a show this week which might be described as having a couple of disappointments, en- tirely surrounded by good acts. The two main events of the evening were Rose Coghlan and Co. (New Acts) and Gus Edwards' Song Revue. These two, though drawing a capacity house Monday evening, did not reach expec- tations. Gus Edwards gave evidence at the finish by peculiar pantomime he had lost his voice. He went through the numbers in the same pantomimic fash- ion. The song revuers are a fine look- ing crowd and in some instances can sing and in others decidedly cannot. The act received enough applause at the finish to almost take one bow, but Gus explained in two stolen ones about his lost voice. Lohse and Sterling opened the show working fast on the rings and trapeze. This girl and boy present a neat ap- pearance and have a dandy opening act. Moore and Young were No. 2 and filled that position nicely. Their songs and dances were liked. Henry Lewis, on just before Miss Coghlan's sketch, pulled down the hit of the evening. Lewis has a comedy style all of his own and his "nut" ef- forts were rewarded with big laughs and much applause all through his act. "A Telephone Tangle" kept the Brooklynites laughing all the way. Comfort and King opened the sec- ond part and this black-face team made good. The big fellow has a good tenor voice and a good selection of songs. The little fellow is a comedian. PALACE. The Palace was not jammed, as looked for Monday evening, the first day of Nazimova's (New Acts) appear- ance on the vaudeville stage. In fact the Palace was not pressed for room, and there was but a single row of standees. These could have easily been placed in the empty seats toward the rear. Later in the week, when it becomes known Nazimova has also a good sketch, she may prove the ex- pected draw. The laughing hit was Frank Fogarty, easily. He was moved up to "No. 4" at the night performance, to provide some comedy for the early half, Lil- lian Shaw exchanging with him, she opening after intermission. Mr. Fogarty told some new stories amidst older ones, and had thchouse, a great many of whom seemed to have been drawn by the headline, laughing all the time. He also sang a new number to open, "Sarah's Hat," closing with a recitation. Another big turn on the program was the Long Tack Sam Co. of Chinese entertainers, second after intermission. The big Chinese show was as enter- taining as when at Hammerstein's re- cently, although the Meyakos Sisters (New Acts) appearing "No. 3" made two Far Eastern acts on the same bill. Trixie Friganza was next to closing, and "The Aurora of Light" ended the vaudeville, with the picture Weekly closing this week's performance. "Romeo the Great." a monkey, handled by the same trainer (Alfrei Drowiskey) who first presented "Con- sul" on this side, opened the per- formance, "Romeo" goes through a full routine and makes some fun through manhandling an assistant, but the act ran too long Monday evening, causing an appreciable lack of applause at the finish. Cut down to cases, "Romeo" would be an extremely good chimp turn, especially for the children. Angelo Patricola (New Acts) appeared in the second position. 8itne. WINTER GARDEN. The vaudeville performance at the Winter Garden Sunday night was com- posed of 17 acts. And yet the capacity audience was drawn there by but one, Al Jolson, who proved it by holding the stage for 40 minutes, closing the show. Jolson seemed to be trying out the house for endurance, although enter- taining them every minute. About mid- way in his turn he told the orchestra to play a waltz, as he had to make a change. Al reappeared in a dress to travesty Olga Petrova, and his travestv was almost as funny as Petrova's act. Besides which Jolson sang songs, kissed Jose Collins on the mouth as she was seated in an orchestra chair, shook hands with everybody he knew in the front rows, including Max Winslow (asking Max to sing "Susie," Winslow replying he wouldn't sing an "opposition song"). But Jolson had Miss Collins sing it, also Elisabeth Brice, who faltered on the third line, and then Maurice made the attempt, Jolson meanwhile loading himself up with clothes lying around, giving away cigars and cigarettes he found in the pockets of the coats. In addition to the "Susie" song, which closed his turn, Al sang "All for the Ladies," "Fatima Brown," and "Tennessee, T Hear You Calling Me," told some new stories (and got away with all of them). Jolson appeared to be having as good a time as the house. When you can do what Jolson can do at the Winter Garden, you are doing a lot. He does things no one else would think of, and if he is drawing as well during the week to "Dancing Around*' as he does on Sunday night, he is the Shuberts' undefined gold mine. The early part of a Garden Sunday bill is a pretty tough spot for anyone. The acts fell over one by one until Billy Gould and Belle Ashlyn, "No. 8." Miss Ashlyn is going in the new Gar- den production. Her funnisms caught the audience as did Gould's jokes. One of the happenings of the night was two modern dancing turns, both using the same opening music ("Glow Worm") to the same waltz, with their second dance also similar. The acts were Clifton Webb and Eileen Moly- neux and Bonnie Glass and Rudolph. Miss Glass and Mr. Rudolph intro- duced a new dance—for them—a cake- walk, nicely lifted from the Cakewalk Mr. and Mrs. Seabury did at Shanley's. Neither of the dancing pairs got much, not any more than Weber and Wilson did, "No. 3." They are dancers, also. Madame Bacque, whoever she is. sang some straight songs, then Frank Carter put over a number in excel- lent manner, and Frank showed up finely as a "single." He was followei