Variety (February 1916)

20 COLUMBIA. AcU playing the Columbia theatre on the single day (Sunday) of me week, when that burlesque house holds a vaudeville enow, bad better loavo Us gallery alone. Some Sunday whin a turn on ihe stage Invites responses from the upper loft the bunch upstairs may drive the act from the stage, and It will be the act's own fault. . .. The Columbia's gallery seems to be all riabt when left alone. It stood for an act last Sunday afternoon nearly all the regulefs downstairs thought would surely get the bird beforelt finished. But It didn't, and though that act will likely not receive any booking around New York from the 8undsy showing. It may know It escaped one humiliation at least that could not have been forgotten. A couple of turns last Sundsy talked to the gallery. The first was Eddie Foyer, who had quite some conversation with It. and the other Hank Brown, of Brown, Harris and Brown. Mr. Brown, though merely passed one remark, but It's Just as well not to pass any. Mr. Foyer Invited the bouse to ask for any verse It wished recited. The gaIleir hollered Uem all out at once. "Ounga Dhln." -The Quit- t«r" and "The Face on the Barroom Floor were moetly favored. Mr. Foyer did "The Face." mentioning It was an .old recitation by Hugh Darcy. an actor. It's the same recitation Sam Bernard, when a youngster doing a Dutch single, featured In that turn. Previously Mr. Foyer bad recited The Shoot- ing of Dan McCTrsw" In costume, and before that had monologed for several minutes. In- cluding In bis talk a long series of restaurant waiters mangled calls to the kitchen for food ordered. These were laughable though pro- tracted, and Mr. Foyer should bsve stopped at "Hamburger steak." But he didn't even want to stop after the "Fac» ' thing, doing 28 minutes as It was. It looks as though Mr. Foyer is another Harry Thomson—cso give an act or the whole show, whichever the man- agement asks for. Foyer will be all right on small time around here If he limits his stage stay. There wasn't a great deal to the Columbia's Sunday bill, ft ran In jumps, starting with the Kratons In hoop rolling, three people, who work well together and put over a nice little attractive turn. The young women among the colored trio Is so light complexloned It would not be guessed she were colored were It not for her companions. Sunday mstlnee the tbrcs-tlmes-sround-tbe-school-house with the hoop win missed three times before ac- complished. Whether stalled or not. It should not have been attempted so often In succes- sion. This Is the orlslnsl Krston hoop roll- ing tarn with the origins! set end Ides* of the late Harry Krston. who was one of the nicest and most gentlemsnly of colored folk who ever played on the stage. In the "No. 2" spot were the Blunt Bros. (New Acts). They let down the bill at tbls point, followed by Stone and' Marlon (New Acts), who picked It up again but let 'er flop over with their finishing number. After the two male two-sets In "one" came a mixed two-act (using full stage thoueh they could also have worked In "one"). That was Tler- ney and Franklin, formerly Tleroey and 8s- bott (doing the ssme layout of act), opening with the "One. Two. Three, It's All Over Now" number. slso used by Vsnderbllt end Moore. Afterward there Is a song, then a waits, besides a fot trot, but there's nothing to the Tlcrney-Franklln turn thst gives it any weight. Tt might do for small time. Succeeding Mr. Foyer came Harry Hay- ward snd Co.. on s return Col-imbla Sunday date this Fes son. with a new womnn In the three-set comedy sketch, also s new opening film bit. They did better than might have been looked for from a return engagement, and were followed by the Brown three-act, also with a new woman, at lesst new sln^e the turn last appeared around here. Hank Brown got away with everything. In a "chicken'' suit (natty cost and straw bat), and was the laughing hit of the bill, al- though he tried the encore thing so often It turned over on him. The new girl I* plump and pleasing. The entire act ran along In an easy style that Just suited the audience. "The Royal Dragoons" (New Acts) were next, program running late at this time, with Lin- ton and Laurence to follow, and Maori Sis- ters and Co. closing the show. Bime. SHOW REVIEWS BON TONS. The "Bon Tons" this week at the Columbia with Bert Baker Is In a two-act burlesque entitled "Copper st 04." by George Totten Smith and Bert Baker, lyrics by Arthur Jsck- son, with musical numbers staged by Jack Mason and Dan Dody, Incidental music by Leo Edwards. The show Is one of the best laughing enter- tainments seen at the Columbia this season, due to clever comedy well handled by a capable cast. The book Is not altogether new and the rnmedy has seen considerable usage b-„. *".'.;; retains Its crispness, mainly through Mr. Baker as the lead comic In his customsry Tad characterisation, with Leo Hoyt play- ing opposite In a "Dutch" role. Babe La Tour as a snappy soubret and without a doubt one of the hardest workers In burlesque, and Luclle Manlon. a girl with a voice and a piecing personality, help to give the production the necessary punch. Occupying the centre of the stage almost the entire hour and half the first part, Mr. Baker kept the peeked house Tuesday night In stitches, ably asnlsted by the other mem- bers. A Lobster Palace scene closes the first act. The second part Is much shorter and has as a festure a Suffragette Rand number, and also Baker In female attire. This latter Is good for several laughs. Burlesque patrons will also laugh heartily at the band business. The scene Is laid In Japan and consists of a good looking exterior. The musical numbers do not compare with the comedy. It Is not until well towards the last of the first act the first real singing comes up for notice. It is "8ame Sweet Girl" sung by Luclle Manlon. The ballad caught on easily as rendered by her. Miss La Tour with her lively way gets over all of her numbers, with "Close to My Heart" securing several encores. Mabel McCloud Is also given one or two numbers to lesd, she get- ting along satisfactorily with them. The 20 choristers appear experienced. The dressing of the girls stands out through the newness of the costumes, the show on a whole, both principals and chorus, being well looked after. The straight man for the aggregation Is Sam Hyams, a neat appearing chap who has not been given an over abundance of work. Mike Foster. Rose Ford. Mike Feeley and Ed Simmons have parts well taken care of. A two-act olio consists of Ford and Foo- ter. In songs, and Bert Baker, with some talk that will sound good to any audience. "The Bon Tons" Is as good a burlesque show as one would want to see. PALACE. There Is nothing particularly great about the current Palace program, but one can hardly leave the house unsatisfied for the second half of the bill partially atoned for the weak division preceding. Nevertheless the business was up to a capacity mark Monday night with the usual army of stsndees and a record turn away. Julia Dean and Co. (New Acts) featured the bill with a war sketch, holding the spot Just before Intermission and scoring singularly well, considering general condi- tions. It seemed rather unique to see a single woman open the show, but after sluing through Augusta Close's specialty the con- slrttency of the move was obvious. Miss Gloss seemed to have a confidential party between herself and those sitting In the first few rows and while the Inward march of the audience was a handicap, Miss Olose would have fared no better In any spot. She has a plausible Idea for her routine, running through a series of character numbers with a few small changes, but the "kick" is mibsing and In no single Instance did Miss Olose register. One can hardly think of a suitable suggestion for Miss Close's turn, but It surely isn't there for big time vaudeville. The Six American Dancers, originally scheduled for the opening spot, came on In second position and with their novel style and entertaining routine carried off a good bulk of applause. The ensemble dancing at the finish makes a pretty stage picture and the sextet scored substantially on general merit. Alsn Brooks and Co.. In "Straightened Out." registered a resounding comedy wallop to the bill, his clever handling of the In- ebriate role scoring a long succession of legitimate laughs. The pathos "bit" near the clone seemed unnecessarily slow and might be given with a little more epeed, but on the whole the turn stand < out among the best of vaudeville's comedy playleta. The second portion of the bill began with Bud Fisher, who is modestly programmed as the highest salaried cartoonist In captivity. Flsh»r's program Introduction credits him with an annusl Income of $104,000. which somewhat eclipses the chunk allowed Rube Goldberg. Fisher's vaudeville specialty Is genuinely entertaining with plenty of comedy and It Justly captured one of the few big hits of the show. Ball and West, who followed, were their usual hit. and the Dollv Sisters and Jean Schwa its, held over from last week, com- pleted to a few encores and a series of ap- plause Interrupt lona. Harry Tlghe and 8vlv1a Jason, who have now one of the niftiest little two-aets In vaudeville, were next to closing and began with their entrance to accumulate one of the blggeat hlt« of the evening. The Tlghe-.lason combination Is easily the best In which Tlghe has ever figured and the pair should And big time vaudeville easy. Odlva closed. Wynn. COLONIAL While the Colonial show this week Is not particularly strong as a whole. It was laid out nicely to show Its complete value and there were few. If any. at the holiday mati- nee who left unsatisfied. The bill ran a bit long, but the comedy numbers did much to balance the time consumed and at the finale with the arrival of Lohse and Sterling only a few of the capacity attendance made the customary early exit. The rapid routine of aerial feats held rapt attention and the clos- ing duo were well rewarded In the shape of applsuse. Mrs. Thomas Whlffen and Co. are the week's headllner. offering 'The Golden Night" (New Acts). Mrs. Whlffen and her associate play- ers occupied the period Immediately preceding Intermission, following Mabel Berra, who scored substantlnlly with her repertoire of well chosen numbers. Miss Berra tactfully combines an attractive personality and an able voice, her quartet of numbers running the gamut from a light child's song to the "La Travlata" aria. The latter, closing, corned the principal several bows. Louehlin's Dogs were In the opening spot, the comedy proportion* of the turn collecting a safe hit. after which came the Kaufman Brothers (Jack and Phil). This team Is slowly heading toward the professional to- boggan and the early position Just about uti- lized their entire stock of entertaining abil- ity. Their several "sags'* are of ancient vintage and the principal and practically only asset remaining le their harmonising quali- ties with the operatic travesty holding up the finals. The turn remains unchanged since their Initial eastern debut aeveral years ago and while vaudeville baa gone ahead, the Kaufman Brothers have stood stationary. For such talented chapa. they display a reckless foolishness In their obvious lack of progree- siveness. Stevens and Marshall followed with two separate skits, one given before the bouse "apron" and the other In full stage. Stevens has a fine sense of humor, the easily recog- nised finesse In delivery and the fine Italian mark of the old school Is readily apparent In his general stage work, but while this regis- ters a score of Individual approval, It has Its setback as well, for 8teveno's repertoire Is distinctly of an ancient brand. His char- acter work la faultless to a degree and hlo versatility stands out as a diploma of stage talent amid the modern vaudeville specialists, but a more up-to-date skit would have been generally preferred. . Following Brterre and King (New Acts) came the comedy hit of the program In Charles Orspewln and Anns Chance whoso latest vehicle. "Poughkeepsle," Is merely a long succession of genuinely good laughs. The Chung Hwa Four, a quartet of Chinese vocalists, came next and principally because of the n^velness of the turn, they captured a place In the hit column. They preceded the closing act Wynn. BUSHWICK. The engrossing topic In Brooklyn Just now It would seem from the Bushwlck program Is "Brighter Brooklyn." The Edison Co. Is ad- vertising for Brooklynltes to purchase one of its bunch light lampposts to light up. One would think the main Idea of a Brooklynlte would be bow to light out. but of course living in Brooklyn Is like living In Yonkers— If you live In either place long enough. And that Brooklyn suffering may account for a noisy gentleman sitting In the front row of the balcony having a monosyllable way of criticising the show. When he didn't like any- thing upon the stage, he merely said "Punk!" Often he said nothing, so silence may have been his form of expressing approval. The Bushwlck nearly got the big time vaudeville record of the season Monday night. Up to Intermission not one act had the excru- ciatingly 'funny" bit of business where the man In the turn slaps the woman (in tull evening dress) upon the bare back or shoulder. It seemed Impossible the record would be reached, and so It turned out. for when Ban- croft and Brooke appeareu Immediately after the interval. Mr. Bancroft did It. They are not the only onea. The scheme of evening dress on women In vaudevlle appears, at least, this season to be the single excuse for this slap-stick slapping that Is very vulgar by whomsoever done, and more so when evening dress Is the setting. In the good old rough and tumble days of burlesque, even before Ed Hayes In his dirty make-up of a piano player got his biggest laugh this way. slapping a woman was considered funny, it may be funny yet. for there are still enough who pay to see a ahow to laugh at It. but any act that believes It Is entitled to be looked upon as possessing class has only to put over this low brow appeal for a laugh to dispel any class Impression. The Bushwlck program this week Is noted for a couple of pretty snd complete settings, those In the Valerie Bergere and Travers and Douglas sketches. Miss Bergere's Japanese living room Is disclosed following an Interior cloth curtain being raised. It's a nice plan, and the setting with Its cherry blossom yard on the exterior of the prettily placed light colored room la wholly artlatic. In "Meadow- brook Lane" Noel Travers and Irene Douglas hsve what looks like a practical cottage on the stage. The bouse Is backed up wltb wood- lsnds, there la a lawn and the only defect is that the tormentors so bruise the appearance the Illusion Is lost. The tormentors at least, could be pulled in somewhat. Some day though vaudeville may set to the proscenium and have ceilings (which has happened two or three times within recent years. Miss Berg- ere's carrying one). It's a nice show this week for the Bush- wlck. The house was not overloaded with attendance. 8lde boxes entirely vacant with big gaps in the balcony, the orchestra being well filled. Miss Bergere captured the evening's success. Her Jap comedy. "Little Cherry Blossom" by Stephen G. Champlln Is the best thing In Its line, for vaudeville. Miss Bergere or any- one else has shown. The tensity of "Mme. Butterfly" Is absent and In Its place is a meagre story deluged with lines Intended to make an audience laugh, and they do that very easily. The light touch to the entire sketch Is much preferable to a similar one with sadness piled on. Miss Bergere has sur- rounded herself with a capable company of four or five people, and next to her in impres- slvencss of playing Is Effle Bordlne in the leant important role, the maid. "Little Cherry Blossom" can stand a return date. It will be continually altered probably In dialog as one thing suggests another. The playiet Is a bright amusing moment In a vaudeville bill. The aketch, "Meadowbrook Lane" written by Edgar Allan Woolf. Just misses for big time praise though It's going to do with the present cast The fault Is Mr. Woolf's. He overlooked opportunities, depending It would seem upon a roueh kid ("Spuds"—Sidney Taylor) for "sure-fire" laughs through asides snd dragged In lines. In the character of a good-looking fly linoleum salesman, travelling through the country selling goods on his looks and wits, Mr. Woolf secured the type in Mr. Travers but failed to five him the necessary dialog that could hold up the character. Bo the sketch must depend upon a seml-melodramatio story of a miserly Ian-lord which -•tors out through Its Inconsistency and lack of any real Ingenuity In the detailing. Irene Douglas Is the forlorn maiden who has a little homo In the woods saved by the salesman through her trust In him. It le their Individuality and understandable double playing that gets any- thing to be gotten by this piece, but "Meadow- brook Lane.' thanks to Its setting and com- pany, la entitled to bookings. It's there easily for the Orpbeum Circuit also, but If Mr. Travers and Miss Douglas like vaudeville well enough to remain In It they had better com- mence casting about for another aketch. This couple of competent players would do much better with a better written piece." Next to closing Lloyd and Britt, a couple of young fellows, got themselves liked through the eccentric dancing comedian mostly, though the straight In the turn Is decidedly good. (But the comedian always grabs the credit with the houae.) If the comedian could culti- vate a more reposeful poise It would help him Immeasurably. They open with a med- ley, straight and humorous, do some talk over a much battered up young woman, with the straight handling a couple of solos, the com- edian doing his dancing (and getting much with a very good tmTtatlon-of-type-dance), the boys closing with a double dance that Is not any too nifty. A little faster style of work for a season with the talk divided Into more than one subject, and a "No. 4" spot on the big bills for awhile should make Lloyd and Brltt a standard turn. The Bancroft-Brooke turn Is peculiar In routine, opening operatlcally, continuing in that strain until the recitation of "Dave Sloane" (an Australian who monkeyed around snakes) and the slap-back thing, then finish- ing with "an old style cake-walk" that didn't look much different from that being done by many others Just now. u *ree Bancroft and Octlvla Brooke can not look for big things vaudevllly from the present turn. Ameta with her sight production dances closed the performance to a held In audience. Herbert's Dogs opened the program. Herbert has many dogs with but few doing anything for comment. A "Loop the Loop" trick and leaping are about the best, other Items being dragged out. especially the opening parade which however may be good Judgment fot matinees. Next were Rives and Harrison, a mixed two-act who reverse the general order In ap- pearance. Ben Harrison is a blonde; Shlrll Rives a brunette. They have a kidding open- ing about "bench acts" and this Is carried thorughout the turn. There Is some good business with the orchestra leader and a "plant" for one remark Is used in the gallery. The couple also sing. Mr. Harrison Is a very neat Juvenile, who handlea himself well and Miss Rives Is a good foil for him. There Is a bit of "leg" business that might go out. also a couple of the "Ford gags." For a light entertaining two-set of this sort the "No. 2" spot at the Bushwlck was distinctly against It. In the "No. 3" position were Palfrey. Hall and Brown, straight and comedy cycling with dancing by a girl. Too much time Is devoted to the latter. The tramp comedian has a very funny entrance and does remarkable single wheel riding for good comedy effect. The act got over very well. • Mlgnon was next, with her imitations. In- cluding one of Julia Sanderson singing "Same Sort of Boy" In "Girl From Utah." Miss Mlgnon exposes the Inside workings of an imitation turn using that number, since "The Girl From Utah" has closed and Miss Ssnder- son is now with "Sybil." As the Sanderson number was utilized for Mlrnon's first exit, It speaks for Itself, and the Rushwlekltes who probably never saw the original fell for It easily. Miss Mlgnon's most recent Imitation was Blossom 8eeley singing "Hula Hula" in "Stop Look and Listen." She did that fairly well. Her Imitation of Marie Dressier sing- ing 'Too High" waa another such bid as the Sanderson's, and a Barnard Granville dance closed the turn, it was one of Granville's earliest dances. Miss Mlgnon did It so well, and she seems able to do other things by her- self also that It seema strange Mlgnon does not become a singing and dancing single or part of a two-act, on her own account. She would do much better In the long run and this goes for other Imitators, unless, like Belle Blanche, they can find something In that line that Is a novelty, as Miss Blanche has done. Bime. JEFFERSON. Eight acts and two pictures (single reeler and two-part) made up the show at the Jeffer- son the first half. Tuesday night with the house Jsmmed the show nlayed verv well. The Three Southern Girls (New Acts) A opened the show and were very well liked with the violin playing and singing. "Four Queens and A Jack" followed on the nrogram, but were out on the last show. This was also the case with Rockett and Waldron, "the "Plcadilly Johnnies." John T. Doyle and Co. In his dream sketch appealed strongly and there was loud applause at the finish. Fox and Mayo, a team of men presenting a num- ber of popular numbers In the rathskeller manner, were another hit. A Universal comedy drama followed them. Harrv Haywood and Co. Immediately after the picture did not get the laugh results he should because of working too quietly for that audience. The comedy hit of the bill was Alice Hansen in the t/ext-to-closing spot. Working with the midget, who Is alammed all over the stage by the comedienne, she had the house rocking with laughV»r. The Bonamour Arabs closed. Fred.