Variety (January 1917)

20 SHOW REVIEWS Faff and White. BUck Face. 12 Min* ; One. Harlem O. H. The appeal in this act, from an ap- plause standpoint, lies entirely in the surprise finish, where the first revela- tion is that the girl who sports a "high yaller" complexion is white, and then to make it twice as difficult, the wig is removed and the girl stands re- vealed as an "impersonator?" Prior to that point the act seemed just an ordi- nary small time turn, through the team following the usual routine, i. e., "what did you do when I took you to that swell banquet." The song numbers and talk were both put over to a dialect so accurate the majority mistook the duo for darkies. Then came the punch at the finish, the girl putting over the im- pression that she was a female im- personator. It's a good idea as a final applause winner. Fred* Minerva Courtney and Co. (3). "Bob Bulger's Bride." 20 Mina.; Full Stage (Special Set). Harlem O. H. The sketch Miss Courtney is present- ing may or may not be called "Bob Bulger's Bride," but that title will be as appropriate as any other for it It was undoubtedly suggested by the vehicle in which she formerly ap- peared. The scene is in the bar-room of a western general store. The place is nothing more than a shack. The three male characters sTart the story without it getting anywhere, then the star arrives. She is a traveling saleswoman, handling everything from beauty cream to a steam radiator. Her mother has left her $7,000 providing she marries the son of mother's first sweetheart. Old Coincidence steps into the picture. The one cowboy that shows up at the bar is the man, and of course this day is the last day that the girl has to make good and grab off the inheritance, all of which comes to pass. A. comedy streak runs through the act that makes it verv acceptable on small time, and the offering might squeeze past on some of the big bills in an early spot *"*■**• Lillian Mortimer and Co. (4); "Molly O" ("Melodrama V 25 Mini.; Full Stage (Interior). Citv. Too drawn out. too talkv and much over acted. In fact, so bad as a melo- drama it is eood for a few laughs. Nevertheless it is the type they want to see and hear in the houses that play to the audiences the City get, so why arcne? The act could be cut seven or ei>ht minutes and he a better small time offerinsr for the operation. Three men and another woman in addition to the star in the act. The nlot revolves about Moltov O. alias Diamond Molly, tri- umnhmflr over a detective. Great for the Citv theatre! At nresent the com- panv is badlv in need of someone to properly stage the skii. Fred. DXeir. Acrordianlst 9 Mine.; One. Jefferson. D'Leir is just another piano accor- dianist. His routine is a little short and could be filled out with popular stuff. The bov seems to have per- sonality and can play. It should be about time for one of the piano ac- cordianists to break awav from the cut and dried routine all of these acts have and confine himself wholly to popular melodies. Fred. Tack Morrissey and Co. (1). Rones and Stock Whips. 11 Mina.; Full Stage. ^ Jefferson. Tack Morrissev is assisted bv another man and offers a brief exhibition of lariat spinning after which he shows many little trick usages a stock whip mav be put to. There is also a bit of trick shooting. It is a nice small time opener. Fred. THE BOSTONIANS. , .JCOMTMBT4.) Fr«nk pinn**'* 1fHA-17 organization de- livers a first rate burlesque shot/ 'at the* Co- lumbia this week. Finney is an amusing comedian, he baa a capital collection of prin- cipal women, capable assistance In tbe fun- making end, a groups of good-looking, active choristers and a stage mounting that la at all tlmea bright and sightly. In one detail "Tbe Boatonlans" set a new record. Florence Mills, the leading woman, carries off the prize for dressing, both for frequency of change In costume and for Its elaborateness. At 9.15 she had paraded In five gorgeous frocks, and when the returns were all In at 10.80 the grand total bad reached IS or 16. The other principal women were laps and laps behind, but they, too, per- formed wonders In the way of changing clothes. May Holden, soubret, was a fairly close second, while ffmma Harris trailed along in third place. The trio together distanced the whole burlesque field. Their scheme of costuming gets away from the familiar flash, of burlesque frock design, running to tones of quiet elegance at times. Miss Mills, of course, had little time between changes for the working up of "bits," but sbe did spread heraelf on a scene In which she played a lady-like "souse" with Plnney. The pair put It over effectively. At other tlmea the women confined themselves to the busi- ness of brightening up the stage with their satorlal splendors and did all of that. Inci- dentally doing some first rate number leading that went a long way toward keeping the show alive every minute. George 8. Banks works with Tlnney as a stupid boy In various guises, and, lest there be an Idle moment on the stage, Sam Lee and Al Shaw break Into the proceedings at every opportunity with their fast dancing, spread- ing their specialty through most of the show. Add to thin that the chorus girls average high for appearance and activity, and are dressed well, and It Is easily to be seen the evening has few gaps. A faint "story" rani through the pieces, but It Is never allowed to take up time better devoted. J. P. Orlfflth plays an old man, and his big voice furnished the foundation for many of the effective ensemble numbers, tbe organisa- tion not being conspicuous as to Its vocal strength. Tt was largelv due to Orlfflth and Mlsn Harris, the operatic medley, suggested doubless by a similar arrangement In a recent musical comedy, got past very well, aa an In- terpolated Interlude In "one" to permit the setting of a full stage set. Another like In- terval was supported by Lee and Shaw's dancing turn. Four full stare sets are In use. The stag- ing has been well taken care of, a particularly pretty picture being the opening ensemble for the second act. Tda Fmerson does nicely In several numbers and aids In occasional comedy scenes and numbers. Murray Bernard Is tbe usual strata-lit man. but has been rather shouldered out of prominence by the more than plenty of material In the show. GIRL WITHOUT A CHANCE. (INTERN ATIO NAD Carlotta J Hedda Laurent Zerllna ( Pletro Mnstettl Ersest Hawkins Jerry Sullivan Fred Hubbard Tony Beronl Floyd Covell Tim Kerrigan Walter Wilson Kelly, Fred Brewer Steve Burton William Rath Big Ann Birdie Wilbur .Tohnnv Sharpe Burt Rae Ollhert Mag Bnr*«n Kathrvn Marney Tim Cronan Louis Ronsar "The Olrl Without a Chance" Is another International "white slave" melodrama, with nnthlnsr out of the ordinary to recommend H, unless It l« that It discloses some crude thrills after the fashion of the mellerw of a bygone dnv. The author. Whltnev Collins, has con- trived to marshal his situations so that from tlm«» to time the action h*s a forcible climax. One comes promntlv at the end of each act. The motives of the characters are honelessly wtaeev and their actions will scarcely bear annlvsls. hut they do manage to involve them- selves In scrapes which are theatrically em- phatic The slavers, for Instance, lock up one of their victims In a brothel and try to starve her Into suhlectlon. The heroine climbs a Are esenne and enters the nlsee to free her, leaving her hrother, a big husky young man, to wait outside. The leader of the slavers Is Police Inspector Tim Kerrigan snd he trnnsacts all his white bIpvp business while slttlna- at his desk In a police station. Thf»t hardlv sounds reason- able. Nor Ir If entlrelv logical to have him teoelvo hla lieutenants to talk business, while his principal enomv. the hero, who is a news- paper reporter, is loafing about within sound of the conversation. Attendance at the Bronx theatre—this was last week when the holiday crowds filled nearly every theatre In town—was light. The audience Thursdav night was unresponsive for the most part. Thpre were scattered patters of hand flaps for the "heroic" speeches, but the romedv scenes won the most. The "fat" of the piece goes to Fred Hub- hard ns Jerry Sullivan, a comedy character v.ho If continuously drujik. hvt „ always per-, rormlng arts of kindness. lie had all tbe pood lines In the show and handled the part exefodlnuly well. The players make an or- canlzatlon considerably above tbe Interna- tional average. William Rath did well as the hrother of the Olrl. and Walter Wilson waa effective hs the "white slaver" police official. Kathryn Marney played with assurance, but was rather plump for a suffering heroine. The play Is la three acts and a prolog. The first and the last settings, one aa exterior and &e otter tk<t .parlor nf the "red light", eaftab- . MahDMiV JnrfM •Ltf^ffe ..*MJ "Mr**.*?.*• coat some money. The other two seta, a polloe station and the horns of the Olrl, were cheaply put together. AOTdGULLS. (AMERICAN) Teddy Simons and Jamas J. Lake have beaten the coat thing In the frameup of their burlesque show and still made It an amusing entertainment To this end excellent chorus dressing, a short list of principals, both men and women, who work all the time, contribute the main part. It's a sure enough burlesque. It goes without saying that the pleoes them- selves are negligible aa material, and It Is by virtue solely of the rapid eueceeston of "hit," specialty and number, with a plentiful sprink- ling of lively stage backgrounds that cany the proceedings along. Two specialties stood out above tbe rest. They were the turns of Carol Schroeder and Madeline Webb and Captain Barnett and Bon. Miss Schroeder, who waa the mainstay of the numbers, did a simple little song while sus- pended with her heels dangling Just clear of tbe bald beada la the eeventh row. the devloe being a variation of the Cooper boom which carried a swinging seat far over the audi- ence, the apparatus being concealed by the usual flash of naked lights shining in the spectators' eyes. Tbe Barnetts' offering was a simple talking act involving not too clever exchange of re- partee between the two midgets with a comedy tango for a flnjsh. The little fellows were a riot in the burlesque, also with "Kelly," work- ed up with tbe aid of all the other principals. Miss Schroeder mode a moat engaging pic- ture In tights, almost-tlgbts and skirts of all lengths and of Infinite variety*. Also sbe has an agreeable voles and a thorough knowledge of how to work to an audience. The other Important person In tbe feminine division wss Freddve Amlott a plump pony with a. delightful Hep and oceans of ginger. Unhappily sbe Is handlcaped with a flat, bleat- ing voice. One Pritsle Rudolph, otherwise In the chorus, was scheduled for a duet with Sam Mitchell, but It waa Freddye who sang It Either that or Fritlst worked the whole show under Freddye's name on one of those pro- grams that was not much mora pussllng than most of the burlesque show leaflets. Sam Llovd must write 'em all. Harry 8eymour Is principal comedian. He plays the familiar sort of burlesque "Dutch- man" with a red nose and a purring "r" and resorts pretty frequently to tbe exchange of tangled talk with the straight man. In tbeee passages be was not funny, but some of his "ad lib" stuff was good for laughs. James J. Lake waa a grotesque nondescript sort of character In the first part, nutting over a lot of heavy language and overdoing It badly, hut when be presently blossomed forth as a stralebt worker he did exceedingly well and bolstered un the comedy. The latter fun- making waa Infinitely better than that of the earlv part «f the evening. The chorus Is nicely dressed for ths most part—a notable exception being an arrange- ment of pink tights snd sweaters of a par- ticularly obnoxious combination of bilious yellow and green. The finale of the show was as pretty as this was ugly. For that enaemble chorus, and women principals appeared In snotlesa. freshly laundered white tlebts while the men wore white dress suits. Tbe group- ing of the company against a turkey red plush background was a first rate flash. The girls might have been as fastidious about the clean- liness of tbetr tinted stockings and tights, hut, alas, they weren't. PALACE. The Palace bill got shifted about Monday night, sfter having undergone a rearrange- ment different from the program lay out at the matinee. The first part at night was closed by FJddle Fov and his family In their new act, "The Old Woman Who Lived In a Shoe," which Is little different from the other Fov Family turn excepting in tbe set and costuming. However. It furnishes the Foye with another act which la most Important and they got over well enough before the , holiday capacity attendance. The early ap- pearance of the Foys, It was said sround the theatre, happened to give the children a chance to he In bed at a Proper time. Alexander Carr and Co., who closed the first half of the matinee, were second after Intermission at night In their long sketch. "An April Shower." playing a return date at the Palace. Opening the second part (and a bard position that evening) were Clark and Benrman (New Acts), who got oyer early considering the late Intermission stayers. Wheaton and Carroll were next to closing, and "Plnkey." a new act to the Palace, closed the show. Two or three of the turns got In about equally for high hit honors. One was Rock- well and Wood. "No. 4." It'a a two-man act that never ehould have played small time, where It had to remain for a couple of years. They are programed as "Two Noble Nuts Navigating the Ocean of Nonsense." The comedian. George Rockwell, is a funny frl-. low with the material he Is handling, and his partner, Al Wood, aa the straight, works along with him. Rockwell baa personality. He must have to keen up the steady talk he does throughout, until the couple go into a travesty musical finish that la Just a trifle too long. The Palace showing will set this act for all time, but thev were Just as good when repeating often at the American. Where were the scouts thent They had to osaao Into the Palace by way of the south and west Another turn remaining tea long was Marias} WeeksT^o. 2/' slnglbg. wlff% J»»*\»Ud • volbe that had a nice personality behind It la this young girl, who was liked early but didn't know when to stop, lotting the finish down badly. "The Night Boat" came right after. It'a a production act comedy, by John B. Hymar, carrying six people and a special set ■yen so that sll or slthsr, doesnt make a big turn of It The story Is lrritatlngly silly, with no cleverness to tbe dialog or situation, the baste foundation having been used to a greater or less extent In many burlesque shows, and the whole thing Is trained away down below what a Palace audience would call vaudeville fun. It may be the setting was depended noon, but this was neglected In the upper deck, for apeearanoe, only a string of m- candeeoents lighted up the lower deck, and tt seemed as though tbe drop had not hacked up properly, excepting for the entrance, as when the doors of staterooms opened on either aide, the bare stags si em id to he on view. A spot light supposed to bo thrown from the top of the boat came from the balcony. "The Night Boat" Is lucky tt got on the Palace stags aa a regular act Its best and about tbe only thing In its favor was ths cast ths respective members doing all they were called upon, excepting It made the captain of an Albany night boat seam foolish when he bad to announce he waa going to bed while the boat was on Its way up the river. If the boat waa really moving toward Albany there waa nothing beyond a horn's tooting to Indicate that The story is of the flirtatious young wife of the elderly captain, going to New York on a shopping tour, "flirt- ing" with three men, all of whom buy her presents she suggests and they follow her aboard the boat gathering outside her state- room door, with the girl describing one to the other aa a relative, and lying to bar oap- taln-bueband about them nil. It's tbe moot monotonous playlet -called n comedy the Pal- ace has bsd In seasons snd seemed never- ending, with the finish pulling a light laugh through Its suggesttveneea. Meeban's Dogs opened the performance. The leaping animate held Arm attention at the conclusion of tbe turn. It'e a clean looking dog turn that works fast and Is free from any of the new fangled schemes of presenting such a turn. S aw s . A1AAMBRA. Nine nets occupied a trifle leas than three hours Monday, but ths whole ehow moved smoothly and averaged high In entertainment value. Only one act "Kisses," one of the two sketches which were Introduced in the flrst half by the only error of selection In the bill, ran more than IB or 16 minutes. Most ware close to that desirable mark. While the bill bsd not unusually strong comedy vaTbee, It waa all good light enter- tainment and the laughs reached a climax In the nonsense of Blllle Montgomery and George Perry next to closing, where the laughs counted more etrongly In the final summary of the whole program. Frank and Tobls, dancers, are probably newcomers to the big time. The man and woman have a brightly arranged routine of steps with attractive costume changes and a novel hit of dance pantomime for a finish. Oeorge Lyons (New Acts) was "No. 8" with his harp specialty. Harold Woolf and Helen 8tewnrt In "In Two Flats" had the first chance at the sketch try and did nicely. Charles Oleott found them fairly In the mood for hie comedy bite at the piano, and was the flrst of three acts who used that Instrument He took the trouble to explain to ble audi- ence he had a cold and waa using as much as possible In his repertoire to keep from staging. William Oaxton and Co. In "Kisses" had none too easy a time of It In a swiftly moving show. The sketch le a little talkv and lack- ing entirely in anything that could be called dramatic action. The Interesting situation It develops snd the snsppy llnee In which It Is written hold the attention, but It wss scarcely the number to take a oentral position In a fast-moving specialty bill. Tonev and Norman started off tbe second half with n swift getaway. Miss Norman'a opening number le a splendid bit of comic lyric writing, and she delivers It with telling effect. For the spot It was Just the neoessary "kick" to pin tbe attention of a honae set- tling back to attention. It did this st the outset and the rest was easy for the team. Some of their talk was snappy, and tbe cos- tume changes and the final dance kept the pair going to a flrst rste finale. Melville Bills and Irene Bordont bad tbe feature position. Theirs Is a capital bit of polite entertainment It hae in unusual de- gree those attributes of sprightly fun nnd artlstlo background, and the two prindpala have worked out a highly satisfactory series of song and piano numbers. Billy Montgomery's "nut" stuff wss a riot His material Is along the llnee he hae made familiar and le Just as funny ae Its predeces- sors. One novelty Is the presence of a col- ored boy, dressed In plain uniform, who se- cures some startling musical effects from n harmonica. Hie ragtime has the go snd Jingle that many a more ambitious musical instrument r<t**r\ mts£*? # an-I- vrtui Koccgooa- ery described aa "a descriptive piece repro- ducing in music the sounds of s Virginia fox hunt." was a really astonishing hit of music. The Gladiators, two fine-looking athletes in a series of hand to hand feats, made a pic- tnrositiA etnslw^ nnmW. If It tajlvwjdeelsi VAIUETY.