Variety (August 1917)

VIEWS 19 THE MISCHIEF MAKERS. If F. W. Qcrbardy's "Mischief Makes" U to continue along the American wheel as It com- menced the season, then the American censors had better Jump right on to catch this ex- tremely "dirty" show. Some of the "dirt" Is just plain filth. It hardly seems probable "the Mischief Mak- ers" put in the dirt for the Victoria. Pitts- burgh only. If so It was the poorest of judge- ment. All objectionable matter was still In the performance Thursday night last week, after the company had opened Monday. There were two women In an audience of about CO per cent capacity. Another performance like it and likely the Victoria will lose even those two females as patrons. One of the bits of business between two of the principals, man and woman, when the woman was seated on the man's lap, was as lewd as anything ever done in the lowest honky tonk. .Another glaring piece of Indencency was Mabel Clark when singing "Borneo" in the second act. Miss Clark, a featured principal, was Indecent In this number from her clothes to her actions. She was dressed with a light flimsy Grecian flowing gown or robe effect. It wasn't very long before the house perceived that the gown separated on one side, disclosing Mabel was wholly nude from shoe tops to her waist line. As though this were not enough "spice." Mabel "dirtied it up" by doing the naugutlest kind of cooch movements In her chorus dance of the song. At each encore she made the movements naughtier. Between the dressing and dancing, it's remarkable how Miss Clark escaped the notice of the police. A principal cooch dancing, may be a sub- terfuge by this show to evade the ruling of the American wheel that no cooch dance can be exhibited. But Miss Clark exhibited cooch dancing and made an exhibition of herself. If she persists and Is permitted, Mabel will cooch herself out of regular burlesnue, which does not need the kind of performance she appears to .have degenerated Into. There is other suggestive material In the performance, in action and dialog, but nothing else quite as crude as the two bits mentioned. And the pity of it is that -The Mischief Makers" doesn't need "spice." It carries a capable cast of principals, and in its legitimate book of "The Advertising Man" could furnish legitimate burlesque entertainment. Joe Wil- ton, the "straight," wrote the story. Mrs. Wll- ton looks and plays well. The chief comedian is Charley Van Osten, an all-around player. Opposite Is Joe Freed. Both men can be de- pended upon for comedy. They do a "dope" olio bit. Then there Is Johnny Crosby, sure- fire with his voice. Stella Morrlsy and Auralla Clark are the other women principals. A chorus of 20 has been well dressed and average highly on looks and work. One of the leading chorus numbers Is an "extern" song with verses sung by different girls, fitted onto men In the audience. One or two of the verses mlgnt be railed offensive by the vic- tims, but It makes good burlesque, and the number is led by Mr. Wilton, who borrowed an idea or two for It from the "Hip, Hip Hoorah Olrls" similar chorus number. The final of the first part furnishes the patriotism In the "States" number, done by Zlegfeld "Follies" several years ago and since copied by many other shows. "The Mischief Makers" people have liberally borrowed from the past but this would not prevent It ranking well up, with Its cast, if the show "cleaned up." And If the American wheel intends to be as strict In this regard as it has professed, you may believe that "The Mischief Makers" will have to clean up to remain on the circuit. If this Is what could be called "cheating, outside New York," It's an excellent example. Bime ROSE SYDELL'S LONDON BELLES. Burlesque is fooling 'em so fnr this sranon. as far as It has progressed, in the expectation that patriotic songs and patriotic fervor would be the main points to bold up the performance. It seems the shows have dodged these Issues In favor of the other shows also dodging per- haps, with the result the popular things In burlesque at present are the "Joke," synco- pated talk" and "living pictures." Rose Sydell's London Belles (Columbia wheel) without Rose. Johnnie Weber or BUI Campbell, has all three of the aforsald Items. Bill Campbell is running the show however, with Oeo. F. Hayes and Ted Burns featured, among the men, and Kate Pullman among the women. "Uncle Cy's Trip to New York" Is the burlesque In two acts, written by Frank Ken- nedy who did a very poor job of It. unless the principals have Cist ted the original story to suit themselves. If that sh uld be true, they might distort It again to suit an audience, for at present there is mighty little real entertain- ment In the Sydell troupe. Geo. Hnyes wna nlwavs looked upon as nn Al Rube in burlesque. That still holds good, for Hayes, for a little while, but not In this performance that has more than enough of Hayes' rube, with no material worth watching or listening to bnrktng up the character. So Hayes tires out. and It Is then the house turns to Mr. Fhirns for Its laughs, for he Is using considerable matter the book didn't furnish. Tien there Is Miss Pullman for liveliness. She Is a sort of Kva Tanguay-Murlel Window type of artiste, has red hair and plenty of glmri'T. hosMrs hrtvl. s been pet ep^erertW to \..; m Ti&?-T>? - r; >' -■' ,v. w - U r.wtti, -U-iia.',-. dancing acrohntlc eoubret leading w.msn In burlesaue. Miss Pullman gets away with It anrl with her work much better than anyone else In the company although the featuring portion could have been held back for another season or so. In a dance with Eddie Smith, (olio) Mlns Pullmnn did the acrobatics, drena- fng as a boy for It. J. Hunter Wilson Is the good "straight," and Mr. Smith -takes a simp rola as a- part of tba plot rather well. The prima donna is Louise Harunan, but It's Impossible to enthuse over her. Sam Lewis (not of Lewis and Dody) is the Hebrew, making his only mark with a couple of parodies. ' The story is of a couple of newly-weds, mar. ried by the rube sheriff (nayea> going to New York, taking the company with them and see- ing the sights there in different scenes. The show has been fairly well put on. In staging and dressing, with about 22 choristers carried. Granting the early beginning, the Sydell show may be built up In oomedy. That la what It needs—very badly. Sims. SPORTING WIDOWS. Jacobs and Jermon have gone largely In for production honors In their current season's presentation of "The Sporting Widows," In which Harry Cooper is delegated to handle the stellar comedy role. The show carries a total of eight scenes in two parts, every one con- spicuous for Its newness and pretentiousness, accompanied by a gala array of nifty colored costumes that call for especial commendation. As a matter of fact, the production runs far ahead of the book, which, while of the average strength, could be largely Improved with some additional comedy, particularly in the first part. The book Is light in theme, running around one of those continual travel Ideas, arranged to give a reason for the scenic locations. The comic and his associates tour the world in search of their Idea'm, being followed closely by their own wives. It's practically un- changed from last season, some of the bits bearing a time-worn appearance. At the conclusion of the opener the producer has allowed for a series of specialties In which all the principals aid, the setting show- ing a cabaret scene. In tbls portion the hon- ors go to Jack Btrouse, who offered a string of character numbers with Drena Mack gather- ing a sound hit with her excellent voloe, a voice that has no superiors and mighty few equals in burlesque. The principals, aside from those above men- tioned, include Savo, who essays an eccentric comedy role; Cooper, who Is delightfully "clean" for Cooper; Frank Cook as "straight" man ; Ireme Meara and Jean Pollock, ingenue and soubret. The entire combination are rea- sonably talented, full of "pep" and genuinely good workers. And the chorus backs them up nicely, carrying many of the vocal numbers to encores. Of these "Lingerie," led by Miss Pollock and "Rockaway," led by Miss Meara. cornered the best results. It's a good, all-around show, capable of satis- fying the most skeptical and particularly pleasing from the production angle. Wynn. • PALACE. The eternal feminine Is woefully lacking In the make-up of the program at the Palace this week. There are not more than half a dozen women on the entire bill, without a single woman specialist other than a straight concert singer. Even the theme of the dra- matic sketch has no relationship to the sex problem. For that reason the chow Is not up to the usual high standard. Jack Alfred and Co., three acrobats, have a hit of a novelty. They have managed to sur- round their hand-to-hand, springboard and other stunts with a eomedv skit that sets the work off neatly. Bankoff and Olrlle were placed second and Maryon and Vadle and Ota Gygl last, to separate the two ballet dancers as far as possible, with the Dolly 8lsters In between. The former opened and closed In "one" to helo the setting arrangements. They scored a healthy hit. Then came three piano acts In succession, and It is here worthy of special mention there wna a different grand piano for eeeh turn. The first is Mme. Chllson Ohrman (New Acts), followed by Frankle Fay, who was In turn suc- ceeded by the Dollys, with Jean Schwarts pounding the Ivories. Fay has a piano player who Is an excellent foil for his nonsensical chatter. The Dollys are in their third week and opened with a song and dance "Down by the Beautiful Sea," Jean announcing the differ- ent dances to be observed at the various beaches—Newport, Arverne, Long Beach, Coney Island. The girls then change to sliver and charmeuse evening gowns for another dance, after which Jean plays his medley for the costume change for the "San Domingo" number, In which the girls display their lack of knowledge of the rudiments of terpslchore by falling to point their toes. Five class les- sons with Ad. Newburger would teach one that much. For the finish the girls change to white organdie dresses, blue s*snes and red satin hats for a dnnce to the tune of "Over There." The red. white and blue combination, to- gether with the music, elicited the first healthy applause for the turn. First after intermission are the Arnaut nrothers, musical eccentric clowns. They have considerably elaborated their routine. They now open with guitars, finishing, of course, with their Inimitable whistling bird courtship, which was a hit as usual. Loulr Mnnn and Co., In the playlet, "The Oood for Nothing," furnished the dramatic portion of the entertnlnment. which he sup- i,i/.rr,..ri«r(i with ft y^ervh of think*. Ther*» in Mist one nomr 'in trie ns.«t«li liov. muViT* "*.»t..»i"? At the finish the woman playing the slster-ln- Inw has her hand-hag packed, preparatory to returning to her parents. Mann, In the char- acter of the forgiving brother, takes her to his suite of rooms at the Blltmore for dinner. As he lends her off he picks up his sister-in- law's bag and takes It along. Why? Savoy aud Brennan have incorporated some timely war stuff In their ridiculous cross-fire routine and registered their usual laughing wallop. Maryon Vadle, J&acsusu. and Ota Oygl, violinist, with piano accompanist, closed the entertainment. The show was a long one, commencing promptly at eight, with the Pathe Weekly, and running until after eleven. Jolo. BRIGHTON THEATRE. Some show I Full of pep, speed and sip, holding for the bookers something of a tip, for In these war times the public yearns for the singing, dancing and comedy turns. That Is exactly what the current bill at the Brighton contains and the manner In which the audi- ence on Monday night (Incidentally It was an audience that was largely made up of Broad- way folk and vaudeville sharps) received the show, bespeaks volumes for the quality of the entertainment served. As a matter of fact, there was but one spot In the entire show where there was sny slowing up, and that was rather early In the first part. Out of a nine- act bill there were exactly six turns that prac- tically stopped the show. Incidentally two new offerings that were disclosed met with Instant favor. The one that presented Blossom Seeley as the star was a veritable knockout. The bill would have been a little better balanced had the Seeley turn and Lucille Cavanagh offering been transposed as to position In the running order of the show. This order ran comedy rlsleyests; singing and dancing; comedy, singing and dancing; comedy and singing, and closing the first part more comedy and singing. The second half contained comedy and singing; singing and dancing; comedy songs and burlesque Instru- mentalists, and roller skaters. The final score standing, singing 6, comedy 6, dancing 4. An Ideal show for these times. The Kanaiawa Boys opened the bill and scored with their fast equlllbrlstlc and rlsley routine, the act running short of ten minutes. Lew Reed and the Wright Sisters delivered a distinct and noteworthy hit In the second spot The girls scored on their appearance and "Huckleberry Finn" went over with a bang for the smaller of the sisters. The double number the girls offered later did not bring the result the spot calls for. The final dancing and play- ing bit appealed to such an extent the act practically stopped the show for the first time that Incident came to light during the evening. Hunting and Francis, In "Love Blossoms," did not fare as well as they should. In the first place 22 minutes Is a little too long for an act of this sort In the third spot of the bill, and the crossfire talk wasn't particularly bright at that. The act could be cut to ad- vintage; this would at least lend speed. The reunited team of Oeorge Lyons and Bob Tosco received a flattering reception, and the playing and character work received a commensurate return In the way of applause. The straight ballad work In the act did not score, however. Blossom Seeley. In s novelty entitled "Seeley's 8ynoopated Studio" (New Acts), simply tied the show Into bow-knots closing the first part. It was distinct triumph and rousing tribute for Miss Seelev's proxres- slveness In securing and surrounding herself with a wonderfully capable company. Willie Weston, who now carries on the pro- gram a line exposing the fact he Is the "au- thor" of "Joan of Arc," won the audience at the opening of the second half of the bill and continued the good work the closing act of the preceding chapter started. Ho reserved the singing of the "Joan" song for his getaway and It scored so strongly he was forced to re- turn and continue. Lucille Cavanarh. assist- ed by Tom Dingle and Paul Frawley (New Acts), presented a production, at once a pleas- ing combination of both songs and dancing, that entitles her to assume the position of headllner. Next to closing the laughs came thick and fast with the appearance of Duffey and Inglls. This duo also qualified for the "Show Stopping Stakes" and accomplished the deed In an easy canter, being pulled up strong at the finish with the audience asking for more. The El Ray Sisters suffered because of the closing spot being assigned to them. About fifty per cent, of the audience was out of the seats and on their wav to the doors before the curtain went up on the girls, which was un- fortunate. Those that did remain, however, ipplauded their work willingly. Fred. RIVERSIDE. Too much song ballast. Show for the most part went along like a slow frelsrht through Arkansas. There were several bright, par- ticular spots, but they were not sufficient to give the bill the regulation "big time" speed. When the show wasn't singing Its own requiem it was choking Itself to death through talk. No doubt the folks up the Riverside way will be mighty glad when General Humidity camps to new lands, as he sure has put n crlmn In the business up there for the past month or so. The war occupies the headline position up through Its presentment in what Is termed Anna Held's "Visions" (New Acts). Much was expected of It and It was disappointing as a vaudeville turn. Donahue and Stewart onened. No chance for them In such a spot. The set was almost over before the audience was able to get any drift of their style of patter and nonsense, and anyway the pair muffled their voices so thht ll was hard to cRtch 'he humor Intended, • •»*• »»•«. from falling from erace. Eduardo and Ellsa Csn*lno were second. These dancers put forth their best efforts and their speed ano! animation put them over with a bang. Corking good dancers. No stslllng. On the Spanish Interpretntlve stvle of terpsl- chore they Just about spell the last word. Cecil Cunningham followed. 8he seemed unperturbed that the papers re- cently laid -bare her-matrimonial trUmlatlcat with Jean Haves, who. according to dlvoroe pap*.-!* filed the other day, declared Miss Cun- ningham as having a "marble heart." Miss Cunningham is not using the "marble heart" appellation, but there was a line saying the words and music of her numbers were by Haves. Unfeased, Miss Cunningham proved that, come what will with her domestlo ex- istence, so far nothing has lessened her enter- taining ability. Harry Oreen and Players closed the first part. Turn heartily enjoyed and refreshingly welcome on that bill. After Intermission ap- peared the Anna Held offering. Then Dickinson and Deagon fell Into a spot thst was unusually hard when the strains of "Marseilles" and 'Thou Shalt Not Pass" were still bounding around tne acoustics. They worked hard and succeeded as well as they could under mitigating conditions. Ashley and Allman used a dark stage or a dim one rather nearly all the wsy, offering a quiet, subdued line of talk about suicide that didn't take as well, perhaps, had another spot been used, as there had been too much talk ahead. Howard and Clark dosed. There wasn't much left for this pair to take home with them. They did fairly well, everything con- sidered. Id the past year or so Mies Clark hss gone In for a different style of dressing, using the eurl effect, making a number of eos- tume changes, however, advantageously. The Howard and Clark combination la using the; former Howard-McCane opening, tndadlagthc crushing of the straw hat by Miss Clark. The snow ran unusually fate and the Inter- mission was one of the longest the Riverside pas had In moons. Mark. FIFTH AVENUE. Light bill at the Fifth Aveane the first half. The house, Monday evening, with the weather very warm, was capacity. Mahal Bern mad Rlso, following Violet Bessou and Co. (New Acts), carried the program's hit. Miss Besaon presented for the first time "The High Goat of Living." and Nora Kelly (New Acts) Initially In a singing Interlude. The Four Demons, two oolored men, by a duo of colored girls, started things lly In a fast-moving dancing turn. Their i are of the vintage of other years, aad they lose much through Inefficient iwattalag. bwt as dsnoers they're on high guar aearty all the time. Their fast stepping earned these a big score, some of the steps appealing aa being rather unique. Franker Woods and Bunee Wyde hsva aa act called "That's AH Right," written by Frank Orth. It's la "one,** wits a apodal drop depleting the deck of a steamer. Aa asslstsat Is employed to render the proper m o des! at- mosphere. Woods roads linos well aad Miss Wyde Is infectious snd pe r sonable, lot too dialog In this skit requires prsatag. Too boose seemed ripe for Mabel Berra aad Blob, They never varied from the classical se l ec t k ma , ex- hausted their repertoire, aad still more was demanded. Mien Berra sang The Ftp** of Pan," a number from "The Brae Paradise," an aria from "Trevlata." aad two other selec- tions from current light operas, white Bigs Inclined to even more technical varlaftone oa the violin. Miss Berra possesses a x soft, flexi- ble soprano, delicately attuned aad yet deep l y resonant In each register. The Berre-Rtge ve- hicle, as at present constructed, exudes a eal- tural and refined aenect. It would s eem very adaptable for the Palace Just now. Mayo aad Tally are bade after sn extendvo w e s te rn so- journ. They've added a deal of comed y to their singing turn, neerlv all of their points registering solidly, with Mayo developing eon- slderablv as a comic. Their eoncludlns •prison'* bit Is delightfully humorous. Bqullle Bros.. tloslng, are equilibrists of no mean calibre. AMERICAN ROOF. With one of the worst first halvee over, the bill at the American during the early part of the week had the effect of driving a number of people from the house at the Intermission period. Those who left at that time missed the best of the ehow, for sfter the Interval the bill shaped up as a pretty good small-time entertainment. The Chris- tics, Harry and Myrtle Gilbert. Rlehsrd An- derson snd Martha Rnssell, Baker snd Rog- ers, and Peyton's Dining Car Olrls (New Acts) comprised the carry section' of the ahow. The first three having trouble In arousing any Interest whatever while the latter two turns fared but fairly at the hands of those witnessing the performance. The Four Chirks opened the second bslf. The turn, a female quartet, proved to be Just a fair small-time turn. Mabel Paige and Co. managed to put over a sketeh In a man- ner most pleasing, but It remained for Eddie Poyer In the next-to-olosmg spot to score the real hit of the performance. Foyer's early patter placed him In fsvor vlth the audience, who evidently knew him w*»H, for Immediately after he concluded his tslk snd prior to the announcement that he would re- rife anv standard poem, those In front be- gan railing for their favorite writings. "The Shooting of Dan McOrew" by Robert Service hold the position of honor and was first re- lated and then the Insistent demand that "The Fnro on the Par-room Floor" be' d»Hv- ■ -. »-< "i ».r«ui»hf th«t vnr-rfi Fnv««* Mn*fn*Mv stopped thf sno3T Tioiam. i.i. lilt . **"• fl****"^ 1 oersninn. for he h*d H»tle opposition from anvthlng else on the bill. James and Jessie Poms were the c1«*»ng turn and Fstty Arbuekle In "Hie W^d'»n Night" was the concluding feature of t** bill.