Variety (November 1917)

SHOW REVIEWS 25 HARLEM a H. tk# first half of the bill offers the nrlj fArt of the ink didn't tarnish good iidum- lstst Up to and Including ths vsry ordinary S O C tool oomedy whloh bisected fho eight-sot show, tho house Monday night m In a seml- MfUioltnt state. Attendanoo waa off a trifle, ill reason advanced being that It waa pre- owlon weak. the "comedy" reel Harry Hook aent "Dixie Volunteers," and thereafter the lee of the bill suooeeded In arousing the i. Blsle White, following Hock, wss first to make them pay attention, grabbing a fine hit and really winning aplause »ra for the evening. As the "Plain Clothes l H she has bullded a likeable single for •Iff, and she'll probably be heard from Miss White has a sort of song cycle, li supposedly being a gsl detective. ■Isle Williams and Go. were No. 6 with her luolng little comedy, "Who Was to Blame?" ty sure always to score In ths pop houses. about some split salt at the first dinner her wedded life. % flhe Insists her mother lys said spilling salt portended a quarrel, __ she succeeds In picking one with her irfnd new husband. .Leo Beers presented himself in next to losing spot. They liked his plsnolog and It by generous appreciation. Hooper Marbury with songs and dances closed the [tt. This couple have rather pretentious logs, and Miss Hooper flashes some frocks. Perhsps a better arrangement their dance numbers would work to their intage. Albert Parrel and Go. (New Acts) started lings with novelty picture "painting." Cooney 8!sters won fair return on sec- "A Night In the Trenches" was third, ttlag some laughter on the oomedy of the bleekfaee characters, whose work Is Kitly the best of the six persons concerned, ■lowing were Conrad and Conley, two boys Kith violin and piano. They seem to hare looted an especially slow routine. /bee. 81ST1TREET. Par from being a regular show at the 81st Street the first half. Three of the fire sets on the*blll plea s ed the audience that did not finite fill fifty per cent, of the seating ca- pacity of Tuesday night. It was the nssty weather earlier In the day likely that kept the attendance down at night. In addition to the vaudeville the program carried "On Trial," the five-reel BssanAy, an educational scenlo and a news weekly. The Three Stewart girls opened with a serlee of danoes. The girls look cute and all are good steppers from the school of the Eng- lish pony ballet. One of their best little bits was a little pantomimic story told through tho medium of dance posturing, cute, but old- fashioned. Their skipping rope dance at the finish was the best applause winner. Glen Blllson and Florence Dukee were In tbe sec- ond spot, replacing Colemap Ooets. who was moved next to closing because of the failure of Robinson Newbold and Marie Louise Orlbbln to appear. Mr. Ellison offered a num- ber of songs to piano accompaniment by Miss Dukes. Incidentally Miss Dukes cornered the applause hit of the act through two little solo Stecee. The laughing hit of the bill was laude Durand and Co. In "Their Creed," particularly to the liking of the Broadway audience. The act has been trimmed a little bit toward the finish and Is playing with more speed than when seen at the 23d Street some weeks ago. "On Trial" opened the second half of the show, with Mr. Ooetz following It. He was easily the hit of the show. Goets has a Eleasant personality on the stage and scored to points In tslk as well as In song. Tho Edwards Brothers with the former Collins and Hart offering won a laughing finish for the show. The weekly closed. Fred. FIFTH AVENUE. The Fifth Ave. fell a bit off In attendance Monday night. There were a number of va- cant seats on the lower floor when the show got under way, but slowly most became occu- pied, although the audience never did appear to become settled. It was a slow moving program, well enough arranged, when taking Into consideration the material at hand, but there was nothing to lift It out of the rut. James and Bonnie Thornton were listed as the headllnera, and in the next-to-closing posi- tion, proved amusing. They were given their usual reception upon their entrance. The Gyp- sy 8ongsters were on rather late but when they started to sing, the auditors stayed for the final. They closed unusually well. Tbe Menards (New Acts) opened, with Stan- ley and Burns, Long and Ward and Jones and Greenlee (New Acts) placed accordingly. They were followed by the weekly pictorial, with Angel Aldwell and Co. in the next spot. The act held fhe interest nicely, with the patriotic Idea further aiding. A new straight has prob- ably been engaged, lending considerable asalRt- ance with his singing, done with a passable voice. The old man's comedy was fully en- joyed. Collins and Hart easily gained their usual laughs. CITY. With drums and fifes splitting the air around the lair of the Tnmmany tleor and parados winding up nearly every night acr^nn the street from the City it behoovra the Fox the- atre management to play the old flag stuff up for all It Is worth. Evor since tho "Re- cruit" was built In Union Souare and the sol- diers began to gather at the 14th street armory wsr ballyhoos havo been working overtime along the Fourteenth street way. So. there- fore, the City Is only abreast of the times In getting pictures and acta that sound three cheers. The flag stuff at the City the first half ran more to two acta than anything also, "Lincoln of the U. 8. A." (New Acts) and "Seven Sam- mies." About the time the Llnooln sketch appeared one of Charles Murphy's street bally- hoos for Hylan was winding up In front of Tammany Hall. The Pour Portia Girls opened the show and gave the bill a good start Curry and Graham followed and did very well, all thlnga consid- ered. The man's stories hit attentive earn while the mixed song Idea, with the man using Irish airs and the woman Scottish numbers, struck a responsive chord. Next was "Llnooln of the U. 8. A.," given rapt attention throughout. Cervo and his ac- cordion were well received, the topical selec- tions In particular making him popular In all parts of the house. Cervo works modestly and not once tried to swing his Instrument around his neck or grin like a Jackanapes at some of the girls down front. Ned Norworth and Evelyn Wells were next. Billy Gaston Is now a member of the trio, with Moore, formerly of the combination, miss- ing. Norworth Is still the "oommedlng nut," with the same old laugh and using the facial slaptslck monkeyshlnee both with Oaston and Miss Wells that waa sure-fire. Gaston fits In nicely with Norworth, and In one "bit" par- ticularly, where the continued query la made about Norworth's handa, the men made oapltal fun out of It The City audience appeared to like the trio very much. Following the "8even Sammies" the Pox fea- ture, "The Honor System," waa shown. Mark. JEFFERSON. An evenly balanced bill at the Jefferson the first half. Nothing exooptlonal throughout but neither anything so awful about It The bousa was fairly wall filled and seemed good natured enough. Buckley and Rosellyn started, with the man doing trick stuff. The act could lust as well be a single. Jeannette Chllda. who followed, did four numbers, and with the exception of her Chaplin song had aome fair melodies. Miss Chllds should do away with her Imitation of "Charles" as It Is bad. but, then, who can really do Chaplin right? "On the Job," a sketch with three women and a man, got over on the strength of one of the Clrl's slang. She can certainly get over lines, ut Is surrounded by a poor company, especi- ally the man. There was no doubt the applause at the finish was for this girl alone. Bennington and Scott man and girl, have a good novelty act, due to the boy having but one leg and doing some nice dancing and trick steps despite the handicap. The turn might do better If the songs were left out as both have extremely poor voices with no Idea of delivery. The latter ahould be remedied as quickly aa possible for when either talk It sounds as If they were trying to sell something. The act got over nicely, however, Mr. Bennington doing aome nice Jumping at the close of the turn. Johnny Neff after the Weekly did fairly well with his fake musician stuff and stories. "A Regular Army Man," singing act with nine men and one girl, la a military bit with all the boys In uniform and a apodal set with a tent and so forth. It wouldn't be a bad Idea if somebody in the acA would get an "Infantry Drill Regulations" book, as they've things all bawled up at present, such aa a corporal walk- ing guard, doing the manual of arms all wrong, holding the guns wrong, and saluting Improperly. One day maybe someone In an act Is going to execute a proper salute, and Oh! Boy! It'll be one awful surprise. The boys have good voices and can alng, so with one of the other fellows doing comedy, aa a fellow who Joined the army and cant see it, (not knowing what all the drill stuff Is about), It's a pood turn and should do nicely in the smaller houses. Burke and Harris followed a lot of singing but didn't have any trouble In registering. Both have good voices and with some new numbers should be able to go Into the bigger houses and put it over proper. They are wearing evening suits with white socks, that's all wrong. It's a good two act, this, and can get over on any of the bills. Four Charles. Juggling and acrobatic In a kitchen set, closed the show and did fairly well. There are some neat tricks throughout the turn and it doesn't drag, which makes It perfectly agreeable to everyone. 14TH~STREET. If the show the first half of the current week Is an indication of what the management has been serving here, then iney deserve to turn them away every night It was a six-act affair, splendidly arranged, together with a number of pictures, in class above a good number of shows played on the other end of 14th street The audience may be kind of cold with a rough element in the upper section, but they nevertheless pay strict attention, with silence reigning that is a revelation in com- parison to some of the other houses in the same classification. The attendance c^uld have beon better, but if it does not Increase within a reasonable time there is one consolation, it cannot be blamed on tbe shows. After a number of pictures. Kubanoff and Teranta (New Acta) opened, followed by Wal- ter James, who did very nlceiv with his r.'ipr-u-trr* as shown upon his billboard. In- dividually his bits received due recognition. "What Happened To Ruth," with new mem- bers playing the sweetheart roles, was next and got across mainly on the strength of the comedy supplied by the man in the box. The audience was unable to define its purpose at first, but soon got the Idea, and thereafter Its success was assured. However, this could hardly be credited to the new principals, espe- cially the woman. After a weekly pictorial Edgard Blxley and Co. (New Acts) kept them In good humor, leaving them nicely for Helen vlnoent, who faredexooptionaTly well wtth a well arranged reportolre of numbers. Miss Vincent should encounter little difficulty In securing some bookings In the better grade houses, for she has a pleasing voice, together with a good taste In dressing and in all has ths proper appear- ance to get there. The Ramsdeil Duo brought a eood evening's entertainment to a close In good style. The house remained seated during their dancing specialty, which Is well set off with a number of attractive costumes. LAST HALTsHOWS. (Oct 25-28.) AMERICAN ROOF. Business was splendid the last half at the American. Perhaps the draw was the Doug- las Fairbanks **sfan from Painted Poet'* film. Very few walked out when the vaude- ville program was finished, and the Fair- banks picture started around 11 p. m. Helping along with the Liberty Loan ap- peal were Jack Wilson and Kitty Gordon as special features. They made an earnest ap- peal for the bonds. The Franklyn Duo opened. Tried hard to make song section land, which, however, proves the weakest part of the turn. Pair affect youth, which they have, but the girl's style of stage raiment was not attractive. The abort skirt oho wore of green material didn't look at all becoming from the front The boy and girl work hard and depend on two Irish danose to carry them over, al- though the sailor's hornpipe proved a big Item. Act needs good closing number. Hlckey and Cooper are of the • "man- woman" type that has the woman playing the piano awhile. Introducing single num- bers and working "double" with her male partner. The woman baa a sort of recitative number that hae a su gg es tiv e lyrical twist that doesn't bring much, although she en- deavors to play It up for all It Is worth by bringing In the different musicians In the pit on "you dldnt give It to me" tag line. Act slow at times and speedier at others. Of pop house calibre. "Kresy Kat Kapers" were next Five men snd a woman, the men In grotesque feline attire, work in ground acrobatics in a special set representing a roof top. ths men keeping on their heavy coverings until the end. The woman works "straight," at times filling In on a number of tricks as understander. Act a novelty and has sufficient acrobatics to hold ft up. • Lee and Bennett mixed In sidewalk patter with songs, and did fairly well. Some sec- tions of their turn needs changing. The man got his best returns on "What Ireland Means to Me." Wllla Holt Wakefield was easily the class of ths first section and received close atten- tion all the way. Miss Wakefield followed considerable sinking, but had no trouble In registering solidly. After Intermission the show swung into more speed with the Three Morlarty 8latera scoring the biggest kind of a hit. The sis- ters appear to have an exchange of patter written especially for them. Tbe girls look well snd work harmoniously. Bertha Crelghton and Co. struck a soft spot. While they Juggle all sorts of big moneyed-figures and don't care much about stage license, the audience seemed to like the skit Immensely. Then followed the Wll- son-Oordon Liberty Loan appeal. Dyer and Perkoff were surefire, the turn working much better than It did recently at the City. The man replacing Frank Fay wtth Dyer la getting a lot out of the comedy and has a number of gags that the former combination did not use. Perkoff tries hard to follow Fay's style, and succeeds admir- ably. The act Is not using a woman aa did the former Fay and Dyer turn. Jolly Johnny Jones and his wire walking stunts closed the show, and some of his somersaulting tricks were applauded. Mark. FlfTI AVUfUl. TWENTY-THIRD STREET. Sure a show for two bits—as much as one should expect for the price at 23d Street the last half last week, and It played to rood business. There was Will J. Ward wtth a quintet of girls, four of them with Ward playing pianos and doing songs, Incidentally grabbing off a hit (New Acta). The Word turn uncovered a flock of new sounding Irish songs, and so It wss not so easy for Qulgley and Fitzgerald nert to clos- ing with talk and songs tinged with a Mt. of the "Old Sod." But they got away with It very nicely Indeed. This team Is a well known one and they make a bid for fresh popularity with their act practically new. The talk and "business" won laughter. Then there Is the neat brand of stepping for a finish always pleasant to see. Fitzgerald had a ditty or two alone at the ptano; then Qutgley. all "steamed up," Joins htm for some final dancing. Another two-man act was on a Mt earlier, drowning and Deane (New Acts), fifth. They also did well. Tvette and Saranoff wtth their clasay violin turn brightened proceedings. The pair have attained novrlty with their fiddle efforts, and the act lonkn good enough to rnrry thrm alont; in the !ie*t houses. CiV.lr V^urg and April opened tho bill. Ha 11 en nnd Oo««. a neat couple, satisfied, second. "What Really Happened." a novelty played by two people, looks easy for pop audiences. Prevot and Drown closed and held everyone in their seats. Prown is a twisting marvel, in the somernanltlng both to the mat and on the trnmpoline. Especially difficult Is his full twister during a back somersault from trampoline to mat /Dee. Tbe last half bill last week waa made up, for the most part, of new acta, these* how- ever, being offered by known artists, save In one or two cases. The p resen ce of so many new showings accounted for a rather oddly framed bill, whloh was very shy of laughs. Lawton Juggled his way to favor In tho opening ■pot. getting better Individual re- turns than the following four tuna. His rubber ball manipulation on a trap drum proved a novelty, but this juggling of ••can- non" balls waa his pet stunt Gertrude Graves with straight songs waa second, gob* ting little. John T. Ray and Co. (New Acts) did fairly well on third, as did Al Rover, working with his sister, fourth. The oouple are musical with saxophone and violin, but Rover's acrobatlo dancing la the aot'a strength. There were five acta after the liberty Loan speaker, and three were new acts. Jones and Sylvester (New Acts) delivered tho show's hit on next to closing. Warren and Templeton, with acrobatic dancing, Including some lofty kicking and a bit of oomedy, did nicely placed alzth. The Werner a Amoros Trio showed enough In the closing spot to hold ths house almost Intact Whlppld and Huston ,<end Co. (New Acts) were fifth, and Willing and Jordon (New Acts) were seventh. roe*. NEW ACTS. (Continued from page 23.) Markey and Montgomery* Songo aa«i Patter. 12 Mine.* One (Special Dropi Ear torlor). The man pokes his head out of the side entrance and yells "Hello, every- body r He and the young woman then exchange line of patter m front of an ocean beach drop, with the customary songs, etc. Man affects nuttish man- nerisms, and also offers a "I'm a Nut* number to help out the impression. At Hurtig and Seamon'* he was so hoarse that he could barely be heard at times, his voice being husky and raspy. Some merry old bon mot* of the long? tfo and some more ancient were offered, with the pair doing a wheelbarrow "bit" with the man doing several falls off the handles when the woman arises from her sitting po«ture. The man also did a Raymond Hitchcock—imitatine? Billy Sunday and imploring the devil to come up as he discarded coat, tie and collar. Act of small time caliber. Mark. Sevan Sammloe. Comedy Singing Skit. 23 Mins.j Pwll Stage. Encampment scene, with five soldiers and two blackfaced comedians dressed as cooks. Sort of modern minstrel first part, with captain actinor as in- terlocutor. One "coon" a fairly good loose dancer. Usual ballad and comedy singing and some talk. Gone in "one," with imitation of Jazz band with their mouths. Good three-a-day turn. Ap- pears to be the act recently formed and first known as "The Seven Amer- ican Minstrels." /oJo. Frank and Graclo DeMont. Singing, Talking and Dancing. 14 Mlns.t One. A comedian in rather a grotesque outfit and a woman (straight) offering a conventional "two-act." Both appear to lack the essential experience as vaudevillians, and undoubtedly have heretofore confined their efforts to some other branch of the profession. The man recalls the burlesque type, while the woman at times displays like symptoms. They have framed a turn with a goodly quantity of talk, after a little flirtation opening. He does a soft shoe dance in a nonchalant man- ner that gained something, while she followed with a talking number to the same results, making a change of cos- tume for the number. The act in its present condition is shy of speed, and both seem to take a lot for granted. They work in a manner that could stand improvement, together with their material, which may have been written by themselves.