Variety (December 1917)

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X) SHOW REVIEWS PALACE. Since the divine Sarah la the acknowledged attraction (hat really placed the star of the »*iilace on the uhcemlunl after cveryono else failed In tlmt purpose In the early months of i bat theater, it seams eminently fit she should Krnce the house in tbe final weeks of what will almost certainly be the French crnius" last American appearance. The wisdom of booking Mme. Bernhardt for nn engagement starting Immediately with what Ib known as "the worst week" In theatrical!, is* visibly acclaimed at the Palace. Tuesday evening there wasn't an available eeat left— and that was Just six days before Christmas. It's certain no vaudeville house In the coun- try is playing to such big business during this week and very few, If any. legitimate houses doing as much either. Which la the answer to the only Bernhardt. Mme. Bernhardt in the early week came forth with a newer playlet timed to the min- ute called "From the Theatre to the Field of ilonor" ("I>u Theatre Au Champ D'Hon- neur"). For the latter half she la playing "Camllle." A bill of large dimensions Bur- rounded the great French star. There was Belle Baker—very much present, and aside from the three-minute ovation given Bern- hardt, she assembled the hit of the regular vaudevllllan*. She handled a punch song with her third number. It being "There"! a Million Heroes in Every Corner of the U. 8. A.," after which the house was Belles. Very prettily did she deliver a semi-ballad war number, A Baby's Prayer at Twilight." Then came a comody number to shade her routine and other numbers followed. William Lc Malre and Ed Gallagher, Just ahead of her, intrenched very strongly with "Tho Battle of Whatathcuse." Tbe turn has Improved since Its original city showing aome weeks ago and so many laughing llnee have been Injected it Is to be regarded as one of the bent comedy offerings lately developed. Le Malre certainly holds up his end of tbe family reputation at blackface fun-making. Tbe balance of the first psrt also played splendidly. Paul Gordon nnd Ame Hlca started with their novelty cycling turn, and Its Sev- ern! thrills kept the house quiet. Surprising well did Lyons and Yosco register second. The harp playing of Lyons still stands out as the blK nsset. but there was laughter with the dialect talk and the big returns at the finish left no doubt the b-»ys are favorites. The Cameron Sisters, with their classy duds and hangings, closed Intermission. The set has been somewhat changed over Its original showing some weeks ago. Instead of a jass band accompanying them they have Burton Daniels at the piano, and be 13 aome player, incidentally materially helping the girls, whoae long suit Is appearance. Frank Carter, single, opened after Inter- mission (New Acts) and then Bernhardt. It was some little thing to ask Brendel and Bert to take up tho running after the house finally subsided In Its enthu Insm. Still that's what the tow-thatched Brendel did. Comparatively very few people left after Bernhardt and It wasn't long before the house was giggling over Brendel's Swede caricature, and when his wedding "finery" started dissembling all over the stage the laughter was general. The team doubled from the Colonial, but their Palace score In next-to-closing spot wao miles ahead of that attained at the Colonial In an earlier spot. The show was closed by Maria Lo and Co., with her delightful poslngs to represent repro- ductions of famed porcelains. The poslngs held the house In n large majority. A new grouping, called "Columbia," for a finale was quite effective. Ibce. COLONIAL. The bill may have been framed with the light [ire holiday week draw In mind, any- way that Is the way It Impressed. The re- sults obtained as far as the two-thirds ra- pacity downstairs Monday night was con- cerned, p mind< d one of the historic Colonial chill. Hut the house could not be blamed this time, for the entertainment was a dis- tinctly under standard affair. Not Improving things was the presence of two playlets with talking spirits ambling about. One figured In Robert T. Haines sketch. "The One Way Out" (New Acts), and the ether was In Kmmett Devoy's "The Call of Childhood." Mr. Devoy may have some- thing In the way of a fantasy to amuse chil- dren. hut as there were no children present Monday evening, one couldn't tell. There wasn't a hit In sight until next to elosinir. when Bailey nnd Cowan pranced on with their nwn brand of syncopation. That the liniise liked and wanted more of. Or- dinarily the team would fit further up on a hill tint they seemed rlehtly plnepd here. Alf Loyal and hl« dot*, "Toque," ended the show neeeptably. though the net Is essentially a hi; tnp tirti. The one dog really carries tbe act through. Flonn/e Tempest, the hendllncr, opened after interml i ion. having been moved up one spot. a i i preerani' d. Her hoy numbers caught on nicely. Bather a classy little single. With the MM noticeably shy In comedy, Bretiiiel and Bert were most welcome. But Br-'irlil's funny "Swede" couldn't be cx- piet'd to >■ i":dy rtn'irdi lauiih* for the whole . •. i • '.(-, (': i '.,.;:}: rl'.fy did fairly wc-ji. 1 ofiii v ;i::il N'el on with their versatile rou- tine al o ,itii'is,i| placid third. Alfred Ber- >" n in -■ <■])■' a eerkiiu: baritone, fitted In No 'J while the three .lahns opened the show with Iheir ' upsldednwn" work. As hend to head balancers they have few equals In vau- dt • ille or out. /be*. ROYAL It waa a big ahow for the Bronx tble week, and tbe attendance there, while allghtly off Tuesday night, caused the management no alarm In connection with the rather pre- tentious program. There were a few vacancies in the rear of the orchestra, but the Bronxltes could have at least ahowed their appreciation In return and taken the house by storm. That should happen later In the week, for the Royal undoubtedly has not held aa good a ahow In months. Notwithstanding It started at 8:15 and closed at 11:1ft It held a continuous Intereat with the auditors (as uaual) appreciating everything. A number of "mmes," who marked up a big aoore found opposition in others, who gained like returna. Those included the Bison City Four, Herman and Shirley, Parber Girls, Maoart and Bradford, Cummlngs and Mitchell and Lambert and Ball. It was somewhat of a toss-up as to the biggest, but tbe Fsrber Girls were forced to speech, like- wise Cummtng and Mitchell. Lambert and Ball could hare tied up proceeding! In the next-to-cloelng spot, a rather hard position following such a long show, but merely did their encore and departed amidst hesvy ap- plause. The combination offered a repertoire of numbers, Including two new Ball compo- sitions, "When An Irishman Dreams of Old Erin" and 'I'll Find a Bit of Heaven In Your Irish Heart of Love." that are characterlatlo of his distinctive style. The Bison City Four were the first to reach anything resembling a hit. Placed rather early (No. 2) they encountered little diffi- culty In gaining results with their comedy, that at times closely borders on the slap- stick. It was fully enjoyed, however, for It Is comedy they dote on In this neighborhood. Their final effort was a burlesque on the "Knitting Club." It proved a seresm. Her- man end Shirley followed to like results, the contortions and seemingly Impossible dancing, being responsible. The Fnrber Girls then entered and started rather lightly, slowly gaining. Mscsrt and Bradford closed tbe first psrt with their one- set farce, registering an unlimited number of laughs. In the second psrt Cummlngs and Mitchell ..ere the first to Isnd. They followed Grace Fisher sfter Intermission. Miss Mitchell li gradually Improving, according to her effort! Tuesday night, and appears more accustomed to her surroundings. Mr. Cummlngs worked rsther essy, more so than previously. He bounced about tbe boards In his usual "nut" manner, soon putting the entire house In a siege of laughter that continued even after he had made a small departing remark. Miss Fisher has a wardrobe and pianist that are sure-fire for her. Joe Bogsnny's Lunstlc Bakers held attention for a while, making a good deal of noise, too much. In fact. The Eddy Duo opened successfully with sensational mld-alr work, retting the house with a back somersault, while the "Makers of History" kept them nested at the final. RIVERSIDE. Although there were but seven acts on the bill at the Riverside, the show ran over the usual time limit, through two of the sets ab- sorbing practically two hours of time. They were Gus Edwards' Annual Song Revue (New Acts), which closed the show, snd ran for an hour nnd eleven minutes, and the act of Tm- hoff. Conn snd Coreene. closing the first part, with 85 minutes to their credit. Tn addition to the regular proersm of seven set" there wss .Tames J. Morton In the ca- pncitv of announcer, and each of his pre- ambles w»s greeted with laughs by the au- dience. The floor was far from being filled, although the upper balcony seemed to hold a fairly rood crowd. The Edwards act must have done its share toward attracting the au- dience, for those In the front of the house tendered a reception to almost each In the set who have been apenarlng In the various Ed- wpHs restaurant shows alone Brosdwsy. The show got under wav with Robert Ever- est's Novelty Circus, which pleased. The Barry Girls. Clara and Emily. In the second snot, slmnly carried things their own way. An Irish Tad number next to closing snd the double "China Honevmoon" were very ef- fectively put over snd the girls were entitled to nn encore number from the applause given them. Dorothy Tove replaced Cecil Cunningham In the third and she manaeed to Interest, al- thoueh there were a number of those sented In front rather Inclined to take her efforts llehtlv. but the major portion seemed Im- pressed. "The Pe*t House," with Tmhoff. Conn and Coreene appears a bit drawn out, though there are lnuchs aplenty. Harry Cooper, assisted by .Tim n.»alev. onened the second hslf snd scored. The Edwards act finished tho" bill with a grand red Are patriotic finale that had the house wild. The Hearst-Pathe ended the show. Fred. ALHAMBRA. As was to be expected, the attendance was a little off Mondny night at the Alhambra. but what they lacked numerically they seemed to be anxious to make up for It In enthusiasm. As the show opened shortly after eight o'clock, and the traffic was more or less MorUndH by the remains of the storm, a ^.-.,.ddv portion of the Jitrendrtnce was tare In nrrlvlng, nnd the first two acts suffered throtmh being walked In on. The Morln Sisters opened with a variety of dances from neat to nutty, enjoyed by those already seat- ed. More people seemed to be coming In on Ward and Cullen than for the opening act, and as a result they did not fare ao well as they did at the Royal last week. Bostock's Riding School, with Its circus ring, bare- back riders and training apparatus whereby youths from the audience were Invited to have their first lesson In riding, the most proficient to receive a prlae, accomplished what It waa designed for—a big laughing finish. Harry Carroll opens with a new rag eong and lands big with his medley of popular successes. He was so well liked he had to do a couple of strongly demanded encores. Paul Dickey and Co. In "The Lincoln Highway- man," have Improved their surprise dramatic sketch since first showing In New York by building up the comedy and eliminating the so-called acrobatic portion of the fight lead- ing up to the denouement. The stsr, how- ever, Is growing careless in his enunciation. The two big riots of the show were In the second half—Rockwell and Wood, and Milt Collins. Rockwell and Wood opened after 1nterm1al«on and had tbe house In hysterics. Milt Collins, seperated from the other hit by Connolly and Wenrlch, fared equally well with his tangletalk monolog. He probably never went better in his entire stage career. Every time he said "Believe me" the audi- ence shrieked. Collins seems to be growing more emphatic In his delivery—a vast im- provement. Connolly and Wenrlch. with their pretty special set. registered a neat, srtlstlc suc- cess and were well applauded. Percy Wen- rlch was the second pianist on the bill to offer a medley of his own compositions. Carl Randall and Ernestine Myers msde sn effective closing turn with their acrobatic and gyratlonal stepping. Randall should sub- stitute another costume for his "Fauntlerov" panties. It effemlnlzes him snd apolls the otherwise excellent Impression he creates. Jolo. AMERICAN ROOF. If there was any "cheating" apparent In the show as a starter of tbe week before Christmas It was "camouflaged" bv a display of "names" favorites and diverting enter- tainment that put many a previous bill far back In the shade. Barring a snmeness In snots here and there the show rounded out Immense entertainment. "Immense." Judging from the way some of the . acts were re- ceived. Business was splendid Monday night. The house ran the feature film. "The' Silent Man" (W. S. Hnrt) unstalrs and down, and very few quit their seats when the Hart pic- ture was started at the close of the vaude- ville portion. Ooeplug were the Isabella Sisters, followed by Trlbhle and Brown (New Acts). Broslus »nd Brown (not the same Brown with Trlb- ble* combined cycllne with comedy to ad- vantage. Act apolauded. Will and Mnry Rogers, a laughing hit. were followed by the Gilding O'Menrns. The Mat- ter are regarded as neighborhood favorites bv reason of their having started In the show business In the American section. They got a reception snd were so well received at the conclusion of their dancing routine that young O'Meara hnd to make a speech. He did read well with the speech. considering he Is a dancer. The O'Mearas worked hard and were amply rewarded. After Intermission Evelyn Cunnlnghnm ap- peared. She has been on the Roof before, and shows much Improvement. Miss Cunning- ham's looks are an asset In her present com- pany. O'Brien Hnvel and Miss VnlesVa presented "Ticks snd Clicks." and while Hnvel Is not as young snd spry ss he n«ed to he. he got a lot of fun out of the role nnd being ably assisted by Miss Valeska, who sang effec- tively. Brltt Wood stopped the show. The audience couldn't get enough of his style of entertain- ing. The Sterling Rose Trio closed. A wo- man doesn't do much In the acrobatics, but has the stage all to herself at one time to show she can throw a mandolin nround her neck while strumming It nnd do a little dancing at the ssme time. Not only slowed up tbe turn, but appeared amateurish. Mark. FIFTH AVE. Of the eight acts the last half last week six went In for singing, although Jas. C. Mor- ton Just touched It. Thnt relapse was made up by Mabel Burke, who sang nn Illustrated picture. Almost every turn tried to steal a couple of bows and that slowed the procession up. Gilbert and Frledland. next-to-closing, hnd anything but an easy tnnk. compelled to fol- low six singing turns, but they proved strong enough to enrry them aeross with equal suc- cess In comparison to the others. By the time the Dnyton Fnmlly made their "appearance In the closing spot, a good portion of the aud- itors were making for the exit. The Aeroplane Girls opened with "butterfly" device that Is of short duration, but contains sensational swinging by the girls. Green and Pugh panned away nicely after making a bid for top honors with songs nnd talk, and not being content with thnt stalled around, but to little results. Hollldny nnd Wllletto (New Acts) were fol- lowed by Maul Enrl nnd Co. In a novelty offcrlne that Immediately gained sufficient rec- ognition to place it nmoncst the winners of the evening. Pealson and fJoldle (New Acts). Jan. C. Morton, assisted by Miss Diamond and a young boy and girl, poured entertain- ment all over the place, gaining laugh? while cutting nonsensical capers. Gilbert and Fried- land then banged across a safe mark with their rep e rtoire of songs. HARLEM OPERA HOUSE. The show tbe flnt half waa a dandy, and thoae there sure did like It. Between the fourth and fifth acts waa shown a comedy picture and also a pleture Hlmed by the Remick ft Co., to accompany their latest eong, "Sweet Little Buttercup," a eong of catchy melody. The Artola Broa. started fast at 8.15, with their comedy bar work. The clown make-up brings a laugh at their opening. Mr. Craig and Mlaa Calvert, two good violinists, would do well as singles. They open with operatlo selections, then each a solo, together again for a duet. The eong following ahould be dropped, aa neither baa a singing voice, and the song slowa up the turn. Their cake-walk finish sent them off to an applause finish. With plenty of work this ahould be able to hold an early spot on the better bills. "This Way Out," a playlet by Walter Per- clval, Is a nice little sketch, and waa well received. Alexander and Fields tn "The Tourist!" ha! 'em laughing all the way. The parodlea the team uses are great, and with them both In tramp costumes, what else could be expected? The crowd Just kept on ap- plauding for the men during the first few feet of the comedy picture which followed. Dillon and Parker (New Act!) In their aong and dance offering have a nice turn, and left the house In such a mood that Sid Lewis had a hard time getting over. Mr. Lewis had a bad cold, could hardly talk, ao that may ac- count for hla poor showing. The closing position went to Larry Rellly and Co. In "The Minstrel or Kerry." The act Is sure- fire and will hold any audience In for the exit march. HAMILTON. The recent business depression at the Hamilton may have been somewhat due to bad* shows. If that Is so, it was gripped In the nick of time, with the results showing the house Is regaining Its former position. Monday night the good sited attendance witnessed one of the best programs the Ham- ilton has held In months. ~ Perhaps It was the arrangement, but the bill stnrted awav nicely and never once let up. Manager Blockhouse returning to the theatre may account for a great deal here, even the old S. R. O. sign, and that may yet again be dug out of Its long storage. Gordon and Gordon (two men) were given the opening position, and did their portion sufficiently well to sllow the Hal Lancton Trio to score a passing mark In the follow- ing spot. The former team goes through a routine of contortions thst Is amazing, bend- ing themselves Into knots aa though bone- less. The Hsl Lancton Trio have appear- ance, but try too much in the comedy line, hindering the harmony that might be worked for better results. That should be their main* aim. for they appear more proficient in that than In the comedy department. Harry Haywsrd and Co. In their former sketch. "The Devil," soon secured strict at- tention. A short special reel showing the Halifax disaster was then thrown on the screen, followed by Dyer and Perkoff (New Acts). I aura Ordway did nicely In the next to closing spot, especially so with her special comedy numbers. Miss Ordway slips an oc- casional remark across thst Is somewhat faulty before a neighborhood audience. Like- wise certain bits of business. "The Melody Garden." a sextet of women, doing a musical specialty mostly upon brass, held them seated and closed to applause. LINCOLN SQUARE. Quite some time for the house to fill Tues- day night, but it finally did. and then they sat there waiting for something to happen. All the real merriment was supplied by an Alice Howell two-reel comedy run In the mid- dle of the show. Outside of that Mel East- man and Johnny Neff were the only ones to get a rise nut of audience. Stevens and Falke, two girls, opened, one singing an Indian song, the other dc'ng a dnnce. both In costume and Inside of a spe- cial set. The turn was split half and half between them, one taking care of the melody while the other did the dancing, and neither did too well. Mel Eastman was on No. 2 snd breezed along fairly with his gags, coming back for an encore. For a regular finish Mr. Eastman Is singing a Waterson, Berlin & Sny- der medley that doesn't seem to have much sense to it lyrically, but the melody may hold It up. Fennell and Tyson failed to start anything; thev lust about passed. Walters and Moore had a sketch that needs fixing in any number of spots. The woman taking In a dual role Is a much better "straight" than her partner Is a comedian. Johnny Neff and his quartet, billed as "Nappy and Army," held up the latter part. The house was Just about ready for them and the boys did very well, returning for an extra num- ber. 23D STREET. Business a little off Monday night es- pecially pn the upper floors. Eight acts, a Weekly News Picture and a Triangle feature, with Truly Shattuck and Emma O'Nell and ITenshaw nnd Avery shnrlng the chief ap- plnusc honors, the latter doing a little the betrer. The show got under way at 8.15 with Mer- tens nnd Arena opening In their acrobatic act. followed by Dennett and O'Brien, sing- ing and dancing. The latter team scored. Glndys Alexandria and Co., In the third spot, did fairly well. The Idea Is new but the material old and could st and brushing up . ; j.