Variety (April 1918)

16 SHOW REVIEWS Jack Sidney and Billia TownUy. Songs and Dancaa. IS Mint.; Ona (2); Full (t); One (•). 23d Straat. Jack Sidney and Billic Townley have a scenic novelty; outside of that the singing and dancing are commonplace. The act, unless there is an additional dash of comedy injected here and there, will be worthy of feature honors on small time and that is all. This is to be regretted, for the scenic end, showing the Canal street subway sta- tion, is well enough done and so much of an innovation that the act should have had material of sufficient strength to carry it along on the big time. The opening in one is a street flirtation, which legitimately carries the couple to the subway station, the boy follow- ing the girl to the platform in the hope of continuing their chance ac- quaintance. On the station two num- bers are done as singles. This is wrong, for there is no reason for the girl to make a change of costume. A smart little street dress is all that is neces- sary for the entire act. For a finish in one the act is using their old comedy dance finish. This is another of the errors. Let the act finish on the sta- tion platform. There is scope there for two or three numbers, wnich should be of the written-to-order variety and in keeping with the story and set. Fred. McKinnons and La Costa. Songs. 12 Mins.; Ona. American Roof. This is primarily a "sister act," the, girls probably hailing from across the pond, since one sports a noticeable English accent. A boy at the piano who joins in the choruses at times is not specifically mentioned, though his may be one of the two names used in the billing, which states that the act is "an unusual vaudeville oddity." That because one of the girls appears alone for the first number, announcing a quick change, when the second damsel appears. As both girls are alike facially this fooled the house for a minute, but the exceptional slenderncss of one soon exploded the deception. The slender one, by the way, takes chances in wear- ing low neck and bare arms, for she is quite thin. The boy sang a rag operatic bit alone that got something. At one time he directed the girls by calling out to them, "Not so loud." For pop the turn is acceptable. In the manner of the girls' appearances the act is suggestive of the two Crisp girls and their brother Jack, although the subject matter of the respective turns is different. I bee - Chin Son Loo and Co. (2). Illusions. 12 Mins.; Full Staga. 23d Straat. . A man and two women offering a series of illusions and magical tricks, including the fire eating, paper tearing, etc., doing them so well that they seemed new to the audience. The trio are evidently English. The offering is worth while for some of the smaller big time shows, on early. Frm. Albert Rouget and Girlie. Balancing Feats. 7 Mins.; Full. 23d Street. Albert Rouget runs through a rou- tine of about five tricks in chair bal- ancing in the seven minutes that he utilizes. He is assisted by a Frenchy type of girl in knickers, who hands him the chairs. It is a fair turn for the opening of small time bills. Fred. Jack and June Laughlin. Songs and Dances. 14 Mins.; One. 23d Street. A pleasing singing and dancing spe- cialty that will pass on small time bills. It is the dancing that carries. The boy and the girl are steppers and the latter is full of pep. The boy tries several numbers. The dancing finish sends it over nicely. . Fretk Fred Sossman and Gladys Sloan. Comedy and Songs. 14 Mins.; Ona (Special Drop). 81st Street. Carrying the most trite of all vaude- ville billings "In Bits of Musical Com- edy," Fred Sossman and Gladys Sloan are presenting a comedy act with songs that fails to impress at first. The act, however, strengthens as it goes along and finally finishes with a comedy song that sends the offering over fairly well. The drop is supposed to repre- sent Nonsense Lane at the point where the Laugh Tree grows. There are var- ious limbs to fhe tree, tabbed "Sept. Morn Jokes." "Mother-in-law Jokes," "Ford Jokes," etc. The opening number is something about a stroll down "Non- sense Lane," which is followed by a number of gags, one of which got a laugh. Then after a change of costume Miss Sloan sings "Will You Care, Over There," putting it over fairly well. Sossman offers a companion to "My V.ig Brother Selvest," relating the story of the "Big Brother" when he goes ever there with the army. The closing number is "The Same Old Eve," which is the best in. the act. The turn needs strengthening in the fore part espe- cially in comedy, then it will be ready for a whirl at the big time houses on early. Fred. Mildred Lovejpy and St ever CSullivan. Songs and Dances. 13 Mins.; One (3); Full (4); One (1); Full (5); 81st Street. Fairly clever singing and dancing t«:am with the dancing the most com- mendable. They open in "one" before a special drop with a little "Love Les- son" song, after which they go to full stage for a beach number, followed with a dance called "The Ocean Dip." This in turn is followed by another s^ene in "one" for a song by the man, 'The Age of Syncopation," leading to a whirlwind dance finish in full stage. The couple look as though they have had musical comedy experience, but both are short on the voice end. They .are carrying special scenery that is "pretty, and the girl makes four changes of costume, all effective. With a little more work the act will do nicely for an early spot on big time bills. Fred. PALACE. The house orchestra is having a compara- tively eaBy time of It at the Palace this week. Two acts on the hill furnish their own music, two more nee none, and a couple of more Just a little Incidental accompaniment. Business was a trifle off Monday evening, that is. on for the Palace, hut in any other house in town would be regarded as excellent. There were some vacant seats in the rear of the orchestra and a few of the downstairs boxes were unoc- cupied. The smoking balcony and the gallery held capacity. _, ^ Boganny's Lunatic Bakers opened the show, xivlng It a speedy start. Valand Gamble, a sensationally marvelous lightning calculator, assisted by a clever straight man, offers a blackboard act that is constantly relieved by bright shafts of wit. In that respect it differs from all other acts of that brand. A light- ning mathematician is. rfiecessarily, a serious- minded individual. When Buch a person has sense enough to make capital of himself as a "boob" for a feeder, the combination is apt to be a felicitous one. The Herman TImberg tabloid is one of the IInest miniature musical comedies presented in some time. Thero are attractive special set- tings, Timberg's special talents, five dancing violin girls beautifully gowned, two men who feed acceptably, and a leuder. Tho novelty of live girls who can sing, dance, fiddle and look pretty Is itself worth while. Hooney and Bent In a satirical sketch. "Over Here." which pokes fun good-humoredly at a slacker, but has an underlying serious theme, fared well. It proves conclusively that Pat Kooncy, In addltlqn to being n dancer, is a very good light comedian. For an encore, after the curtain had fallen on the patriotic sketch, Rooney and Miss Bent sang and danced a bit. Then Pat introduced Florence Nash, who spoke on Liberty Bonds, briefly but to the point, the Liberty Bond Quartet warbled "What Are You Going to Do to Help the Movh'" nnd Pat Rooncy 3d recited. Nellie and Sara Kouns. with William Con- way at the piano, with their remarkably slml- liar soprano voices, are In their fourth week and were as welcome as when they flrBt ap- peared at the Palace. They offered three listed numbers and two strongly demanded Vncores. After a brief Intermlslson Theodore Kosloff and his Imperial Russian Ballet, with gorgeous settings and own orchestra, enter- tained artistically for about half an hour. The choral accompaniment back stage to the dancing being offered la- an effective piece of showmanship. It is a sinister commentary on the audience that, as usual, It was not the most Intricate or artistic terpsichorean efforts that won the applause, but the more showy steps. Ben Welch was the big laughing hit. with his monolog made up of old and new ma- terial. One might almost place a premium on the ancient jokes when it can truth- fully be stated that the biggest laugh In his chatter 1b the gag about a woman emerging from a saloon with a kettle of beer concealed beneath her apron, being asked by a police- man if she had a tumor and replying—"No, a can, sir." Coll las and Hart were the clos- ing act. Jolo. RIVERSIDE. The Riverside housed a lengthy bill for this week, the ahpw starting around 8.10 and not over until close to 11.30. At 8.20 the lobby gave every Indication that the evening would be a sell out. but inside and In the back empty chairs were numerous and not far apart. Eddie Leonard received the major share of applause, he also singing "Boly Eyes" and ■ "Ida." The house didn't seem to be abso- lutely wild about the playing of the four boys on banjos and a piano, but as soon as Leonard showed for a number they were satis- fled. The lada assisting Leonard may be able to play their Instruments and all that, but, nevertheless, It's quite a Job picking out the tune they're strumming when they're by themselves. They are strong on volume but a tyt shy on melody, and a little more of the latter wouldn't hurt. However, Mr. Leonard was a decided favorite, and besides singing five songs made a speech. Ryan and Lee, preceding, ran second in applauee, and if the lights had been left on threatened to hold up things for a while. The pair were accorded a nice reception upon their entrance and kept up to the pace all the way, doing tremendously *ell at the finish. These two acta provided most of the en- tertainment in the first half. While the audi- ence was Interested In the different effects In "Married via Wireless" and liked Queenle Williams In It, the musical comedy bit was hardly in the same class with the other two as applause getters. Russell-Ward and Co. never really had a chance. They were be- fore a house coming In and much of their material was lost, though they did credibly. Juno Salmo opened and gave the ahow a de- cent start. Frank Fay, next to closing, and around 11. held them in and was the "clean up" of the second half. A certain bit he is doing about an actor meeting an actor would be all right nearer the "section" of Broadway. It seemed to be lost around 06th street. Gilbert and Frledland opened the second half and did well enough with their songs. For an encore the boys went back to their old medley of former numbers, which got them a little here and there. The pair aeem too par- ticularly strong for "Arc You from Heaven?" an announcement being made for the ballad and a girl In an upper box also coming through with two choruses. Lee Kohlmar followed, and had 'em laugh- ing all the way in his sketch. The two women are a decided Improvement upon the others with him when breaking in the sketch. Will Fox is giving Mr. Kohlmar a close rub for the honors, and at times surpasses him, It being quite evident at the finish the audi- ence wanted the former to take a bow alone. Alice Els and company closed, and though it was late succeeded in holding the house In, with a few exceptions. Following, "Married via Wireless" In the early part, Florence Nash did her bit tor the Loan Drive by making a short speech. She was helped along materially by a drum corps that marched by the theatre while she was on. After Miss Nash had finished four boys walked on and sang Remick's new song, "What Are You Going to Do to Help the Boys?" going through a verse, two choruses arfd~then an encore. .About a six or seven- minute wait came after the quartet, the time allowed for subscriptions for the Bonds. The total amount subscribed was not announced. COLONIAL. The current bill at tho Colonial Is first rate, cleverly constructed, full of comedy and singing, and greatly enjoyed Mon- day night. Business, for that night, ex- ceptionally good. The only seats available after 8.15 were In loges and boxes. The at- tendance was not the regular "Blue" Monday crowd, shown by tho hearty applause. Besides the nffte acts, the patrons listened to an Interesting talk on the third Lib- erty Loan by Lord Aberdeen. Upon the Mar- quis' entrance he was greeted with an out- burst which lasted for fully live minutes. He responded with a short, blunt, to the point speech, which again brought round after round of applause. The welcome given the Marquis would make any act Jealous, but It couldn't do that to Van and Schenck. Those boys received as warm a reception as his Lordship. The couple did a 'J.Vmlnute act. Tho lights went out after two encores, and the piano removed from the singe, but the applause lasted through tho dark period, and they took a couple of bows when the lights were finally turned on. Out nothing would satisfy the houso except to bring back the piano and two more numbers. They were finally permitted to leavo after a speech by Van Ilessyo Clifford In "Art Impressions" opened the show with a series of poses, and passed quietly. Miss Clifford's final pose got the best returns and sent her over. Fink's Mules scored, No. L\ The show finally got under way with Venita Gould, as the best part of the house was then seated and quiet. Miss Gould's Imitations earned her a big finish. She was brought back for a speech. Harry Mayo and Basil Lynn In their comedy cross-fire and singing turn registered. The men were in front of a special drop to repre- sent a section of a race track. The talk of horses and different things is bright and snappy, earning laughs galore. Mr. Mayos muBicat numbers are pleasingly rendered and add variety to the turn. The team finished strongly with a ballad to a well earned hit. A plea for (subscriptions for the Liberty Loan Intercepted, adding 20 minutes to the run- ning, and served as a stage wait for the set- ting of tho "Submarine F-7," which fol- lowed. „„ ., Miss Clifford, Miss Gould and a Mr. Wall aided by a few others took subscriptions. $11."»00 was announced subscribed. The --Submarine F-7" has played all over and still continues to score. Following intermis- sion Mullen and Coagan in "Make a Note of 11" started off with a crash. The men had the house from start to finish, and even in- creased the speed of the first half. De Leon and Davis in "Behind the Front" started slowly, but once the patrons became ac- customed to their work, were well liked. Van and Schenck left Richards, the female impersonator, a hard spot closing, but, never- theless, he kept the house Beated for the Exit March. ALHAMBRA. Considering neighborhood business, some- what affected by the many Liberty Loan demonstrations, etc., the Alhambra attendance Monday night was rather gratifying to the management, the lower floor running close to capacity, with a well dressed upper section. The current week is given over to a so-called Gala-Spring carnival, with ten acts and tho customary weekly pictorial, the showing run- ning to a time schedule, beginning at 8.18 and continuing until after 11 P. M. A short in- termission breaks the running order during which time the volunteer workers for the third Loan solicit subscriptions. This was pref- aced by an, address on the subject by James J. Morton, who cancelled a month's booking to aid the Allied Theatrical Committee in its efforts to raise the county quota. Morton made his appearance before the act closing inter- mission and with a decidedly serious talk— something rather difficult for Morton—he aroused the house to a stato of enthusiasm that augured well for the bond sale. Morton was indeed one of the bright spots of the bill. He juggled his opening remarks until he ob- tained rapt attention and then injected a patriotic punch that was well nigh irresistible. Following the overture and film, the Three Mlzunos, a Jap specialty, opened with a rou- tine of balancing and pedal Juggling, the turn comprised of two women and a man, the latter doing all the ground work. The balancing portion if* the best of the turn. A breakaway ladder with the upright pole remaining Intact Is a novel stunt, one of the girls going through a "perch" routine atop the rod. A ballad by the girl is poorly done. She has no voice nor conception of music and the lyric itself only held the "bit" up. The Primrose Four held the second spot, a rather early position for this prominent sing- ing combination. With a repertoire of old time songs they eased into a hit, but a modern routine would have done far better for the four. The "Hesitation Blues" is sung to a rather slow tempo, and might be speeded up somewhat. One of the early hits and one of the genuine applause winners of the evening was the Ford Girls—Mabel and Dora—In their improved routine of danceB. From the opening number to their final and famous hard shoe dance there was never a doubt of their success. The triplex taps arc as clear as one could wish, and none escaped appreciation. The girls are accompanied by Harry Askt, a decidedly clever pianist whose selections show excellent taste, li.m Welch, doubling with a downtown house, introduced the bill's first comedy num- ber and kopt the house in continual good humor. Morton followed with his address. and then came the Three Dooleys, the hit of the bill, with little or no competition. They closed Intermission. Gordon Is shouldering mure than his usual share of comedy and his falls rank with the best. Ray Dooley pro- vides a likable contrast, looks cute In boy's clothes and helps immeasurably, while the character essayed by Bill is a sure fire laugh. Tlert Levy opened the second half with a scries of pictures that actually Insure applaute on Identification. Ills* method is entertaining in itself, and Levy procures considerable com- ply through his witty and timely captions. Orth and Cody followed with their comedy cmii: and talk routine, the turn running Just ;i trifle long, hut maintaining interest through- out. MIkh Cody's French accent is—one might say delightful- and Orth with his excellent ■•feeding" ability scores a laugh with every point. The closing number, a typical Orth composition, makes a corking finale to an ntli'Twi' e acceptable turn. Joe .lackson eked out laugh after laugh with ,i pantomimic, specialty, Introducing several new •bits"" wherein he becomes tangled In the mechanism of the cycle. Jackson wisely real- '.ec! the lateness of the hour and curtailed his lii'ering. retiring after being assured of a spot on i lie honor list. Lillian Shaw, one of the feature acts, was v \f to e!os|np. her routine running until after II I'. M. The Itnlian and Hebrew song have outlived their comedy Usefulness, but tho I'ride number gave her a belated start. It's a splendid lyric with some excellent patter accompanying It. and this alone can hold up her repertoire. The familiar baby carriage number followed and doubled her returns. Nan Duval In "Oems of Art" closed the show to a moving house. Wynn.