Variety (August 1919)

■ ■;Vfi-.y ( ;.:**r-<. SHOW REVIEWS 1 ; '- the Irat half with Chrli Richards ioxofng ea attar Intermission. It wu I difficult spot to get over In, for they were continually eomlng In, Richards worked hard to arouse some enthusiasm, but they refused to become In- terested, and be left to only a small return, although in a better position he might have done considerably better, for Richards, always a capable "single," has not gone back one iota. .«• The Marmeln Sisters and David Schooler have a combination turn composed of music and dancing. The Egyptian dance at the opening was especially well done, and School- er's Impressions on the piano earned him an individual hit. It's a classy looking produc- tion and well picked for a summer show. Williams and Wolfus were the usual comedy hit In the next to closing spot with the familiar Rlva-Larsen Troupe winding up the show. Wynn. RIVERSIDE. The heat hit the box office a hefty wallop Monday night, attendance being about BO per cent, below normal. The higher priced seats were the losers, numerous rows of vacant orchestra chairs giving the downstairs aectlon a deserted appearance. . Those who were Is saw an average show, holding plenty of diversified entertainment and running smoothly 'from opener to news weekly. The Youngers and Blossom" 8eeley were both out, their places being filled by Roy Harrah and Bradley and Ardlne. - Venlta Gould opening after Intermission pulled down the big hit with Imitations. Start- ing with Grace La Rue Miss Gould ran through the standard list, including Geo. M. Cohan, Eva Tanguay, Bert Williams and Julian Elttnge, for some mysterious reason missing Eddie Foy. Her' impression of Jack Nor- worth was extremely realistic George Kelly and Co., next to closing, also fared very' well, the audience catching the full meaning of the satire contained In Kel- ly's latest sketch, "The Flattering Word." Kelly and his company play the piece In an easy legitimate fashion, bringing out the comedy nicely without straining for effect. The quiet finish, unusual In vaudeville sketches, adds a touch of class that makes the ivelly sketch different from the standardized variety, and brought the principals back tor sGvcr&l bows * * ...»-" . Al Shayne,' closing, held 'em throughout the comedy portion of his act, 'the ,walkers wait- ing until the solo aectlon started before be- ginning the the parade to the exits. Shayne's Italian "plant" In the orchestra pit would heighten the illusion greatly by wearing clothing like the rest of the musicians in- stead of a dark suit. The talk went over Its regulation score, Shayne's clever mugging helping the general effect considerably. Harry and Grace Ellsworth, corking dan- cers, were a decided success, on second. Miss Ellsworth Is showing a couple of very at- tractive changes, an abbreviated blue cos- tume worn for her single standing out par- ticularly. The acrobatic double dancing is real big time stuff. With better material the team would advance easily. Chas. and Henry Rtgoletto, assisted by the Swanson Sisters, held up the Arte part with their versatile routine. The accordeon playing at the finish, by no means the beet of the various bits offered, landed the biggest re- turns, however. Moran and Mack experienced a little trouble In livening things up with their conversa- tional routine at the start, but pulled out successfully with their eccentric dancing. The boxing finish gathered In Its regular quota of laughs. Bradley and Ardlne, closing the first half, displayed a carload of nifty costumes and rung up a sizeable total, with three or four dancing numbers. A Chinese song and dance and a Spanish affair were the best liked. - Roy Harrah and Co. opened, and started the show off at a lively gait with their familiar skating turn. Bell, HENDERSON'S. Frisco was topping the bill at the home of the hot dog, and as your correspondent wan- dered around waiting for the show to start, he was attracted by a crowd around the ring of the bell booth opposite the stage door, Frisco was swinging the sledge and the faithful Rasputin was doing the shtll as usual. The 'bell suffered for a few minutes and after the Jan King had wiped hie sweating brow he admitted he was shilling for the guy who has the concession. No use talking, this Dubuque boy has color, everybody on the Island knew him, and later In the theatre when asking for the names of dancers to imitate he was bombarded with a flock of names that ran from Rose Bailey to Park & Tllford. He is a great favorite at the Island and cleaned up in seventh position. Loretta McDermott Is a wonderful little partner, and her dancing Is an artistic treat. She U singing "High Brown Baby's Ball," and does a double with Frisco which they are using for a finish. Pat Rooney and Marlon were next to closing, following the ehlmmlers. They are billed "20 Minutes of Pat and Marlon," but should change It to 40. Pat baa one song after about three falses finishes, that carries encore verses of everything from Prohibition to "The Boys Who Saved the Nation," etc. He did an Imitation of Frisco that was a riot, and made a speech claiming Lewie never bought him a cigar. Frisco walked on and presented him with one. Later Ivan Bankoff walked out on Rooney and lifted the smoke. Ben Welch was one Just ahead of the sledga swinger and had them laughing all the way. He has some new gags, but the old ones went Just as well. The Avsrae and Catsklll Moun- tain reference* wire a seream te tali bnask. Fransls fttaailt was mend "Ufe.*!" 1>"l«ti wardrobe OTtplBy and falWtW vocalising. H!» lower registers sound flat wbea singing, fetft he shines when he hits the tops. He encores after removing the wig and exhibits quite a personality after the sex disclosure. The wardrobe is beautiful, four or five of his changes arousing considerable comment from the women present. : - " To to was third and proved himself the great art let that he Is. As a contortionist he is In a class by himself, and coupled with his showmanship and original Ideas it lifts him to a place alone. He opens with his Kewpie- land scene, then the "Imitation of the World's Greatest Dancer," using the skii shoes ins marvelous manner, then to "one" as the toy soldier with the uncontrollable boots and epaulettes. He does some clever falling and tumbling here, The song used doesn't be- long. It destroys the Illusion and the accent reveals bis origin. Sully and Houghton, on fourth, had tough going for a while with their talking and dancing skit. The dialog la clever but it was a trifle too. much so for the Islanders. The dancing hooked them, however, for Sully ex- hibits about as plastic a pair of legs as can be found. The double dancing la a treat and the girl Is an Ideal partner In every respect, They did thslr "dancing by book" aa an en- core. Bankoff followed and added another dancing bit to the dancing bill. Ivan's solo dance and the double posture dance were heartily ap- plauded. The "Russian Wedding." with both In the national costume, went aa big as usual. if their is any "hoch" stepper who can get more body revolutions before an audience than Bankoff,' let him apeak now or forever hold his shoes. The Setbacks opened and "fan Artistic Treat" closed the long bill. Con. 23D~STREET. Owing to Hugble Clark's forced retirement from the bill, because of throat trouble, hav- ing appeared but for the first performance, six acts constituted the running length of toe vaudeville program. . Alice Brady In "Red- bead" was the feature film attraction. Kinograms and a General Electric educational filled out the picture program. The latter was a downright imposition on the audience's pat(ence. Those technical drawings explain- ing the propulsion of a modern battleship are Ideal for institutions of learning—pedagogues will readily grant the truth of this state- ment—rbut for entertainment their value la nil, being very, very boresome. The Braml- nos, two men In comedy make-up, opened the show with a musical novelty worthy of big; time bookings. Their musical pamtomlme finish sent them off big, the house being ready to acknowledge their approval of the offer- ing Charlotte Worth and Dorothy Dafal and Walling (New Acts) are more extensively reviewed elsewhere. Wllber Sweatman and Co. pleased with their Jazs offerings, Sweat* man featuring the playing of two and three flutes at one and the same time. Oonne and Albert, working before a special school house drop In "one," toplined and walked away with the hit of the evening. Their style and delivery are sure fire, the girl's nuttlsms winning the house. ' Her whistling made a decided Impression on the audience, a whistling conversation as an en- core sending them off Immense. The Four Casting Mellos (New Acts), a sterling turn that should find easy.going with the best of company, closed the show to excellent re- turns. The act is a genuine thriller. Abel. AMERICAN ROOF. In spite of the torrid atmosphere, a fairly large, albeit somewhat dressed, house was on deck for the opening act Monday. The show, while entertaining on a whole, was raggedly laid out, with, several unnecessary and tire- some stage delays owing to the required scenery shifting. Fully three minutes w the clock elapsed prior to the rise of the curtain on the Mr. and Mrs. Hill net toward the end of the program. Mrs. Sidney Drew's latest V. B. K. comedy, "Bunkered." started things going. Mrs. Drew, as a 91m director, did a sterling Job. But for all the participa- tion she takes in the plot, she might just as well not be featured. All that's left to re- mind one of the halcyon days, of the love and domestlo'trials and tribulations of Polly and Henry, is just her name—Polly—which she still retains. The rest of the yarn, which In- eludes the most of the footage, Is just the portrayal of a love affair between one Angle and her beau, who happens to be Polly's brother. Mrs. Drew flits in and out of sev- eral scenes. Emma and Boyd (New Acts) opened the vaudeville with some trapeze work, being fol- lowed by Turelly, a harmonica soloist, who can Improve his routine quite a little. His aged musical monolog was not so good owing to the ancient numbers employed. His sense of humor can be Improved upon. Sabbott and Brooks, a neat song and dance, bard working couple that are deeervant of better time, scored the applause hit of the first half. The miss's winsome style goes a long way In win- ning out. The couple can also step some, the boy's eccentric to the tuno of "By Heck," was an actual physical strain on the hot night. The girl's recent visit to the beach, which resulted in a shoulder and arm tan, could not be entirely camouflaged under the powder. Faber and McGowan (New Acta) preceded Fatlma and Co., topllnlng and closing the first half. Fatlma may be a good drawing card because of the amount of bared nether anu upper anatomy she exposes, but as a terplschorean artist she evinced no outbursts of approval. Maybe, though, ther were too In- terested and engrossed In following the prog- rets of the bared pertlens to exercise their bnarqs. Van Bsrgen and Jtafeplilrrs (New A'cWt »*• opened hlitllltles with a concert type of piano act that got returns. Mr. and Mrs. Hill and Co., the latter a man who deserves equal billing, offered a well written and excellently portrayed comedy skit, "Poor Old Jim," with a laugh In every line. Mumford and Stanley (New Acta), next to closing, stopped the show and cleaned up. Bell and Grey, a couple, closed with their wire act. The news reel completed the program. Ateh HARLEM OPERA HOUSE. The first half of. the week the films play Just as important a part in the shows here as does the vaudeville. On Tuesday night the house was Jammed early for the double fea- ture and six-act show that was offered. With a feature at either end of the show the vaude- ville does not get an opportunity until about 8.40. The two feature pictures were "The Microbe" with Jackie Saunders and- Ethel Clayton in "Vicky Van," and In addition there was the Kinogram news reel. Following the overture the first act, James and Bessie Aiken (New Acts) got on at ten .minutes to nine. The second turn, Edmunds and Siege! (New Acts) were almost laughed from the stage and couldn't take a Joke In the way of applause and came back for more. Helen Gleason and Co. in "Stateroom 19" was the first act or the bill to get anything like applause, but it remained for Patsy Doyle to score the first real hit of the evening. Patsy went to the audience with his stories and got laughs right from the start. Following this there was the presentation of "gifts" from the stage, and then the Four ' Haley Girls- stopped -the show completely. The girls could have come back with a couple of additional numbers had they so wished, Closing the vaudeville section Billy Hart and Girls were well liked. The show as a whole, however, was rather weak from the vaudeville standpoint Fret. KEITH'S, PHILADELPHIA. Philadelphia, July an. Playing to an audience that-was willing enough, but too busy fanning Itself to ap- plaud, the artists on this week's bill found It pretty hard to get anything over the foot- lights Monday, yet all worked- earnestly enough, and richly deserved all they got in return. This theatre Is the best equipped house In town for supplying comfort to Its patrols, but about the only thing that would have cooled off Monday's audience was to have turned a hose running Ice water over the crowd. As might have been expected, the show draged along, two or three acts getting a fair amount of reward for their labor, but the show never had a chance te prove its real value and everyone suffered, including the actors and the audience. . It was not un- til the show was about half over that there was any sign of life from the fan-workers In front and then It was a sort of half-hearted response. Orvllle Stamm, the Strang boy who la billed as a physical director of the D. B. Navy dur- ing the'war, bad the task of starting the show. Stamm has an odd way of perform- in? his strength tricks and shimmies his way through some muscle display, getting by In a fair way. Then came Burns and Lynn In a dancing turn that was very slow. The boys stall a lot, but work up some comedy by having one of the theatre attaches call out the styles of dancing he would like to see them do. - This Is on the order of what Georgia White and Frisco did here ahead of these boys, only that White and Frisco had the names of dancers called, while Burns and Lynn mix In styles of dances. It la all wrong for these boys anyway and while It might be termed a nice summer set—one of those where you don't have to kill yourself working—It Is a bit too slow to get the boys what they ought to be, for both can step when they try. . Paul Decker, programed as a legitimate favorite is using 'The Ruby Rsy," sketch originally played here by Hassard Short a season or so ago. The best that can be said of this sketch Is that it Is given an attrac- tive setting, the various principals dress nice- ly and the Idea of mixing cocktails and get- ting a quick souse brings fond memories of the days when America was free to those who eared to drink. But as a vaudeville sketch It barely passes by In the fair class. Mr. Decker 1s an energetlo young man who tries hard to be funny and maybe could suc- ceed If the part was there for him, but it takes quite a bit more than Mr. Decker possesses as a comedian to make 'The Ruby Ray" even fairly lntoxlcatlngry tunny. Ar- nold and Allman started things going nicely with their odd bit of chatter and song, called. "Vice-Versa." Probably many in front did not appreciate the clever bit of travesty con- tained in the reversed flirtation Idea, but It Is clever, well put on by this pair and It was so well liked that those in front-were willing enough to bestow some recognition. Then came the hard-working Four Marx Brothers —or at- least three workers, for the fourth does very little except to look well in evening clothes—and there was a bright half hour of what is called, "N'Everythlng." The title is a good description of the act which is shown In two sosnes. There is a little bit of everything Jammed into their offering and a lot of It is very good, getting both laughs and applause. It Is a sort of free-for-all affair with every one taking a shot at' the fun-mak- ing without' any attempt to set any of the bits. It contains variety with three of the four boys carrying off the chief honors and Rita Ca-ltoa and Mary Orth coming In for a lib- eral sha re, The Llghtaer Girls and Alsxan- BoTfgii Onf mvK vtVtVXW OTmeTfy In a* Wrt of Blfle Far-Eddie Foy way that added soma humor to the act, though at times it seemed as If she was drawing It out a little too long. Their songs are splendid and well done, get- ting the biggest hands and giving them a very good finish. The big applause and laughing hit went to Moss and Frye. Here is something genuinely funny and entirely away from anything In the line of a two-man singing and tawing turn. What they do Is Just nonsense, but there is real wit In every line and the boys top it off with some real hnraonltiag that,' did not miss Its mark. They were a real big hit. being brought back tor some extra, bows' and could have stayed longer, which Is going strong when everyone seemed wilted. A nice.. showy acrobatlo and posing turn by the Five Patrowara filled the closing spot nicely, soma ot their work rousing the house enough to get a warm band. ■Cl-cil KEITH'S BOSTON. Boston, July 80.i-v-.; It isn't reasonable to suppose that those powers that book the shows into the local Keith house should know that the last week in July would be a hot one here. Nor could they be expected to know that on the opening night, Monday, the mercury would be dang- ling up around the 85 mark. -But It does seem reasonable to expect the booking experts to realize at the time a bill Is made up that such-a thing as hot weather in July la prob- able and the bill might well have been made up with this Idea in mind. However, such la not the ease this week and the bill, without a headllner, waa so full of sketches and acts that demanded concentration that it dulled the sensibilities of the audience and resulted in a flat reception to some of the acts which might have fared differently under other con- ditions. Monday night the audience was not responsive and this feeling ponetrated to the artists themselves. It was the first Monday night that the house showed the effects ot the hot weather. There was nothing light and frothy, nothing In the way of a musical sensation to attract people, and the only musical instrument which mads its appearance was a piano, and this melody producing Instrument was wheeled on and oft the stage so many times during the evening that even George Williams, the am- iable and humorous stage hand, began to show the effects of the strain, aa did also the piano, judging from the squeaks. If business during the week Is not any better than Mon- day night, the dead character of the bill can be blamed. The ahow Is opened by the Tomakl Duo, a. Japanese outfit, which use for the major por- tion of their act a demonstration ot the Jap- anese art of self-defense. While there is nothing new in their material the clever man* - ner In which they nut It over and the smooth running proved to be enough to get, them across in fair style. It is a splendid opener. ' Bert Howard, who has a skit that is billed as "A Little Artistic Nonsense," was the first one of the acts, In two position, to flash the piano, with which the house later became so familiar, on to the stage. He has a single that Is entertaining, but If It came later in the bill It would have fared badly. As it was he got the house on the jump, and his pop- ular songs, and the rest of his light and frothy material, went over. "Skeet" Gallagher and Irene Martin follow. Their "Sweaters" is a rather Intangible thing on which to hang a sketch. It is rather dif- ficult to conceive how the name of the sketch ever came to exist, it is hung on such a slender thread. It came, also, too early on the bill, to ahow to the best advantage, aa the house had not settled down. Marie and Ann Clark were handicapped at the start of their act. It is necessary for them to have one of the team planted In the am-'' dlence, but therein was the rub. Keith's Bos- ton house Is not well adapted to acta of this kind. It is necessary tor a flight of stops down through one of the aisles and then the task of setting up the steps begins. There- fore the house had sapped all the novelty out of the act before it waa under way. They run a burlesque Liberty loan campaign which palled a bit, but the personality of the two finally got the turn over. Another sketch followed, Robert Hymao and Virginia Mann. While it Is long it appeals to the human viewpoint because of tbe Idea, It being a story ot how a maa brings his boss '• home to dinner to get a raise and the com* plications which follow. It is very well put over. Irving Fisher was perhaps the nearest thing to a headllner the bill could boast of. It waa his first appearance here, which in Itself was something In his favor, as tbe others were familiar. He explained to the house that he was a stranger here and hoped for the best. The originality of his act, nls voice and his appearance guaranteed him suc- cess from tbe start. He got across very well. John Hyams and Leila Mclntyre in "May- bloom," are old friends to a Boston audience, well and worthily known to the Keith the- otre-goors for these many years. Just where Bernard and Duffy would have got off Monday night without that life sav- ing dancing number which the former used at the close of their act is a question. It looked as though they wouldn't get off at all. How a singer can expect to get across in a metropolitan city (for such we still consider Boston as we have 2.75 per cent beer here on public sale) using numbers such as "Ja Da, and some others that have been worked so generously, because of their merit, as that one has. is a puzzle. Bernard saved the act. He put more pep into the last few minutes ef it than had been In the entire cyola. A rear drochr. Is Bernards " .....-''.,; Coll Ins arid Hart ttos¥ thi shoVi ' ' ' '-.' .7 --—v. •