Variety (April 1921)

vO SHOW REVIEWS Friday, April fc2, 1921 =*»■: , that "Madama Butterfly" finish which is strictly Japanesque. D. D. H.? monologed his way to A substantial hit and proved the fact that not only the "wise" ones present but the laymen as well, were acquainted with the monologisfs publicity system that first brought him to the attention of the bookers. They expected something new—and got it. He simply wowed 'em. Whiting and Burt is another com- bination that has discarded its pro- duction and are as satisfying as ever. The only remains of their * iorihkt i'*Hti&<i'J.i\ -»4T«<V6«Ha Ik .the "money - money - monoy" number which George Whiting delivers as capably as. ever. But for the rest, it is all Sadie Burl. Cute, pert, naive, winsome- -and a dozen other superlatives, if one cares to con- tinue thinking up synonyms—she captives the bunch out front and then does tricks with 'em at her will. The same "baby talk" style and smile is winning the team new admirers daily. Whiting as ever Is a smooth straight for Miss Burt's double numbers. The Four Casting Campbells, one of the best acts of its kind, closed the show and held them to a man. woman and child. The quartet showed some reai;y thrilling stunts which were judicially split up with a few comedy antics by the mime of the combination. A solid barrage of applause rewarded the act on con- clusion. Why the act Is not with a mammoth "big top" show is proba- bly their own say-so, but that's where they can shine as splendi- ferously—and more advantageously? than In vaudeville. "A Perfect Crime." a new Allan Dwan production, was the feature film attraction. It is reviewed in detail in the motion picture section. Abel. FIFTH AVE. Virtually an all comedy show for the first half, with at least six of the eight acts standard or big time. The ropes were up by eight o'clock Tuesday evening. Headlining the show and spotted two turns away from closing was the new Franker Wood and Bunee Wyde turn, in which the principals are supported by two players. "All Right Eddy" has been out for about four months and has rounded to form. The direct opposite of the class skits formerly conceived by the couple. "All Right Eddy" is all travesty or a series of them. It is built for laughs and gets them. The house took to the red nosed, solemn visaged "soloist" who started old ballads during the costume and scene changes. Use of the man is an excellent idea and the humor of it was appreciated from the start. For his final "number" Eddy started sporting a falsetto to kidding from the gallery. The Igaloo scene in the Arctic was the first of the full stage bits, with a big laugh coming from the opening chatter. Wood is a cave man guy, she a barn arm Eskimo who asks where are the dogs that should be with his sledge. He replies he ate the last one at Coney Island. Miss Wyde started showing duds as a lady caller to the shrine of the "Knights of the Blind Pig." She was resplendent as Em- press Josephine, whom Napoleon had left flat In the care of his brig- adier. Right off she asked him if he had anything on his .hip; he said yes, a strawberry mark. The finale, like the foregoing, is all for comedy and therefore not built as an ap- plause getter. The curtain speech by Wood is better and gives the turn a good exit. Clark and Verdi were not envied next to closing. Considering the Wood and Wyd« turn was just ahead, they pulled out a good score of laughs. The bit about the "Slavs" and "a hundred and thirty-five street" went over but mildly, Indi- cating strangers In the house. The history bit, however, landed. Beer was classed as history along with Bryan—'he's alive, but he's dead." The Wop comics eased off to fair returns. Mabel Berra was the class of the show, spotted fifth. She now has Harold Solomon as accompanist. The latter Is a young pianist who was liked. Mine Berra announced his playing of Chopin's "Apolinalsc Mllitalre." She worked up "China Rose" to excellent purpose at the start with high note finishes. A moment later she looked charming in a frock of orange and black, singing "Coo Coo" with flute varia- tions. The Galli Curci impression at the finale made the house want more. A number of bows, then thank*. The nut couple, Dunbar and Turner, on just ahead, set a fast pace. Something of a real surprise came with the man's ballad solo. His yodeling earlier gave promise of a good voice. He proved it later, flashing an unusual tenor. That was the only thing in the art they didn't kid about. The capcrlngs brought plenty of laughter, with eccentric dancing at the close heartily ap- plauded, and an earned encore re- sulted. The act was a hit Iv has been out for two or three years and looks right for big lime bookings, Holmes and Holliston. with their homely, pleasing little skit, amused, on third. The Van CN 116a opened, billed double, it reading "Van Cello and Mary." The latter traces the turn with her smiles and clothes. The man with his dextrous foot Jugglery drew a good band. Rodero and Marconi No. 2 (New Acts). K luting's Entertainers closed the iliow and held the house This curious animal mixture, of dogs and cats has been away from New York for some time. It's as clever an of- fering as ever. The drummer's bell when two tabbies started scrapping always drew a laugh. ioec. AMERICAN ROOF. The first half bill on the roof held nine acts, a comedy picture to start the proceedings and a feature to top off. The show-fceemed to please the patrons, but wasn't particularly meritorious except as to quantity. Business was decidedly off Monday night, the rain and cold weather keeping' thc-'ai:^'Vid.Ai;-C: daWfJ to a minimum. The bill contained five comedy acts, two of which got over strong- est They were Howard and Jack- son (New Acts) on fourth and the Dixie POUT, a colored male quartet in the next to shut spot. The colored harmonists were flat and considerably off key, but got them strong with a dancing finish that was good for several encores through a "fit" dance staged by all four and cleverly worked up. As dancers they do the usual "flash" stuff faking the "wings" and other difficult steps, but getting their hoof- ing across to louder acclaim than George Primrose would receive in similar circumstances. Elwyn Trio (New Acts), a stero- typed small time xylophone turn opened. The Casson Bros., ^vo male singers and dancers, held the posi- tion next to the tra-.l blazers. The boys were attired in alpaca suits and straw hats, making a neat ap- pearance. Both qualified as clever ancers, showing a pleasing rcper- Oire of soft shoe buck and eccentric pepping that contained nothing new difficult but was neatly delivered, couple of songs and a paper tear- ing bit completed the offering. They e aLl right for the present eom- any. Margot and Francis, a man and oman comedy acrobatic pair, were ext. The male works in white face with baggy trousers a la Jimmy Rice, while the woman affects a Pierrot costume. Ground /tumbling with some excellent and difficult for- ward and backward hand? springs by the woman performed with a pair of stilts strapped to her legs, formed the meat of the turn. They did well in the notch. Pollys' Pearls closed before inter- mission. The turn holds a worthy idea, but the original dialog has been so distorted that the lines aro all familiar. The idea Is a "dream" affair. The comic "stick up," the juvenile in "one," but desists after recognizing him as one of the mob. They decide for one more "job." The act goes to full stage where a garden fete is being given by a girl to several girl friends. The crooks walk on and do some "pinching," switching a necklace from one to the other for the usual complica- tions. "The "hick"' has some pure unadulterated "gun" talk, but his gags have all been carefully col- lected during lay eft periods from other acts. The girls are lookers and sing and dance credibly. Th*i turn is a worthy flash for-the three a day. They liked it immensely on the roof. After intermission Paul Earl, with a Uke and some ancient rhymes, put over an old-fashioned single that might have been written by Patrick Henry. A verse about a goat wan vulgar and in decidedly bad taste. A recitation in prose playing on the word "side" is another holdover from pre-historic days. TfTe finish is a parody on a popular song, an- other relic. They liked Karl *n the roof for all that, and he took sev- eral healthy bows. Kelso and Carlisle followed in their talking and singing conceit The special set seen around with the turn was in evidence. Some of the songs sound "special," but the dialog has lost most of its effee- tiveness through usage and trans- mission. Kelso is a neat worker and has a capable partner in Miss Carlisle. The present vehicle is k. o. for the small time, but will have to be renovated or replaced for the big time bills. Foley and Mason, the male hand balancers, closed In a good routine of lifts and throw ups. The under- stander is a strong physical speci- men and handles his top mounter as though he were a feather. They interested throughout. The feature picture got on about 10:25 p. m. Co*. results. Norton Is a neat appearing chap, making a corking straight for Hilton's comedy. The burlesque Scotch dance at the finish topped off their offering to perfection as far as Proctorites were concerned. Vvette, with two male assistants, provided the flash of the bill with an offering that far exeells anything she has done heretofore. Yvette has secured one of the showiest drops in vaudeville as a background for an offering that denotes class throughout. The two boys show speed, the saxophone player getting much comedy out of his Instru- ment afia lutir./v'in nicely. Jn |fea ducts with Yvett.e Blanche and Jimmie Crelghton. with a rural comedy skit, knocked out a comedy hit in the next to closing position. The comedy built up by this chap with the base viol proved sure fire as well as the other hick comedy. Fred and Al Smith on the rings closed the show- in tip top shape. LINCOLN SQ. Good small-time vaudeville avidly- accepted. After a publisher's hire- ling had warbled one of his firm's songs. Rose and Dell entered with their flirtation opening, and showed what developed into a hybrid act which embraced song, dance, gag- ging and cycle work. The gagging proved most effective, the combina- tion of all four qualifying the team as an A-l thri^e-daliy No. 1 turn. The Crane Sisters (New Acts). No. 2, found the spot to their and the audience's liking. Leigh De Lacey and Co. showed their farcelet next, to acceptable response. The turn is carrying a new member in the cast—a henna'd miss who quali- fies In her role. Farrell and Hatch, colored rath- skeller duo thar bespeaks strongly of cabaret rearing, performed No. 4 on the program and accepted an en- core. Excluding one number, their songs are exclusive and no doubt written by Farrell, who Is a song writer as well as entertainer. The team annexed a hit of the evening. The Kee Tom Four, a Caucasian quartet despite the Oriental mon- icker, topllned and tagllned the show. They proved another sub- stantial hit. The men are dressed in typical gaudy Chinese costumes and delivered their pop repertoire masterfully. Viola Dana in "Puppets of Fate" closed. and Ayers, with their talk written by Benny Ryan, landed their points with fair success. The couple worked hard, but the difficulty in following a trained bear that had the house in a constant uproar placed them at a disadvantage. Matthews should use more discre- tion In showing his disapproval of objectionable conditions. "The Counterfeiters" (New Acts), a com- edy sketch found an audience that was trying to dope out what it was all about. Margaret Ford next to closing scored the applause hit of the even- ing with her double voice. Miss Koi(r«witchc3 from a-'kitfl/'wpratto to a baritone with apparently little effort, putting over her selections In either voice with equal skill. The audience, hungry for something in the way of a song, let thij young woman step into the breach of chalk up the hit of the bill. Les Keliors, with their circus novelty, closed the show, the turYi running a bit long for a closing spot. 58TH ST. The bill at the 58th Street, the first half, fell short of the standard for this house. The Tuesday even- ing audience, which filled the theatre to near-capacity, remained in a co- matose condition during the major routine largely devoted to ballads. The girls should add a jazz number GREELEY SQ. Viola Dana, in "Puppets of Fate," was the feature picture .of Greeley Square Tuesday, reinforced by a very funny Christie comedy and the International News weekly. The vaudeville contribution con- sisted of half a dozen well selected acts, the most pretentious of which was "Around the Clock,'* a tabloid with five girls, a male singer, a leader, some very pretty drops and an effective cyclorama—not to men- tion a wealth of fresh-looking cos- tumes. It is . most pretentious flash for a three-a-day house. Lew Hoffman, a juggler with com- edy chatter, has an unoriginal rou- tine of running conversation and a special drop. Perhaps he doesn't wish to modernize his patter. He talks the language of the proletariat and hence is a good small-timer. I But his juggling is good enough to I be surrounded by talk far superior ' and more up-to-date than he is 1 using. Curry and Graham, mixed couple, she devoting herself mostly to Scotch ditties and he to Irish, scored neatly with a competitive vocal of- fering. The lady also does some ac- ceptable highland sling stepping. Evelyn Phillips (new acts). Phillips and Ebby, another mixed couple, star.ted off as if they were altogether too superior to be appre- ciated in the three-a-day. but descended to the proper leve! and went through with a bang. Here is a pair of performers who might at- tain the heights of vaudeville. They have class and their act starts off with "an idea" that would seem to be above the heads of the "com- mon herds." Developed along other lines it would class with the best the two-a-day has to offer. 23d STREET. The uu n± the. 221 fltreet lb- fl'-.st half quite outdid anything t he- house has shown In some time, the show lining up as a big time en- tertainment, displaying class In spots that could do Justice to the bigger houses. Monday evening's business was up to the standard with a row of standees in evidence throughout the performance. Barnes and Sullivan, a mixed team on the rings, opened the show. The couple are cf the old school and carried the spot a'ong satisfactorily. Emnntt's Song Shop. No. U, with a man and woman handling Irish numbers before s special drop, got away nicely with the song routine. Ruth Robinson and Co, in -Wid- ow by Proxy," (New aets) scored one of the laughing hits of the evening with a vehick that appears to Have a good chance in the '.< h h ranks. Lew Hilton and Ned "Clothes' Norton provided a com- edy knockout with Hilton's bur- lesque comedy bringing substantial EYEfHQ! ORl&INATORS Of the largest Investors In the project. Notwithstanding that the AI be-* marie is a beautiful theatre, modern in construction and luxuriously comparable with the best of the latter-day picture palaces, such as the Broadway houses, it has been a flop since it started. The reason for its failure to attract but a minimum of patronage thus far is not ditll- cult to discover. Approximately two blacks up Flatbuah avenue is B. S. Moss' Flatbush, with a big, small-time vaudeville and picture policy, with Keith bookings. The Flatbush has been playing some pretty big "names" right along since the season cloned,..and before th© Albemarle got under way. The Al- bemarle plays pop vaudeville, booked by» the Fox office. Its vaudeville Is of the dyed-in-the- wool, small-time variety. The Flat- bush prices are a bit over those of the Albemarle, but the natives evi- dently figure the Flatbush show as worth it, as the Flatbush has been doing business and the Albemarle playing principally to emptiness. The Flatbush, with its high-class vaudeville, is one form of opposi- tion the Albemarle has to contend with. The Farragut, about a mile down Flatbush avenue, is another. The Farragut is a picture house of the type of the Strand or Kialto on Broadway. The Albemarle is caught in between the two, making the two reasons for its failure to draw since opening. When the Albemarle opened It had a night scale of 75 cents top for loges und boxes, 55 cents for the reserved orchestra section, 45 cents for the balcony and 35 cents for rear balcony. This included the war tax. After two or three weeks of bad business, the scale was lowered, the cut prices, including war tax, being 60 cents for loges and boxes, 45 cents for orchestra reserved, 45 cents for balcony and 25 cents for rear balcony. These prices are now effective. The cut apparently has not had the effect of increasing business. Tuesday night the orchestra sec- tion was half filled, with the balcony showing much vacant space. Neither of the two boxes, which each seats about a dozen odd, con- tained a customer. The Albemarle has a great orchestra for over- tures, selections, playing for the pictures, etc. When it comes to playing for vaudeville it lacks con- siderable that a vaudeville orches- tra should have. There are 28 pieces ir. the orchestra. The mu- sical program given each half should be an attraction In itself, but somehow Flatbush doesn't seem to fall for *he musical thing. The seats in the middle section of the ...chestra are improperly pitched, making it difficult to get a good view of the stage. This may also figure as a detriment to busi- ness. There are 1,498 seats on the orchestra floor and 944 in the single balcony, making, with the box and loge scats, a total capacity of 2,733. Ed. Manley Is the house manager. The theatre Is well conducted, courteous attendants, etc. The first half bill included the Al Golem Troupe, acrobats; Curtis and Fitzgerald, mimics; "Just a Thief," a melodramatic sketch; Hughie Clark, a monologist; the Maxlne Dancers; a Vita comedy, News Weekly and Pearl White In "Know Your Men," a Fox feature picture. Hughie Clark went over with his talk and pleased with his songs, but the smallness of the audience precluded the possibility of any act getting very much in the way of applause. Considering the handi- cap Clark did splendidly. The Golem Troupe opening, worked very- hard also, and secured appreciation for their perch tricks. A first-class silent act this. Curtis and Fitz- gerald, second, entertained with Imitations of steamboat whistles, barnyard denizens, etc, "Just a Thief" is the sketch Joseph Byron Totten formerly played. It will do for the small houses. The Maxine Dancers, a Russian turn, pleased with a variety of stepping. The house Itself somehow seems to lack atmosphere. Straight pic- tures, with the present high-class orchestra, would appear to be the answer, if it Is to do business. It doesn't appear to have a chance with its present style of entertain- ment. BclL WEAVER BROS. The originators of hand saw muaic. It may be because we are originators or Just because we have an entertaining act that New York has taken so kindly to us. Always in the last half of the bill and always a hit. This week (April 18). Alhamlua, New York; then in this order— Hamilton, n«?w York-; orpheum, Brooklyn*; Colonial. New York; EaUsCE NEW YORK, and back home to Arkansas. or two for the pop houses. The Hues for the finish, with ukeleles, did not havo the necessary punch to place turn to them the way they wished which made the offering lose much of its effectiveness. The Thorton Sisters, two well- groomed girls. No. 2 did a song portion, showing but little sign of enthusiasm. The Bradnas, with hat throwing, opei.ed to fair re- turns. The couple appeared to have difficulty in making the hats re- the girls ir. tie hit column and should be shelved for something of more value. Jim, the skating and wrestling bear, took down the first honors', credited with the c om e d y hit. Th< ore of the plants for the wrestling bit brought the house to life with laughs aplenty. A No. 3 spot proved easy sailing for the turn. Matthews Fisher and Lloyd, blackface come- dians, singing and sidewalk con- versation, have a routine about "dyeing for a living," which is still worth while, but such ancient gags as "I painted a chicken, threw it in the waste basket and it hud there" arc not. j a lo. ALBEMARLE. The Albemarle is located on Flat- bush avenue and Albemarle road, Brooklyn, in the section of Brook- lyn known su old Flatbush. The house is controlled by Ih« Fox in- terests through some sort of leas- ing arrangement with 'he Albemarle T heatre Corporation, which built jt. The building s yn d icat e was eons- posed of local business men, .n- cludlr.g the firm of Barr Bros., a re- tad liquor concern, ta^d to have been "FOLLIES" OPPOSING (Continued from page 14) had favorable write-<ips, Faversham rejoining cast in this city following death of wife. Not likely to stay \onf ry hvl t*. .opening \a any crite- rion should make money for three, even four, weeks. "Adam and Eva" thudded terribly, and went out to less than $7,500. "The Son-Daughter" (Garrick, 3d week). Downstairs drew good, but, with big overhead, not a whirlwind from box-office standpoint. Gener- ally compared unfavorably with Utile's "Tiger-Rose," About $10,500. "Dream Street" (Chestnut Street Opera House). Indications arc that this one will be no "Way l»own Blast" or "Ihrth of a Nation" in pop- ularity here. Plenty of snow open- ing night. Critics treated if well. Has $1.60 fop. "Whirl of the Town'' closed tamely at $12,000. "Girl in the Spotlight* t Walnut. 1st week). Switched In suddenly when "Opportunity" MfVvered. Will only stay one week, and looks to make a good showing In that time. Owen Davis' melodrama did about $6,000.