Variety (May 1921)

92 VAUDEVILLE REVIEWS Friday, May 6, 1921 the first crack and they were roar- ing with each sue tiding point. The banjo twanging session and whis- tling were great getaways to the ex- tent he had to come back for a comedy speechlet in which he ex- pressed a wish to shake hands with his entire audience and as an after- thought he whispered, " if any of you fellows know of any place- ... > .... Laughs and a sweet exit to a clever and funny comedian. • Evans- and Pecca epenod. with. a. perch act which, to quote the bill- j as Dareey does It, it's the'ftf. But even Jolsoa. Dareey has a voice and can throb and sob out the num- bers in such a certain way the house is agreeable to have him remain in front all night. Each ballad was a riot of applause. Dareey invited re- quests, making his biggest scores with "Over the Hill," "Mammy" and "Rose in the Devils Garden." When Dareey mentioned he would sing by request from his previous visit "Rose in the Devil's Garden" a wave of applau 8 ? ran over the house, and ■ Jng, really is a "sensational novelty." The men use long poles and the topmounter performs a few hazard- ous stunts that are really thrillers. The understander mixes it up tell- ingly with a dash of fascinating foot juggling. Billy Duval and Bee Little deuced It. Mr. Duval (formerly Duval and Symonds), has a bewitching new blonde for a partner who amply takes care of her end of the pro- ceedings and looks fetchingly ag- grieved each time Duval makes a crack at her father's expense. The team should find this spot pie for them on the big time bills. Martha Pryor, ex-burlesquette, walloped them with a cycle of pop aongs. Miss Pryor gets the most- out of "blues" songs coupled with that lazy jazz wiggle of hers. On the ballad's end, she shows an ex- cusable tendency to "over act" a number. Her male accompanist at the grand (unbilled) is a wicked piano pounder and except for the fact he is inclined to play a trifle too forte on the accompaniments, Is an exceedingly capable instru- mentalist. He won individual ac- cord with his solo. "Indoor Sports." that Comedy sketch classic filled a very interest- ing and mirthful fifteen minutes as No. 4 on the program. The cast Is a sterling quartet of actors, the "vamp" jane and her unwilling boob opposite having an edge on the other couple for real work. A great No. 3 act for anybody's theatre. Ross and Miss Myers and Co. ahowed in the order named, the fea- ture concluding after intermission. FIFTH AVENUE. The feature, of the Fifth Avenue bill Monday night seemed to be an amateur song contest, closing the show. It's there for the week up to Friday, when the nightly winners are to be again Judged for the cap- ital prize of $50. The contest drew, according to the applause given to a couple of the singing trials, one a trio, th« worst of the lot who had the most ». iends, all in the gallery. That seems to be necessary for consideration with this reviving amateur thing, the gallery. Gal- leries are tough enough nowadays. The amateur stuff that permits of ao wide a scope for noise-making, kidding and scoffing can not help the gentleness that is seldom found In the loft. TV.e eight amateurs Monday evening seemed pure and simple, particularly simple on looks. Four girls and three boys, besides the trio, made eight turns in all. It ran through in about 20 minutes, with the usual hand to head finish for audience applause to select the winner. Minnie Goodman and Edith Hamlin were declared a tie for first among the girls, while Gene Loughlin, who sang "I Miss You, Dear Old Ireland," got first among the boys. Miss Goodman sang "Whispering" and Miss Ham- lin "Home Again Blues." Miss Hamlin was the nearest to a per- former among the bunch, but Miss Goodman was one of those who re- ceived a reception on her appear- ance. Mareraret Gillen came on to sing "The Rosary." She was nerv- ous and could not start with the or- chestra. The gallery got it and made it worse. After a couple of attempts Margaret remarked to the orchestra leader, "I'm a high grade singer. D6n*t class me as a vaude- ville singer," and then walked off in «"isgust or anger. Margaret should become a professional ama- teur, also Miss Hamlin, if Miss Hamlin isn't, and it seems she might be. As a rule, though, this amateur thing is bad stuff, not worth the money it may draw or the amuse- ment it gives. All right at the Olympic on 14th street, which did the revival, for soldiers and sailors, but not for decent big or small time vaudeville. That it closed the sl.o\V VOes'fft make innrh difference. Several walked out on it. That any gallery is unruly enough was exhibited during "Half an Hour," as so well played by Mme. Besson and Co. Getting into the action, the upstairs crowd couldn't wait, not having heard of any one named Barrie down there excepting Lydia. The players continued with- out noticing the Interruptions, and of course, in the third scene, had them all. irom the gallery to the basement. Mm* 1 . Besson has cast finely for this playlet that Ethel Barrymore first brought to the twice daily. She herself is giving a per- formance worth noting. It stems set for the big-time circuits for several times over, as it's a punch playlet, with the punch undelivered, The most attra< live thing about the bill the first naif was the return of Joo Dareey within hv v « ks. Dareey is doing blackface, singing and talking. Jack Lall raved over him when Dareey appeared In Chi- cago. Jack's rave was partially si least deserved, for Dsrct > is- one of the best baMad singers New York has seen, with no exceptions, not Mr. Dareey is somewhat shy on talk. If Ire can bring his talk and delivery of it to equal his ballad singing, or singing, he can rank among the best blackface singles in the country. That's how good. Dareey can be. Just now he's sure fire for any vaudeville, for his ballads could stop a Metropolitan opera. What seemed to be a revival or reunion were Carson and YYillard in "Meet the Doctor." with straight doctor carrying an umbrella. The umbrella became an important part later, for when unfolded it he'd a telescope with a pictured ea:'d. A song was built up on thi.-i, for a long-continued, breath-taking verse, added to each time, and ending with "Dr. Hope can get the dope with his funny telescope," or something of that sort. Its a rewritten vaudeville relic. The talking material is bright, sounding like Hoffman, with the doctor doing a topical monolog of brevity, while the straight is ex- cellent in this. The finish is paro- dies on current pop numbers. It looks as though parodies could easily stand a revival from the re- ception given those of the couple, and their parodies are by no means meritorious as gauged by those of other days and better writers. If it is a return or comeback, Carson and YVillard have made it. They are fit for the same big bills they once were on. Dave Harris, No. 4. following the sketch, did not do so well. No par- ticular reason. It may have been the playlet's theme that had sobered the house. He should have gone better, but as against his Broadway showing a few weeks ago it was a surprising reversal of form. Chester Johnstone opened; Bobby Folsom. a girl, was second, doing a single with the orchestra, and Bar- oness Rouskaya (New Acts) closed the performance. Joe Velie and Co. (New Acts), in a pleasant singing and dancing turn with four girls, was No. 6. House capacity at 8.15 with a show starting around 8. Sim£. AMERICAN ROOF. Overloaded with men, the first half bill missed out somewhat with the well filled house Monday night. Three women in all apeared during the entire bill, which may be a rec- ord for any vaudeville show, the bill running to male two-acts, having three of that order and two single men, with the remaining turns, heavily laden with males, one hav- ing four men to one girl. Witt and Winters, a male acro- batic team, opened with hand bal- ancing that barely aroused the al- ready seated audience. Yen Wah, a Chinese single, No. 2, did little to gain attention. Yen secured some with his rag and jazz numbers, but the early part was almost completely lost. Alex Sparks and Co.. with animal characterizations, provided the nov- elty, also the first girl of the bill, the young woman in the Sparks turn taking down a hit on her appear - ancs alone. Her vocalizing was somewhat lost in the shuffle. The pantomimic work of the two men brought, the proper returns, al- though the audience had not been thawed out up until this time, with the dancing finish nicely executed. Cy and Cy (New Acts), the second male duo of the first half, secured some returns with comedy that dragged in spots. Four Jacks and a Queen, a male quartet and Ade!e Jason, closed the first half with a song routine that brought forth some good harmony by the boys. Miss Jason is the worker of the turn, making several changes and leading the better part of the numbers. The act has been together for some time and proves a satisfactory feature in its present shape, although the Roof audience appeared to let it go by lightly Mon- day night. Lawrence and Lyons (New Acts') opened after hstwpnrtsaion with « straight popular number routine on SCCOrdlong, and managed to ease by without creating any furore. Bob Perns and Co., the sketch of the bill, second after intermission, furnished one of the bright spots of the pro- gram. The Ferns act was without its special drop and lost much of Its effectiveness St the Roof showing Ferns, with his blackface comedy, secured the comedy honors of the bill, with his partners, Nellie May and Hal Taggert, coming through satisfactorily with the stepping and numbers. The hoy should eliminate his stagy mannerisms, paying more .attention to his work than to the posinii which he is inclined to fail Into. Arthur Fields (New Acts) next to closing) scored the applause hit with numbers that failed to show the necessary strength for this chap who has a reputation to live up to created by his popularity on phono- graph records. Holland Brothers, With a balancing routine on poles, closed the show acceptably, although the second male acrobatic team of the evening. GREELEY SQ. There was an entertaining show in for the first half. But the big house didn't seem to know it until half the bill had been run off. Up to that time the meagre returns made it look as though the patrons were too tired to applaud or that they would rather see the films than the players. But with Jean Gordon and her players, who appeared In the middle of the performance. thw house wake up. "A Highland Romance" Is very Scotch—almost "smokey" in its good dialects. The story in the semi-playlet Is taken care of nicely. The good humor of Miss Gordon as the spinster whom the young kilted captain thinks he must wed or else lose money, Is always present and pleasing. A little lass in very neat black checkered kilts danced as dainty a jig as seen In a long time, and it won appreciation. She was atmosphere to the captain's singing of "Bonny Lassie," a new Scotch number with a pretty lilt. The other man's single, too, was liked. They wanted more of Miss Gordon and her Scotch. When the lights were down and the piano was rolled on for the next turn plaudits stiil rang out. Following came "Jo Jo" Harrison (New Acts), who scored equally as well. Like the Gordon turn, they wanted more of Jo Jo and his box antics. He at least could encore with song numbers, and did twice. That left the vaudeville section to be finished by the Gabby Brothers, a pair of neat jugglers. They for- merly were of the Gabby Brothers and Clark. Opening with clever diabolo tricks, the men showed class with club work. That is especially true of one brother, who pulled some very tricky double-turn work. After boomerang hat work he returned to clubs, that stunt being doubled for a rewarded finale. Lynn Cantor was No. 1. It Isn't often a woman single Is spotted in the Loew bills. Miss Cantor is a paradox. Her opening raggy songs lent the impression she was talking the lyric more than singing it. Her second number was tinted with blue spots. But there was a suggestion now and then she possessed real vocal ability. That she proved in offering what she announced was her impression of how Tetrazzini would sing "Love, Here Is My Heart." Mentioning the opera star's name lent color to the effort, which drew the only real returns of the routine. Miss Cantor finished with a ballad, well done. In the later number her voice sounded some- what metallic. A little direction should work out to advantage for ner. Robb and Whitman were No. 3 with their skit, "Back to School Days." The bare-kneed girl looked the role of a kid, very quarrelsome and squlrmish. Her squealing over the fishes in his story tickled. The boy's "groans" got some laughter, as did his four-time start to say "What the h—," which never got any farther. The Hordes Trio, presumably a foreign turn, closed the show. I bee. nearly ten minutes with this and , then depart with a short song. Barely passed. •Ming Toy" is a curious arrange- ment, but it has 12 people and three comedians, one a knockabout dwarf, so it gets through on the strength of clowning and glrl-and-costume display. The stage is set as a <■,**»• nese interior, and upon the rise of the curtain a woman appears and pounds a gong to announce that it is a day of celebration and thanksgtting. Then ©he gee.** prompts ly into a song. You look for a sketch structure, but nothing more develops along that line. The com- edians drop in causelessly, exit and return according to whim, It ap- pears, and a series of numbers by the eight girls, relieved by specialty dancers and more talk and rough business by the comedians fill in 15 minutes quite haphazard. It's very informal, not to say chaotic, but the knockabout business with the dwarf amused the/n boisterously. No use arguing quality of show against the three rows of standees. Kush. and have thereby saved royaltv and staked themselves to sure-fire small- time comedy vehicle. The Nazzaro act followed, closing the vaudeville portion. Business was capacity, as usual as this house the lines being up back of the or* ehestra J « t_ con. LINCOLN SQ. Capacity by 7.45 and continued to pile in until 8.30, standing three deep behind the orchestra rail. A light four-act bill preceded the fea- ture, Metro's screen version of Jack London's story, "The Little Lady of the Big House," renamed "The Lit- tle Fool." A rather neat, light bill, but it suited the clientele which comes from the district west of Ninth ave- nue. It opened with a simple, sight- ly acrobatic display, held two strict- ly comedy turns midway and a "sight" girlflash for the finish. Worth anybody's 40 cents, not to speak of the excellent feature. "The Wonder Girl" has a touch of novelty both In her plan of pre- senting a neat routine on the web and in the acrobatic work itself. Her poslngs and splits on the up- right rope are graceful and her talk has a smile in it. There is seme- thing of a thrill in the finish. The girl takes a "teeth hold" on a dec- orated rope hanging from the flies and swings out over the first six or eight rows, whirling swiftly around on a swivel joint in the apparatus. It looks dangerous and makes >m gasp. Albert Rieard, the ventriloquist. makes a laughable character out of his dummy, and all the talk is ap- propriate. The "kid" is brought on astride a velocipede, on a stroll in the park it develops, and the "dia- log' has to do with his scheme to shake down the old man, who has been flirting. He's a tough kid and the chatter is packed with laughs, not lways in the most exquisite taste, but undeniably funny. A song makes a first-rate finish, with Incidental byplay when the ventrilo- quist is seized with a coughing lit and the kid comp!ains. "How the h can I sing when you're chok- ing to death?" Disclosures Of the n hanlcal head at exit seems uh- necessary. Howard and Craddock. colored men singer and dancer, have a fa<t turn. Low comedy opening with one man whee'ing the other Serosa the stage in a baby carriage. Pres- ently both appear in evening clothes. There is a moment of swift step- ping, and then they go into the ap- plause contest, a crude device or- CITY. With a 50 cent top and an 8 act bill the City is not packing them in as in the days of yore. The house appears to have been crimped some- what by the big time policy now em- ployed at the Jefferson a short way down 14th St., with the Academy just across the street with a straight picture policy also drawing its quota. Tuesday night with the weather cool the lower floor held nu- merous empty seats and the bill, al- though largo In numbers, failed to arouse the audience throughout the entire evening from an apparent comatose condition. Richard Wally and Co. provided a juggling novelty with pool balls and cues in the opening position that sufficed as an introductory offering, with Collins and Dunbar (New Acts) dancing their way into something of a hit, No. 2. Harry Welch and Co. (New Acts), No. 3, brought down several laughs with hoakum comedy that appears to be relished in the vicinity of 14th St. Fox News proved interesting, with Harris and Manion one of the few standard turns of the bill taking down one of the hits of the evening in the position following. The team which has played everything about town still appears to have the neces- sary wallop as a small time feature, the rube character impersonation having a wealth of strength. Bell and Bann (New Acts) secured laughs with Jovedah Rajah, a mind reading turn, completely holding the audience. The work of the woman in this Hindu offering was excep- tionally good Tuesday night, her misses being few and far between, with the audience kept on edge from start to finish. Hoyt, Harris and Winter, also re- cruited from burlesque, managed to land a hit next to closing. Miss Winter with a powerful voice regis- tered with her numbers, although apparently hampered by a cold. Hanlon and Clifton, a corking clos- ing, proved the class of the bill. VICTORIA With theatres to the right of it- theatres to the left of it arid the- ares lierally surrounding it, it u wonderful the way this Loew house more than holds its own despite competition. Although 125th street is the rialto of Harlem, the fact re- mains it draws neighborhood crowds only and It all comes down to the best of the houses drawing the most. The Victoria, probably the largest theatre in that district, not forget- ting Keith's Alhambra around the corner, was capacity Tuesday night/ Following ah assortment of come- dies and short reels, the orchestra 1 overtured "Mignon" at pretty near 9 o'clock. The house features its orchestra, and has Just cause there- fore. Those 14 men can play any- thing from jazz to classic, that trap drummer winning individual atten- tion with his stunts In the course of the Hobby Vernon comedy. The De Pierre Trio, featuring ground tumbling and hand to hand stuff, introduced proceedings. Rosa Valyda, a stately brunette, with a corking double voice, held down No. 2 handily. Miss Valyda has elimi- nated her "Asleep In the Deep" bass solo and now features her baritone and contralto changes, making a neat getaway with a trick rendition of "Mammy," including a yodeling interpolation. Phillips and Ebby have a neat lit- tle skit and sold it for full value as No. 3 on the program. The couple are Americans struggling with the French tongue and their linguistic paroxysms were comical until they both discover the other is an Ameri- can, following which the team goes into a hoke movie session that was a scream. Miss Ebby intelligently mixed her stuff with travesty and shot it across for a hit. Hawthorne and Cook, self-con- victed "nuts" convulsed the audience and walked off with all honors of the evening. Just hoakum—that's all, was what they peddled and the customers paid with continuous ap- preciation. The Kinkaid Kilties, Scotch prop- aganda in Volstead form, closed. Jack London's "The Little Fool" was the feature film. dinarlly, but amusing to the Lin- coln square crowd. They use up the top of the released gag thermos 58th ST. The bill at the Proctor house was satisfactory small-time entertain- ment, with Nat Nazzaro and Buck and Bubbles the flash In the closing position. The Nazzaro turn remains as before, with the exception of Bubbles' comedy attire. The colored comic is now wearing an ill-fltting suit of loud colors that aids the comedy effect. The young acrobat in the turn seems to enjoy the work of Buck and Bubbles despite the many times he has seen them work. The act went to big applause. The Jennier Brothers, a fast acro- batic and gymnastic team of men, open with some interesting hand- to-hand feats, and then go to the double trapeze for a line of team work. The finish is the slip rope swing out over the audience. They are smooth workers, with more per- sonality than the average turn of this nature. The California Trio, three men comedy and harmony singers, tied up the show in the deuce spot. A well selected cycle of songs and ex- cellent harmony helped greatly. CJrey and Byron in their standard small-time vehicle went strongly following. The tall girl gets con- siderable comedy out of her phy- sique and the man is a neat-work- ing opposite. The talk could stand considerable freshening, however, some ancient dialog being Interpo- lated. Mary and Al Royce (New Acts) followed in a hodge podge of hoke and low comedy that nevertheless got across with a smack. "Canary Opera.'' man and woman musicians and whistlers, assisted by a dozen singing canary birds, fof- l<>\\< d In a refreshing novelty pret- tily produced. The man's "bird" Imitations are followed by the turn going to full stage, whore 15 or 20 canaries aic hung in Wicker cages A pretty vet increases the effect. To piano and flute duet the birds ling an accompaniment as sweet and melodious as can be. Page and Cray held the next-to- closing spot following. The "boob" comedy efforts of the male comic caught on hugely at this house. The team have skimmed the cream off AUDUBON. Whether it is a profitable propo- sition to run a vaudeville house when only relying upon Saturday and Sunday business is a question, but such appears to be the case at this house since the recent big time opposition. Uyeda Japs, a combination of males who have been playing around these parts for quite some time offer a series of feet manipu- lation work that held attention. Jones and Johnson, colored male couple, are in need of material if they expect to win out. At present their offering is of the comedy as- sortment mixed with several songs, neither of which will get them any- where. The small fellow, who can be referred to as the comedian, fails to have a single comedy line in his chatter. He possesses the necessary expression to put things over, there- fore their promotion depends on proper comedy material. Pisano and Bingham will have to work a while before they arc able to get back into their old pace. The couple have been laying off for the past eight months due to the latter recuperating from Injuries sustained in an accident for which it Is said she received a verdict of $15,000 last week. During the re- cuperation period Miss Bingham has put on extra poundage which handi- caps her actions a»id besides it is evident that she has not fully re- covered for she still retains a slight lameness. Sallie Fields, formerly of Conway and Fields, is now doing a single. It consists of songs of the comedy variety while her actions run on the same lines as those of Eva Tanguay. Miss Fields shows a Belle Baker imitation in style and every touch of Tanguay conduct. It is ;v quest4on whether her single efforts will go over. Dickinson and Deagon were the only act on the bill te provide real amusement. The couple recently closed with a Broadway show, their appearance at this house marking their return to vaudeville. Judging by the reception upon their Initial return they will be topping the big bills soon. The male member, who is tall and well put together physi- cally, possesses sufficient person- ality to demand admiration and his work commands attention. The fe- male member also plays in top form consequently, and the couple can easily stand with the best doubles of t he day. Bron Brothers and Band, appar- ent,y Hawaians, closed the show With excellent returns. They num- fi in males and on*' female, the latter a tee dancer, but she ap- pears to be too stout to perform gracefully. ^The playing instru- ments Include piano, gylophone*. drum and saxaphones combined With one playing a bagoipe in BCOtch »t- tire for a finish.