Variety (August 1921)

Friday, August 5, 1921 NEW SHOWS THIS WEEK :fX i;^r^-TsrjirrK-^r''ir^^w^, 7C-^'-''..T •i!^'-'-^ 13 JACK LAIT'S REVIEWS PALACE HunianiUrian work for indifont tttom 18 i" £»»i»»on thin (jeaBOD. If ^8 c-oluuin might digreHS troiu its ggrping tuuctioning to auHume a fleet- ing aiteetatiou ot coiwjtructive sug- ^tioo, it would diffidently point out Stt a BtiHent and even «aiutary wel- ftrc might eventuate if every vaude- viHe performer now 'laying off" in Mew I'ork were given a free seat at tfce Palace to see Kthel Harry mo re ^w. Kven Kddie Leonard, the < ham- ni^a bow-wow-wowow-w-w-wow-er of Jte show world, against whom every wniteface hope has taken thu count, night learn something here. Our First Actress acknowledges the plaudits of her effusive public with neither the frigid Kits of a suc- cfssful contortionist nor the syco- phantic mendicancy of a hopeful deace-spot jaszerine. 8he smiles af- fri>ly but not cravenly; ahe bends coorteously but not beseechingly; she rrtpottds promptly but not teverigh- ly: she makes exit with a dignity but xeih na Hgh or quiver or make-me- p^e-back-again chicanery. She com- ports herself in the only time when 5|^ is the individual mod not * the iirtiste, as a Woman, a lady and a gttfv God has given the Barryraores those truly patrician graces which ire of the Tibre and not of the spe- rloQS acquired buticomb. Miss Barry- mftre is a masterpiece of demeanor •ad deportment. Even copying a masterp>ce requires soul, artistry And technique—but it is worth the & trying. I Th<' halo of Miss Barrymore a dis- ^ tidctiim-and, of eonra^, her eKcel- '^' lett playing—again carried the genius F^*f J. M Hnrri'' AS expressed in ^^♦The Twelve-Pound Look" to a Ic- tgiHttale success. Miss Barrymore !^ might turn her mind toward its sue- / resftor only becAusc abe b*8 ao often I repeated it. She will perhaps'never j fpt another one-acter as subtle, as ^ deep aiiU u.^ becomiag, but ahe can t easily find better vaudeville, for thin I admirable little claa»!c calls for only '■ 10 little of her most pronounced tal- ent. Only a Barrymore would Im- mortalise a "sketch" in which she i« off at the curtain, in which she has 'i- never a riugmg line or a tense mo- vneat (except in the audience reac- Mion through the brilliant and biting i|it go effortlessly projected by her). •ad in which ahe wenrs a go-to-work isit that would make a I.nirsque shopgirl walk out at the dress re- baariial. Vaudeville has been rather kind to lii»s Barrymore. Hhe ttwes it some- tUsg beyond even her own irides- eeaee ami Sir Barrie's satiric philoso- l^hy: she owes it thrilla. They need act be brash nor broad but they mast be tingling. Something approxi- Mting a tabloid "Der-lasae**—or a brief 'Mid-Channel" — would gra- eiausly meet the'heartiest desires of aadlenees in these theatres. Sarah Benhardt always recognize4l this preference. Of course. Miss Barry- more draws andencee and draws ap- M preelation as it is, and can have all ):■ the "time" she will accept as it is. Bat the Barrvmores, excepting in this instance, have been known for quickly—Hometiuies too quickly-^- eaatiug aside the tried fuccei<seH for the progress and onpress of new creation. So. why does Miss Ethel cling 80 unwaveringly to her twelve- l»ftund look ?—especially when the pound has dwindled so in value that WIT parenthetical prosram hint. *The Twelve Tound ($00.00) Look.' RhotiM now be . revised 4o rend "The Twelve Pound ($44.(M) Look." The hendliner closed interniiHsion. She (ollowed n pmaFhing hit by Fradkln nnd^ Jean Tell, the clutching violinist and the excellent show- woman soprano. Miss Tell is one of the most nccomplished ahd one of the most effective laryngeal tricksters Miind th'^ footlights, and is one of Taudevijle's surest bets. Fradkin is no despiser of hurrah work-uf»H him- self: ho could—thouph it is not meant here that ho shouhl-throw nwav erery sloipht-of-hand twiHt. And MisK Toll should not. either, becnuso »lio is a w'.zni-d at sollinR her sours and horself. She took fully one-half of tlio icravy. It is a peach of an act. .Toy A'olV (it nsod to bo ".Too." 'i»e(ln*t it?) has a new sister team. SiiorcMMlinir the Ilnndnlls are the HloRHoni Sisters. Velio is n one-man "ft ill jiiinself. But he is not left on his own. for l*nula Chninbers. a jnnppy-eyod bruhct. helps him. Thoir rlinnimy roadster drive mimber .was tho high peak of the turn: it J^ouuiM'd reiuinisceut of another not. hut it WHS better done. (Illicrwis** • tho rcMitine was ru^fced. The .in- lle'pntcd mninstny. n iiumhci' i'ull«*d Aliffiionotto." after which thf offoi- 1"K is litloil. is n\\ unnunl'fiod plagiar- «m of "Poor Butterfly." ^Tlto opouinc is (lover nnd new. Veiir oricauixing his fouiinino four- I'onio. t>(on fifEurlug out on n black- |"^»ai«l tlio oxponsos of the act. cvi-u t|> coinruissions—yrs. even to nu- jUfM's ro.vnlty. which is iM'ttor known »n puhllo bur not as promptiv ;n. i !n Pnvntc. Volie is n first-rate duiu- •nR Jii.Mn and hn^ n powerful and in •ralialinz ballad voice. He could do a corking double with Miss Chaia!>crs and throw away the blackboard. The least he might do is to thro.v away the number in which the Blossom Sisters sing about how wonderful ic is to travel with them; it got a few unexpected laughs Monday No royalty on these laughs waa included tn the invoice. Frank Gaby twoed. Barring his opening bit, which was awful, he waa a clean wallop in his ventriloquie.s. The opener was a tortured British caricature, in which he not only painfully did the absurd popular con- ceptiou of a slUy ahss, but used the phrase; that was nothing—he did the "Wliere is my 'at?" gag, and one about hoarding sugar. But when he got to his dummies and then to his dummyless comedy he cleaned up bud earned his hit. Mrs. E. Hathaway Turnbull opened the second half (Now Acts) Her offering was just as thrilling, romantic and excitinf as her name would indicate. The joy-episode of the night came with Harry J. Conley and Naomi Hay. Conley, at the wise hick, kicked a canyon through the theatre any way he turned. The laughs were himl^^lides. The attention was un- swerving through the many quiet and often beautiful momenta, and the astute mcchatKcal finish started, de- veloped, wMrVod up, climaxed and crashed into a howl that rattled the roof. Seldom has a new Palace eooaer sent over such an immediate, decisive and reverberating comedy sensation. Conley put himself across for life, and has a "Liglitnin'" for vaudeville in "Rice and Okl.Shoes." Following one of the* most stupid turns ever beheld anywhere his tri- umph was the more astonishing. Kramer and Boyle did their usual business next to ^ ing. Kramer tearing out the lauarha and BoyK\ the sweet singer, peddliag the niel- odled sentiments. A hit t- — . ^ s Riding Seliool held well for the cloKor, with laughs for the plants. Four Lamv Brothers "bpened, not seen by this reviewer, who was faitbfull.T in his seat at 8:14 like a good kid, bnt still too late to see the closinff of the opener and too early to miss the oi>ening of Gaby. Latt. timental extraneous help—her de- a difference in the manner of plairing lightful turn was rousingly receired and the touch that is easily noticed throughout. Tom Patricola and bis delicious Irene Delroy carried the rising en- thusiasm to its highest rung and clean over the top. When the danc- ing clown finished he was all in, the perspiration sopping through his shirt to the waist, and it was a coM night. The Delroy confection, a marshmal- low of lightness coated with the sweet essences of youth, charms and pi- quancy, was as refreshing and tan- talising as Tom was amusmgly rough and knockabout. The Amaranths (now billed as Amaranth Sisters in- stead of the Four Amaranths) closed and held 00 per cent of the packed house. Carpos Brothers, athletes, and Carroll and Gorman, syncopaters, preceded Montgomery. Lait. n—1-- M-i -■ I ■ ' ■ RIVERSIDE even by one inexperienced in music. V 1 Celo and Alary opened the show with the peddle Juggling. The act. aside from the very good work done by Van Cello r^rriea a production that is noteworthy, as are the cos- tumes worn by Mary. It makes a l^reat flash und is a fast, snappy open- ing act for any big time raudeville bill Ed Janis and Co. closed the show after being slated for the No.3 spot which would have been much better for them. It was surprising how well the little dancing review held them in. They received two or three cur- tains at the finish. It is a nice, clean, sweet little specialty that should be up around the third spot. The girl dancer is the outstanding figuro. Her toe dancing is excellent, as is also the Egyptian number. She is a good book- ing girl and wears her becoming costumes very well. A sister team sing haruiony very pleasingly and dance lightly and easily fill in several satisfactory moments and add to the The attendance at the Rireraide Monday night seemed to say the weather has been responsible in a large measure for the poor business „. , «. ^ „ _ . of the past several weeks, at this g"^^'';- ^ J?*|/!Sr««T^3Xhf nZl house at least During the day it *»/***• ^''^^^ .« ^^^^^^^ ^'^^\ ^'■f was quite cool and the impression 1° ^^^ T?^''*'.!*'^-J^^^J^'tJ*^^ P'L**- that the hot spell had broken was K^Kr..!:?*^!"?!.!^.!:'?.;*!^;'"!^. BROADWAY It was a toss-up Tuesday night be- tween a great vaudeville troupe and a great audience for the credit of a great evening. Thnt gang deserved that show, and those acts deserved that mob. It was a parade of heavy hits. Marshall Montgomery, with his lady and the diimmy working as a three-act, wowed it and went to hi.** suigle whistling encore. Montgomery consumes two slasses of n i, two cups of coffee, lettuce and tomato salad and the rest of a table-d'-hote spread, and finishes with a handker- chief stuffed in his mouth, all to show that his voice can circuranavi- ^te anything. His '»cdy is crisp. His dummy is tractable. Montgom- ery does several things no other ven- triloquist does—and that is the rar- est compliment one can pay a ven- triloquist. l*aulinc Saxon and Sister (New Acts) gobbled a hit neatly. Wells. Virginia' and Wells, in a turn, im- proved since it waa seen on tho Loew boards, knocked in a panic—that is, the boy in the trio did. Tiie others are a man who might be his father or older brother and a woman or girl decefitive as to exact age; at times she noks like a kid and at other times somewhat mature. Some of the dubious hokum in the latter part of tho turn has been deleted, helping much. Some of the early talk should keen it company. Ihis trio still tells the one about "S«'ll the s'»fa" and lays stage money on the floor for n silly bet. Otherwise it is a tip-toppor. with the lad a future star sure. The Russian danc- ing bv tho girl isn't half bad, and by the i)oy - marvelous. The straight dances easily and well, also. Ihe >outh's comedy shoe dancing is h-.i re- tire With a few eliminations this turn is ready for at least Ninnbcr 4 on anybody's bill. n»ioc's Celebrities got as much npi»Iuuse as any offering of the night. Th«' polished Madame, herself, gave it tone with her iK'rfect diction and iinprossively pleasant manner of do- livoring onuounceinouts. Ihis re- viewer once criticLsed that same an- nouncement by that f:amo ?'-tisto--but then it was used m closing a show and had no chance to rogtster. Hero, mid-bill, it lifted the turn. The ensemble siuRing was po\\orful .nnd lino. The girl d')ing the Galli- Curci iinper-ouatiou wns glorious, niid Mine Doree sans offoctivoly. She Should be thanked for her dehcncy In refraining from any impersouation of „r even mention of ( arus > on the dav of hi-, death: her opportiinily uav made to order, ns the whole turn i*. operatic stars' impersonation nnd CaxLo was the ffroatost of those. She permitted the -Pagliacci pry loKMO t.. be sung without commoiit. It would, of course, have tied up the „eiforu»an(e had she even referred to it as Caruso's opu«« magnum, which it cortainl> was. She needed uo sen- generally accepted. In consequence the house was very good on both floors. It was not a particularly good show as far tfs the layout was concerned ^ but the audience became quite en- their bits, thusiastic over two or three acts and all went over to some appredation. The bill was switched around after the matinee. Three acts in which piano solos played a part followed each other as the show was laid out originally, necessitating a change. The change helped some but did not make an ideal arrangement, for it brought the two comedy talking acts together in the second ha'f, leaving all of the singing in the first part. BloB4om Seeley and boys were slated for next to dosiug but moved to closing the intermission. They had a tough spot following the turn of singing by Jack ^l'-^'*)v\uu and the first paK of the aict suffered but they began to get them toward die finish and from the t^mn of the encore they registered very big. Miss light used on them do not look well lat alL Ed Janis does not hog the act at alt doing his specialties as though he were just one of the company and giving the girls the center of the stage without interruption for ROYAL This is the last week for summer vaudeville at the Royal and the turn- out Monday <night won't stave off the closing date. About a half a house- ful on the lower floor with the upper shelves »n light as Little Billy. The Hoagland-Carroll miniature musical comedy, 'The Ix>ve Race." held the headline position, closing the first half of a good eight-act bill that was minus "names" but played nicely. *Tbe Love Race" has been speeded up c<msidorabIy wince the Palace en- gcgement but the absence of Arthur Bowyer hurt the act. Bowyers' suc- cessor, who carries most of the plot in at J n 1 i.vi ij 1 • burden, muffed and fumbled his \{ne% Seeley and Bennle Melds are doing a t« g^^^^ ^^ ^^t^nt the dialog sounded Cfi^:^ fire talking bit in the encore l||f„ « mnnno*mnn nf mncii/* ^hab Thn which is the biggest thing in the act. It isn't so much the talk as it is the manner of putting it over that makes it entertainment. The finishing, the best of their numbers, tops this off and makes the net a hit. The turn is fast and snappy without waits. (iallaghiM* and Shean. down for clos- ing, caught the next to closing posi- tion instead and althongh they fo lowed tho only other comedy and talking act on the bill, scored a whole- hearted success'. The opening song introducing Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Slcnn starts them off well and they never lose the audience after it. It i.M a different sort of a two-man spe- cialty and the excellence of the per- formance given by both makes it practically a sure fire. 'Tarlor, Bedroom and Bath," a boiled down version of the farce of the same name, caught many 'au^hs through the lines and situations. Ed- na Ann f^ike has the role p1ay?d b]» Florence Moore in the play nod is making the mistake of trying to fol- low Miss Moore's style of ^ .i'i>g. The part was never written the way Florence Moore played it and in try- , ing to copy hor. Miss TiUke is not successful. When herself she seems to be a I right snd looks the part. Sager Midgley does well as the sap husband. The rest of the cast fig- like a suecesnon of music cues. The rest of the cast is adequate and the melodies and lyrics tunefal and fresh. Edgar Allan Woolf has turned out-the beat book from his pen in a tang time and while the comedy is in a decidedly light vein' the Royal gathering liked the unfold- ing of the story. Tommy Gordon was a pleasing nimble-footed ju- venile; Mildred Keats, a sweet in- genue and vivacious graceful dancer with the other principals shnrrinir the hoDor.s. Jack Mason has staged the numbers in his usual snappy fashion. Tlie come<ly hit of the first part went to Seed and Austin (New Actsi. a new combo framed by Ralph Aus- tin, formerly with Tom Smith. Tiie pair hoked it up to a whopping M( aiul couhl have held any spot on the bill. They were third. Frances Dougherty followed with songs und two bits of stopping. Mis.« [Hmgherty sang popular, dialect and classical numbers to her own piano accompaniment and then flashed a surprisingly nimble Irish jig. She passed easily. After intermission and "Topic." William and Joe Mnndel In their novel and funny comedy acrobatic surprise, w - to laughs nnd roam of applause. These hoys de- spite the excellence of their acro- batics would be opening or clo.niug shows if they had stuck to tho in the return to vaudeville of Ben Welch (New Acts). Four of the i eight acts. Ning Toy, Edwards and Ormsby and Co., Frank Sabini and (3o., and Seven Honey Boys, contrib- ute<l lullabies, and two turns, Sabtnl and Ning Toy played the guitar Ha- waiian fashion. As if that was not suflk*ient <*""Jlirt.-fPf ®n^ ^jS^zf^S^ **''*• the opening of the &.iuipp "and C'Oruala turn and tliat of Frank Sa- bini were almost identical, eadi start- ing with nn argument with a "plaut" in the orchestra, and in each instauco the plant in the pit later going oa the stage. The excess of lulbbieH, doubling up on the Hawaiian slurriog thing and "plant' In the orchestra business, naturally made for more or less sameness in the show, .ind ac- counted for a lack of speed in the running. The mtajor applause honors weat to the Frank Sabini turn* fifth, and Bou Welch, the latter next to closing hold- ing them perfectly. The womsn hh' sisting Sabini knocked down a sep- arate applause bit with sovcrtil darkey songs, delivered in an iiidivid- imI manner and style that recalled the old time coon shouters. Sabinl's excitab'e "wop" was a comedy wow. and his male assistant also couutcu inaterinlly in running the lau;:hiug ^M.■ore up to a bell ringing altitude. Knapp and Cornalla, third, helr.cd the show along splendidly witli a hodge podge of soft shoe stepping, eccentric comedy and classy groMud tumbling. A standard act of its kind that appareat'y improves with the passing years. Mabel Fonda aud Co. got the show off at a fast dip witli dub juggling of the advanced order. The te.im work registers for a 100 per cent., several of the difficu't for- mstion tricks receiving appreciation unusual for an opening turn. Ning Toy second, hoodwinked the connv 14th streeters to a man, with his female impersonation. The act is marked with a toudi of novelty that is refreshing in a period that is so woefully lacking In that commodity. Edwards aud Ormbsy, fourth, scored heavily with singing and instrumental music. Miss Edwards possesses a contralto that has al' of the deep reo»- nance of a tuneful male baritone. Miss Ormbsy also sings well, and plays the violin capably. The settings help along the class impression. Seven Honey Boys, sixth, landed with harmony idnging and tho le good old minstrel gags without which no b'ack face aggregation would be com- plete. A soft shoe dancer, a yodeler and tenor each contributed solos tkat built up the genersl average and fig- ured largely in making the turn en- joyable. Berk and Swan closed with singing and dancing. Miss Swan showed to special advantage in her costume selections, most running to Houbret outfits, which are distinctly becoming to her petite physical at- tributes. All of tho singles aud doub'es were accorded merited ap- plause, a jasxy number by Miss Kwan aud a dance single by Berk, with Russian stepping grabbing off the ia« dividual hits. Business was shot to pieces at the Jefferson Monday night, the orches- tra holding; about one-third capacity and the balcony much less than that, that BelK ures only in a small wvy and give | straight turn that they broke into acceptable performances. The skit has i vaudeville with. Instead they elected some bright linos and laughable situa- | to seek for original comedy effects tions. It needs a better finish or at and their i>osltion on the big t;me least a brushing up of the present one. It finishes flat where there should be a real wow. Rega*. and Moore were moved to So. ,^ from opening intermission and bills is the answer. The finish n mains the surprise scream with some legitimate head to head balancing in "one" for an encore to show tluit they arc there with the "all.iy hup" thev had the easiest spot on the bill. I ^Itiff. ,^ „ . „ The opening does not amount to much I Harry Delf followed and scored but when the bovs get to their aero- I n" artistic triumph with his riisy do- baficK they go very strong. There is | ''very, likeable persouallty and exe'-l- a lot of comedy in their missing »<»t material. Delf alteniates be- of tricks which they apparently! *«'<'<'" vaudeville and the musical can do If thev wish and this is the! comedy stcges but handles either test. He first announces one writ ton by a music publisher then one writon by hiinsolf aiul finishes with one written by his piano player. Tho one written hy the piihlislier and sung VNith revised lyrics at tho open- ing stil' carries a melody that is miles ahead of the three announced. Other nuiuhers are those sung by Mc(rowan in different Broadway shows. The applause sonnded somewhat clacque- i*4h but WHS |)robal)ly only a few over zealous music pluggeri> ope' iiig Egyptian drinco burlosqne at the close. TIjeir isn't a drasgy iniiiutc in the peiijiery turn which is pro- (hire<l in the usual lavish style with silk eyes and hangings. Miss Spar- row made four charming costume (hanges. Fred and K Smith opened to a slini gathering with their acrobatic-* with Ann Fowl and George (ioodrlch seeond in the Blanche Morrill offer- iix "Vou Can't Believe Them." It is one of the neatest No. 2 singing Loon Varvura ctiuRht tho \o. 2 „,h| dancing turns in the two-a<lay p<»sition and it di<ln't sooin to hurt liiiu any. for ho went through his ftianolog to a solid hit. There is a and owes nitieli of its nuccosm to the clever son*; stories that the author h K di-apo<l the turn on. They .ire litre luonolog and a sou? or two |,oth good dancers and have -tti a:- tikat go with the piano playing now | ance. Con for a few laughs and this will un-j doubted y develop. The boy has a good fiersonnlity for tho kidding nnd TRI^Tl^imrilV it is just a motter of hitting on an •**'* * xjkx^xjl^ idea or two. As a piano player Var- The first half show held plenty of vara shows to ad\rntage this week , entertainment of the light stimmery with two others on Uie bill. There is type, with a special point of iuterest 5th AVE. The ushers were exercising at the .%th Ave. Tuesday night for the first time this summer. They seehicd a bit excited over the crowd that ranfUl U[> beiiiud the ui'cheiitra lua, Uith the balcony sale shut off shortly after the night show got underway. It waa rain mostly that stopped durinf show time and started again afterward, showing that at last the maaacers must have gotten to the Weatfaar Bu- reau. • Nothing out of the ordinary about the bill. It was framed last week when it wtis hot, and now it is or was cool, the cod framed program may hit hot weather again next week, 09 have pity on the poor booking guys in the summer time. Jean Sotheni headlined. Maybo because her name has been in the papers. She was in pictures but has been longer in vaudeville if not so nteadlly. At any rate Miss Hothern has improved, but not so greatly as might b*' inferred from the remark of one woman who entered the stage box through the door leading to the stage entrame corridor. Walking up to the Variety fellow ns Miss Sothern was doing her Hutch bit (the poorest thing she does in this act), the wo- man said: "She> the best actress in New York today, I know it." A.sked how she knew it. the woman walked away without replying. Miss Sothern's opening number of a "Wise Cracking Kid*' in kid dress that Includes a blues version of **The Vil'age Blacksmith" and other classi- cals. gives the Sotliern turn a swift start because Miss Sothorn is doing it well. Then the Dutch thing, and i after that nn "audience" bit that is ' odd nnd m» well performed by Miss Sothorn who pans herself, that the audience is quite taken by it. Her special loader suggests she **do" the , audience. Miss Sothern says she will ' be the .Tudience and the audience wil he .loan Sothern. Heatir^r herself upon a chair, she comments upon the start of a voudeville show, loading up t(» the Jean Sothern act when she starts rapping herself, a scheme for the stage first discovered and nade much use of hy <*eorge M. Cohnn. Miss Sothern is big time with thia '"• '■ '• ■^-•-^'- ■■ *■ - •- latt^i I ■' ■ J^.TM..--^^- lHB<-<k