Variety (October 1921)

VARIETY'S CHICAGO OPPICB Ciilcago STATE-LAKE THEATRE BUILDING Friday, October 21, 1921 1 CHICAGO VAUDEVILLE SHOWS MAJESTIC, GHICA0O Chicago, Oct. IS. A Taudeville show that registered 100 per cent from the first to the Ust act and back acain. There were a lot of names not at this house for a long time. It seemed to And its answer in absolute capacity bui^i- neso, which took in the very last row on every floor. The two upper boxes bad one or two vacant seats that were not even noticeable. It's hard telling just who drew them In, as there were six names that re- ceived extra large type and lights, with Horace Goldin getting a ban- ner around the canopy of the thea- ter. Another novelty was electric ■tars opposite each name in lights. The names In lights were Paul Blesa and his Columbia Recording Orchestra. William H. Crane. Vaughn Comfort, Miss Juliet, Wal- ter C. Kelly and Horace Goldin, "Sawing a Woman In Half." The opening wedge in taking the ■heckles from the Majestic boosters was Sealo. an aquatic marvel, who wiggled to a rousing hand. Jack Benny, "to place," found the going a little muddy and the track heavy. What Ben Bernie is to New York Jack Benny is to Chicago, although no Gonfliction. Benny has his own mtjl% and original material, with an easy personality that seemed to take •▼eryone into his confidence. Paul Biese. with his orchestra. Is another Chicago institution. Mr. Biese replaced Isham Jones, who was billed to appear, but Jones, working a local cafe, was forced to live up to an exclusive contract, giving Biese his first crack at the two-a-day. Biese took full advan- tage of the opportunity and icnocked out the first heavy applause hit, tak- ing eight curtains, .with four en- cores thrown in to appease his ap- plauding admirers. There are nine In Biese's orchestra, with everything concentrated to sell dance music for ballroom consumption, with Biese alternating between the saxo and the violin. He has a combination that can step into vaudeville and get away on merit. Krans and White were In fine ▼Dice and found the going made to erder after the preceding act Will- iam H. Crane In'Qeorge Ade's "The Mayor and the Manicure" haa been played by teveral leaser lights than Mr. Crane, but this veteran puts a touch to It that makes tho bewhis- kered playlet aonnd alniost new. Capably supported by Paul Willis aa the son, Marie Bllne as the In- genue and Grace Ooodall aa the manicurist. Vaughn Comfort, who followed, uses ftrong billing which sounds a trifle egotistical. Mr. Comfort's bill- ing calls him "America's most nat- ural tenor," with Jay West Jones, his accompanist, "the marvel of the piano." Running through a reper- toire mostly devoted to the green fields of Erin, he easily convinced the folks. aroused and the almost impossible feat of holding Hn audience intact at 11 o'ck)ck makes it appear the Idea is well worth fighting about. There was not one walkout during Goldln's presentation. It looked like a two-to-one bet and an easy get- away for the crowd to strike for the street on the introduction, but no one stirred. The trick film that In- troduces the subject worked t^em up to a point until the actual saw- ing, when there were gasps and even a shriek or two from the audi- ence. When the act had had its run the outgoing crowd talked of noth- ing but the mystifying sawed wom- an, which means money for any house. Loop. they showed in the Jimmy Hussey long to determine the exact typa of APOLLO, CHICAGO Chicago, Oct. 19. .BuHincss Monday was way ofT from the average which the house has held In the past. At the evening p<>rformance there were about five empty rows on the lower fioor, with vacancies too numerous to count in the upper portion. The light atten- dance can best be blamed on the Indian summer weather which Chi- cago underwent Monday, with folks preferring to remain on the outside in^'.eud of sweltering in a theatre. The light attendance here was mostly responsible for the first part of the show making no impression whatever. Even though this por- tion Is not altogether of the sure- fire variety, there were two acts— Callkhan and Bliss and the Barr Twins^-deserving of approbation, but received very little of it. How- ever, the last half woke up the house and all of the acts in that section went over big, even the clos- ing turn, with the audience all re- maining seated until the finish of the turn. * Belle Storey was accorded the headline and lived up to it. Her repertoire, of the classical order, gives this coloratura soprano un- limited opportunity vocally. Charles T. Aidrich, with his quick-change character portrayals and feats of illucion, ran Miss Storey a close Second. Aidrich has an offering which is new to the patrons of vaudeville houses here, and his speedy changes mystified. His humorous characterisations In grotesque and burlesque fashion in the first part brought forth many solid laughs, while the characteri- sations in the second portion, espe- cially when he was seated at a table with his hands clasping a news- pap'er, held the audience spellbound, with the third portion again bring- ing forth much merriment. ' Lucy Gillett, with a man assist- ant, opened the show with her nov- elty Juggling offering. Miss Gillett has some remarkable feats which she executes with simplicity and ease, especially the twii closing tricics, when she balances about a dozen different articles on her chin, hands and toe at the same time. Foi her efforts and work she was show and were they to utilise their ability In the terpsichorean art a bit more than they do, it Js likely that the value of the act would be considerably enhanced. The Barr Twins, with Dave FYanklin at the piano, have a re- freshing song and dance novelty. The girls work hard and execute their dances in a most impressive manner. But Monday night, through the fact that Franklin was self- concentrated and drew the atten- tion of the audience to his clowning at the piano when the girls were working, instead of allowing the folks to give their attention to those whom they paid to see, they did not do so well. Thr . these stunts of Frank- lin's the audience was not able to relish the Spanish number and the closing number of the girls as they should have. Qarron, Dolan and Leo, billed as the "Three Chums," started off the second portion at a rapid gait with their novel harmony singing. The majority of the material used by the boy's is not hackneyed, and as a result it carried them over to a substantial hit. In the next to closing spot was Walter Weems. Following Miss Storey the path was none too rosy for him. But when he started to pull a few of his gags in his droll manner, he had 'em started and they ^ust trailed along until the conclusion of the turn, liking his offering immensely. Maria Lo and Company, three models, held the audience in their seats until the conclusion of their novel posing offering with their imitation of famous Chinese creations. PALACE, CHICAGO T It A ■ u** 11 VI11 1. i# de.serving of a much better recep- Miss Juliet rightfully bills herself tlon than she received. On the as "A One-Girl Revue," and in an -deuce* spot was Fred Rogers, billed extravagant gray eye puts over her as "The Go Get 'Em Kid." Rogers restaurant bit and her impression of America's leading artists to hearty acclaim. She ran the gaunt- let from Eddie Foy to Maude Adams, sn^ begged off from a dozen more Walter C. Kelly came back after a lengthy absence and was wel- comed like a conquering hero. Kelly Is using several English Jokes wl^h hU last a "pip" ot a show st6ry IKat Could almost he made Into a regular act by itself. Mr. Kelly easily held the laugh honors, dividing the ap- plause honors with Paul Biese. There has been much talk and ado about "Sawing a Woman in Half." The attention It drew, the Interest LOBSTERS IRELAND'S ONI^T 8BA FOOD tSfl NORTH CI^RK ST., CHICAGO failed to get 'em with 'his songs, talk and djnce even though he tried mighty l<«rd. His offering Is Just a passable one and hardly of big tin.Q calibn-. Aleon Bronson, assisted by Margaret Hoffman, was on next witii her tomedy school skit, "Late Agii n." Miss P.ronson did not live up to the standard she formerly set with this offering in the Keith houses. The work of herself and assistant was listless and indiffer- ent, and one having seen the act during Its early presentation w^ould hardly believe Miss Bronson was the §amQ pPVson who nad appeared In ft. The turn went flat with hardly a ripple of applause. "Chuck" Callahan and Bobby Blisa were In the creani spot of the flrrit section with their grotesque singing, talking and dancing novelty "Atla Boy retcy." The grotesque moke-up and costuming of the boys drew much laughter on their en- trance, and their unique manner of work easily occlaimed them the hit of this section of the bill. Callahan and Bliss arf capital dancers as NEW YORK COSTUME CO. Chicago. Oct. 19. The entire Palace show was a succe.osion of hits Monday from the first act to the closer. Each found the ever reliable matinee audience present, with hands in action. In some cases the hand exercise grew q lite noisy, particularly with Jo- seph R Howard and Ethlyn Clark. They encored, bowed and encored, but that was not enough for those out front They had lo give a cur- tain speech. Zarrell Brothers grabb^ off a good portion of approbation. The hand to hand tricks are all indi- vidual and very neatly performed. Peeping behind the "brother" angle, it really Is a case of Zarrell break- ing in a youngster* who fits in per- fectly. George Teoman, monologing It, had John P. Medbury dig up some of his wit, which nts into his "LIz- sle" character. Medbury is writing for the Chicago Evening American. Yeoman had a little grind of it in getting attention, but when he did he found healthy laughs. Dave Harris, with his seven syn- copators, went like wildfire. Harris sang his many songs, encoring with a piece of business showing xersa- tility by playing the instrument of each member of his band. Harris is neat appearing, quite a showman, and a pleasure to listen lo. His band does not do a specialty and only ac- companies his singing. Sylvia Clark, absent from Chicago for quite some time, returned wlth- her individual mannerisms and, as usual, restricted numbers. Her first \n th4l ot pie pcAlAfi QX th? spoUiS>^t and what a lizzie *Veryone ^TOuld be if there weren't any. Then she clowns about and measures up to her billing, "artistic buffoonery." Miss Clark worked with zeal and pepperlness. and is ready to enter the world series of her type of en- tertainment. "Summertime," a comedy sketch, has been parking around this town for the past few weeks. It struck a lively pace with this audience. Billy B. Van and James J. Cor- bett put a stop to rroceedlngs. They sold their material for high ap- plause. Then came Howard ^nd Clark. Howard was In first claSs w rking condition and Ml^ Clark was in good trim. They %ang their songs to willing ears ahd responsive hands. Jack King, formerly of many trios, was at the piano, besides do- In;, a specialty, a burlesque of Kitty Gordon. Lydell and Macey felt the effects of their time worn act by a scat- tered walkout. By the time they r.nished the homeward bound crowd had grown. An unusual number i mained to see the singing, dancing and wire walking of Nellie and Jo- sephine Jordan. The sisters worked snapplly and suffered the usual closing spot handicaps of general exiting by the crowd. Loop. repertoire she should use. Several of her numbers of the syncopated v.i.i.i met with flavor a long time ago and should be replaced with fresher ones, and then the senti- rr>«"'t .1 ballad she sings should be cast aside for ahother number of the syncopated order. Miss Harris is noted for her rendition of synco- pated melodies, and any other type does not enable her to do Justice to herself. Miss Harris Is a prime favorite, demonstrated by the re- ception accorded her both at her entrance and finish, and she will maintain this popularity If she has a more suitable repertoire of melodies. Elizabeth Brlcc, assisted by Gat- tlson Jones, In the singing, talking' and dancing skit, "Love Letters," was next in line for stellar honors. The skit is a big flash offering pre- sented in wholesome style and man- ner by Miss Brice and her male aids. One of the boys is not much of a factor vocally, but when it comes to dancing he more than atones. The other chap can pound the ivories, and use hi- pipes to good advantage, which he docs, while Miss BrIce as usual gives a sterling performance. Joe Browning, with his "Timely Sermon." is entitled to second honors on this bill. His droll ren- dif' < ' of his sermon brought forth spontaneous laughter and his reci- tation about the boy who was "Yellow." Just about brought the house down with applause. With his song effusion about "Love" brought his turn to a most suc- cessful close as far as the audience was concerned. Rose, Ellis and Rose, two men and a woman, with a barrel Jump- ing and acrobatic novelty, started off the show at a fast gait. Rodero and Marconi, with a musical offer- ing on the fTiano, accordion and' violin, were next. These boys have a good catalog of numbers of the classical and popular order, and sell their act In showmnn-likc fashion. Their work Is somewhat reminiscent of Bernie and Baker, in their early vaudeville career. Tempest and Sunshine in th. "trey" spot ciit their act short. doing about 10 minutes. The num- bers they eliminated, which were seen recently at the Palace, are es- sential ones and as a result this duo did not register as they should or usually do. Beth Berri, assisted by Gil Squires and Wm. McLeod, in a pretentious song and dance offering, closed the show and scored very goo<1. Demarest and CoNette and Josefs- son's Icelanders "not seen at this performance. COSTUMES MANUFACTURERS IN WEST GOWNS 137 N. WABASH AVE., CHICAGO Central 1801 43Looi McYICKER'S, CmCAOO Chicago, Oct. 19. S. R. O. greeted the flrst show. From the vaudeville angle it was possible that a few acts on the bill may have contributed to a sell out, but the drawing card and feature was Ruth Stonehouse, who has been the heroine in many a serial. Others on the bill had a bettetr act than she, but with her reputatloif fthe did less work and got more fronl Ihe "appearing in person." Miss Stone-" hou.«5Q took up ten minutes, work- ing before a velvet drop in "one." She first entered and did a mono- logue of her impressions of a girl at the movie.**, who thinks she knows every one in the picture;?. Perhaps the people were so interested In her personal appearance that they did not pay so much attention to her attempt to entertain and so the monologue got a few scattered laugh.?. If strengthened In spots it would be a good card. Then Miss Stonehouse removed her beautiful doak and did a dance nearer to a ballroom step than anything else. Aftec which she did a very bold shlhimy. In all Miss Stonehouse's ofPerlng.Is different than what most picture people have been present- ing and she went much better. Sinclair and Gray, two women, opened the show with bicycle riding. They wear abbreviated gowns and have a routine usually seen In their type of act. Both of the girls wear their hair in braids, and In .some of their stunts their heads are cfose ts the spokes of the wheel. Wheeler and Mack sang, danced and talked in the duecing spot. Tl)« man Is a good dancer and helped with a voice of no consequence Iq the vocal portion'nf the routine. Tht woman works more on burlesque or- der and handles the larger amount of talk. In their case It seemed the combination is not of the t>est. As a closer (he man did a fnst dance that brought the team back for bows. Robinson. McCab Trio came next and added life. Talk and harmony round out a good act. The straight man could wear a tux or evening dress as a matter of appearance be- sides acting as a contract for the woman appearing In evening gown,; The comic is the maistay of the! turn. Leila Shaw and Co. came through with her old Vehicle*of opening he*] fore a transparent drop, which showt a letter addressed to her. The drop j goes up to an interior act. Miss] Shaw had vamped a fellow, even* though she is married (which makes ! her third trip). The vamped fellow] comes to her house and so does h^r' husband. The result Is that both < nien fake dead. She yells with glesj and calls up a third man and makea an engagement for a dance. The sketch went ve#y well. Gordon and Healy returned to t^.Ig town with their same act, line for line, and the only addition is a blu« drop. The act has usually made a touchdown and this trip was no ex« ception. Miss Healy looks as sweet as ever, and Gordon hasn't changed a bit. Miss Stonehouse followed. Walmsley and Keating appeared minus their drop and a little mate-, rial. They hit the target. They worked before a house drop, but this did not phase the results of their capital acting and material '^ance Suprise'* closed the show. They have wonderful drops and hangings set in three. The ba'^k drop haa slits in it, through which thtf dancers appear. Two girls en- 'er flrst with a man and do a Rus- ian number. Then a female Im- personator does a number. Ea.ch of the four do some specialties very graceful. The surprise seemed to be In the Impersonator removing his wig. Vara Clayton and Burns and Lorraine not seen. KEDZIE, CHICAOO Chicago, Oct. 19. Patronage at this bouse seems al- ways to be to capacity. It must be on account of the standard of vaude<* ville submitted. . For the bill last week is far superior to the average run of shows presented In the neigh- borhood houses. It Is unusually well blended and arranged in a man* ner as to build it up to the point oi being excellent entertainment. Kenny, Mason and School, dele-* gated to start with their roller skating novelty, gave the show an unusually fast turn. Their diflficult skating feats and acrobatic stunts are arranged and presented in show- manlike fashion. The Nifty Trio— E^arl Sheohan. Bertha Startzman and carl De Lorto—recently recruited trom burlesque, are a versatile grt)UP and present their songs, dia- log, dajices and instrumental selec- tions In a most capable way. Karl Kary presented bis "Musical Cartoons" and piano aeeompanl^ ment In tlis thlrtf poslttcn. Kur 1( imbued with personalltr. bas ffOo4 songs as well as being able to pound the Ivories to good advantage. Car^ lisle and Lamal, man and woman* have a comedy skit, with the dia- log crisp and smart, and the woman a comedienne of no mean ability. The man Is an exceptional feeder (Continued on page 5) "ELI," the Jewelef rO THE PROFESSION Special Dlnooant lo Performers "WHKN IN CHICAGO ntate-Lnke Theatre Dldir.t Groand Floer N. o I ATE Phone Randolph 33^3 LARGEST AND BEST EQUIPPED POSING ROOMS IN THE COUNTRY GR.VND FIANO rURNI3HED FOR ALL MLiSICAL ACTS ALL K.NDS O^ SCENERY AND SPOT LIGHT. OPEN SUNDAYS STATE-LAKE, CHICAGO Chicago, Oct. 19. What Is adverti.sed as an all-star program Is in actuality an all-star bill. Names there are ai>lent\'. The .show offered hnre for 50 cenls is more than the equal of the hill.s presented In som^ of the hl^ time hou.ses for twloe the amount. bji*>. then, again, a feature pTclUVo is Riven here in nddltiOTi. The hoiiHc was crowd* d to caiia.ity on ih< third show Monday, with a l.itr hold-out'* line waitlnp for an ojt- portunity to ^et In at f. p. ni. Marion llairi.s, a Chi«;iKo piil, who dr.st'ilrd vaud< villo about tv,(; yoar.«» to sing for the pliono^,'ra|»l^ records, made her first roappr;^f. ance here and 'wa* '^ndow*^ tvltfi the headline po.«<ltion. Miss nairis , hap been gone probably j^ bit too M. J, FRITZEX, Prop. RIGHT IN THE LOOP—NEXT DOOR TO COLUMBIA THEATRE DELICIOUS ITALIAN-FRENCH FOOD RAVIOLI /I i nn T T Iflf ^ *-* ^*'^* Midnite Dinn«r SPAGHETTI I lIPKl INl^' 7Courte Dinner V^ A SPECIALTY Ivril Ji^I ' 6 Courte Lunch I ^^ MUSIC—DANCING—ENTERTAINMENT FROM 6 P. M. to 1 A. M. SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE PROFESSION' 27 N. Clark Street, 2nd floor. M. Coscioni, Manager. Dearborn S937 In the Heart of the 19tb Ward" CITRO'S RESTAURANT 1614 SOUTH HALSTED STI^eCt, CHICAOq ItAIJAN TAIILE DIIOTK. CIIAHI.KY CiKOW—EnterluiiifT P* lurf. \< iTE — Thrrr h.kvo }iCfn •.\ /injr.1. t m nn.l f.p liOni^s within t. n >)lorl*i of thl» ^''*j* n si\ irmnt }»s- >i,)t. .i.mt lit ihal hit<rf«M; with yuur dinnir. l)lne I'.ih'in'.T w.Mi th" Aj'ii'h's (if « h iyji^^n. ^ ".\ M.\V II ^n^lK f.M.KV V. IJ K" Fritzers Friars Inn NortJieaKf C:orn«'r ^\ iiltnata and Vnii lliirrii EX< El.l.F.NT fl ISINK. SFIIVIC F AND l)\N( IN<}. IMIOF.KSSION Al. MfiHT BVKH Y ^ \VKI>M>i>A » Wabash 6815 CHICAGO