Variety (November 1921)

NEW SHOWS THIS WEEK Friday, November 4, 19Jty PALACE Three and a half crowded hours •f show, with enough hits to make a circuit, not to speak of a theatre. Beesio Clayton (New Acts) conies through with the best and biggest act of her career—and it's some career. Breaking in "cold" at the Palace—which comes under the head of nerve—this offering swept the Lheatre and had the audience bleary - eyed. The only act that could have followed it did—intermission. The Clayton turn wrung the gang dry and turned the regulars inside Eighteen out. curtain calls when the folks want to stretch, when the men want to smoke, when there's noth- ing more coming and no end can be served by further rioting except to again and again pay with interest for meritorious work, is a high compliment to the audience as well as the artist. Miss Claytoa, the long and well beloved, drew and pah* that. And nothing was forced—if anything, she forced the clapping to •top. Moseoni Brothers and their li'l sister Verna. however, stepped on an hour later and banged in a dancing triumph on the same stage to the same enthusiasts, where it didn't seem humanly possible that dancing could survive. Next to closing, far past 11, with a slow start (unnec- essarily slow because of too muejj introductory palaver and a need- less song), the Mosconis worked it up to a furore and a sensation. After the lightning pirouettes, spins, tumbles and leaps of Louis and Charlie, when Willie threw in a few- nifty turnovers and chic little Verna rolled on and took the floor and the air—and the entire quartette then went to it in a frantic maze of dizzy dancing—the hout-e cheered. Hundreds came to their feet. The whistling, the applause and the yells wero deafening. Out can.e Father Moseoni and took a bend and thea a somersault, and the roof trembled. Coming where this act, and as it did, it -turned a threat- ened Waterloo into a howling Cha- teau Thiery. It ruined the closer and smothered it completely. Not a hundred eyes were turned toward the stage as Siegel and Irving be- gan their worthy feats of strength and smooth stunts. It was a cruel assignment for a knockout act. Whiteman's Band played without Whiteman. A little of the suave leader's personality was missed. And perhaps the long stay is begin- ning to tell. The numbers went strong, but the high peak of appre- ciation attained in former weeks was not quite captured this time, though the program was a popular one. The Avon Comedy Four re- peated the bushel of laughs, this time in a far more favorable posi- tion, opening the second part. No effort was made here to crowd over a show-stopper, though bills have been pretzeled up on less provoca- tion. Martha Pryor deuced. Martha has vampish features and a lithe physique. She is a hard, w ise babe. who does relentless blues. One of them had "He Treats Me Like a Dog" repeated not less than twenty times, which is serving a lyric- writer too faithfully. It clpsed weakly as an encore, whereas the main portion had sent in a sub- stantial hit. Bob Qeraghty. at the piano, behaved well, efficiently and modestly. "The Love Race" (formerly •They're Off") furnished a flash for No. 8, with its copious company. There have been'some changes in the cast, hardly for the better. since this production turn opened. The laughs were slim, but the peppy work of the Love Twins. though they were off key now and then and broadly affected, and the pleasant ensemble, carried it over decently. Tha colored comic, who would do much better if he blaeked up, did not click here as consistently as In the uptown houses, where he stole the act Jean Merode stood out. and made the final moment wttn her melodious soprano. Stew- art Wilson (If he is the dancer), however, took the personal honors with fast, light stepping. Herschel Henlere, as always. made it a long-haired holiday. This bimbo Is a past-master at knot- ting up a show. And he tied it so J^5t Vnff*. It »"*mMn*»d ruined for some five minutes before he had a heart and came forth for a conven- tional speech. Not a little show- manship is responsible for this, but It Henlere didn't make them love it. the railbirds at this sophisticated theatre wouldn't string with him. As an entertainer he is unexcelled. Such a canny mixture of hoakum and artistry has seldom been inter- twined In one act. No use arguing or quarreling with Il«nlere --the chap has the goods; hut he is no mug at salesmanship, either. Anita Diaz's Monkeys were billed to open. The show started so early because of the unwieldly running time, that this reviewer muffed the monks, though he came in at 8:12 like the conscientious, long-suffer- ing angel he is. This reviewer al- ways admits It when he misses an act. He is constitutionally truth- ful. Besides, he once reviewed an opening act at length that had dis- appointed, apd said, the muscular display was tnanyejous, whcn.it so happened that a sister at t had been •ubstltutcd. J <J'<t. WINTER GARDEN Three of the ten acts comprising the current Winter Garden show are holdovers, Lord-Ain. Hetty King and The Lockfords repeating. While the bill lined up well on paper, it played very slowly Monday night. Business was noticeably off. There were numerous gaps visible all over the ground floor, running from the flrst few rows clear back to the four or five rear rows, the latter being almost unoccupied. The bal- cony also disclosed a» number of empties. As per the usual custom with a small audience, the bunch were hard as nails and colder than a step- mother's heart. The flrst half had Hetty King closing switched to that spot from second after intermission and changing positions with Donald Brian (Sew Acts). Miss King did four .lumbers, 'with a costume change for each. Her llrst was a sailor ditty, second a London Johnny, third an Irish song, and fourth a Scotch soldier number. As a male impersonator she ranks with the best, but her Monday night rep- ertoire held nothing that stood out particularly. The Irish song seems a bit unsuited to Miss King, whose brogue is far from convincing. The Scotch number, the best of the lot, gave her real opportunities for characterization. All of the four received cordial applause. Lord-Ain, fourth, got over with his falsetto warbling, but did not create any undue excitement. He is a personable chap, who will un- doubtedly do much better as he goes along over here. The operatic num- bers were nicely delivered. The four voices announced on the pro- gram, used for closing, were not impressive. Arco Brothers started the show with their standard acro- batic and hand balancing turn; Hudinoff w; _ second, with painting, whistling and bird imitations, and "Cave Man Love," the L. Lawrence Weber and William B. Friedlander production, was third. "Cave-Man Love" displayed a wealth of costuming, much bare- leggedness and a fine-looking pro- duction generally. The act is lack- ing in comedy, however, and dragged quite a bit in spots. Helen Coyne scored with several dances. Richard Bartlett and Zella Rambeau Doth worked very hard and made the best of the material at hand. The Lockfords, openmg the sec- ond half, gave the show a needed boost with the tumbling with which they precede their lallet dancing and posturing. Down at the close of the show Nana and Alexis did some excellent whirlwind stepping, and despite that they had to follow all of the other dancing in "Cave- Man Love" and The Lockfords' turn, did surprisingly well. Mason and Keeler, third after in- termission, put a comedy punch in th: second stanza that brightened up the proceedings materially. The couple did their "Married" sketch, by Porter Emerson Browne. It makes a splendid vehicle for their comedy talents, and they squeezed every possible ounce of comedy from the snappy lines and situa- tions, extracting laughs galore from the hard-boiled flrs'-nlghters. Vardon and Perry were next to closing, but battled their way through successfully with their varied character f»ongs and dances. News Weekly close* 1 . BrV. but encountered some trouble with the orchestra—an event which Is becoming a regular thing at the Colonial. Elsa Ryan brought the flrst half to its conclusion with her sketch, which allows a great range for her ad libbing. Whether the stalling and absolute stop in the slow lower- ing of the "drop" at the finish was on the level or not. it made for awkwardness, and if done purposely should lie eliminated, as the ending as previously handled, a slow cur- tain with the couple still talking, allowed for a final laugh and a fit- ting conclusion. Bobbe and Nelson made their offering impress in opening inter- mission. Th« vocalizing continues to be the substantial part of the act with the remark, "Who is this guy, Jolson?" also being retained in the routine. Carl Randall followed, and after a somewhat slow beginning worked up to a tremendous finish. Always a corking dancer, this boy adds a sense of showmanship and class to it that will not be denied in addition to having accumulated two girls for his present offering that register on appearance and proffer capable support. One girl figures in the tie-up bit of the act, a dance with Randall, the other drawing attention with her efforts on the piano and maneuvering a couple of nice feet as well. The latter is reported as being new to the act. It's a whale of a "punch" turn for a bill and a credit to Ran- dall and the two girls. Gallagher and Shean were ''in" before they started, and more than that the close. They sang verses to their "Mister" number until there were no more, with the house still remaining unsatisfied. When a : ong is so strong that it can start and finish an act what comes be- tween is Incidental, and the number ceases to be merely a song—it's an event Page left. an* Green took what was Hkig. COLONIAL A sweet running show at the Colonial this week that more than pleased those present, from the pic- torial till after 11 o'clock. Nine acts programmed, with five placed in the Initial half and four follow- ing, the Topics film splitting the entertainment into its two parts, with the major portion of the strength coming in the latter stanza due to Carl Randall and Gallagher and Shean, who gave a good even- ing a great finldi. Business was practicatiy capacity, for which the credit should be allotted to Gallagher and Shean, as their names outside brought forth considerable anticipation, as did the flashing of their names on the screen a week ago. Burns and Freda tore it up for comedy showing No. 4. The laughs were successive, with tne playing of the string instruments topping the act off to returns that more than warranted the encores given. A funny "wop cnara'cier— mat b.* Burns. Anna Belle, Joe and Sher- man Trennell ushered in the even- ing with acrobatics that received above the usual attention designated to the opening spot. Following was Dave Roth, who landed solidly with his piano playing and improved it a bit with his stepping. They figura- tively eat up a groundwork of dancing at the Colonial, and Roth's impersonations of both George White and Pat Rooney were close enough to strengthen the routine materially. Frances Pritehard, with her two boys, added inure dancing and suc- ceeded with it, the youths being mora than responsible for the suc- cess of the turn. Both are offering a routine >f footwork, singly and together, that posts thcin as being on a par with the best in this re- speet. Miss Pritehard presented a nice appearance which, neverthe- less, scenud as if it would be of e^ven njore advantage with an Im- provement in costumes. Offering one sOlo the girl did nicely with it, he Is trying to grow a mustache, did much better with his base horn than with the earlier chatter. But they did like his music and the comment attached. Callahan and Bliss were gi.en the important next to closing with their "atmosphere Of '86" and t!i gander sport suits. The riddle bits won laughter, the posing of one and the "Attaboy Petey" exclamations of the other amusing. As dancers the team showed up well, the hoof- ing getting returns, but a little ear- lier would have suited the comics better. Alexandra Carlyle,' with Harry Corson Clarke & Co., debuted here in the novelty playlet, "It Can Be Done" (New Acts), which closed in- termission. The Three Chums warbled .to fair results on third. The boys have an excellent stage dress- ing of silken hangings supposed to show an alcove In a club, and they looked neat in tuxes. As a singing trio the results were perhaps not as weighty, more because of the num- bers used than their vocal ability. Anthony, the whistling accordeon- ist. was second. Lucy Gillette gave the show a good start. Athlete as well as Jug- gler, her feats are surprising and she is a sort of feminine Cinque- valli. Maria Lo displayed her beau- tiful procelain nosings for the finale. I bee. RIVERSIDE 44TH STREET Monday the lobby display at- tracted attention. There were a number of easel frames holding dec- orative cards and with no more than two photographs of players in the current bill. The lobby idea is con- tributed by Ed Bloom. Business for the night show was no better than for the same evening last week. Dressing made the front of the house look good, but there were empty spaces. The rear quar- ter of the orchestra floor was un- tenanted, as were boxes. Reports at the 44th Street were that busi- ness was off all over town, home cel- ebrations for Hallowe'en the idea. The flrst section of the show passed mildly. The show ran as programed, but again the bill seemed possessed of better value. Several switches were said to hive been ordered foi the balance of the week. A majority of turns in the show were originally of a Shubert western unit which Included a pro- duction act apparently discarded. Important additions to the unit were Lilian Fitzgerald and La Sylphe and Co. (New Acts). Following intermission the per- formance showed a real change of pace, going "into high" with two hits In a row. Charles T. Aldrich set the pace with his astonishing transformations, his complete bag of tricks being in three sections and concluding/ in full stage with the baffling "mysterious rag" of red. Walking behind a screen of gold. Aldrich started his first series of characterizations. He showed a German acrobat as Sir Thomas Lip- ton, Rushbottont of Broadway as David Garrick; he was Dickens' Fagln, and he Juggled as Paul Cln- quevalll. The table bit followed, Aldrich using the newspaper as a shield, while a toy devil announced the noted names of the characters by flipping his tail and disclosing various signs. AUlrlch went further with the stunt, stating that it was evident he used false fingers to hold the paper while making changes. With both hands in sight he con- tinued to accomplish the changes. Aldrich earned a hit, but applause continued and there was a patent reason. His speech at the matinee apparently became noised about and a number of persons present wanted it repeated. The artist said: "You force mc to speak and I will repeat what I said this afternoon. I'll give you a 60-seeond sketch of my life. In 1907 I had the au- dacity to inuj a few *.. .:>::: ?:r V.! Ham Morris. That was against the powers that be. Because of that 1 was permitted to play 10 weeks of vaudeville in the last 14 years. My sincere gratitude goes to the boys from Syracuse. Perhaps I do not- know them well enough to call them Lee and Jake, hut I hope you are with me in wishing the Shuberts a long and prosperous vaudeville life." Lilian Fitzgerald rang the bell In the next position. She i* a mimic comedienne and a delightful enter- tainer. Her pleasantries as a colleen are yet faithful in eharaeter. and she is just as convincing as a mademoiselle. .Miss Fit/.g« raid still remains undiscovered so far as the legitimate stage goe*. 1I«m« revue appearances were sine fire, hut there are other po< -ibiiith s fur this clever actress. Walter Weems was on fourth, which looked a hit too early. nonchalant monologiHt wended his way easily, for 4t took them a/while to "get*' some of his material. This well appearing single, who admits Business was off at the Riverside Monday night, probably due to a combination of election and the holiday. Yvette Rugel, next to closing, walked away with the artistic and vocal hit of the bill. The little prima donna has i ..roved wonder- fully. Her voice has tremendous range and volume without sacri- ficing any tonal qualities, and the house couldn't get enough of her repertoire. Her nresent song cycle contains all the necessary elements for an ideal vaudeville selection, and "Little Grey Home," as handled by her, injects a dash of comedy at the right moment. She is bound to graduate into the operatic or con- cert field if she continues to de- velop as she has in the past few seasons. Royal Gascoignes just ahead scored heavily with his comedy chatter and clever juggling. Gas- coigne's ad libbing is a big asset to the turn and lifts into the "spot"' class without the aid of the really unusual routine of juggling novel- ties. A new dog was shown briefly in a couple of balancing stunts at the finish. Frank Browne (New Acts) opened as programmed in his xylophone specialty, and Jack La Vier, the monologing trapezist, was next as per schedule, but Lloyd and Christie were switched from fourth to third after the matinee to allow Harry Carroll and Co. to close the flrst half, which held but four acts. Lloyd and Christie went well, get- ting intermittent laughs, but didn't score their usual total. Al Lloyd has developed a bad habit of ad libbing in monotones while Christie Is speaking that distracts attention from the other's lines and kills laughs occasionally. He is also in- clined to carelessness Jf the flrst few minutes of dialogue doesn't click as usual. The "royalty" rou- tine hooked them, however, and the pair closed safely. The spot also affected their work, both appearing out of their element in thp early niche. Harry Carroll and Co. closed the flrst half in "Varieties of 1921." The Carroll act has Harry Miller back in the cast in place of Harry Laugh- lin, and several new •'chicks.'* The singing was away below the stand- ards set by the original artists. The Ben net Twins danced cleverly In a double specialty, but were woefully weak attempting to harmonize In the "Gypsy" number. Grace Fisher was so consistently flat as to excite comment and ducked a top note in her "Cuckoo Clock" song that was noticeable. The dancing and the merit of the special numbers pro- vided by Carroll and Ballard Mac- Donald put the ct over. Charles Olcott and Mary Ann opened after Intermission, doing nicely In the spot. Olcott's best lyric was "When a Feller Needs a friend," which he announces as In- spired bj Briggs* cartoons. Mary s a cute, personable, plump with a clear soprano voice. r-rjij *\\ iteji* d * of a name feature, but framed u» strongly in the running, starting early with a bang and keeping it on throughout the evening. Fred and Ethel Carmen started proceedings. It is a neatly arranged hoop-rolling turn wl*h fv-n .vi no We people who » . Dunbar and Turner, No. 2, gave the show a good boost. This couple started strongly with their "nut" comedy, allowed the turn to sag somewhat in the middle, but took the house at the finish with an eccentric dance. The present burlesque magic is over- done and should be cut down con- siderably. Twenty minutes for a No. 2 act is overstepping the limit. The house went for the dancing hook, line and sinker, letting this team chalk- up one of the applause hits of the evening. "A. Modern Cocktail," featuring * colored jazz band, kept up the pace, and could really be credited with in- creasing it. A drummer with all of the antics of the best in his line pro- vided the outstanding hit of the turn. This chap, is syncopation through and through, even includ- ing his eyes. When they begin to have syncopated eyes they bear watching. The young woman num- ber leader is somewhat overshad- owed by her musicians, but she should pass this up, as the present layout can go along and get returns anywhere. Moro comedy was brought forth by the Weaver Broth- ers, No. 4, with their hand saws. Few musical turns can step into a late spot and hold the attention and gather In the laughs the way these boys do. Having laughed steadily from the second act on, the audience still had a few fur the antics of the plants employed by George N. Brown the walker. Brown is using two young women from the audien:e for a bit of the comedy. It might be advis- able to furnish them with a classier stylo of garb, as what they display is not in the same category as the sylph-like figure of Marian Ardell in a white union suit. Attention was given the walking race at the finish between Miss Ardell and Brown, which provides considerable inter- est and is a good contrast to the earlier comedy. Although men had figured con- spicuously In the preeceding turns, Sig Friscoe next to closing made his xylophone work stand up strongly. Friscoe evidently employs plants from tho remarks thrown at him from the audience when he request- ed suggestions as to numbers to be played. Even this brought forth a few more laughs. Friscoe did "veil from start to finish and displayed his musical ability all the while. Sheldon, Thomas and Babbs (New Acts) closed the show, adding a bit of welcome dancing. Sessue Hayakawa in "The Swamp ' held the picture honors. llnrt. Ann Miss 11L, , . , oorn. ».., i« lilies in her principal number, for which she wore blue silk overalls and tootsies. A comedy Olcott describing the .i screen hero also The team had been from the No. 3 spot. Royal Gascoignes followed with \vette Rugel next in line. The in- ternational Nine /New Acts) closed an excellent hill with f«. t ground tumbling and Arabic I yiamidinT. Con. bare recitation by tribulations of landed nicely. moved down AUDUBON BtfOADWAY While not capaeity, the I'.road way attendance Monday ewning com- pared favorably with any of the Times Square vaudeville houses on that occasion, Hallowe'en being given ereiiit for keeping a large por- tion of the theatregoers at home. The lower floor had a few vacant seats in the rear, nviih thei hnjeony, somewhat lighter and the boxes but sparsely Oiled. The bill was short Of all the places to hold a political rally, Mayor Hylan's advance men selected the Audubon ballroom, just atop the theatre, and as a result a political overflow filled to capacity the theatre underneath. The Mayor's rally commenced at 9:30 p. m. and continued on until 10:30, which was even too late for any of the political spectators to view the feature pic- ture. Ergotti and Herman, of opposite sex. displayed an elegant routine of dancer, little singing and the same amount of strong-arm work by the feminine. However, her assignment of strength-work Is not so striking, for the male partner does not weigh more than a good meal and at the same time jumps into many posi- tions not accounted for through her strength. Good parade makes the feats impressive, however. Very good opening turn for the smaller grade. Alton and Allen, two men, offering songs »hat appear exclusive in lyrics, do comedy and show a high da* of stepping. They fully realize that thVir vocal ability with the popular selections would be inferior; thei fore, their adoption of comedy ma- terial In conjunction with first-class stepping commands attention throughout. "Mrs. Wellington's Surprise" oc- cupied the center portion of the bill. It Is a comedy skit carrying two women and the same number ©* men. The scene is at a hotel, with the servant disclosing the conduct of a traveling salesman to his wiM p,-..i „» t^p c>*vn time revealing the wife's character to the hus'fiBJJ The mysterious woman responsible [for the husband's trouble happens to be the servant; therefore, tne Wife pi s no attention to the rumor, while the affectionate person i" 10 "" cated as the wife's supposed lover Is a doctor, consequently enabling the wife to smoothe things ©w Went over very big and will un- doubtedly ontinuo to demand at- tention. - WaN'.i and Edwards, a \ cry young couple, offering songs and d^JJj | do not possess the necessary ^J 0 ** ability to win favor, but as for their dame efforts, they go «»ver . V '2| well. Iw»th members are f'lrnlsneu wlih several song selection*, but wis efforts of the girl in that line »» short, while the mans ■»>' T,,,uIa fI 0 JJ The com.le mlgn* also i« faulty, endeavor to add conn d; terial. Jimmy Duffy and Co.. of v, ohm h and the > ige ';Mid piajing ♦ he >)• al ma- u ■ 1 r>> lor, -put over 6n< «»f t !"■ '•• :h a quar- N i f . S Of » Vof bUt- • . oit)' dy