Variety (February 1922)

r VARIETY*S CHICAGO OFFICE ^. W* - I I Chicago STATE-LAKE THEATRE BUILDING 1 Friday, February 3, 1922 CHICAGO VAUDEVILLE SHOWS MAJESTIC ChioaKO. Fob. 1. A well bloiulod and arranK«^d Taii<»ty show. Florence iUod, thi? headliner in a new comody \vhicn Edgar SeUvyn takos credit f<»r pcn- iiing 'A Royal llendczvous." The playlet is set d\irinpr a May evening in 1750 when Louis XIV reigned as King of Franco. Tlie setting is in the boudoir of Countes^s Mario do Tourney, played by Miss Hoed. The costuming is of tho i)eriod. The action is enacted and participated In by Miss Heed and Lionel <t1ouster, as the King, and Reginald CJood(i as Raoul Vernet the handsome, daring, bold and outlaw lover of the Coun- tess. The playlet is quite new for Miss Reed and her associates, but with •work it will stand up. Opening the show were Frederick Easter and Beatrice Squire in "Danse Fantasies;" their catalog consisted of four well arranged numbers which were delightful. Following were the Transfteld Sisters with pong and music. The girls are a charming pair and have the facnlty of selling their endeavor in capital etyle. Hope Eden was No. 3, with her mental concentration act. Good judgment is shown in limiting the lime to about 16 minutes, making it posible for the succeeding act to get Its start without a long and hard struggle. Thos. F. Swift and Mary Kelly discoursed on the neglt?t of the stage lover fur his partner, warbled a bit and got away with a most wholos(»me reception. Ruth Budd came next and^'boing ambitious" as she says during her work, demonstrated it with her versatility. Then Bailey and Cowan, with Bongs and piano bits, banjo and saxophone. The boys came back to give them a little more. Val and Ernie Stanton, next to closing, had the folks in spasms of laughter. They stopped the pro- ceedings for the second time of the evening. Then Tvaro, the juggler, who juggled to the delight of three- fourths of the house which r*»niained Beated during his offering. Loop. APOLLO ^ Chicago, Feb. 1. Selections of a vaudeville pro- gram, regaidicss of tho worth, indi- vidually of an act, does at times fihow them in an unsavory light, as far as the audience- is concerned. Such is the case with the current bill here. In tho selection of the bill it is quite evident little atten- tion was paid as to how the acts se- lected woijld group together in a manner to give a consistent and satisfying entertainment. The plac- ing of Tam« o Kajiynia and the Han- Tke Shrp cf Original \tcdn tnd rXoar Kesn«r Building* 5 North Wdba»h Ave. CHICAGO WRAPS. SriTS. FH<>( KS nnd FFRS Ten Ter Cent. I>isr<Min> to the Tliratrical I'rufpsHiun. moo MONARCH TRUNK To the Profession for $52.00. CVAR.iNTEKD FOR FIVK VKARS. Complete line of ntw and used trunkf". your old trunk in exc^ang". yjjcciiil rates on repair.^. MONARCH TRUNK and LEATHER WORKS 24 N. DMrborn St.— 219 H. Clark St.—Chie««o, neford Family on this bill sort cf threw thinps "ott gear." Uoth of these acts r.ni a full thirty minutes, nia<lo good, but at tho same time in tlio Kajjynia ea.so made it a most dif- tieult matter for Alice I.loyd, the hiadlino, to follow. Then, again, with tho i>laeing of these acts it seems .as tliough not much thought was given as to how they *^vould bbnd in with the balance of the pro- gram. AVith the exception of Charles Howard and Co., in a com- edy ekit, the balance of the bill was made up of three dump acts, Griff with his talk and bubbles, a com- Jjination musical, singing and danc- ing act, and Miss L-loyd with her song repertory. Joseph Maxwell, the local man- ager here, afttr the Sundiy matinee found it necessary to switch iiis show around, due to waits t^'t^tween acts. Kajiyma, who was on fourth, was moved to open the intermission, and (Irlff, who held that spot, ex- changed with him. Miss Lloyd, next to closing, exchanged places wnn the Five Kings of Syncopation, sec- ond after intermission. The reason that thiti. was done was that a wait would be incurred in setting the stage for the Kings of Syncopation were thoy to follow Kajiyma. This is the manner in which the show ran Sunday night when re- viewed. The house was packed, with a doeen extra chairs being put in the pit with the musicians at $2.20 top. the first time that has happened since vaudeville was in- augurated at the Apollo". Miss Lloyd, the headliner, had probably the most difTlcult spot on the program. One reaso,n was that she htid to follow Kajiyma and the other that she was the headliner. But in her own resourcefid way she mastered the situation and carfle out witli flying colore. Her task wds a bit arduous during her first two numbers, but after her third it was peaches and cream. She had sung her way into the heart of Chica- goans as she has done hereioiore and put over the balance of her turn in a sure-fire style. It sounded as if • verybody in the theatre had come to see and hear Miss Lloyd. l*esides packing the house to capacity she reciived more applause than almost any act that has ever appeared at this theatre. Following, th*^ Kings of Syncvpa- tion with Hattie AlthotT and CarJos and Inez had a "rosy i)ath" paved for them. The boys with their song and music just dazzled tho folks, Miss Althoff uith her songs ana dance enchanted them and Carlos and Inez with their danciiig enter- tained them. Opening the show were Iloode and Fraui'is in a slack wire novtlty. The man performs many dithcult feats while the woman adtls much to the picture with her dancing and aid while he is working. Next was Joe Roberts, banjoist. who had been se- l«»c^ted to jyplacc 'Sailor IJill" Heilly at the last moment. The "deuce spot was pretty for Roberts, and he got over in good style with his in- »itjumentation. Charleij Howard and Co. gave the first and only real touch of comedy to the bill in the- «klt. "How Things Have Changed." The ajnlience took to Howards style and hu'mor and relished every bit of it. (Jriff on next blew bubbles, stories and did a bit of juggling, and ^ade a most satiijfactory pres.sion. Cl<#ing tho first part were tne Hanneford Family, with Poodles seemingly taking the house by storm with his sensational riding and com- edy endeavoj's. Every move of his was watched eagerly, with more be- ing sore all of the time. For his fin- ish •Toodlefi" was to ride a big whit© horse, but for some reason or other the horse became nervous, shied at the edge of the tan bark twice while making sharp turns, but i»oodIes managed to slip from Its path just In time on ^ach occasion. Then to further ingratiate him- self he brought Charlie Howard from the wings and the two got over an avalanche of comedy with acro- batic*, ground falls and burlosquo wrestling which more than delighted the house. Kajiyma was the only repeat act at this house on the bill, and as usual had the house keenly inter- ested with his experimental psy- chology, concentration and mathe- matical problems. His olYering, though most interesting, seems to I was chosen which run a bit too long when it i2£t.sj carded or improved around 30 minutes, especially repeat. Closing the show were the four Paldrons with equilibristic feats and lamp Jumping. The act Is well as- sembled and built up in proper fash- ion to the high "spots," making it a most worthy "holdlng-in" offering, for that la just what It did at this house and got a big hand on the final curtain. Loop. tho isame style. Tlils^ duo ia a standard small-time product. Mahoney and Cecil electrified the crowd with their fast moving talk, song and dance routine. Mahoney formerl.v teamed with Rogers, and has in his new partner a glfl who possesses a voluminous soprano voice and neat appearance and is a good foil. His partner also assists in the dances. Faul Reno and Co. started things from tho minute the curtain went up. The scene is laid in a railroad station with the ticket agent standing before a small town railroad station drop. A hick and his daughter missed tho iValn for the circus and then the three sHp into harmony that measures up. For an encore a yodoling number should be dis- upon, as it was ji^t.sJ carded or improv( on a not well handled. PALACE too, im- V1CME SCENIC ARTIST STUDIOS V P SUITE 308, 36 W. RANDOLPH ST. OI'I'0>ITK ArOI.I.O iirul WOODS TIIKATRKb CENTRAL 4358 CHICAGO THE BEST SCENERY MADE—THAT'S ALL Chicago, Feb. 1. What looked like a weak show on paper played as smooth as silk. No matter how often an act has repeat- ed or If something Is amiss, a Pal- ace *'fav" overlooks It and encores the act to the sky. Another funny angle is that'easily 75 per cent, of the Palace flrst-nighters are Ma- jestic matineers or Tuesday night- ers. Over at that house they sit as a committee without a hand, but let them get the stamp of approval and come over to the Palace! First were Ollie Young and April, with their bubbles. The bubbles didn't behave, but they received a healthy hand. LIddell and Gibson, two female Impersonators, looked cold at first, when the early part seemed a lift on Bert Savoy, the talk, the repeating of words, the lowering of the voice, the wearing of a, red wig, only that the straight was dressed In dresses Instead of being Jay Brennan. This took up five minutes that should be elimi- nated as unnecessary. But after that, and when going Into solo by one and then a comedy number by the other, it was all theirs. They have comedy and ability, the smaller of the boys having the most natural talking female voice, even singing voice, of any female impersonator on the stage. They were forced to give a small speech that ajfologized for their makeup, but with a com- edy line, "Everyone can't be a truck driver," that went for a big laugh. Burt and Rosedale can play this house every week, and they have played It plenty, this time with a little change In their routine and In "one." Burt Is just as good a comic as always and Miss Rosedale ably does straight for him. Charles Olcott and Mary Ann found the going more (o their lik- ing than when at the other Orpheum house. An encore was done with Frank Burt coming on for a laugh. The Four Morton.s; minus Martha but plus Clara, came next. Martha, it was announced, was 111, and Clara, wha had come on to visit, substituted for her sister. They proved a comedy howl, even with the same stories an^ gags in a dif- ferent setting. Florence Walton, minus her liand (which she had on her last appear- 'a7J5§..Jn this city), went over much better^Tl^ith Just a piano player and*] Koinff violinist,"'ui*ii» necessary and both acquitting the'Slselves. Miss Wal- ton looks "clas.s™lJJh her French clothes and armful or<[^"^o"f^s. Jack Wilson, with Doro^^y Aubrey and Harry Antrim, althd^Fr^ «"- Saxon and Farrell surprised even those who thought they would not be surprised with their opening of tho woman calling for lights and tho man clowning about as the stage electrician. Clotting away with their introduction they whisked into a routine of songs. The woman wears but one gown, and a wardrobe would dress the act up a bit. Joseph Greenwald in "Money Is Money" reminds in many respects of George Jessel's "Troubles of 1920." The introduction Is the same and in certain spots there Is a market^ resembiaace. The act has ten people with it, much scenery, and its own leader. Stertz and Lenk and Harry Gilbert were not seen at this show. AMERICAN ■'I ST. REGIS HOTELS MARION 516 N. Clark Street CHICAGO 505 W. Madison St. PROFESSIONAL WEEKLY RATES - . ( II l\(iK 01< KATKS: Thoroimhiy tiioilorn. Klnicle, ^vltlioiit l»nth... I^N.OO nnil $)^00 v^.^vly f nrnlNhiMl I><>iil>l«>, without Hath . .«10..tO nnd )i( 12.00,. ' . Mnule. «Tlth il.ith l)» 1 t».r.O n ml JH I J.oo' ""* *'"*'*"< lo nil t Inal re*. Uuuble, nith Ittith ... .)f 14. OO tiiMl .$!<(. OOI-'iM>«> relienrKiil hail. WE SOLICIT YOUR PATRONAGE ^ WABASH and VAN BUREN ^u|>r<'ml» Knt(*rtii!nni(*iit — OWt INd. .^rtrr Uie TlHMlrc, \i).it Tliii* lAND OF BOHEMIA" ^^ I.' I "• I ; l t'< !:.'\-. « i;, \ t,, ., t (,, r rtrhtiiiinitit s«T\lre l{fv«'r»aHo:i I'Ihuio a lii ( itr(f. Walia^li H<:i.'» Special tabic d'hote dinner at all hours other member was billed w,^" t^'*^ not appear, gagged and kIddeJ ^^^ preceding acts, which brout"* healthy laughs. His cast is verT good. "Sultan." an educated equine. more than held lis own. The horse Is presented by Emma Lindsay, a young miss who speaks in a most concise manner that holds one in their seats Just to hear her explain the whys and wherefores. ".Sultan" has a fine mistress and Miss Lind- .^ay has a fine scholar in "Sultan." Loop. McVICKER'S Chicago, Feb. 1. Joseph Greenwald in "Money Is Money* headlined and closed tlie show. This act ran 40 minut< s and possibly this accounts for the bill being cut to seven acts, instead of the usual eight. The first three acts didn't even stir a leaf. Jean and Arthur Keeley started tho works by puhching bags, Tln^ jfiinching is done to mu.^^ie tenijM,. They closed with a travesty on a boxing match, that created sniile.«. Wel!« and Montgomery sang a)nl Miked, but mostly to thmist Ivc -j. The man shoulders a heavy p.nf of the talk, while tlio wonianniiu'ii: have been affected with a .old. lOitlier the aet was sliouin- uivL i liandieaps or it requires niu.ii i\-. isearsing. I>rry and Niekerson .nr as fiimiliar to ihe patroiM of .Mi - VjiKjts as the the.itve, T)i»' linev, '■^ttja'K.ns and musical .seU^clioi's aid Uio name, and ai-v MnUlcd in Chicago. Feb. 1. The attendance during the current cold weather is not of sufficient proportion to stimulate the acts to step out and do their merriest. That little chill seems to prevail out front and its effect Is manifested in the spirit of the performer.s. The show is obviously a neighbor- liood one, without any particular flash sight or name feature to make it attractive from the box office standpoint. It is just the average neighborhood show during a re- trenchment period. Opening the vaudeville section were Sigsbee's Dogs, an aggce^ation of unusually intelligent canmes. The dogs go through their routine in a fast and snappy manner. The routine is con- ventional, with notliing thrilling or spectacular shown or attempted. It is a fair opener for the smaller houses, and could stand building up to a bigger tinish. On their heels came Milton and Lehman, whose billing sets forth that "All Nuts Dont Grow on Trees." These boys have a familiar line of talk, most of it being derived or purloined from current acts. They also sing ballads and parodied. This feature is the stellar one of the offering. In the trey spot were Lucy Mon- roe and Kenneth Gratton, with- a comedy talking episode which thev call "Miami." "Miami" is the place where the offering they present is enacted, but has nothing to do with the prime purpose of the talk, which is an assortiiient of comedy "gags." "The Girl Next Door" might be a much more appropriate title, as it might give an inkling as to what the offering is about. The story is that of a man returning home in an inebriated condition, trying to enter the wrong house, and then linding ho has lost his key—a special set used showing the exterior of two bungalows; the woman then comes along and discovers she has been locked out of her home, the couple into a dialog. The man, in his inebrlatic talk, uses the Samp- son and Douglas line, "What would you do if I were to throw you a kiss?" The woman renders a dra- matic voealization of "Love is Won- derful." The couple finish by the man kissing the woman and her re- -torting she will tell her father and exiti!)g by going to see him, when she states he is no taller than she. From a scenic standpoint the act 'timpresses, but the dialog does not rj:glster. ' Next were the Sluart Girls, as- gj^^ted by l)u Voll's String Quintette, a new JIaurice Greenwald off* lin^^ Greenwald has discovered a pair of mighty clever "kiddies" in the Stuart girls. They are Ju.st young- sters. They will make a w.iy and mark for themselves. Tho .snulior and probably the younger on*- oi the two looks aj though jhe wi'l de- velop into a genuine cumeiii,.une. The little lass knows how to ]>ut a ' song over and register laoiiilly as well. The bigger girl has an agree- able alto voiec. The girls, it seems, have be<'n ju.st tr^'^n from ihc ama- teur Held, but have more ili;m vutH- cient ability and talent to Ueip Jiom in tho professional ranks. The string orchestra is a pleasing relief from tho usual "jaa/-" oiili.vstras with similar type aets an.l r<';^i8- tcred well. The act brought the show to the stopping point. Next to closing were Tilyou and Rogers, who managed to rejieat the "stopping" feat with their dancing, acrobatics and talk. Closint^ were the Marriott Troupe, a man. three women and a negro aid, in a jug- gling and aerial novelty on a mono- plane. This act is a flash and one that can always hold the house in for the finish, due to Its many thrill- ing feats. •• LINCOLN Chicago. Feb. 1. This is one of the few neighbor- hood houses which is located cen- trally from a business angle. Four street car lines Intersect at the cor- ner and quite a number of business hou.ses are within a few feet of this theatre. Capacity Is common, and this show was no exception. The Golden Butterfly started the works with po.se«. Two women por- tray various subjects, posing upon a small platform set down stage and draped with legs and full drapes. -A lighted annunciator tells the titles of each pose. The act is well staged and closes with a large butterfly prop, with one woman sit- ting upon it and the other standing working the wings of the butterfly. The act is artistic. Jimmy Casson and Fred KJem followed with snappy songs. Casson manages to place noticeable stress upon his in- dividuality in selling novelty num- bers, and finishes with a ballad. He has a winning personality which re- flects in his mannerisms. Klem ac- companies all song.s, and chooses popular numbers only. Art Henry and Leah Moore pre- sented a varied skit billed as "Escorts Supplied." The billing and little talk are meaningless and is over before it can bo applied to the act. The entire turn is a jumbled affair. Henry entertained his part- ner more than the audience with his violin playing, out of tunc for com- edy effect. During all this time his partner, Sliss Moore, looks on, laughs, and rarely speak.s. Her part in the act seems to be jast looking on. They close With two character dances that are not very well exe- cuted. Anderson and Graves have a mod- ern idea of entertaining. The bill- ing reads "Living on Air." and all action takes place in a blimp type aeroplane, suspended. The blinipr is divWed into a bathroom, parlor and bedroom. The only disadvant.jpe seems to be in the little room they have to work in, but they manage to get about nicely and still keep their poise. Ed Warren and Charles O'Brien squ.'^-ed ?n acrobatic danees and burlestii;e work. They don't go to extremes, but both do single dances and cxcl;ange talk. They employ applause producing tricks, work hard and round out a dandy comedy turn. Carl Emmy, with his troupe of a dozen or nioro mad wags, snapped into it as soon as tlie cur- tain went up and kept up a stiff pace of action. The dogs worked well and Emmy has them well trained. Booming ''Girls in Blue" Chicago, I'eb. 1. W. C. Wright, agent for "Two I^ittle (Jirls in Blue," which follows Ziegfeld's "Follies" h.to the Colonial, Feb. 19, is here i)reparing nn exten- sive campaign uf publicity for his attraction. BETTER THAN THE BEST SHOW IN TOWN, .-'.^.i: ^ .' ■ . -.FRED :MANN'S v'Y jlAINBO GARDENS CLAflf*^ ** LAWBKNCE. Continuous Dancing—Vaudeville. Frank^*^"*'**^"' t*"*' HhIiiIio Orrlir»rrw. Ainutt'iir ThratrUnl NHe E\iT>"Frlcl«>. "THIS SIDE OF PARIS" MOULIN ROUGE CAFE AT.nKIlT HOlV'liR. M.-.tumrr ANt) RESTAURANT IN CHICAGO T-llE LEADING CAFE A .Spasll«'ltll *'''-^ itav.t.li our S|..mi.i1i: ' TUF riA s. r\ i. <• .t. l.a I ai t'j A : I ur: THE DANSANT daily Table dc ho ''^ ^'■*''" '"' '" ^- l''^'h fhiss rnt.rtainm.Mit hikI .liinring (ill clo«>i)»l? time. 4lfl SOI ^" WAI'.ASII A\KM r. TWO BEAUTIFUL DANCE FLOORS ll\KHl'<o\ nrtM* YOU'VE Tf-r-'^D "^HE REST NOW TRY THE CCST "THE 13th CHAIR" "PETE" Sotercs Next Door tqColonirl Theatre. 30 V/. RANDOLPH ST., CMIC^CO -nil * ««n i.ou IM. iii.\i>i.i\i:i:s \ti: hi hi i a^t wkkk — IU)C)NTi:i<> I OK STKAUS tli^h l.;;Sidle, I ''""••'.*" *.rrt««ll, Tmii WUi-, Stiinmy I,#f. TeVy: Whr. " l. '" • I ' < V\ea\t»)- Ilro^., iv Ju lIurrisuD, uuJ \aii anU Vvrnun.