Variety (March 1922)

VARIETY'S CHICAGO OFFICE C))tcago STATE-LAKE THEATRE BUILDING Friday, March 3. 1922 CHICAGO VAUDEVILLE SHOWS MAJESTIC (.'h: ago, M.I It'll 1. Kilty flo.'ilcn w;is spotrovl fur lli<' top '-nniK' oi ih.' bill, but wjtli all of hrr lrii«l work a!i«l tli;tf vt h»i' assooiaU's liad to Ktop a.viil<.' l'>»r 15o:t and lUtty \Vh<d* r :in<l J'.ryan and Jtrotl<rkk. who simply rarrifd ih<< .show by siorni, l><»tl» acls K«'tiiiij^ oao of the bi^K'v-'t ovations thar )) is hc«ii l>rocuriMl by any act in this lioii.s<-^ for some time. The WlM'tbi.-- w !••> in llif> n« xt to shut spot anil (lispr-nsctl ihvir "liils of Kvcrythinit;* in a \vhol''S(»mo ami uppcalin? niannor. Th«Mr tab-nls do not svtm to bo limited to any spo- lille extent: tht y ju.st svtiu to run along as an cndk-ss ilia in does. After they had indulged in L*0 min- utes of ilieir tomfotdtry. sonj; a:id dance, Bert sl< pped out and an- nounced that they wouUl next pres- ent a ni'-ntal telepathy act, the in- side of which had been divulgtd to them by Hairy and Kmma S'larrock, who had iire-'cded them on the bill. ••Suece>s" was .six lied for them with capital letters. This brought on l>andemonium, aiiil the WheibTs. with the two .Mandel boy.«?, Hnished their orferinK by dWiiig the old "You can't pick it "up without sayinsr oucli" bit. Tlii.s .-topped the .^how completely and it was a full^ three minutes before the closing turn could go on. Tom Bryan and Lillian Broderiek. who almost scored on a par with The AVheeler.s, prceded them with their novelty dancing ofrering, "Bill . Board Steps." This clever daneinK <Hio have a pleasing routine of nov- elty steps which tliey exeoiite with Jinessc and artL^ticness. Their "Bono Hican Glide" and their finishing acrobatic dance novelty are two of the best numbers seen here for some time. Lucille Jarrott, a charming l)lack-haired las.s accompanies them on the piauo and acquits herself in commendable fashion. However, one little detail might be altered as far as she Is concerned, and that is the elimination of the electric light with the reflector over the piano. There is no need for it, as a lamp from the side furnishes sufllcient light for her, while the reflector somewhat detracts from her work as drawing attention while the couple are step- ping around. Opening the show was Sylvia Loyal with her dogs, pigeons and juggling feats'. Miss Loyal has a faculty of presenting her ofiering in .hie and appealing fasliion. and on this occasion sold it at full value. Due to the withdrawal of Henry and Moore on account of illness Pearl Frank, an auburn-hair«d so- lirano, cared for the second position. Miss Frank warbled four classical selections in an acceptable fa.'^hion. Next weio William and Joe Man- d.l witli \h<h' grole.squo acrobati • maneuver.!. They were a "wow" frntn start to lini.><h an«l 1» ft the au- (li.neo in k« *-'l ^'hn for Kilty dor- don and her eomi»aiiy, \\ ho pre- s'liii I the <;t)rd<)n "Divert st^^"- m< lit.'-." The divertir .-einents as now ]»resenled without .laek Wilson sreni to get over in much .<nappi«r man- 11. r than they di<l when Wilson was arr.eng those pre.^ent uitli Mi.'-s Gor- don. Miss (Jonlon seems to work in a moi<' aggrc.-sivc ami enthusiastic manner than in the i>ast, and her with a bad ccld, and In most coura- geous fashion stepped out despite the handicap and goalod tho cus- tomers with his stories and musical epilog. Closing the sliow were red'-rseu Thothers, with comedy feats on the lioman rings. They held 'cm during the entire act. J^oop, which includes \*cra Iblen Link. Ida i'!emene»' Pa- ( (>)ii|>a iiy, B« resft)rd, and Melvin Stok«s. wijh Alana jado ;it the family grruul. give lur ad« (luate aid in making the vehicle a most likeable one. Harry and Kmma Sharrock cam" next with their comedy offering. No .sot»n« r liad Sharro k pitched his tent and Mi.«s Sharru.-k <anie foiMh to liave her gov.n hooked than the au- dienee Wi»ro r«-ellning easily and laughing for all tliey were wortii. Tho "Ballyho" announcement by ,S!i.'irro*'k just "goaled" them, an 1 wlieii the couple went into the men- tal le!ej)athy v.ork it w;is all i)eaeli«\s and cream for them right to the tinish. « 'losing the show were the Knight and the Knave, with cannon ball and shell juggling and cati'hing of the cannon balls and shells on the back of his neck by tho Knight. The customers were just glued to their seats from the start and hardly a one was lost until the strong man had completed the trick of catching a 200-pound shell on the back of hi.'* neck. Tho comedian, Rudolf Wag- ner, diverts tho mind from the sor- did consequence that might aecruo were the strong man to miss, but at the same time scores only in in i- denlal fashion. Loop. APOLLO Chicago, March 1. UNIVERSAL SCENIC ARTIST STUDIOS, Inc. Created the Scenery for JOE COOK and ALEXAN- DER BROTHERS and EVELYN . "L- t us estimate on your order'* 626 State Lake Bldg. Phone Dearborn 1776 CHICAGO L. P. LARSEN. Mgr. Art Director BERT KELLY'S 431 Rush Street, Chicago 6 lI'.ocUs from .S'at'"'-L:i'nO 'i'iioatrc. t Mjnutps from I-o<>p. IN THE HEART OF THE ARTISTS' COLONY Annour.ccs the Arrival of '^YELLOW" NUNEZ ( 'n>MP(>5<<r nf "IJvrry St;tl>Io Ulie s" WorM'H Cirentfyt Jhz/. (lurinrtist. Dirrrt from >>\v York Clt.v. Dance in the Red Lantern Room from 9 p. m. on. DINE IN n.\RN IIOOM. $1.00 Table d'Hote Dinner Kven though "familiar faces" pa- raded in front of the audience Sun- day, tho familiar faces, all of them, oflercd a brand of enter- tainment which can be construed as wholesome and worthy as a vaude- ville bill. At the matinee business was surpri:-!ingly good. The greater jiortion of tho lower floor was well tilled and tho upper part of tho house held a much larger ass< m- blat;e than it generally does on an opening Sunday matinee. The greater portion of the acts became acquainted with tho Apollo audiences on previous occasions this season, and cvi<lently their first meeting was pleasant, for tlio ma- jority were accorded a reception on their entrance. IJert C!ak and Fla- via Arcaro are topping the bill, with Nat Nazarro, Jr., and Co. held over from last week as tho feature turn. Closing the lir.st part Nat Naz.irro. .Jr., and his syncopated musicians, the chic little danecr and warbling aid, scored as big as he did last week. Nazarro clianged all of his singing mmibors, tho band played different tunes, Helen altered her dance routine somewhat, and Buddy sang two new songs, giving prai^ti'- <ally a different act than they did on their llrst showing. I.eaeh Wallin Trio gave the show a fast impetus when they executed their thrilling Iron-jaw feats, which were rewarded with the best rece]>- tion any opening act has rc^f ived in this house since the vaudeville IM.liey wa;; inatiguratod. •Sailor" Bill lieilly told hi.s stories, sang his songs and ti<'klod tho ivories and loft tliem in good form to receive the Novello Brothers. Having a good spot tho musical acrobatic clowns started off on all "six" and made magnihcont head- way with their offering. To sub- .-fantiate the conlidence the mob lunl in them the b«>\ s went out ami made good and departed to a hearty send- off. Belle Story warbled her elnsslial rej>ert<)ire in most pleasing fasliion. H« r songs are the :-!ame as she r«n- d(. It d on her in'evious appearance. OpiMiing the second ](ortioii wc:*e Nip and l-Metcher. who hoofed, aero- bated and f<ang. Th'ir acro]».ii.i<; dances hit and cairi<d th<'tn ov<r. Following Clark and Arcaro in the next-to-closing position was Walter Wcoms. Weems rolled into town PALACE Chicago, March. 1. Three single men on this bill, with 11 men in the eight a^^ts and 5 wom- en, but with all this the show went .surprisingly well. Bob La Salle not only walked away with it, but was spotted No. L*. which looked like a waste of money and talent, but made for a good running bill, as the l.M>oker mo.st likely told La Salle. La France Jiroihers, upside down workers, do everything that one can do standing right. One of the brothers stayed fully six minutes on his head. They linish with a band ♦ ffect and were force«l to encore with some tumbling^ that put them under the wire with plenty to spare. Wood and Wyde have a i»rodu?- tion and serve up old-fashioned hoak a la carte plus four scenes. They served their stuff to their cus- tomers until thfuo did not seem to be a laugh left. But to take the time to make a switch in scenery they send out a ballad singer of the bygone days, with a shiny full dress, tlvat picked up the remaining laughs; In fact, the laughs came so fast that the singer's voice could not be heard. Mel Klee had the hard spot as far as laughing jiurposes were con- cerned. They seemed all laughed out for tho first couple of Klee ^ags, but after warming up to his work K'.ee thawed them out. Klee is work- ing and dressing differently than be- fore. Dressed in a loud check sport coat, with a tuxedo vest and shirt and white trousers, without a wig. not even the cigar to aid him, he was a runner up for laugh and ap- ))lause honors. Ivlee sang two songs that were well pi'^ked. Al and Fanny .Sledman did every- thing but bust the piano. There wasn't a character ever done that •Miss Stedman didn't attempt, and not only attempt but di<i well. This act has brouglit out their comedy further than most comedy acts, as they even carry it out in thf^ir bows. \'era Gordon and Co. in 'J.-ullaby,'* with the .same cast as shown before, took a half dozen cuitain:-. Then .Miss Gordon tried to explain herself in a curtain speech that proved her a good picture actress. Joo Cook never had a cliance. They got up in droves, and when he started juggling and asked for the Urst five row.^ to be careful they wore mostly vacant. Those that remained enjoyed Cook. But the ones that stayed for tho last act, AlexTVnder Brothers and Evelyn, enjoyed Cook even more, for it is in this act Cook really shows his versatility. Alex- ander Brothers and Evelyn did not play to many seated, but held them in the aisles, with every one turn- ing around to see what the few seated ones were laughing at. Loop. BETTER THAN THE BEST SHOWMN TOWN FRED MANN'5 RAINBO GARDENS CLARK at LAWRENCE. Continuous Dancing— Vaudeville. Frank \V»'>Jpliill nm\ Kaliilm Orrlii-strrt. Aiinit.iir Tlirrttflcul Mtf T.irry Krid«>. sight acts On the bill, vhlch has been rather unusual here. Busi- nes.s, however, Beems ptiU to be at low ebb, as for tho first evening show there wa.s just about half a houso present on tho lower floor. Starting off tho show wero the MeUins, man and woman \n a nov- elty posing act which they style "Visions of Art.'' Next came Cooko and V'aldare, man and woman, with a well-selected dancing routine which consisted of acrobatic and novelty dancing. In the trey sj^ot were Nelson and Madison, with com- edy talk, song and instrumentation. The talk is conventional but amus- ing and the by-play of the couple is excruciatingly funny. •Summer Eve," a girlie revue with a man and five women, came next. From a scenic and costume stand- point this turn registers "forte." but when it comes to ability of people and ^issemblage of material it iiroves "nil." It is «iuite apparent that the producer hatl in mind emu- lating the Joan Hardeasile turn, for from time to time there would crop up during the specialties of the l>eople a most reminiscent thought, r.ut in attemjiting to do this the producer lost sight of the fact that an act must build itself as It goes along and do .so until it comes to a fitting and impressing climax. This "Summer Eve" does not do, as through its ragged construction it just bores and does so for almost half an hour. Credit can be given to one person in the turn for striv- ing hard to please under uncontroll- able conditions, and that is the blonde pianist who tries her utmost to bring sunshine out of chaos, but cannot do so, through no fault of her own. Next to closing and s.iving the show was Mel Klee, the blackface talkster, who dispensed his abun- dant comedy talk and song to th»^ delight of all and registered the h't of the show. Closing the show was .Take Ste- naid s "Napanees," a sehool-day act featuring Harry I'ields v. ith four boys and four girls, Tho act is similar to otlun* school acts seen herf .ibouts, v.ith the talents of the Flora It that ST. REGIS HOTELS MARION 516 N. Clark Street CHICAGO 505 W. Madison St. PROFESSIONAL WEEKLY RATES CII.IN«'K OL KMKS: Thoroughly niotlcrn. HliiKlr, \«lthont bnth. Iloiihlo, >vilhont llatb SIiikIc* t>lth llnth . f . Uosble, ^ti(h llath. . . VH.OOntitl $t».0O.\oivl7 furnlnhrd. .l|iin..'OiiiMl X»ia.Oof^«nv^"*<*"« totkU thvntrvn. .)(tl t.OO niMl $Hl.U0Froe rchenrnnl hull. WE SOLICIT YOUR PATRONAGE McVICKER'S Chicago, March 1, was a Flow incoming crowd witnessed tho first Monday morning's performance. The show ran with pep and most of the acts siiowed in gooil form. Among the few unusual turns that open sliows arc Hanlon and Clifton, who gal- loped off with honors at the start. The curtain then went to full, in- terior set, with the other man doing some dilficult dancing, and then into the heavy hand work, closing to hefty applause. Bay and LaUue either canceled or were canceled after the first .show. Marks anil Chase deputized. Joe and Agnes Kiley slipped into the trey j.pot with a pleasing song and talk routine, interwoven wifli an "Irish Hearts" theme. Miss Hiley enters before a drop in one, explaining the theme, ill song, and the curtains part to two, showing a special drop depict- ing a country scene, with a farm- iiuise. Joe Biley tlieii enters and serenades with a harp solo. Quite a few minutes of talk, by both of them, centering around ilr' man be- ing fiO baslifnl as to be forced to ))i-opos'? to t!i(> woman. .Miss Uiley then sings, with Joo Bilcy accom- panying on the harp. The act offers tasty diversion. .Miss Hiley wears two gowns, sings well and looks fascinating. Joo Biley is a maste'r at the harp. Tho act more thnn I'.olds its own. Donahue and l*at- 1 iek, two men, are two acrobats who '•an hnndle talk. They do not entc r with any makeup on, and it ap- peared as though they werQ wear- ing street clothes. Tho men got over nicely, having been seen around . frequently. Iltnsliaw and Av« ry have . routine of talk that er t« d laugh.s, although many a Hhop worn gag was repeated by them. Th<y talked aiid .sang and e.'iine back with an encore whi( h has never failed to get over. people being tolerable. Loup. CHATEAU Chicago, MareJi 1. Not much to rave or boast of, i.*-: the current bill at the Ch.ittau. Just the average Pantages bill with- out any "high" or "live" spots, ami ran in automaton fashion. Inaugurating the opening evening session were I.,amh and Goodrich, a youthful couple who endeavored to give their conception of ball room, society and jazz dancing. The youth possesses sufilcient grace to v.-arrant Ills becoming a capital exponent of the terpsichorean art and the girl sh.ikes as "mean" and exciting shimmy as has been shaken here- about in a long time. However, all of this does not suffice to give a consistent and variated dancing of- fering. Their .routine is composed of practically the same steps and motions throughout, regardless of the stylo of dance theyV are presumed execute. The audience got on to to LINCOLN Chicago, Manh L Somewhat better than has be««n seen hero in a long tinao is the show this week. It was better to the extent that there were flash and tho proceedings quickly and after the second effort on tho part of the couple, accorded little encourage- ment for their subsequent en- deavors. No. 2 wero Weston and Toung. a man and woman, with comedy tallc and song. The talk is conventional and freely chosen. Their vocalistic endeavor proved to be tlie stellar portion of the ofl'ering. Placed in the middle of the bill were John B. Gordon and Co., a comedy playlet "Meatless Days." Tbi.«i has been Gordon's vaudeville vehiclo for a considerable period, and {^Qcn hereabouts on numerous occasion.'^. Gordon and his associate pl.iyers have taken plenty of liberty with the idot to inject an avalanche of low comedy business that fresh- ened the act up greatly and put it across in good fashion. Next to closing came the Chung Hwa Four, Chinese harr.'.onists. They have sjilendid voices and har- monize in their grouj) singing in good fashion. The' orientals piovd the hit of tho sliow. <'losing Wire J.ostrr, Bell ♦ '.riflin, with ground tumbling l>!eased. To round out the eveniiig's gram Wesley Barry in "Penrod shown on the screen. and ;lu!t pro- v.as PANIC AVERTED Sheffield and Stage Keep Their Heads Handi Chicago, Mari h L Firo which started when electric wires became crossed and ignited a canvas portiere In tho flies of the Playhouse on Michigan boulevard during tho Washington's birthday matinee, looked for a time as though Chicago would have a repe* tition of tho Iroquois theatre dig. aster of December, 1909. The heady work of the stage hands, who low- ered tho asbestos curtain and the calmness of Flor.'^ ShelTleld, who was appearing there in "The Nightcap," saved the day w'kmi she made a speech in front of tho curtain and told tho excited i>atrons there was no danger and they should not rush. They were calmed and filed out t)f the theatre in orderly fashion. During the secon<l act, when Miss Shefiield was on the stagt\ she noticed .sparks falling from the fiies and landing on a velvet hanging overhead which quickly began to flame. With presence of mind, .Miss Sheflleld called .to the stage man- ager and continued in her scone. However, when the spark.i began to fall from overhead to the stage tho attention of the audience was at- tracted ami one woman iti the liouse sprang from her seat and shouted: "My God, tho house is on fire:" It was the crucial moment for a panic. But through the heady v/ork of Miss Sheflield and the quick ac- tion of the stage crew the steel curtain was lowered, cmp'oyees rushed to exit.s, tiirew them open and the patrons filed out. Th" au« tomatio sprinkling system on the stage was in good order and kept the fire from spreading, as v;«'ll as turning in a >till alarm for the fire department. When the city fire fighters arrived the blaze hid been extinguished by th(> house em- ployees. Within 15 minutes after the excitement was over ami the jrinoke liad been cleared from the auditorium the curtain ar': e niid the last act was given. ACTS AT TERRACE GARDENS Chicago. IMarcl. 1. Kr?i!e Young discontinued his revue at the T» rraoe Garden'^ .Mor- rison Hot*^!, Sunday and In its stead is prc'vcnting eight vaudevil turns. The acts are being booked through the Western Vaudeville Managers' Association, They are engaged for one and two-week periods. Young gets the entire cover charge at tho Gardens—30 conts on week nights and 75 cents on .Satur- day and Sunday . FROM LOEW TO SHUBERT Chicago, March 1. The Colonial, Detroit, ownt d by Warren & Cohn, discontinuing Loew Circuit vaudeville, has contracted with tlie Shubcrt Chicago ofllce to supply five acts for a full week, be- ginning March 13. 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