Variety (March 1922)

80 NEW ACTS THUTWEEK Friday, March 10, 1922 ^ PEPITA GRANADOS and CO. (3) "Spanish Review" (Songs, Dances) 12 Mins.i Full Stage Palace. "A FSpanl^li-Oririitiil Song and Dance Hovicw," tho jirognun says of this four.-omo colloction of slg- era and dancfi*. They pciforni a picturesque baclvgrouiul, cithor sing- ing or dancing, mo.stly dajiciiig. and In the Spanish-Orienlal >vay, as llio program f^tat^s. Tho young wom^T) look good in theh* foimalions and niako tlic (in-n attractive rnougli, but opening (lio Hhow at tho Palace was not tho spot, If tho act held merit at all. And it Kcem.s to, in action and for sight. The turn might be played up for tho Intermediat*' houses, to take the closing first )ialf position. It may be relied upon to be agreeable and It certainly Is a flash, plus the Spanish, the looks and the rest. Pepita Granados is billed as from "lloneydew ' and 'Maytime." Her assistants are Kdith May, Sonia Marens and Carmen Lopez, It must be extremely dishearten- ing to frame a dance act of some pretensions at least, and then, be- cause the people In it or who are operating the turn, may be unwise to vaudeville ways, throw It to the dogs by making it open the Palace bill, If playing tho house at all. And more especially did they only know that a small time colored two-men dancing and talking act had been placed No. 2. If bookings are that congested for the No. 1 position, with so many acts laying off that could take the No. 2 spot, why couldn't agents be Informed to tell new and strange a<^ts not to spend their money and waste their time? Slmc. MEEHAN and NEWMAN Songs and Dancing 10 Mins.; Two (Special) A mixed couple that should find favor, particularly so in the small- er houses. They open In "one" with the boy announcing an attempt will be made to get away from the spe- cial blue drop, piano and short aklrts the usual run of acts are dis- playing with the drop being lifted to reveal the blue drape, piano and Miss Newman, entrancing in a knee- length costume to deliver a song. She makes an additional change of costume with Meehan adhering to a dinner coat throughout for an ap- preciable appearance. The punch lies in the dance done hy tho boy while playing his own accompaniment upon a mouth or- gan, besides which some comedy is tried for, resulting in average re- sults. The songs, three In number, are mostly dedicated to "blues," the girl having been tho main Bource of delivf^ry in this respect. Some brightening of tho convcr- eatlon, here and there, should see the i\ir^ tJTii able to take rare of Itself. tiklg. PECK and BUTLER Songs and Talk 18 Mins.; Two (Special Drop) City Peck, a blackface comedian, h:is secured a good looking well voiced straightmaJi in his present i>nrlner, but has failed to supply himself with sulHciently worthwhile ma- terial to bring the combination up to next to closing requirements. The special drop in "two" dis- closes In the exterior of a bull ring In Mexico. Butler is promoting a fight but has failed to secure a toredor. Peck enters in large trous- efs and red vest and is olYered the Job. Cros^-fire talk ensues, some of which develops laughs. IJoih mem- bers handle numbers individually with the straight having ihe edge In that division. A double number finishes the a<t off. Only an early spot offeiing as if .stands today. Nexf to closiiii; al ^the City it misled the mark. Hart. ULIS and LEE Songs 15 Mins.; One Fifth Ave. Two boys in Tuxedos v.iih ;i pub- lished song routine. The .'•ong i ycle Js well selected an<l up to tlm min- ute, the numbers Irand new and, therefore, interestingly lyrically. For the encore, they drag i;» the ukes for .some s'^lf-accompaiiiment, strumming the strings ungracefully and awkwardI.v. Tlio chap ;it the left from t]:o audience could also stand Improvement in stage pres- ence and shoNvmanship. I'odi }ia\o voices, vciy good ones at that, enunciatlr.g tlie lyrics cUnrly. They are .^et for itn early spot In tho three-a-day grind, with pos.si- bilitles If they in-^^rt some di^tin- Ijul.shing "kick" to differentiate tlnm from so many other male sijiging BILL and IRENE TELAAK Talk and Dancing 10 Mins.; One , American The dancing of ihc man !s tV.c main asset of this dno. Added is the hand balancing l>y him while seated at a piano of tho girl. The Miss play.s a violin when in the reclining position, accompanied by tho free hand of h« r partner on the keyboard. Outside of those two incident?, the act is below par and embodies con- ver.sation not even worthy of an amateur parlor humorist. The rou- tine aounds as though haphazardly slappod together. The girl does straight for her partner during the early moments allotted to gags that rely entirely on tho acrobatic falls of the male half ♦© obtain laughs. Later she returns for a short selec- tion upon the stringed instrument, thence into the balancing feat with a double dance with the girl still playing, taking the couple away. Tho turn can probably connect for results in an early position on The intermediate bills, because of the dancing, but should revamp tlKir entire verbal material or work with- out it. It will rome ne.ir .annihilat- ing'any other impression the t« am may'Piake. Skla- HARRY HAYWOOD and Co. (2) Comedy Sketch 13 Mins.; Full Stage 58th St. Harry Haywood was last around in "The Love Game." His present skit Is a two-people turn titled "Holding Out." It Is the tale of two vaudeville artists who have been playing the tanks and have traded that for a long layoff in New York City. The set Is a squalid furnished room In which the pair have im- promptu housekeeping facilities of their own invention. Laughs are obtained when the girl makes cof- fee over a gas jet, using a grease- paint I ox and a tin horn for the cof- fee pot. Another laugh Is when she actually fries an egg on a pan, u.s- ing for a stove an Inverted flatiren. Another was Haywood cutting the bread for the evening meal witii a hand-saw. The pair finally battle, with the wife packing up, taking with her the family bank roll of 13 cents. She returns abruptly .id confes-scs she isn't going. The finish at present Is we.'.k. The rest hold Interest with many wholesome laughs. Both of the principals are capable p!ayi;r.«. Con. duos. 0 A hf I MAYE HUNT Songs and Tafk 15 Mins.; Ona 23d St. Mayo Hunt is new to the ca^-t as a single. She has apper.rcd in pro- ductions and also vaudeville In the middle west. Pi-eceding her Initial entrance a slide says she was among the entertainers who volunteered for overseas duty during the war, and also that she was tho first woman entertainer to enter Germany with the troops after the signing of the armistice. The announcement may create some interest even at tills late date. A restricted numbe;* Is u^cd as lier initial effort. Other than the laughing finish it holds nothing. Miss Hunt chatter^ freely, emi>!oy- ing a telephone In conjunction with a short monologue, in which several laughs are developed. A male plant Is in an upi)er stage b<^x. The fin )1 big laugh of the turn Is brought fortli wh'n tho plant drops his toupee from the box to the stage. Single women who can develop comedy r«turns are firnrrr, Mi'-s Hunt displays possibilities i;i t-nt line. Jlcrt. MASON and COLE Talk, Songs, Dance 15 Mins.; One (Special) Fifth Ave. Tl»e l»';iin has a new l.alk routiiu .'lUthored by Chirk l)a\is tD.ivIs avd Darnelle). IJ< fore a cottage exl« lior the couj)le ent«'r from a trip to the zoo, tho gill b< rating h'^r e«5<"ort for his Scotch cnrse — tight w.Mlr d- ness. This live or six minutes of chatter is luoductive of much good- natured humor, leading In the ki-s bit that was a feature of th'lr o^d routine. A xornX double nunil" i took them off nicely, leading into a l''ren<-hy song and danoo for the eni^)re. This al-o hns been lelaiu'd from the former frame-up, tV-c te;;i.) giving an impre.ssl«)n of hr.\v a I'rench v.nidrvillc team wovjid do an Amerian number in PiU-iS, The act l.s 5:»emingly brai-d n'^w and will go tho rounds of the "break-ins" for a couple of ^^feU« yet. It plays nie* ly as it st.^nils i and ought to m.ike the No. 3 grade In some of the bigger ho ;«e9 in time. A it:I PAUL SPECHTS' ENTERTAIN- ERS (9) Jazz Band 23 Mins.; Full Stage Fifth Ave. This is a good nine-man combina- tion for dance music which shows pofisibilities for vaudeville if there is a little more life injected. The principal trouble seems to be with the violinist-leader of tho orchestra, who seems entirely unanimated. The mu^io the men furnish, however, Is as good as any that has been heard in tlio way of dance orchestras with the possible exception of the one or two top notch combinations now aiound New York. The nine pieces consist of piano, drums, three saxaphones (one of the players of which doubles on the clarinet), banjo, trombone, cornet and the violinist leader. Seemingly from the standpoint of pep and per- sonality the men on either of the ends of the outfit are better suited to lead. Tho cornestist who holds down one end is a corker and sells his work to tho audience 100 per cent., while second choice goes to the other end where there is one of those Wallie Reid type of boys, whb handles a nifty sax and also the clarinet. There is one thing about the entire band, outpide of the leader, and that is that they all seem to enjoy their work, all working with sn.ap and unison and constantly beating time with their feet to the numbers in a manner that Is effective from the front. A snappy program of the rags and blues that are the popular successes today make them sure fire for any vaudeville or big picture house as a real attraction for they give the audience what they want at this time. With a little showmanship displayed on the part of the leader ihey can hold their own anywhere and it wouldn't be surprising if the band was found among those that have "record names" in the near future. Frat. SPORTS "SUNBEAM FOLLIES (4) Songs and Dancing 20 Mins.; Three (Special) American A mixed quartet, evenly divided, adhering mainly to singing with a snatch of stepping thrown in for di- version. The women make two changes of costume, after the open- ing Jap number, which permits of btraight evening gowns and Colonial eostumes. The latter are particii- iarly attractive. The men are In dinner coats. It might not be a bad idea if one were to give up his white ve}?t. It 8 not according to the sar- torial rules of our set; neither does it favorably contrast with his part- ner. Seven melodies are included. That takes In ensemble, duo and single number.", mostly of tho "pop" type. With so much warbling tho act is inclined to drag at Intervals. More or less speeding should pick things up, withal additionally strengthen- ing the entertainment value of the turn. The "Tolcefl, while not exceptional, pleasingly blend and the specialties register for approval. Surrounded by the special setting the act .should develop into a standard warbling in- terval for the thrice daily hou.-^es. Skiff. EARL and MATHEWS Dancing and Singing 12 Mins.; One American Roof Man and woman. Man is good dancer ard woman sings pleasingly. Opening lias woman in male ccs- tume, dre!=s suit and high hat. Man in tux. Woman does conventional '^ouse' in llrst number, a double .oiiversation.'.l song. Dmble aofl shoe tessence j.ext. Man singles, ec- < ei.tric buck, very well don<\ Wo?n- .m I hang* s to skins, sings iiitrodue- t.'»ry for uaii'-es of «l:iY' r«'iit naii'ir- aiitie.'; by man. These include .'crotch, fling, Irisii jig, yiddi.<h l.a/.oTska, and a walt^ eloir. ■^^hil■h tho d;incrr did i?i Merry Widow costume. ])onij!»> dance for closing. Good Xo. 2 turn for the small-timers. /?///. Harry Wills may get .»^ome regular money at last. The Howard, Bos- ton, a burlesque house is paying the colored heavyweight $2,000 to ap- pear there next week as a special attraction. If Wills can draw In Boston he will be In demand by other burlesque houses or shows. Wills got 20 per cent, of the grocs at the Garden last Thursday night for defeating Kid Norfolk, another colored fighter, in the second round. The house held about $45,000 at the $7.70 top. No one got a line on Wills, the finish arrived so hurried- ly. Will.s has been getting little less than lunch money fighting around for the past couple of years. It was hard for him to pick them among the Negro fighters, but be- fore Sam Langford quit, he and Wills often rehearsed in llic ring. Six weeks ago Variety printed a story from New Orleans in its sports department to the effect races in that city were being run "hot"' and "cold" at the local tracks, with the information the "talent" and bookies were being trimmed to a fare-thee- well, while a few on the inside were heaping it up in chunks. The great- est upheaval the racing game has known, under way since the closing day, has now broken. It may de- stroy racing In New Orleans. As the facts are brought to light regard- ing the many "boatraces* of the winter during which horses were MARGIE COATES Songs 10 Mins.; One State. Margie Coates Is out of burlesque. She is plump in stature, blonde and at home with her style of song numbers, the lyrics rather ihan the melody being her forte. She worked in .spotlight throughout. II*Hr opening ditty, a blues num- ber, wasn't designed to start any- thing, but the house p.ild some at- tention to her second. Miss Ooates walked to the entrance after It, her four numbers calling for at least one as an encore. A semi- tough number got across very well, with the iin.ile song figured to reap returns, and it did. It was a lyric descriptive of a "Broadway Broad," with some of the lines a bit blue— perhaps that Is what thfy liked best. Miss Coates could have tarried with another .song. In walking from the entrance to the center of the apron, she said the Stat 3 engage- men, gave her .a good chance to re- duce, U woiild have been a sure lauKh if plainly' spoken instead of in ad lib style. She l3 entertaining and fits as a single for three-a-day time. Jbcr. HERMAN and BRISCOE Talk and Singing 12 Mins.; One American Roof Two ioui'g f» Hows will) a l.i'l-.i:)u' rotitine, running to familiar mate- rial, one doing straight, the other > tiu'itfiil H'Vi.'alc t>po, on ord» r of Jimmy llu.-'sey. .Straight dije.s voe.-ii !.un)brr and eonuo sings ]>arody verse. Parody on "All ovir Now." Mit]) t^eiod'^n Ifp on '"hai;', g.a.ss eye and fal^e )ia;r thing fo.' th-ni^. Frenh'T material and a good, long prn.tiee to\ir in the minor leagues .ir«^ what the tram rro mo*.t]y in need of now. As it .«».ind.fli, the turn '.'■ cv(n below current p«.;i house •••and.irds hereabouts. lit II. HILTON and NORTON Comedy Talk, Songs, Dancing 20 Mins.; One Lew Hilton ard Ned Norton have reunited and are doing their former act of last sea.son. The team split when Hilton suffered a nervous breakdown. Norton, mecinwhile, has been playing opposite Pllizabeth Brice in her last Vaudeville turn. The present vehicle Is a revival in the main with Hilton making an audiei;ce entiancc in Hebrew char- acter as a candy butcher interrupt- ing Norton s opening song. Norton makes a splendid appearance in dark suit and straw hat arU al.so Uiffr in S<'ofeh costume. Cros.«rire of some new and mostly reNascd and familiar gags w.is good for big lau^iis as handled by thi.-j pair. The finish rtmaijis tlio .«anie v.ith XoJton singing in co-tum«: 'She's My Daisy," to be followed by Hiiion's burlesque drt.-s of the Seoleh cl;ara».tv r arid )FaiO'!y ^n "h* song. » 'J'hp I'.iir tlc.ined ii]t at '!:•• lliir- 1< n» O. JI.. doing 20 nunut*-"-- wiiho'.it any |.r« ssuig. Tlie act is le.idy to re- sume th.eir big-time bookings where they j«ft off a yc.;r ago. ron. MARTELL and WEST "*" V Acrobatics, Contortion and } JuOfliinO 10 Min?.: Full Stage American Roof I'klan and wom.^.n. >'u*i i^ f'^d ground tumbler and Wf>man eon- tortirtjiisf. Man also jrggies well, nianipnl.'it ing s< vtral obj« ."ts rxaily. A blindluid'd jump frtin .i star.ding I'O-itlon on a 'afde by t'.i-^ mr:\ to a toe h(.:d oi. a loop, in fu-i fast- ^Mifd to .1, ♦'ap'Z'^, makes a si)l'ndid f'^ature stunt. Capable i»errormers both, who nr^d roThi.ig but a tip on .shouman.ship to sicnd Umn along. As the a< t >-'.':nds it will do (xcellertly frr a pr;i hou'c op'-^ncr. J{' U. "shooed" in at long prices while the favorites were "taken" (pulled), tho layers and players are rubbing their eyes In wonderment. One bookmaker who scans Variety closely each w^eek saved himself thousands of dollars after reading the assertions anent fixed ra<'es, ho said, for he sensed the trail of tho "wise" money daily thereafter, scrupulously holding out tho nag being hammered and "laying" tho others minus any regard for figures. He finished one of the three winning layers of the meeting; 63 other.i wore "knocked off the block'* and cleaned completely. The remainder just about managed to save their financial necks. The New Orleans papers are front paging the scandal now wh»>n tho horses have left their barns. Mean- while, four bookmakers hiwm been convicted for violation of the Locko law, which .sought to prohibit racing in that State, receiving each a fino of $400 and a priSon stretch of seven month.*?. They are Tom Shaw, one of the widest known figures on the turf; Remy Dorr, Jack Sheehan and Harry TJardiner. Forty-four oiher» are under indictment and they will probably receive similar sentences. The four convicted bookies have appeal d to the Supreme Court and if the lower court decision is upheld it will perhaps mean the abolition of racing in Louisiana for all time. The boxer Arthur Kaufmann has been acquitted on appeal in the Paris (France) correctional court. Kaufman went to Europe a year ago, first meeting several opponents in Germany. He then drifted into Paris and became a frequenter of the Montmartre resorts. He was charged, with a Britisher, of pocket picking in a dance hall and sen- tenced to a year's Imprisonment. A lawyer was engaged by friends and proceedings for an appeal com- menced, which has now been ren- dered in his favor. Kaufmann states he is returning to America this month. Mike .Sullivan, manager of r.illy DeFoe, local boxer, and Siim Crane, at one time a star moundsman for the Now York Giants and now cbn« nected with the sporting department of tho Now York "Journal,"' have leased Bronx Oval, 177th street and Westchester avenue, Bronx, for five years. The new combination will continue to use the site for «emi- pro baseball as in the past. The Dempsey-Kearns .-.ct at the New Y^ork Hippodrome has about five minutes condensed of tho Demp* sey-Carpentier fight film in it, with the champion boxing three phort rounds for the finish. Several spar- ring partners have been tried out since Dcmpsey opened at the Hip. One afternoon last week Demp.sey knocked out an aspirant back -tagc during a rehearsal. The sensation of the turn is Kearns as a spieler. He opens with an explanatory men- tion of boxing and Demps< y, with Koarns a No. 2 Barrymoro in his evening clothes. Following Dcmp- sey's first entrance. In blat k and white also, the champ and liis man- ager start to light kid each other. All tho hoke gags were taken out after the first day, but tlsere are a couple of laughs at tho bouquet throwing. Then the picture, and then the champ in ring costume. He looks physically perfect ar.d ready to walk into the ring at any mo- ment. It is about the same act in total at the Hip Dempsey and Kearns did on the Paritaues time, in< lading most of the talk. Foi::' clinmpionships to 1><^ d< i'id« d in a sin.';!o afternoon is the hii»i)o- droriie plan rvolv'd by Walter Kt<fe, the Pan booker in New Y'orl:, who is quite frier.rlly with O^mpsry- Krarn.«, et al. Tho pro and con dis- cussion of a Dempsey-Wills l-.iitle r nd Vn: hazard of only pos-ildy hav- ir.g DeriTl*Rey and Gibbons for an ear^y July date In tho Jers'^y City arena, sntrg#-.st"d tho 1\« .fc ide;i. grr.« r..i:y ac'ejited as llio b;trge«;r thing boxing has ever seen, if it eati be put ovrr. The scope tak^s in Demp-Tv, P.enny Leonard. .I.dmny Wilson a?;d Joiuiny Jhift (if still eli;:mpion) as tho champs fm* their re.«pvctive divisions, with th.- hgiti- m.'ite contendT in tho «lnss for ea< 1), A %iiO top wlU en^ure tin- gate so tlio matl'T of purses ih the least, if a i»romoter can be secured. With Ilicl.ard out, the qu^'stjon cf tl.e jiromot'T has becoino a prob- Km, f\>n if the plan is e\»i-!;wally dcided upon. Four bouts lil.c tho(P«' (Contirued or. page IC)