Variety (March 1922)

Ij 28 NEW SHOWS THIS WEEK Friday, March 31, 1922 PALACE WINTER GARDEN ^ The bill ran tno actB shorter than the program. But it certainly was hitting on all the rest. As usual, and maybe ju«t a little moro than usual, it wan <i Palace bill, and that says a mouthful. "The St.irs of Ycstrnlay" iloscd and knocked a mob for a row of pay-or-play contraotp. A fow of the acts up ahead just missod Kottinj? Jn with the rlosing art— wlii«'li ones this timid scribe will not venture to stipulate. The Srnf5a(ional Deckers were carded to blow the .show off, but tliey didn't. Harry P"ox an*! Keatrl»e Cur- tis were absent with leave, Fox re- I)orted he had temporarily lost his voice. Elmer Rogers, the quiet fox who is again skippering the I'alaee. when asked about it, struck an in- nocent expression and said "Honey- moon." That leaves it Fox vs. fox, so pick your own animal. Murray and Oakley substituted at the mat- inee, but the show was fouhd long enough as trimmed by cir<"um- stances, and no one replaced the missing turn Monday night. Tatrioola, next to closing, was hurdled up ahead of the old boys and girls. And she went for the ac- customed whizz, whang, whoop and wow, with numbers new and sea- soned, one having been sung on the bill ahead of her—it didn't matter. Pat Is Pat, the only thing with a kick that has remained the same since prohibition. Blackface Eddie Ross sopped up the ducksoup similarly. The vet- eran freehand banjo tickler, succes- sor to Charlie Case in many attrib- utes, tore off the nifties as long as he felt like, and then went into his strumming and his whistling and left them with lips parted and palms wracking. Effle Shannon and Jessie Busley In a burlesque on "The Bat" (New Acts) closed the first section. It was old timers* night for fair, even as early as that, and a short inter- mission brought the Topics on while the echoes still rang. The Topics of the Day was the only attraction claiming to be dated 1922, and even a few of the wheezes in the Litorary Digest routine ran with the child- hood of Tony "Williams, or at least Eddie Ross. Jack JjSl Vier showed that two can be a natural as well as a crap. He started slowly, as the trapeze ap- paratus looked like a dumb inter- lude. But Jack is far from dumb— he isn't even tonguetied. He did the boob on the bar for a flock of snick- ers and a hatful of screams and made the tough tricks looks foolish besides. He scored. Riggs and Witchie, with a spot- light violinist In the pit, wafted through the five scenes of as sweet a two-people dance revue as ever made 20 minutes fly. Produced with simplicity yet superlative taste, and danced out with mcllifluenco and charm and artful showmanshiji, the act stopped the works solidly, which 19 an accomplishment for a silent Turn Jn. nn enrly getaway. Miss Witchie* worked wiih beauty and fikill and personality and Riggs lore it wide open with clever ankle work and his smooth handling of the pos- tures and wonder-wheels of the Riggs-Witchic routine. Tom Smith laughed them silly. His burlesquing Is broad, but he keeps moving and never squeezes a gag or a situation. His giggles come so fast that It takes a flip au- dience, on its toes, to keep up. In his mind-reading lioke. however, the audience was ahead of him on half the answers, for -no pulled some that belonged with the Stars of Yestrr- day's yesterdays. However, as this was the most unashamed sort of low stuff perhaps it was his abiding sense of broad satire that prompted him to pick them so overripe, liust- ing the ultra-sharp to credit him with the thought. He sent In a hit good enough for anybody's Palace. Carl Randall and two girls did fairly In the second half. Randall has fallen for ihe star-me stifff, hav- ing arranged a run of talk in which his support keeps asking him to dance and the likes of that. He In growing mature, too, and has passed that stage of registering adolescence which he kept for years. Randall is no longer a child. He might alter his stage juvenile "address" a bit to take cognizance of that. His danc- ing is still meritorious, though he has taken on weight as well as his thirties. The three-act went well but the going seemed upgrade rather than the coasting that marked most of the speeding show. El Rey Sisters were placed to start the parade, not caught by vhis early grub, who arrived at 8.08 after indescribable hardships, only to find I.a VIer climbing his cane. The way to see a Palace night opener is to Kit through the matinee eloM'r. It's u. wonder somebody dont try it some time. Lait. The Pantaget-Huntington Oi Co., located at Huntington Reach, Cal.. 40 miles from I^os Angeles, has sunk a new well 400 feet below sea lovel, and the engineers in cliarge of the project report a grade of oil fju* superior to that recently uncovered on the property. The first return enabled the company to declnre a (ilvldcnd in three months. Alex Pan- Inges is president of the concern, Kdward j'lsher being secretary. "The Whirl of New York" opened many weeks ago at the Winter Gar- den. It was this Shubert unit pro- duction tliat started all the noise about Shubert combination vaude- ville for next season. It was re- viewed in Variety when opening, has been mentioned 100 or more times since, and commented upon by all Varicty'.s conespondents in cities where there has been Shubert vaudeville this season. ,Stjl1, there may be a few things to say about it, aside from critical comment. And as for that, it may be stated that this is now looked upon as the second best of the Shu- bert units of this season. "The Mid- night Rounders" edged it out for performance. "The Whirl of New York" was first a legit production, that had I.ouis Mann In it when opening at the Winter Garden. It was the re- vived "Belle of New York," mintis the original title, and it went on the road as an attraction long after Mr. Mann walked out of the show fol- lowing its first Garden's perform- ance. Awhile on the road and it was clo.so or do something else with It. Then it was that Ed. L. Bloom, the Shuberts' general manager for road .ohows, suggested ''The Whirl" be boiled down, according to Bloom's persistent opinion this would be the kind of vaudeville that would get money at $1. The Shuberts finally agreed, and the result was the condensed version, as arranged by Mr. Bloom, and given with pretty much nearly all of the original cast that takes in six vaudeville acts, nearly all of which supply their principals to leading roles in the revue. That Is the secret of "The Whirl,", the ability to blend the acts into the show, keeping t±ie weekly cost down of gross .salaries, with the net result "The Whirl" Is the cheap- est production In .salary operating on the Shubert vaudeville time, under $5,000 a week. It looks more. The vaudeville is another consid- eration. Though two acts were added to that section at the Garden Monday, the six acts as carried com- pose a dandy little vaudeville sec- tion to precede the revue. This Is strengthened by the opening bit, all the principals in costume Introduc- ing themselves for the first act, fol- lowed .by Florence Schubert leading a "Molly" song with the 16 choristers behind her. The 16 girls are young and pretty, with two or three ex- ceptions that look like female im- personators. One thing In connection with the Shubert flexible or transferable pro- duction-vaudeville contracts that might be called to the attention of anyone interested, now or to come. It's here in the instance of Nancy Gibbs. Miss Gibbs is English, came over here and appeared in "Monsieur Beaucaire." On her rep from that show she was entitled to an individ- ual niche in vaudeville, at least for a try. She went out with the "Whirl" from the Garden to the road, then appears to have been shifted and probably at her produc- tion salary, into the revue unit. It, in that way, removed her possible value as a vaudeville single. This girl has personality, besides a most pleasant singing voice which sounds strained from its twice dally exer- tion. She has framed an attractive little singing turn with a pianist- violinist, plus her work as the Sal- vation Army girl (now a Red Cross) in the revue. By the same token the "Pins .and Needles" show that left the Shubert theatre. New York, to go out as a Shiftjert vaudeville unit, carried with it Mazio Gay, an English come- dienne, who would have been of value to vaudeville as a single. Miss Gay may be yet, for "Pins and Nced\es" only lasted two weeks, one week too long. Had it traveled much farther Miss Gay would have spent her personal vaudeville value through engaging In a vaudeville revue with nothing else. Miss Gibbs might be placed in a Shubert unit for next season, built up and billed, and in that way made something of. It seems a mistake to lose a name merely to get an ultra-principal for a vaudeville performance. "The Whirl" in saving money through changing the story from the Salvation Army to Red Cross, be- sides cutting out some of the music. That saves loyalty. The Shuberts are probably paying only Harold Alteridge royalty (book) for this condeiis.ition, cutting out all others in the change. The Shii4)ert producers will look over 'The Whirl" and figure accord- ingly. There's much to be figured, iind the first thing is that the pro- ducer will have to make his own production. AKso he will have to get ;i break in acts as good as this • Whirl" did to put out a tinit that cnn rank with it, and a lot of other things. The "Whirrs" vaudeville is good through iveiio antl Green, Bard and I'eail. and Roy Cummings. There are three comedy acts out of six that should make .any vaudeville bill in the comedy way. The added acts Mond.Ty were The Flemings, posers ;nul hand lifters, who got away through a neat fini.sh, after a sightly looking turn, and t.'onchita l^iquer. a Spanish girl, who was held over and has enough warmth of expres- sion in her work to go Into .a Shu- bert production, which she piobably will for the summer. A no small feature of this bill Is Kyra, a part of the show, that snaky movement dancer who cmm outdance any of 'cm In her line. The house provided an attractive setting and Kyra did her movements and wiggles with much ease, lent assistance by some of the choristers. Kyra also was responsible for the biggest laugh of the evening, when, at the finale of the Cummings act closing the first half, Cummings announced "every man for himself." The five or six male principals who had burst into his turn all made a fruitless grab for Kyra as she migrated across the stage in "one" with heV snaky movement. It waa^ a big finish for the first part, and Cum- mings' own act was a large portion of it. He has MI.ss Blllle Shaw for assistant but not the Miss Shaw formerly of Seabury and Shaw. The Bard and Pearl turn in "one" Is the talking act both did when with "The Powder Puff Revue" In burlesque. Neither seems to have changed anything in it. , The act Is funny to the Shubert audiences but within two seasons the couple could have shown more progression through the insertion of at least some new matter. Bard remains the same effective straight and Pearl shows up almost as well in a vaude- ville act as he did In a burlesque show. They repeat their laughs in the revue with other matter, but there l^rd is against J. Harold Murray, a singing straight of ex- ceptional appearance. Dolly Hackett is also a principal in the revue, with Clarence Harvey another. Carl Judd and the Pur- cella Brothers have minor revue roles. The Keno and Green act Is called "The Saturday Evening Postman" and runs nicely as well as lightly, with Keno and Green reserving one of their dances for the revue, where they again score. Joe Keno has .ad- vanced miles through his production engagements of recent years, and Rosie Green dances as nimbly as she ever did. The Purcellas open the vaudeville proper with their double dances, scoring with the ankle- locked handcuff bit. "The Whirl" carries its own mus- ical director. Monday evening the Garden filled up slowly but by 9 o'clock held a very big looking audience down and up stairs with the house staff claim- ing around |1,000 gross for the even- ing. If all money, it fooked th.Tt amount easily, for the top is $1.05 there. Sime. penter died with him—it has been cut out, and they now tell about it instead of having It happen. Since the plot was always as thin as boarding house ham, it la now worn entirely through and leaves just a hole. This act went pitifully and pcr- Is^hed mLserably and took curtains sJiamelessly. It was embarrassing, even among the balcony roughnecks of the Broadway following, to see professionals take curtain after cur- tain when there wasn't a hand in front—not even an ironic kidding one to deceive them. Swor Brothers, old reliables that they are, went off to little more than nothing, too. But they wepe smart enough not to force the issue, and lit It go at that. Joseph K. Watson, next to closing, suffered similarly and behaved equally well. Both these turns are proven laugh getters and applause earners to the more discriminating and less hard boiled audiences, and their failure to evoke enthusiasm at tho Broadway was rather a commentary on the patrons than on the performers. Haig and La Vere opened the show, doing the average for the spot. Lait. STATE llyi BROADWAY Not much to this show. Ruth Roye,yes—same old Ruth, who never misses. But the rest of the night bill Tuesday ran with lead in its feet, while the audience had it in its hands. The closing act, Pepita Granados and Co., showed flashes of class, though if the black-haired one who danced solos was Pepita, she should be the "Co.,",and the si.ster team that starts Spanish and later does an exquisite double Oriental as a prolog to Miss Granados' compara- tively meaningless cavorts, should be featured. The raven-locked babe who essays "Mon Homme" and who doesn't appear with the trjupc for a final bow, would qualify for the "and." Nevertheless, this turn, in production, talent and entertain- ment, is beyond the intermediate time standards, and the work of the two" girls Is decisively fit for any stage. Miss Roye, with her usual pleas- ant tickling for applause and encore demands, sailed through easily. Some of her numbers were stale, but she wasn't—Miss Royo makes every syllable bring home its grain of v.alue, and she has that body-heft technique which Al Jolson puts be- hind a m.ammy song applied to com- edy points. She cleaned up and was the only applause v/innef of the show worth recording. Howard Smith, Mildred Barker and Co., in a very human skit about •a doctor who is starving for patients and who goes to work as a butcher boy rather than hornswoggle pa- tients and prostitute his calling, found sympathetic response and got punch laughs. Smith has an ex- tremely acceptable personality, and the girl who acts as his bride has a note of drama In her voice which, when the learns to restrain it and not give vocal climax to inconse- quential points, will be a telling as- .set that will go hand In hand with her presentable appearance. This turn took three curtains, and they were legHimate curtain.s—not the sort "Springtime" stole. That "Springtime" thing would be a farce were it not a tragedy—a real tragedy. It Is a revamp of George Choos* old slapstick vehicle, "Under the Apple Tree," v^hich was broken up when the stage carpenter shot the prima donna because she refused to listen to his advances, and then killed himself. The act closed at the time. Since then it has been reorganized and is now Cor- ing Smith and Co. in "Springtime." The title has as much to do with the act as the act has to do with vatitleville, both scoring zero. John .".iilly was at one time featured in the .Smith Tole. Sully was a dancer and an eccentric comic -Smith does not attempt a specialty and his method Is more strange than eccen- tric. Where once the act had eiglit chorus girls and a snappy girl dancer to play oppo.t^ite Sully, whose legomania stopped the show besides. It now has a Large leading woman, an unmated sister team and one girl left over, looking lost and lonely. The part once played by the car- ROYAL The Royal has a twelve-act pro- gram this week and doesn't blame it on an anniversary as it is logical the rea.son for the quantity is the Metro film "The Foui; Horsemen" across the street at Loew's National. The curtain rang up at 8.05 P. M. Monday night and dropped at 11.31 with the house remaining seated. They don't walk out up here, pre- ferring the full bill of fare. The first half held four big time acts and three small time or three- a-day favorites. The big leaguers were "Four American Aces" a pip of casting turn, third. Lew Dock- stader in his monolgue; fifth. Little Billy, the diminutive eriter- tainer; sixth, and Sarah Padden in "The Charwoman," a good dramatic sketch, closing the first half. Bolger Bros., veteran banjoists, who have been strumming the pork chops since Bell worked for Gus Sun, opened the show and did a fast 12 minutes. Kane and Grant a couple of promising youngsters deuced acceptably in double songs and dances. The boy did impres- sions of Pat Rooney and Frisco, the latter far the best. The girl flashed a mean "crumb wipers" jazz dance to his fiddle and shim ac- comp for the finish that dragged them back for extra bends. The opening is weak and could be re- placed. Lack of material is their main obstacle at present. Cooper and Ricardo fourth fol- lowed the flying aces and eased in. Miss Ricardo's "What's in the grip" and her Hebrew characterization cinched it for the pair at this house. They cut several minutes on account of the long show. Lew Dockstader talked about everything from "shifters' 'to Izzy Einstein. The ex-black face king is using a high hat r^dio apparatus that introduces his subjects ncatural- ly and is up to the minute. Dock- stader's talk must be revised over night so new does it sound. Little Billy endeared himself easily with his sterling song cycle and clever dancing. T4ie little fel- low opened with "Ta Ta" as a ragged street urchin then did "Major" a corking recitation about his dog, next Ave. A a tough song which introduced a real dancing novelty in a shadow boxing buck dance that will be picked on and last in evening togs a popular song and a whale of hard shoe. buck. The kid's clever and no mistake. He blammed them. Miss Padden closed the first half and gave an excellent portrayal of "The Charwoman" a well written .sketch capably cast which allows full scope for her dramatic talents. At the final curtain she stripped off the character togs and stepped Into one in a pretty blue low neck dress for a brief word of thanks. After the Topic, Elizabeth Brice (New Act.) started the second half of the bill rapidly. Lewis and Dody old favorites here , followed and copped as psual with '"Hello, Hello. Hello," which they used for an opener and closer. The song was fresh and topical written around sure fire gags and kept them popping back for extra verses. The pair alibied In a speech in order to get tho customers in time for the morn- ing cofTee. Emilie Lea <New Acts) next al.so finished in high favor. This girl is an eye soother and as graceful a dancer as we have witnessed in aeons. Her support Gil Squires and Sam Kaufman are equally talented. Herschel Henlere with a neAv opening found the going exceeding- ly rough. He finally got to them with his piano playing medhy switching the tuneg to the whistlers' befuddlement. The edge was taken off this bit by the pianist in Miss Brice's act doing a similar number ahea<l. Henlere has an A. Robins opening with a trick violin, galoshes with a bell attached and other P^uropean' musical Idea-s. He took a pair of bends and called it a day. Mulroy an<l McNeece (New Acts) closed and held them well. Tlie man missed the girl both taking an unintentional fall as the cmlain deaeended. Tho house was confortably filled but not a sell out. The top boxes and rear seats of the orchestr.a were off with evidences of libeitd |>aper- ing throughout. Con. Plenty of entertainment In the first half show, with "Argentina" a Spanish girl act headlining and making a first rate flash. Constance Talmadge in "Polly of the Follies* made up the picture section, with the regulation news weekly and a Sennett comedy. They certainly give value for the 50-cent top at the State, the six-act show and the pictures occupying a running time of nearly four hours. The State orchestra has been fre- quently praised by reviewers. Ife entitled to all the boosting. Seven- teen pieces with a generous allot- ment of strings and wood wind mak- ing for softness combined with volume, places the State orchestra at the top of the list for metropol- itan vaudeville houses. Monday night at 8.40 the down- stairs was well filled from the 35th row on toward the stage. The State has 51 rows in the orchestra. The last 15 or 16 rows were rather sparsely settled. The balcony show- ed a number. of vacancies in the Last Ave or six rows, the rest of the loft and boxes being heavily populated. In the average vaude- ville hou.se tho Monday night crowd would have been capacity. Kane, Morey and Moore opened with a splendid balancing turn, in which the understander balances several types of ladders on belt contrivances an<l aLso on his fore- head, while tho mountei> goes through gymnastic evolutions aloft. The forehead balancing Is a remark- able endurance test for the under- stander. The turn went over very well, getting unusual returns for an opener. They deserved all they received. Lind and Trent were second <New Acts) and Miller, Packer and Selz, third, the latter with singing and conversational comedy patter. The girl vocalist of the three-act filled the big State with her excellent baritone, one of the best voices heard around in years. It's a pity tho singer so noticeably lacks \ocal training. The harmony trio stuff Landed and the comedy brought the regulation laugh returns. White, Black and Useless, a three- act with an unridable mule and black face comic hung up a good score on the comedy division. The mule is a vicious beast, not only bucking and kicking savagely but biting as well. A standa^ turn of its type. Friend and Downing next to clos- ing fired and unreeled comedy songs and parodies. The ripped bathing suit, false hair an 1 wooden )eg are used for parody themes, but they liked 'em at the State as they will anywhere in vaudeville. That ripped bathing suit and the others are just as sure for parodies today as they ever were. '"In Argentina" closed with .a mix- ture of music, singing, dancing and comedy. The double tango by the dancing team stopped the show cold, Monday night. Stopping a show at the State means a lot. The entire act went over with a bang, putting value in a spot where it counted im- portantly. Bell COLONIAL With a five-act first half which passed along with but meager ap- plause returns the Colonial bill ap« pearcd doomed to receive the ley mit from the Tuesday night crowd which comfortably filled the lower part of the house. The after Intermission section, starting with Kharum, took a brace, with the succeeding turns managing to keep up a fast pace and crowd all of the applause of the evening into the later portion. Ben Beyer opened the show with his blackface comedy cycling turn. Beyer unearthed a few laughs with his comical contrivance and proved KUificiently interesting after the news weekly. Pearson, Newport and Pearson appeared at home in the No. 2 position, the acrobatic dancing of the two men gaining* what returns were credited to the net. No great amount of value is developed with the table bit, for which they claim to be the origina- tors, the other dance work having the edge on it. Dick Duffey and Adel Kellar, No. 3, with their skit, "Via Telephone," received little consideration, not- withstanding the value of the vehicle and its clever playing. The dialog introduced by this Qouple kept up a steady tittering, with the audience appearing some distance behind the chatter. Ilariy Tighe, with the Crano Sisters, appeared No. 4. Tighe minus his voice, due to a cold, confined his efforts largely to t.-ilk. With tho preceeding turn having been composed almost entirely of chatter the additional talk by Tighe failed to start anything. Opening with a corking novelty number the Tighe offering displayed only occa- sional flashes. The comedy finith, with Tighe in a kiddie costume, created a laugh, although applause was not forthcoming. Horaco Gold in, with ".Sawing « Woman In Half," closed the first half. Thp Goldin illusion appeared to have the .audience spcHhound. Apparently accepting tho offering in the proper manner they faiitd to m.ake it known by applause. The same attitude prevailed for the rt- mainder of the early section utif- Following the "Topics" reel u^t'J during intermission Kharum revived the vaudeville. The Persian piM^l^l too^lh^iouseby^stoni^j^^*^