Variety (July 1922)

Friday* July 28. IWM PALACE -w. PftlAC. Jammed them In ju.t JS? of capacity Monday night. fSSv the boxes «howod patche.. the £Wer and upp^r floor .eats appear- . - -niidiv aold out. ***? niceiV blended aasemblaffe of .ine acts constituted a «rpod variety S?i Vith comedy predominating. JSt and verifying the opinion of 2S palace regulars that the house S^e of the 'softest" on the circuit ^^AfTe? Geo^e^Choo.- -Little Cot- tle" had mildjy stirred the riaibiU- JJJ, In third position. Kramer and Sarle got the first sock with their JWo-mai\ talking and singing rou- Sm. They landed solidly. Kramer'a Illlbbing is improving constantly. noTle is a sterlinff straight, who Skcs a prop laugh loolc like the Genuine article. Uo is al! over Kramer with his fecnling, dominat- Zg him at all tim«'s in big league **Ted Lewis and Band followed. Lewis has been appearing in a Times Square dance emporium and luw a following in this s;ei lion. He nude it an old-liome week with his jazz leading of the band. Lewis is jTciever fakir and one of the few who rode in on the jazr wave and avoided the l>oach. The boys are Averl^e musicians, the strength of i the turn coming from Lewis' por- jonalitT and bag of tricka Jack Rose oi>em'd after intermis- ain in his nut »i>ecialty, doubling from the Rivcr.^lU*?. Rose is assist- ed by Jimmy Steiger at the piano, who siralphts, sings and handles the box while Itose is monologing, crosn- flring and breaking straw hats for wews. One or two portions of Rotes talk dragged a bit. with long lulls between the laugh:^ but hisdef;cent to the pit to lead "Maybe It's All for the Best." with a spe- cial getaway verse handled by him- aelf. cinched it for the daffy one. fecial numl>ers would put this chap beyond worrj'. He moved up on the bill, switching wMth Van and Schenck. who took the next-to-shut spot to enable them to double from the Orpheum. Brooklyn. W. C. Fields in •*The FamUy Ford" was an added starter next, aabbing for the Four I'ortons, oft the bill, though programed. Fields is doing the role recently vacated by Jim Harklns. The Field's quiet delivery and suppressed pantomime coffered a trifle at the start, fol- lowing Rose, but picked up and landed strongly before the break- down finish. The idea is almost nationally humorous now and sure- fire for any one who lias ever ridden tn any kind of a car. The finish, as before, is a trifle abrupt, but suf- fices. Van and Schenck did 27 minutes, Imd left them demanding more. The pair wehe never in better voice, and built up to mammoth returns with their song cycle. Gus Van's han- dling of "Far Rockaway" was a hear-riot, as was Joe Schenck's piano and vocal solo of "Abie's Lullaby.". The rest of the reper- ^ ESTHER TRIO Dancing and Acrobatics 19 Mint.; Full Stags rifUi Av. Male acrobat and ground tumbler, bskisted by two women, one rather young. The girls open the act with a double skirt dance in ballet Vresses. the steps being reminiscent tod the dancing In unison similar lo the English balleta. The man la Eton Jacket follows and the three exhibit an assortment of acro- batics and ground tumbling, with the male handling'most of the lat- ter. One of his flash tricks was a forward and backward hand-walk up a ladder built two high with tables and chairs. While he is per- tonnlng the girls postnre and dance fcbout the stage gracefully. For- ward and backward somersaults Were novelly infroduced by using a jocking chair as a prop. One girl back-bends across the stage. All three are neat workers, run- Wng through the roatine with grace •nd speed. it's an Interesting JPener for any of the vaudeville *^"«- Con. EVANS, REYNOLDS and KAY •ongs and Dances 1« Mins.; One American Roof Two girls, bloiid and brunot. and a boy. The dark girl and boy oi>en wUh a flirtation number topped off ^itb a dance. She exits for a ^stumc change and to allow for a double .stepping bit by the male member :\r,i\ ^ther girl. He follows '^Ith solo soft shoe work, upon the oonjplotion of which the-blon.l tgkes fP the J.uiJfn wiih a iiiinee »]n-- cialty. The brunet is given an op- portunity vocally with a publishe<l Jjumbor. with more dMneing by the m '^^^^ '^ dance linish by all tliree. The trio was plaoed No. 2 at the Ainoric.iM. They cm go a!ong in "^e f.imc i::r,Hle of hills in that sf)ot. The hoy is the h'.a.lin^' worker. He P^ts rtal effort into his «lanpiTUT. A« much can not be said of the Knt complcxioned young woman, ihe biunet di.«»plays animation. I Hart. NEW SHOWS THIS WEEK 19 tolr« consisted of old favorites. Several request encores from the house and a speech made it pos- sible for Pcdeslriani.sm to close. Th« Wilson Aubrey Trio, a three- man comedy bar act, oi>ened the show smoothly, the men getting ap- plause on swings and flying from bar to bar. the flash being a dislo- cation swing by one member. Madelon and Paula Miller, two girls, deuced. The Misses Miller dance« play piano and violin and sing. The dances got them most. The pianist in a piano solo showed technique and clever Angering touch. A double acrobatic skirt dance and a waltz clog were the best of the dance contributions. Con. RIVERSIDE "Everybody Step!" was the watch- 1 word Monday night. Three of the five acts in the first half hdiofed in* more or le.s.s degrees an<l all three of the second stanza exercised their pedal extremities—a total of six out of eight acts dancini? on one bill. Tliat does not make for much vari- ety, the sameness becoming evident even to the laymen, some, of whctm remarked about it. One became so fed up on the terps that they will probably stick to one for a long time. Every manner .nnd form of stepping was indulged in—classical, jazz, eccentric, acrobatic, Russian. Oriental and other.s. The KiverBide was a debut house for thre^ of the. turns. Jack Rose admitted having playeff every other Keith houue except this—maybe they're toj particular up here, he said—but was forced in as an added starter to sub for Gordon Dooley and Alan Coogan. out through knee injury to one of the team. Rose was No. 4 and proved an exceedingly bright interlude, jazzing things up considerably with his "nuti.sras." .Jimmy Steiger accompanying at the baby grand is now on the ro.strum. ?'ornrverly he worked in the trench as liose's sole accompanist. He is more of a straight than an ivory tickler, although he did the feeding formerly also to a le.sser degree. The changes in Rose's methods are obvious. He still breaks a half dozen straw hats and still "nuts' and clowns un- ashamiedly and unaffectedly, but there is finesse in his methods now. Ratner. should one say technique? His delivery and manner of selling him.self are technical to a degree. Sometimes it becomes obviously brazen and bold, such as the re- peated repetition of the song title "Maybe Its All for the Best," which they plug and which Steiger or Rose or both have a royalty finger in, but withal there is a delicacy about his antics that is refreshing. He is a buffoon, a "low* 'comedian throughout, yet he has set up a re- serve that suggests gray matter be- hind the high jinks. Heretofore he strove too heartily and obviously to be the unadulterated monkey food, and, while always clicking pretty, the final impression was not as laudatory as now. He was an un- quaMfieU wow from entrance to exit, stopping the show. Bezazian and White, immediately preceding (No. 3), are also new to this house and the entire big time as well. It is a straight singing and musical mixed combination that has a bit of "class" not found in every sort of frameup of this kind. In- stead of billing themselves phono- graph singers, as formerly, a thing that has become ordinary of late anyway, and in which they are prob- ably unknown to half the audience, Bezazian is programed as former leading baritone of Venice, Brindisi and New Orleans, although his pro- fessional associations by name would be the more impressing. Miss White is recallable as a Columbia disk trumpet artist. She is pro- gramed as "famous trumpeter solo- ist, formerly with Pryor's Band." The song routine is to the better class. There is a fervor about Bc- zazian's vocalizing that impresses, his rendition of "Dreams of Long Ago," announced as compo.sed by Enrico Caruso, proving doubly in- teresting. The audience reacted ap- propriately, tensing itself to gauge the departed tenor's proficiency as a composer, i?omething for which he was not at all given credi/ Caruso wrote a number of better clar bal- lads that would credit any com poser Miss White's in.strumental work was delicately muted and gauged to aural appeal. The obbli- gato on the trumpet to Bezazians •Just a Song at Twilight" was fetching. .. ,. . The third act to make its lirst aj)- pear.mce at the Riverside, and its second week stand in a big time house, was "The Come P.aeks." It plaved the Bushwiek last wei^k. It is the Hockey .fe (Ire. n seeoml ec.i- tioji of their "Minstrel Mon.irchs. ^ the first of a cycle of "<»M timers acts that are now on tlje Ijoards. "The Come Barks" is a'miii ^trel re- '••v.'j! •)v*^H»»n"^'^ by .losenh N'.Nor- cross '(inierlofutor) and James B. nradlev. CeorRe W. Cuniilnj^bam. Al JOdwarils and Kddie Uoran. Nor- eross hs.s passed {ff^and the others are all over f»0. (;eor;e. \V. Cunn-.ti^h'ini. an acro- batic steptH'i-. «li0:e h.ad hrid-ing. iiin-ups nnd Keneral l;no(lsal«.nts wculd eiedir a mu^h vounKor man. is .^ai.l to be tuliy VK A few hun- dred ff^ct of film pr(f e les tlic turn. It if* a show manly introduction and a convincing appeal. The second half was all dancmg. Marga Waldron, wbo was .^o heart- ily appreciated at the Palace last week, spotted in exactly the same position (reopening after intermis- sion), did not seem to click so well, possibly because of the dancing preceding. At that she impressed heavily, as did (Jeorgo Halprin with his efforts at the piano. Miss Wal- dron alternates with her accompan- ist in dance and piano solos, she doing four numl>ers and he three. In addition to differentiating each tyije of number by title a little extra billing has been added, including crettits to I*orta Povitch for the dance creations and arrangements. Jack Donahue, who danced and gagged, next to closing, got as much either way. His style of working impresses as "different" and origi- nal. There is a glibness about his carefully studied repetition of the same phrase, using three or four .synonym.s until he reaches the cx.act correct word he wants, that is re- freshing, and his stepping is of a similar high par. He doe.-^ some Ragging aiM>uL golf. His (Oriental dance travesty took him off to an ovation. The burlesque stepping about evened things. Kverybody seemed to be Oriental dancing on the bill. The opening net (Jean and White) and MiSH Waldron. preceding l^na- hue, did i . and a big slice of it was yet to come when Princess Radjah wiggled a few. The Princess gets away with as bold a "cooch" as was ever un- leashed on the natives, in and out of family audiences. The opening act and thi.s act were excellent illustrations of what would not he tolerated in burlesque and yet gets a clean t>ill of health in vaudeville or production. The Princess' p. a. has contrived a fieat little program paragraph about the Cleopatra dance, explaining she permits a sn.ike to bite her beautiful and wicked self in renwirse of what she did when she made a mark of An- tony. "This may be* a plausible ex- cuse to illustrate a paroxysm of death for vaudeville. The conclud- in: chair dance number, the piece of fumittire gripped in Radjah's teetli. was a flashy getaway, hold- ing them in nicely despite the late hour. The act as an audience grip- per for a closing turn Iosch very few. The Oriental dance, of course, has a certain appeal that commands attention, what with the live snake's and the dancer's wiggles. Jean and White opened. It looks like a mixed dance team, in reality being a man and a female imper- sonator. It fooled the house com- pletely, the personation being in- fallible. The duo opens with a waltz double, each soloing alter- nately. The "girl" did a Spanish and Oriental number, the latter be- ing in the nature of a snake dance, wiggling "her" arms in semblance of the writhing reptile. The arms were so "wavy" and wriggling, re- sembling the snake close enough to win an individual round of applause in commendation. The concluding "Dance of the Toys" winds up In a position similar to that which Ade- laide and.Hughes use in their num- ber. Weyth and Winn twiced with a song-dance-musical routine. the woman impressing strongest as "full of i>ep" and personality. She is a bard worker and stands out in everything she does. The man is excellent counter-ballast with the straight ballad singing, letting out toward the end with the harmonica and guitar "blues.^ Abel. STATE A bright and breezy layout for the first half of the week. Not espe- cially strong on vigorous comedy, but well varied as to material and all undiluted specialty. The five acts and picture incidentals, '"They Like •Em Rough." with Viola Dana, a two-reel comedy and news reel, make up an entertainment of more than three hours without becoming tiresome. The Wonder Seal makes a capital opener. The lone animal does a number of novel feats. Every time it completes a trip It gets back on its pedestal and slaps Its flippers together In a manner of making ap- plause for Itself, a performance that never failed to get a response and a laugh. The stunt of walking on the front fins with the body erect, like a do^ wrilUing on its foreleRS, has an <xid slant, and the finish with the animal playing "My Coun- tr.v, 'Tis of Thee" on a series of hoiiis is a great applause curtain. Ethel Keller and Her Chum.s make an engaging trio, two young women and a man. They have a last routitie, wi:h frequent change of ma- terial and variation of pace. All three sing agreeably, one of the girls plays the planf). and Miss Kel- l«'r shakes a spriglitly foot in burk ;iM<1 wing and like .stepjung. Besides whieh. the tenor does several eatrhy r.ig numbers on the saxophanc. They don't do tuuch of any one thi/ig. but go from .short bit to sh'jrt itit to another lirief .'«pe<:i.iit3', aii'l th** fre.|tjeiit shift makes for speed and .•fu'^tained intnrest. The .iazz fin;,'in.,' trio, witli .Mi.***' KHler's ani- mated .'■teiipiiig. msd*' H liist rate l:nish. Harry White, in tlie ' swe]l eoon" ^< typ and b]..rkf;u'e. got the usual I)erccntag" ot lauuhs with bis mon- ejoj: (.n n-u-itrinionial topifs aft^^r the mann«T, of a *Ho7.en .sintrb- fomedi- ans, but it wa.s bis topi''"! 'Straw- berries' tiong th.it got liini the most, with the orchestra men breaking In for eflfectfl from time to time. He won a genuine encore, for which he used the devio« of the rhymed hash. He rln^s in a change on this famil- iar bit by stringing the lines and meter of familiar versos on a B<^rt of burlesqued story, but it's a poor contrivance at best, and worn pretty threadbare. Henry R Toomer and Co., with Franklyn Ardell's former vehicle, "The Wife Saver," came nearer to being the comedy punch of the bill than anyone else. The sketch gets off to a good start with Toomer's patter as an auctioneer and the business with the supposedly deaf and dumb stenographer is rich in amusing twists. Toomer plays the kidding role with a vast amount of unction and makes his low comedy effective without crude buffoonery or horseplay. The thing could be heavily overdone, but "Toomer es- capes that pitfall. Kranz and White go In for ad lib- blng and make it amusing. The con- &;tant play on the pun "I asked the waitress what kind of vegetables they had and she told me cauli- flower, so I said geranium," finally worked up Into laughs, and the business in tlic orchestra trench was well received. If the pair had called it a day five minutes sooner they would have left a better score be- hind. As it was they overdid it in 22 minutes. This running time in- cluded the encore in the orchestra pit and it was that added bit that overstayed. The encore was genu- ine enough, but the players took ad- vantage of it to overstay. The straight musical specialty of Dan Caslar and the Beasley Twins took a chance going on last, an acid test for an act of the sort. But they got away with It handsomely by vir- tue of expert showmanship. (Taslar is a conspicuously able musician and made the piano a feature Instead>of an incidental. The trio has a wealth of material to draw from. In addi- tion to Caslar's work on the Ivories, the two personable girls play bril- liantly on their violins, dance a little and sing agreeably. No single num- ber is long and they are quickly out of one specialty bit and into an- other, another Illustration of the trick of speed. The numbers run to the lighter standard selections, with an occasional adventure into rag. but It's all done In fast manner, even if there is no evidence of haste. Therein lies the explanation of its effectiveness, even at the end of a sprightly specialty bill. Bu9h, AMERICAN ROOF One of the beat layouts of the sumipcr at the American the first half, with the bill comprised of standard acts, several of which had played the house previously. Tues- day evening business was 'all that could be desired on the Roof. Following a comedy picture the vaudeville section secured Its start with Helen Miller, a xylophone player. Miss Miller presents the negulation routine of numbers and works rapidly. Her efforts proved acceptable, with Mack and Reading, a man and woman toam. assigned No. 2. The male member failed with his comedy efforts, the winnings of the act being credited to his part- ner with her vocal endeavors and dancing. The act needs freshening up, as many of the gags have worn out their usefulness. Received but lightly, the couple made way for a two-man sketch presented by Mal- loy and Cowell. Based on a crook idea, it hammers home some telling blows and is topped off with a sure- fire recitation. Sketches during the warm weather are a rarity at this hou.se. These two boys, both of whom had appeared there before in the same vehicle, gave the needed punch to the spot. Jane Creen and Jimmy Blyler. one of the features of the bill, ap- peared No. 4. Miss (jlreen had things her own way with the comedy numbers. Tlio audience would have accepted more and appreciated them. The couple gathered one of the first half hits. Zaxa, Adele and Co.. a dancing act. clo.sed the early section. The combination displays exceptional Improvement and car- ried the spot with*case. The couple disi)lay creative ability In th« ir dance work, with the act kept well a^vay from the l^eneral run of turns of this order. l*'lo Iting opcn'^d after intfrmlj^- sinn with a song cycb*. Mi.ss Kini: has got away from the pub- lished variety*, of nninlM rs an<l buihis up her vo<:al work witli at- tractive co.'^tume chrinifes made be- fore the au<li«rice. Mi.s.s Ring on- tinue.il to emidoy a song jiluKKer. who to'ik 1IJ) an ;.l>undaii';" of time at the flni.sh of Iwr tegular routine Tuesday evening. He was permit- ted to sing two nunibers In :in up- l»er box, tlw i(;tnrns for whieh were of large proi.ortlons. outdoing tlio i»»f\louH (-ffort-s of the single. • 'i'lie romedy sm.'ish of the evenirig f)ceurred with the I''arrell-Tayl<»r Trill, «CM Olid afli-r iiiltri m!.s.>>i«>n. This t.vpieil variety offering gnth- ere<l in rirturns frojn start to finish. The strong eomefly returns gaNied by this eoitibination riiade it ditfleult for Keii.'ird and W'v t, who Irilloued. The lalt'T act was tiw third in suece.^sion to us»- the t-arn'- lK)Use dioji. which also f liled t«» j'r'<\e an aid. Nit R.-ti'Md worked diligently with liis coni»dy, luid- inu the gaKs ii rapid fir-- order. Mi.xs West upi)eanMj to advantage In two costunK,« ;ind di.spiayed a winsomeness i feeding her c(»me- dian partner, which proved a strong factor in favor of the team. Sev- eral verses of a comedy number were demanded of the couple at the finish and let them off lo one of the evening's iiits. The closing turn employed a r>tage card carrying the name (Uadiaturs. The paper outside the theatre car- ried the name Adroid Brothers. The aet generally known as tho Gladiators includes two mon with a routine of axe wielding. The act closing the American show consisted of two men with a hand-balancing routine. The act held the attention in the late spot. Hart, 81 ST ST. Business took a brace in the neighborhood houses Monday eve- ning, when rain topped off the tor- rid day. The 81st Street secured its share of patronage, the upper Broadway house making a corking showing on that occa.«»ion. A show that built up strongly as It pro- gressed dismissed all thoughts of the heat from the minds of the pa- trons, who on several occasions came forth with genuine applause and gave the performance all the earmarks of mids<>ajson. Bob and Tip, featuring an edu- cated canine, opened the bill. The combination is one of several years* standing and a capable opener. The turn started proceedings nicely, with Will and Gladys Ahearn taking things in hand No. 2. Miss Ahearn supplied a flash with her Spanish costume, with her partner easily gaining attention with a qt^et linu of chatter in conjunction with his rope spinning. Ahearn's Russian steps in the rope and the double dauce work at the finish left them off in good style. "Are You '•larrled?" a fast com- edy sketch, was No. S. The vehicle has several laughs and a number of twists. The principal role is capably pkiced in the hands of Lew Hunting, with Jeanne Klliott the only woman member. Francis R. Morey, Anthony J. Burger and Roy Applegate give creditable performances in charac- ter roles. The audience laughed heartily at the sketch, which has the lightness necessary for the warm wearber. One of the applause hits of the evening was credited to Olga and Alan i'arado (New Acts), who fol- lowed, with Jack CahiU and l>oa Romalne, In the next to closing po- sition, walking away with comedy honors. The boys entered with a rush. Landed with a bang and had the audience in the palm of their hand all the while. Margaret Severn and the Canslnos (New Acts) closed the vaudeville section Immensely. UarU FIFTH AVE. Business at the Fifth Ave. con- tinues to hold up. Give them any kind of an excuse and they will park back of the ropes. Tuesday night It was just cool enough to coax them In. The bill also deserves plenty of credit, for the eight nets sent them away advertising the show. Neatly all of the acts were big timers and shot In by the neighbor- hood bookers, who give them real bills In the summer time, when they can buy them reasonably. (JIadys and Venn*, two girls in a hand to hand acrobatic routine, ^^et.a match under the applause keg and exploded themselves into one of the hits of the season for an opening act. They can repeat at the Palace. Jay and Milt Britton next passed nicely with piano, violin, saxo- phone, trombone playing and danc- ing. One member attempts vocal- Ir.ing. but do<sn't get past the "a." The boys finish with an impression of Ted I..ewis jdayin^f a "blues." Tho impresfion runs for the end Ixx-k. Tarzan. the animal ini|>ersonator. fooled nearly everyorje with his • monk Impersonation. Much comedy was gleaived from his tftorts to get at the drummer in the jilt who w;u» working the traps. Judging by l!ie commentB, they believed it nt this house. The trainer helped shrewdly with his "cueing" and Hhowmanship. ■ Frances Aims, a tulented "single,** followed and whanged them heav- ily. When Frances quit the outfield- •ers were leg weary. A radio concert song blea allowed Interp<jlutlon.s of cliaraeteriration Including Irish, "back yaud tenor's Yodle and burlesque (ii>era. Miss Arms is e.m- stantly itnprovin^ and app*ai's about ready for the fa.slest comparjy. She Is wisely doing but little of the "cakiu" stuff. H«r forte is rhar icter songs. A coujde of specials would about cinch h«'r for a big time route. Jimmy Duffy and Mr. Sweeney (New Aelh> f.dlowed. The pair h.ave reunil«>d after a se ison's absen< e. The old Dulfy and Sweney routine ' is the structure for the turn with all of the former sure lire stuff and some n"W f onr^'dy busliiea. They found soft Koing here and should re- peat In a spot oh any of the big ^inie • 'ni?«. Duffy pnd .Sweenf y are oiie of the real brifcfht different cmedy arli of the j>rei>enl eiu. The Slajs of Ve.sterday iitok their usual ovation at the curtain which followed the speeiaUies of Llzaile Wilson. Coiinne, Joe Sullivan, Bar- ney Fa(:r'in atid (Jus William'*. The vtt'-iMns are a plp»' for anywli'-rrt as far as upi»l 5U.-e i.-» concerned, and ran true to form here. M<1 Klei' held the n*>xt to closing assignnwiit a^jainst all coiners. Kb^e ba.s a new dres.'^ing scheme, appear* ing in a loud check coat, black tux-