Variety (September 1922)

1L VARIETY Friday, September 8, 1922 PAINTED SCENERY FABRICS FOR ACTS, PRODUCTIONS AND THEATRES WE OWN AND OPERATE OUR OWN PAINTING AND DRAPERY 8TUDI08 AN© CARPENTER 8H0P8 AND OFFER YOU A PERFECT SERVICE. 177 North State Street 'Quality Is Paramount With Us 9t THE FABRIC STUDIOS, INC., CHICAGO CORRESPONDENCE The cities under Correspondence in this issue ef Variety ere • ■ follows, and on pages: BALTIMORE 33 BUFFALO 34 CHICAGO 28 DENVER 36 INDIANAPOLIS 32 KANSAS CITY 32 L08 ANGELES 38 MONTREAL 37 PITTSBURGH A 33 ROCHESTER 32 SAN FRANCISCO 30 SYRACUSE 36 VANCOUVER 37 WASHINGTON 37 All matter In Corr?M|»ondence refers to rurrent work onless otherwise Indicated. CHICAGO VARIETY'S OFFICE Htute-Lake Theatre Bids. CHICAGO One of the most beautiful theatres in America dedicated to conjinuiAis vaudeville opened Its doors with t&is new policy Thursday of last week. Since Thursday the theatre-Koinjj: public has appreciated this change. und Monday a waiting line extended the length of both sidewalks leading to the Majestic. The Majestic is peculiarly located. It is three blocks from any competi- tion one way and five blocks the other way. It is right in the heart of the shopping district, yet on a street which is just a shade off the busiest sort ion. TWb theatre was closed for four days, in which time it was remod- eled for a pop house, with five per- formances a day, with each act do- ing four shows, ten acts booked to a bill and eight acts working to a shift. A new lighting scheme was installed, which gives this house the 'flash which it now requires. The lobby was repainted and additional display signs were put in, with the walls of the lobby heavily spotted with powerful bulbs. A booth was also put in the outside lobby, where tickets are sold. The foyer and in- side lobby were done over, with rails to keep the flies of patrons. The inside of the theatre underwent al- teration, with the mezzanine having the boxes removed and chairs In- EUGENE COX SCENERY 1734 Ogden Avenue CHICAGO rhone Heeler 3*01 Ask: HARRY and KITTY SUTTON <2% STAGE SHOES EVERYTHING Immediate Delivery. Single Fair or Production Orders. SEND FOR CATALOO. AISTONS, Inc. Stevens Bids.. 17 No. State St., Chicago "ELI," the Jeweler TO THE PROFESSION Special Discount to Performers WHEN IN CHICAGO State-Lake Theatre Bids*. Ground floor stalled to give it a larger seating capacity. it has a wide range to draw its patrons from. The house is scaled at 40 cents top on holidays and Sat- urday and Sunday, while the former second balcony is now called the family circle at 10 cents. The Majestic gets its five shows by running the first one two hours, the second one hour and 50 minutes, the next two one hour and 55 min- utes, and the last show one hour and 50 minutes. This running time in- cludes the picture, shown in con- ( junction with the vaudeville. Whoever is responsible for turning | the i Majestic into a continuous vaudeville house is entitled to a lot of credit so far. for the house is operating to capacity. The employes are a courteous and efficient bunch, who present a neat appearance. The opening bill for the first full week started with Bell and Wood, who danced their way through 12 minutes of fast moving time. They are neatly costumed and have a well arranged routine. Dunlay and Mer- rill, man and woman, who popped up ever, so often in the continuous houses in the past few years, deuced it with the same act that originally identified them. The woman clings to her entrance of wearing galooshes, which gets a long laugh. Chatter and songs round out their offering, which could be exchanged. They sell their wares well, but -even the funniest of things grow tire- '•>me at times. "The Nine Nana- nees," with Harry Field as Ithe teacher, was a fresh bit of acting, although it is a school act with the structure of the old stuff which grew boresome. The act has four men and four women who sing and kid around. They all worked hard with the half wit. Two girls doing a duct got the most attention. The half wit is a classic bit of perform- ing. The girls are all in short dress and half socks. Fields, a teacher of the old school, is effec- tive in his scenes. Lillian Gonne and Co. of a maid took her scene of "Merry Christ- mas" out of tho musical comedy, "Broadway Brevities," and has been serving it since in vaudeville. Miss tionne is a diminutive personality with blonde hair and tough talk that tickles the audience. Husk O'Hara and his musicians, which he bills as the "Ten Peacock Strutters," played a program of 10 numbers O'Hara presides at the piano and uses a platform on which he has four of hi« musicians. The aggregation was at the College Inn UNIVERSAL SCENERY THE BEST YOUR MONEY CAN BUY CASH PAYMENTS UNIVERSAL SCENIC ARTIST STUDIOS, Inc. I,. P. I.ARSKN. Munaging 7\rt Director 626 State-Lake Bldg. Phone Dearborn 1776 CHICAGO BETTER THAN THE BEST SHOW IN TOWN FRED MANN'S RAINBO GARDENS CLARK at LAWRENCE. Continuous Dancing — Vaudeville. I rmik Ml Ori li»-»tr.« ilillciir 111. it n. li. N it, I.v.t.t I rnlin ANDERSON-IRELAND STUDIOS —OF— DRAMATIC ART AND DANCING VauJovJle acts produced ami Staffed. Instruction In dramatic art anl alt ijr/inchos FRANCES ROWENA ANDERSON FREDERICK J. IRELAND Auditorium Building CHICAGO Tel.: Wabash 5833 P for a stay and this is their first try at vaudeville. For the house It is a good buy as a drawing card, but as a vaudeville act O'Hara will have to bow gracefully out to those bands who have appeared in vaudeville and hereabouts. The band is sim- ply a bunch of fellows who play dance music, and at that they do not take any medals for rhythm or catchy strains. Most of the bands have specially orchestrated music which smooths out any handicap when there is one, but O'Hara's music was Just music, just dance music, and at that many dance hall bands have outdone O'Hara. He leads his band with little pomp: in fact, the rhythmatic swaying of hia body was the only tempo he gave. Will and Mary Rogers strolled on fifth and engaged in a crossfire of the incidents that took place when they were married. Miss Rogers covered her work with modesty that affected her voice to the point where she spoke with such softness it was difficult to get her share of the com- edy. Their act la a mild bit of vaudeville, meant for just a pastime and is not taken seriously. Roy I„a Fearl next to shut with his plant comedy, with the two "Wops." giVes them plenty of chance to get into the good graces of the audience, and this they do. The one who Spring* on the stage for a bit of singing threatened to hold up the show. La Pearl Isn't absent, either, for he does talking and singing. Maud Ellet and Co. in strong jaw and aerial work closed the show. Both of the women are experts in their work and draw concentrated interest on their stunts. Melnotte Duo and Fries and Wilson not seen at this show. cast manages to place the act as one of the "high spots" of the show. Closing the show and following Breen was La Bernlce and an octette of classical dancing maids. The turn is a big flash offering well staged costumed and scenic-ally em- bellished with all of the members of it being adept exponents of classical terpsechore. ' Elizabeth Brlce and Dorothea Sad- dller did not appear at this perform- ance. It is a real hokum bill at the State-Lake with hokum sprinkled in liberal quantities throughout the program. ''Hokum" at this house is the most appetizing sort of enter- tainment that can be offered, and at the holiday matinee it was very evident that it kept the capacity audience in good spirits and had them in spasms of laughter when- ever it was shot forth. Some of the hoke pulled is of generations ago, while others of it is more recent, but. all in all, It was of that scintil- lating low comedy and slip stick type of humor that is always bound to hit the "bulls-eye" with a con- tinuous audience. For good meas- ure in the hokum line seen at this show was the old reliable Harry Breen. Breen added to what had already been pushed out his tried and true monolog and rhyme and at the same time surprised all by showing something new in his act— a pair of white flannel trousers. But with Breen it seems that he need never add much new material to his • staple offering, for the old boys that he has been launching at audiences for years and years still manage to bring home the bacon and sent him off the stage as a solid'hit —he accomplished all of this at the matinee^ performance. Opening the bill were Jennier Brothers who performed an amaz- ing and thrilling routine of stunts on the trapeze. They consume an even five minutes In their work and not a second of that time is wasted fo rail of their tricks are performed in rapid succession with practically no waits between tricks for ap- plause. In the "deuce" spot Jack Hanley with his comedy Juggling turn farced mighty well. Hanley Is no new comer here, but from the manner he was received there is no doubt that he can play here at very frequent intervals. In the "trey" spot Bob Ferns, aided by^. a young juvenille and a pretty and vivacious ingenue goes through a score of talk, song and dance In a comedy skit which has for its subject the leasing of an apartment, with the episodes inter- ( rupted by songs and dances. The I theme dialog is smart and snappy and with the interpolation by Ferns of a number of real low comedy and hokum gags the offering gets over in most accentable manner. Following Ferns were Creedon nnd Davis, a rotund nnd portly man and a wisp of a blonde woman. Just who they are and what they can do is still to be conjured. From what they did do not much could be gleaned outside of the fact that they grouped a bunch of low comedy talk around the fact that they were both singing off key. This Is not sufficient nucelous for a substantial turn for the three a day houses and on In the fourth spot this couple took as neat and clean a ''Brody" as has been witnessed in a long time. for the man is not a coine-li m and the woman displays nothing i«> merit her appearance as a foil for him or anyone else. Then camo Joseph Herbert. Jr., and Company, two men and a wom- an, in a comedy skit with songs and dance, "The Doves." This Herbert vehicle, is replete with comedy sit- uations' all of which score and Her- bert aided by an efficient supporting That the future of the Palace is assured as far as being the only big- time local house of the Orpheum Circuit was evidenced by the capac- ity business on the hottest Sunday night of the season. Not a breath of air, but nevertheless not a vacant niche *.a this house. For a straight vaudwille program the Palace has the field all to itself, but neverthe- less there were a number of big names adorning the lights in front of the house to bring in the heavy patronage. No doubt the folks that did come in were cognizant of the fact that they were going_to see dancing in every shape, manner and form. Headlining was Florence Walton, and surrounding her on the bill were a score of pedal clatters, who num- bered Bill Robinson, Caits Brothers. Little Billy, the Anatol Friedland Revue. In all of these turns there was a bit of hoofing at some spot or other, with the result that when J. Francis Dooley came on in the sixth spot and made some reference to the hoofing that had preceded his turn the response from the audience showed that they were more than cognizant of this fact. The show-stopping honors on this bill will go to Williams and Wolfus, who were next to closing, with their "Soup-to-Nuts" comedy offering, and Caits Brothers, who were the first of the hoofing fraternity to ap- pear in the deuce spot. The balance of the turns were cordially received, but it seemed that the heat some- what retarded the use of digets in the approbation of the other turns. Opening the show were the Stan- ley Brothers, with gymnastic and equilibristic feats. This team have a startling and Interesting routine of tricks, but they seem to sort of work listlessly at times, with the impression getting about that they are stalling, resulting in the audi- ence getting a bit nervous even this early In the proceedings. No doubt plenty of stamina is used by the boys in rendering their offering, but they could get It all over more quickly and leave a better impres- sion than they do if they were to put a bit of snap into their faultless work. Caits Brothers, on next with a smattering of comedy talk and an abundance of stepping, moped up clean with their offering, stopping the show, leaving the mob in a most receptive state for Aanatol Fried- land and his revue. The Friedland turn, however, does not seem to be able to cope with the situation, for Friendland appears to have become a bit negligent regarding the placing of his routine. The entire routine Is presented in autonomon fashion, with not a bit of "pep" or a high spot to be seen at any time. The turn is a duplication of his last sea- son's offering, with his musical di- rector failing to qualify in his en- deavor to put over a plug number which is featured in the turn. Friedland has a nice-looking group of girls, who are magnificently cos- tumed, but Just do not seem to get anywhere otherwise. The turn la one of the flash order, and with Frledland's reputation should be one of the "pace-setters" for turns of its kind, but as constituted and ar- ranged at present it just don't seem to register. Coming after Friedland was Bill Robinson. Bill tore things wide open with his hoofing. On the heels of Robinson came the headline turn —Miss Walton—with a different variety of terpaichore. Miss Wal- ton's repertoire consists of three numbers with her dancing partner, Leon Leitrim—the Walton trot, Viennese Waltz and a one-step Whirl.—besides a melody she singe on the opening "I Say It While Dancing." It is very apparent that the audience, though approving of the stepping of Miss Walton and her partner, are still more receptive toward "Jazz" stepping than they are toward the artistic and ballroom maneuvers. Miss Walton's costum- ing, the scenic embellishment of the offering and the musical accom- paniment of Messrs. Smolen and Retlas are commendable parts. It seems as though her appearance here this week is a bit early in the season, for Chcago's elite and smart set. who know much of Miss Walton and her work, are among those re- ported missing at this time of the year from Chicago and its environs. Dooley and Sales in their 1922 edition of "Will Yer Jim" are still prime favorites here. ' Dooley found his position much to his liking, for he had the first opportunity to sprinkle comedy talk about and did it with telling effect. The repartee tickled the hungry mob out front, with the result that they thoroughly digested in most hearty fashion all that was offered them by this team. Little Billy, aided by James T. Burke at the piano, disposed of hia nifty offering of songs, recitation EDDIE CANTOR PHOTOGRAPHED THIS SEASON Br StATC LAKC »L»* » CH.CAOQ cr«*tj* Floor S M sJ S S S I Ksadolps Sasj Coats Remodeled in One Week Into dolman* snd wrap* of latust stria. We Abo clean, glaze sad rellns with silk for $10. ORDER YOUR FURS NOW! 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