Variety (September 1922)

Friday, September 29, 1022 NEW SHOWS THIS WEEK 21 the people entering from the ehip. The old customs' examination stuff was there. Imhof and Barry did the comedy of searching the women passengers. The bit ran 25 minutes and could be cut to 10, if retained at all •'Jawing the Alphabet" followed. It is a musical number led by May Myers and Daisy Harris as school kids, with the girls also as kiddles, in front of a huge slate, pleasing, but with music not of the lilting order. None of the music was of the kind to whistle as you went out. •There's Many a Sllpj etc., showed a spiritualist's parlor with a cellar underneath. Barry was en- gaged to rap on the floor when he got the signals from a red or green light. A trick staircase was used and strenuous attempts made for laughs, but the thing dragged along for 16 minutes and is one of the scenes that probably was left here. "Isle of You," an Egyptian musi- cal, by Florence Talbott and Law- rence Sullivan and the girls, 'failed to make much of an impression. Imhof. Coreene and Lancaster ap- peared in the old travesty, "Rail- road Crossing, Look Out for the Train." billed as the "World's Worst Melodrama." Imhof got a number of laughs with his quips on union labor and railroad affairs, but it was past 11 and the bunch were getting uneasy. The act ran 20 minutes— L'O minutes too long. A number led by Miss Budd. with the girls as firmercttes. was introduced and could be retained. The big costume flash of the eve- ning was nest, Florence Talbott in- troducing seven models in the most gorgeous creation*, mostly feathers, seen here f.»r,a long time. It was a treat for the women :ind will cause talk. A short bit by Barry, Lan- caster and the Barr Twins based on ili*- remarkable likeness of the girls, the men mistaking one for the other, can bo made a scream when the twins become accustomed to speaking lines and can hold up their part of the rapid lire stuff. The interior of a cabaret was the < .using, and after a little comedy «tufl\ ordering a dinner, etc.. by Barry and the Bans, the principals of the company entered and were introduced by Mr. Imhof. the girls appearing for the finale in dazzling white short dresses and patent leather hats. In this May Myers appeared in a yodeling number and Edna Covey an acrobatic dance. Imhof in trying to give the patrons their money's worth of en- tertainment has too much show, and much cutting must be done, at least an hour must be gained. This can easily be done and will be, which will leave the entertainment a much better one than when first offered. The program gives Ceorge H. Stoddard credit for the scenes, Frederick O. Uerendoen, the lyrics, and Dan Dody, the production of the numbers. Hughe*. a thrill, the thrill coming at the finale, when she finds love. The epi- sodes Include almost any sort of thing that was available, showing Chinatown, a Hawaiian bathing beach, a sheik's tent, a courtroom, Wall Street, a hotel corridor, etc. The one outstanding howl of the unit as It stands consists of six men in the cast (Oluck. Dodge, Barnes. Chase, Baggett and Byron) in the Hawaiian beach scene, when they emerge from the surf as six nonde- script tramps in tattered clothes and comedy makeups, one being the old burlesque Jewish type. They work in pantomime in a travesty on in- terpretive and esthetic dancing, do- ing it gracefully enough to avoid crudeness. They do the stuff about as well as the average chorus sup- porting a soloist, and the Pipes of Pan, the Spring Song and all the rest of the stuff just knocked the house cold. It was well that the house howled hilariously, because when it quieted down it was done howling for the evening. The vaudeville acts do not fit at all well into the tab. The Gardiner Trio is doing a tough job well and apparently is about the only factor in the casting of .the production that Gaites seems satisfied with, together with Sorel and Gluck on the dancing end, who are doing a whale of a Job and^nay later dominate the show. If Gaites can get laughs and mu- sic into "Gimme a Thrill" he will have something to be proud of. As it stands, it is a big but unbalanced dollar's worth that is not worthy of Gaites. There la a lot to be done and the probability is that Gaites will do It. >- l.ibbcy. GIMME A THRILL Boston, Sept. 27. The Joseph M. Gaites unit has been a long time in the making and last Saturday it was in such ragged shape that orders from New York reached Gaites In Fall Biver not to play the Majestic, Boston, until whipped into shape. The Boston billing, including newspaper copy, subway posters, location cards, had all gone out. Gaites flatly refused to cancel Boston In favor of the "Bitz Girls." "I've got a reputation at stake, too." said Gaites, "and I'm willing to play Boston billed as a Joseph M. Gaites show." And he did! The Monday matinee was rather ragged, but Monday night went along without a break, the perform- ance being raced through at high tension to a well filled house that seemed satisfied but not enthusi- astic. Tuesday afternoon, when Gaites left for New York for two days, his frame of mind was in fa- vor of a lay-off after this week and some recasting, even if it required buying off at least one of his vaude- ville team contracts. He is emphatic in his attitude of not wanting to go into New York under his own name unless the unit is at least above average. The Gaites show as it stands rep- resents enough investment in scen- ery, costumes, orchestration and salary contracts to guarantee him no profit for the season, even if the unit draws well. He apparently started off to do a real job, with no storehouse stuff, an original score and a pretentious production, and when he found the proposition get- ting away from him as regards rea- sonable financial limitations along a dollar circuit, he just said, "I'm go- iug through regardless." As it stands it lacks melodies and real comedy. There is hardly a real, up-from-the-depths belly laugh in the entire 90 minutes. Kverything else he has. A 16 chorus that not "nly can work but will, a book of unlimited possibilities, a wild splash in snappy costumes, a kaleidoscopic scenic Investiture that seemingly never stops, perpetual action—the J)ity of it is that the music is so doleful and the eomed\ so hopeless. His <.iMt comprises the Tip Top Four, Gene Karnes and Co., Byron "id Langdon, Harbert and Baggett and Borel and Gluck, all .showing as vaudeville acts, and the Gardiner Trio. The vaudeville closes the show, the opening W) minutes being straight musical comedy tab. The plot involves episodes show- ing vhe quest of Beauty In "search of MIDNITE REVELS Chicago, bvpt. 27. Henry Hush" Dixon has arrived as a Bhuberi unit producer with his 'Midnite Revels," the current attrac- tion at the Englcwood. When •Hush" offers to bet "a thou'" he has a whale of a show, he must have it (the show), for '"The Midnite Bevels" will be one of the right bowers of the Shubert unit attrac- tions. It is a solid two and one-half hours of entertainmept. consisting of a revue and vaudeville section. Both are all that could be asked for and will prove over the Shubert time that a consistent, classy and well- assembled collection of material, different from the regular run of unit entertainment, are relishable for the digestion of the most dis- cerning audience. Dixon, a dyed-in-the-wool Lur- lesque producer, is entitled to un- limited credit for this offering. It would have been expected Dixon in his revue portion would have re- sorted to burlesque tactica and given a revue along those lines. But he proved to be a gambler and did otherwise by taking something sub- stantial and original and serving it out in appetizing style. That is what the revue portion of "The Midnite Bevels" is, not a hodge podge of low comedy bits, but a well connected idea, which, even though not carrying the continuity of a story, throughout gives a semblance of solldness. The tevue is in one act and nine scenes, the book of which was sup- plied by Bayone Whipple and Walter Huston from their former Bhuberi vaudeville vehicle, "Time Will Tell." The best part of "Time Will Tell" is shown here, with its juicy spots being blended and assembled in a fashion that they hit and hit right. Of course, the stellar duties fall on Whipple and Huston, who a^ssumo various characterizations and acquit themselves in most becoming fashion. Claire De Vine, for years in the Dixon burlesque shows and also in the smaller vaudeville houses, is a revelation in appearance and ac- complishment. Miss De Vine, a tall, statuesque blonde of charming car- riage, has an incomparable ward- robe. It seems from her initial ap- pearance to the finale she just makes changes of costume, one more gor- geous than the other. Miss De Vine can sing also and act, too. This was demonstrated in a scene. "Say It With Wild Flowers," in which she worked with George Mayo. Away from the low burlesque comedian and with an entire different type of character Miss De Vine has found herself, and demonstrates that in no too uncertain terms through the manner in which she "feeds" Mayo along, and finally concludes the scene with a little dramatic piece of business. This scene is the hand- iwork of Sam Morris and will get laughs aplenty. Mayo, besides the scene with Miss De Vine in the re- view, has a scene with Evelyn Rim- scy. a refreshing, dark-haired sou- bret who is most adaptable to the Mayo style of working and goes through some character singing, dancing and song with him. She finds plenty of work and executes it in pleasing style Then Ralph Rlgga does a little surprising, too, in The character of Dr. Watson In scenes with Huston and others. One is rather surprised to see a hoofer ha\e ;1 conception of character value, hut us Hherlork Holmes aid Klgg* comes dii' with flying colors in a most acceptable performance. Packey Callahan, the straight man. has a mo,st difficult task. He has so hard for him to keep track of his wardrobe as well as the different sort of dialog. But Callahan Just does it, and does it well Tubby Garron, Phil Dolan. Buddy Leo, all of the Three Chums act, also have bits to perform, and get by the rail. Ethel Bose, with a perpetual smile and a restless pair of legs, does a lot of novelty and toe dancing which is most entertaining. A jazz band of five are also used for several of the scenes and aid also In an octet ensemble and do a quartet bit. Preceding the vaudeville portion is a rather pretty flash showing the exterior of the Central theatre. New York, with a sign announcing a midnight show. On stage come the entire company including Dixon himself. They look around. Dixon comes to their aid by announcing It Is a great show and a thousand is awaiting anyone who don't like it. It is just a two-minute scene but an impressive one, and when Billy Purcella and Evelyn Bamsey stepped out to do a bit of singing and dancing they found the audi- ence warmed up and in a most re- ceptive mood. The Three Chums have been supplied with a new set. which sets off their turn in good fashion. After were Whipple and Huston in one of their products, a travesty skit, "The Union Burglar." This skit is a masterpiece. It has an anticlimax which puzzles v the audience and sets them thinking while the house is dark. Miss De Vine is on fourth with songs. As in the revue she is most becomingly clad and stunning in appearance. George Mayo is in the next to shut spot with comedy talk and song. Mayo gets right at his audience from the start and keeps them with him throughout his turn. Closing the show are Balph Biggs and Katherlne Witchie with their dance offering. "Idylls," in five scenes. The act is the same that this couple toured the Orpheum Circuit with last season, but is most substantial, as the team are ar- tists in their field and have a fac- ulty of selling their offerings in a manner that it will add tone and rlass to any bill. Mack Ponch serves during the interludes with violin bolos and during the rest of the per- formance acts as musical director for the show, which he does in effi- cient style. temporaneous speech should worry wealthy, but I'm careless with it. about conditions. |.Juat as the legitimate stage like) Venlta Gould's "Impressions" of its old-men characters, so floe* Julian Eltinge, Ernest Tmex, Mary | vaudeville when they are as right as Nash. Gallagher and Shean. Fran- i Barrett's. The turn Is good for cine Rarrimore. Grace Da Hue and ' seasons to come. Miss Cunne.in Al Jolson occupied the next 20 min- j looked very nice, displaying two utes. For an encore Miss Gould frocks. does Gilda Gray in the "Follies" Donald Kerr and Erne Weston number "Inky." making a complete furnished a classy danco interlude, change for a reproduction of Mission seventh. Tho new routine has Gray's white Tanguay costume. It Kerr singing four numbers, two was a corking finish to a sterling alone and two duelled with Miss routine of mimicry, but much too Weston. The first double number ate for an encore I led io a nov «^y dance, with both The Ma . Ford Revue, minus the manipulating canes. Miss Weston two Stanley boys and Barton. ' did that bit much neater than ex- closed, holding what was left. Ford peeled and missed but once. Her is of the Four Fords and one of high-kicking specialty was a grace- he best all-around dancers In the , ful effort Kerr's.'Get Your pane- show business. His triple time buck j ing Shoes" was the prelude to his and soft shoe dancing with "wing- ! »«~ b »» c «*™° t 8 f ^ ^' Ch 8h ° Uld ing" that recalled the real dancers j hay© got more than It tilt. of a decade ago caught on strongly. I Jhjuny Lucas, with Francene. on tmI !,ru,, n TuH .Lwhpro would fourth, was the first of a trio of T 1 U i.LJh ? A* ?„n trirlseon- ™medy acts. He got started with a have cleaned1. The four «»«■ con , » "You Tell Her." Re- tribute "Pralaltlea that are avwag*. taxation bit some one called A jazz so o. a toe, solo and a doub e ,«• Barber." It may have kicking duet helped. The act la come from Luc J a _ unique in being minus a piano solo, be although a pianist Is carried. * ••fairy oucen M bit Is still Thelhst half of the show ludd lots t™™?^*™ *?£ Haw and the other with a brick, assisted, too. The dancing team was on second and were ready for the street. Thornton Flynn, assisted by Dona , turned In an en- three card. On ap- could stay more. ™ey are osneer* ; 8 Monday evening par excrtlence. The act curries an , dl8a(lvantaRe ''because object lesson to every bow stealer j That gtlvo hl8 note8 a in vaudeville. For 11 mnulej this , u though the hi WHIRL OF NEW YORK Minneapolis, Sept. ' :<. "The Whirl of New York." Shubert unit show, which opened at (Jarrick Sunday to a sell-out, Is a cohesive vaudeville entertainment compound-' cd of such diverse elements as piano Lumbers, hand balancing, snake dancing, song shouts, and the gen- tleman who tangles himself up in the scenery. It's the Winter Gar- den In miniature. Roy Cummings, with the non- chalant Irene Shaw, never appeared more humorous than he does here. He has plenty of opportunity to do his stuff. Principals and chorus appear at the rise of the curtain. Florence Schubert sings at the piano a melange of numbers, Including "In the Usual Way." Holdfejds do acrobatic interlude which gets over good; Frank and Ray Purcella stop the proceedings with remarkable dancing; Kyra does a series of dancing, featuring' a snake dance. Her act is well set. The second part of the show is a condensation of "Belle of New York," which has taken on a bur- lesque flavor, although names of characters remain ^the same. Joe McCormick and Rillie Regay fill in a stage wait with their act, trans- posed from the first part of the show. "The Whirl of New York" should Win approval on the circuit, Burke. out." The the best of > had Julius of mea» Claude QflMjgM^ij,^ In it ln RddItlon to a lowing SchichtlsMatmiki^ p b purpose is class as a card man pulator. He j ma and Taylorf one Vith a is assisted by a straight man wno is i a gem. This chap though unpro- gramedon account of Golden's audi- ence entrance needs no further boost than the printed Htntement Tnornton FIynili that he succeeded In making the c . . tn nuino •interruption" realistic until Ciolden ^^dumber "h mounted the stage. pearance Flynn Is there. His voice Mitty and Tilllo. from Paris, are I hou , d , Rml h , m among the faIned . in their second P^ace week and j, n nn if} a wonder tenor ln Bome could stay ^ore.^They are dancers j way8 Monday eve nlng he was at a of a cold, nasal ring at high registers pair of dancers hold their audience were c]ear • M aoushla" drew a enthralled with the adagio duet ( hand; so dld a duot with Ml8 „ Caryl. and then the curtain. The act as ( Flynn 0 fr ered an i r i R h song seldom arranged has two climaxes, one . neard and ln totaI u ia a pretty wnen the lover departs, seemingly j 0 ff Gr i„ g the end of the dance, only to return Tho colored steppers. Williams and to find his mistress in the arms or Tay i OI% Hashed exceptional danchig. a rival. He tios the other up in Tne d0UD i e soft-shoe number at the cords, then humlli Ues him by I atart typifying the old minstrel dancing 'La Dapse Jalouse before , dayw wft8 mucn a0 ove attempts of his stricken eyes. His handling of the kind The 8ma u er mn p, onr Mitty is masterly. She is nearly ; of tne f as test dancers seen around, nude and is of the figure that He hfta ft combination step that artists rave about. They could have manipulated their stay to many minutes more, but didn't. Ren Welch next received a recep- tion that must have warmed his ca j e manner of the girl who per courageous heart. No greater forms on the very odd contrivance tribute to the artistry and character j made the work look the more daring. work of Welch could be imagined Billing states the ladder weighs 26f» than his comedy rewards In the face j pounds, but from the way it w.-ih of his known affliction. In one handled that appeared exaggerated, minute after ho was supported onto , Harry Moore, with a girl assistant. the stage Welch had created the made the opening spot Interesting necessary illusion with his Hebrew l with paper manipulation. Several characterization. The blind man 0 f his designs looked original, as la looks hard to copy. The Tan Arakis, a Jap ladder turn. closed. Very few people Walked '.and all others remained. The deli- PALACE The Palace was very close to a sell-out Monday night with a ten- act vaudeville bill that ran from 8 until 11: ft p. m. The Topics film, due after Intermission, was dropped, but the show was overboard despite the pruning. This was due to the length of the Lionel Atwlll. Vincent Lopez and Joe Cook turns. The At will sketch, "The White Faced Fool." ran 27 minutes, closing the first half. Lopez and Rand, opening after intermission, ran 18 minutes, beg- ging off in a speech with the house vociferously demanding more. Then- have been bigger bands in the Pal- ace and one at least with a larger following and more ample reputa- tion than the Lopez musicians, but it Is a safe wager no keener show- man than this same Lopez has led any musical gathering at the Keith headquarters since its creation.•Ills effects and special lighting tricks are GO per cent, of the act. Joe Cook did 29 minutes of hi; one-man vaudeville show. then stepped into the Alexanders and John Smith turn for another M minutes of yells. In the latter turn Cook docs another eompl-i•• -•■» •• had disappeared to make way for the laugh provoker. The faces full of commiseration a moment ago crinkled up into laughter and then unfolded to explode full tribute to one of the sure-fire monolbglsts of the two-a-day. Welch's time-tried and ancient material never went bett.r. Frank P. Murphy as the Irishman, was a necessary and valuable assistant. Con. the style of working. Jbcc COLONIAL RIVERSIDE A fair sized audience Monday night, the cool weather accounting for the last minute box office rush The house was slow filling up ac- cordingly but once seated It re- sponded nobly. The first two act>-. Vincent Rros. and Margarete lies: ler, as well as the closer, Rafayette's Dogs, are irnder New Acts. Francis X. Donegan and Julia Steger scored neatly No. 3 with then "Playmates'* song and dance skit, program credited to Cliff Hess for authorship. Hess also wrote the Monday evening's coolness made excellent theatre weather, but there was no special bustle of patrons in the upper Broadway Keith house. The lower floor was no more than J Rlossom Seeley turn which is top half capacity. Possibly that was ping the show this week. Rut Hess because no big vaudeville names j was not the only person or thing re Were on tiie bill. Ressie Rarriscale. peated on the bill. There wore two the former picture star, headlined midgets in the show in as many dif- the show, which, while minus n \ ferent acts not to mention couplet punch, was good entertainment ' gags that were repeated at vanoua There was no actual hit recorded.' stages of the show's progress. That may have been beeause of lim- ited attendance, which figured to build during the week. It was Miss Harriscale's first ap The Donegan-Sturgis offering was programed as Donegan and Steger although carded and billed outside the house as formerly. The man Is arance at the Riverside in How r a sincere and conscientious workei pe ard Hickman's "Picking Peaches. This turn has plenty of stuff. There is novelty in the manner of staging, with the scenes changing and play- ers exiting during the time lights are flashed toward the audience although his accentuated foot stamping to precipitate audible recognition reminds one of daring the audience not to respond. That could be toned down. Miss Sturgis is "cute" In rompers and shows bare from'thTs slde'of the "foots. There ', knees and thighs scoring prettily is some very clever acting by Miss i with her stepping. The Spanish Rarriscale and there is romance, | dance double for the ge'iway is u tipi>ed with comedy. The dialects corker in terp evolution and execu- displayed by Miss Rarriscale may tion which,coupled with the teams have surprised some. She was deli- showmanly„bow-taktng and studied cate as a southern damsel of ante- stalling succeeded irt stopping the helium days, her words being hon- show. Donegan makes as if to stay eyed in the drawl As a Spanish ' .i"d continue his efforts but the girl girl she had the fire and the lingo, too, while tho apartment-house phone operator bit was an amusing change of pace. The cast Is tho .same as when the acl opened early yanks him off forcibly. Hawthorne and Cook with their low comedy, hoke and 'nutting" were a decided wow No. 4. Their combined efforts were rewarded b> in the year, with one exception—| the w.k. "Colonial clap,- tho con Josephine Randall now playing the ; certed applause rhythm that is a mother. Hickman. Kddie Tallman gallery trade-mark of proletarian ;md Jark Marvin are the other pro- gramed players. Rurt Oordon and (bne Ford took acclamation. William Halllgan and Co. «losed with their "IfIghlowbrow" skit. The of versatile revelations, running tlr gamut from juggling, perch net, buck and wing dancing and hoke low ' omedy. Conk has become u vaudeville institution, lb- i< a spe- cialist Of many talent.-,. Any artist who can stay continually l>efore a vaudeville audience for three-quar- ter* of an hour and then p«ie up many character! it mu°t he rather fresh comedy triumphs with an ev- good care of the honor spot next ta act is now developing Into a snappy (losing. Cordon's dead white pan dialog between tho telephone con- was set off by the eccentric but neat versationalists, the three skit flashes dressing. Miss Ford was dolled up now being really subsidiary to Hal- in a glittering frock with an enor- ligan's wise-cracking. Of the Dun- mous collar that concealed \\-r neck, sany-do Maupassant-O. Henry trio. The routine has not been changed ihe Americans plot-let Is the snap- In any Way. but the laughs fell In , plest. The crossfire at the phono the right spots all the way. sounds ever new somehow, the Pal Barrett and Nora Cunnecn' »»thor or Halllgan injecting new Bent the second section of the show K«g» each time heard. From tho off to laughing start. A snapping of moment Halllgan opens with the fingers was heard all over the house query. "How much did you say R when Barrett tossed the dice and *raa ■ quartr the act Is In. Th. ouldn't get his "aged • digits to man doing straight to the star is a work, fun- of the ,,ew hms mav be < orking feeder and line reader and the old boy's claim thai if *l had does considerable to fet tho plot been born an Arab I'd have been a Mea o* ... , shell." The best scon-r line froml The -,n peuod was mln him was I'm not what you 4Contiuue«l on page "<*!>>