Variety (October 1922)

r**^' <l< ■'rr_-TJ^-Tf,' 'HI-'' NEW SHOWS THIS WEEK >v' ^<^i i-iVS/> 't. K' rr Friday, October 6. 193iJ ' V AS YOU WERE **A» You Win." FOiubcrt unit, jiroducrU ky Jcnto Jacol>a anJ Jark M^rrla. BUn' he Ktng nnil Clurl.'s Wiuniifer featured, with (olluwinK cawt In rwue: Leonard !St. I^n, Carrie Glenn. Kdgai* AUhiiton Kly, Frank Du TIel. lUtbin Covey, Jdaxino Dunham, rat Keainty, iitit liukcr. Sixteen ihorua gIrJa, ■'.'",- TOWN TALK (2d Rtview) Boston, Oct. 4. Barney Gerard played his "Follies Of the Day" to about |52,000 in a 6ovcn-wc**k unprecedented run last summer at the local Gayety (owned by the ColumbUi wheel). Possibly In deference to the enviable rep he had built up, he laid oft his "Town As You Were" originally opened I Talk" Shubcrt unit last week for the revised unit. Gerard Is appar- ently eatlsfled at last with the show and when this gentleman Is satlsfled it usually means that the show is goinir to be a shekel-harvester. LiJ>hey. SUCCESS In New York at the Central Jan. 31, VJ20. The show had Sam Ber- nard and Irene Bordoni as stars and ran as a full evening's entertain- ment. Now it's back at the same bouse In condrnsed form, running an hour and a half, and oonstitulinp the major pui i of Jenic Jacobs' and Jack Morris' Shubert Vaudeville unit, titled like it.i full siaed pre- decessor—"As You Were." Blanche Ring and Chas. Winningcr are fea- tured and jHay the parts created respectively by Bordoni and Ber- nard. Preceding the tabloid "As You Were" was a live act vaudeville bill. Including Mary Elby and St. Leo, Frank Dutell and Richie Covey, Three Pasquali Bros, Ring and Winninger, and Bert Baker and Co. In "I*revarication8." Taking the show as a whole, it's a good average unit entertainment. The vaude- ville section, however, pulls down the general score, the revue moving along pleasantly with frequent changes of scene and sufficient com- edy to keep interest alive through- out the runninf; time. Mr. Winninger works Intelligently and industriously in the revue and carries it to the measure of success it attains. Miss Ring is not happily placed but handles what is allotted to her artistically. What Winninger Is to the revue, Bert Baker is to the vaudeville section, his farce "Pre- varications" closing the olio and rocking the house continously for 25 minutes. It's all very old fatft<ioned and dyed in the wool stuff this Baker comedy sketch—has been done a thousand times at least and over by others before Baker—but it made the Central audience howl Monday night. Tho chances are the idea of a sporty husband who tries to fool the wife and only partially suc- ceeds will keep on making 'em howl In vaudeville for generations to come. « Preceding Baker were Ring and Winninger in a specialty that clicked but mildly. This introduced a double song and dance—travesty sort of on tho old fashioned team stuff, with Mr. Winninger later in- terpolating a trombon^ solo that held considerable comedy. A somer- sault by Winning<;r while playing with the breaking of one of the fdotllght bulbs was stretching it a bit for laughs for a comedian of Winninger's attainments. This bUlb snlashlng thing is but fairly funny at best, and always 4iolds an element of danger through the pos- sibilities of a stray piece of glass flying over the footlights and into the orchestia, aside from the chances the performer takes of puncturing himself. Ring and ^Winninger's vaudeville turn does not do the team Justice—they are capable of a much better specialty. Pasquali Bros., No. 3, in the olio, were a wow, and deservedly so, with some splendid ground tumbling and hand to hand stuff. Dutiel and Covey, No. 2, with singing, and Elby and St. Leo, opening with dancing Including an adagio double, and Apache, both nicely executed. But the general effect of the olio, despite the laughs secured Ly the Baker act and the Pasquali's acrobatics, was not big time vaudeville—inter- mediate time or big small time would describe it best. The vaude- ville ran an hour more or less. Bert Baker shgnild have had more In the revue than allotted him. He was on but once in a scene in one with Winninger, Baker doing a sort of Grecian con man, with Toga and high silk hat. Baker easily proved proved he was an actor, by com- pletely getting away from his vau- deville characterization and present- ing a character study so different from his olio sporty husband type, as to make it difficult to believe it wa.s the same person playing both parts. Pat Kearney, who is In tho Baker sketch, Is a butler In tho revue handling It in a way that gets every- thing possible out of it. Edgar Atchison Ely is a revue principal, appearing only In that part of the show and a making contributory comedy part entertaining. The cutting down process "As You "Were" went through has not hurt Us entertaining values to any ex- tent. For those who have not seen . the show before It holds plenty of entertainment. Judplng by the way tho laughs piled up in tho revue section Monday night at the Central there must have been a lot of people who hadn't seen the play. The scenery and costumes of the original show are In excellent ron- flition. This Is especially ng _of the costuming. The scones in- clude a full stage Interior, of a country house, Jigyptlan exterior. Greek exterior, forest scene and Louis 11th scene In one, Monday niRht the Central seemed to catch tho overflow. At 8.25 there were possibly 30& seats vacant In the orcheptra. By 8.45 a window «a!e had resulted in Ailing the house With a few standcca. Bell. revamping and recasting, playing the last three days in Fall River. , As a result, his opening at the jTlajestic, Monday, was virtually a new show, and a far different enter- tainment from his original White Plains break-in Sept. 8. His matinee (Yom Kfppur) was surprisingly strong, and his evening show was Jammed with real money. Gerard drew hia own house, a typically burlesque audience. He is sticking with the unit, which is still ragged in routine, but which should be in fine shape by the end of the week. James B. Carson's act has been switched from the Gerard "Fun- makcrs' unit to "Town Talk." Ger- trude Hayes (Mrs. Gerard) has been added to the unit. Other additions are Jack Riano. Jack Ward and Edna Northlane as an act, and Henry Lehman. Among those miss- ing from the original "Town Talk ' are Claire Carroll, Connie Madi- son, Barrie Oliver and Ed Rogers. The unit as it now stands is a corking burlesque show, and no stretch of the imagination could call It by any other name. It Is Colum- bia opposition at the Columbia scale, with a heavier overhead and pos- sibilities of greater gross takings, and drawing burlesque patronage. Mlas Hayes is obviously dropped into the unit, having little to do and with little probability of her re- maining through tho season as a few weeks of it will probably satisfy her yen to g^t back into the old game. She is not an outstanding factor and not neces.'viry as a name, with Johnny Dooley drawing from the musical show patrons and Ches- ter "Rube" Nelson drawing from the burlesque patronage. Dooley and Nelson are going to work Intp a strange team of comics. Nelson as second.comedian is given free rein whenever he can improvise any work. Nelson is one of the few remaining burlesque rubes who can put crude stuff across to real laughs, and his very crudenefcs at times is original artistry and refreshing for this reason. In the "Photograph Gallery and Hock Shop" scene, which Is mainly the veteran "the- atrical employment agency" routine, the various applicants insist on imi- tating Warfleld, being ejected by Dooley and Nelson with glass-box off-stage stufT. When the last vic- tim appears, Nelson mounts a desk, produces a toy cornet and sounds '"J'aps," after which he hqists a tiny American flag with Dooley standing? at salute. The house gave It a real hand, a much stronger hand than tho hoke-ejectlon that followed it was given. Dooley's strongest work comes in his old bits as the bareback eques- trienne, as the acrobat on the ped- estal, and as a solo dancer. . He is working as rough as ever, thumbing his nose once for a mild laugh and using both hands when ho wants a wow. Bert Walton'.s elaborate in- troduction of Dooley 'as a -clean, refined and genuine comedian" sounds as though it had been writ- ten by Dooley and Arthur Klein in prop«agandaistic collaboration. Doo- ley is giving the show its real howls, and by the end of another month he will be one of the riots of tho wheel. The unit opens with vaudeville, Frank Bacon and Nina Fontaine opening as heretofore in a dancing number on skates. Riano, North- lane, and Ward are flashing big in second place, followed by Carson's "Music Publisher'' number, which was running slow Monday night with the Gallagher and Shean im- personation out. Gerard wrote this .sketch around the travesty song "When the Mush Rolls Down Father's Vest." Bert Walton fol- lowed with his "You'll Do the Same Thing to Somebody Else," with his plant working from tho pit to get around tho local restrictions against working from boxes or orchestra. He ran too long but held the house well. Dooley closed the vaudeville, working the Iworse 'Geftle," his acro- batic speciaUy and much of his other sure-flrc tumbling routine to a riot, the intermission curtain falling on the flrst enthusiastic house of the Shubert season at the Majestic. Eddie Green, colored but working In cork with black gloves, was the surprise of tho flve-scene revue, his slow-time buck and eccentric work stopping the show a moment. Given more work, he will be an outstand- ing novelty later In the season, and carry more routine as a single than he now has. Jack Riano's dancing is also picking up at every perform- ance. From tho start, Ger.ard has been convlncf'd that he has a money- maker In "Town Talk" as laid out on paper, and his principal trouble at present is that he has more com- edy stuff and more bits than he can possibly use. The airplane scene with the undertaker and "Tho Hills of Jerusalem" are still crowded. The recasting has been done with spe- cial Intention of getting acts that will .^tl"k. Chorus, costumes, gen- eral routine, and scenic Inve.'^.tnient haa aol been radically changed in Pittsburgh. Sept. 30. After hit years of experience in the show business. Max Spiegel must have thought he had the goods in this Shubert unit when ho named his production "Success." The show affords no solution on the time- honored enlgrma that the title pre- sents, nor any indication as to the reception the piece is likely to get along the Shubert vaudeville cir- cuit. Whether it will live up to Its flattering name is a question. The flrst half vaudeville and the second half revue developed some high-cJass principals here last week. Abe Reynolds is as good as ever, and good enough for any type of production. Nonette, in her own line. Is still the artiste she has always been. Ed Warren and Charles O'Brien, next to closing the flrst half, have one of the funniest H^omedy acrobatic acts on the boards. But Reynolds has been sur- rounded with the same burlesque as of yore—with the same sort of harem scene, the same sort of girls, the same sort of everything. He can't help but register as a real comic, but the burlesque show will register with only the burlesque fans who are attracted by the Rey- nolds name, and not too strongly with them. Tfie vaudeville section gets a negative start *with Reno's panto- miming—rather, it got that kind of start when reviewed. Nothing Y^ did got even a titter, and he made It worse by coming back in "one" to do a superfluous card trick. Be- tween that act and the next two Bernard and Scarth and the Royal Pekln troupe there was more bow- begging for applause. Bernard should eliminate some of his time- worn lines and some of his facial contortions, and his "tale of an overcoat" might go better, as he has able support. Each member of the Royal Pekin outflt does his stuff well. It is mostly good stuff. Warren and O'Brien's Imitation of turnverein acrobats is a gem in every detail. It is a perfectly executed funny act, with their singing about the only thing they muff without trying to. Nonette had them applauding whenever she chose, without strain- ing for it, even at the very finish of the revue, when applause greeted her entrance while the rest of the company was singing the flnalc. Her single Is much the same as last year, while in the revue she does nobly v/ith the scant work allotted her. The revue .Starts slowly. The overture sounds like a patriotic march, and the subsequent music is weak. The orchestrations for the most part are empty. A thief, a cook and a doctor •enter, an- nouncing in turn that tney have stolen the musical comedy recipe, cooked up a plot, all of which has been doctored. They probably tell the truth, but the doctor didn't finish his work. A comedy start would sped things. "Swinging Doors Into My Heart" Is the basic r.ong of tho next scene. That song must be at least five years old. 'fhere are 10 scenes in all. Perhaps the biggest laugh is a Chinese .scene. The whole re- vue centers about the wanderings of Reynolds into various parts of the globe. In China Reynolds is entrust- ed with the safekeeping of valuable chinaware, which, after ho and some friends get stewed, is smashed. The dismay of Reynolds as he sees the pieces shattered offers the big wows. . A double act In "one," In which Ben Iloltnea, who does good heavy work throughout,,acts as a projiibi- tlon agent, testing a bottle which ho finds on Reynolds, is a good in- terlude. Fred C. Hacket. as a rube, is another good foil for Reynolds. Harrison. PALACE • Seemingly no vaudevilTe act of Palace calibre is complete withoxit a grand piano. At least that is the impression gained by viewing six of the nine acts at the Palace this week. Incidentally, the Palace held a little too much ahow, for Monday night with the bill cut in running time about as closely as It could be, with the possible exception of Sophie Tucker, who did 43 minutes, the closing act did not finish until 11.15, and that was with the elimi- nation of both the News Weekly and "Topics of the Day." The elimination of the former made it necessary for the vattdeville to start "cold" following a brief overture. The opening ofifering was that of Wllllo SchencU Co. (New Acts), a very flashy, but rather slow in tempo, act comprising head to head and hand to hand balancing. The routine offered is replete with novelty and thus the feats presented frequently earned appTaus»>, and the finish found a hearty hand awaiting tho trio of performers. An act decidedly of concert flavor was next presented. It comprised the Ilegedus Sisters «Xew Arte) violln- istes, assisted by an accompanist at the piano. The turn Isn't vaude- ville, but really a high-class concert offering, and if that type of act is to be played ihi vaudevill« at all It should not be lasted in the second ■pot of the i>Tt^vam. For those that are fond of claaslcal music well played, and the Palace audience seemed to contain an unusual num- ber of these on Monday night, Uiis act is a real treat. Its value in the No. 3 spot is lost and it should at least have been opening the second part. Bessie Barriscale and Co. til "Picking Peaches" proved rather entertaining in the third position of the bill. The show to this point running to programmed order, but after that there was a general switching from the running order that prevailed at the matinee. Artie Mehlingfer with his new partner Walter Donaldson at the piano, who were originally slated to close the show, were moved up into the fourth position and were a solid hit. The house. Jammed to the back walls with a holiday audience, re- sponded generously to the manner in which Mehllnger put over a series of numbers which followed a rather cleverly constructed medley intro- duction of Donaldson. This was the second of the flrst four acts to use the piano. Johnny Burke, who followed, re- placed Rome and Gaut, who fell out of the bill after the matinee. Burke was a laugh riot from start to fin- ish and his final bit with the orches- tra proved a veritable comedy wow. Here the piano was again In evi- dence. ' Vincent Lopez and his Pennsyl- vania Band closed the fivst part, al- though originally slated for the opening of the second half. This is the third week of the band at the Palace's return, and their welcome seems to be far from worn out, an announcement by the leader after the act to the effect that they would be there next week brought ap- plause. With this act it isn't so much the music itself as the manner of presentation, and some one han- dled the lightings for this act per- fectly. These effects play as Im- portant a part in the effectiveness of the act's getting over as the play- ing itself. Miss Tucker with her two pian- ists, Ted Shapiro and Jack Carroll, and that little whirlwind dan-lng colored girl, who isn't billed, started the second half of the show. It was a new Sophie to Broadway, very much slimer of figure and very much llghter'of hair, that held forth forth on her marital troubles, her gratiticatlon at being back In Amer- ica, and who finally gave the^ audi- ence a flock of songs that were not wholly delivered as only Sophie Tucker can deliver a song. That something that only Sophie can put in a song was missing, but the audi- ence could not seem to get enough of her and it was evident that they too wore glad she was back in the country. Harry Burns and Co. followed the syncopated singer, and they were compelled to atart at and keep a tremendous pa.e to hold the audi- ence at attention after ihey lifid had aliiiu.«4l lluee-qti.u teia tit AU hOUr of Ml.ss Tucker. To tho ctedlt of the trio it must be said that they suc- ceeded admirably In putting oviy a solid applause and laugh bit. Miss Tuckei'a act had two grand pianos and tho Burn.s' act had a harp and tho mandolin and Ruitars, so that planted to average for the acta in the last half. Ned Wayburn's Dancing Dozen (New Acts) closed the show. It is a fast-moving stepping turn with a combination of ensemble ef»ft and clog shoe hoofing and sonic very clever specialty work. Closing the Palace bill, starting after 11 o'clock and working for 14 minutes with the audience remaining in its seats is some feat, and that is exactly what the act did. Incidentally, the Palace manage- ment has a new program trick. There is always an extra act billed with a phony name to close the show in ih*> event that there is a real big act in the closing spot. This week the billing was: "Gould and Cook 'Fools There Are,," but from the manner that the audience took the Wayburn offoring it did not seem that tlie trick was a nec- essary one. J'rcd. RIVERSIDE Monday night was capacity, with Alice Brady the stellar card. The supporting bill suffered accordingly, and. minus the topliner, averaged as good internn diary entertainment. \'an Horn and Inez gave the show a fast start with their zippy roller .skating dances and whirlwind spln.s. further embelll.'-.hed by the girl's nobby sartorial changes. Cuhll! and Romainc in the "deuce" let down the pace considerably. Whether ml.scast or entirely out of place in fast company, their weak cross-fire could not make the grade. With an eccentric comedy get-up so much in j their favor on appearance, the ma- terial fell shy. It is a "wop" and "coon* 'team, the latter sporting an exaggerated eccentric front. The garbled dl.scourse on international topics of state got something through sheer nonscnslty, hut not enough to make it worth while. The yndellng is about the only legitimate thing in the act, and that familiar enough in its way. Bronson and Edwards were a bright No. 1 with their travesty acrobatic hoke. They open with the Australian whip b»n*!e.«?que. doinji; two legitimate t>:unts, never- theless, and got off strong with the old Collins and Hart idea of a two- man hand-to-hand team. Ray and Emma Dean, No. 4, scored on tha strength of the man's "sap" affecta- tions. It is not the familiar ' boob"! idea, but a combination of weak- minded "sissy" rube, yet not a "nance." The character is rather new to vaudeville, Emma Dean foil- ing for Rays quips. He's the kind of a bird who, after being maU treated and baited for a consider^ able length of time, gets so mad that he clinches his fists and gives his oppressor a real dirty look. An ec- centric dance double in skin-tight dress suit got them off strong. In- cidentally, he retains the reputed Keith-banned quip, "cat's pajamas," in the routine. Alice Brady In "Cassie Cook of the Yellow Sea," an excerpt from her former legit vehicle, "Drifting," closed the flrst section. It's a neat little skit, well suited to Miss Brady, but really dependent on her to get over. Minus the star, it would b« rather light, although the support- ing cast is top-notch, Donald Cam« eron particularly. Mr. Cameron is a corking manly opposite for the star, and looks like leglt timber. The impassioned amorous lament is the real and only excuse for the skit. The fore-soction is just sketchy in its plot planting, but the last three or four minutes up to the "dllncli" is a bear for the women and the only outstanding thing which they will remember and talk about. During intermission Julius Lenz- berg showed he can handle tho sax as expertly as his beloved fiddle during the intermission orchestra number. Gilbert Wells reopened. He has been so long out of Lloyd and Wells the reminder Is almost unnecessary. Wells Is versatile. He gags, sings, dances, pianologs, plays the uke and clarionet, and cuts up generally. Occasionally his strenuous efforts stand him in good stead where some one particular specialty lets down. Wells also has an asset in his natural southern droll. Two of his gags. hovi*ver. have been done so often hereabouts he should replace them. The jailed crapshootcrs' story particularly is a local veteran. ODonnell and Blair with their "piano tuner" frame-up fitted In nicely in a spot where a low comedy wow was badly needed. O'Donnell messed up the set, but won a con- tinuous succession of laughs, lop- ping It off with what Is technically termed the Melrose fall. O'Donnell does it from the top of an upright piano perched on a ladder. The toppling over of the heavy musical instrument is even more spectacular than the usual four or five high tables. Miss Blair merely does straight and attenr>pts to sln^ a ballad. It is well that O'DonneU covers it up with his nonsense and equally as wl.se that she abandons it In the middle at the moment her partner runs out of comedy busi- ness. Her voice Is too weak to han- dle a vocal number seriously. Bryant and Stewart next-to- closed, although M'>'?s r»»<.1 Frye were programed for some reason. The colored teajn has been out with their own show, "Dumb I>uck," for a nupiber of weeks. The Bryant- Stewart combination, more familiar on the Loew time than on tJie bl|C time. .«hows evidence of btillding up its stuff. Yet it is not strong enough fo^ tho ace pQsition on a Riverside lay-out, although would have fitted In here No. 4. Tho teams "nut" ditty to a same air Hawthorne and Cooke did at this house two or thiee weeks ago, makes the interim too •short, and is accordingly reminis- cent, although both combinations work differently. Bryant and Stew- art have youth as an asset, which was partly responsible for their stopping tho show, the second ori the bill. (Jilbert Wells also accom- plished that. Josie Roonej', assisted by a male opposite and a piani.st, held them closing the show, although they came on at 10:20. Tho show lot out early accordingly. Miss Rooney ia billed as the sl.stcr of Pat. and ia ■^presented" by her illustrioua brother. For fear the audience does not get the relationship throtigh reading. It is also played up lyrical- ly. The act idea starts with a duel between the two men, one dancing and the other pianologing, u varia- tion on the dancing and singing rivals. But the Idea is merelji planted without being carried to s conclusion. Tho bill shows evidence of th« Keith bookers' !dea to specialize ir low comedy lay-outs, but the over- abundance of the hoke on this bill defeated its purpose. No one sLood out and much of the comedy waa patterned along similar lines. COLONIAL The ten-act program, aufimentecl by the weekly pictorial and "Topics" reel, at the Colonial this week com- bines all the essentials of a first class vaudeville show, minus namei of any great degree of prominence, but offering quantity, cleverly con- structed into a good evening's enter- tainment. And such show s will biiiltl up the Colonial business if there li any Colonial patrona^jo left. Th« house Is advertising 35 and GO cent matinees, another inducement which coupled with shows of the »'urren1 week's grade, should bring results In their running order as playe< the acts iininxM' I propoi Uonatcly ai