Variety (October 1922)

«i*W Friday, October 13, 1922^ ^f^EW SHOWS THIS WEEK i; ; *• ./"•W.f"'1i»i«^" 19 ij, GIMMEATHRILU This la the only Shubert unit iraudevllle ■how wher* tho revue Zeotion 1« presented first, Trlth the Ifter Intermiaalon portion devoted to vaudeville. Jo»eph M. Qaltes, the legitimate producer, who offers the ?'star8 of two continents" in •'Gimme K Thrill," has reason for reveralng the usual order of the Shubert cir- cuit programs and as shown at the Central this week it looked the beat from his standpoint. But "Gimme a ffhrlH" is not very dignified as a ' jtltle for anything, especially the ?'Glmme/' Uiv^to intermission Galtes has a kood entertainment and the finale is out of the ordinary. The weakness bf the unit is the vaudeville itself, «nd that should be an easy prob- lem to solve. In the number of people concerned in the whole, the production outlay and operating ex- pense ought to measure with any- thing on the circuit. It is said the weekly operating cost lA $5,600, •which means a gross of t>etween $10,000 and $11,000 necessary. Showmanship is evident in a number of ways. The advertising xnatter around for "Gimme a , Thrill" has Individuality as against the plain block lettered cards used for the other shows arriving at the Central. Galtes knew his vstudevllle section needed bolstering and is ■till seeking something novel, ai^ Importation, if possible. He se- cured one of the best of the foreign turns brought here In s'^me time by booking "Max and Merits" (New > Acts), a monk turn under contract to the Shuberts. The act was first ■potted for the new "Hitchy-Koo" ■how. Then a switch was made to vaudeville, the turn to be used for strengthening purposes. The monks Joined the show last week at Hart- ford and are expected to remain for four weeks anyway, though Gaitea would like to continue It right along. It certainly gave the vaude- ville end of the show a creat start, setting pace that was not held by the rest <t the specialties. "Gimme a Thrill" is a specially written revue by Will B. and Tom John.stono. staged by I^awrence * Mar?ton. with numbers by Vaughn Godfrey. It is likely a con- densed vcmion of Galtes' production several f;:a-cn.s ago of 'Love for Sale" for Kitty Gordon, the thrill idea heinj; one of the points re- tained, with perhaps a hit of the •ettinps. On appearance the Caites revue has called for not n deal le.ss expenditure than a two-act musi- cal .shov/ would total. Tho costum- ing i.s excel"ent and several numbers where drcssilng novelties were in- troduced won applause. One of them for a "rainy day" song had eight of the 16 girls in glittering silver cloth and i>arasols to match. For "My Lady's I^ress' Individual costume:* were used and a lace hoop skirt oroatlon was a picture. There is a plot Idea carried out In the revue with addvd numbers and bKs in.serted. "Beauty." whose hand is bid for by a rich man. beg- gar, doctor, lawyer, merchant, sheik and thief, decides the dinner Is the one who will give her-a real thrill, or the kind that appeals to her most. The Gardiner Trio work through the revue all the way, with the numbers and business mostly handled by Arline and Edgar. Helen Gardiner is a number leader. Joining the others only at the finale of the revue. They are the only turn not appearing in the vaudeville .section. The "thrill of a rich man" has a Wall street petting. Dancing Is the scoring feature. A number by Frances Nadine and Jack DeFay got returns. Later the same couple In a sort of Chinatown Apache did a spectacular bit Of work. The lat- ter was in the "thrill of the thief" with a Chinatown and "hop joint" setting. The scrim backing later lighted and was lifted to disclose a San Toy love boat bit with a singing conclusion, the Tip Top Four warbling in ensemble with the • chorus. In the Wall street bit Charles Chase, a diminutive acro- batic dancer, got into action. Part of his .specialty called for him swallowing a lighted cigar end, which was not so neat. Later on he offered speed dancing, this time doing away with a lighted cigaret. Harry Lang sang "Rodolpho Valen- tino" in good baas In a sheik bit. The CJaites show has two bits, one considerably expanded from "Pin Wheel Revue," a summer try that emanated from Greenwich Vil- lage and brought into the show by Sonia Giuck and Felicia Sorel. One was "Lilies of the Field," which was conceived by Walt Kuhn and ' stagpd in "i»in Wheel" by Gluck. The sanu» idea has been taken for a specialty introduced Into the Strand .'^how (pictures) thi.s week. The number In the CJaites show is billed "To a Modest Violet." There are six hoboes dressed in white tat- ters, who awake from behind a sylvan country hedge and dance . "nance-like" to classic tunes. The number was received with laughter. It wa.«? the only funny thing in "Pin Wheel" and certainly was in .^^tead here. Comedy Is what the .show —bleeds, particularly in the vaudeville section. Miss Sorcl and Gluck put on "The Nymph and the Fawn." one of the arti.stic bits In "Pin Wheel." Used to wind up the vaudeville sec- tion Is made an exceptional flash. The chorus was used most elTec- tlvely. some girls with very little on. It's a pretty dance number, the glrl.^ countering the curious fa- cial make-up of the nymph, and It is far better than the original concep- Uon In ••Pin Wheel." Following ♦^ax'» and •Morltz." Gene Barnes and Co. in "a pressing en«ragement" were too alow in the spot It may have not passed as a No. 2 here. The Tip Top Four war- bled successfully enough, but there was no punch. Herbert and Bag- gett did a lot better at the finish of their routine than at anjii time before. It was acrobatic and the heavy member of the team amused. Here, too, the position which was really next to closing was too late. Originally the vaudeville section was supposed to open the show, and by reversing the order stronger ma- terial is needed. Monday's matinee was very light. The night business was very good with both floors close to ca- pacity. . Ibee. ' PALACE Plenty of ''names" on the Palace bill- this week and doubtlessly the explanatory whyfore of the com- plete sell-out Monday night. Sophie Tucker (second week), Vincent Lopez and band ('steenth successive). Jane and Katherlne Liee and Van and Schenck are all Palace fa- miliars. If antthlnfi: one might find fault with the continuous holding over Of certain favorites. While each act's change of program al- wa>s varies the monotony for the regular Palace fan from week to week, this boomerangs to a certain extent. No better proof is needed than an incident during intermis- sion Monday night. As the men came out for a breath of air they were met by several urchins. Some of the men proffered their door checks to the boys and also sup- plied them with their seat stubs. When patrons desert the house after half the show has run. with Lopez, the Lee Kids. Van and Schenck and the closing act yet to come, there must be some reason for It. The "pennant winnir^g bat- tery of songland." about .a month or two back, did a four weeks' g.'Ind here and doubled with other metro- politan Keith houses with frequent repeats. But It was .cplffy vaudeville none- theless and played like the pro- verbial million dollars. Incidentally, with Miss Tucker. Lopez and Van and Schenck on the bill It looked like a convention of phonograph disk makers. The show ran as programed other than switching 'the opener and closer^ Sie^el and Irving introduced with neat hand to hand stuff in "one." Williams and Taylor, dude colored steppers, found a practically completely settled audience before whom to strut their stuff. The house applauded "the dancing fools" loyally. The boys have some neat steps intelligently mixed up with some flashy highlights for ap- propriate contrast, whangi/ig over a solid hit in the two spot. Jane Connelly and Associate Play- ers is the billing of the company, formerly known as Erwin and Jane Connelly. The team.has been iden- tified with a "Tale of a Shirt" skit for-some seasons, but are now doing a travesty-farce, "Extravagant Wives," first presented under the title. "I Hope to Die." The latter Is really the keynote of the action, although "Extravagant Wives" does look better on paper and sounds more movle-esque. ErwIn and Jane Connelly are progrram-credited for authorship. It Is In two scenes, both the Falrmount home. Mrs. Fair- mount admits marrying her incon- sequential one-eighth for his money and threatens to commit suicide if she Is restricted to a mere $1,000 a week housekeeping budget. Fair- mount isstiea a verbal ultimatum, unless rfhe coQiplles to fhe thousand mlplmum he will live^ at the hotel, away from her. 'Exit and drop of curtain for lapse of time. Next mornincf Mrs. Falrmount, although she has written a farewell note, is still alive. She gets a "phoney" wire from her husband that he has committed suicide. In remorse, she aints and when he enters he mistakes the reclining pose for tbe worst. He promises never to be stingy and never to worry her about finances If only she will come to life. She does. There are a lot of laughs In the skit, but It could be speeded up four or five minutes. Johnny Burke's "drafted" mono- log was a continuous succe.ssion of wows. They were badly needed In the position and fitted In snugly. Sophie Tucker, with her two piano ticklers. Jack Carroll and Ted Sha- piro, closed the first section. Miss pucker has some new songs and a new opening which Is a change for the better. A neat sounding ditty about who and what "keeps me broke" is a cleverly constructed lyric which Includes her worries about the Sophie Tucker garage on Long I.sland, her bootlegger, her lord that she almost married, etc. A "come on home" blues got con- siderable for Miss Tucker, whose sart(»rial front is smart and at- tractive. The action goes to ''one" before tho stage door entrance droi). Her pianists both have dates, even the cfdored maid admits she is going slumming at tho lUtz while poor Sophie bewails "not even a song plUKRcr in .sight." Her throat was bothfing her Monday night and Ml.ss Tucker begged oft. The Lopez I'ennsylvania Orches- tra is in Its indefinite lap on the Palace maratiion. Lopez produces some of the selections with some astonishing lighting effects. Some of Lopec's musician rivals accuse the music expert of not being a showman because his manner of acknowledging applause with the speech thing is too modest, but if those lighting eflfects are not good showmanship, what is? His con- ception of "Pinafore" almost made the Gilbert and Sullivan comic op- era talk. The boys were in sailor hats with Lopes in an admiral top piece. The contest Idea closed, In- cluding the sure-fire Gallagher and Shean conception with bass and so- prano saxos, an idea that has been lifted by others since. Jane and Katherlne Lee with Wil- liam Phlnney scored as usual with the "New Director" comedy skit. But that closing speechlet sounds funny. One addresses the audience, "Ladles and gentlemen and moving picture friends," which brings to mind the trite bon mot, "Ladles and gentlemen and you, too." Van and Schenck next-to-closed with a new flock of published numbers. The boys are affecting frock coats, top hats and four-ln- hand ties, the standard afternoon get-up that rltxes the act all right for matinee audiences, but why not the bat tie and swallow tail coat for the evening? The new routine is one of the best the boys have got together for a long time. The open- er, a "Carolina" ditty, is a poten- tial hit, probably Introduced by the team, and Joe Schenck Is also do- ing a new sentimental ballad solo. The character songs are new and old, including the familiar "I'm In Love" number. The late hour pre- vented much encoring. . Allotted a bare five mmutes in order to let out at eleven sharp, Johannes Josefsson's Icelandic com- pany worked to good purpose with speed and snap in presenting their "glima" athletic matches and Jo- sefsson's di.>=plays of self-defense. It beats Jiu-jitsu for effectiveness and iff^ far more Inspiring. A cork- ing closer, as was attested by its hold on the audience. Abel AMERICAN ROOF Business at the American Roof Is still a trifle off. the Monday night gathering running somewhat short of the usual attendance, but the favorable out'-door weather might be truthfully utilized as an alibi. The show carried nothing beyond the ordinary small-time collection, just one of those evening-killers with an Alice B.-ady feature picture ("Missing Millions") and the vaude- ville quota, some acts new to the house and others seemingly on friendly term.M witli the Roofers. A Johnny Hines comedy opened the evening's festivities, with Mur- ray and Irwin delegated to start the vaudeville. These boys, dressed in Etons, dance a little, sing an intro- ductory song and whistle, one of the pair giving imitations of birds. The double whistling brought results. They did well, sufficiently well for a No. 2 spot on the small time routes. Harvey and Stone, mJIn and wom- an, the latter h. comedienne, the former accompanying her numbers on the piuno up to the finish, when they offer a rather unique dancing travesty. The girl Is pretty, this virtue being discernible even through her ludicrous costume. She has an attractive personality as well and this did much to register suc- cess for her numbers. It's a good turn In "one" and deserved a better fate than the second position on this particular' bill. The La Toy Brothers, alArays good ground workers, with the nat- ural comedy by one of the team, scored nicely In the next hole, the tumbling, twists and table work earning them periodical applause with a solid hand at their exit. Follow^lng Browning and Dabis (New Acts) came William O'Clare and Co. U^lth his familiar Irish com- edy singing skit. O'Clare has a trio In support, one of the girls a rather good dancer, the other a harpist. The yodel number by O'Clare and the young woman earned the best returns of their stay. The melodeon, a portable In- strument, Is a novelty, and the talk gets the expected laughs. A good attraction for the Loew houses, away from the conventional singing affair and nicely staged. It did ex- ceptionally well. Fid Gordon opened the second portion and just managed to get through. Gordon is a violinologist and has some good material, but lacks finesse in delivery and fails to properly record his points. He rounded up an occasional titter, but at best he can hardly qualify below the Fecond spot on such a bill. He soloed "Mighty Lak a Rose," tho fiddler's favorite friend, and added .«'omc jazz violinlng. handling the instrument In a careless way as though it was just a day's work. Just fair. Billy Nolle and Co. (New Act>s) was followed by the vaudeville top- liner. Tower and Darrell. man and woman comedy act In "one" with a topical number and some slap-.stick material that broui(ht Kolid laughs. The girl wallnp.i the comic witii a resounding smack aft(?r ea(.h pun and Ills accompanying gestures ajid "business" manage to j)tolong the natural laugh. Good act. The Zara-Carnien Troupe closed the show with their well-known variety production, the hoop rolling holding the houses in for the pic- ture. Wynn. COLONIAL Good entertainment this week. Most of the time it steps at a pace fast enough for tho most exacting and at all times It U pleasing and up to grade. Mltty and Tillio, In their amazing light dancing acrobatics, as French as the Rue do la Palx. didn't stir much the first mlntite. The Colonial gang Isn't strong on pantomime or Interpretative dancing, and that was what It threatened to be. But when little Mltty began to warm up and they saw the skillful, effortless ma- neuvers they got Into^he spirit, and the rough Apache stuff thrilled them. Closing first half, this word- less foreign turn was a sensation, which bespeaks much for them In the Colonial and much for the sportsmanship of the mld-up- towners. Vincent Lopez and his champion little aggregation of musical har- monists and speclalist.s closed the bill and not only held in the full as- semblage but held up the Fables. Just as great as ever and even more effective In the chummy Colonial than In the big, magnificent Palace. Jimmy Lucas was a panic, too, in the first half, dishing the hoke to the local taste. Fji-ancene. his assist- ant, seems to grow more clever and self-possessed as she moves along through the seasons. Lucas, of course. Is, and has been since his old Chicago days, a comedy sharp- shooter who scatters low enough for the gallery and high enough for the main floor—mathematically para- doxical, maybe, but theatrically k.o. Grace Hayes, with the most as- tutely selected line of songs this re- porter has heard In the single cata- log of a single performer, took It easy. Her first number was an In- troduction; her second a comedy lyric, she underplayed. Then she got Into "Imitations' with no at- tempt to Impersonate but a chance to do three marvelous chosen num- bers. When she got Into her gentle struts and her own type of ladylike blues, how.ever, she was a wow. Ml^a Hayes has a manner. She works re- pression and poise to their last atom. In some numbers it seems she Is loafing. But in those most adapt- able to her individual technique she is terrific. She cerUlnly does darky conceits with sstonlshing results. She was a hit. Hartley and Patterson W^ew Acts) skinned by. Greene and Parker, not .so new. sold 15 minutes of gage, mostly old. and "inside stuff" that went past most of the audience, then finished with a song. The work was good and snappy, but the material could stand touching up—It Isn't fresh except v.her*? it Is too fresh. References to cuts, agents, other Keith houses, salaries and the like strike even an observer who under- stands them as Out of place. To the rest they are just so much lost breath. Klyose Nakae (New Acts) opened, very Interesting jiu Jltsu exhibits. Lydell and Macy. next-to- closer, their old army-navy act. It creaked a bit, as though it were the first week of the season. But It Is sure fire, of course, on LydcU's classic A. K. characterization. LaU. STH AVE. Leaning muchly toward small tlmey, nothing stood out on the 5th Ave. program the first half ex- cepting Will Mahoney's hit, next to closing. Mahoney held the stage for what seemed to be an awfully long while with his assortment of everything, almost, a single could do at the 5th Ave. They liked it and liked him. He threatened to remain an hour In a speech, but it had seemed an hour long before that, although it wasn't, and the house never appeared to mind. They were smiling while walking out. which made It doubly hard for EarTe Dancer and Band (New Acts), closing the show In an extra hard position on this bill, after having been moved down to closing after the matinee, where it held the cen- tre of the program. Another turn from the matlnee's center. Collins and Hart were moved to ^o. 2 at night, and that may have s^tved to disarrange the bill. Another lengthy turn, It seemed, was that of Edith Cla.sper's with three boys, one singer and two dancer-^. The arrangement made for too much similarity of layout, with the two dancing boys repeat- edly returning for double dances, while the male singer had a couple (.f solos meantime, with Miss Clas- per appearing with each alternately, and with them all In the something of a novelty opening and setting. Tho turn needs reshaping. No. 3 had Tim and Kitty O'Meara, the dancing cotjple, who appeared without a band or a grand piano In ballroom and popular dancing. That made the act as plain as their names, and their names are curious enough In present day vaudeville that boasts so much that Isn't. It's good showmanship by Mr. O'Meara to display his nerve on the dance thing alone without the customary I current embellishments. Th^y rnnle the house take to their variety (»r d.uK-es, that started with ballroom and included a Bowery. It's straight out and out dancing the O'Mearas do, and that may explain why It is liked. Howard and Lewis, two men, straight and Yiddish comedian,.w"r<- No. 4 (New Acts) and made a good SHOWS DT PHILADELPHU (Continued frdm page 15) five shows open Monday, these be- ing "Tho Czarina" at the Bnmd. "Rain" at the Garrick. "Deml-Vlr- gln" at the Adelphi and "Rose of Stamboul" at the Lyric. Tuesday nighfa sole opening is "Hltchy Koo. 19L':;," held over, In all probability to escape Monday's congestion and get some of the critics. "Rain" and "Hltchy Koo' bring the new season's ll.Mt of try-outs up to five, an unusually large number for Phllly. Of those showing so far. "Pom'eroy's Past" and "l^ara Ji.se Alley • were complete flops, and "Orange Blossoms* had every mark of success, playing a bl^ second week here. There Is much Interest In the evi- dent attempt of the Shuberts to build the Lyric up into a musical comedy house. They met with small success last year with "The Choco- late Soldier." and "Marjolaine'* was disappointing, but It Is evident they are not discouraged by their switch- ing of "The Rose of Stamboul" there when "Hltchy Koo" was booked hurriedly into the Shubert. The Idea seems to be to put light operas and romantic operettas Into the Lyric, thus leaving the Shubert free for revues and the like. Next Monday there is a let-up after the wholesale openings this week, with Lauder at the Walnut and "The Beggar's Opera," which comes Into the Metropolitan opera house at a $2.60 top, as the only openings. Lauder Is in for a single week and "The Beggar's Opera" for two. Oct. 2S Walter Hampden comes In for two weeks of-repertoire at the Walnut, "Merton of the Movies" stops at the Garrick on its way to Broadway, and "The Hotel Mouse" is booked for the Shubert. Oct. 30 "Nice People" onens at the Broad, and Nov. 6 Frank Tlnney in "Daffy Dill" at the Shubert. All of these bookings bear out the evident intention of the local man- agers to play short runs, fearful of the playgoing public's demand. The Shubert, which has heretofore run shows-four weeks, is cuttinir down to two, the Garrick Is also cutting down to two, the Lyric ditto, and only the Broad, usually limited to fortnight runs, haa raised its limit and kept "Dulcy" four weeks and "The Ciarlna" three. Estimates for last week: "The Czarina" (Broad, 1st week). Got most of critics at opening and Is looked upon to start Broad off in usually successful way after weak business of "Dulcy," which ended with 18,000 or less, due to absence of theatre's clientele. "Ciarlna" In for three weeks, followed by "Nice People." "Hltchy Koo of 1922" (Shubert, Ist week). Opened Tuesday, un- ysual here, and showed promising advance sale. In for only two weeks while show gets pruned and fixed. House dark last week due to closing of "Paradise Alley." "Sally" (Forrest. 2d week). Zleg- feld musical comedy is year's smash and looks like a sell-out for month to come, with small chance of its being seriously afl:ected. Agency took big bunch of tickets, which means box-offlce purchases are virtually Impossible for weeks ahead. 133,000. separated from limit at $3.85 scale by matter of standing room. "Rain" (Garrick. 1st week). New Somerset Maugham drama of ex- tremely gloomy character, whose success here and elsewhere is prob- lematical. "Pome 'y's Past." last week, hit the toboggan down to a mark below 14.000. "Up the Ladder" (Walnut. 3d week). Surprise hit of year with business mounting as run goes on. Capacity last Friday night was climax of fine climb, and week's gross beat that of opening six days by nearly $1,000. |8,750. Lauder next week. "Rose of Stamboul" (Lyric. 1st week). Stay limited to two weeks, which, judging by business of shows here so far, Is wl.se move. "Mar jo- lalne" stuck around $6,000 In Its last week, despite occasional spurts in downstairs play. "Demi • Virgin" (Adelphi, Lit wee! ). Last of seven regular leglt houses to open season, and hopes to repeat last year's success of "I*adles Night" with this new .""opwood show. No limit set. $11,000 FOR DeWOLF HOPPEB New Orleans, Oct. 10. It looks as though the DeWolf Hopper Opera Company will do around $11,000 at the Tulane thin week. Its opening performance was widely acclaimed. The company is the best li«:ht opera organization in the South in several years. comedy turn for spot and hou.se. Following was Princess .Jue Quong Tal, who announced herself as a Chinese girl, singing several songi to special piano accompaniment, and then Introducing her Ulster f»i a .'•(.111.: aiil danc". The turti gfOf thruuiTh on the strcingth of th« nationality annotinced, followi-fi !>y Kdwin (Jcorge, who, though holdini; to his familiar routine, got hi, usual laughs. Geneva oi>cn**d ihf sliow. llou-^e not C'»inp!etf- (M|iri»i v. Imi exf client with the weaHi-i.