Variety (January 1923)

Thursday, January 25, 1923 . NEW SHOWS THIS WEEK •>■■ • tl GAIETIES OF 1923 Paying on Shubert unit circuit, appearing for the tint ttm* under present title at (Vntral. New York, for current week (Jan. wm presented by New York Winter C.ar- rtin wltn no one eterred or featured. Staged by J*G. Huffman (In th,> original). Dialog *n,l 'lyrics by Harold Atterridge. Music by Jean Sen wart*. Musical director. Clarence jl.niaerson. General supervision J. J. Shu- hert. Two a«:ts and several scenes. No vaudeville wets. rrincipaSa-Helen R»n»irom. Norma Ham- ilton Will Phl'.br'.ck, Victor Bozardt. Ab? *ron'son, Anthony Joachim. W. H. Prlng'.e. lack RJce. Jack Hall. Robert GitpsK. Francis Mahoney. Frank M unit is, 8am Howard, John Qulnlan, I-llun Norwood, Margaret Wood. I'eziry nrown. Jack Demp- ■ey Mary Oleasot. chorus—Bab*> Cinr'n. Estty Connolly. TManr*ret Van Cleft?. H-rsli H'ban. Rutb keitstrom. Alice VVhee er. F.orence Mulvi- hli Nancy I*es. Klele Wltie. L'oltble I^>s er. Madgf* Jackscn. Anna Jackson, Marlam Ficher Francs I.-»urenee, Madcwite Uall. Kva Ra I, Amy Jcrtoko. P.eua Brabgaa, I,»>r, a MarceVa. Itn'ii I'rnren. Midrl Jolin-on, licnrud" C> y<ae. Lojrr-*i.e Bant*. 'Caleties of 19211" la a Bhubert unit show toiallv uai'.e other un'.t attractions that lav pre edod it at the Central. New Yor\. The "Caie- t'.es" is a mus'cal comedy re/ue. Thee are no act ■, and tiie waits tD be filled in for stage settings are neat'y made by the principals of a number stepping before a curtain for their finishing bit. The scenes ore often changed. giving a fast kalc'doscop'c move- ment to the performance, something new In i'self for unit vaucieville. since one of the hirh points about th's show is its production. It's the best-looking performance the Central has seen Kinre it p'.ayci the units. This gce3 f *om scenery to costumes. Wtl'le neither is new. that cannot be detecLefl. Tbe other meritorious point.is the score (and numbers). running to several tuneful melodies. The only blot on the musical end is that several of the interpolated numbers of the original performance appear to still ren- tin. ,' Jm a larger theatre the production er,d vould show ;o even better ad- vuntagc. - Presented by the N'cw York Win- ter (Tardcn. the "all-Uar cast" bill- ing lino is carried on the program. That should be de'eted. This com- pany is far from an all-star .one in any particular or individual. Nor will anyone paying the unit scale expect to see all stars in it. Th? company, in fact, is the least, but may suffice on the presumption unit patrons will never know the differ- ence. More comedy should be inserted, and the show will easily absorb more fun than it is now getting. A couple of the scenes have laughs, wherein Sam Howard as the low comedian gives a poor imitation of his brother. Willie Howard (Willie and Eugene Howard). Will Phir- brick is the other cdmedian entitled to mention for doing some hard and quite fair feork with what he has ;o handle, the best of which is in the aisl s nea'r the end of the even- ing. Of the women nothing may be said, not even of Miss Norwood, who must take her share in a two-act during which Sam Howard does all the talking with some awful stuff for laughs, though it does.get some laughs. Agreeing that but a mediocre company could he engaged to play the performance, since it is the former 'Passing Show of 1921" that had* the Howards with rt at the <Jarden, still the overhead here is reported at around $5,300 a week. Ed L. Bloom, the Shuberts* gen- eral manager, put this show on for h unit, as he did for "The Midnight Rounders" and "Oh What a Girl" (or 'The Rose Girl"). As mentioned some months ago, Mr. Blooni through these shows has appeared to have a more definite idea of what a Shubert unit should have been and should be than anyone else con- nected with that circuit. In this attraction there seems to be a foundation for an altogether new unit entertainment, one of class mu- sical comedy revue at popular prices that would not call for vaudeville, would not be cheating at the price and could not be considered as op- position to anything other than the $2.!>0 or $3 traveling musical com- edy. It's quite certain this kind of production, if continuous on the weekry rotary plan and up to a set standard, could become opposition to the higher-priced shows, for there is class here in the production in every way, even though the missing Class the pop-price audience will not notice is in the cast. In the "Gaieties" Hie revue is borne out through snatches of dif- ferent plays, ulthough three years old. sti'i continuing to give "The Bat" or "Lightnin*," <*tc, with those plays still to be hits, while "Mecca" and others are So produced they would lit in-at liny time. Then* is a large, llkejy-looking, I well -drilled chorus, and the-enseni- I hie, wi!h its 2N cl.'orlsleas and lsrg? numher of principals, owerfllleq the Central stage. it's possible the Shuberts, after seeing this production play as -a unit, with all t!o* vlrls iltudc i of their attempt at vaudeville or th* combined unit still In their m«mo- l'hl mny rnnp'inli. th^t :n the « eheme another class that probably would come from the upstairs of the legit houses on the road playing the higher-priced musical shows. To what extent the unit shows of this description could hurt the balconies and galleries of the other house, would only be determined by the future. ' * There is more entertainment as entertainment in the "Gaieties" than 90 per e^nt of the other units have held. While the "Gaieties" Is neither vaudeville nor burlesque; it's a No. 2 Winter Garden, made No. 2 through the company. t&imc. PALACE i The Palace bill was switched around considerably Monday night, due to its length and th? connections In the Vincent Lopez and Band turn and Frank Far mini and Co. The Farnum act also lias a band and go<s In for "effects" a la Lopaz. Frrnuiv. originally epot ted to Close the frit half, was dropped to open- ing atisr intermission. Lopez moved MP to Farnum's original position from n:<xt to closing. Collins and II; it. programed to close, didn't ap- pear.- prcbobJy due* to the running time, the curtain dropping about 11.25 at night. The switch gave Farnum the worst of the break?, he having to follow Lopez afte- intermission Despite this the Farnum aci mad; a rtronj impression, holding two of the season's "hottest" jazz dancers in Farnum and Christ'ne Marscn. Their tough waltz aX the opening Was a classic. Warren .Jackson and Eddie 0'Rour!:e. two clean-cut har- mony singers, landed with a good ballad and another po:> numb r. Two dancing speclait'es by SnirlcfS Dahl and the all-danc'ng finish topped by Miss Marson's jazz step- ping ana Farnum's acrobatic ec- centric, put the turn away solid and pulled the jazz hound out for a r.pcech. The eight-piece lady band accompanied in big league sy>. The iirrt half of the bill h^e'd most of the comedy and opened un isually with Piatov and Natalie, a full- ^tage dancing act. The dancers started the bill strongly, doing splendidly in the early spot with "adagio" and solo specialties. A ffance creation. "The Dope Fiend .> Death," carried a special set. ft will he heavily censored in come quar- ters as a realistic portrayal-of a •cokie" in the thrce3 of a ' yen" and out of stuff, lip attempts to rob the girl, herself en addict, but i; thwarted. She takes an overdose and dies at the end of the dance. The dance holds several thrills for the sophisticated, but for the aver- age vaudeville audience is far fetched and drawn out. Nataiie'o toe solo was the essence of grace and perfect elevation. It's a nea.t act. The Runaway Four deuced, zip- ping up the tempo immediately. These four boys have cut out all of the /excess hokum and are down to the pink. The act is a fast variety turn, with a few laughs and a finish that pulls them out of their chairs. No better ground tumbling is onl, exhibition. •When Love Is Young," one of vaudeville's most delightful sketches, was well spotted third. It is appropriately named 'A comedy of youth." Tom Douglas and Lillian Ross, supported by Herbert Hodg- kins and Ralph E. Bushman, round- ed out a flawless cast. The youth- ful love affair and its inevitable con- clusion with the fight between the rivals, both mental and physical, is one of the cleanest and most re- freshing breaths drawn into the two-a-day this season. Leroy Clemons. the author, has out Tar- kingtoned Tarkingtoja. The Four Mortons followed. The crossfire in "ohe" between Sam and Kitty started slowly, but built up. The "wedding" routine has become a Morton trade-mark, but on the Palace showing it could stand->a few inserts. The singing and dancing of the family following went as strong- ly us ever. Joe selling a ballad illus- trated by his mother. The ensemble stepping, with Sam and Kitty still ■pry in a routine of intricate taps that have almost become a lost art fro the present' generation, and the old-time song-and-danee finish, slammed them over a* pf yorc\ Martha Morton and Gordon Dopley, usually booked on the same pill, were out* of the pieture, Martin having been operated on last wee'e at Providence. Ruth Itoyo sang her way to one of the hits of the bin with new comedy songs, the only weak one being her opening, "I'm Mighty Sweet on My Sweet Sweetie," a mean'ntlesa lyric ;h;it doesn'l belong in her rone to ire. Detpite that Vincent Lopez has a special boat i\'c • effect to Illustrate his "Lee" number. Miss Roye s;inr it ahead of the mu'*lc'ans. She nisi walked In on the Lopes ;;«-t. at th" finish of tivt turn t<» Interrupt the Lopes speech ;md ask to be allowed to sitKr with th ! hand. were next to closing, with Herbert Clifton (New Acts) closing a long bill. Con. RIVERSIDE The bill this week was comprised of seven acts, it being quite an in- terval since the last deviation from the Riverside's regulation eight-act bill length. The reason was the presence of Joseph K. Howard and Ethlyn Clark's new revue (New Acts), which ran about' three- quarters of an hour. Richard Keane was to have been added to the show, but there were not enough lines, remaining to hang his set- tings, the Howard and Clark turn taking up most of the rigging. There was plenty of show, how- ever, it being good entertainment all the way, and it was past 11 when the news weekly was flashed on. The overhead dress in "one" is new at the Riverside and is something different in the tormentor trim. *t is arched and so designed that bat- ten<i and the lower sides of border lights are masked from the front rows or are supposed to be. Last week's attendance was reported very gocd. Monday night's house was not up to normal and didn't look more than half capacity on the lower floor. Howard and Clark had their new prrduciior, for "Etchings from Life." which closed intermission, tmde in Chicago almost entirely. Some of the materials did not reach th* houre until Monday morning. Figuring that, thdr new turn ran exceptionally well. More interest than the fact it was a new revue attended the debut, for it had James J. Morton, formerly called "the boy comic." excellently spotted In it. his running comment being an ideal counter for scene changes. A tableaux curtain used was designed clnog the same color scheme as that in Kelth'3 new Palace, Cleve- land. The Four Camerons on just ahead made the going about as good as could be desired. Jack Baxley is credited with writing the material fcr the Ciiperons, and it certainly was made to their order. The busi- ness between father and son was genuine vaudeville comedy, and the art f'sclf is a real variety turn brought up to date. Nothing should ■•top Louis, the younger Cameron, from being a well-known name along Broadway. An eccentric comedy dancer, he too is acrobatic, but above all, is a laugh-getting comedian. Cammie Cameron, a sweet-looking girl, has possibilities, and It is pleasant to record the nrcgreps of two stage children. Louis got a hand on his nutty step- ping early and later displayed peculiar agility at skipping rope. The e!der Cameron Is an excellent feeder for the boy, and- the whole routine carries a certain polish. The cycling ticks are present, but rather in the background. Eighteen min- utes of the regular routine seemed all too short. The younger* Cam- erons then had bits in "one," using Sargent and Marvin, who were on second. That afforded time .to set the Howard and Clark act. Duel De Kerekjarto. the Ar- menian violinist, with his Romanic appearance and his excellent violin playing, was the evening's indi- vidual hit. The foreign musician was on next to closing and remained 19 minutes, giving six numbers, four of which were encored. One was a muted number, Kerekjarto rinding it necessary to borrow Julius Lenzberg's mute. The selec- tion, though unprogrammed and unannounced, might have been called "The Gale." for it was par- ticularly vivid in results and a rather remarkable exhibition of short bow and rapid "finger work. It is unusual for a concert artist to be spotted so late on a big time bill, but Kerekjarto is an unusual musician, one of the finest heard in vaudeville in years, and one whose program ha« been nicely framed to attract the interest of the layman. Lewis and Dody had the job of closing, but that ■ as not too hard for the two Sams with their.sawed- off top hats. Not half a dozen walked and the balance waited and laughed all the way. The new verses to the "Mike and Ike" song and the nutty chatter between num- bers indented the team is keeping ihe routine fresh and not depending on "Chora Hoehcha" entirely. Noel Traveri and Irene Douglas with 'Come Into the Kitchen" sup- piled a bright enough farce for opening intermission. The turn h.is been out a season or two. Now with o special kitchen setting, with •i prop electric stove and tiled-walls, ii looks much better than before. F.d'.'.u- Allan .Wooif wrote the turn, and the m vnner in which the line3 registered farcical writlnar has more Mian an edge on his other work. Th" fia'ured players did very good •.•<••].- Phil Duggan as the irate rati er id excellent. A bit f«di to Nhead ol that, Lopez, with nl.out the ••ir,"- routine ;s when lit h re. 'Lou!i T'ueil. probably also the car scored the h!l of tii" bill. 1 h" ne*.v i pepter. of the "GaietieV tncy al.-o be the iiasis of a popu'.ar-priced circuit. While to the regular the "Gale- ties'' as now prencn e<i may no! be all a vaudeville fan would look for through Its lack <;<" real comedy, the smoothness or the running, th- class and the looks could work out to two result! to hold a portion <>f irhat- I er regular patronage th^ units j m«) ha^Cj attracted and bu.ld up! touches were "Robt, E. Lee,* 1 with a pretty boat r ace scenic effect ia i set i.a! Tiiu Rhapsodic." t. romedy. the jazz the ';oif and "Hungarian The boat race effect war nearly ruined by the jerking of the boats and belied the program note to the effi m tbe original ru-c was from New Orleans to Si Louis the winner malting it in th.-ec days.fn violin 18 hours and •? minti *a. At th Palace it might havi boats. Charles Sargent and John Mar- vin made a corking No. 2 with a rmrieal routine plu* a. dash of Tbe men are strong on and yet have novelty to also. Billing has it they dn "triple saw playing." Two saws are u?ed, ea'-h member playing with bow oo that the "triple" phrasing can only be technical. The Pour Phillips opened the -'. ow. Theirs is a varied routine makes the turn one of the most exceptional. Some of the acrobatics classes as daring, particularly a perch stunt with two member* aloft supported by a forehead balance. It is also an ideal circus act. /see. COLONIAL Barclay and Chain (New Acts) lot a^rofcatics and juggling that Another big night at the Colonial Monday, with indications business* would continue that way through- out week. This is the first time the amateur thing has been tried for big time, the Colonial having for a feature turn this week the "Colonial Follies." It is made up of 24 neigh- borhood girls appearing as chor- isters and principals in numbers and specialties incorporated in the Frederick V. Bowers turn. Tom and Harry Linton staged the "Co- lonial Follies." Besides the ama- teurs Bowers and the people of his act appeared in the "Fellies." That the amateur proposition is a success for big timers situated in residence neighborhoods seemed a foregone conclusion Monday. The amateurs unquestionably drew heav- ily. Incidentally several of the 24 girls showed talent quite sufficient to land them a professional job at any time they feel like crashing Into the show business. Among the 24 were likewise several probably put in for comedy purposes—short and fat. and tall and lanky-awk- ward squad recruits whose efforts to keep time in the simple Chorus evolutions shook the house with laughs. A voting Contest with votes dis- tributed to the audience and the customers requested to "vote for their favorites among the amateurs figures as a shrewd business booster for the current as well as the fol- lowing week. It was an jexcelltnt idea to utilise the ¥Yed Bowers turn as a solid framework for the.. "Follies," that insuring a definite measure of en- tertainment, and the professionals in addition to giving the amateurs confidence taking the curse off the work of the more inexperienced of the novices. As a freak act the "Colonial Follies" qualifies as an entertainment novelty aside from Its box office value. The "Follies" held the headline or second after in- termission, and made It stick. The show rati to variety with a 10-act biH inclusive of the amateurs. It was a smooth-running entertain- ment withal that pleased the exact- ing Colonlalites. Camilla'* Bird* started it with a rush, the feathered performers running through a series of tricks that showed the ef- fects of clever training. The' woman working the birds might effect a costume more In accord with the black-and-white color scheme of the act to advantage. The rainbow colors of her' present costume jan- gles badly ^with the stage picture. Dorothy Ramer did four published numbers. No. 2, with the raggy numbers outstanding. Miss Itame.r should pass the slower ballads up, likewise a tendency to shrillness when singing. She pleased. Robert Reilly and Co.. third, were a terrific wow with an Irish singing skit that was built to order for houses like the Colonial. Reilly makes an up- standing hero for Irish romantic comedy drama. A good voice is a corking asset. Reilly knows how to get his songs over besides. And topping the rest he's a good dancer. With that array of talents he couldn't fall down anywhere. Molly Kennedy makes a convincing col- leen and Little Larry a boy who, like Peter Pan didn't grow up, takes ample care of the comedy. The Co- lonial couldn't get enough of the trio. With the show nicely set It was up to Ted and Betty Healy to keep the tempo at high speed—and that's exactly what they did, and more. The couple make a real addition to the list of mixed teams. Ted Healy is a good comic with a natural method of handling banter and kid- ding persiflage. He also has a voice and dances neatly. Betty Healy, a tall blonde and a looker of the first water, makes a splendid foil for Healy's gagging and qualifies as a dancer, with a forward and back kick that is the .goods. Healy Is using considerable material that has been done around quite a bit. That's a detail of the act that will have to be.co.rected as they go along. They pushed 'em over Monday night far a real hit. Harrison and Pakin were fourth and piled another heavy score on top of what hud gone before, A likable air of travesty running through the Harrlson-Dakin turn takes it out of the regular run of singing and dancing, specialties. Tie- brass hand bit at the finish seems a bit out of kilter with the class of the rest of the turn. The house liked everything offered. The Canslnos closed tit»> Aral half with their Spanish dancing and wowed em as usual. An effective method of backing up the dances with lightinc .and colorful costum- ing gave the middl" <»f the show a sparkle of brflHn.iey that made it respjfrndtnt as Times square at night. Rrnesl K. Ball proved he ia a comedian who can get laughs quit*- a.A well as h<> can grind out song hits and Bill has ground out more than a few- opened after Inter- mission. Wh n they weren't laugh- ing they were applauding —and that's pr»»fty good for any single turn in one, with the finish an ova- tion that put another punch in the show light where it counted wvil-,, Virginia and VVe t. n 1 '*' to closing, had a hard task follow- ing the long show, which include I much dancing, and consequently fell a bit short of their regulation score. Buster's whirls socked >m heavily, as they always do. Three Melvin Brothers (New Acts) closed. Bell ROYAL Nioe acts at the Royal topped by Mrs. Rodolph Valentino (New Acts) came pretty near to sell-out pro- portions. The "draw" was credited to the picture actress, seemingly half of the Bronx being interested in how she won the "Sheik," as the home paper promised she- would reveal. If the secret is contained in her present vehicle by Kdgar Allan Woolf, the Sheik was a push-over. The sketch was second after inter- mission. The rest of the bill he!d one new comedy combination in 6wor and COnroy (New Acts), two veterans of the burnt cork, in a forking two- man talking and dancing turn. The pair were fourth but could have held down a much later spot. The laughs were continuous. "The Son Dodger," C. B. Mad- doek's comedy revue, followed the blackface act and cleaned up. John K. Walker, featured comedian, does a laughable drunk as the ad lib father. His dancing also scored heavily. Richard De Mar. the Juv- enile; Leda Errol, the soubret. and Lillian Lester also scored vocally and hooflcally. The strength is the comedy situations, all familiar but well handled by this exceptional comic. | After intermission James !•:. Thornton drew quite a reception. Jim received another round of ap- plause when he announced he was beginning his 42d year on the stage. His monolog went well, with the old time song medley at the finish good for several bows. Two new comedy, songs are in the' routine, both containing punch lines. Mr. Thornton never looked better than Tuesday night. HeTl a vaudeville institution. Grace* Deagon and Jack Mack fol- lowed Mrs. Valentino. The pair are a recent combination, doing about the same routine as Dickinson and Deagon. The former has partnered with Florence Tempest. Miss Dea- gon's kid impersonation was heart- ily welcomed here. Mack, a clean- cut straight, mugs a trifle more than seems necessary, but they liked the whole act. It scored one of the com- edy hits of the evening. Gordon and Rica, a novel opening act, opened in "one" as a Song and dance team, but quickly went to full stage for bicycle riding. The turn is a novelty. The crossfire and song duet between the man and woman atop a two-high bike was diverting. The girl has several cute costume changes, and the man is a personable chap who grows on his audience. The act is a different opener for any of the big time bills. Van and Tyson deuced, dancing their way to solid returns. There, isn't a \yasted rifsment. - Opening in bellhop unles the pair have about four lines of dialog, then"hop to the buck. That's all of the plot, the rest of the- act consisting of danc- ing, running the gamut from soft •hoe buck and wing to waltz clog and acrobatic. They scored. Sybil Vane followed. The little prima donna, with a well balanced routine of pop and classical songs, went strongly and had to encore twice. Leon Doraque, at the piano, proved a good accompanist and handled the inevitable piano solo with promptness, dispatch and showmanship. "An Artistic Treat," the posing act featuring Margaret Stewart, Beulah Stewart and William Down- ing, is all that the name implies and one of the most interesting posing acts in vaudeville. The beautifully formed trio held nearly all with a series of Greek posture studies don<» under white plaster. It wound up a corking show. Con. SULLY CROSSED Sully, the barber, who made a vaudeville appearance nine years ago in "Sully's Barber Shop" at Hammersteln's Victoria was-threat- ened with a return engagement next week at the Broadway until the Keith office decided that Sully was over the grease paint limit. The famous tonsorial artist and dialectitian was to have workeii in the George Le Maire act "The Doctor 8hop," the part calling tor some rough handling from the athletic Le Maire. The Keith poop's are reported »h fearful that Sully would wilt under the punishment The cancellation was a severe blow to the barb who nearly de- capitated several customers in his shop due to worry about billing, dough and other items coupled with the engagement, Rehearsals have been held in tbe room next to Sully's barber- shop on the third floor of the Palace Theatr Building. Le Maire informed Sul!y he was skeptical about.liis ability to simulate an Italian dialect, a m>- quirement in the role. "Sully's Barber Shop" at Ham- merstein's also mchided Le Maire m the cast.