Variety (July 1923)

'>.^' NEW ACTS THIS W^EK 'SfOX*-''^'' 'fS-T: Wednesday, July i, 1928 •SUNSHOWERS^ '; 8ono*t D«nc«t tknd Com«dy 25 Mins.) (Special Orapei) Palace Harry Delf's condensed version of hU own show. 'SunahowerH," inuke^^ an entertalnlngr plrl act for vaude- ville. The principals Include Deif. Hubert Kinney. Martha Shelby, and Lenora Novuslo. Thore nre twelve choristerH. The dancing of "Sun- showcra" In its original legitimate /orm was a foaturo, and it remains so in tiie vaudeville version. There is a bit of dialog at the opening with choristers apcak;ng the lines. That's always funny, even if not intended to be comedy. A novelty curtain with the ciiorus girls sticlting their heads through apertures and each having a line or two of a patter bit has laughs as well as unique staging to rec- ommend it. A short scene or two with Delf clowning briefly is followed up with dancing. The finish has the twelve girls and three principals oa for a lengthy ensemble dancing number that is the goods. The act closed the show at the Palace. It was a tough spot for it. but It went over well considering. The turn*can stand some pruning in the portion allotted to dialog. Bell STONE and PLATT Talk, Songs, Mutieai 19 Mint.; One 23d St. Man and woman with consider- able meat in their act and consid- erable excess avoirdupois. The re- cital Of the act's routine maltes that evident. She opens in the spot as a sap bride, he at the piano. The song is Immediately broken into by her own humorous small talk on marriage, etc., a familiar idea in itself and mildly developed here, further detracted by a persl.«'tence m smiling and smirking at her points. This drawback becomes the more apparent as the act pro- gresses. From then on the musical end of the routine is much to the fore and pleasingly so. He features a solo on an odd violin, the woman return- ing with a saxo to his banjo ac- companiment. Before going into the musical performance she gaga some more, also breaking It up later with another vocal solo. She has a high register, but it is somewhat overdone. Her desire for novelty in chattering is ap- parent and is a worthy attempt, only the fact the talk is not up to snuff mars It. He features playing on a hand- saw, first tapping it with a small mallet in the usual fashion, and al.so stroking it with a violin bow. The getaway is an interesting bit, that of blowing up a toy balloon, and as the air is gradually ejected produc- ing a true musical rendition of a pop ballad. It got tlu'in off big in the second hole. They look set for the three- a-day with improvement possible throu;;h cschowins laughing at her *>wn points. Abel. "SNAPPY BITS REVUE" (4) Singing. and Dancing 17 Mins.; Full Stage (Special Drop and Cyclorama) Greeley Sq. A smart appearing Juvenile with a good voice (.lames) and three ex- <-ellonl wonion dancers (Anderson. King aiul NVerle) are tlie personnel. The act fails to reach big time re- nuiromoMts thrfuiRh A routine which merely .^janclwi.hos a Hong by the man bef\^oen each of the women's dances. It is no faul» of the ;.tists that ^ tiie act is badly arranged and does not click, as James ha.s all the qualiflcation-s of u first cI.ts.«i juve- nile, appearance, voice and dancing ability, while the women are expert and versatile dancers of nice ap- pearance. With the assistance of a good stage manager there is no rea.son for the tui'n remaining on .small time. Another man as capable as James added would allow of more ensomble work in the dances, which is now lacking especially for a good danc- ing finish. Or the three girls miRht work without any man. dividing theip specialties to allow for changes, which in the present act, appear.s to be the man's only rea.son for being there. Thi.<? would give -the not more logical fiotldity and make for speed and should bring better results in eitlicr case. Another man with the necessary ability would be tho best arrange- ment, with an eye on big lime prob- abilities. The.act at present is a good fla.sh for the small time .nnd onu dose onv bill of that calibre. LEO EDWARDS and WALTER PRESTON Songs and Piano 15 Mins.; One 5th Ave. .', Leo KJ wards, pianist-composer, and Walter Preston. i>oiished tenor, who is heralded a Broadway prod- uct from the lobby billing of his past performances in "Springtime" and "Vouth." This Is a usual com- bination, but unusual, iif' this In- stance. Whero the pianist is oft- times the accompanist, he Is the feature here. Nor is it a beneficial departure. Edwards may have somewhat of a rep: Preston is limited, chiefly thruUKh youth seemingly. That this limitation will not exist long is palpable. Preston is a male song- bird in impeccable "front" that ia bound to assert itself as an asset on any stage, vaudeville or produc- tion. He has that leading man savoir faire that will get to the women and build him a following. He is an unctuous tenor and when one refers to one as a u. t, one ia forced to the odlou.s comparison of introducing John Steel, explainable chiefly by the fact he is represen- tative of his classification such as Sousa or Dempeey or Chaplin or Berlin are of theirs. Preston needs schooling and an unassuming accompanist, and he needn't courtesy to Steel. The routine here starts with Edwards and ends with Kdwards, who takes the first and final bow and ma- jestically signals to Preston to emerge from his invisible retreat in the wings to take a bend for the customers. The vocalist sing? "Kiss in the Dark." "Lady of the Kvening" and "Bambulina," the latter two from current production hits so evidently by permission, among other things. "Bambalina," a dance tune, la not suited to Preston's voice and should be elided. The rest of the vocal routine is a "ro.se" number off-stage and another on entrance followed by a "sonny" ballad writ- ten by Edwards. The latter piano- logued a "rose of the cabaret" num- ber announced as recently com- pleted for Pannie Brlce. Preston was the heavier con- tender for favor. The act was spotted No. 2. . /^p/ MOREV and CORBIN Songs 14 Mins.; One American Roof .' ; - ^ '" Two men, looking wll in cash- mere luxes, singing pop songi«. One is a baritone, with a fair voice, handicapped by difficulty in holding hi.s own with the melody against the other man's exceedingly high tenor. This is one of the highest voices that one might imagine. Without being a falsetto, It stays only in the higlfcst pitch. Sweet at times. It finally begins to grate, and its pos- sessor would do well if he tried to cultivate some lower tone.s. Some comedy talk is attempted, which flopped, and should come out at once. The same goes for the tenor's attempt at Italian dialect in one number. It doe.s not ring true .'ind .spoils an otherwise clear enun- ciation. The harmony stuff is always good for the threc-a-day and this team c;ems set for the medium hou30.«. MARINO FOUR % • , Songs and Dances 15 Mins.; Full Stage 23d St. ■" n' - Two acts in one ron.slsting of a vocal team and a dancing couple. Tlie routine Is .so arranged the two teams alternate in the work, the ringing duo occupying tl»e stage while the dancing team makes cos- tume changes. Tlie singing borders on tlic operatic .style with the dancing including Spanish stepping. Apache work and whirlwind acro- bat icf. There i.s con.slderuble meat 11 the ofTerlng. but the two-in-one idea is not worked out 55n\oofhly enougb (o m iko the turn surefire. Jfnrt. BENDER and KNAPP Acrobatic 7 Mins.; Two ">, 23J St. Two man luiml-lo-hand learn, either or both probably with for- mer combinations. The lifts are more oi less along familiar lines, al- thotrgti caplt.7lly executed. Mixed up \^ ith this is a m iscular display by the stocky understmder. who po.s- ses.^e.s a beautifully developed col- lection of muscles. The costuming i bathing suits over white tighlJt; lonvention-U but acceptable. Interesting op«»ner:« at the 23d CHARLES 8. LAWLOR Songs and Talk IS Mins.; Two (Sp«e!al Drop) . , Mth St. (Jun« 28) Show business can credit Gov- ernor Al Smith with one more big charity. The Big Chief at Albany gave a new popularity to tho old sor.g "The Sidewalks of New York" and thereby staged a whale of n comeback for the author of that song of beloved memory. Vaudeville audiences are pe- culiarly sensitive to aentlraent with a flavor of by-gone days and that Is one of the reaso/is vaudeville Is the most stable and dependable branch of the alM>w business. Law- lor is able to capitalize this senti- ment to a high degree and he makes it good, particularly with an audi- ence of the 68th street type, a community of the old-time residen- tial type that has been rooted in the same district for more than ot\e generation. ' '/' . 'V r\ The act opens with stereoptlcon announcement to the effect that Lawlor ia an old time vaudeville favorite and wrote songs as far back as 1S72. The riee of the cvir- t: .1 reveals a drop of Union square pr.rlc with a bench In the fore- ground, the bench bein^r occupied by a girl (one of Lawlor's daugh- ters) In attire of a down and out. Lawlor enters fi'oin the left, feeling his war with a walking stick. He stumbles Into the ffirl and she starts to bawl him out until she sees h; is blind. Talk between the two makes It appear that she Is ^ chorus girl out of work and up against it and this furnishes the cue for talk of a kindly philosophical trend. She learns that this blind waif Is au- thor of '[Sidewalks of New York," called "the song that helped to elect Al Smith," and they do it as a duet. This is a]! the turn needs for its purpose in New York. Friday night they took half a do::ea encores and could have continued to sing the number ind*'flnitely. Kms/i. <■ " ■ "KJDDIE FOLLIES" Full Stage; (Special Set) 45 Mins. Garden, Baltimore Baltimore. July 3. Produced as a hot weather draw- ing card at the Garden, Tom To- bln's "Kiddie Follies" proved an ex- ceptional act, with about 20 kids in it, ranging In age from 6 to 15 and holding exceptional talent. The opening scene is set in a schoolhouse, with the kids as pu- pils. Graduation day is announced, with the additional announcement that on that day each child will do his or her stuff for the benefit of the patrons, etc. Then the "Follies" commences. It consists of enter- tainment by children who have been long trained by several dancing masters of the town In the gentle art of Terpsichore, and If the truth be told, they do their acts well, with little stage fright in evidence. True, most of the numbers-^and there are 14, in addition to the elaborate opening and closing scenes—run to song and dance work and the like, but, taken Individually," the work is worthy of the time given it. and the novelty of seeing a tot about three and a half feet tall garbed In a red and bkick outfit, typical of the early da.v "vamps." sing "Louisville Lou" makes up for much. Thl.s little girl mentioned. Catherine Ke5'e3. as the vamp, literally walked away with the fHow. being so darn small that the show, being so small that the large stage literally engulfed her. The finale is a group ypani«h dance arrangement, with the tam- bourines and high kicks added for good measure. The act, produced by I^'ofcssor Thomas Tobin. who has long been connected with the ^N'hitchurst theatres, j^hows evi- dences of careful production, for the job of making kids keep inline witli music cues, etc., is no small one. The act worked twice daily in this threc-a-day house and proved one of the biggest drawing cards it lias held in some time. The .supper show was omitted. .s',.v/. THE GIRTONS (4) \^ \ Cycle and Acrobatic ;, ,, 8 Mine.; Full Stage... Fifth Ave. >" . —• A (quartet of ydtithful girls, one really « kid and a)r togged out In gingham rompei-s',. bare-legged. The dressing is just right, for these youngsters have stunts that do not permit dress interference. They hail from Australia, patently trained as performers and a credit to their sponsors. Two of the girls are the principal workers, they being bicycle special- ists. One held more or less to straight pedaling. Then came a little bobbed-haired blonde who handled her bike like an expert male stunt rider. There is dash In all of her feats, most of which looked nervy. When somersaulting over the handle bfu-8 at the finale, there was an out- burst of applause. The Girtons will fit in any kind of bill, being a natural number one or , closing act for oig time: It is the liveliest sort of girl stunt act. with Acrobatic bits snapped in letween the wheel work. 11>ee. "MISS CUPID" (3) J Miniature Revue IS Min.; One (Special Dfop) - ' and Three '23d St . , ;- ... -:' ' Tommy Toner .Is featured coine- dian of the trio. The title is de- rived from both suitors for the girl's hand calling up Cupid's headquar- ters for counseling regardinir their procedure for the maid's affection. The straight Is a gallant and over- considerate, with Cupid advising a reversal to cave man tactics. Toner is a natural tough guy and Cupid counsels more consideration and gallantry. Cupid is shown in the drop in "one" cut out with a flash- light for a spot focused on her and the males similarly calclumcd by light emanating from the prop phones on a darkened stage. After five minutes of this to "three." the girl's home. Her suitors' reversal of form makes for laughs, okeh for family hou.so con- sumption. Toner is a natural mime and walked away with everything. The straight man split it up with an effective legman ia solo. The girl is passable. Closed the show interestingly. ■'■V ., •• • ■■ ■ -; ■ , Abel. CAVANAUGH and COOPER Piano, Dances and Son^a ' '-'^ 111 Mins.; On« , ■ ■ ^^ Fifth' Ave. • •» •: - ''^ £:arller in the year the turn wa« billed Marie Cavanaugh and Co wl»en Bobby Bale and Bud Cooper comprised the aids to the dancer who is a sister of Liiclile Cavanaugh! Dale Is out of the turn, Cooper re- maining at the piano and given equal billing. i. Miss Cavanaugh Is a sweet look-'^ Ing lass and a graceful one. She'" has eliminated vocal work entirely ' Cooper having several numbers! starting with an introductory lyrnj which brought Miss Cavanaugh out^ in hoop skirts for a pretty old fash^ ^ ioned dance. While she was off for"' a change. Cooper announced an Im-"^ pression of a colored boy singing one of his latest numbers. Jt was a blues, with some lines quite too blue. Misa Cavanaugh's series of dances with costume changes were all brief and held attention. A piano spe- cialty by Cooper got something, it was a rendition of "Say if WltM Music" from last season's "Muslo Box Revue." The act made a p'easlng x.». 2. v ,--...... ■ . .... ,.-,.■ Ihee. 1 WHITE and GREY Songs and Dances 13 Mins.; One American Roof Sister act opening with the u.«tual kid song In knee length dresses, curls, pink and blue sashes and the rest of the standard outfit. The girls are pretty, look cute and ap- peal In their "school days" trim- mings. A change to evening gowns follows and two solos and two more duets are offered. A bit of comedy here and there and a graceful dance help to lift the turn above the standard of the ordinary act of this type. The girla sing well, although they were handicapped at this perform- ance by some difficulty with the or- chestra. They might use a better selection of songs. With a wider range of selections and more ex- perience, big time pos.sibilities loom before them. THOMAS and HAYMAN Singing, Talking and Dancing 12 Mint.; One American Two men, both in comedv make- ups. Open with double .soiig. with brief routine of crossfire following. Well routined double dancing piece- out the act. The dancing incliifcles •some excellent eccentric stufT./and IV re than balances weaknf>/s of Kinging and gagging that precedes it. Comedy attire means nothinij and talk i.s ordinary. Stepping will put a..I across safeiy in pop house.«. Better material for crcssfirc nec- essary if act [n to develop alone? comedy lines. «<•// JIMMY SAVO Assisted by JOAN FRANZA Comedy, singing and dancing 16 Mins.; One State A smart looking girl in a riding habit opens with a song. Savo In- terrupting at the finish with a rush across stage ending with a fall after which the laughs come fast. It may be said the girl has an oddly peculiar voice, and a very slow, marked delivery, but as the act goes along it is seen that she is Joing a perfect straight for Savo which fits and could not be im- proved upon. She puts a telling pe- riod to all of Jimmy's clowning, his slow movement dances, grotesque contortion, etc., and skilfully leads up to his song, which at the finish, in the way of a 8urpri.<ie, shows that Savo has a good voice, both natural and falsetto. hJi?n ^'^\ ^'■^''*''' ^^^ ''K^'t lo the headline honors of this bill and could undoubtedly hold a responsi- ble spot on the big time program.s. PETE URTEN Wire Walking 9 Mint.; Full Stag^ '. '■ American Roof Neat .'.ppearing youiig »,.»„ 'n nhite. usiM„ a large .black jKira^o; m several wori;m.mlike stunts on the wne. He combines ihe rare a(- tr.hutes of gr.ice. 5 peer, and agih.^ Opened to r.ne roniUs at tlf* American .-nd shoiihi ,io 9imifi,'v Tnvwhero on t>.*« smaM timf" MiSS MIACUHUA v V Wirewalker «• * 10 Mina.; Full Stage . Meryland, Baltimore''-. Baltimore. July f.y^i Billed as the only wirewalker la ji the world who does not use a pole *^ or umbrella for balancing purposes. ^ Miacuhua. a Brazilian woman, fur- > nishcs quite a few stunts that fend a her act definitely across us a good ^ starter for a show In the interme- diate houses. Her routine, however. ,^ is pretty much the same as that ©rt countless other wire acts, albeit her^ skill In many respects makes her ^i outstanding. " The act opens with frome dance ) steps on the wire and close.s with a,5 breath-taking stunt of crouching on ' the wire and making it swing like ' the very deuce, then stopping - quickly and muttering with Bra« i zilian accent: "Wot you tink of - dat?" . -■■■^ That's the act. ^''^ Its accompanying mu.«iio i.s bla-, » tant. and the substitution of some- thing a bit softer and containing more melody would improvo it BO per cent. , . v .' . fiiah-. ADAMS and LILYAN . .^ Songs and Pieno ' -i . ■ 11 Mint.; One and Two . . • ;»; 23d St. U^< Two girls both fairly well oiced i sticking strictly to straight vocal- work. Following an Introductory ■ number tho remaining routine Is ^ comprised largely of standard se- ^ lections. The girls divide the work with solos and work well together '' in the harmony singing. Somethii4f In the way of an attractive drop to !■ back them up would help materially. The vocal work will stand up In certain type houses where a drop will help to show the act off, Uart. : WITH THE MUSIC MEN A popular music publisher. Jack . Mills, currently In London, will be pleasantly surprised on his return in a week or two to find that his " corporation has acquired the lease of a new building on West 46th street. The publisher, although In - the bufllness for only three or four years, has developed sensationally at a .surprisingly successful rate and ", has long since outgrown hls-pre.'^ent quarters. The corporation, of which the globe-trotting music man's i brother is also an executive head, i decided to surprise Its chief execu- tive by leasing a complete building. The structure will be named after the chief executive of the music . firm and already the gold lettering is up. Milt Ager and Jack Yellen are ' completing the score for Ted Lewis s "Frolic." which will be published bv their firm, Ager, Yellen & Bornstela. Lemuel Fowler is with the writ- ing staff of Jack Mills. The Spencer Williams Mu.sic Co, has been incorporated in New York city. Besides Williams the direc- tors are Max Kortlandor and 1'. R Jacobs. . . , The Ted Browne Music Co.. |nib- llsher.v. ftas been incorporated .-> Ciiicago for $10,000. lJilI>- .leiome the .sonc; wi itor has been enp'iK»-l <»n a wpecial ft\c "WT^oks ;iiianpenien{ by the Fox l-'ilrt* (.'fup. to write n comedy husitiefs in the C.aliugher and .Shean picture* "Arotnid the Town." The film wilf be made in New York, production .•^tartintr nett Afond i\, Jerome w't^ f>ui' ».f fh<- lirst sontrwriiers to get int<. tte .•ctnano Rume.wiili the .•jesera; y»i;«r« n^o. T.MiiM authrtreil f\\(- stript. m.-iteV-ril beff«*i» i^t iUe inlerpo'n lions. ■ T\e;.»t^rine Shern in •leron'.'-'.^ rutui V oi