Variety (July 1923)

* m -^n' r Thursday, July 19, 1^23 NEW ACTS THIS WEEK ft. IN ANDERS^and CO (3) , j;55S.» Full »ta«« («p«c««») • T^wte * Gordon produced t1il« wttch by Howard Bmmett Rogers, STlurlng CUen Anders, the young J^enlle light comedian, ^^om the LiUmate stage. The -.ke ch s I^Dtuously produced, a purple vel- JTcyclorama. orange tack drop. Ind btock hanging border, depleting The reception room of a fashionable boUM on a wedding evening. Anders, one of the guests, is ex- tremely cynical about the character at the bride. His synicism extends 10 her friend. Buelah Sumroerville, whom Anders thinks he has met be- fore under unpleasant circum- ^ fiances. J This suspicion Is confirmed when ^ be engages Miss Summer vile In con- itereatlon, and discpvers she knows ^|»arls and all of Its hideaways. Another girl at the wedding is a 'illiss Collins, whom Anders instlnc- V lively knows la a good girl. He pro- "^'poses to her. after she has fainted ^om drinking two 'glasses of Wine, i; $he accepts him, and while leaving to get her wraps he phones arestau- lant to prepare a weddJng supper. His pai enters to inform him that Hiss Collins is a notorious pick- pocket and "wedding worker'* and )las been arrested. She is brought Id by a detective. The old "wallet" gag is worked, the girl returning Anders and the coppers. Miss Summerville turns out to be a nurse, who saved Anders' life In lYance. and the proposal Ijj repeat- ed, word for word. The cancelled wedding supper is again ordered. The sketch is titled. "I Know Women," and holds a fair measure ol laughs. The story is not unusual but Is well written, with bright, interest- please an Intelligent gathering. The strength of the act liesHn its excel- l«nt cast. Anders has the center of the stage It all times, but the supporting rol^ are allotted to players of legitimate ablity. The act holds interest, and will hold a spot on tho best of the taudeville bills without letting the ^ow^down. Con. ,f CUFF GREEN Palming . / 14 Ming.; On# ^ t26th St. A clean-cut young fellow with an •ngaging personality walks on and In the most casual way explains that the young woman who usually Sings with him is not present. I^oni this ho keeps the audience interested^with a natural conver- lation fdr'^six or seven minutes, they In the meantime expecting him to sing. t- Green has an elegant speaking Voice and an easy delivery, with a lu>nchalant manner. Withdrawing kli handkerchief, some cards fall to the stage and from then on Green works with the cards or a ioin, at which he Is a real adept. ;^ His closing bit of disappearing ■Bd reproducing several times not ine or two or three, but half a deck *f eardp, is Just a little bit ahead M the rest, and his one hand shuf- !• with a triple cut is not going It get him any invitations to poker lames. Green is a finished performer and 4 good show man. with an act tit lor the best of company. *• And he does not sing. ■LET THE PUBLIC dECIDE'^ 3^ tinging and Violin »r< 1< Mins.; Full Stag* Wth St. ^ A James Madison production for/ jwtudevillo, with Genevieve Homer, Grace Tremont and Billy Rogers ap- pearing. A skit structure Is used to Introduce the specialties. Miss Ho- .^mer is an old-timer and sings the •ongs of other days with ability. Miss Tremont dances and sings •greeably, and Rogers, In addition to doing straight, plays tho fiddle. , As an old-timer'a offering, the torn will do for the pop houses. Bell. EIGHT MASCOTS Song and Dancing { 15 Mins.; Thre* 68th St. Tho Eight Mascots feature the- English style of concerted stepping and the glQla probably are English. They make several costume changes, the concerted stepping be- ing varied by solos and duets by various members. A "Glow Worm" double solo was eflfectlve; also the gypsy dance double among others, which did much to vary the straightforward routine. The concerted stepping la alBo varied by several dance forma- tions, niaking pretty pictures. The act toplined the 58th St. bill the last half and closed the bhow interestingly. ^l,ej, SCHAFER, WAGNER and FOWLER Comedy Skit with Songs 18 Mins.; Full Stage Amarican Roof Two men and a woman In what la billed as a '"sketchette." The scene is supposed to be a southern home, where an auto salesman haa called to sell a machine to a pro- spective bride and groom. The plot doesn't develop any more than that, but that's plenty to surround the trio's melodious Dixie accents with the proper atmosphere. ' The lines are rather bright, the best bit being a mix-up with one man talking about a car and the other'misunderstanding him, think- ing he refers to a wife. The salesman plays the straight, and does it capably. The other is the comedian, wearing only rimmed glasses for make-up. but getting across because of forceful delivery. Both sing the special numbers well. The girl has practically nothing to do, but is attractive and harmoniz- ing to the eye. The tuAi justified Its topllne bill- ing dialogue and lines aimed toXlng, although several rough spots KING and BEATTY ^ Songs and Piano , . - 15 Mins.; Ona Broadway This Is no ordinary piano act frame-up. It should be heard from in regular company. Both boys go In strong for comedy and the man- ner In which they accomplish It can be gcjuged from tho pianist's concert singftr travesty, which so convulsed a neighboring customer. It was suspected he was either a plant or a relation. The opening la a bit weak, but effectively plants the abandoned de- livery of the twain, which borders on the "nut" variety. The songs are mostly restricted and capitally sold. Two of the ditties are silly rhymes, but laugh provoking to a degree. They were the second ahow stoppers of the evening In the body of the bill. Alel need to be smoothed out. CARROLL and FISHER Songs and Piano 24 Mins.; One Palace, Chicago Chicago, July 18. Harry Carroll and Grace' Fisher make a dandy combination for vaudeville. Their succe«s here Is more pronounced than was obtained by Carroll individually with his big revue. Miss Fisher Is a prima donna, pleasing in appearance and voice. Carroll has a list of auccessee which contains as many applause bringing refrains as any of the writers. He has worked up a clever medley and- get.s it over very well. Mi«s Fisher sings several num- bers, and for an encore did a new "Zuyder Zee," followed by a little dancing, mostly by Carroll, which makes a nice finish. Carroll spolce of this as a new act when having Miss Fisher sing a song of his writing from the big act In which a country girl wlees up after a year and gets a nifty fellow of fifty to provide the things that a younger man has proml.^ed. Carroll Joins in this song, but most of the vocal effort falls to Miss Fisher. This team opened at Pitteburgh and then came to Chicago. COSMOPOLITAN. TRIO Singing . 15 Mine.; One ' ^ • - 81at St. A meritorious singing act. A woman and two men, tastily dressed In colorful Gypsy costumes, are the trio. Beth I^Coy has a soprano of almost operatic quality, and she received a personal ovation at the conclusion of her aolo. .Pompeii Tomasini. tenor, and Fernando Guarnerl, baritone, are t|»o two men, both possessing clear, power- ful voices and assisting ably with some -exceedingly fine harmony work. ' The selections' uaed are excellent and never too classical for vaude- ville, including two or three Itali^ standards, "Gypsy XK)ve Song," and a beautiful ballad. "Kiss Me With Your ^yes," which is sold in super- lative fashion by the trio. The jQaritone accompanies one of the songs on the piano. During the first number the orchestra ijras entirely too forte, drowning out the words and a good part of the vocal mel- ody. With this corrected the act should be able to provide the dis- tinctive concert touch for any bill. BERT HUGHES and Co. (4) Comedy Bicycle Riding 14 Mina.| Full Stage (SpecialfCyclo- rama and Drop) Paiaco An English importation of com- edy bicycle riders, three women and two men. The. act carries a special cyclorama of a group of spectators. The riders are In sweaters and baeketball paqts. After a brief bit of comedy and straight tnck bi- cycling an "announcer" says a basketball gam» will be played. Different colored sweaters are worn and the players divided two to a side. The odd girl acts as referee and guards a tennis net stretched acroes the foots to keep the balls on the stage. The game Itself provides comedy and thrills, also some excellent rough riding. The goals are aver- aged with a local favorite tie-up to the winner. At the Palace, New York, defeated Brooklyn. Comedy is obtained when the riders collide and fall. The referee got laughs by becoming entangled In the net. At one period one bike passed over the neck oiMi prostrate opponefit. It'« a corking big time opener and away from the usual, although an- other act Is playing around with.a similar idea.* ■ Con* "SIX PIRATES AND A MAID" Singing and Dancing 18 Mins.; Full Stage (Special) ^ 58th St. This Is a male singing sextet, with a vehicle that has them - In pirate make-ups, and a lyrical Jingle form- ing a frame work for solos and en- semble singing. Borne of the en- semble singing Is very bad. It Is hard to believe that six men. wlTh average voices and some with bel- ter than average voices, could pro- duce such poor "harmony." At other times the ennemble's stuff Is better, and a couple of times good. There Is a girl In the act, a little dancing pony, who Jazzes It up right. She Is also a good lejarm.inia stepper. The bass of the sextet does a solo handily, and one of the tenors tears off a ballad acceptably. Act Is small time. Bell. MILLS and KIMBALL C Singing .. ..^ ,. 14 Mins.; Ona State Her$ Is a good-looking couple, who have an Idea patterned along the lines of Claudius and Scarlett, presenting a cycle of l>allada of three generations. The team are probably musical comedy recruits, with the man being an exceptional- ly clear tenor, and the woman a most capable soprano. . They open with the wc»nan an- nouncing that they will submit songs of the antebellum days; of the la.st decade and of the present day. The couple then sang several ballads of that time, with both be- ing clad In costumes appropriate for the period. Following this, the men sang, "Days of Yore," and from the indications of the audience the offering had already met favor. Following this with a change of apparel, they did a medley of old songs. The woman, clad In a yel- low organdie gown, then sang a cur- rent pop ballad which brought Im- mediate respon.se. For * their closing number they usphI a number of present-day bcil- lads, serving as a fitting climax to a class offering for the bigger small time. JIM HANEY'S REVIEW (5) Singing and Dancing • 19 Mine.; Ona and Full Stag* City A tyi^al amall-tlme production act, but not a bad one. The cast consists of a girl and four men, one of whom does the solo dancing and takes a bow alone at tho end. The other three, all apparently very young, sing a bit and execute some good double and triple dances. All four m^n dock neat In tuxedos but the girl might advantageously replace sop;^ of her costumes. The last one is okay, but the others with faded feathers and georgette crepe don't look well. The woman is good looking, sings acceptably and dis- plays a high kick that makes her dancipg extraordinary. There Is no plot to tho turn, but a touch of Individuality Is occa- sionally inserted In the songs and dances. Needs a little fixing here and there, but should be able to round out an intermediate bill nicely. INGLI8 and WINCHESTER Nut Comedians 14 Mins.i Ono Special Drop Fifth Avanuo. Jack Inglla and Gene Winchester • comprise thia comedy pair of boko comedians. A novelty opening gets them away nicely. Upcn a dark- ened stage they enter carrying lanterns and wearing firemen hats for a comedy song, "Honest to God, We're Flraracn." inglls does .^ a nance fireman. The number is followed by a comedy double dance. Winchester attempts a uke solo ; constantly interrupted by Inglls with gags. The latter pops In and out of a doorway In a special drop ^ to fire his gags. Two shots aro ; heard with Inglls remarking, "Phone,** and answering one. Winchester's recitation, "Gungha Dhin," is Interrupted by IngUsi* vocal trick and blends Into synco- pation with Inglls staging a buck and wing. Winchester next Jufiloa ^ five balls, bouncing them off tbo stage (an old Wln(hetfter and Red* ford stunt). T^e big yell is a dramatic travesty. Winchester hangs a dummy on a nail on the drop which shows railroad tracks. Motion pictures of a train approaching can bo seen. At tHo crucial moment Inglis dashes on and fires a shot which backs tlM train up. It's a tunny bit. ' " Mind reading followed. Wlnohot- ter, bllndfoldod, on the stage, play- ing sorgs *Y«Qa6sted" on a saxo- phone. IngUu, working in tho alslOi > fed him comody «uos such as, *79ol Yesterday or. TO-day," with Win- . Chester obliging on tho Instrumonl with "To-morrow.** It's a good comody turn for any^ whero. a- ;, . Con, ■-.\. '^ ^^^i fox and BURNS Dialog and Songs It Mins.; One Asjerican Mort Fox (Fojt and Britt) has a ■•w partner, Joe Burns, and, as In «« old act, the voices are the great ■■■ct. Opening with a parody, J*>edy conversation follows which **^ this fair-sized auAlcnce audi- Wy expressing Its satisfaction. A ballad by Burns turned into a ■ock ballad by Fox finished the apt Proper, but tho boys had to respond J* several encores. Tho Fox- .....^ ^.- ^tnt offering Ut a -safo bet for did very ■•it any biU, JI THE ROSINIS ' Xylophone 12 Mins.; Ono City Conventional xylophone duo, two men clad in clown costume, with clown facial makeups. The clown makeups are a mystery. No reason for them, as the two confine efforts to atralpht xylophone playing. Open with medley of pop songs, William Tell overture next, and after old reliable of all banjo and xylophone turns, another pop medley, with more of the lighter stuff for a fourth selection. Playing average with others that have preceded it in vaurfeville. Act well No. 4 at City. BERT SLOAN Wire Dancing 4'/^ Mins.; Three —. 23d St. Bert Sloan feel* perfectly at home on tho taut wire and accomplishes hock, buck and wing dancing (with some real "wings") and other leg- mania with as much ease and con- fidence as if on terra firma. He does a bare five minutes, but pack«< considerable meat into bis minimum allotment The routine Is all dancing on the wire with the assistance of the Japanese parasol. He made a very Interesting and snappy opener at this house. Alel. SHUFFLE ALONG FOUR Singing 16 Mins.; One Jefferson Four smart-looking colored boys, dres.sed In neat business suits, put tive comedy. They adhere with one exception to quartet harmony, and as all have good voices the resultant barber- «jhop chorda are certainly musical. The exception la a tenor solo which discloses one of the best tenor voices heard in vaudeville In some time. They csn hold tbia i^t (fourtl^l » auy UU. ,. RUSSELL and PIERCE Dancing ^ 8 Mins.; Ohe "^ City Mopped up the hit of the bill and seems certain they would do simi- larly at many other theatres, In- cluding some coming under the cate- gory of big time. At this perform- ance they only did eight minutes. Eccentric dances, clog dances, double dances, soft shoo dances— they all look alike to these boys. Little to choose between the two, for what one doesn't do tho other does. They wear the tight suits, small hats and rimmed glasses of the usual nut comedians and make no changes. Outside of the danc- ing a few mild acrobatics aro per- formed, but these aro not overdone and are well done. . This team may have to give more than eight minutes if it wants to play the two-a-day where it be- longs. Besides a little novelty of some sort should,bo Introduced. But as for the' dancing, it can't miss, and all that's needed is a little mere of it . HARRINGTON SISTERS „ Songs snd Dsncoo 11 Mins.; One American Roof Still another sister act and cn^ that is not in any way aztraordl- nary. The girls are pretty and sweet, and that about ends it. Open- ing with the usual "kid" number, a lightning change iiH^ made by ono of them for an Irish comedy song. This includes the typical "como- all-ye" or shoving tho stomach up with the hands, which though it is O. K. when done by an old /rlsh "Biddy," in clumsy and vulgar when attempted by a young girl. The other sister followa with a dance that, as it stands. Is frankly. ImroKRible, althf»ugh she does show a certain latent ability for acro- batic fitUtn. A tiresome double "lullaby" number Is next and the finish Is a Jazz song and dance. HILLIER and LEAVITT , Talk and Songs 18 Mins.; Ono . .■:■': ^Z^.^:}-- City ■>> ' .•■•'■ ' :'••..••. Two men In fair comedy turn tbal^^' looks llko bait for any small-tlm4 audience. Tbo oomlo Is an unusual mixture, a sor^ of cross botwooa the Duchmaa of Bam Bernard^ and the Hebrew of Ben Welch. Ho works diligently for the laughs and gets a good manx^ith material hardly bettor tfflCn Tho acts of this kind. Tho straight feeds acceptably and bears the majtor part in the singing of the closing song, a corking Irish oomedy numbor, and sends thorn across with a wallop. The come- dian's solo falls to g9t a ripple and shfOuld bo replaced by a aong with re.illy humorous lyrics. Just now tho act needs to koof plugging along gaining experlenea ^ With this, combined with patience and ambition, they should climh. average la J HELEN KENNEDY Singing and Violin 12*Mins.; Ono Stata ■ '^^ . :,i ''-J: Helen Kennedy combines ability as a viollnlste, with an average singing volco and a good stags presence, for an enterfialnlng spe^i clalty that fits nicely In the No. 1, spot In the pop houscit. Two vocal numbers first, and then the violin playing to build up the score. Ono of the four numbers has Miss Ken- nedy doing a few graceful danco steps, a bit, of kicking. One costumo worn. Better enunciation would enhanco value of first two songs. ' B^l. UtWIS snd HENDERSON Songs and Instfiimontal . i 14 Mins.; Ono % City • ' ■^■' Anoth|r sister act, but slightly out of tho ordinary because of some good Instrumental work. The girls stick to tho oonvontional kid clothes. ' Tho short-skirt, little school girl stuff is behig overdone. After several passable doubls vocal numbers with ono girl at tho piano, a banjo and violin are in- troduced to good results. Tho former is played particularly well, but the other girl should eliminato . the dancing while fiddling. It is not gracefully performed and detracts , from the musical technique. Turn ' good for tho less importanW spots on pop bills. over a typical high-class colored singing act wi th Just the right na- [which is the best thing In the turn If the trmpo of the whole act were to be ppeeded up and more Jazz in sorted, if a bettor selection of songs^ cane.q, gloves, etc. All are younjr were to be chosen, and brighter, more fa*ihionable dresses worn, and finally. If a little novelty were to be added, the girls might get away from the usual run of sister acts and amount to something. As it Iw, 'ii's pr«lty small-timey. SILVERTONE FOUR Songs 16 Mins.; Ono' Lincoln 8q. It is more than prob.iblc this coN ored quartet was never spotted by a big-time booker. The four make nf.'it appearance, all in the regula- tion formal-dny a((ire, ineiuiling oil l'<ats. striped trouscr.s, frock coats. ch.ipM, one red-headed. Their repertoire consists of real, darky melodies. Tho only fault at present is that they tlo too mu< h. The routino nlioiiM bo cut by at KaMt one num- I bar. They'll score In any bousOt