Variety (August 1923)

• V WVT ' ^ .-T 1 ■^ Thursday, Augtttt 2, 1»83 NEW SHOWS THIS WEEK wi '■WHJVsWIflP.'.'' «7 .> PALACE fco^Mown dmw could b« had than WAnday Pight, when avery aaat waa KdiSd virtually In advance of thf lortAln. The weather was threaten- i«!r but comfortable for mldsuipmer. S the orange arcade did not get lt« iMUAl Dlay at intermission. Another inAic&tlon of the weight of visitors Ji the high scoring of the bill, itothlng failed to land, and the sev- irai standard comedy turns in par- ^ Ocular went over amid prodigious ''^*he going was pcfi-fect for Tom fimith. aided by the smiling pianist . ind straight. Harry Newman on #ourth. Before he eased himself off • smith nearly stopped the wheels. For a speech he said: "I ^oing tired; * think 111 go to the flat and lay down" Even then the curtain fbr it- the Louis Mann act was delayed. '"' Two unacquainted persons In the ' mgjne box remarked separately that fimith who modestly bills himself h as "an artist, gentleman and a : «;holar," is a dead ringer for Harry ^^ Ennis (J?<?M). Smith's assortment of hokum, falls, near nlp-ups and hoof- ing carried him along until,the dum- my bit, which caught the house. Followed by the mlnd-readlng rou- < tine, which is entirely comedy, the ' result was an applause hit from the Xcustomers, ^ , Marvelous is the term fitting the fuccesB of Ben Welch, next to clos- ing with his pal, Frank R Murphy. For 29 minutes the battle-scarred comedian held the house, which rocked In laughter. It may have been that many out front v^ere un- ■^ aware Welch is sightless, and no stis- ^ picion of that was given, for the cur- tain rose to disclose the meoi on a bench, and the bows were 'taken when the pair seated. That Is much better than the first method, having Murphy lead Welch on and off. When last caught ^V^elch wavered when on his feet. The new way de- •tracts nothing from the man's great mental courage and a sparkling sense of humor-that Is undimmed. He pulled a travesty bit on the ■ Mann act, and it was a yell. So '■'-' was "Ain't It funny how I fool peo- ple?" his reply In the Christian name gag. Welch explained his song was r an imitation of Max Jolson, Al's I: lather. Added recently, perhaps, was i: the bit about brandy manufactured - not by Hennessy but by people who ' used to mak^ beaded bags but busi- ness was bad. Samuel Shipman for. the second time counted as author in the Pal- ace's name feature. With Clara Up- man he wrote Louis Mann's vehicle, "The Good for Nothing." the sketch ' being used by Mann in vaudeville '■:'; ortginally In 1917 and played by him at the Palace several seasons ago. fihlpman also is author of "Lawful ^. lAToeny," the condensed version of which was employed by Lowell ebennan at the Palace two weeks aga Both Sherman and Mann were lK)Oked in a campaign for big names at the house. At the matinee the Hann turn didn't get ftu", but at nlj^ht secured four or five curtains. It Is far too much drawn out and •eems old fashioned. The blustering and ego of Marcovitoh become rather stale before the final curtain. It was not funny when the Ritzy krother exited with the old mother and Marcovitch went out with Irv- ., jng's wife. But It was when Ben ♦Welch pointed out the situation later. Harland Dixon, Marie Callahan and the 16 Sunshine Girls took the •pot Just ahead of Welch, the feature J .turn, tearing off a real hit; in fact, •coring surerNind better than they did earlier In the summer. The dancers held close to the original routjjie, although frames In the lobby held photos of "Hell's Bells." a Chi- nese scene In a Charles Dillingham s show in which the English steppers were formerly used. DIxon used a brief monolog anent dancing keeping them In physical trim. He, too, had a new number, "Bughouse Fables," probably Inspired by the cartooa of that name. Dixon scored Lest' with nis second single dance number and Repeated at once with the miniature Miss Callahan. The latter's left ankle held a tipht bandage which •howed through her sheer stocking, out the injury failed to interfere With the chatelaine going through •11 the way. The Sunshines landed l^th the circle evolution. If they are •0 remain In vaudeville past the ■^mer sea.son the girls should be treated to new costumes. Olga Cook (New Acts) made her Jaudevllle debut as a single under the direction of Gus Edwards, whose guidance .she developed and supplied a melodious interlude after intcrmls- »lon. . "Yarmark," the vaudeville mixture wf Russian that had borrowed quite f bit of "Chauve-Souris," concluded ■Jo a rain of hand-clapping. That •ame In response to the speedy hock- ■tepping of Theodor Stopanoff. So Jard did that stepper hit the hou.se • Ihe returns continued until each of Jhe troupe skipped across the apron. yodianoy'a copy of Balleff's an- nouncing style is rather good. So ■^far as the dialect goes it la no imi- latlon. Harry and Denis Du For had no «rc.jble In repeating their former ■uccesi at the Palace, on No. 2. The wlond brother's dancing counted •trongly In the score. A non-dano- jng section was built around a lyric. So This la London!" They worked in mention of the Singer building being large for a lot of midgets, ^hlch has laeetf published. A line ^hlch has been going the rounds to the effect that *^m. We HaT« No Bananas" la th« American national anthem got something. Bert Ford and Pauline Prloa •ap- plied a capital opener. Th« tight- wire "dancing^ Is cleverly paced to the muslo and performed with good showmanship. Ford, with both bis waits and jazs steps, was weU ra- warded, while his high jump at the close was sure fire. "An Arflstlo Treat* closed prettily. So rapidly were the poses accomplished that very few walked. A great deal of the posing Is done with one or sJl artists on their toes, and when such positions were atop a globe they looked especially well. Jhee. RIVERSIDE A very good bill at the Riverside this week was generously attended Monday night with the house get- ting a break on the cool weather. The lower floor was about three- quarters full with the balance of the house in like proportions. The cpmedy hits were Blackface Eddie Ross and Four Mortona Ross Is one of the surviving monologlsts from the old school and an artist Without sticking out his tongue, nutting or pulling any of the other seemingly essentials for the pres- ent-day "single" blackface, Roes, through deliver^ and dialect, slammed over a monolog that was a continuous series of laugha He topped it off with some excellent banjo playing and finished a big hit He wisely refrained from pressing It and ducked the Inevi- table speech. The Four Mortons are doing the best act the family ever assembled. Clara, the recently returned men^- ber, has worked into the style that made her one of vaudeville's clever- est entertainers some years ago> and she is holding «ip her end of the combination in great style. Her single, flinging three songs, then dancing to piano and harmonica in addition to playing other inatru- ments, was a marvel of versatility. How^ she can hoof! Sam and Joe have some new talk in the encore in "one," and altogether the turn is hitting on all six and one of the most delightful diversions in vaude- ville. The Mortons are an Inetltu- tion and could pass on histrionic ability, but they prefer to give full value received. They were next to shut, and rightly. The artistic hit of the bill went to Hegedus and Reyes (New'Acts), opening after Intenmtssion. The pianist and girl violinist mopped up a huge hit with their classical play- ing. After Ross, William Seabury, as- sisted by six^ girls, danced his way to favor In the latest edition of "Privolic.'* One little soubret stands out, also a Jaxa eccentric dancer, who flashes a single of splits and contortions. The blonde girl leading the numbers Is shy on voice or tone-deaf, for she was con- elPtently flat A decided hit In an early spot went to Rome and Dunn,*second, in pop songs sung with soft, double harmonising. This pair make an immediate Impression on appear- ance and have a different delivery that Is away from most of the two men singing turns. Their best and biggest number was an encore, probably titled "My Sweetheart Went Away." It Is a pip of a lyric and was in capable hands. Homer Romaine opened on flying trapeze and Roman ringa Romaine has a flashy routine, including sev- eral faHs to an ankle catch. He monologs all through while swing- ing on the bar or rings. His last trick is a grip switch followed by ft long drop to the stage carpet A corking opener for anywhere. Ray Raymond and Dorothy Mc- Kaye. third, went better here than at any of the other New York houses caught. The pair are get- ting everything po.esible out of an indifferent vehicle. Miss McKaye is a sweet personable girl, and Ray- mond a high-class light comedian. The present act doesn't allow either one much scope. The act holds one or two flolld laughs, then lets down for minutes at a time. A double song, "Sitting Pretty," picked It up. but the closing double, "Day by Dav," has no particular merit kay and I^rene Sterling closed In their dances on skates and held nearly every one with their well- routined and prettily produced act. The pair do more on the rollers in a dancing way than any one seen recently. Both are graceful step- pers and away from the beaten track. A couple of dangerous look- ing ewings received Individual ap- plause. Con. BROADWAY J The Leonard and Tendler flght pictures were the draw Monday night and not the show, as It was a typical standard offering. Two peo- ple coihedy teams seemed to pre- dominate, with the Nos. 2 and 4 acts, both men, providing comedy talk, dialog and gags, modeled along simi- lar lines, with the low comedy or hokum talk scoring. The Lumarares. man and womnn. clad in riding habits, opeaed the show with tumbling, table balancing and aerial balancing, with the wom- an doing all of the hazardous feats while the man stood by handing her the props. The finale has the wonian balancing herself on a perch placed on a three-high table. After con- Tlnelnf tb« avdlencs of her nerre she eoneludes th« torn by balancing herself «ii «halr« and polea The finish went hlc *nd paved the way easily for Baker and Rogers In their comedy slngint and talking Bklt They bava discarded the tramp makeup and ar* now using trick mustaches and misfit clothes. The opening la a parody on,a popular song, after which they go Into an- other parody of topical songs. It awakened the audience. The balance had hokum cross-fire gags, more parodies and an eccentric dance by Baker. A ballad by Rpgers, a pleas- ing tenor, serves as a prelude to a medley parody of old-time songs which carried them off to a good re- ception. Dave Ferguson and Co., two men and a woman, In "The Rounder of Old Broadway," had a drop in "two" as a transparent effect With the taking over of the act by Ferguson the man playing the cop comes In for a chance, with comedy talk and situ- ations, as does the snowbird. The routine for tha girt remains the same. The turn caught on from the start and held the audience through- out Frank Hurst and Eddie Vogt, with their comedy talking and chanting skit, had a rather hard time at the beginning^. Their gags and dialog are along similar lines to that of Rogers and Baker, which made It hard to register. When they reached their encore they practically stopped the show. This Is a clever combina- tion. If the boys could g^t rid of the old-line hokum wheeses and procure more substantial' talk • they would easily rank with the best of them in the bigger bouses. "Steppin' Fools," with Helen Mor- fan, two men and two women, Is a ancing turn in which eccentric stepping predominates (New-Acts).. Next to closing were Marie and Ann Clark with their comedy skit, fitting in the position Ideally and giving the audience a number of laughs. Closing were the Santiago Trio, two men and a woman, who opened the turn with the woman doing a Spanish dance while the men were beating tambourines.* Then followed hand-lifting stunts by the men, with conventional tricks. The woman en- ters into the gymnastic portion of the turn when she serves as a sup- port to hold the two men, and then follows this up by holding one of them while her feet are on a table and her hands restfhg on a pedestaL 5THAVE. Something about this entire show the first half that bora the fiavor of Tony Pastor's. In 1128, with Broad- way bussing and sissllng and every side street groaning and straining with ambitious youngsters dying to break in and worried old-timers stewing about new material, it seemed strange to see not^ne new turn, not one novelty, everything the routined sequence of "old reliables" strung along the old formula as a summertime bill. A dumb three-act to open: two "rathskeller" boys deucing; a sketch In the trey spot; a seasoned, maje single with mother songs and tad gags, fourth; tumblers with Ritsy cyclorama and fancy front ^urtain,^ next; then i^ established man-and- woman team; a standard she-jilngle in the next-to-clo8lng spot—but no closing act That final omission was the only departure. Moody and Dun- can* underlined last week, did not appear, which may account for the void. More likely Franklyn, Charles and Co. refused to close; but that is only a guess, as Bill Quaid was off honeymooning. Parisian Trio opened, and didn't miss much of being the best turn on the bill. It started unpromising, un- til a stout blonde came forth and be- gan to perform lifting and balancing capers up and down a steep ladder, when some momentum was achieved. But when the clown, who hadn't got very far with his pantomime com- edy, piled up a sofa, three chairs and a table, and chin-balanced them up, over and down, meanwhile cutting up didos and making a joke of It, the house came down. This Is a big- time opener. Bigelow and Lee, with the usual dark coats, light trousers and sport shoes, sang the usual type of two- nr)an songs and did the usual busi- ness with the customers. George Choose' •'A Ring Tangle" followed, revealing nothing as strikingly as a good opportunity gone wrong. Jack Henry and Edythe May, a mighty acceptable couple In light comedy and song, got It over neatly on per- sonality, the girl's youth and her sweet dancing, as well as Jack's un- affected way of shooting Jokes. But the man and woman straight were only foils, and some of the jests were very "Through Arkansas on a Mule." The result was a neat No. 3 small- timer, whereas Henry and May could grace the highest type of act with material and support In accord. A blue velvet groundcloth for a garden set didn't help any, either. Frank'Mullane warbled at the top of his voice, told several gags, then got off with two mother songs that raised the roof, as mother songs al- ways do when delivered Icudly enough. • Franklyn. Charles and Co., with their uncanny knockabout between the two men, and their excellent tossing and diflflcult lifting, finished sweating and happy. Just where their work, splendid a.s It Is, fits into a silk cyclorama with a formally at- tlfe<l lady playing a grand piano is hard to conjecture. They would do better before a Paris night scene in "one" or a full-stage interior, with the woman also in character. Their ropgh tactics, brilliantly executed, got them great recognition, and their powerful encore stunts landed them solidly. A smart producer could sur- round them with atmosphere and greatly enhance their value for the best houses. Morton an# Glass, in their "April" act, breezed along without a dull spot and finished warmly. Dolly Kay started off with one weak song, and followed with one great song only fairly well done. When she began her shadow-boxing technique, waving her arms and walloping the last three ditties across the lights, she came back into her own and stopped the show. She sings two of the songs used by Win- nie Lightner in "Scandals," one not so well and one better, so that was even. Dolly shouldn't dress quite'SO sedately; it doesn't seem to go with her smashing style, and that slows up her start, because those who don't know her aren't ready for her pyro- technics until she cuts loose, where- as It is scarcely likely that she wants to qualify as a "surprise" act Any girl who can close so powerfully should not open tamely. A bizarre costume might give the needed springboard start by way of suggear tlon. Lait. STATE v-f mania w«« •trenuous but prodnctiv« of rasuMa. Katberine MacDonald in "Refuge" reviewed in picture department. AbtU - JEFFERSON i • u An excellent show rewarded the attendance of an almost capacity audience Tuesday night, and every act on the bill was the recipient of generous applause. How the bIgJ time scouts ever missed the Chandon Trio (New Acts) that opened the show is unexplainable. They are tM first really sensational novelty act that has been seen around these parts In a long while. Peggy Brooks, No. 2, Is a singing comedienne who has a voice and can comede. She sang five different types of song before they let her go. She kicked a goal. Monte and Lyons, two men, opened with some funny dialog around .a love letter one had received, and the explanations in Italian dialect were genuinely funny. Ai^ apropos song relative to the letter disclosed that both have splendid voices. Not good but great is the classification of the guitar solos played by one of the men, who next accompanied his partner, who sang a love song In a soprano falsetto, a riot for the team. Their closing number, a duet with some capital clowning not overdone, the men playing guitar and mando- lin accompaniment, was another big hit for them. A sure-fire comedy act. MorgiCn and Gray In a divided apartment set (showing a bedroom and living-dining room) have a dandy sketch on the married couple quarrel order, but along different lines, with two climaxes (IC curtain for each), both of which are consist- ent and effective. The parts vara very well "handled by both playSrs, and the action Is made fast and snappK. with one laugh after the other. It Is a very natural story which the audience seemed to appre- ciate personally, and the clever team were well rewarded. Frank Orth and An» Cody (Mile. Ann Codec) were next (New Acts). The Lomus Troupe (New Acta) closed a splendid bill, every act of which could step out In the best houses and repeat the hit they scored in this theatre. A decidedly good picture, "The Ex- citers," with Bebe Daniels and Tony^ Moreno, held the audience till the last flash. 23D STREET Extra acts Monday night because of the try-outs, the sho\a being run through with dispatch and In time for the usual 11th hour closing feat- ture film. Richardson's Canine Mar- vels is not strictly a new act, having been reviewed back In 1911 as Rich- ardson's Dogs. The same general idea of posing the animals is adhered to and is fairly interesting for an opener, It is by no means fast and fiashy, and therefore does not quali- fy as an outdoor possibility. The canines' poses call for occasional dislocation of their limbs—or so it seems—and this may give rise to comment. Sandiser and Venables (New Acts). The Faynes opened, the man's con- tortlve specialty standing out. The wonrmn balances nicely with the sing and "straights" aptly. Doris Duncan (New Acts). I>ytell and Fant, the chocolate cake-caters, were an unqualified wow, forcing an encore following the flashy anklo to Knee stepping. Four Lotust Sisters are a nice female quartet, sponsored by Cus Edwards. The claim to relationship is belied at first glance, but that doesn't matter much. The girls arc strongbr given to pop numbers of the sure-lire vin- tage, practically all overly familiar. The young girl's piano technique is flawless even if a bit too pedantic for vaudeville. Pinto and Boyle, topllnlng. were another panic. Pinto's instrumental specialties Impressed decidedly. They stopped the show and begged off with a comedy speech. Carson and Kane, mixed team, flashed some snappy stepping. Miss Kane, an- nounced as a former "Follies" girl, Is a shapely miss and .^rtwcd oft her chartns to advant.igr. Carson's leg- ' Business pretty good ifonday night On account of the set for "For Pity's Sake" coming so far down front It was impossible for Gordon and Kenney to set up their trampoline in "one" and they re« tired from the bill, Massart Sisters substituting. After a lively overture the pro- gram was opened by DeWltt and Meyers, a man and woman gym- nasts. Their attractive apparatus consists of two ladder supports car- rying a cradle about ten feet high, some bars and a triangle on which the man does some clever stunts usually accomplished by trapeze artists. The woman Is a good looker and flashes a figure In tights. The work is fast and snappy and the act can hold this position oa any bill. 'i Stone and Hallo with single and double dancing routines got by nicely, second. Greenwald and Nace, the man doing a Barney Bernard character, the woman feeding excellently considering tha poor material, started off very qui- etly, but a song by the woman In a dandy deep contralto voice woke up the audience. With a well chosen program of coon songs, this woman can go out alone in the beat com- pany and bat out a home run any time. Besides her voice she has a compelling personality. The present offering Ia«4L handicap to her and the man alsa Harrison and Dakin are assisted by a young fellow who is not billed, but works continually, slng^ ing, talking and playing the pland so well he deserves recognition. A nice appearing trio, they put over a lot of fly dialog, songs, dances and pleasing comedy that brought them prolonged applause which necessitated an encore. In which they clowned through an Imitation of a village band. Patrlcola landed her usual solid hit with songs and her violin. 8ha tried to get away after four songs* hui good naturedly responded to two additional encores. Great*en- tertainer. Charles withers with his never failing "For Pity Baka*^ dirtied up the stage, oat cleaned up on the audience whom ha had rolling in their seats. George Lyons with his harp and pleasing voica has a well selected routine. His neat brown corduroy suit is ba« coming and fits the part. His execu* tion on the harp, especially In tha obligate passages, makes apparent | his mastery of the' beautiful 4nstru« ! ment while his well chosen songs made him a big hit In a difficult! spot (next to closmg on a godd bill). The Massart Sisters, acrobatlo and fancy dancers, were next and use an opening showing one of the sisters as maid to the other. It could be dispensed with without hurting the act in fact Improving it as its elimination would allow of the girls getting to their best work (the dancing) In "one" quickr ly and would save them the trouble and expense of carrymg tha speciiU drop. Their dancing and appear- ance, plus pretty wardrobe are their principal assets and should be made the most of to the exclusion of all extrapeous efforts which may de- tract from the good things. At the end of this good bill the girls did excellently, although it was a hard task to impose on any sister team. An Interesting picture, "None so rBlind", clospd. , , , , AMERICAN ROOF •' A cool, damp mid-summer night like Monday should have been per- fect for the American Roof. It wasn't though. The show averaged as a small-time entertainment— eight.acts and "The Exciters" as the feature picture. Jack Hanley started It off with comedy Juggling. Hanley played Keith's Orpheum, Brooklyn, last week. Walnwrlght Bisters (New Acts), with singing, and Nick and Gladys Verga third. It's a mixed team, man doing wop. Conventional of Its kind, but holding pleasing entertainment.... Ilughes, Merritt and Co. closed tha - flrst half with dancing. A man and woman combination, with male pianist a.<9sisting. Hughes has de- veloped Into an excellent acrobatic dancer, the ground tumbling inter- .* polated by him, making the house sit up. Miss Merritt does a neat toe danop and the pair have a coupla of good doubles. Johnson Brothers and Johnson, ^ minstrel trio, restarted It In the sec- ond half. "The two end men are good singers and dancers. It's unusual for a singer to have ability as a dancer and vice versa, but the Johnsons got away with both. The gags used are pretty terrible, though, even for a minstrel act that , can alibi Itself through doing a min- strel turn. Old gags, yes—but there are plenty of funnier ones than the awful wheezes pulled by the John—— sons. There Is the basis of a stand- ard turn that could easily hold a spot in the big timers In this act. A little common sense revision wDl accomplish what's needed. Haslam and Wilson next with a conversational sketch that showed both pl.ivers to be bleMned with act- ing ftliijity. There aren't many