Variety (September 1923)

Trycmm^-V.^fJi.':' 'HjwrraKBV^fnr **-W*W^<R(!BV !l^ 84 NEW SHOWS THIS WEEK Thursday, September 87, 1928 I PALACE > Pliil Baker In the "Music Box Revue" has a bit with an "usher." Baker say« to the chap in tho aisle ho U goiiiR over to hear a wireless concert. A.'.l<odl where, he replies: "in front of the Palace." That meant tho warning not to buy tick- eta from speculators In the house's unrelenting war on specs. To the flrst nightors who knew at the Music Box premiere Baturduy last the "crack" was a laugh. And the wire- less w.irnins still proceeds prioi* to •rery t'ahice performance. Monday night the I'nlace was ■potted with people in evening dress, accounted for by the pres- ence of Florence Walton. The cl.TSSy dancer alw.iys had a class draw, and the evidences of greeting seemed quite surpi-iding to her. After the act there was perhaps the biggest number of lloral pieces and bouquets passed over the footlighln in the histor}' of the Palace. Six usherettes and nil the uniformed attendants in the front of the house were called on to carry the (lowers. Miss Wal- ton responded with six sincere words: 'I thought you had forgo'.ten me." Miss W.ilton recently returned from Kurope and teamed with her husband, Leon Leitrim, doing tour dance numbers. Her display of frocks and the taste in color de- signs were something to plertse the feminine aadlence. The dancing, as always, was of exceeding grace, with • waltz number looking prettiest. Accompanying are Undolfo S.mtoH, whose specialty of a Spanish clas.ilc proved him quite away from the ordinary, and Rubl Davis, a Russian Violinist, who also pleased. At the m.Minee it was recoRniaed the show was lacking In comedy. Clayton and Kdwards were selected to help supply the missinc factor, doubling from the Iliverside. They went on fifth, just ahead of Bert Lytell (New Acts), who closed inter- mission. The addition gave the show 10 acts. There had not been a laugh i>rior to the arrival of the two act. They quickly wooed the kudienee's good humor, which was luite Important Just ahead of Ly- lell's lengthy serious playlet. Al- though Iher* had been plenty of Wues songs ahead of him. Cliff Rd- Rrards won an encore with his "Who tV^llUt Ue.; He got away wilh "it TOt damp quick," but his conilcal- nles on the chair registered mi: h setter, Kdwards' uke has a hole In Bie back which /tidnt prevent him lotting all the tinkles from It. IVHh Clayton's hoofing the team •rent over for the first hit of the )venlng. The second section uncovered the Show's comedy strength with D. D. I,? opening intermission .and Roy Jamming.') (holding over) next to (losing. Neither turn could h vo keen switched to the front section •rlthout v/enkcning the later part. D. D. H.? after announcing him.9clf •ober and unreliable 8,->id lie was here because he has no basrinas. Ke started scoring with every 'page," with new and topical m:.t- ter noticed in good measure. Re- ferring to the newspaper strike he ventured-it must have leen "tough »n the birds who sleep in the park." In the "Hunk" aection of tlio mon- plog the "professor" switched things by referring to the purcha.se of tick- »t8 at the box olllce as cleve:-. but Included llie "Circuit of Opportun- ity" as bunk. Last week Cummings was fourth. This week, in holdmg ovi-r, he was moved to the late spot and was .-lure fire. The program nie'cly l>llled Irene Shaw as assi.illni;, hut Helen (ilnddlng (his former wife) this week Is also very much present. In Ihe Sunday advs for the Palace the billing prepared was "Hoy Cum- mjngs and His Wives," but through Ihe strike the space wan he' ■ 'own and only one paper carried full copy. The theatre cards also car- ried the names of both girls. When Cummings dl.sappearcd under f e curtain Miss Oladding. the former Mrs. Roy, said to- Miss Shaw: "There goes your husband," which brought the reply: "There goes your alimony." The slory of the Cum- mings double love nest last summer up in Ccnnerticut went ill over the country and the appearance of the trio should be interesting every- where. Wilbur Mack and Co. (New Ac(s) wore .s|>o!t(-iI fourth. Joe Fejer with his llun«arian Orchestra made a strong No, 3. The Palace has had the best in J i?.7. bands, so in organ- lr.ation Iil<e Kojer's in quite excep- tional. In the other houses the Hunganin.s drew real apiilause, and they did here, too. The mus'icianM encoioil Iwi.o, with Kejer's quiet persori.ility niiinting. as did hi.s clover viDlIn playing, while thcex rellent rynihalom manipulation of Bela Nyary attracted through its novelty. Ciilhert Wells In hi.s first time alone in the Palace went over well on second. Wells ptits "sinrf" into his Mhos song.s, but thov run pretty -much the aauie. He explained tint later by siiyiug ho wrote the llr.st three iiumbeiio. A cliam;e of paoo might help earlier, as did Ihe lioiifliiK ut the close. A lanlein slory Ins been told before, b»it Well.s' K. IC. K. yarn sounded quite new. "Kabricat- Ing Phil" had a tine or two that ■Ounded blue. Itis other jnr.z lyrics were ' I'apa's Ooing to .Slow You Down," and "Mama floes Whero Papa does,". , I . . Harv.ird. Holt in,I KVnarlct ^ytli a novel .ind skillful exhibition of basketbilll on Ijioycles. m ulo ,i ex- cellent opener. They started walk- ing on the Yong Wong Brothers, but the contortionistic Jaiis held a large percentage until the I'uialo. Tho lit tl^ Jap is a wonder. Ibee. riverside; Anybody who goes aw»y from this house dissati.-'lied with the show need never enter a vaudeville thea- tre again In the hope of being enter- tained. If there ever was a bill laid out that balanced perfectly and had a punch in every act. this is the one. It Tuesday night hadn't been so warm there would have been a sell- out, but even then the houae was about ssven-eighlhs. The big draw was Julia Sander- son, as lovable a single woman as ever did a sung routine, ishe went on shortly Letore 11 ,-ind held them all the way. Herman Hupfeld Is very heavily billed. Iwth in front and on the projjiam, as Ut pianist and composer of her numbers. •One of the numbers he used for a solo was used by Hupfeld when with Irene C.i»t!e two >e:irs ago. Aunt Jemima and Band can also be credited with baing responsible for a large part of th.e business. Jemima tTire off the hit of the bill In closing the first half. The band Is very good, comprising seven men. They have only one number to them- selves, playing it with a great ar- rangement but too fast on tempo. Two playlets on the bill, and both thoroughly enjoyable. The first was Raymond Bond and Co., on third with "The Minute Man." It's the tale of a "rube" who trlqis the trim- mer. Bond looks and chews gum like Will Rogers all through the act, even resembling Rogers In his de- livery of lines. He does the role ex- cellently, and the supporting mem- bers arc all that could be desired. The other was Gib.son and Con- nelli, Willi "One Night in Spring," new to the east, but reviewed in Variety erh-ly this year from Chi- cago as a new act. These two have secured a vehicle xvorthy of kuc- ceeding the "Honeymooners," which they did for years. The scene is before u church, with an organ kept playing backstage for atmosphere all through the act. A young man comes to attend his uncle's funeral, finds out that the telegram was wrong and :t Is his marriage instead. In the process of discovering the mistake he steals the bride. La l>ora and Beckman were ef- fective openers, with song, dance .and very good aerial worl; on the rope. Frances Prltchnrd and Jack Rock (New Acl.s) made an unusu- ally good turn for the d^uce spot. Wade Bo.)th couldn't help but be liked, with a fine voice and youthful personality as assets, and he scored easily. Booth did 28 minutes., at least 10 of which were unnecesisary. Louise Best at the piano lend.i .-'n attractive feminine touch to the acf. Clayton and Kdwards got as many laughs and applau.se as they ever did. And that's going some in clos- ing a slinv of thi.s calibre Cc-per was bot; ered by a cold, but 1-mpre.ssed with a "blues" compoAl- tion, an Instrumental specialty at the baby grand, and his smooth ac- companiiycnt. It's a snappy double tor the deuce and Is unlimited, de- pendent on thJ girl's building up of her stuff. She requires tutelage under an expert terpslchorean master. Reopening after the "Topical" reel were Walter and Emily Walters with their locally familiar but ever pleasing ventrlloqulal comedy turn. The secret of the team's consistent bookings for over two years in th# eastern houses is explained by the comedy merits of the vehicle and the couple's Imp/esslve personality. The puppets are expertly manipu- lated, and the laugh returns Judi- ciously aimec'. and assorted. Alma Nielson and Co. (New Acts) found their new production muchly ap- preciated. Bert and Belly 'Wheeler closed and held them with Bert's nonsense- and his partner's sartorial dLsplay. The routine is familiar but certain. BuainCKH Monday was fair, but not capacity, with the rear of the orchestra showing void spaces, al- though all logcs and boxes, with Jlhe exception of the topmost tier, were well populAted, At»c'. me nand a woman. In hoop rolling and baloncing. («eorge McKay clownej] during the tufn, but he wasn't needed to bold the crowd. For a speedy, colorful and snappy exhibition of real ability it is dif- ficult to duidicate these exi>oi ienced veter!\na of many years' standing. BIgelow and Lee deuced with a song and piano act. The men are singing six numbers, all of the same nut comedy type. They have good voices, and a ballad of straight fox- trot tune would give them a chance for a little real harmony. They scored chiefly through their strenu- ous efforts to put the numbers over. But to climb out of the deuce spot a leas boisterous and noisy style Is essential, COLONIAL IS on house ALHAMBRA An idi.'U vaudeville Iiyout view at this Harlem Keith this week with the program a smoothly playing succe:«sion of punchy aots and Kddii? Cantor the name wallop closing IntTmlnslon. There was no question of Cintor's drawln"-! 'em. J idging hy the en- trance .«aIvo, and his zippy ir> min- utes were curtailed by the fact he doubled witli another looal Keith house. The blaokf.^ce romedian opened with a local orark about 'Last week there were a lot of cantors working: this week I'm the only Canto.' employed," referring to the Jowl.«h high holld.iy.^. Anpther quip ascribed to Jack Dempsey, "You can't tell me nfuch about box- ing; I've been through the ropes," tickled the risibilitios vigorously before Cintor's opening ditty. Cantor amply demon.sfrated he can be funny without being too "blue" in lyrics and gags, and all of the latter were rich in comedy be- sides being new. The show ran as per schedule with tho only ewitch Arthur and Morton Hayel and Co. (.New Acts) from third fo fourth, exchanging with Clause ;ind Marion, The lat- ter, "still arguin«," clicked strong in tho trey spot. Marion's aggreasive demeanor in keeping with her Ama- zonian approach in contrast to the timid Claude impressing strongly. The unexplaijiable psychology of an audience's hearty appreciation of a member of the allegedly weaker sex bulldozing a male is always Bure- flre, as was demonstrated here. Lawton. the affa'jie Juggler with (he Will Kogcrs cICmeanor, is a cer- t.iinty for an opeiior anywhere. It's a pity thai turn.s like L:iwton's mu.st bo doomed to openir.g shows always, although the Juggler packs more comedy and ingratiating personality than many another "spoi" act. His juggling is snappy and intricate, the dnm be.itlng with the bounciiig halls .slar,-alo, and the final wallop is .some bri}lth-tnking Juggling with one. two and throe e-innon halls and tho catapulting and CAtohing on the n i|)e of the nek. M.irie C;iv.inaugh, a nice ai>pear- ing miss, and Hud Cooper deuced. .Miss Cav.aiiaugh is a sister of Lu- cille C:ivanaugh f.nd hespeJfks of possihililios with devolopinonl. .,'!ho formerly appeared In a three-act <iHM>or>d by U'ooper and. another chup, lT^e, girl ,ir*i.'ticsLlly sol()^ «?»• song aiHl liiioe.'., doing a little triors of tlie forinor than lior'tofore ROYAL, According to Eddie Cantor him- self, it i.s his ftrq^ week at the Royal since 1914, His disciples were out ai full force Monday night, for the effervescent Eddie Is to the Bronx what Firpo is to Argentine. Every- thing was sardined except the loges, and the comedian was given as rousing a welcome as he has ever received. No one would write home about the rest of the bill. The first halt. In particular, was very ordinary vaudeville. "The show was shy one act, and the majority of the eight others took adv.antage of this to stretch out their offerings a. few extr.a weary minutes. There were some names on the bill—George Mc- Kay, Valerie Bergere, Tom Wmilh, George Moore and others—but none seemed to be able to hit their usual stride. Cantor let himself down easy, but was a whirlwind nevertheless. Ho only 6ang three songs and told about half !\ dozen stories, and he had the crowd almost hysterical for more. He bogged off by announcing that he was doubling from the Alham- bra .and that it was a physical im- possibility for him to continue. Ed- die Is getting to be a great little self-advcrtlsor, and the funny part of it is that he gets away with it. He talks unconcernedly about re- hearsing for the "Follies." repeating at the Palace, making Columbia records, owning a new home In Mount Vernon and a few other things that just go fo prove that Eddie is quite an Important person- age. McKay and Ardlne preceded Can- tor, opening after intermission. At tim«s their new turn bring.s to mind all the old hokum wizardry of the couple, but there are places where it drags unmercifully. McKay dances with his usual skill and ad libs with brilliance, while Ottie Ar- dine'8 remarks with I'olish trim- mings about the 'snlgbl swatcn- mans" click as always. But at thiji performance, anyway, McKay didn't get what might be expected out of tho "gold-digger" number, and his bum-bum" song fell flat. The rough burlesque waltz at the finish wa.s substantial enough fo land them for runner-up honors of the show. Miss Bergere's vehicle. "The Moth," is a rather sad affair ex- cept for a few minutes at the start, when It promises to develop into a clever satire on married life. But instead It t*rns into a most ridicu- lous mcludsnma ,on (,he triangle theme, which did no bettor than fairly in tho third spot. Miss Ber- gere Is only fair in ♦fie lighter scones, but her more serious mo mcnts scQm to belle the fact that she was so charming In "Little Cherry Blossom," "War Brides" and other plays of'a. few years baclt Thc best thing In the act is the work of Herbert Warren as the hen- pecked, bewildered husband. Before intermlaslon wa.s too nnioli of a spot for George Moore and Girl. and he didn't seem to be frying hard to extricate himself from the burial His straight, Mexican bad man, and English chappie characterization' all failed to win favor. In fact hi • dancing and the beauty of .June As- tor were the only things that arou.scd real interest. Mi.aro has done much better at ciiuil'y goiid theatres. Tom Smith was fourlli and man- aged to hoke out a good-sized hit- His f.ills and cra.shos acrainst tin piano, the floor and tho footlights result in mirthful howls. I'lio danc- ing also pas.ses muster, but the re.ii of the turn n^ed^ renovating badly Smith lias the makings of .t, rea; comedian If ^irovlded with funnioi material and songs. The encore ventriloquist and mlnd-re.ullng bit are hoke at Its worst, but at tho Royal (hey tickled the patrons im mensely. Chappelle and Carlton openo.l with a workmanlike trnpoze and balancing act. The man is one of ' the^tnost ngiloand amonth-workilig Il^rf(1rlln^rHl in v.^u*niille ■ flosihg were the Juggling N'>l.soin. Ihroo- The Colonial reopens this week with a distinct change of policy which will ba permanent. The house plays six actd and feature picture. The acts appear twice rtaily with the feature picture on four times at 1 p. m., 4 p, m.. 7 p. m.. and 10 p. m., the last showing closing the night show. The house, at one time one of the strongest of the tv/o-a-day stands, has lost patronage through neigh- borhood ch.ange3, etc.. until last .season, for the first time, it went into thV .s.nllt week classification. Johnny Collins boolced the house last .ard Is responsible for the first two bills the opening week, when it IS agairt a spirt. Beginning next Monday I-twience Goldie will sup- ply the acts. I.#on Keimer is man- aging the Colonial, also the Pros- pect, Brooklyn, doubling over The prioes are 75e. top at night. Including tax, and $t top Saturday. Sunday and holiday nights. Tl»c Colqittial KCats 1.400. It got under w-ay with a fair vaiuleville show Monday n.ght to .about three-quar- ter.s of a hou>te on the lower floor, with the i:pper portions almost ca- pacity dos|>;te a warm evening. The hill started strongly ^frllh Nath:ii:o Bro.s.. a pip oi .Tn opening duo of roller Bkaters. The pair, especially the comedi,an, t;il:e uome dangerous-looking falls, giving them the rough comedy that they love here, Alice Morley, second, singing pop songs under high brown make-ut), whammed them. This girl is an-' other big leaguer whom the bookers seem to have overlooked. She has been a consistent show stopper wherever caught. Miss Morley ex- udes personality and magnetism and sirfgs a pop song with .any. A safe bet for the Palace or the parlor. ■\Vest(m and Eline. two former .Shubert unit members, scoreU strongly next. It la a n-.an and woman combo.'the girl first work- ing In a house aisle and clowning it up with the customers, then mount- ing the st.age for- n double song. They have a sure-fire finish in a double tough bit. The act is sure- fire tor the intermediate hoii.sos but doesn't measure up tO' big time standards Harry Holman w.as fourth in "Hard Boiled Hampton." holding over from last season in Ha apton'.s reiw>rfoire. Hampton usu.ally shows a new act every year but is sticking to "Hard Boiled" on the repeat. The skit is mqj-e or le.ss familiar to the vaudeville regulars but went as weH as ever here for laughs and applause. Eddie Kane and Co. (New Acts) let the show down considerably with a weak vehicle. Kane had a soft spot but failed to deliver. A forced encore, which was not demanded, and another milking in. making an announcement for the house man- ager, prompted the thought that he could discard the act and do the encore, as the latter got most. Dorothy ISylon and Girls closed in .a dancing act which contains nothing much beyond Miss Byton's solo dances between the ballets. One of the girls was obviously new and wasn't helped much by the new orehestr.i led by Fred Daab, another return member from' the former SUubert circuit. Daab. formerly leader at the Palace, will continue at the Colonial. Hlf new men were not familiar with the show Monday night but haven't been together long enough to now have t at no- ticed. The feature picture. "Bright Lights of Broadway," closed, getting on about 10 p. rn. Con. AMERICAN ROOF Eight lets in addition to .1 .sho: t rod, a three-reel feature of the IJemp.sey-Firpo .affair, and the pro- grim feature running over five reels, made entirely too much show. The house and the roof were packed, a grcsjt many seats filling just before the flglit pictures were shown, .iiid also having many vacant .iftor tlio:n. Kibble and Kane, on sixth, have the honor of being the llrst act to show something really new and clover for Ihe first time in years. This team are using most of th,-lr old act, in regar^l to live l<^l Wynn- esiiue inv<>nl ions, but hive injected .1 new r.idio bit at the clotie wlil.ii IS a knoi'kout. It's a great bit, and with tho rost of the act .-> up-to- date, they'll wow 'cm on the big time. Carl McCullough wa.s sovonlh McCullough w.as a not with 1 is song.i and stories, the tekphoiio bit being especially funny But it is at loiirtt 10 years th*t h^'s been <lning Ihs ",lM.st fop Tonight", imil.ilions, and somoiiung now. if only in, the actual number, would bo accoptabia. The second half was opemyi hr Moore and Fields, two black-fa^ comics, with some ordinary ewnedr ' and good acrobatic dancing on th* part of one. The Pantzer Brothers opened witk Homt hand-to-hand balancing. ao~ ing very good work. They hav* secured the entire score .of "Tha Gingham Girl" for their musical set- " ting. Edwards and Allen dragged with their talk, lifting up the speed with the dance bits. This- make* about the 20th act which has picked up Eddie Cantor's gag about Demp. sey, "I know air about fighting, Ty* been through the ropes." Curry and Graham clicked with - their songs. The man has a fine Irish tenor and uses it weH. "Tita girl's voice i.s ordinary, but her de- livery is good. Charles Strlcltland'a Instrumental. Ists. six in all, found favor with tba vocal and musical selectlonii. Mora because of Strickland's personality than any novelty connected with the a"t. Gordon arid Stewait Sis- ters closed. ^ •• ..m STATE Second anniver.'iary week and also inauguration of the full-week i>ollcr here brought out a full attendance on the lower floor Monday. Outsida of the fict tint Ihe hoiii.e had ex- terior dci-orations there was nothing visible on the interior, either .atmos- phorically or on the progr.^m. to de- note the fact that any »,>rf of cele- " hrition was in order The l.ill was the average one for th.a liou; e, with Burt nnd Rosedale, replacing i'"ranlt and Ted Sabini, in the n^xt-to-clos- ing spot on ths evening show. ,lb9 former team having retired from the bid. Most commfndable on the p-ogrim ' was the overture. "The Streets "of New York." The orchwttra played tunes vvhioli vere .<.uita'o!e to rei- tain locales in the city, winding up with £1 melodramatic fun'> t«uiing which .shots, police whistles, p.itrol bells and the shouts of the new'slinys were heard, v.-ilh lb? latter telling of a Tenth avenue muder This got big .ipplnuse. Opening ths show wore Tony and George, comedy twnbling te-iir, aided by a woman, who apiKMred at the start !jul dwl not figure in »hs .acrnhatics. The underiUander does straight, with the top mounter doia« comedy. Therr head-h.alanciiig frals, , especially the straight somersanlt- ' ing of the mounter, a.c exceptionally thrilling. The mounter injects cem^ edy in the turn in spots, hut not ak overabundance. The act is fast sind serves as a good starter for this or any of the better shows. Next were Covnn and Thompson (New Acta), two colored men. who shook as mean and vers.atile .a pai.' of hoofs as have been seen here in a long time Following thefti wc.-e Pauline Bent nnd Rosalie Cla re, with a character song and tal' ing turn. These girls are incline! to think that comedy is nece8.sary .rom both, and make- it obvious that neither is .adept at it. Their i.ilk in . many spots is moat suggestiv<. That portion should be discarded, for it this turn is to cater to wonen and children they will find that no mat- ter how h.ard they strive to pleasa they will find some reluctant to ap- prove. The turn runs 20 minutes and could easily stand plerUy of cut- ting in the talk routine which might prove beneficial. W. C. Fields' ' Faml:y Ford," with Jos. Oradye in the character of the trouble family guide, furnished the ■ first bit of reil gomedy on the bill. Then came Burt and Rosodalo. with comedy talk, music and song. Burt is a comedian capa'ole of diagnosing the wants of his audience and pro- viding the cure. This he did hera and with the aid of Miss Rosedale, an excellent toll, left no stone un-. turned in pleasinr. Closing- the ."ihow was the Patlon and Marks Revue. "Bits and Pieces," in six scenes. Patton and Ijoretta Marks are aided by three girls, who prove excellent aides in serving m fast, snappy and ^leasing flash turn, 5TH AVE. The fight picture on its hold- over week .ind It* warm 'londay evening didn't fill the house. It may have been the weather or tho terrific draw of the Dempsey-Kirpo film last week as it spread all over the city. Nothing much in the bill the first half to draw since tho pugilistic film was strongly pl.aycd up out- ; side The class of the show was the M.^bel Ford act. full of Jaa« I music and dancing, the five niii.ll- j clans doing all of the accompanying. Miss Ford danced In several KlyloS ^ ind h.id ,1 . oiiido of pairs of d:nic»r« for assislant.s. with the Apiclie bit by the m.in and woman go.iig over well, 9Peniiig was Bon Beyer as * tramp doing ,i comedy c,\cle ttir'n, getting iloiiK n'c.-ly until tiis encore Tho en-oio isn't strong enough to follow I lie act proper. For laughs Heyer, i most skillful triciL ruler, cuts hiit-cAmera beaida 11 wmg* _j mil tho a:ch 'io closely ho ,iiiii.^irs ^ li.-n.oii.ily 1.;..,,. ,,t ,i|| tunc, 10 a bad'fall. \r-t rnviflly pulls his wheel around .'oi i laugh. In trick lis he has ono o.' Ihe best and ttie .only lime it ovo.' has been seen li. iiJ" ing 1 !iiiiglo wheel and pii,sliiii.; >ii- j oilier single wheel .iheid ol li"". 1 he leips" from one wheel I > the pedals of llio othor, while In ni ifian. Mr. .Bcvor should' nuhtiiin'-e that trick to majt- it of ffipie impoi'f la^* For t aiiig1(l cylisl to work i"