Variety (October 1923)

'■">' - -..' ^^m^^nimmw.. VARIETY itcir stifjii/s 11115 vrccK i..;JUJ it^.§|!j(pj(*jijtpnui,,!»i I. Thursday, Octob«f 18, IMg PALACE Following: the (Monday matinee the show w!is almost completely BWltched about, whlcn partinllv ex- ouaes Its raRRetl running. The flint V half, origiimlly programed to hold (tvo acls, had an extra turn crowded in, and from the start between eat.h act there was an emharraasinn suikc wait which Ben RohertH covered up In pnrt throui^h Impromptu musical interludes. The many full niiige acts, live i'( the nine being in "thnf" or "four." ari'uunted for this hitrh. smoothed out in part by Tuosiljy's further roamingcment Tablouii.x l'«tltii, a poaiiiHT turn vas wiHOiy switrlied from olo.sins to (ipening. It would Imve perished at the t-iff end of the program. The art studie.'i are IntenstiiiKly posed and presented. eliminaiioK the uaua', waits hot ween pictureB, but the act is not technically perfect. The Ilght- iiig cITectH were not at their maxi- mum of einriency, and a very practi- cal shortcoming was Iteeplng the liouse in continual darkncHn. It's just another case of loo much sjiot- liirht, alllJouRh It wann't strictlv a calcium monopoljf in tiiis inslame. I)ut merely a de.sire to center all uttenlion on the stage. JJob -McUon- hIi^ and >leleu Oalies (New Acts). The Marlimetie Pl.ayer.") (New Aet.s) Kd ami Pirdio Conr.nd were .a com- edy wow iind a Khow stopper next. The couple arc assisted by rhariotle, a buxom woman who.se anipJe girtb i3 but merely suKKcsted by the ■ b'lxom" descilptiun. sjhe later corks up for a ' mammy " souk i>ro- (luctlon, which makes for a suic-llre Hentiraental fjctawny. They wore hungry for a real liiuRh turn, nnd the "Corr.nd.s filled the void amply and to good purpos^. Irene I'rankllta followed. Mi.«i: I'^ranklln is the toplincr this wtvk if the gpeeiil lobby .stream is to bo be- lieved, although the running order billing Is employed on the rcRU".ar t.iblets outside the theatre. Ilow- ever. Miss Franklin Is the headllner. Anybody who can have them clam- oring for more after a half hour's regular routine and extend it still further to a solid three-auarters of nn hour conclusively establishes claim to such honor. Miss Kranklln has several new numbers, and after these they wanted the •'Chamber- maid," ' Waitress" and "Red He.id" for good measure. They got "em. .lerry Jarnigan is a diffldenl but cfli- ^ cient piano accompanist. William L,. Gibson nm] Keglna ronnellit closed the first half In "One Night in Spring," a new sketch by \Vin M. Hough, seen In the went sev- eral months ago. but probably new In these part.s. It's a smooth, affable little skit with a proper touch of f^ntiment to blend the romantic theme nnd tellingly spiced with laughs and points. Reopening after a brief intrrml.-*- sion was Pntil Spccht and his Ala- mac Hotrl Orchestra (New Acts), ■wlu) consumed i!5 minutes interest- ingly. O'aylor Holmes (New Acts) clicked, although handicapped by a late hour. The Auslralian Mendozas closed vith what probably is, the mo.st thrilling act in vaudeville today, as itnnouncej l>y the couple's spokes- man. The cycling within the con- llne.s of a metal globe is not alto- gether a new idea, but new to this vaudeville generation. The •cou)>!e -ire young and neat appearing nnd their routine Is a guaranteed anti- dote against TIasty customers for- 1,-ettlng there is a last act ou the bill. Business Monday night was a.s rifar capacity as it could be without being actually a sell-out. From all •ippearanees every downstairs or-;. ehestra chair and box seat w.ia oc- (11 pied. Kitiiilarlv the stage boxes. I'pstniis w.TM not viewed. By 8 o'l-lock only box scat.T were on sale. RIVERSIDE Nothing to slirick or sob over with Kddio I><!Onard heading an average In nnd out program that ihrcatened to halt it.self every so often but never did. Fairly close to capacity downstairs with those nn that floor pelting as much kick • fitit of one of their memher.'j clal- tering a fla.'ik l>enenth bl.s feet fis • inythlng the professional eiitertnln- nient provided. The well known minstrel. Mr. T.eonarrt himself, tcrtninated tlie lniU.ll .■;laii7.a and took 34 niiiiutex I" d.i U. But It was o. k., for the ■ -t stands as about the bes^ vehble ■ .■< luminary has ever graced 1 .M'llevilie With-and that beeausr !■ i-in't entirely a I-eonard episode I '1 to tho brim as regards action ■I'.^e neat (l.inclng boys and tin l.^M'.y of i^anioist;! comju ise .i ! ■ ^'.loiind Well Tiit;h capable cf >->iing on lt.< own. They onjoXii! I', hnnicnsely .Mondav nij-'l-.t ., Allia Tib<rl.i. t!io versatile for- eign young nvHs. encountered .-i suniewliat br-wilil. re d iliroiir wiii i: I'litrancitig after tl-.e "Toiocs" lilni it took the house no little tinw 1' licruro out Just what this (;:e]:.;, li, performer w:'s frying to ilr>. ami tin kannry g.ive rvM e i n ' o n f Ih 'I i i l - i i 'm- lutely In favor of "t.ikirK" the oi over the humps. Despite the atnios. I'lierc, which if not ho tile w.i.s close enough to It, this girl plUK''.' .i on and brought '<m around to In i way of working. Incidentally a niee I>icce of nerve and e.vaniide that niTrnya-n net around can fniiow. Kot tlio m.ijority simply f"'d up wheii thejr feel tho chill coming on. ■^'al ar.d Krnie St.nnton, .\o. f"iir. provided the (list fiie\wirl;s \^l• rei' <lo\vnins t'.eir wny 'l,roni;li lii:' regular routine Interspersed with a bit of new material that clicked whenever uttered. Preceding was Hugh Herbert surrounded by his "Solomon's Children." It's not his best, proven tlirough tho froyllc ap pl.auso which greeted the flnalo. I'revIouH to that was placed the Keller Sisters and Lynch, who gave proinise of aecumpllxhiag something whence all three harmonized upon n melody, minus accompaniment, but f.iiled to follow through on the swing. The one number comprises (lie high iMjInt in thp routine, al- though this trio aiipear capable of doing belter It the proper material and arr.mgemetit were to be sup- plied. Thi- Castillian.H, posing, opened at K;12 to a houte continu- ously walking in and suftered ac- cordingI>. Al Jiiid F.iniiy Sledmin rivaled tlie nirhe carvil by the Siantons, gagging thiir way througlr to numerous ^)n)nlaneoll.H laughs whilst cashing in solidly ut the linish. Uit;i Owen (New Acts) i Ioi4f<l, n nd with her riiiming time brought the grand tol.ii up lo about three hours of ^lovv-plentv. At that this former ■ Kollie.wi' gill can, at the interest Willi the >;|>eeial set and only lost :i few speetatois before liitting the tape after lu liiiniiteH. til~i<i. JEFFERSON T.Ve first !'.:iit sl-.ow was built aroUTul tti-» \in( (lit l.opei! Band, with tlie 'ba.monists as tlie key- stone. The J>ope-.! mush- merchants are playing the Jeff for tho full week as pii- the ctistom of hold- ing ov.r a fe« hv.i.lliners fn-easiou- allv in the si.iit w. <>k bou.scs. jilot:day iiiiilit the house «cem<xi to be running along at about it.< regul.ir pace with ihe tlieatre pretty well lilled ut> by H:1D Hod show- bill an odd vae.iney lure and there in the irar of the orclieatra later. The (irst half bill pla.\ cd enter- tainingly enougll Willi l.('r>e'/. stand- ing out naturally with his well put together musical i)rogram. A rube contest has succee<ted the "Mr. Gal- lagher and Mr. Sheati" comedy bit. Good, but not as big as the other. The house liked the scenic effects, breaking into api)'ause for each. Mme. Streiki's Dogs, an arra.v of cute white pomeranians, started it and warmed thlligs up nicely. A sliding arrangem^t that had the canines doing a "shoot the cliutes," held a sprinkling of comedy that registered. Harry Bei ry and Sister (New- Acts) were No I. and Jay C. Flip- pen (New .Ai-t;i was third. Claude and Marion followed .and they whooped things up for heavy laughs with a line of siuff made to order for the JclT. Marion has a singing voice that hits •-onie toppy tones and she's a clever comedienne as well. The team copped the .applause hit and were the only act to go to a speech Monday night. The dancing In the Inez Courtney nnd Co production skit, put it over surely in tlie sixth hole. Mi.ss Court- ney has al>out as graceful a d.ancing style as any of the lnnumer.able leg- mania d.ancers th.at have held forth In the Broadw.iy tliows during; the last few seasons. Kverything she offered. In the stepping division clicked. The tall eccentric dancer ts very attractive and makes a Ereat foil fur the comic. Hughie Clark and Band (N«w Acts) were a solid riot, corning back and begging off before the/ wore permitted to leave. Polly Moran was also recalled after the lights were out for a speech. Polly's clowning and the intim.atp stuff about Hollywood and its star.4 la sure-fire, specially as handl'd by ex-Sheriff Nell. ciieued. The tall eccentric dancer ^„ .lyar conscription. also landed with foot work. The-, jieiirv Santrey and his band, rest of the stuff—songs, production and skit doesn't figure importantly Lane and Freeman got laughs with the Ir talking act. The burlcsqvie drama always sure. lived up to tra- ditions and the vocal stuff brought returns. The act did well next to closing. Three Herberts (New Acts) closed. The fratnre picUiru was ' .Mothers- iii-r.aw." Prll. COLONIAL An oM-tlmer. visiting tho Colonial Tuesday niuht might have groaned in ehonis witli ,a lot of others, "The old gang's changed!" Time w.is when a mind-reading act could never play lliis house williout increasing its insurance be- fore coiniii.g in. Yet Mystic Clayton closes the show and has them eat- ing out of his hand all through and begginrr for more at the finish. And not one feeble .atUinpl a; any rough work visible. Vlial's all tliri more remark.ablc ibout the bill for the first half Is tli.it the Opening act does Illusion'' iial yet'Frrderiek K. I'owcll sold himself and his act to bigger results than an opener has In most houses in a long time. I'owell deserved the ■nod reception for his turn contains ome dandy iilu.Tions. some new and •line oM. iitnong tho latter, ".^^hoot- ni: Throiigli A Woman." excellently .lone. The "crystal .staircase" seem? ivew anil also n winner. Hud iind J.iek I'eaison arc th. '\v(i lads v.lio were willi tlie origi- imI f'Diiiieiny of Ooc ll.iker's Kbislie'i." Tiielr neat appeuanee.'^ ■ml tTreotivilv arranged routines r.f '.inrr ■ siored e.isily. Itayniond VVil- '.eit juirKled his hoois .and chat- li" ' .'i | y ttli i i i llill y \Vhll » Ihe g.i ii .!; ' up - st;ii'--( .■iiid liie aieliiiicc dowiist.air.-; ■rew.iided wiih lair.:lis and appl.iusi , Wilbi It .shuiild always be given a i'l'ller spot than oiieiiii:g tor bfsi resii:;.-. A nf w rinple on "ru'.o" comedy (s offered by .Aru;el and Fuller who do ■ I "loueii' d.iiiee while ihe ni.m dots nn 'a U." Tlie lenviinder (f the act (onlaiiis line^ just ns origi- nal and full of laughs. Tlie HLia does ,1 perl'.ct 'foot i.'l the Rl iVi .111(1 r u l.i' to !;o" tvp.-. T'le v.emir, STATE Tiie house for the last show was comfortably filled out but not paekeil. Tlie orchestra opened with an overture that they dubbeiT a "Basket of Roses,". bringing In a medley of "Rose" songs.' If the bouse men are going to try for a production number of this sort they should at least rehearse it suf- ficiently. The nervous song piugger who shimmied In an o\'erhead K|>ot be- hind a scrim drop with a circlet of ri>Mes should lake off bis glasses and try to .let half human. The idea of plugging a publishers song with words thrown on the screen is strik- ingly orifrin^l for a Broadway house. How.lid's 8i>cctacle opened the show agreeably. The finish is the big thing. Burns and Foian do their familiar routine, opening with the buigl.ir bit and following wKli the Kiixlisli which fell Hat at this house, not geitiiig a ripple. Tliey have Interpolated a new ntimber that could be eliminated at once. I :i.- ie Clark went well waih her routine of (lublishrd numbers, doing lie.^l <Mi her blues. ,Mel). viti and Kelly have a new Kill ill the ciist iiained QU'Cii, and she didn't help it. Harry Fox found (lie house to bis !ll;i!-.g and the going f.-iiily easy. He pulled u coufde of gags and f;aiig a few ».ongs, warbling a cur- rent I>ixii tune. The Royal Pekin Troupe closed ll.i sbi.A and Were liked all the \\ a'. BROADWAY \ ui ,it jdll for this l.\p^>f house. Nc lies; ;i|iproae^i to big-lime enter- tiiliimeiii reached this season. The answer a capacity audience Tuesday iiiglil. Grapliie illustration that they'll pack in if you give them the gooiVs. "The Broken 'Wing" and "Doyle" film were undoubtedly helpful from a magnetic angle. As for the vaude line-up tlie bookers have hit upon a pennant winning brace, especially from a comedy angle. Ann Seymour (Harry and Ann Seymour) r:tn away with comedy honors with apparently little effort. Spotted away down, she conquered. Her clown antics were delightful, her songs captivating and her foot- light Impresstons amusing. Harry. too. added hie best to the turn. He made an excellent feed for the fun- makin;; |>roclivities of his sister and scored on his own account In several spots. Bobby P.andalT. deucing It and minus the "cork," provetl anoUier enjoyable feature with comedy chat- ter and songs. His early chatter fell eomewh.it flat hero but he won ronr.s near the finish with the lingo ac- credited headliners, bowed on In fifth place and provided an ear fes- tival from seven or eight Instru- mcntala and some additional num- bers eung by Santrey with the band getting In Its fine work on the ac- comi>anylng. The boys are all skill- full musicians and Santrey Is a showman of the first order. He demonstrated this particularly In a couiile of numbens. The band, num- t>ering 12, us<> special symphonic ar- rangements that make their tunes all the more enjoyable. In the follow-up spot Santrey and Ann .Seymour did another 10 mln- xnea of nitty clowning with Ann again running away with things In the laugh department. Dainty Marie did nicely In third place In her familiar aerial act and made It the more engaging by In- terspersing it ■with a flow of bright chatter while performing her dilll- cult feats. When ehe was not wl.sc- cr.uking she was Wiubllng a song, all of ^shioh tended to make her stunts seem like child's play to those out front. ita^fio, a foreign Importation. prove<l an adequate opener with his rlever line of juggling, while Allen. Tiiylor nnd li.irber offered a divert- ing il^ncc leyue In the getiiway si>ot. AMERICAN ROOF The Roof has a well-rounded en- teitalnlng bill this week topped by tlie Harold Lloyd feature, "Wliy. Worry," which lilled up everi Ihiny lull the bo.xes Monday night. Ki.;lit acts preceded the pieture and the usual sliorl cunieily reel. Of the \.ilidevil!e entries Jack Coldie, polled next to closing, copped t he spotted third. Th«/'t*lk la mostly of the "eugenic marriage^ aad otbar topical subjeeta, and wlilla not aew, la In capable banda. Both hara az- cellent singing voices, whleh helped them away to a strong finish. "Annabelle." featuring Earl Moun- tain and cute Dixon, closed the first half strongly. It Is a miniature mu- sical comedy that fonnerly played around under the title of "Olives." The two men are clean-cut workers. The light comedian has oceans of ability and should advance. He works In a smooth, unfordad man ner that ts effective. Myra Fresco and the Crane Girls complete an ex cellent cast. It's a, iitron^ Interme diate feature. Goldle ft Beatty (New Af ts) aec ond, two girl harmony singers, were liked in the early spot in a routine of pop songs and ballads. The girl is a sister of Jack Goldle on the same bllV Dancing Devils (New Acts), a mixed colored quartette of dancers, started the show off swiftly in an ordinary routine of dancing sold with much gusto and unnecessary noise. The colored people made them believe It, however,, and deserve credit foAworking hard. Jay a^wesson opened after inter mission and did well In the spot in fast singing and dancing routine. The closing number was the strong- est, a double Spanish dance, with the man and woman in costume. The girl made q,uite nn appearance In her black di-ess, doing Spanish jaxx "itch" and strut Kteps. Ketch & Wilma followed. They are a woman and male ventriloquist. The man is a marvel at voice plac- ing and enunciation. His manipu- lating of tho dummy was splendidly handled. The comedy was deri,ved mostly from the catch lin^ "wash your neck." A duet between the man and duniniy. in which two voices arc heard dislinctl.y. was unusual. This turn can hold an early spot on the big bills, and when slightly revised will do for anywhere. They were one of the evening's hits on the Roof The A'anderbllts, liand balancers, closeil* The acrobats have a comedy opening, one being discovered "on" in "da^e" attire with wig. The lartner enters in high hat, cane and one-piece union gym suit. The hand- to-hand work at the close found them both in straight athletic at tire. It's an excellent small time feature turn and an opener or closer for the big lime. Con, her entrance and encoring savemt' times, la support was a lad in 2' upper bog. ^ Sharkey, Both and Hewitt wem' secdnd with « aonr routine which won rather good returns. The trio to the same aa Sharkey, Roth and wi2' Hewitt, the new member, is a pian. ist, fbe Oxford Revue opened tha cornet playing of the young man m. ^eaturj. fy^ • STH AVE., bi!.;t:eft nii|.Iaiise and lungh honors Gpltlie Is nil iniiluous blackface eomedlan v.lm enters in far coat nnd .straw h.'it. if n pig doisn't wow lu i-Mflus for the eoai. will, h Is h.'ing- ing on a coiit rack. In tidilition he ba-j a sweet sin.eing voice and cm ■\\iii.ilic with any one. ii;< i;ag[i are l.ri>;lit aiid well dilisend. All in all. <;oiilic Is reci'ly to hold a iiamher four tpot on a big time bill. A-^otlo'-r Cf.nicd.v t'irn that r''!ehri^ w 1. W.l'KPi; .'i .Vl'A.o.y, t'v.-u if\'i\ The first half of the bill lacked something and it strung out to con siderable length without starting much, as shows sometimes do here. There was little speed to the per- formance and the comedy suffered thereby. Attendance was not far from ca- pacity shortly after 8 o'clock. But tho evening was well past the key- stone before a hit was scored. TTiat came with LewWIlson, on fifth, al- though George Alexander's comedy playlet, "The Failure" (New Acta), was quite a satisfactory Interlude. Wilson went into high with vocal tricks and whistling after "Stingo Stungo," which afforded an opening. His whistling has tonal qualities that furnish different results from other brands. 'When he toted out the accordion Wilson tried the poker gag "o-aels," but It passed. For an encore he gave "Carolina In the Morning," with yodeling bits. Alex Hyde, the very blond and quite young conductor, was in the closing spot with his Jazz orchestra, and this musical bunch landed for a real hit. The curtain dropped after 16 minutes of melodies, but there were four encores, and the running time was 24 minutes. Hyde and his bunch seemed to got better aa they went along, that ap- plying to tho encores especially. He pulled something between curtain calls by displaying the cJird with the next number, although that was not until the next to the last number given. There Is no question about him winding up a winner, for when ho went on tho house was little moro than halt filled, and he held all. A card announced the score of the "Music Box Revue of 1923." the Impression being created that It -Is the current show. That may go out of town, but hardly In New York, for the tunes are from last sea.son's Music Box show. Billy Wayne and Ruth Warren were on next to closing with the humorous "The Last Car." There may be several new lines In the rou- tine since last caught. The dancing lesson bit is now mentioned ns sup- )»rred from "The Flat-Foot Dancing Sehool." The act went over mod- erately. George F. Moore, June Aster and V"ietoria Mills offered "This and Tint," wliii h Moore has been using for the past six months or so willi -UCrliiipa thaiigea iu Jiupporu The lurn wa.s spotted sixtli, where Hh- ;:iil>.i (T'lt as nnirli nltenlien ;is Moore. .\bCowan and Knox, on fourth, wiili :i motor ear drop as skit altnos- plere. got nvre from tin- songs than the eliiitter. Kasily tlie best of tb- oiiiiil.ers Will the eoinedy lyric ni llie ,.!o«.., "Way Down in iCokonio." Af.'il.el Itiiike an old favorilc at the riflh Ayeniie, has retiinied to wav- Me with mo\ ing pi tiire illiitninatior .Mi.-i-' r.url.e sanii 'Tliat Old Cai g of M.I e, • ||■•:,^^ ii.^ ;, ,.oi,l,-j| I,;,,,,) on SP2C8 nOZEN OUT > (Continued from page 11) Ie O'ftellly" and "The Fool" are tl{, two shows which handled the Cutit.^ faoul offices In an Independent Way not tying up the boxofflce sale be- cause of the great demand for both shows. It's hard to get seat* nt the boxoflSces at "Spring Clean- Ing" "O. V. Follies" "You and 1- and "The Gingham Olrl," because after applying for seats at the the. '■ atres these four shows are i>lay< Ing tho patron is forced over to the hotels or club stands fur choice locations. The scarcity of .seats at the theatres is wliat keeps the strength of the Couthoui stands at a high average. ' No Chance fcr Bad Shew. A mediocre show liasn't "a ehaneo at the Couthoui stands. If a show Is without the shadow of being "pushed across" as a wlnb-r It , dies because it's ignored by the ' ticket scalpers. Tho producers themselves make this situation by stocking up tho Couthoui offices with tickets for hits. However, the light of day Is being seen In Uie Chicago situation and there's a tendency all nroiTtsd to remed.v ti.e situ.ltlon. » Hari7 Ridings empluitically denies that the Couthoui olffces haye been given 2D0 tickets for "Rosle O'Reilly." The manager of Cohan's Grand insists that the Couthoui offices nre only receiving lOO tickets for each performance. "This la^ enough for tho stands when a man- ' ager wants to hold his clientele for a box-office hit," remarked manager ' Ridings to a 'Variety man this week. Just what <shut-off the Horwita ; agency nt Cohan's Grand "the. street" doesn't know, but It's crob-' ably due to the Inferences that' Horwltz was after seats to protect' the small number that went to the Couthoui offices from which Hor«"" witz wasn't able to draw any stock. It Is known, however, as stated above, that the Horwitz-Couthoiil warmness has died out. Horwits. finds It necessary to struggle alone ' for himself. Walter Duggan Is running a strict box-ofice at the Selwyn for "The Fool." He pointedly told th« "specs" that "The Fool" wasn't »^ hotel or ".lab attraction, and be« cause of his opinions he Stuck by ' his guns and despite terrific opposl- - tlon from the Couthoui offices hia ' arguments were solidly backed up by Arch Selwyti. As the result the Couthoui offices only receive 10* tickets for each performance. Thl»' brings about a great box-office win* dow sale at the Selwyn. Couthoui's "Oump-Back" The Varlaty man was standing at the Selwyn box-office window Sun- d,iy night when the Couthoui "dump-back" was made. The per- fectnees of, the Selwyn system wae noted when oat of the 100 tickcta for tho Selwyn Sunday night the Couthoui offices returned 20 at a time when the Selwyn's lower floor was sold out. The theatre wasn't stuck but It proved tho way tlcketi can be tied up by the Couthoui of- fices when a return privilege is al- lowed. Out of a capacity house Sunday night for "The Fool" only SO tickets were sold at the Couthoui stands. It again proved tho strength of the box-office call at the Selwyn. It's getting to be common knowl- edge "on tho street" that it the Couthoui offices wouldn't act indif- ferently to the managers who nie looking after the welfare of tliclr theatres and not tor tho advantages of the Couthoui stands, tho lady scalper would escape heated argu- ments and worrisome mcicnts. To remain In the good graces of the Couthoui stands managers have to play with them." This the liiJe- pendent manager refuses to do. If there were more independent ne'ion In loop theatres the patrons would be stronger protected and bu.sinrss on Ihe whole would hold up higiier. Further, there would he a belter' chance for shows that Just miss bc- int," Chirago hits. Tt'.s the dump-b.vfTjr ttiTt "Ti't*"' rloivn the r;ro>ses at man.v ot I lie fliicitro loop theatres after the tickets have been held op t>i] day nt the v.irioiis stands con'.roUiil in Couthoui. The Gomez Trio arrived liisf v. <' 1 on tlie "liei-engnrla." nnd ni>e'ied :". Keith'-*. I'hlladelphii Moml.iy. T'''' have I oi lic.-n in ihi« ro"jilij s ni I fill?.