Variety (February 1924)

Thursday, February 21, 1924 NEW SHOWS THIS WEEK 23 PAVE and TRESSIE and BAND (7) ge Mins.i Full Stage (Special Drapes) t3rd St. An all colored outfit, with the man and woman dancer whose names are used featured by hav- ing their initials in heavy type on the drapes and in front. It's an exceptional act, the danc- ing of the featured pair being not only fine of its type, but in the eense some real Ideas have been used to bring out novc! entertain- ment values. The man. for in- stance, does the usual imitations, train, drums, etc., and then imi- tates a barber stropping a razor, later gets the house down with ;i imitation of Houdinl escaping from a straightjacket, this being done on the floor and by means of dextrous twisting. The woman does some good "over the foot'' stuff and also a graceful waltz that should com- mand notice. In a stretch of about aeven minutes the man does almost every tap and break imaginable varying them ai; to get a laugh and keeping up th e familiar line of ■shatter meantime. The band is one of those "hot" bands—hotter than usual, however .—and with two trombones, two saxes, banjo, piano and traps, works out good harmony. The Whole combination is ideal. The act carries a decisive wallop Which should entitle it to a spot on almost any bill, for this pair apparently has more "stuff" than most of the colored teams now working in vaudeville, and with the band as an added attraction should get somewhere so long as it stays off the Delmar time. YVONNE GEORQE Songs 9 Mint.; Full Stag* Alhambra, London. LONDON, Jan. 18. Sir Oswald St oil haa imported from the continent a character singer in the person of Yvonne George, a French artist who is billed as a Parisian star, and appeared in New York in "Greenwich Village Follies." She is a typical Gallic looking woman of uncertain age. anywhero between 25 and 40, and her hair combed straight back and wound up in a "bun" in the- rear. Attired in a black velvet gown cut low on both sides, with a black velvet cyclorama backing her up, she sings and acts three pathetic love songs, the first in French, the second in Spanish, and the third in English, with marked individuality. Her gestures and facial expression tell the stories of the songs, even if you do not understand the lan- guages, and her enunciation is clear and incisive. Suitably boomed she might de- velop Into a draw. She went over Monday afternoon, before a small audience, very strongly. Jolo. "ROAD TO VAUDEVILLE" (4) Song and Dance Reyue 16 Mins.; One and Full Stage (Special) 23d St. A singing and dancing revue with a novel opening. Special drapes in "one" before which the male leader, In traffic cop costume with a stop and go signal, sings the in- troductory song, "Road to Vaude- ville. A pretty, bobbed-haired toe dancer in "Sally" costume is stopped by the cop, who lyrically informs her she is clad too simply to attempt the road to vaudeville. She makes a quick switch to Jazz costume and returns for a double song and dance with him, which ad- mits her. The next client is a male. He, also, has to dance his way to admittance. A bobbed- hair red-head next dances her way to safety with the cop, who aings "Red Head Gal of Mine" to her hoofing. The act goes to full stage with the red-head, as nurse, phoning Dr. Pep about her patient. The erst- while cop enters in invalid's chair to receive a Pat Rooney pill, which calls for the waltz clog, and an Eddie Leonard pill for "Boolah Eyes" and essence dance. » The dances that follow arc a solo hock by one male, an adagio by the male and a girl toe dancer, a jazz and double jazz by the other couple and an erstwhile acrobatio finish, the two men swinging the girls in a flashy routine. The dances are all prologed and legitimate entrances provided for through the use of a "magic chest" from which they •merge. The production Is high class. The two girls are pretty and attractive in their bare-legged changes. The toe dancer is unusually graceful. The singing was not up to the rest, hut the act will strengthen in that department after the newness has ■Worn off. It's a novelty dancing turn for the best of the bills. Con. GINTARO (1) Juggler 15 Mins.; Full Stage (Special) Lauder Road Show Glntaro, a Chinese juggler, Is only a New Act as far as Variety's flies are concerned. He is quite ex- pert in all hie Juggling work, pos- sessing a nice sense of comedy, re- lief and being thoroughly a show- man. A woman, obviously Caucasian, despite her costuming and make-up, assists with the props. Gintaro is exceedingly clever. His block work- Is corking and the top-spinning ditto. Strictly a "dumb" act, the fact that he hold the stage alone fully IB minutes speaks muchly for his entertainment prowess. He is with the Harry Lauder road show and can step Into the Hipp for a couple of weeke, or any other vaudeville house. A.UU JOHNSTON and HAYES Comedians 14 Mins.; One (Special) 23 d St. Two men with a corking small time, low comedy turn. One does a broken down dude, remindful of the late Bert Clark; the other wears baggy clothes, comedy derby, etc. They have a good comedy entrance and song. The orchestra plays the "Spring Song" with birds trilling and lights down, following which the two "boes" walk on for "I'm Terry, I'm Jerry," with a comedy walk in time to the vamp. Extra verses go with this one. The big laughs come from com- edy bits, several familiar and old burlesque standbys. The "rubber in the mouth" bit is given a new twist as an "articulation" lesson. The rubber is held in the teeth of each and stretched across the stage for the usual -1'switch" when released. Another old bit that went big was taking off a glove made from a flock of stockings several yards long. A sock worn as a necktie was another laugh. A mock ballad, with a fast Harry Bulger delivery, got over. For a finish, one, in "dame" attire, sings "Jane," his partner joining him and doing a funny travesty on the usual patter. The act is a pipe for the next to shut spots on the intermediate bills and would probably duplicate any- where the booke>H cared to spot it. Con, COOK and OAKLEY Comedy Talk; Songs; Dances 13 Mins.; One 23 rd St Mixed double, the man In black- face-, girl in brownskln. She is a plump woman probably Identified with another character turn. The act opens with the girl's pop song. The male walks on following and hoofs a good soft shoe dance. Crossfire follows the early por- tions missing duo to delivery and material. His hard shoe solo dance with triple time "wings" gets gener- ous applause but the act-lets down again when she returns after a change of costume for more cross- fire. She sings another pop song to which he dances. For a finish they double a song and dance. The turn will Improve with work and some stronger material for the early crossfire. The man should pay more attention to his partner when crossflring with her. He talks at the audience. His dancing is high class and is the real strength of the turn. The girl's negro dialect is far fetched but will suffice for the small time when the other faults aro eradicated. They went nicely in the middle of the bill here. Con. BARTOL Piano Accordeon 15 Mins.; One 23d St. Man in evening attire opens with long drawn out antiquated medley on the piano accordeon finally blending into a pop selection. An- other pop medley etc. and for an encoro "The Rosary" played off key in spots. With slight er.couragomont ho re- turns for another popular song. The artist is a fair musician but lacks showmanship or personality. His arrangements are all wrong also. Tho black clothes worn could also be switched to something brighter. Too much sameness and old fash- ioned arrangements will make it hard for Bartol to get past even on the ■ in St of the bill*. Cpn. LAUDER SHOW William Morris is again sponsor- ing Sir Harry Lauder and his as- sistants in an American tour, this time the ISth, and as tho knighted entertainer explained, his third an- nual "farewell" appearance, mod- estly adding that judging from his impression, they can depend on his fourth annual "farewell." To one who frankly confesses he accepted his assignment with a conscious prejudice Lauder is a rev- elation. As far back as could be remembered Lauder had to be "taken In" if for no other reason than he was something of a na- tional institution. With the assign- ment to review the show as the prime reason for the undersigned's presence at the Manhattan Opera House Monday night (the stay is limited to one week only), the ava- lanche of Scotch propaganda (vocal, not liquid) was even parrcd by the entertainer's personality, There is more unction to the Scotchman than ever before, his sense of humor is more mellow, his quips more hear- tily delivered and received chiefly because of the optimistic note en- tailed. Lauder, whether consciously or not, is wholesaling pbllyannaish hu- mor in his songs and stories this seasSn, He grows on one, and de- spite the length of time, does not pale his first favorable impression, but, contrarily, sends) 'em away at the proper high pitch. With America treating him (and Bill Morris) so nicely at the gate, Lauder seoms to be flavoring his routine with considerable local color, such as Dixie songs, finally topping it off by leading the orchestra in "Star Spangled Banner" for the getaway. Lauder does eight numbers, a baker's and a sailor's among them, with an old dour Scot completing the characterizations. The sure- lire "Roamin' in the Gloamln'" was a highlight, although his new ones are among the best he has ever done. They include "Love Makes tho World a Merry-Go-Round," "Dixie Girls Are Good Enough for Me," "I Like My Old Home Town" and "I Know a Lassie Out in O-hi-o." Lauder Is a past master at show- manship, his deft manner of silling the saccharine sentiment proving exceptionally effective. When he announced his hopes to return next year a gallery god bellowed forth: "And you're always welcome." The show opened with Fred Quin- trelle conducting the overture. Gin- taro, a clever Chinese juggler (New Acts), was followed by Mile. La Bernicia, a' versatile danseuse who did four numbers and clicked all the way. Her plastic ankle dis- played was the highlight. Olga Morselli (New Acts). Gaudsmith Brothers, a vaudeville standard, scored chiefly on the well-trained canines' cleverness. Following intermission, Margaret McKee resumed. The blonde whis- tler is best known through her Vic- tor record work. She was also in last year's "Music Box Revue," and currently doubling from Keith's Hippodrome into the Lauder show, a somewhat - unusual procedure. Miss McKee should find a better means of contrasting her blonde beauty through a sartorial color srheme other than the lemon Idea displayed Monday. She is a 'looker." Came Sir Harry. Considerable confusion obtained In certain sections of the house through the balcony seats and the orchestra tickets being of similar color, with the upstairs patrons be- ing misdirected downstairs and causing confusion. What may also be a new source of income is charging 25 cents a program; none free. But despite all this, looks like Lauder still is the favorite with the Scotch de- scendants and others not so Scotch. Al'l. PALACE Ned Wayburn's "Honeymoon Cruise" (New Acts) turned out to be so fast a dancing and song epi- sode they used good Judgment In swinging it to close the show, but the shift necessitated some tall figur- ing. Allan Dinehart, with "The Meanest Man in the World," origi- nally No. 3, was carried down to seventh, leaving Crafts and Haley,to the spot and bringing Clarence Nord- strom up from among the later num- bers to follow Marie Cahill's remark- able half-hour panic. The regular Monday night cus- tomers were on hand in numbers sufficient to take up all the room the Palace has, and they came In the usual state of mind that makes them begin to enjoy themselves at the gate. In Its new running order the show was a great vaudeville per- formance, running beyond 11:80, one turn short. LoysJ'S Dogs is an aristocratic animal turn. It stands out for pic- turesque presentation In Its class. with A If W. Loyal in costume and the Mme. making an occasional smil- ing a|.penance. The acrobatic Jog making a long lenp to a springboard and doing a back somersault in the air, is as startling a performance as anytthing the trainers have framed. The Cosmopolitan Trio, two men ur,.l a win.an doing the usual cycle of operatic numbers but giving thcin in a neat fashion, have been coming along for a month) and now reach the peak of vaudeville. The woman of Hie trio is different from the oper- atic singer, she is trim ami young, for one tiling, and she seems to en- joy singing, instead of unwillingly doing a favor, as hefty lyric so- pranos do. Crafts und Haley were No. 3 In- stead of No. 4, but they got first go at the comedy. Jack Haley didn't take a minute to get going with his boyish and cheerful "nut" stuff, and he. held them to the finish. This youngster is developing a style that should carry him a long way. The act works out neatly, Haley's fool- IshmentS paving the way for Crafts' sentimental tenor ballads. Marie Cahlll occupied the star po- sition in a regular held day. She did 30 minutes and left them clam- oring after a couple of encores, a speech and another encore. The act his been revamped, it opens with a new bit before a special setting showing the Atlantic City boardwalk, fhere she trims a fresh young man. This gives place to a new version of the telephone routine, but changed now so that she is phoning her downstairs neighbor from the Palace "to please go to my flat and turn the gas off under the beans," a line of talk rich in matronly wisdom and wit. The sequel to the boardwalk takes place in Miss Cahill's hotel apartment, whero the wise young man appears for further talk, and this runs into the former series of songs Miss C'ahill introduced in mu- sical comedy. She went through the whole list from "Bamboo Tree" to "Daisy Brown," and then begged off. Incidentally she wore some miracu- lous clothes, one being a tricky sam- ple of clothes building. It was no soft spot for Clarence Nordstrom to fall into, although he took hold of things courageously and won his way. A neat dancer and a capital manager of song numbers is this young man from musical com- edy. He has a'n agreeable approach to his audience, and his two young assistants, Bella Maude and Alberta Nichols, help in the effect of quiet class entertainment. After intermission hme Allan Dinehart and Co. in the old sketch that wears so well. There is not another sketch in vaudeville that tells its, comedy story any more crisply, nor an actor who gets his vehicle over more expertly. Blanche Ring and Charles Win- nlnger were next to closing, preced- ing the long Wayburn revue. They reproduce with some expansion some of the bits originally done in several shows. There was the pic- ture studio bit, with Winninger in- troduced as the musician called to supply atmospheric melody for the picture star. Some of this is pretty crude burlesque, particularly with Winninger doing his German com- edy character. They used their old song and tronVbono stuff for a capi- tal low-comedy finish. Winninger Is genuinely funny in bis dialect char- acter, and the pair revel through the number to its knockabout finish. Speaking of clothes, Miss Ring wore a couple of eye-openers, The plain, straight white iridescent is the last word in evening frocks, and for the change she wore a scar- let dress tricked out in blue and set off by a string of big blue beads. Then the Wayburn piece. Cer- tainly the dressmaker's bill for this week's show must have looked heavy. RUtk. HIPPODROME One of the most Important factors In the Hip's vaudeville tscheme un- der Keith direction Is the house orchestra under the direction of Julius Lenzbcrg, who is aided by 19 men In the pit. Kach Monday he starts routining the following week's show. Actual rehearsals, however, are held Monday morning as ueual with other big time vaude- ville houses. In addition to the regular pit assignment the inter- mission specialty by the orchestra is attracting attention. Monday night excerpts from the current "Music Hoi Revue" won good ap- plause. Lenzberg did a bit of etep- plng about during the "strut" melody. This week's bill is 60 per cent new in names from last week and the four holdovers out of the 10 acts were changed In routine save for Marcellc and his "talking seal." The Englishman has been anchored with the remarkable animal for four weeks and may remain longer. lie- fore it opened the sea lion was hilled "the talk of tho town," rather a shrewd prediction. The Hip got the attraction fresh off the boat ami with the extended engagement in back of it the act should prove a sensational hit when Marcellc starts traveling the circuit. In addition to his talking and sing- ing Mtunts the seal is a kissing bug Oood thing for Marcelle his "pal" doesn't get a hangover. Tne central Idea in bark of the Hip shows—variety and flash—has Impressed audiences that it is en- tertainment worth more than the money and that is true of the cur- rent show. Tiie usual Monday night hou«e was In, 'he lower door be.ng close to capacity with only a por- tion of the balcony tenanted and the gallery quite bore. The upper .sec- tions, however, are valuable at the week-end l « hen trade Is alwaj There .v m i< ; u. ■ ■ ouu ' in the show than usual. Hurry- Watson, Jr., and Lou Holts were given Important spot* and in addi- tion there were Boodles Hanneford, the Runaway Four and the comedy angle to the seal act. Watson has been seen recently with his comedy telephone in films ("The Great White Way") and, though quite fa- miliar to vaudeville, the telephone hi: and "Young Battling Kid Dugan" won much laughter. Down next to closing he scored distinctly. Holts was fifth, holding the name relative position in the first section. He recalled ESddia Cantor, not In style but material. Starting with a number that Cantor uses in bis blackface specialty in "Kid Boots," he retailed the Coo Clucks story that Cantor is spilling In "Boots." Then there was a Yiddish business story that Is going all around. The matter may not be exclusive with any particular player but cannot fall to attract attention through repetition and original usage. Holtz scored best with a topical number sung while ho toyed with hie phoney guitar. It came at the close and won him a flock of bows, which seemed to surprise him. AlbertIna Rasch's "A 11-American Ballet," holding over from last week, made a very pretty sight closing intermission. It is a flash dancing combination for the house and Is smartly billed. Margaret Petlt'S fawn dance coming ahead of Irving Yates' revue, with Josephine Lavole and Lester Lane, was the most fa- vorable break for Miss Lavole's Oriental number. There is some similarity in the numbers and more so in the dressing, or undressing. Mlsw La vole and Lane make a prom- ising dance team, both doing ex- ceptional work. The Hippodrome dancing girls figured as an extra flash in the Yates turn, as also In Ml«s H.asch's ballet, the Hanneford act and the Czecho-Slovakian Na- tional Orchestra (New Acts). Foodies and tho Hanneford fam- ily, like the seal act, have been held over for four weeks to date. The Hanneford interlude was given a flash of the Hip's combination idea. Before the family routine started three baby elephants were put through their paces In the ring and the Hip girls, as Pierrettes, hand- springed across the stage. After the bareback turn Poodles came out In "one," with an elephant doing a shimmy and the girls doing like- wise. Poodles concluded with step- ping to prove he is versatile. In the Hanneford act proper there was more family work and the total result was another good score. Nellie and Sara Kouns were the claws, closing intermission. The gifted sisters held over from last week and offered a changed routine. Their duetted "Charmant Olseau" ("Brilliant Bird"), with one sister echoing oft stage, charmed the house. What was carded as a re- quest number came after the piano was rolled off. In full stage with churchly atmosphere, the Hip girls In choir attire paraded solemnly as the Misses Kouns, ilmllarly in- vested, reappeared to sing an "Ave Maria," The Runaway Four made a lot of number two. A hobo bit got the quartet well started and the width of the etago was especially adapt- able for the finishing acrobatics. "Canary Opera," a Hip combina- tion, opened prettily. Joseph Bel- mont and Mary Fulton with the curiously singing canaries were a sight and sound flash. It is said that certain lights affect the utoiglng proclivities of the birds. Towards the close Margaret McKee was low- ered In a gilded cage. She Imme- diately went Into "one" for her bird imitations, well rewarded. Miss McKee was in tho "Music Box lte- vue" last season. At present she is also In the Harry Lauder show and doubled up to the Hippodrome from the Manhattan. Ibrc. JEFFERSON Kdlth Clasper headlined with her "Variety" dancing sketch, even if "The Times Square Dally" doesn't think so much of the idea of having "Variety's" first page as the drop in "one" before going to full stage; but the audience here liked the act tre- mendously, and the shadow dancing novelty went over as well here as ever. Krich Phillip and Co. opened the vaude portion with a Juggling and perch-work net that went over nice- ly, despite the woman and young boy In it fumbled a few tricks sev- eral times. That can be explained easily, In that tho act is now; but there are numerous heavy applause cards In the balancing work which the undcrstandcr does with the wom- an and another man. (New Acts.) Harry and Denis Dul-'or did their familiar dancing and comedy act in the deuce spot, introducing several new gags, one or two of them going well. The act Itself didnt create a rumpus, but filled the spot, and that's all, on third, Paul Decker and Co.. in the Edwin Burke sketch, "Doubt," were a decided hit, the comedy lines going strong, probably because this was the first real comedy of the evening and ftot because the lines in themselves were so hot. As the sketch progressed it giew better, and the trick finish of the wife who was framed by her husband to fool a friend who was trying to win some money by piovlng that she had mar- l1 'on tntied en Pag< £( >