Variety (June 1924)

■:r^-'f^-n'''"' "r<:as>»T?»w^ ^•^p ';■ f'f^'n^^- • ''-"r'-Ji'i^Vlj^wi', '^p'.7};i^r^'*"w^' »" 40 y ARIBTT Wtdne«lay,Jiio*4.WM BIGGEST NOVELTY OF THE YEAR • ^^v^^^^ i V ^y W ^^^^^^V^^^^^^^^V^^^MM¥¥M^^^N^^^^^^»^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^A^^¥M ^ THE AMBASSADOR LOS ANGELES Take* Pleasure in Annoancing the Appearance of MESSRS. ADLER, WEIL and HERMAN in "SONG SYNCOPATIONS DE LUXE" at the COCOANUT GROVE Inde6iiite Wih their famous "PeripaUAc" (tee footnote) Piano these mirthful entertainers l»Ul present in their own itumitable l»a}f onp song requested bjf Cocoanut Crove patrons. Footnote. — The exact definition of "Peripatetic" as applied to piaitoi can eanly be found in Mr. Wehiter's celebrated dictionanf, page 1605. t^^^^A^i^^»^»^^^^^^^^^ ^ ^»^^^^^^^^^^^<^^^^ \ ^^^^NA^^^^A^^^^ . Vg »^^^AA^WA^^^^^^»^^MWW STATE (Continued from page SI) Iwunclng ball, and the JnC^laC of a glass of wine (or what looked like It) balanced inside a triangle of wood, on the end of a bUUard cue, being especially clever trtekiS. It U an elegant novelty opener for any bill. Stephens and Brunelle, a mixed team, had singing and talking in the aecond spot with the talk of little account. The singing and the woman's wardrobe got them by nicely. Oliver and Olsen, another mbced couple. Impersonating rural swains. put ever a nice little hit for them- selTes, owing to the eccentric dwit^nir of the girl, whose jazz and limber dancing will land her into better company if palne are taken to develop her talent She has a ▼err fair voice in addition. 11m Three Meyakos, Japanese The World's largest manufacturer of the- atrical footwear. We fit entire companies, also individual orders. Tffnr TOBK—15M n'war, at 4eth St. . CHICAQO—state and Monroe Bts. slstera and a brother, are a veraattle group, playing a violin and two guitars aooeptably, dancing cleverly in different styles, singing pop songs In perfect Kngliah with aver- age voices, and the two girls do- ing a very line routine of contor- tion and acrobatic steps. They registered strongly. Pretty scenery and coatumes are added assets to the act Shelton Brooks, the colored monologist (and song writer) went over very big with a couple of original songs, several stories well told (and new), and a darned good loose dance at the finish. Next to closing, he held the spot ade- quately. ■Tarmack," the Russian Festival of singing, dancing and character impersonations, closed the vaude- ville, each number, especially the featured dancer's, getting rounds of applause. The audience were still applauding, after several curtains had been taken, and the picture was running on the screen. "The Fighting Coward," a filmed version of the play. "Magnolia," held the audience at the finish. THEATRICAL OUTFITTERS 1680 Broadway New York City BROADWAY This week's outfit at the Broad- way could move six blocks up the Big Alley and make it. It has the wallop of big time in every minute of It, and is shrewdly booked and laid out for variety, punch, sustained interest and those technical ingre- dients which expert vaudeville spe- cialists have learned must combine to make a true vaudeville bill. The opener is a nUty; the deucer is a sweet cinch; the three-spot Is a sensation; little Joe is a howl; five is a smash; next-to-shut is a scream; the blowoft Is a hurrah. Boat that for seven-card pique! In order tht'y run: Casson Brothers and Marie, two versatile and shifty dancing boys who tear paper and sing ballads (sounds silly, but it isn't), and a cutle who shakes a pretty pair of limbs and whose bobbed hair is red and looks honest; skillfully con- ceived finish imitating the mechan- ical phonograph-dancers and a mechanical shimmying kewple; I)lenty of applause. Edward Miller in a neat routine of popular tMJlada. ringing in a medley of' supposedly reserved hits from the musical shows; stopped the works and could have easily taken another base in the confusion. Marcelle and hia SuperseaL This baby made good at the Palace and ruined 'em at the Hip. The un- canny versatility and trained ac- complishments of the slick beast surpass casual comprehension. The Broadway crowd ate him alive and screamed for more. Holmes and La Vere, with their box-on-stage comedy snappers, the girl's smooth song-and-dance and impersonation, the man's piano hoke and the wise tricks In succession to work, up a comedy climax for the getaway, must have knocked off a hundred laugtis. Also stopped the show. O'Hanlon and Zambuni. with the four Spanish musicians, the great team of manhandling dancers and the Bignorlta with the sinuous mo- tions, dealt in just what this au- dience came to buy. Heavy artil- lery fire marked the finish of every number, and the apache dance knocked 'em for a row of callouses. Bows before the curtain were de- manded not less than six times. Moss (not B. S.) and Frye. old- tlmera with a sense of humor all their own and harmonies, got Mc- Intyre and Heath yeUs. La Fleur and Portia closed. Portia Is a pretty girl, discovered on a drumhead perch, doing a body con- tortion resting on her chin. Knter La Fleur, who slowly muscles him- self on the rings, up and back on a two-flnger hold. He iron Jaws a set of rings on which Portia hangs. Portia then does aa amazing and thrilling trick. She bites into an anchored post, bends the crab until the small of her back rests on the top of her head, and there she dies perpendicular with only the Jaw- hold—unique and extraordinary. But the finale Is even more stunning. La Fleur, suspended high with a teeth-hold, spins for a full minute, faster and faster, until he is a verl. table top, and comes down smiling and easy. A sensational silent act any time, anywhere. And that, with a feature film, for six bits top! ijait. and was reviewed In 1117. The chief change, outside of the rou- tine, la the substitution of a dancer for the 'cello player, and the former takes the honors of the act. The turn is nicely put on, in full stage, with several lighting effects scoring an Impression. Kennedy and Kramer were first reviewed, by Variety, in 1913, and criticised because of the lack of novelty and class in their turn. The same thing continues to hold good. They no^longer appear in black- face, but offer about the same rou- tine. The hard shoe tap stepping Is expert, however, and it drew strong applause Monday night Third, was art act that was re- viewed six months earlier, January, 1913. It was Milton Pollock and company, in "Between Friends," a conventional "cranky father" sketch by George Ade. It was pronounced a fair, spiall-tlme ve- hicle 11 years ago—time has worked its ravages and there are not a half dozen real laughs in It for an average audience. Pollock Is stui effective as the old man and the support, which Uoubtless has changed, la capable, although the girl spoils an otherwise attractive appearance by wearing red shoes that died a miserable death last year. The sketch Is kickless. Following QafCney and Walton (New Acts), Morris and Shaw held down the topline position. The boys are certainly not tyros, but Shaw's "cokle" and Morris' Hebrew are still fresh characterlzatlona The act would be funnier than it is If there were Just a bit less hoke and more legitimate humor. Besides, there should be more slnglpg. The Royal Hong Kong Trotrpe (New Acts), apparently the only real new act on the bill, closed with an exhibition of fire-eating, contortion work and. plate spinning that failed to start much. "Between Friends." the film, only held about half of a capacity house. WANTED! WANTED! MOLLIE WILLIAMS (Columbia Wheel Attraction) Now Engaging People for the Above Show Three Eccentric Comedians, Two 8oubrette$, Two Ingenues, Two Straight Men, Two Dancing Teams, Two "Blues" Singers, Character Men, must be tall; Sensational Novelty Acts. CAN USE GOOD-LOOKING CHORUS GIRLS, EXPERIENCE UNNEC- ESSARY. Highest salary paid. Long season assured. Phone, write or call In person, HARRY WILLIAMS, Strand Photo Studio, Strand Theatre Building, Broadway and 47th Street New York City. Telephone Bryant B4»S. 58TH ST. An air of antiquity about the first half bill at the B8th Street this week that is not entirely due to the pronounced age of the theatre. The show. Itself, is an example of the tragedy of the three- a-day; the futile struggle of many acts to pull themselves above the small-time limits. Two of the turns are to be found on Variety's files no less than 11 years ago doing almost precisely the same acta aa at present. An- other dates back to 1917. and two of the remaining three appear to rest rather firmly In the long-es- tablished, not to say the veteran class. The result was a show that was musty and worn, although It must be said the Queensborough Bridge s'jctlonlsts seemed to relish it In proportion to its age. Four Komany Girls opened and proved to be the only artistic note of an otherwise extremely "bour- geoisie" show. The act was for- merly known aa the Romany Four, that tor a novelty turn runs very high. He has a dark stage and gets elcJctrlcal and wire effects. One youngster In the audience proved to be the very best kind of a ballyhoo for Nevada with this act. George Lyons, with his harp, was In next position, a boy who, with some musical numbers that seemed rather old, scored heavily. Casey and Warren did not get over BO well, but as the chuckles that go with this act are pretty well drawn out over several minutes It is not surprising that the turn was off in applause. The Runaway Four were the usual hit, but the Fritzl RIdgewny act, a burlesque on the taking of a scene in the pictures, registered very lightly yesterday afternoon. If Ted and Betty Healy had stopped their act with their first appearance they would have been one of the outstanding- hits. Both seemed to lose by the extension. Song Writer's Show Milt Hagan. the song writer, has written a satire. "Reno-Vated and Reno-Mated." The Triangle Art theatre, in Greenwich Village, is putting It on. KEITH'S, BOSTON Boston. June 3. Judging from the bill at the local Keith house this week those respon- sible for the booking must have been suffering trfxia fatigue after putting on the real hot one that featured last weeic At any rate the show as it runs is almost without life, and it was a pretty poor setup with which to meet the first real sea- sonable weather of the summer. Last week when curtain time ap- proached the lobbies were crowded to the limit and the house was sold out. This week an automobile truck could have been driven Into the lobby without much danger of strik- ing anybody. The show is saved from being a small time one by two acta. One Is Tom Burke, singing In spot posi- tion, and the other the dancer. Prin- cess Rajah, who closed the show, and who sat the entire house, es- pecially the female contingent right up In their seats when she came through with her snake. Quite a walkout, though, for her second number, the chair dance, the far better number figured from a nov- elty standpoint. Burke on Just before her also got away with bin act nicely. I.4oyd Nevada openw with wn act HELENE "SMILES" DAVIS V^^ *^t:x*'i*t ■ and EARL NELSON FLOPPED ■ • - - '••*« the American on Monday and were ■ • DIED In the wool mirrrM nail thereby »- r^_,— -r^is — , CANCELLED aU donbt in the mlndi ot tlte paklle aa t* tka mtfum aaul ahacm aC Mi* «^«r*w« PHILLIPS ASSOCIATED WITH HALPERIN- SHAPIRO AGENCY What Are You Going to Do Next Season? I have a few sure-fire comedy acM for man and woman. Will i>er«oB- ally stage and rehearse all act*. Do you need a comedy bit—dlalogue-4 gags? No Advance Payments ROYALTY BASIS ONLY 190 No. State Street CHICAGO, nJL Phone Central 0644.