Variety (September 1924)

, Inesday, September 3, 1©24 NEW ACTS THIS WEEK VARIETY 41 PALACE ,« relief, from tbe beat Monday •noon at the Palace was the ab- of any acrobat ori the bill, were waving aa though the „ half an audience were flirt- with one anther,. The dancers to be cpnaltered, of, course, 'the absence of' an acrobat ■nl't bring thft humid afternoon to ind as acutely as it otherwise Mid have until Bert 'Wheeler alked anil spread himself across m tfootlighte. When the managers decided that ■tors had to have shower baths in indevllle they must have been linking of Bert Wheeler. Every iw minutes Bert would roll over I though to even It up. The house ughed at his comedy, but felt sorry i ever found It funnier to lie across _e foots to tell gags. The Wheelers were next to clos- TUNE IN". (3) lusical >• •■ ft Mine; Two (Special Drop) ifth Ave. A man and two women, on* ■ rttty girl. All three are musicians 1th a novelty-opening: The three a prolog speech Introduce them-. ires by radio terms. A prop radio F«sed by the older girl to tune in She announces a saxophone from a station and the players •e seen behind a scrim insert above loud speaker^ . The same introduction serves- for triple brass number, piano and loJin duet, the. male playing the ,tt*r instrument indifferently, but applause, and a piano solo by the ■Vl- A' saxophone and two cornets next ith an encore a cornet muted, the irl handling. a banjo. Her jazz ance and strut Should be discarded, was awkward, amateurish and not eeded. : ■ • ■ , The turn measures up as fair mu- combinntion for the lnterme- iate houses. The radio idea is ovel, but not adhered to after the rat two numbers, although it serves get the turn away from straight ■al classification. Con. • . i ELAND and 8T. CLARE alk and Dancing i Mint.; One *1 8t (Sept. 1) ixed team, with man haifBhng ■ comedy as a henpecked spouse. reenters around $1.50 hubby lifted from wifey's purse. The ledy is sounded with one trying outgeneral the other to retain nd regain it, respectively. After a nippy cross-fire and mauling of he man by the -athletic female, hey compromise by making a bet the money; 'The man bets he can ance to any tone the orchestra play, which makes a great t for some varied stepping by Jm for a get-away. This was ' another of the show iris Monday 'and Clicked nicely in be deucer. •CAR MARTIN and Co. (2) crobatks Mine.; Full Oi Ave. «.- ■ Martin is assisted by a boy and roman in a routine of hand-to-hand ••lancing and tumbling. Martin •erves as understander, with the woman and youth alternating as ■wonts. His best work, however, is accom- plished with the boy, whom he jug- (Itt and tosses through the air with Mse, although in two Instances.he Usplays physical prowess by bal- uicing the woman on the palm of ■ hand.- Although showing nothing of a wnsational nature, a likeable closer 'at any bill. .! I.. ing, having exchanged places with Frances White in No. 4. It was said the management had shoved up Miaa White into No. 4 to let! her proceed Instead of following the Ben Bernie Band opening after interxelsslon. Closing the show were the Avon Comedy Four, with Eddie Miller and J. FT'ank Corbett, making the Avon subsidiary to Joe Smith and Charlie Dale's 'names as featured hi the billing. Closing the first part were 11. B. Warner and Co. of three in.a nice little crqqk playlet (New Acts) that got over' well enough in hot weather to indicate an appreciative reception anywhere in seasonable times; Another bunch that must have gone to the showers right after finishing were the Four Camerons, although five here, 'with Sergeant and Marvin, two boys, doing a two- act In the No. 2 spot, then going into.the Camerons (3) in the follow- ing (No. 8) position. Opening the show were the Lorner girls with their liked dancing, and if the girls take showers between shows that goes for them as well. Allowing for the weather, there Isn't much left to say. The newest old turn on the bill was Frances White, back to the Palace after five or six years. Miser White had some old and new songs, also Ted Mur- ray at the. ~lano. An encore be- tween Miss .White and Mr. Murray seemed almost wasted, and her song following wasn't any too fancy either. Of the new ones the •'Rid- aifi" number was the best and "The Village Sheik" the worst. Miw White says she wrote 'The Sheik" herself. If she ever writes another like It Frances should send it to some one like Rae Samuels, who could sing it. • There, is a,, proviso, however, for Miss White stringing out her turn; that she was stalling to permit of the setting for the Warner sketch. Iri that event she did well enough On the' stretch mud without "Missis- sippi." The White act proper is proper, with Miss White looking well in several costumes. For the Ben Bernie Band to come in,. following Lopez last week and before Ted Lewis next week, to play symphonlcallv for an encore, was a surprise. Ben is still kidding in his talk, but seems to be more serious In his playing unless he is using the Palace,for a rehearsal hall Just before the new Roosevelt Hotel opens. The Bernie Orchestra strikes the bull's-eye as ever, th'e Bernie quips are as full of laughter, and this favorite orchestra doesn't seem to feel its .frequent "Palace appear- ances, despite Bennie's attempt at change ~ct pace ' in the playing; Bernie was fr sure Are when start- ing with his band and he never has lost that staple advantage. ' Bookers and managers who talk' about bands, the demand, etc., might recall the above record; Lopes last week A Bernie this week and Lewis next week—there doesn't appear to be any doubt existing with the Pal- ace booker and manager as to bands. , The Camerons aid very Well, much better than the two-man act No. 2, who mUst get that spot be- cause the Camerons are traveling as a double act. Sargeant and Mar- vin look like a good cabaret team who play several string Instruments and sing, but the pretty blonde girl of the Camerons also plays the sax and sings, yet she seems content to be part of the Cameron ensemble. A man is carried by the Wheelers for two laughs, and they are good ones. Bert gets another big laugh with his inflated bird while Betty is singing a ballad, and he got another laugh whopper at the matinee when calling for Benny Roberts, remark- ing, as the house leader appeared from under the stage: "Benny, you'll die drinking that stuff." It takes a hot Labor Day matinee to prove that there is such a possi- bility nowadays as a light house at the Palace. Sime. by the Hippodrome dancing girls. The troupe, as proficient as ever in their ensemble stepping, display- ing well the expert tutelage of Allan K. Foster, seem an even better appearing flock of girls than before. They look well collectively and one or two are real "lookers." , | Edith Mae Cape's Creations, a smart dance revue, was an early flash. Geo.-ge Griffin, the tenor and Miss Cape's dance partner, made an individual impression. Harry Rltz soloed with dance Specialties and Dolores Longtin and Joy and Bobby Almour completed the personnel. The dancing girls filled In with sev- eral ensemble flashes. A "tough" Bowery number was one particu- larly impressive. Jimmy Savo and Joan Franza clicked, Savo's pantomimic special- ties standing out. The comedian was a willing worker, appearing in practical'y every act right through the show and actually final. bend- ing off with the closing turn, It lent Just the right amount of pa- prika to the bill, which was shy in comedy. "Savo ant. Franza are hold- overs. Belle Story substituted for the Orville Harrold-Pattl Harrold act in the afternoon. The father and daughter combination was out through the toner's other daughter's untimely death. An announcement was made of Mr. Harrold's return to the bill in the evening. Miss Story sang three numbers in One soprano. The Roger Wolfe Orchestra (New Acts), another hold-over, closed the first half. The second stanza was resumed by Willie West, McGinty and Co., also second-weekers at this stand. It's a corking knockabout, low comedy turn of English origin, al- though on this side for . some months. Aunt Jemima (New Acts) clicked. Mme. Tenkatsu (New Acts) followed. The Pasquall Brothers, following all sorts of acrobatic work, dis- played a snappy routine. Elaine Lcttor and Co., assisted by the Hip ballet corps, topped it oft with the proper dash of "class." Miss Let tor is a personable danseuse, also a British importation, comparatively but little in the calcium although doing her specialties with consum- mate skill. Abel. RIVERSIDE . > ■ INTERNATIONAL TRIO Singing 12 Mens.; One 3d St. (Sept. 1) . Two men and a woman comprise this trio. All have trained singing voices and a leaning toward Italian lumbers. They introductorled with in operatic number, followed by solos Dy the tenor and' soprano, with all three Joining for another ensemble 'or a closer. Showing at this house for the day (Monday), they held the opening spot M»d managed to land. ELDER and ALDER 'nttrumental '14 Mms.; One 23rd 8t. Man and woman offering tbe rou- tine musical act. Woman carries Accompaniment on the piano, with nan handling violin for an opener,a lassie and tollQwlng up with a rag- ry solo on piano. A duo with sax- >Phones provides a get-a-way. Lid fairly well in the trey spot. HIPPODROME The second week's show of the fait season at the Hip shapes up as the usual corking money's worth. There were several hold-overs from last week, but the heavy draw ap- preciated everything to its fullest. The, holiday matinee attendance Monday was considerably out-of- townish. According to Manager Clint Lake a goodly portion of them blocked sidewalk traffic around 12:30 waiting for the doors to open, although the show doesn't start until after two. The heat had an inverse effect on the customers, who were muchly "cold" In responding. Julius Lenzberg and his snappy pit orchestra, who can be made Into a stage feature at any time in the course of the season similar to the Lenzberg "act" when he was at the Riverside, started off smartly with the conductor's own composi- tion, "The American Ideal" march. The circus stuff introduced the show proper with the Kltaros Japs displaying their pedal dexterity in a mannor that overshadowed Powers and Powers' aerial acro- batics, sharing the rostrum simul- taneously, although the Powers were in no wise deficient In their specialty. The Sle Tahar Co., Arabian pyramid builders and acro- batic ground tumblers, completed the "act." . Dippy Diers, the noted Hip clown, had a spot all to himself, augmented Too much heat Monday, hence the title of the holiday- was synonymous on the stage and off. The thermom- eter curtailed the attendance at this house to something less than half capacity at the matinee, but Frank -Crumit and. Julia Sanderson, open- ing the second portion, put a stop to the program waving long enough to make it necessary for Miss Sander- son to beg off with a speech*. The act continues minus noticeable changes, while Crumit has brought back a couple of numbers and gags as she probably sees fit, according to the house played. Any way at al* this couple are offering as charming a conception of entertainment as any theatre could wish for, and the constant responses are ample proof as to their value. George Jessel and his two acts came and went in the first half, spotted three and five, holding a steady course to reach a definite objective. Each . of the episodes clicked with the translation dialog from an upper box being good for many a laugh and enough applause to leave no doubt. With program . verification the Bell's Duo opened, submitting tra- peze work which would be more to the point were the woman to elim- inate the chorus she is singing. Otherwise the turn neatly sufficed. A colored quartet, Shuffle Along Four, deuced in warbling five songs, including the Inevitable callopc mimicking. A ballad by the tenor listened as being harmfully placed and meant nothing at all, besides which the number itself is an in- definite composition. Spaced between the two Jessel turns was Marguerite Padula, who slipped by nicely with her familiar routine and might have taken an encore without apologizing. , Ted Lorraine and Jack Mlnto, ac- companied by Mile. Marie Andre, were given the closing spot and in- cidentally supplied about all the dancing the bill contained. Keeping them In their seats on such a hot afternoon was not a bad accom- plishment, although the earliness of the hour, 4.15, might have had some- thing to do with it, but that's not meant to detract from the act. The turn looks to be overly balanced by singing In spots where footwork would be better appreciated. The girl, too, doing toe work, Is respon- sible for 90 percent of the dancing, but even though she sells It well enough it doesn't compensate. The dearth of dancing in the show may have something to do with that viewpoint in this particular instance, but even so, the impression remains. Ski 9 . STATE Between a stifling night and three crying women on the bill there must have been a few other theatres more desirable than the 45th street corner Monday. The upstairs portion re- sembled bleachers, as among those present were many arrayed in their shirt sleeves. Even that failed to help for the six acts. Anything but versatile, the bill had all of Its dancing concentrated In the No. 2 spot with Jim and Jack, two colored boys, taking a chance on prostration. Straight hooting stag- gered the couple off, and as cur- rently routining a switch in the lay- out seems eminent aa an indifferent shoeshlne stopuing bit looked espe- cially out of place In terminating and proved a letdown after the men had worked up a certain attention. Mason and Cole, third, in a revived skit cross-flred and cried through to fair success, being followed, two turns later, by Hamilton and Barnes with more weeping, and thence Im- mediately succeeded Newhoff and Phelps, who inserted additional walls while backed by a six-piece orchestra. None were sufficient to overcome the heat 'thing. The Franchelll Trio opened In cut- aways that probably were insuffer- able during the acrobatics. Clark and Storey (New Acts) were fourth, having the woman warbling to a male pianist's accompaniment. Ham- ilton and Barnes could do little with the next-to-closlng position and might have reduced the running time as a mqans of discretion, but didn't. Newhoff and Phelps sang three dUets, spaced by two selections from their musicians, who issue mediocre melodies and seem foolish, as do other bands of the same size after the avalanche of,the larger orches- tras. The boys are meaningless so far as the actual verbal numbers are concerned, serving only to dress the stage and lengthen the act through their Individual selections. Possibly given a better pitch the turn might stand up better, but* It.conformed to the indifference of the entire eve- ning and allowed the feature picture to flash with minus anything re- sembling a wait. Skip. BROADWAY Fairly entertaining although alto- gether lacking In comedy is the bill at the Broadway aa presented with Chase and La Tour Co. and Pinto and Boyle cut of the show. When reviewed at the ' Monday matinee these two acts were not in the per- formance, they appearing at the night show. There was, however, more than three hours of amuse- ment offered, and to a fair-sized house, despite the terrific heat there Were at least three acts of tbe bill that were enjoyable, Judging from the applause. All told there were six acts of vaudeville. « news reel, a comedy and a .full-length feature. Betanoo.irt, the balancing artist, assisted by a rather snappy looking girl, opened the show and got away rather nicely with a fast routine. The McCarthy ' Sisters, who fol- lowed, were applause winners, even though the two final numbers of their routine are a little bit behind the times and should be replaced. Their introduction referring to. the "Music Bpx Revue" got them a hand and with pop songs to follow the girls scored. Cartmell, Harris and Co. with their neat stepping and delightful comedy, following, also scored. The marriage license bureau bit pulled some laugh, but It was the dance stuff that landed most heavily and this team are past masters of neat stepping. Jessie Reed with songs was an- other of the solid hits. Thjs girl is big time all the time. She has a peculiar voice of the coon shouting variety and manages to land her numbers with the audience. A pleasing personality, a penchant for handling comedy and neatly dressed, she is 100 per cent on the stage. Montague Love (New Acts), the picture lead, proved the old, old gag about p.'cture people being best when seen and not heard a true one. Suffering from a cold and with the old, old - thousand-time beard line of bunk that most screen personali- ties foist on the public when they appear personally, together with about as tad a line of gags of the vintage of 1*12, he managed to exe- cute a neat flop. «• The final vaudeville offering was Mile. Vadi and Ota Gygl with a supporting company of six dancing girls, who managed to hold the final end of the program nicely. It was hard work for them at the opening following the let-down that the Love act gave the audience, but they picked it up again and despite heat and the length of the act got a very fair applause return. The feaa>re picture was "Youth for Sale," reviewed In the film de- partment. Fred. but they scampered on once or twice and Libby and Sparrow did tho rest. The comedy clean-up went to Bragdon and Morrisey, and they stopped the show completely, that little audience taking to them like a house afire. They were on third and once they swung into their mus- ical routine they wowed "em. The Winton Brothers opened with their fents of strength and hand- to-hand balancing, getting substan- tial applause at the >close. They were followed by the Bennett Twins. In a house like the 81st Street their voices could be heard, but It is a matter of doubt where they would land in a theatre where the acoustics are not so good. As they affect the babyish mannerisms and pipings of kids it apparently is a necessity for the high-pitched vocal efforts. They did little dancing, although their combined stepping, with a back kick featured, brought them up more to the fore in an encore at the finish. The girla still retain their "Pride of Paradise Alley" number, but do J ing * "Jimlny Gee" for their final "bit." After Bragdon and Morrisey, ably assisted by Billy Trout, had ' scored their comedy hit. Ruby Nor- ton, as blond as ever and with her voice still in fine shape, sang her way into applause. Libby and Norton held high favojr wlth their dancing imitations, with Libby throwing in a' new one of Harland Dixon from the "Kin* Boots" show, which was excellently done. The burlesque .finish proved a* hum- dinger, with Bragdon ..and Morrisey lending a comedy aspect. The Hip- podrome girls, as stated in a fore- going paragraph, scampered on and oft. Mark. AMERICAN ROOF Business Monday -night, wasn't helped very much by the holiday. The vaudeville was of the usual variety that one is accustomed to* seeing atop the American. The pic- ture was "Manhandled." . Baggett and Sheldon dress.' well, look well and have one of the neat- est little acts of tbe club and hat juggling variety to be seen around New Tork. After Edward Blum's music and Joyner and Foster's blackfaced turn, Jimmy- 1 Gildea and 'Co. were on' for about 20 minutes. The ejildea offering is of a burlesque type. Kidding lines from Shake- spare as spoken by members of his company, dressed to represent char- acters of Song ago. Is Gjldea's fun- making, and it pleased. After- intermission' and the roof concessionaire chalking up the best night ef the year, the Dreon Slaters appeared. Tbe girls have changed, their routine considerably, with one number In particular scoring a hit. A Mttle more close harmony like that offered In the little southern song will put them in bigger favor. Bert Melrose clowned In his usual Way In whlteface and finished up with his balancing stunt to laugh- ter and applause. The "Co." in- cludes Betty Brooks, a pert looker and an agile and graceful dancer, who did well with a number by her "lohfely." Wells and Boggs have a pleasing act, With one man an old codger from the south who is found asleep on a park bench by a cop, imper- sonated by the other halt of the team. There is the usual exchange of "fly cracks," several songs by the man in the uniform and a dance by the two tor the finish. Zaza Adele and Co. closed, the Apache dancing scoring the big- gest of' the act's routine. Uark. 81ST ST. Labor Day didn't mean a gosh- whtpped thing to the 81st Street as far as the attendance was concerned Monday afternoon. The house was about one-third full. Out in lights it said "Revue Week." There was also a Harold Lloyd film. Yet the heat apparently sent the folks to the parks, beaches, race track and ball games. The Hippodrome dancing girls are at the 81st' Street and made their appearance by way of adding fem- inine embellishment to the George Libby and Ida May Sparrow act, Tbe girls had little to dp, in fact, top little, to make them discernible as a physical asset. Perhaps they arc too new and need a lot of practice, 5TH AVE. This was one of the many hit by warm weather and the holiday exo- dus gn Monday. The afternoon show • played to sparse attendance, with but slight Improvement in the evening. The eight-act brace held tour fa- miliars and a like number of new- comers, combining to make a fast show even if practically devoid of any particular outstanding feature. The bookers evidently figured slim business for the first half, despite the Labor Day holiday and the tra- ditional ushering In of the regular season. Rlalto and Lamont Introductorled with their familiar routine of bal- ancing and Juggling to good returns. Tagana, attractive girl violiniste, held the deucer with a nifty repertoire of instrumentals that were pleasantly sent over and appreciably received. Jones and Lorraine, mixed team, held follow-up spot with nifty non- seitse and songs that clicked for a bull'seye. (New Acts.) Rice and Werner, mixed team working in cork, were valuable ad- juncts to the comedy department in their knockabout comedy skit, "On the Scaffold," while Don Sang and Ah Chung, Chinese songsters, were equally enjoyable in a number of pop songs of the Jazz variety. (New Acts.) Elizabeth Brown and Sedano pro- vided a neat dancing flash, aided by a five-piece string orchestra (New Acts), giving way to Walter Brower, with his breesy. monolog about the girl he courted and won. Brower's nonchalant delivery worked wonders in planting his chatter and made- it count above face value. Oscar Martin A Co., the latter comprising a woman and a boy, closed with tumbling and hand to- hand balancing. (New Acjtaji ; /