Variety (September 1924)

17, 1924 VAUDEVILLE REVIEWS VARIETY RAY MILLM ant). HI* ASCADIA ORCHMTRA («) 17 Mlaei Ft* Stag* (ateaetet) Hi pmJ i ■■■■ TIM Bay Millar duo* organtea- «loa to utoDf the "ate eight" la its field. .Nor to the Miller nam* mew to veadaville, although the person- nel and act are different compared to throe year* ago la 8hpbert vaude- Tille when the Millar band moved Ha tnraka Into the Winter Garden far ate and aeven-week stretches. Than Bay MUler waa aOB the aiiiamm nnhilanlnr with- the aame •personality'- , registering even among the onBembte, Whan Miller Batoned to friendly advice, throwing away his dram ettoka. and became aa orchestra leader. It waa the uove In hto career. Up with the -personality side- stepping the eclipse of mask sur- roundings, the effect on the public waa marked. Miller has a danoe organisation that for danoe music aeed fear but few. If any. as to Its rhythm and ayaoopatton. Their dance hall train- ing In the Paradise. Newark, and at the Beaux Arts Cafe. Atlantic City, the past year, baa taught them Just What tempo appeals moat to the barbarian or African strain that —era* to be in moat of the American public today. The appeal of the Jaaa rhythms is almost irresistible, and Its not lone before they are tapping their feet to time wtb the music. The present name la derived from the new Arcadia ballroom on Broad- Way, neerln*- completion for opening early in October, where Miller and his Brunswick recording bunch win he the stellar attraction. Apropos of nothing. It must b* saaaltoa that for a bandmsn Bay Miller is a pretty shrewd buafiicae man. His contemporaries unani- mously agree about his being "a smart guy. 1 * Millar, therefor*, took Into consideration the fact he bad a tough bunch of Wbltemane, Lo- pezes, Lymans and ethers to follow That ha stands up comparatively Is greatly to his credit. Oaa big thing that MUler baa fur- ther In his favor la the afore-detailed -personality- The ami!* la surs- flrat the shivering* and shakings, ths heaving of the shoulders and the tremelo of the back of bis right trouser lag radlat* a' syncopating aura that registers out front. To view a staid musician actually cut-' ting up to bound to he a novelty In itself. Mot that Miller to staid, and he probably would balk at the ■mu- sician- appellation, but hto prede- cessors have impressed so bard and often with their seriousness that bia change of pace to bound to be a winning reaction. For aa act routine, as It stands, It requires but little editing. An- other alow number to vary the fa- vored "hot" stuff might be the happy aolutlon. ,. ' They open with a "blues," fol- lowed by another torrid ditty. Danny Yates, the violinist, breaks It .up with a violin solo of a Herbert waltz. Another "hot" number, and then a medley of old popular tunes. Includ- ing enatchee of "Avalon." "Derda- tieila," "Japanese Sandman" and "Smiles." which waa a happy Idea. These familiar hits sounded fresh and appealing at this late date. A "mamma" number for the getaway, Introducing the charming Hippo- drome dancers for ensemble stuff. The line-up consists of: Tates, Tlolinlst; Buby Bloom and Tom Bat- Urfleld. two pianos; Frank Traum- bauer, Andy Samella and William Richards, saxes; Charles Roeco and Boy Johnston, trumpets; Miff Moe and Andy Slmbelar, trombones; Ward Archer, drums; Frank De Prelma, banjo; Louis Champaine. PALACE Improvement la Broadway's bust- la the last .week or so has been accompanied by stronger attendance at the Palace. Monday night was capacity, the ticket racks going dean rather early. Matinee attend- ance waa atoa exceptionally big. gen* •rally true when the bill to pobb m sji b of drawing names. ' P rese nt this week are player, from the legitimate and platform In addition to standard vaudeville fea- tures. Prim a box office angle the show baa drawing power from three different angles. Presence of names baa not detracted from performance power, the hill bemg diversified and effective throughout, with high the first matinae's add* tronag*. SkebT"in"'for winning the applause hit i Bath Draper frfew Acts) bar first vaudevill* appearance after creating a public throughout -the country for bar unique character- isations, la credited with part of additional aa- vaudeville, .. closing in- ternxieaton. During tie 'ejoiet inter- lude of Miss Draper's turn a sobbing child distracted psoa o n a la the rear of the bouse at times. The child waa to the balcony, and the man with it refused to go further than the exit stairs presamably. -^ Donald Brian. Virginia O'Brien and G1U Rice (New Acta) were the triangle from the legitimate, also *t w1t * a box office factor. The trie waa programed to open Inter- mission but waa placed flftk at nigh* exchanging positions with Karyl Norman. Tiro turns who 'eeam to h* fre- quent Palace visitors were on band and proved the correctness of the booker's Judgment, both landing aa strong favorites. They are Norman and the Robert Xmmett Keane- Clatre Whitney combination. The "Creole Fashion Plate" was in prima voice and turned in a score that to to be bracketed with, the three leaders an the bin. Salt and; Pepper are out of the turn, the aids being Keae Clark and Bobble Ed- wards, dual piano accompanists. Opening with "N*w Kind of Love." — en's beat vocal effort aame With "Buddha.'* He sprung by using a born bob (hair trim) for hto version of "It Had to Be Ton." Norman in re- sponding to a sp ss eh stated this was his final weak In vaudeville, aa be la to be starred la a comedy wMk music, to be called "That's My* Boy." fine to open la Brooklyn Oct. 1*. The Keane and Whitney comedy, "The Gossipy Ben," continues to tiekl* aU audleacea because k to an well played. Kean**s "a—baa" was always worth a- laugh At the cur- tate the three players pantomimed the sdaga. "Hear not see dot, speak not." For an encore bit Miss Whit- ney and Keen* offered a one-syllable skit, similar to that need la the Bantley and Sawyer r*vue at the Palace early In the-summer. vu*\ with Lottie Ford and Bob Adams assisting, closed, bringing back a melange of hard shoe step- ping, which bald interest All lour era clever specialists la the work, and there la ao doubt the tapping Is aa effective aa the new forma of dancing. Al Barton waa at the piano. An earlier dance score was earned by the Four Diamonds. Har- old and Thomas, the two kid mem- bers, are in for a bright future. They aafigej off a bit of harmony singing before the hoofing section and did it very well. Fred Galetti and Mabel Kokin, with their musical and comic monks, provided a ripping opener. The antics' of the monks provoked general laughter, aad the act landed for a hit. One monk, with the prin- cipela, encored with a "wooden sol- diers" bit that waa a scream, ths monk tearing off a "step" that Is the prld* of Lillian Francis. I sea. , HIPPODROME Beeuconp money's worth at the Hipp this week, with Its 12 regular acts and (not the least of It) the Allan K. Foster canclng eutles for the trimmings. That the show got through at the rate It did Is a tribute to the management, front and back. for the proper priming of the shifts and Judicious timing of the acts. Several holdovers from the last week, with the Mme. Tenkatsu and Geisha Girls tnm In Its last week; ditto for Blaine Letter, the English danseuae, who closed the show. WeMaaos Sensation (ao pro- gramed) opened and billed on the annunciators aa the Sensational Wel- danos. The pivoted prop planes aa they revolve are employed by the two men for the acrobatics on the trapes*, embracing some "iron Jaw" work also. The woman. In aviatrlx costumes, guides the machine. The Primrose Four were effective with their Quartet harmony, passing up an extra number, probably under instruction, because of the limited time. The Biding Booneys, six peo- ple equestrian torn, slowed it up at this point, although satisfactory .opening. Stan Kavaaagh's Juggling dexter- ity waa that pleasing It even coun- teracted some of the fierce puns the clever Juggler perpetrated ss part of his small toft. Withal, It's a class turn of Its kind aad worthy of a "apot" Grace La Kue. announced aa mak- ing a "aeturn to America in the songs that fascinated H. R. H. the Prince of Wales," did four numbers effectively. Her interpretation of "What'11 I Dor made this popular number sound freak anew. She fol- lowed it up with a new Berlin waits, "An Alone." She took three bends, but failed to come back for the floral offering the page boy bore down the •l The band does not attempt to make appeal other than in Its dance music. There is no scenic flash aside from the specially constructed platform, which Is a smart stunt to preserve the proper Instrumental balance on any stage, large or small. In the mammoth Hip this is a prob- lem. Instxumentally the trumpets, trombone and reeds have their In- nings In turn and In "ensemble to corking effect, wRh the piano (Bloom) and the banjo also stepping out In spots. Anywhere that they like Jaxs mu- sic this band is "In." Because of Its Arcadia local connection as a met- ropolitan fixture, they suggest pos- sibilities to succeed the Vincent Lo- pez orchestra (tow In the "Green- wich Village Follies") as the ace big time band In and around New York. .*•»* RIVERSIDE The Brtonta. with their clever panto work, were a. comedy highlight at this point. The Carnival of Ven On fourth Irene Bicardo (New « ^"TErwH-T ' M ™"£ 0 , „ J.,™" 1...I _ _._ .i„_.7„ turn** in m. lea * ct » featuring Mme. -Donatella, A *W, • new single, turnea m a ■ -1 __JT7«.- -_. v_ w *..Hihr Th« in- real kit Mine Bicardo Is a come dlenn* who seems sure of standard rating. Bd Lowry. who waa report- ed la the new "Bits Revue." quickly Jumped back to vaudeville, where he la In demand. He held the honor 3tot tar 18 minutes, exiting close to even o'clock. Hto poem with light cues amused, and he introduced a baby number which, he said, waa translated from French. For It Lowry held a doll tn his anna. The Dora and Ea Ford dance re- THE TRUTH" (4) Comedy Musical Sketch 16 Mine.) Full and One (Special) r\ltl#rtOwslw "The Truth" to a four-people sketch constructed around an Idea which now forma the basis of one of the comedy scenes In the legit farce "The Haunted House." prior It has been a standard laugh-getter to burlesque. It makes for a cork- lag e o m ofl y turn for vaudeville and shows that this type of sketch does not alow np a bill and la wanted by the audiences. A grouchy business men bulldoz- ing bis daughter; her admirer, a mild mannered clerk, etc., la cured when the daughter puts a truth compelling medicine Into the water cooler. Immediately things begin to happen. The mild clerk tell* the old boy exactly what he thinks of him. the stenog tells about hto of- fers of a car, apartment, etc., and the daughter announces she Is going to marry the clerk despite parental objection. The old boy taken a drink himself, acknowledges he Is all wrong, blesses the couple and admits the stenog's accusations. There are several songs, all spe- cials, that take It ont of the etralgh* sketch claaa, "Tired Business Man," sung by th* old man; "I've Heard All Those Biddies Before," from the sophisticated stenog. end "Don't Ton Think So," a reminiscent quar- tet number, used to dose In "one." were all neatly Inserted. "The Truth" to a corking novelty laugh-getter for the Intermediate houses and would duplicate on a' big tint bill. An four 6f the artists are above th* average In aMIItr potoe. Co* closed the first halt flashily. The in genlous Hippodrome trimmings and scenic augmentations transformed an already flashy offering into a smart production. The Hip dsn clng girls lent It the proper color as car- nival frolickers. Pletro's shepherd pipe solo, Geane Granada's stepping and singing, the Donatella Brothers (S), with their accordion-sax instru- mentation Grayoe Dorothy Blair's ballet work and the madame's.own tambourine specialty clicked on alt six. Granda is a female impersona- tor of considerable ability and possi- bility. Mme. Donatella waa another to Inherit a floral offering. The Japanese act resumed after a comparatively brief Intermission, followed by Paul Bemoa and his Wnnder Midgets in an aero turn that la sure-fire. The feature mite Is. particularly Irate" and winning. Th* routine to neat and natty and above be ordinary. Bay MlUet ami Hto Aneadla Or- chestra (New Acta) to the latest dance organisation making its vaude- ville debut. He waa greeted with two large floral . designs, on* a Brunswick record "plug." Wells, Virginia and West whammed 'em with their stepping. per usual. A change of pace In taypeiehore was the aesthetic dance recite) by the Elaine Lettor Co. Business capacity matinee and almost that Monday night Abel Business Monday very good, now that th* slat Street baa a distinc- tive and noa-conflicting policy. An entertaining vaudeville bill pleased the patrons,'the line-up holding two new acta to "The Teat" (New Acts), closing the first half. and. Anna Chandler (New Acts), closing the show. The former to a C B. Mad- dock's Jaaa band aovelty and took one of th* hits of the bill. Little Billy, programmed fourth, waa oa third, due to hie special stuff, which was hung In full stage. Marie Walsh and Frank BUM moved from trey to four. The Walsh- Ellis ^combination naeda an act badly. Th* girl la a looker, a cork- ing dancer, eta, and the boy a clever light corned Ian with possi- bilities, but th* talk is all reminis- cent, composed mostly of released gaga, landscaped * bit, but recog- nizable. The song, "Our la a Nice House. Oura Is," doesn't deserve the repetition they give it at the finish aad oa the program underline. It is unfunny and not up to the talents of th* pah-. Little Billy, diminutive but a giant artistically, waa a real hit to N*. IS. He opened em "dame," giv- ing them a bit of pop Jaaa vocaliz- ing and a dance. A quick change to ragged newsboy outfit, with a special drop showing the waterfront of New York, for the recitation "Major," followed by a change to tux for another song aad some nitty buck dancing. A waits clog earlier in the routine put Billy away as one of the big league hoofers of th* two-a-day. Thoroughly en- joyable aovelty. La Pllarlca Trio opened la the colorful dancing turn. The an- nouncement of the man that he would give f 1,000 to anyone who out-enduranced him in a hock dance seemed on the uo aad up, for be did hocks and Russian steps away, be- yond the ordinary period. Max and Henry Gaudsmlth and their two French poodles were a novelty addition. No. 2. The ground tumbling of the athletes and the routine of the dogs Insured them an early impression. Jack ^-Norworth opened after In- termission in well-written songs and some cross-fire, with Dorothy Adeiphia at the plane and foiling in th* dialog. Nor worth has a cork- ing assortment of special songs, in violent contrast to the half-baked ones heard around. Hto comedy proposal to Miss Adeiphia palled laughs, as did. the old illustrated song elides used for his medley of "songs I have written." Unlike the usual s ung m I ter, Norworth has showmanship enough not to take his composing efforts seriously, but make* them a basis for comedy that la more effective. He scored oae of the hits *f the bin, despite a cold Which necessitated first aid from Chiropractor Jim Harklns. Bert and Betty Wheeler next cleaned up the comedy honors. Bert does nearly hto entire routine now- lying down, and win be moving a bed' out next. The Wheeler turn has acquired polish and surety ol method since hopping up into the big league of musical comedy. Bert's imitation of Karyl Norman and Jack Norworth singing the same song was a real surprise. His falsetto would get by under dame attire and his aping of Norworth's drawling delivery was perfect. They wowed them. , Anna Chandler, In a tough spot, with a bad cold, a flock of new songs, scenery and wardrobe. Just made the grade, closing. Anna didn't reappear to acknowledge the bow she had earned, asmlngly dis- couraged by the unfavorable con- ditions with which she bad to con- Oon. 5TH AVE. The show at th* 6th Avenue Mon- dsy night appeared to be built for laughing purposes. Business was good. Dippy Diers got away to a laugh- ing start on th* balancing tables. Roger Williams want along slowly .until he imitated the Jaaa instru- ments, and In the tost tow minutes scored an outstanding bit. Karl Decker and Co. were amus- ing, with Decker taking many lib- erties with th* theme of th* young man outwitting his dad. The sketch Is a long tug at the imagination, yet its comedy gets results. The Japanese turn was next and pleased. Murray and Maddox, in th* Paul Gerard Smith sketch, "Chow." got over nicely, with the work of the young woman overshad- owing. This girl to a natural come- dienne The Avon Comedy Four carried away the comedy honors, convuls- ing the audience The Balkan Wanderers closed. m. 1 ...,(i •» 'i ,. . . . BROADWAY A slow start, working np to the Original Memphis Five, wjb* stopped everything cold, and Francisco Pan- tilon, strong man (New Acts), clos- ing, maps th* progress of Monday night's events. The five-piece com- bination tore the gallery apart with their hot renditions to the point where the house almost entirely passed up Bryan and Fairchlld. the dancing team under whose name the band to included The boys get plenty warm during their soloing and are responsible for one of those ^low-drag numbers that to Just downright "vulgar." Forced before the drop for a collective bow, the quintet might pas* np the Indiffer- ent attitude, for It amounts to cold water on an otherwise pleasant In- terlude. Frank and Ethel Carmen pushed off the progransuwlth a song by th* latter that might easily be done away with, followed by hoop roll- ing. The IS minutes consumed is far too much, and a finish Is the outstanding want at present. Kll- patrick and Jose followed the hoop- ing to fair success through their songs, which carry the stamp of the a vera ge deuce-spot episode. "Thank You. Doctor," still able to make 'em laugh, was No. I, trailed by Marino and Martin, who floun- dered for a time but recouped to the extent Of a fair outburst by means of th* Italian dialects. The Bryan and Fairchlld duo were overshadowed by their accompani- ment, but, at that, did nicely with their trio of dances, for which each changes costume. Rome and Gaut were given the next-to-closing po- sition and cashed kg principally upon the diminutive member's dancing. The burlesque adagio aftermath, dressed accordingly, sup- plied th* hok* termination *ffec- tivuly, although th* team might get away from a repetition of th* un- dersized member carrying his elon- gated partner. The strong act closing, held 'em Intact and looks to be wall up with those of its kind. It drew shrill ap- preciation from th* upper balcony upon concluding. Bkig. KEITH'S, BOSTON Boston. Sept. 18. The bill at th* local Keith house this week doesn't allow the boys In th* orchestra pit much Urn* to think things over. With the exception of one act they are bopping to it all the time daring th* nine-act bill aad put hi what could b* rightly termed a busy afternoon. The effect of ao much music In the program bad an affect en others besides tbeaa directly responsible, for the audience at the finish of the show was plainly showing the effects of ao much music, slaglag aad danc- ing, and thh Ttovoy Hotel Orchestra of London." really the hesrtrraors of the show and to the closing spot, got a walk-out for Its final numbers. Frank Dio Data, who does the piano work in the orchestra, which to. aa eight-man affair running strong to the brass** rather than th* strings, baa another man lead the orchestra. It ' compare* very favorably with orchestras which have played the house ant which did not uncork anything to put them above the average for Keith's. Th* bouse did not hold It against the boys that their billing bad auch asinine line* as the as mas of the English nobility they bad played be- fore, including, of course, the Prince of Wale*. If the orchestra had been placed In the regular position en th* bin that acta of this sort generally occupy, about fourth, they would have run away with the show, but they were in the wrong spot. And a glance at the program doesn't seem to allow a chang* of billing. A roller skating act could C* need to close the shew, but tb* bill would stiu be minus an opener. '. t>v The o rch est r a aaea hah* stage and for the moat part aaea numbers that are quit* familiar to Boston follow- ers of Jaaa, "Llm* Houas Blues" started the program, and the only really new bit waa "English and French Hits," meaning little to the local patrons For a final* far th* act, which waa pulling slowly, Danny • Duggan. the dancer, billed earlier la the show with Ann Ak*r aad Fred- die Sanborn, cam* on In street cos- tum* and d snood one of th* num- bers. Whether this bit would be held in for ths balance of the week waa not decided. It did get over Monday afternoon. Kathleen O'Hanlon aad Theodore Zambunl with an Argentine orches- tra and fin added starter la the per- son of Senorlta Qrassl, who bad seventh position on the bin, toppled the house ever the beat at anything. The orchestra la a four-ptoc* native affair, evidently, and the CHanlon girl aad Zambunl gave the house all. the dancing thrins It could stand. In fact the pair did something that followers of vaudeville wouldn't con- sider possible, gave an extra kick to th* well-worn apaohe dance. The Grassl girl Is more or lees strictly conventional with her dancing, and does mostly solo work. «. Ethel Grey Terry who, according to the program, la a stage and screen star, baa for a vehicle in "Sharp Tools" .one of those playlets that to strong on th* hokum, with plenty of the old stuff that made the kids go strong for Nick Carter and other dime novate The sketch la pur* melodrama, with some strong words thrown In for good measure, and registered Just fair. There wasn't any enthusiastic ton* noted from the house. Which seemed to be expect- ' Ing something different from what they got. Tb* surprise the audience looked for never came. Most of the house had the skit doped out in ad- The last time that Danny Duggan appeared here he knocked them cold at the Keith bouee aad was held over an extra weak, something that • Isn't usually done. This trip, how- ever, he seems to be traveling pretty much of hto former appearance, and the act to la a hole at the start, aa It isn't carrying the orchestra that accompanied it on the previous showing. All that la left of the or- chestra la the xylophonlst, Freddie Sanborn. Duggan'a dances are little changed from the time he showed before. Ana Alter to with him. The show la opened by Kay and Lorene Sterling with a roller skaYT' ing dancing act that has plenty of action and one novelty. The Arnaut Brothers, who are clowns that can always depend on Bostonlans for support-are in second position. Alan Coogan and Mary Casey were the only double act on the bill, and this helped them to get their stuff over blg*all along the line. "Oklahoma" Bob Albright was sand- wiched in between Terry and a dancing act but got away with hto act with little difficulty, even mak- ing them fall for some of his stories which most of them had' heard scores of times before. Harry Rose, working hard to overcome the han- dicap of a decidedly sleepy house, managed to extricate himself from the hole and closed very strong. .. idMer_