Variety (October 1924)

--^"^'S. l:.,:-vJi- VARIETY yAUDEVnXE REVEWSr '^■■.rt^P*4W'<"AVpSr-7-W0!~'^«^*"<'B7iT*1 r* yrednetday. October 28, 1924 PALACE A fr*tit ahow mi papw «ii4 one that UT«d up t» atpMtaUoBa, with th« main erent Um w*Ioom*-home tfemonatratlon to Nora Bayoa, back |k«m abroad and with a new crop at * aohss served up with the latmlUMe c 'Bairea *uato. N»ra h«M attrevth V Mot and panicked them. (New •;■ Acta.) The deluge of fleral tributes . and oonttoued palm whackins at the «loae Tialbly affected the Btnglnff ' ^- oomedlenne. who momentarily hid ' her face in her kerchlet, but aodden- ir pulled beraelf together to edge off f va» episode with a comedy blues, t»Ih>wed by a speech of thanka Althottsh Miss Bayee was the nn- ;' disputed champ of the bill at the Monday night ahow there were aev- '' aral other leKitlmate show-stoppers carded In a bill that ran rampant ' with comedy, more than Its share of dancing, and prsctlcally leaving Miss > Bayes to hold it up vocally. . )Weaver Brothers, No. 4. and Hal S* Bkelly & Co, In the folk>w-up. ran I «)dead heat for comedy honors of the ' Arst half. The Weaver boys contributed their ■1 fhmillar rube routine, and scored , lieavlly with their i^stnimental : Bombers upon unique Instruments. ''Vheir Jass band travesty finish held : them on as show-stoppers until one ' at the brothers begged off, claiming i'''tbey had already gone over their .: allotted time and Iiad also run out ■'■•9t instrumenta Hal Skelly, assisted by NelUe ; .Breea and two other girls, contrih- "^ atad a breesy musical tal>lold, "The ■' Mtttual Man." in which the comedy ■". tg colled from a mistakaa idMitlty '' angla. One of the girls lias reoeivwi V h note from Mutual Fiims, oKartng •y her a Job in plctnrea. SkeOy turas % ap and amiovBOsa himself as the «"maB -from Mutual and is mistaken •ir the agent of the picture oom- paay, Init turns out aa insoraaee ■otteitor instead. Sareral musical numbers are threaded throughout, which gives SkeHjr and his asaeciates aa oppor- lonlty to crowd as much merrimeat into the tabioM as Is generally found !■ some of the longer alleged moal- oal comedies that have asara than cnea hit Broadway. flheUjr's breasy style dominates thtooglwaU with Nallie Breen's sauUhiess oC stature oiaklng a great foil for the oomic .dRlfford and Oray, mixed team, opened with hoop reUlns and iag- gUng. working in a tsat'tampa, which aet a good pace tor the ahow. Vted- arlck Sylveatar, aaaisted by two BildgMs, deuced it to good returns with a routine of liand balancing and gymnastics. Harry Roye and BUlee Maye aoored in the trey sppt in one ot the most elaborate daac4 offarlags S"*-^*^ *^ *^^ Palace this season. Tney are acoompUshed danoera whose clever footwork have placed them deservedly in the front rank of dancing dues, and their present df- isring gives full sway to their abili- tlaa to prove showmanship as welL Frank Dixon and Co. opened the second half with "Lionesome fCanor," long since a vaudeviUe classic through Dixon's faithful delineation < oC a wise-cracking tout that is "J Broadway broke. Between langha ■ "'' there is woven a refreshing little ro- '- nanoa, with a heart-interest arallop HIPPODROME papa and papa a dIspUy of tha aadardraaalng rliht up to tha point whara tba walat starta. In the short hlua skirt tha effect is »rbpar, hut Mlaa UotUtn might tack up the yaUow skirt tn- leas needing the roona when da*o- Ing. Otherwise tha Dooley and Morton act went to a big laoghinc hit next to closing. Soma tadt. too. Whether they slam-banged aaoh other or .__ Dooley did his falls, whatever It that there U yet old atyle vadda- waa, it was a laogh. T^ay did tha "Mamma likes Ilkea women." One of those impromptu soag title ad Uba, used in two acU at the Hippodrome without the second turn having properly listened In. It died the first time used and merely cremated its user on the repeat. That's about the only reminder ville In the Hip's new vaudeville la this week's unusually excellent pro> gram. The Hip U In. So much in that wlUle that was admitted not long after the huge house started with Kelth'a vaudeville of another kind, the attendance Monday night with capacity in the orcbeatra and t>al- cony along with a light sprinkling In the gallery, for a Moaday night, aid that the Hip la a habit. A better framed and laid out bill for such a theatre as this Is could not well be Imagined. There are three real comedy hits in the run- ning, two In the first part and one in the second. Where comedy Is worth over its weight in geld, as it Is at the Hippodrome, to strike three io one week is to hit high. The rnnalnder of the Show has a oartain rounding off that is splen- did—what there la outside of the 'strictly variety turns seem to be among the best of what they are. Kor pure vaudeville Hippodrome atmospheric turns are the Poodlea Hannaford act. the William Braack acrobatic group and Colleano on the wire, while for novelty there la the Javanese dancing act bealdes the Karavaeff dancers and the Davies motorcycling turn oi>enlng the sliew. In the straightaway vaudeville are the Oeorge Jessel production comedy act. Miss Patrtcola, and Dooley and Morton. While on top of the show in a class hy herself Is Mme. Johanna Oadski. It may he a hreak with the Hip's bookers either way, for it's a tough bouse to book. Bealdes figuring everything else tha Hip's stock chorua ot !• girls must be calcu- lated for placemeata, hoar and where they belong io the dHtereat turns they may be slid Inta This week's program Is a real break for the booking h<nra as a top percentage boost tor their'average. The Jessel' aet la called "An Im- promptu Kevue." It's a nondescript put together by Jessel. Who takes tha lead in tt, ttiat ot a manager aapsaabllng a company far a revue. Oaorgle saya what he pleases when he pl ea ses; uses the girl for a plck- oat nwmber and generally cuta ap, maanwhUe makin? tha aet very aioBSlng, and having this week the aUl of Poodles Hanneford tor a laughing finish. It's easy to sie why the Jessel act Is held over and why the Hip wants this from him In preference to anything else. .It's because tha laughs here are In the vaudeville way and certain. Jessel looks so well In this that it he is fitted with a role in his ewn show that gives him any leeway at all for elasticity of material he's going to get away with It. For Jessel is of the brighter that sends It over for heavy returns.) of the younger set of refined quldc- unexpected her^ jnada one of the strongest laughing hits next to dos- ing the Hip liaa deen. In the Karavakeff dancing turn the settings and tha stage looked Just right for tha Russian stepping. It's an extremely tastefully stJMted number with fast and too dancing that send it along to a sure recep- tion. Thea Behsfl stagad it Colleano oloaed tha ahow with his wire walking, tha intermission slides carrying a trailer ahowing him doing the forward somersault. The Davies Trio opaning in their small bowl on the motorcycles gave a thrlU toward tha finish when the three riders cha s ed one another around at a fast ghlt, each on a motor and each distanced mo per- fectly It seemed odd that this pre- cise spacing could be so long main- tained. There are two men and a woman, the woman passing the men as the latter ateer to the top of the bowl, also a dangerous bit of riding. Quite attractive in* the opaning spot. The Four Diamonds were billed for No. X. a raturn for them, but illness auddenly contracted Monday held the turn off of the bin for that da)» at lease ^ Of the New Acts, the Poodlea Hanneford outfit was a riding and comedy success ot no small propor- tiwui on both aads. The Takka Takka Baliaeaa daacing act had so much production attached, it looked apactacular. dosing tha first part the torn made tor a fetching eight picture with tha dancing not the leaat. though pdrhaps not strictly believed hy the audience which deesnl acoept everything a vaude- ville program prlata. Tha Braack rialey acrobata open- ing the second part also had good ctmiedy with their flae acrobatics, hesldee a dandy aat of boya with the veteran, WlUtam Braack, who has been out ot the oouati7 for some time. This is his reappear- ance with most ot the boys new to the turn but exceptionally well drilled. Mn^a Oadski was an applause sensation . Moadajr avaning. Kvl- denoes that she had bssa raaponai- ble to an extent for the draw couM be aeea at intermlssloa when the music worma gathered In the lobby. The applause was not only spon- taneous but sincere, so much so that on a stop In a song, someone up stairs started to applaud in his en- thuslaam. It ruffled the bouse. That Hip orchestra certainly did work with tha Madame. How many single women would believe that Mme. Oadski from tha Mat would open her vaudeville act ainging only with the orchestra. That aha did. and closed it the same way. employ- ing her planista-in between. Julus RIVERSIDE I^Ular a neat lajro«t at this ap- town houM for th# flarnnt weak, arlth the party breahtagiup beCore 11:4» Monday. A satUCytag aasort- mant previous to that hour, which left aosMthing like thrae-«uBrtars of a houae pretty mueh aatlsAsd and contented . a^ter lingering loag enough to watch H. R H, Walesey leave the country flat in the weekly. Tha Howard Brothers were well plaatend over tha oaCsid* hiUing. tad aq asna ad tha pabUdty upon comins torVk next to «hMf<wg The croas-flre and Willie's im(tatk>ns consumed pretty dose to a half hour in the telling, and then the boysVere forced to beg oft The family duo by far outdid aAythlng alsa the pro- gram had to offer, and It'a anything but original to narrate this pidr can remain in vaudeville as long an they desire. The approach of the national elec- tion is tliought to be a detriment to general box-oRlce business this week, but the schedule of acts should continue to draw on the strength of the impresaiori registered with the early witneesea For instance, Uie Otersdorf Sisters closed the first half to emphatic re- sponse. Accompanied by the eight boys as a musical unit the act re- malna much as of yore, with the ex- ception that the youngest girl, Rde. gives every promise of developing Into a dancer of legitimate spedflca- tions. Her second routine api>eared without reaeoa, and would prove an asset through abeenoe in quickening the running order, although the preeent pace sustained is not to be construed aa alow. Bach of the girls possesses appearance, and, with the diversion offered at the present gear- ratio, the turn assuredly quatlflea as well up whh lu kind. I Torino, the Juggler,-^ opened. He goes through a creditable sequence of tricks that establlsbas him imme- diately, and his finish was particu- larly strong Monday night Seymour and Jeanette (New Acta), mixed colored team, deuced, to be foIlewM by Ddaney and O'Moora (New Acts), who, according to the program, wehe moved up from opening intermission. The Oiersdorf girls had preceded the interim. ^ Haynes and Bedc hoked their way through for IS minutes to some laughter and light returns that atg- nallsed the conversation and "busi- ness" of the act needs bolstering. Miss Haynes can handle comedy, but similarity marks the (Mint where the vehicle is vulnerable. Tervor and HatrU <New Acts). Knglish ballroom dancing team, were nicely apoUed Ija giving the second half a atart, and ware trailed by the Howard representatives, who swept dean for the night. The Rath Brothers, listed for the No. S position, slipped back to trail the field, and held a vast majority. The men ^continue to work as smoothly as of yore. Bktg. Ifiss Bayes held the follow-up spot Ted and Betty Healy downed and danced their way to hit honora in next to closing. Healy's spontaneous humor held them, and when he was act gagging, Betty was contribatlng a nifty dance. l<ater both appeared la the closer, "Syncopating Toes," Which proved a corking dandng act by buffoonery from Ted Healy and two other men not billed. The com- bination was a happy blend ot ar- tlatry and tomfoolery that readily got over. ' Business capacity, with standeea on the lower floor. .Sdba. AMERICAN ROOF Corking small time show at the American the first -half. The root audience fairly ate It up Monday ni night, tendering the hit of the even- ing to Bob Nelson with his song , routine, which was right la their alley. v Because the picture is "America," l>u^ seven acts. These, however, V made more than enough show to >. please. Business on the roof was ^ not capacity, the American being ^ located in a section where the trade '- Is affected considerably aa election '' draws near. Amoros and Obey opened, getting " away nicely. Charles Martin, the cowboy singer, followed and did an extra encore or two uaing the or chastra to play tho atralna ot "Mother Machree," leading the audi . ^ anoe to believe that he waa going to do that as an encore. I>w, Charlotte and Billy with singing and comedy followed and Just about walloped the audience to * frasxle. It is a small-time sure- lire. t;' MUe. Ivy (New Acts), billed as "tha world's atrongeat toe dancer," .. elosed the first half. .. The seoond half started with Oor- doa and Rlcca wtth ainging, cycling and dancing. Another case whpre small-time effort waa appreciated. Bob Nelson, next to closing, started' WUh a eoia>Ie of numbers Chat had a touch of the suggestive and he was a laughing aa well as. an ap- ylause hit ' Cloaing the bill. Nellie Amant and kfic taro.youngar brothers held the witted comics who must make their way because they have something in their heada Miss Patrlcola. No. S. with her songs and violia. is on a return date. When a single gets a return at the Hippodrome, there's nothing else to say—that says it All ot the singles and comedy acts playing the Hippodrome wilt he able to tell themselves sooner or later hbw they did tha first Hme, If they do or don't go back there. Tough for comedy at the Hip! Tou'li say so if trying it. That may be why Gordon Dooley forgot to take out the kick he admlnlaters from ttie rear to bis partner, Martha Morton, at the night perfermanoe. It was ordered out at the matinee, but a laugh like that Is one of the gold r weighing counts and young Dooley might be forgiven, though of course It did not look nice. But something should be set In vaudeville about these things. Why should that same kick be permitted in the Choos act ad week at the Palace, where It didn't belong, for another to be ordered put In a strsilght variety turn in the Hip's atmosphere where It might be over- looked? There should be a uni- versal code of what is and what is not on the vaudeville stage. And yet the Hip didn't order out Martha Morton's first tailor-made suU. That would have hurt Hiss Morton's feelihga. Thla appeara to be simply an oversight a girl can't see. unable to see hersdf from In front. Miss Morton loolcs quite slim with the report she has lost IS pounds. It seems that much and is vastly becoming. Ixioking neat and trim she first comes on in the yellaw talter-made. Beneath is her under-dressing of light tights, also worn when she changes to a short light blue aoubret skirt. The yellow tailor-made la slit up the side to the waist line. As Miss Morton dances In the first number, the longer yellow skirt naturally flaps out and up. It gives Ijonsberg almost did contortions di- recting for Oadski. but he did di- rect and his orchestra did play, and it that bunch couldn't through else make it sound llkp the Met's pit. they gave a great Imitation. Toy Town in tha collar is still doing bustness, Crea, and a perma- net attraction ot this institution. ahas. 5TH AVE. audience right to the finish, gain- ing a full meaniire ot applause for their muslcil acrobatics. • Fred. STATE The bast show In weeks at the Sti^te this week with business as healthy as usual Monday night The applause hit was split between Alton %nd Allen, No. 4, and Nat Naaarro with Buck and Bubtdes following. The Nasarro act ramalna about the same as whan first flashed around.. The two colored boys work Just as hard as ever, Buck handling the box with Bubbles hopping the buck. Nazarro is on to straight when necessary. Bubblea' voice has changed to a deep t>ass, or he was working with a heavy cold. How- ever, ha got away ^th a blues on the delivery and tempo. Buok at the piano ragging "raqueats" was stuck when a customer yelled "Ave Maria," but he ragged soteething Just the sair.e and the lapse didn't seem to be noticed. The act waa a huge success. Alton and Allen are two big-time hoofers with small-time comedy, songs and talk. They affect misfit clothes, wiga and comedy make-up and are aure-fira for the inter- mediate audiencea. Their songs are mostly the outcome of the epidemic which followed the success of Oalla- gher and Shean, but if elevated In quality would bring this portion up to blg-tlme standards. One mem- ber Is Inclined to talk on laughs and killed a couple of nifties for his partner. Thla was most noticeable in the State, where uiking acts must watch enunciation. They went heavy, v Bary and Bary opened In their familiar grofind tumbling and acro- batics through the rings. The act clicked nicety with no stalling. The woman maket a dandy api>earance In her black shirt, skirts and black stockings. Rhodes and Watson, two girls, delivered in the deuce spot with piano and songs. A nine-act layout the first half spreads entertainment through the housa As a vaude layout it is one of those rare naturals whose low spots are more than balanced by the high ones. And to aee the show was a packed house—that loosed its handa and its enthusiasm. Doc, Russ and Pete (New AcU) opened with acrobatics, to be fol- lowed by the Bennett Twins, now working without tha "and Co." The girls do a typical "cute kid" routine, and as they are neatly upholstered It didn't matter a great deal whether they aaag especially well or whether one of them was unkind to a violin. Deucing they filled the spot capa- bly, for which they can thank their personality—and figures. Jamas Coughtin and Co. (New AcU). third, and the flrat amaah of the bill. Vol- lowing, the FIffh Ave. "Folly Olrls" actually dlstlnguUhed thenuielves. Earl Lindsay, who stages their stuff, this week had a set of steps built each step Itaalng lighU in it and each set of lighU shining upon the name card of a Broadway musi- cal show hit And each girl did a number, either danced or sang it, from the show. The Idea wlui good* and well carried out, and as much attention was paid to costuming the turn Justified its long runnliig time. • The jQuIxy Four, one ot the few good niale quarteU working around these days, next and another hit went to their credit Three of the boys played the banjo, and during the singing momenU one of their lineup did the piano massaging. Three encores, all on the level. Then Paul ZImm (Hew Acts) and his Chlcagoaaa and the panic was on. The tough Job of following them went to Morton and Qlaaa: i who with thalr Paul Otorard Smith sketch. "Aprll,^ flaalljr got going ta the point whtra tasatts flowad te them. Rose and OouUer. -In bUckfac«L i slowed up things With their none toa bright talk at the start but once tha better linaa found iittarance and the "hot dawg" mualc began on the Jew's-harp and mouth organ It waa a caress on the brow and a~ six to one apptanse cinch. Sparrow and I4bhy. finally back on the Keith time following several years out, closed and did remarkably well with their dance turn, which is one of the best of lU kind ever put together. Both Llbby and his partner are not only hoofers but dancers, demonstrated by Mlas ' Sparrow in her Tavlowa Imitation, for In that she handled her dogs and her dukes equally well, while Libby did a string of Impersonations—all accurately and in some spoU re- markably well. A burlesque box- ing bout as two professional danc* era would do it waa their windup, and a atrong one. Libby haa the comic abtlKy and hla partner has a figure and ability to make any row, from the froqt <o the last, sit up straight It was nearly 11 o'clock when the laat Act waa through, but if the bill was long It was a!so gooi^and ran so smoothly that it may have aeemed better than it actually was. At all odds. It held few dull momenU i against many bright ones. BM. 23RD ST. Too much show for many of the regulars the first half, so when the film, "Her Marriage Vow," went on Just a few minutea before 11 It waa to a practically empty houae. The bin waa a peculiar one In many ways, with two comedy sketches, surprisingly few published songa and an overdoae of practically the same sort of hoofing. There was anterUinment Mdaaty, however. Robinson aadT'lilortie, billed near the top, did not appear, and their aibsence apparently caused the run- ning order to be switched consider- ably. Accordingly, after two try- out Murfane and May Hixon (New Acts), the regular bill was started by Edwin Burke's sketch, "I Heard," with John Story and Co. While not nearly up to the level of thla author's numerous other playleU, the akit has been greatly improved since last season. It received many tauglBr-and some applause at the "sermon" on gosalpiag near the finish, but with one or two changea in the supporting cast it should fare evea batter. Following Titus and Brown, col- ored hopfers and comedians, -and Melrose and Brooka a mixed couple In a versatile two-act (Bbth New AcU), Flaherty and Stoning scored the first emphatic success of tha evening. The mkn in this turn is a real comedian in spite of hla ma- terial. Both he and hia pretty red- headed partner can atep with tha best and tha laat double eccentric soft-shoe dance is caviar for any audience. Morgan and Moran, two clean-cut looking fellows with a routine of uneven nut comedy, ware next More dancing of aomewhat similap type, and rather good too, but their biggest applause winner waa. tha Shakespearean burlesque used as an encore. The boya have strong possibilities, but since they're aim- ing directly at the small-tlma crowds it will be a hard Job to climb out of their present rut Billy CoUlns and Co. In the second LmtIs a Oordon. sketch on the bllU "When Love Is Toung," had no dtt- ficolty In sidling their way Into tha hearU of the Chelsealtes. Tha act has been around for several seasons but It seems fresher and mors wholesome every time. Collins U a Juvenile who could step into many a Broadway show and kls preeent i supporting company Is letter per« feet for this type of turn. A dosen more acU like It would serve aa a splendid tonic for vaudeville. Carl McCuIlough. topping the bill- ing and next to closing, scored easily, although his act Is not quite up to iU former standard. The two numbers >ised don't get much and a couple of the Jokes are becoming worn'. He Is doing the salesgirl talk Instead of the screamingly funny phone bit and here too there is a slight falling off. But hla "Bananas" impersonations and thorough sense of showmanship guarantee his success. Raymond's Bohetnlans (New Acts) dosed, providing a well presented touch of "flash" to the show. convsntlonal paths, opaning with a "Musical Menu" introduction song and then following along with soh> and doubles. Bach girl haiifdias the piano. They dosed with a medley after a ahaage to ante-bellum cos- tumes. They are goOd-Iookio* girls of opposite types with pleasing voices and personalities. Tha act 1:. a satlafactory small-tlma "re- flned" sittging turn. "Love According to Hoyle" (New AcU), following, proved a taiky skit and let the Umpo down very piano, but^lton and Allan picked It up again. "Mustcland" (New AcU) closed flashtlr. It's aa all-girl song Tha act follows and Jass band combo. Co*. In New York is an office for a "Seeing-AmericA" auto route, from New York-to Los Angeles. "Pull- man" auto cars make scheduled trips with the next sUrtIng Nov. 10. T*renty-nln^ days are required. The car runs only in the daytime. Los Angeles U a little over 3,000 milea from New Tork. Passengers are charged 1160 tor the trip if paying for their own hotel accommodations at night With aU expense included the cost U 1410. The same cars may be chartered by any one party < large enough for any point. Carl P. Lothrop has resumed the practice of law at 622 Fifth avenue. New York.