Variety (January 1925)

7-,->^'. 10 VARIETY NEW ACTS THIS WEEK Wedncbday, January 14, 182d ENSIGN AL MOORE and HIS U. S. ORCHESTRA (11) ,^ 16 Mint.; Four (Spscial) Palac* finslgn AI Uoore Is not wholly new to 'vftudevlllo He has" been playing: around some with bis band, which has the boya In immaculate whit* sailors' uniforms and the en- , aign-conductor In dress parade at- tire. ' For another band to venture into the Palace foUowlnp the cream of band acts, at this late stage, Is as courageous as It Is difficult. To the Moore band's credit, the impression from the start was f.ivorable despite the critical skepticism. The prog- ress was smooth until the finish, when the getaway spoiled the final impression. In sequence, the darkened stage disclosed a battleship, an appro- priate moonlight on the waters' . Bcenlc effect. The legitimacy of the naval setting excuste the familiar ■cenic back-up to the accompani- ment of "Wafers of the Minne- tonka," which is med!eyed with "At > Dawning" for the opening "ar- rangement." ' The bass player follows with ( some cotnedy radio announcemnts that won some laughs, concluding with an introductlo.i of Moore, who tenored "I'll Forget Vou" nicely. The soprano sax discKfted excellent tone as the instrumenUl interlude in the course of this number. The hot numbers Kke "San," et al, tUat followed were snapplly aold. The trombonist contributed some comedy by-ptay. In a "baby" number, the big boy bass effected a "nance" ^wlth another gob mual- olan doing vocfrt straight for him. The end aax ^yer disclosed some corking acrobatic dancing and ground tumbling, the latter im< pressing highly despite its edge being taken off by the open Arabian ' troupe, the 81e Tahar Co., ground tvunbllng spftctalists. The closing number of "Stars and Stripes," with the Ugbthouse and the ^ame general scenic back- ground done bV' Lopez, missed for the simple reason Lopes is the more UmlUar to the Palaceltes. The good work up to now was marred by this closing, which should be ailtered. It's a good act for the best of bllla, however. It'a not a topllnor, however, but is possessed of in- trinsic entertainment merits that «hould find favor gererally. Ahei. PLATTIER BROTHERS French Clewn* 12 Mins.; Full C<Hia*um, London. London, Dec. 29. This team of musical clowns are ■aid to be making their first appear- ance In England, y The Plattier Brothers do not do one orlglTial thing, and'the act- is almost a replksa of the Arnaut Brothers. Dressed almost like the Arnauts, they open with a violin and guitar duet. They then do a routine of acrobatics while playing. For an encore they announce "Mr. and Mrs. Nightingale," which io the same whistling duet of the ArAHUta, though the male bird is differently attired. They were splendidly received. .^olo. "LEE SISTERS /Singers < 12 mint.; Twli Coliseum, London. .- London. Dec. 29. % A comely Jooklng. pair of young .}■ ladles attired in Watteau dressW. '■ and white wigs. They open on iL 'darkened sUge, one playing the harp and both harmoniziirg a love song. They follow this with a waiu nmnber. Then one warbles the "Pipes of Pan" echo song with _ the one off-stage doing the echoing.. ■ The pair then harmonise a medley of old classics. A Purely « concert turn designed after the fashion of the Kouns Sisters, but not as vocally gifted. Joto. LEW MURDOCK and MILDRED 'Footloose" (Dancing) ^ t Mins>; One '<•■ Palaco. Lew Murdock has a new partner In Mildred Mayo, a cutle and a t stepper. The act title, "Poofloose." is liighly appropriate. The limber- ness ot their limbs is the kingpin of -' the routine. The flijjper and flap()er idea Is a plausible excuse for the eccentric Jegmania, and they make the most «f It Their efforts netted some extra recalls and qualifies the turn as « corking deucer in the beat lay- otita, 4 Their rolces are shy, but If they coaid handle lineq the combinat'on fHifpests great j^ssibllitle HOUDINI ^ Illusions _ Full Stage Hippodrome Houdini is back, after three year* (says the Hip's program) in New York. But Houdini is always here. If not in the stage, in the pa- pers. There is no better known nam^, nor one more frequently used for expressiveness in all the English speaklflg world. Houdini on the vaudeville stage "doing an act" as he is doing this week is to see Houdini wasting his time. He doesn't need magic, an escape or an illusion act for vaude- ville—he has other and better stuff. Nothing could 9 better than his spiritualism expose with a Houdini lecture upon it, to be followed the same or the following week with the exposes worked out. That should be Al out of ix>wn. Just nQw he is talking about "Margery" of Boston, the fake me- dium he uncovered, but this do'esii t fit in nt the Hip for an encore after his stvaltjacket release. Of course, Houdlnl's needle trick is among the best, and his trunk substitution not yet excelled by sny illusionist for workmanship or spe^id, but all of that is Jusr a bit behind the Houdini of now, as much so as is the opening excerpt from the picture that cost him $100,000 —and he couldn't eAcape from thai' one. As Herman was the sua\e !end^ ing magician of his day. wich Ms Satanic goatee, ahd Harry Keller was the king 'of his generatU>n in the mystic, and Thurston with iMs current place as the continuous, leading njagical road show attmc- tion, so is Houdini the Master Ma- gician of all times. Nothing finer may be said aVout any man in his business or profes- sion than that he is a master of his craft, and Houdini is superlative. He has ^ianed what he has won by work of the mind, iiands and feet, from the time he did 20 shows daily in a dime museum for $30 a week until at present, when his salary may be set by himself who- ever he plays BROOKE JOHNS antf WARDMAN PARK HOTEL ORCHESTRA (IS) Full Stage Hippodrome A rather indolent turn for its slse that Brooke Johjis inflicts uix>n vaudeville this weAt. Johns is as indolent as his act, but neither Johns nor bis act Ls vaudeville. It seems that the Wardfnan Park Hotel (Washington) Orchestra gets the worst of the showing. Its 10 musicians are strung the entire width of the Hip stage, making even this size band look skimpy on that huge platform. Why they were not boxed in and grouped is the act's own secret. About tho best applause maker waa a little dancing girl with one •number. Nothing else got much and the act did not £am an encore. It closed the first half. Johns sang two or three numbers, strummed his banjo and looj^ed at the girl in a gold frame up-stage for the finale. The Johns act if it wants to hang around vaudeville had better get it- self staged. Sime. tango with Miss Cole that suffers Houdini te an intellectual, iind.l*^ comparison, with the terpsicho- besldes that, among showmen 'ie*i3 Che peer of all actor-showmen nay where, houdini as an actor I9 a showman, on and off—more ""o, perhaps, off than on. As an In- tellectual Houdini should be an educator upon the stage, for he has dove into the ultra-gullible—the thing that has made monkeys of wise men and fools—spiritism. Thafs Houdini's forte in thin day. The straitjacket, the substi- tution, even ihe needle trick, with the handcuffs forgotten-;-they .nil •look like baby ploy for this- Hour dlni. • In short, Houdini has outgro.v-i the act that made him. Tell 'em about the spirits. Uarry, and tell 'em also, Harry, the only spirits raising the tlevil nowadays Are those in bum booze. Make up two acts for two weelss, one of spirKualiem and its note and the'Other the illustrations. Thafs the stuff for this Houdini, for he can do it inoffensively; it will bring a new crowd to" every vaudeville house Houdini gives them In and I)roperly exploited with those two acts Houdini can be made the best drawing card any vaudeville ever has had. He may be that anyway. 8ime. AUSTIN and ARNOLD Talk and Songs 16 Mini.; Piano, in One City A mixed tei^m with the girl affect- ing comedy eccentric of the. Sis Hep- kins type with man doing the ac- companying and most of the vo- calizing. Later she changes to evening gown and proves a stnn- ning looker coming on for a bal- lad that is well planted. Th« man solos while she changes to abbre- viated jazz costume, coming back for a fast number for closer. A neat routine, although not out of the ordinary and should get along in an early spot on pop-priced bille. Edba. I'AVii^ Ml ■'^J^-^-'- CREEDON and FAYE Dancing 7 Mins.; One American Roof Male dance team. Th*y fake a double vocal number for the open- ing. Their dance routine is con- ventional, the chap working to the audience's left beln^r the more pro- ficient. The latter's legm^nia is too much alike. They infipre^s chiefly on their dapper sartorial front*, uniformly 'l'««*<;^ .1 ^,v^llnM='.'4^'^. MASON and COLE REVUE («) Singing, Dancing and Comedy 19 Mins.: Full (Special) Broadway . Gene Mason and Fay Cole have been around the intermediate time for some while, in both two-acts and other miniature revues. The present offering is unquestionably an expensive one and fairly satis- fying, too. but in some respecls the dough might have been spent more sagaclorusly. Four girls are carried, one a so- prano vocalist, the second a dancer, and the other two a sister team who dance'much better than they sing. The scene Is supposed to be n studio with Mason an artist who is using the girls as models for cos- tume designing. Miss Cole affords the comic relief appearing as a fifth model who never.'does anything cor- rectly. . Mason sings a bit tad dances a ARTHUR BYRON and OLIVE WYNDHAM and CO. (4) "Tea for Three" (Comedy) 20 Mins.; Three (Parlor) . Palace. Lewis & Gordon are presenting Arthur Byron and Olive Wyndham in a vaudevjlle condwisation of Rol Cooper Megrue's pmy, "Tea for Three." Sidney Mather as the hus- band and KathryVKeya as the maid complete the cast.X The 20 minutes' limitation natu- rally permits only for the skimming of the details of the Megrue comedy hit o{ a couple of seasons ago. But the purpose is fully served. The laughs are many, and the humor contagious as the act grows older. Mr. Byron was excellmt as the sarcastic odd angle of the triangle. Miss Wyndham Us the wife was im- pressive, and Mr. Mather as* he bus- band by no means a poor third In the histrionic rating. It's a class turn for the class houses. Afte). rean work of at least two of the girls. The comedy bits are original and mildly amusing, but do not bring the laughs that might be ex- pected. The turn finishes with a number in which each of the girls represents one of the big Broadway reAues. The costumes for this are the rich variety with huge flounces for hoop skirt effects but for some reason they do not hit the eye pro- twrtionately to the money probably spent on them. Miss. Cole's outfit in this finale is much too skimpy for a woman of her genereftfs pro- portions. The "flash" Is all rlg)lt ftor the smaller big time, but 'a "pop" air about it prevents higher rating. HENRY FINK and ORCHESTRA («) Songs and Instrumental 27 Mins.; Full (Special) ^ . 5th Ave. Henry Fink is not new to vaude- ville. At least he's listed In Vari- ety's files as far back an 1911. How- ever, this act must in^ fresh, borne out by Fink's own admission in a curtain speech. Singing five songs Fink is accompanied by a seven- piece musical combination, titled the "RiU Orchestra." The boys provide two selections. , ■■'.•-■■ The presumption Is that Fink Is a song writer, h^ ostensibly Uklng credit for "Ida" a^d "The Curse of an Aching Heart." Maybe he la but he can't prove It by the melo- dies wafting through his present turn. Neither Is Mr. Fink a come- dian, although his continuous ef- forts to gain laughs were a reason for the 27 minutes. The current layout Is woefully lacking In melodies, all of which S9und especially written. Witness the song having something to do with "Mrs. Ginzberg's card party" and In the punch spot of the routine. A fair amount of applause couldn't deter Mr. Fink from instituting a seven-minute encore, during which he did a Ben Bernle ,by Introduc- ing his boys to the house. But thafs as far as the resmblance went. " Fink has a good sized Job on his hands to whip this spot holder Into shap^ for big time. Not by any means does it qualify to remain on the stage for three minutes less than a half hour. Close to 10 min- utes should come out and Fink's comedy efforts with 'em. Either that, or a rewrite man called In. The band is similar to others of the type and size. No better nor '*''»'»ff aklg. "AMATEUR NIgWt IN LONDON (7) \ . Comedy Skit ''^ .; 20 Mins.; Full Stage 23d St. This skit Tooks like a set-up for small time .and is the type of en- tertainment that should click with t*iree-a-day ^audiences. It is a new slant on amateur nights as they used to be back in the days of old Miner's when "lemon acts" were^ compensated targets for ^eltzer sprayK and the "hook" waa worked o\'«r-tlme to separate the embryonic performers from their audiences. In thiiTframe-up the action is set in a cheap London music hall, with most of the characters simulating a cockney dallect, six working on the stage and one as a plant In a stage box. Five contestants are trotted forth, with four of lh«m angling for laughs, with more or less stupid routines and the plant making comedy wisecracks from the*box. One. however, proves to have a splendid v,oi(!e and after fooling them with a nediocre routine goes into the song, which has its effect In contrast. A lean, lanky young woman contributes a travesty on Oriental dancing thafs a howl. A knockabout comic 4is an amateur acrpbat nearly brefiks his nook at the slightesl^ provocation for laughs and generally got'them. For 4a finish the entire personnel in fancy costumes satirised an ama- teur opera troupe in a manner that fairly bowled them over. From beginning- to end the act Is just hoke, but seems to have the proper brand for the small time au- diences. Not a great act, bat has its value as a laugh getter. KELLY and KNOX Talk and Songs *■ 14 Mine.; One (Speoial*) City This mixed team have a good , idea that seemingly gets lost in the Bhuffl% during the first five minutes mainly through absence of spontaneous wit that might other- wise - have set it pretty for any time. The story evolving the romance of a "lower ten" couple is not entirely original, but this couple's angle is, and it starts out well, but lets down too early through lack of additional laugh-getters that lifts up again only when the man does some good vocalizing. With more comedy and faster playing it could get over anywhere. In its present shape It looks like a struggle even for small time. Got fair returns in No. 5 on this bill with a soft audi- ence in. . > Edha, LAURA PIERPONT and Co. (2) "Such Is Life" (Oramalio) 18 Mins.( Full Stage \ 23d'St. This new playlet by Elaine Sterne is somewhat of a departure from the line of vehicles Miss Pierpont has previously done It»ls a char« acter study of life Ir the slum4 and provides the star with a fat part as the bullied wife of a ne'er-do> well, who, not unlike the proverbial waVm, turns with a vengeance and runs him out bt the house and her life with the aid of a borse-whlp. The at^tlob Is set In a tenement In the slum district Minnie, the wife, whose beauty has evidently lost its glow through a life of drudgery In orde» that : er husband may continue a life of leisure, is hard at it turning out washing for more affluent neighbors to keep a roof over both. She la about tired of the routine and tells her husband so with the latter -etorting that any time she is tired she. can pa. 1 out of the picture without hurting his feelings and bragging that there are any number of more attractive women that would welcome the op- portunity to work their fingers to the bone for a swell feller like him. By way of accervtuatlng< his re- markft he cuffs her about a bit, ap- propriates the rent money to get it down on a sure thing, which, as he says, will give him a role to blow the town and Minnie. Annie, an elderly neighbor, drops In to frustrate further torture. She has a dress «he wants Minnie to make over for her Aw- an eventful trip to Niajrara Falls, fbr which she has saved tor 20 years. After learn- ing of Minnie's desire to run away fron" her present miserable exist- ence. Annie passes up the Idea of the trip to give Minnie the $76 she had. hoarded to take her back io her home town, and also throws in the new dress so that she can breeze Into that burg In style. Min leaves the money on the table while changing into the <fress. ''The husband re- tum« and fln^ It. Also uport seeing Mln dolled up he attempts to win her back, which makes her temporarily elated, but When she finds he has takenf the money she demands that he return it to Annie. Upon his refusal she asserts herself for the first tinke by grabbing a horse-whip and weltlpg him until he returns the money d^d then beating him out o^ the houSe. Miss Pierpont Is splendid as the wife. Jt Is a role which gI^^es her several good scenes that she car- ries for top value especially In the antl-climax wh^n she accomplishes the transformation of an ugly duck- ling Into a handsome woman and asserts herself. John Wray gives a fine portrait of the worthless husband, while the character wom- an playing Annie contributes the comedy relief. The sketch has elements that should make for its success. It has drama, suspense, sj}d . a sprinkling of comedy to provide adequate bal- ance. Lewis A Gordon are th* producers. Edha. JOHNSON and REXKTT ENTER- TAINERS (14) Revue 20 Mins.; Full Stafls (Sp scial) City This outfit looks as though it might have been a floor show from one of the Lepox avenue cabarets. It comprises a male eccentric, girl singer, female dancer, and an 11- piece jazz orchestra, all colored. The act Is the routine small time flash which will have a time of it getting enough to support the large ensemble In the small timers, but has little other than the dancing of the man to warrant anything bet- ter. The latter's eccentric acrobatic waa well done and sewed things up pretty for the act. The girl's vocal- izing was not ^o forto but served the purpose of-spacin^ the orches- tral contributions which, although likeable, held nothing above the average combination. The Monday night mob here liked i{ well enough in No. 4. Edba. BON JOHN SYNCOPETTS (7) Variety Musical Aet 14 Mins.; On* and Two- American Roof^ i?. «.^<«?j .^. Mediocre female septet. As a musical aggregation their efforts are shortcoming and the display of versatility In a series of specialties is not much above the talented ama* teur class if^ caliber. The costuming is a uniform boudoir get-up. They open ensem- ' ble with a pop dlttr, going to "two"-' for the InstiHimental formation. The drummer fakes at the instrument and Is included for her, vocal con- tribution. The rest of the line-up' is equally divided as to ability on the Instrumental or the ,song and dan<;e specialties—either is just av- erage. ^hey topped ths American show and may satisfy in the smalltes. Abet / 4THREE DANUBES Aorpbatie 7 Mins.; Dne fnd Full (Special) 6th Ave. Three men on a trampoline and' though strictly acrobats attempt to get away from the conventional by using dialog within a prison set. The actual work performed In mid-air is sufficient to overcome the verbal deficiencies. The act opens in "one" before a jail drop, permitting of some medi- ocre crossfire between the jug house keeper and the two inmates. The entire conversation smacks as home-made, and its only plau.sibillty seems <to be the necessity of pro- longing the running time. A complete somersault with a half twist is the feature acrobatic maneuver in a favorable middle class house opener. Skig.