Variety (April 1925)

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.fflKM.'fV-^'. - . Wednesday, April 28, 1925 LEGITIMATE VARIETY 2S then wa« Variety's reviewer paid t» "catch" this one. Meakin. PEACE HARBOR Providence, April 28. Comadr dram* In thr«« «cta presented br Benrr M. Zlecler at Prsvldeace Opera HouM w«ek of April 20. Written by W. U. Macart and Bthly^ne Bradford. Q&jflf (nconieauenllaj, fairly en- tertalnfnir ' and, at times, really funny, Is this comedy drama, with Long Island as its locale. Snappy repactee and Jokes which savor of the vaudeville are injected with no ^eat 8ucce88.> Judging from what movie writers •would dub the "continuity," the au- Uiors, William H. Macart (who also plays one of the leading roles) and Bthlynne Bradford, are more expe- rienced in devising unrelated situ- ations than in weaving said situa- tions around a plot. The play is the convention rural type. In which the mechanism audibly creaks despite heroic efforts of a really capable cast, members of whlcT^ succeed in imparting some smoothnesa and iuperflclil gloss to the.' pej-form- Mr. Macart, as Peter Gervals, overly fond of alcohollp'stimulants, does ^ neat bit of work, Peter is atricken with pneujnonla and Mary fhomaa (Elizabeth Beilairs) Is im- ported aa his hurjie—^wtth a baby and no marriage certiflcate. Then there is Sheriff Hlgglps (H6nry PenVbe'rton), who is under the thumb' of Dan Murt,in'' (Harold Hartsell), a local politician who plans to buy Peter's beach property for a song, having heard that a fleet br two of Leviathans is to make Peace Harbor a.world port. Tho play jogs along with the qsual "by-gpsh" cronies, members of the locai temperance society, the rising young attorney who defends Mary from the village gossips, and the hardbolled district, attorney from Noo Yawk who ferrets her out. Same "happy endliig," clinch and curtain. Two In the cast have played In other i>leces which opened brief ca- reers at the local house this season. They are Isabel O'Madlgan of "The Toss of a Coin" (which stopped tossing after a few weeks on the "big street") and Grace Reals, who opened here in "The Handy Man." later titled "Odd Jobs." It would appear that neither of these young women have a much longer engatxe- ment l)efore them with this piece than with the two predecessors. ITarwer. I ON BROADWAY THE POOR NUT At the Henry Miller theatre, April 2T, by Patterson McNutt; modern comedy In three •eta and four scenes by t. C. and Elliott Nugent; staged by Howard XJDdsay. Ool. Small Josepb. Dallsy MarKerle Blake .^Norma Lee John Miner Efnott Nusant Julia Winter* Florence Shirley eplke Hoyt Grant Hills Hub Bmlth Beach Cooke Magpie Weloh. /....Percy Helton Coach JaoksoD..... ..'..John Webster WalUe Pierce Cornelius Keefe Prof. Demlnc Wright Kramer 'Doc Spumey Thomas Shearer Freshman Joseph Mitchell OtDclal Joseph Loudon Peg^y Margaret Fitch Betty .Jean Mann Runnera. rooters, etc. The tirst act took a dozen cur- tains and could have been jockeyed up.<o another doxen. Not even "The Show-Ort" has a better one. Rich with lauRhs, plot suggestions, story- threads, love interest, character col- orings and animated suspense, it range down to a hard-boiled gather- ing on its tip-toes with suspended animation. The second act was a thrill, the first scene In the athletes' tent on the grounds at the track meet, the second scene a section of the stand, with a large group of rooters work- ing under a great cheer-leader, the start and finish of the vital relay race for the honor of Ohio State (which is E|lllott Nugent's alma mater, by the way, Kuaranteeing at least one show a good week in Co- lumbus) to a climax that stood the house up in cheers. KlUott made a neat little speech —one sentence—In fine taste, espe- cially so since by Inheritance he is the only son of an 18-minute mono- logist. His spontaneous talk seemed not only in the character of the character, but In the nature of the boy—^modest, courteous, well bred and welcome. The third act was cast In the rooms of the snappy frat house, with laughs and some penetrating sidelights on modern college life, eventuating in the solving of the hero's inferiority complex, the trl- umt^ of his ego, the turn of his libido, and the happy ending. There is something so fresh and natural in this little play, even though it Utilizes Its tjuota of effec- tive hokum; something so intimately touching and at times positively poignant, that it creates an emo- tional reaction not given to many pieces Which call themselves com- edies. And that means bpx-offlce appeal. "The Fall Guy" has It, and "Kempy" was loaded with It. "The Show-OfT' Is a mother-lode of It. And "The Poor Nut" has more of It tlian any of those. In Individual laughs which can be charted and counted. It has a gold mine, as well, and added to that Is a tension breaking In a climax which is a sizzling thrill. What more could one show have? The playing is, in the main, ex- cellent. Miss Lee is saccharine yet convincing; Florence Shirley Is a burning little co-ed campus vamp; Percy Helton, as the cheer-master. Is a bell-ringer; John Webster makes a great coach. All are smooth as the type, plausible, per- fectly directed and sure of their tasks. A spring opening Is a precarious undertaking, having a long, hot, lean summer to weather In Its teeth- ing time. Therefore, and therefore alone, it is daring to venture a ■peclflo guess as to the future of "Th« Poor Nut." Had it opened in Septeml>er, Itp year on Broadway would be in the bag. As it is, it cannot fail to develop a powerful position among the money successes, and may grow whiskers right there at the Henry Millar. Lait. tratlng the punch in the historical tale by wheeling and firing tiyo six- shooters witt\ machine-gun rapidity. "Advertising Blues," by Roger Gray and I'ercy Welnrlch, a take- off on nationally adverti.sed person- nlities, held several laughs, with "A Night in Old Paris,'' a grand opera in one act, much too long. Eddie Cantor and the Olsen musi- cians followed, and hit the bull's eye. John Phillip Sousa conducted for a bit, also Dr. Hugo Riesenfeld. Will Rogers, in addition to his monolog. introduced General Pershing. The programed surprise of the evening was a lie Forest phono- film of Thomas Meighan squaring the Lambs' sex attitude with Gloria Swanson and her marqul.s. "The Dashing Belles of Yesterday and the Dumbells of Today." show- ing the bicycle girls on bikes and modern dumbells, was a hodge podge of misdirection and needed rehears- ing, although funny. "Julius Caesar." the forum scene, with Fred Lewis as Prutus, Brandon Tynan as Marc Antony and Augus- tus Thomas as Captain of the Guard, was the highlight of the evening. The stars in the mob would repre- sent the classiest proletariat this side of West Farms. "The OutsideBS," an Atlantic City boardwalk epi.sode. Introducing in wheel chairs Clark and McCuIlough. Errol and Lewis, Cawthorne and Fields, Sara Hardy and Ernest Truez, Robert Armstrong tund James Gleason, Walter Catlett and Cliff EJdwards, Raymond Hitchcock and Andrew Mack, was another bit Which was boohed. Kdwards and Catlett copped the honors here. Weber and Fields did the chokinj? bit during the evening, getting their usual enthusiastic reception and re- turns. "Dancing Fools," with a classy array of hoofers under cork, was another well-llked scene, due to the solo dances. "Twinkling Stars," a full-stage get-together of "names" was the programed closer. The show was obviously hampered by the last-minute additions an9l substitutions, for, according to the program, they were many and varied. The house was a complete sellout, the gross being reported as $42,000 for the evening. Con. Every indication of a substantial money hit wias apparent at the premiere, a rousing affair which warmed the blood of the audience and brought it to its feet with hur- rahs. This is a wholesome though not too ingenuous modern comedy of college life, with a counterplot of ll^ht psycho-analysis blending for theatrical purposes the sure-fire elements of "Bunker Bean" and "Brown of Harvard," though in no manner infringing on either. Elliott Nugent, co-author with his father, aa he has been In several Nugentlemanly stage offerings, shar- ing the lead honors with his wife (Norma Lee) as he has been, also. In several—but without his sister. Ruth, who opened the same night In Atlantic City for Sam H. Harris- scored da he has never before reg- istered, even in "Kempy." If there Is a more unctuous, Intel- ligent, personable and soothing young player in America than El- liott Nugent, let some other sharp- shooter discover him; this scribe cannot at the moment name one. . Patterson McNutt, a new im- presario. Is an old-timer in the sis- ter arts, being a newspaper man of distinction and one of the authors of "Pigs." That little comedy must have paid him plenty, for he surely never earned enough at an editor's desk to finance this production— nobody ever did except Brisbane and Bok. McNutt did It up brown, with four excellent sets, a big troupe of supers, a ripping cast and ward- robe, and all other incidents un- grudgingly adequate. The audience did not appear padded, as do most metropolitan openings. There were just enough empty seats to make it smack of a genuine collection of reviewers and flrst-nlghters. The applause was hot forced or synthetic. It broke, like the laughs, where It belonged, »ad when It came It came thick, M did the laughs. , LAMBS' GAMBOL Aside from the general ragged- ness, the high light of the Lambs' Gambol Sunday night at the Metro- politt^n Opera house was the dis- covery of a brand new arrangement of the National Anthem by the Met- ropolitan house orchestra. The new version, which sounded like a cross between "Red Hot Mamma" and "How Dry I Am," was played by the musicians following the appearance of General Pershing. The general was dragged out in "one" by Will Rogers and Introduced. The entire house rose en masse and the mu- slckers began their weird version of "The Star-Spangled Banner." About half-way through it nad developed into k go-as-you-please, with half of the gang still hanging on the first three bars. The general looked down upon the boys in the trench with about the same expression he may have worn abroad when he was informed the American army was to be split up Into reinforcements and was to go Into battle as a separate unit. Al Jolson, oh late, took the hit of the evening. Jolson pitched a double- header, singing two songs after he had described his recent ailment and his determination to oblige the gathering or bust. He was a panic. Too much show and too many stars was the -verdict of the theat- rical diagnosticians, and too little, or too much, direction. The evening started with a sidewalk conversation bit by A. O. Brown and Wilton Lackaye as an alibi on the recent sex discrimination of the club. Neither was up in his lines, and it left the house slightly bewildered. Leon Krrol and Tom Lewis, with Hugh Cameron as a cop and Her- bert Crothell as a taxi chauffeur, started the laughs. Errol and Lewis were funny in a drunk bit. "Ladies of the Evening," a bur- lesque on current sex plays, had six of the Tyambs a.s "dames." ^^'illiam S. Hart^ Richard Barthelmess, James Klrkwood, Richard Dix. Percy Marmont, Ixiuis Wolheim. Herbert Brenon and Thomas Meighan were In "A Picture in the Making." Tho shooting was of "The Girl of the Golden West," interrupted for com- edy by Erroll and Lewis as drunks. WoIhelm w.ns a tough and convinc- ing director. Bill Hart did his two- gun specialty, relating the exploits of "Wild mil' IllckocU and lllus- BROADWAY STORY (Continued from page 19) Good" is the best of the renuiinder, again around $26,000; "Music Box Revue," $24,000; "The Love Song." $22,000; "Sky High," $19,500; "Art- ists and Models," $15,000; "Tell Me More" and "Mercenary Mary" were both off upstairs and both rated around $12,000,'but claimed profit- able. "My Girl" is still a money maker at $12,000. "The Mikado" started the best of the two Gilbert and Sullivan re- vivals but eased off to $21,000 last week. "Princess Ida" was reported picking up in the agencies and is regarded the better of the two'pto- ductlons. Non-Musicals "Is 2<at So" cannot be downed and remalna the unchallenged leader of the non-musicals at $22,- 000 or more; "The Dove" Is very strong and looks easy for summer continuance, better than $17,000 usually. "Caeser end Cleopatra" is the best of the newer dramas to date and the second week bettered the $16,000 mark; "Old English' eased off to $12,000; "Ladies of the Evening" over $13,000, which bet- tered "The Harem"; $11,000 for "The Fall Guy" and "They Knew What They Wanted," both of which should be on the summer list; "Abie's Irish Rose' got $12,000, while "Aloma of the South Seas," next door, started around $11,000, in- cluding cut rates; "What Price Glory" and "The Firebrand," a brace of fall successes, were rated around $10,500 and both made money; "Hell's Bells" beat $10,000 and should stick for a time; "Taps" was estimated at $8,000 and will stop unless a sudden betterment is made. "Desire Under the Elms" about $11,000; "The Show-Off, $8,500, now using some cut rates and "The Wild Duck" jumped $1,000 to $9,500. Closing this week are "Silence," at the National; "Candida," at the Am- bassador; "Starlight," at Wallack's; "The Witch Doctor" ('^Cape Smoke"), at the Beck, and "Puzzles" (through Illness of Elsie Janls), at the Pulton. None of the houses are getting new attractions, though Wallack's will have the Little Thea- tre Tournament next week and "The Grand Mogul" May 11. "Puppets," which changed name to "The Knife in the Wall," at the Frolic," and "Thrills," at the Comedy, slopped last week. Only one new show Is named for next week. It being "The Loves of Lulu," tentatively set for the Booth. "O Nightingale" sudden- ly moved Monday from the 49th Street to the Astor Monday, though doing little in the first-named house. Subwsy Circuit The subway circuit got little busl- PLAYERS IN THE LEGITIMATE BLANCHE BATES "Mrs. Partridge Presents—" BKLMUNT THK.«TRK. NRW YOKK Maiuk«enieBt: Ol'THKIK McOI.INTIC HELEN BOLTON "My Ctrl" Vanderbilt Theatre, New York JAY BRENNAN nnd STANLEY ROGERS with "RITZ REVUE" Pull. Waslilngton, I>. C. SPENCER CHARTERS "Whafe the Shootin' For?" NOW 4 FLU8HER NYDIA D'ARNELL "Topsy and Eva" Prima Donna H.\RRIA THEATRE. NKW YORK ALLAN DINEHART WITH "Applesauce" Klaced by ALLAN DINEHART rrmluord by RICHARD HKKNDON (i.\Kt(l('K, UKTKOIT HARRY FENDER "Louie the 14th" Cosmopolitan Theatre, New York INDEFINITELT JAMES GLEASON "IS ZAT sor Chanin's Theatare, N. Y. JOHN BOLES "Mercenary MLary" iMagutrr Theatre. New Y< SIBYLU BOWHAN AS WANDA WITH "Rose-Marie" Wood* Theatre, Chicago PereoBal Rep., JKMIK JACOBS JOHN BYAM **My Girir Vanderbilt Theatre, New York PHYLUS OEVELAND 'Te/I Me Morm'* Gaiety Theatre, N. Y. ARTHUR DEACON "Rose-Marie" Imperial Theatre, New York Dlrwctlea JENIK JACOBS MADELEINE FAOIBANKS "Mercenary Mary" XedB^ere Tlieatre. New Tork BERT GUJiERT COMEDIAN "CHINA ROSE" Knickerbocker Theatre^ N. T. C. EDNA HffiBARD Treinendoas Hit in "I.API^ OF THE BVKNINO" Lyceem Tliealre. Mew York €An.KANE Actors' Equity Association Nr^T York.Citjr WM. T. KENT; "Rose-Marie" * Imperial Theatre, New York SUE MacMANAMY "FOIR FI.l-SHEB" Apolfo Theatre. New York Indeflnlte HARRY PUCK SAMHEARN 'Mmrcenary Mary** Loaca«r« Theatre, N. T. . WILLIE HOWARD "Sky High" Winter Garden, N. Y. Personal Mgr. EUGENE HOWARD ALLEN KEARNS **Mmretnary Mary** Longacre Theatre, N. Y. DOROTHY KNAPP €f 'Ziegfeld FoUie^' New Amsterdam Theatre <*i i*» 'My Girl* Vanderbilt Theatre, New York INDKFIMTBLT JIMMY SAVO ' and JOAN FRANZA "Ritz Revue" rMI, WMlUartoa, D. O. LOUIS SIMON "Mmrcmnary Mcwy* I/oncaer* Theatre, N. T LOUIS A. TEMPLEMAN "JIM KENYON" with "Rose-Marie" WOODS THEATBC, C0ICAOO reraeaal DIrectloa, JKMIB JACOBS CHARLOTTE TREADWAY I/eadi»—Mnroere Theatre IA)H ANGBIJU) ALFRED a WHITE T^eadlnc Comedian "Abie'a Irleh Roee," Republir, New Tork Mawvement, ANNB VtCUOUt ness outside the remarkable trade ot "Kid Boots," In Brooklyn; "Th* Sap," at the Majestic, got about $7,- 000; "Great Scott" a new show at the Montauk, drew less than 13,000, and wail taken off for recasting; "The School Maid," at the Shubert. Newark, was reported about |8,000; "High Stakes," at the Broad, per- haps $6,000; "The Harvest" tried out in the Bronx and fared badly. NEW YORK CLARENCE NORDSTROM "Zlegfeld Follios" New Ameterdam Theatre, New Yark BASIL RUYSDAEL "Topsy and Eva" "Un«(e Tom" Horri* Theatre, New York MARIE SAXON My Girl' tt vt Vanderbilt Theatre, New York INDEFINITBLT BUY TAYLOR JUVENILE "CHINA ROSE** Knickerbocker Theatre, H. T. 0. AIMEE TORRIANI "Topgy and Eva** Harrto Thaatrai, New Tork JUDITH VOSSEUJ zncLiOBu>'s "hovtm thb i«' Coaaiopolltaa Theatre, N. T a PIERRE WHITE ,/ WITH , U."^' "Rose-Marie"^ ^f Woods Theatre, Chioaga INDEFINITELY CHARLES WILLIAMS "I ECCENTRIC COMIC , ]Q "Student Prince** '^^: JOLSON, NEW YORK , ^