Variety (November 1925)

Wednesday, November 4, 1925 VAUDEVILLE REVIEWS VARIETY Id • MONO mnd R08IE MOEY lona* ■•"* Dancino > Min..; Thr.. (Sp.ci.l) list 8ti Chinese mixed pair In native cob- tume providing a couple of popular longs and a Mongolian idea of ball- room dftnclngr. The novelty of the Far East sub- i«oti bioome Americanized Is the main reliance with the vocalizing •nd dance floor figures but averagfe. Prettily dreMed the act is attrac- tive enough In that respect but de- itlned to be restricted to the open- lag "PO* *"• practically all bills. At this house the couple wore jlrtitly received. Two lyrics are first offered whence 'ollows a waltz, t63*rot and cakewalk for finish. 8Mff. 81 »t ST. STONE and LEEVER Comedy .,. > 10 Mins.; On« 6Sth St. • Two men doing an eccentric gtyle of comedy with cpstumes of similar tone. They used fur coats at the start and warbled the "Care- taker's Daughter" with lyrical vari- ations. Caps and gowns of ex- aggerated kind accompanied a •Tioke" topical song number. , An- other nutty costume Idea was used for the finish, a melodied parody that took them oft to fair retuns. Strictly for pop. Ibee. RUBY TRIO Musical 10 Mins.j On« kSth St. Thre« well appearing girls with a musical bent. The body of the routine had the tall6r one at the piano, with the other pair playing xylophone. The girls worked back of a split drop for the musical sec- tion. There was a Hawaiian finale, the pianist playing the uke while her sisters stepped on it. The trio Is effectively dressed; In fact looked rather classy opening the show here. Ibee. QOODE and LEIGHTON ' Talk and Dancing 14 Mins.; One American Roof This combination comprises Jack Ooode and "Rags" liclghton, both in "cark." The act Is a combina- tion of cross-fire and eccentric dancing with most of the talk Just ■o so. redeemed later by the 'dancing. ^ Not that the chatter is entirely nnfunny but the laughs nised better bunching to make the talk stutT count for more than an introduc- tory and a draggy one at that. The •ccentrlc dancing Is well executed iand also handled In a comedy way At present nothing better than a deucer for the mediums. Edba. Last week's show at this house wus dedicaied to Jim Corbett, "Jim Corbett Week" was the exterior ulectric billing. "Uentleman Jim" is currently cavorting with a '>"w I)artner, Uobby ISarry, his former half. Jack Norton, having departed to join a musical. Next to closing the former rlnK champ bowed on to a reception and walked oft to a aolld re.spoiiHe. Barry, a diminutive edition anyway and particularly so against his part- ner's holgiit, gets aci-os.s plenty of comedy and Is a capable playmate for Corbett. The act has cliauKed but little and as FSarry becomoa acclimated the material should Rain a smoother sequence. There is no dire fault to be found with the turn as it stands altiioui;li it is under- stood that Corbett and Rurry but in their fourth week together when playing this house. As a whole the show played and passed to an Indifferent degree of difttinctlon. Thursday evening having become a "special night," this one saw the two added starters actually lift the lid for show stop- ping honors. }?oth were women and were announced as Ida May Chad- wick and Florence Mills, the latter going on previous to hopping down- town to the Hipp. Miss Chadwick offered a lyric and her hardshoo dancH to thunderous acclaim while Miss MilU^ang one of her old num- bers, enffored ..nd begged off with an 9^<cuse. 5 and Rosle Moey (New I A<H«) put the vaudeville portion under way, being succeeded by Hec- tor, the dog act in "one" which In- variably catches a No. 2 spot and clicks. It repeated on those speci- llcattons here. Harry Webb and his eight men. band act, allotted the closing niche, were cuitailed as to running time due to Miss Mills' Insertion as a .special feature. Webb is away from the conventional orchestras in that his men are ver.satile besides which he carries a number of mechanical effects. Outsde the Instrumental- Izlng the boys sing and dance. Webb personally donating an ec- centric scarecrow stepping bit which was heartily approved. Previously, and ahead of the Cor- bett-Barry combination, was placed "Tom, Dick and Harry," (New Acts) a male trio and Julie Claire. The act lacks an outstanding wallop but drifts by on the same w.ave length other broadcastings of the type have failed to surmount. Skig. for a first half act la the split week houses, switching to the new one the last half. Ii may work Into a satisfactory vehicle but it will need plenty of revising. He was third. Rule and Tenny, a two-man piano and singing turn, deuced satisfac- torily with a routine of songs that can be improved upon. Their best number was a double tough Idea with a couple of comedy lines. The solo Dutch song is as unfunny aa an open window, and the others will never start any prairie lires. After Holman, Perry and Wagner grabbed one of the hits of the bit! with reminiscent but wel!-routlned novelty numbers. A double rube with gagging In between was a pip. A cat duet clicked, and "Chicken Chasers' Ball," with the two roosters vamping a peach of a looking blonde chicken, sent them away to big re- turns. The double singing can be Improved upon, the tenor being con- sistently fiat. Count Bernlvlcl (New Acts), one of the former Bernivlci Bros., as- sisted by eight girl musicians and a specialty dancer, built up to a hurrah finLsh through clever show- manship. This act Is a small time flash. Le Roy, Talma and Bosco, two males and a woman. In fast magic and illusions, presented novelly, proved one of the most Interestlnjr turns on the bill closing. Lievitation, palming, etc., are handled speedily and for laughs here and there throuKh the treatment Rokoma and Loretta (New Acts) opened. con. and stay out of Jail"—"you can't fool me, I used to be a horsefly." The Ruby Trio (.New Acts) opene.1 nicely. There were two fours In thr "finals" of the quartette contest but neither one li:is a chance to reach the Hip where thrt cnampionship will be hattled out with vocal ihords. The TwiliKht Four, a col- ored group won. AKainst them was the quartette representing the Al- pha Oarage, in overalls, but quite clean. One ch.'ip wiped his hands with oil w;iste to prove they had just come from the Job. The house was polite but here and there was hearty thuiiKh suppressed laughter. Well, the garage men were funny. Ibee, JEFFERSON 5TH AVE. KLARK and JACOBS "Makln's from Macon" 16 Min.; One Keith's, Washington, D. C. Here Is a two-man act that could be classed as having strayed from the vaudeville "fold." The boys, when plaj^lng this same house here tost spring, were caught by Meyer Davis who put them under a long term contract for the Chateau Le Paradis. The current week, how- ever, finds them back "ot tlie old Stand" planting themselves very firmly as entcrt.ilners and at the same time plugging Davis' buslnes.*! along. With several new numbers put across in a quiet manner the boys landed solidly in the No. 2 spot. One plays a guitar, the other a ukulele. The latter later doubles on a guitar. The southern accent clicked here as did the gnit.Tr specialty. This Was not the usual South Sea Is- land stuff. They did three well earned encores. When their work Is completed with l>avis, vaudeville should wel- come the boys back. They are a sure bet for the No. 2 a.s.Hl^'nincii: on any bill. Mcnkin. ROSE and BUNNY BRILL Sister Act. 16 Mins.; One The Mi.ssog IJrill have l>oon .around for several sc.ir.ons One Is a com- edienne, the other working straight. The comic Miss P.rlll singled well With "Flowers that P.Ioom on the Wall" but was best when nd libbing. A bride and brlde.smald number * was very well worked up, in fact took the girls off to an enrnod en- «ehlnd * dlinTy lighted scrim stripped to soubretto costumes and went Into a flnnle dmce number. On second the Misses Brill scored distinctively. T^oy have played some big time hf^u-ses and probably mofle g.)/)d there, too. Jbe«. Ninety-nine per cent small ttmey would sum up the lost half bill at the Fifth Ave., and this included the feature picture. The exception was Rjuin and Le©, next to closing, in a quick return date, and going as ustial with their character work and comedy. The pair found the Fifth Ave. a good audience, all of the points getting over to apprecia- tive results. The other big timer, but not with the vehicle shown here, was Harry Holman in "Bull Dog Samson" (New Acts). It is doubtful If anyone but Holman could have won even casual attention with this milk and water sketch offering. Holman Is using his former big time standard vehicle GEORGE HUNTER Blackface Comlo 13 Mins.; One Star, Chicago George Hunter has a sufficiency of talent, pep, material and general entertaining qualities to rank him okay for next to closing on the small split weeks. Some of his gags are bright and he has routined them well making one gag dovetail with the next. His song efforts are In- different principally because his songs are. He got over well here and with better audiences should do much better. UaU MACY and MADELINE Singing, Talking 12 Mins.; one (street) Star, Chicago This is not only a c.atse of break- ing in a new act but obviously a case of breaking Into .show bii.sineas. Neither have .speaking voices and the girl's French arvcnt is terrible. The material i.s not actually •'•'' '•'>^'l as might 1)0 suppoHf d but they :ire too IiiexporiPiiced to soli it. The girl is good-looking ;ind th<' boy confribules .in acrobitlc diinre th.Tt -show.s he has jw^s'^ihill'.lo.s in that dirertlon. It they stick to the t\vo-,irt ldc\ It means the daily change hou.sc^s cKclu.slvely for a long while. Hnl. NEW ACTS King (Comfort and King) and (.;rernc. Jay Velio Co., mu.sical .-!< t. Franklvn Ardcll, Tommy Dugan core. They wore ready for that, and a cast of '^^ ^'^;':;r;;'l^!;'f^^ -;^,^^-4t0Wt-act b.iKCd upon t he Moii d.t real estate boom ciHid "The Miin From Miami." Fred Eckh.irt and Co. Sketch. 4 people (Chicago). Don Tomkln.s, Dorothy Dilley and Kddle Fitzgerald. AMERICAN ROOF Just a passable small time show at this house the last half with iJelda Santley, mimic. In fifth place and Oliver and Olsen In next to shut the main outstanders and run- ning nock and neck In the applause handicap. The eight-act layotrt was equally divided between new turns and fa- miliars, the former holding Jack and Clare McMahon, opener; Ro- land and Hopkins, deuclng; Goodo .and liClghton, on next and Alex Gerber's new fiash "Society Scan- dals" Closing the first half, thus bunching all the new material in that section (New Acts). The McMahons offered a bag punching turn while the Misses Boland and Hopkins, feminine har- mony duo, contrlbuiea the conven- tional sister act Goods and Leigh- ton, two men In "cork" sounded the llrst comedy ripple with argumcn- tlve chatter but run down early but picked up again through their dancing. "Society Scandals" was a six people dancing Qash that served its purpose. The real livener, or rather the first thus far of the evening came after intermission when Zelda Sant- ley stepped on and grabbed them right off with a line of songs and imitations that were received with open arms which, however, never overlooked connecting with re- sounding palm slamming after each number and with applause building up as the act went along. Even U Mi.ss Santley is not so forte as a mimic she has personality and sales- manship that could get her stuff over without attempting the mimic stuff. Out of the lot her Grace La Rue and Ruth Roys Impressions were best. Rives and Arnold, mixed team, were also there with a line of bright chatter and songs in the follow up and took leave to a good band. Oliver and Olsen, another mixed duo, ably held down next to shut with their familiar lino of buffon- ary that all but had them rolling up and down the aisles. Tb«> girl is an accomplished eccentric come- dienne with the man contrasting with a bashful boob; A nifty turn for any bill and a sure fire next to shut comedy wow for the mediums. Roode and Francis, mixed team, closed with a mixture of slackwlre feats and dancing with the femi- nine member handling the latter department Edba, 58TH ST. Last Thursday night Proctor's east side house was Jammed to the limit shortly after eight o'clock. The national quartette contest was one feature but hardly a factor. Ous Kdward's "School Days" was the probable draw. 'School Days" ran 48 minutes, the reason for the vaudeville section be- ing held down to four acts. Accord- ing to the billing Edwards revived his early favorite because of "con- stant demand." The present turn certainly has not been around Iouk for players aro youngsters, except for the "school mistress" Bonnie Adair, who Is quite in the flapper cla.ss herself. The others billed are George DDUKlas. Jose Ha.s.He, Vivian I-'ay. Solly Fields, Jean Sullivan and Dorothy Forest. The lad doini; "wop" pulled an Ike Edwards and won plenty. There were seven 1 other encores, one scored by the boy do- ing "I'orcy." All tho dance spe- cialties Koored and the hou.s. lauRhed its Till all »ne way. .-■^tone ;irid I>eever (.New Acts) were on Juid ahead of the Edward.^ turn. T he No. 2 act. Millard ami .Mfirlin fouhd th ** aud l t- iiec ii i-id e to The Jefferson last half boasted one of those "Keith Komedy Kar- nlval" affairs that sometimes prove to be a bad lizzie. Not so this time, however, as it was a bill that was top-heavy with laughs and particu- larly that sort of low comedy that the 75 per cent male audience down on 14th street eats up. The comedy score was abetted liy the tllm, Regi- nald Denny In Universal's "Where Was I?" Business, as usual, was tremen- dous Thursday night with even standing room at a premium. Con- sidering the huge capacity of the hou.se, that means quite a crowd. They were well repaid, because there was more to the show tliaji just comedy. Every act from Frank Van Hoven down to the acrobats landed and in spite of the prepon- derance of laughs, plenty of vaj-lety v.'as offered. Sully, Rogers and Sully opened with their trampoline turn. Speed and zest give this act a pace that is essential for this kind of work and the men go through their bouncing stunts with a relish that is invigor- ating to watch. While the tricks may not be marvelous to any extent, they are dlfllcult and expertly ac- complished, building the turn up to a'Titrong'" conclusion. Following Dunlo and Gogna and Douglas Charles and Co. (New Acts) Murray and Alan pounded out a surprisingly effective hit This Is the act that was coming along speedily about two years ago, only to meet a set-back when they were booked Into a houao that was Just a bit too good for them as yet Now they are back with a much better turn, though in some places it can still stand Improvement The open- ing two numbers, done in costume and both novel Idesui, connected surely, but the third an overdone Hawaiian song proved to be a let- down. The "Three Thousand Years Ago" topical ditty with which they have been Identified brought several encores as a closer. The boys evi- dently are favorites at the Jef, as the applause started even before their entrance. „ , _ Leon Klmberly and Helen Pn«e, fifth, do not specialize exactly in delicate comedy but at least their humor was the lightest and most suhtle of the bill. Miss P.age looks better than ever and the way she whirls that very short skirt must give a thrill even to those whose specialties are windy corners. There Is nothing outstandingly clever about the team's material but they score with it chiefly because at their thorough knowledge of delivering all sorts of lines. .,..-_ "Amateur Night In London" a comical idea well carried out was next, to great hilarity. Each of the seven people In the turn Is a funny type, not the least laughable of _:iri.,v 1. tum. •<w4aA iruv" Interupter erin» Lwin and Co. (New Acts), with a singing and piano offering, held down the second spot rather nicely, although her material seemed a little over the heads of the IHh street audience. In tho third spot Constantino Berriardl offered a proican act that is along the same lines tliat he was seen in hero about 10 year.-t ago. Hia opening is the enactment of a comedy the scene of which is laid in a restaurant and in ■ which he plays {\ve characters. It is hard to follow the story bccau.'jo of Ber- nardi's accent, and ho la not partlc- ularly clever as far as the portrayal of dames is concerned. Then at the conclusion of the comedy he comes down Into the orchestra pit for the presentation of Imitations of noted composers leading the or- chestra. This he follows with an- other comedy, with the audience permitted to witness how tho light- ning changes are made. The latter proved most Intcro.'^ting to the audi- ence and really was the sole sellinjT point that tho act had. Al H. Wilson, with songs and stories, scored to a certain extent. Those In the upper lofts Iikoi him best. Smith and Sawyer with their crossfire Orangeade stand skit man- aged to get by without causing any untold laughter applause. Hattle Althoff and Entertainers (New Acts) was possibly the blg« gest hit of the bill. She walked In, sold her stuff and walked awajr with the applause honors. Next to closing Phil Peters and Co. (New Acts) In what is sup- posed to be a comedy skit, struggled through In a manner that bespeaks of the burlesque training of ths players, and when It was finished no one knew what It was all about. "Samples of 1926" (New Acts), one of those flash turns that are so plentiful on the small time, proved to be a worth-while closing turn. Fred. order. l''or their present sUit th. team is using a barber shop droi. with a prop chair but It H th" "cricks" that tickled the hoiis'' -^" larbering Is the only busln. .h | inir '"""•'^;;;' , you can keep on trimming p..o,,l. 1 i-iau.se to gath Which Is the "wise guy'' Interuptei planted In the box. If It hadnt been for him the Jefferson gallery bunch might have become busy with the razzberrles on their own. !)Ui he shamed them into silence. Following this comic riot wasn I the easiest assignment Va" Hoven has ever drawn but once he got under the audience's skin, he proved as always, that there is more than one kind of magic In his system. He flnl.shed a hysterical sensation as usual. , . , Frldkln and Rhoda closed sniart- ly with their graceful and aesthetic dancing act 'f^'*' Thursday night of la*' ''"" *i the City one would have been able to shoot a cannon through the house and not stand much chance of hitting anyone in the audience^ Those there were scattered. A rew veirs HKO one had to fight for a ^eat hc.^. Last week there were all the .seats that one wanted. It is safe to assume that this cannot be a regular rondi: ion hero, for if It was something would have been done with the policy to build uP b"Jj|' ness? ? Then, on the other hand, tho anni-'incement that a series of five contests are to be held during the week of .N'ov. 9 would naturally lead to the assumption that the manage- ment is tryiiu; v.irloua schemes to l.uild up patronaKC. , u,,f The proiiram offered the last half of last week compri.^^ed el^ht arts, .1 news weekly and a feature l>lc- tiire. Tho vaudeville stood up a excellent sm.ill time entertainment, althonKh somewhat lacki ng .as far "s a real comedy W OW was e on "opening the show. Ann SehuW ^ t'o.. with her e'l'il ibriwtlc ofTcr- ana^ed to pull sufficient ap- two bows. Kath- GRAND OPERA HOUSE Local talent as an addition to the bill, a Sid Chaplin film and ths vaudeville void at Proctor's 23d Street probaby accounted for the rratherlng at this house Friday night of last week. A fall of wot snow ipjiarently failed to enhance the neighborhood apartments, for the house was "clean" with standees "imltiinc inside the roro^ as late as 9.40. They were there to see, and they stayed until they saw. "There was a decided scarcity of walkout* all night Peering through a maze of stand- ing patrons revealed what was probably the No. 2 act, the Singer Sisters. The first act was missed completely. The girls evidently con« llnQd themselves to singing, at least It sounded that way. What they did other than that was guesswork. No matter what It was, the feminine team were well thought of, for the resultant applause was both heavy and widespread. The Great Mau* rice, magician, trailed the girls with a French accent and as much broken English as there is grammar In Variety. Maurice and his sleight- of-hand routine, mostly with cards and too similar, lingered for 21 min- utes too long. The accent and his verbal eccentricities provoked laugh- ter, but It was a matter of choice as to whether the house was with or against him. At that this attempt at comedy should take or keep hirn (you don't know whether they're hiding away down here or not) In the independent houses. Five min- utes can come off the running time any time. The bill picked up speed with "Just a Type," an augmented comr edy act of two men and three slrls. They laughed plenty at It down here, the hoke and broad comedy lines being ultra obvious.- The act was twice In "one" and as many times before a special fullstage set. A brutal rendition of "Collegiate** did that number no good. The other two songs also suffered from de- livery. The dancing of the two Klrls, cast as stenogs and "doubling" In the script, should be eliminated altogether. The Inevitable "flash" Interlude was the KavanauKh Everett Revue, "losing. Difficulties l»etwcen ;h9 .lot's ()lanl8t and the "house orches- tra—the two may as well not have been In the same theatre -were a detriment throuKh which the danc ing of a mixed <iu.'irtet strugRlcd for recognition. A solo stepjilriff pas- s.age by one of the boys was the outstanding a^'hlevement. the .lanc- ing of the girls belnpr but averaije. If that. Special Iris glinuiiered more or less throimh the sondes, ono of which served as the conventional Introduction before n special drot). Between tho two major turns was spotted Jack Straus.'^, under cork, who sprinkled enough releanerl sags o'ver the .'is;t»rribl,ure to irrliiafe a larger house than this (jno. Strauss is currently iH'tilnK rid of a ri)iitine that will dehnltelv limit liim to the Hoialler poos until he loses It. The comical sayiners and pruning meant little here with tho three .sonirs be- ing sliort of overcomlmr tho handi- cap. The house lor.k.s to be so well set, ■ liie to tho dearth of onposltUm in i t. s d i idrlot —that—almost anything ■Dcn. On th« other hand, this liill ,1,1 yed better than It reads, nccord- ii<; to the way In which the ?Sd trVet mot) received It, and the local cilcn' thing held em solid. SHg.