Variety (April 1926)

VARIETY PICTURES WedtMsday, April 7, 19M "Box Office Appeal Concentrated to the Nth Degree! No End of Suspense, Thrills, Novelty!" The Wonder Dog of the Screen in Him Latest, Greatest Pic- tare— NOW PLAYING at th« Declaret the N. Y. TELEGRAPH THEATRE Broadway and 52d St. New York RIN-TIN-XIN in a picture that will be forever ^'different*'! A picture that gives pew meaning to the words, **Tlirillihg/* ^'Breath-taking,^ ''Astounding"! The Night Supporting Rin-Tin-Tin it "BALDY/' a giant condor, such at you have never teen in pictures before, and a tplendid tupporting cast, including JOHN HARRON, June Marlowe, Heinie Conklin, Gayne Whitman, Don Alvarado, Mary Louite Miller. Directed by HERMAN RAY MAKER BEST MELODRAMA since "Lighthouse by the Sea"! Clever, exciting.—N. Y. Sun. ENGAGING picture—^wel| off beaten track! —N. Y. Telegram, BEST PICTURE Rin-Tin-Tin, that Fairbanks, Mix and Barrymore of the canine world, has made his best picture. —N. Y. American. SPLENDID dog has a chance to display his remarkable intelligence and training. —N. Y. Herald-Tribune. ONE OF BEST dog pictures in a long time. Al- together good entertainment. —N. Y. Eve. Post. A WOW! A wow—a bow-wow is Rin-Tin- Tin's latest picture. Amazingly intelligent—he can act. Great entertainment. Very exciting! —N. Y. Eve. Journal. HOUSE REVIEWS YARlEnr REVUE IN MILWAUKEE Roemheld of Al- hambra Selects This Pa- per for Idea Milwaukee, April €. "Variety" came Into its own as an Idea for a Btage presentation this week. Heinz Uoemheld, director of irnlversal's Alhambra theatre or- chestra and production manager, this week presents "A 'Variety* Revue In Blue." with Lydla Harris, Chicago blues singer, headlining the program, which Includes the "Va- riety" glr^s, who dance, sing and make a decided hit in their "Variety" front page costumes. Not only Is "Variety" used as a background for the review, but the newspaper advertisements tell Mil- waukee of Roemheld's ** 'Variety' Revue" with the "Variety Qirl." and from the post-RaHter business, the rev lie is catching Milwaukee's fancy. Miss Harris is a cracking good singer. She has a splendid blues voice, and Roemheld helps her along with his capable orchestra. He also doubles, for he is on stage with Fred Heck, and the two. try a double piano solo and play their two pianos ff»r the "Variety Girls." u pair of .oplendld hoofers. These girls, In their unique costumes, go over well. Then there l.«i little Arthur Kluth, a lad who has a nice voice, a mil- lion dollars' worth of personality, and scores a tremendous hit. A Piiir of colored Charleston nnd tap dancers come in for their share of the honors, while Reginald Denny in "Skinner's Dress Suit" rounds out the progmm. Iitraeh A WARNER BROS. PRODUCTION STANLEY, PHILtY Philadelphia. April t. With Wurlns's Pennsylvunians as the presentation feature, and In their third successive week. Good Friday was very good for this hou.<)e. At the three o'clock show on that day they were standing six or seven deep downstairs, had n waiting list for lo^e locations and the balcony was more ihaii three- quarters lulL Businecta? You suid it, and the credit must go to the Waring band boys. While the main picture, "Be- hind the Front" (F. P.) was well received, there was not an over- iibundance of talk about it around town, according to reports. Once Inside, there was no ques- llon as to the responsibility of the "draw." The Warings not only have music but solid entertainment as well. And for a college town these boys are an ultra "natural" who can't miss, especially as regards the "Campus Frolic" presented this week. Distinctly a collegiate atmos- phere for the band with the 17 boys in sport sweaters and not too baggy trout*era. Being grouped at the opening, and harmonising to the strumming of a uke, leads to a youngster coming on who is hailed a.«) a freshman. Plentifully "ragged" by the other members for comedy, Ending in his being tossed In a blanket, the Frosh pulls out the ^hand stand whereupon the contin- gent gets down to business. Mixed up in this is a vocal or- chestration of "Collfeglate" that comes pretty close to being a classic of its type. Tom Waring, pianist, vocally solos it backed by the re- maining members who harmonize with the conception carrvlng a • blues" strain that titled the num- ber as "I've Got the ColIeKl.ite Hlues," Groat J In fact, tho bovs ar« now as much of a glee club as they are a band. Eight memlters In all with almost everyone having a vocal refrain. Vdich of the offerings carries, some- where, a novelty touch to place this outfit far hoyond the ateroo- typed offering and the flnl.sh of the 1*7 minutes bmupht enlhuslastie applause that only tho determined running of the featurf; film out off. The tlnal number um.s a medley of college songs, the liKhts chanRlub' fur the colors of each alma m.iter with I'ennMylvanIa as a iinish. of course. Clean, wholesome and j,'enulne ability Id the hid for approval Vv ith- «^ut any mechank-.il effects to aid. The boya play and sinp extremely wt U. If tluir voices are not above axerr.Ero the "arranirenientH" more than make up for it, and the pro- KKssiveness of Kred and Tom WaiinK is apparent all the wav. Although there are 17 on tln' HtaKe, 16 ln«tnin»entalis(s eompri«»» lliaL i>erKonTiel as Fi-ed Waring waves the baton and the *'Fresh« man" Is a youngster reported to have attached himself to the band out west and now carried for slde« light comedy purposes and aigo displaying. The 87-pIece house orchestra ren- dered Hosmer's "Northern Rhap* sody" No. a, tlie organ solo belay programmed as the opener. An. other stage attraction was Joseph Hess and Agnes Qenola who, in three minutes, fairly executed a couple of ballroom dances. Miss Genola impressed as of too much height to successfully undertake the adagio work attempted and would be to better advantage were she to stay on the floor. In celluloid was presented a Hal Roach "Our Gang" comedy. "Baby Clothes," and a 10-mlnute newH weekly that mostly concerned itself with the production of the Uni- versity of Pennsylvania's Mask and Wig Club, the dramatio organiza- tion of the college. This musical Is due next week at the Forre.'it (legit), the advance flushes of the ensemble numbers undoubtedly be- ing figured as of Interest, advance value and a boxofflce draw. Ed Wynn, currently appearing In town with his show, also broke In as a local "shot." discussing some- thing or other about the Sesqul- Centennial celebration with the Mayor. Of no import and simply a publicity gag. Otherwise, Paths connected for two clips and Inter- national for one. Thp Roach comedy won acclaim and "Behind tho Front" drew plenty of laughs. WlUi b*)th these pictures being comedies, and the Waring bunch going after the same Idea, It was rather a Joyous Holy Week around this theatre. And that it pulled buslnes:i will be noticed in the gross for the week. The Waring band finishes up Itw stay this 'week. What they did the previous two weeks Is not known but the current act is enough to prove the reason of their pop- ularity over hero. The housw couldn't have spent over $200 on the sets for the band and the dance team, the latter working in "t" o * and the musicians In full stage. As far as the band is concerned it doesn't need a set A stage and 80 minutes, that's all. They 'sell ' themselves. fih-jff. EMPRESS, CHICAGO Chicago. April 8. The EUipresH. a pioneer am<»ng south side vaudeville houses, is one of the victims of the large presen- tation houses around C h i c a o. Fourteen years ago the Empress opened with a split week vaudevill« liolicy and continued fairly success- ful until about two years ago. At that time it began to suci-umb to the larger houses about It and switched to a aCc. picture policy, with vaude- ville Saturday and Sunday. To merely state that tlie neighborhood is overaeated would be putting it mildly. The iirst three nights "of every week are "discovery" nights. Just a nilTerent namo for the old time amateur offerings. These affairs are beinir staged by theatres sU over the city and are widely exploited. After witnessing several of the "discoveries" the reviewer was tempted to write an essay on the bu.siness of being an amateur. The same crowd of "amateurs" appeared at all ths theatres playing such a policy and the "prize" money offered to the winners doesn't look on the square. Wednesday night at the Empress revealed six of the crowd —the same six as at the Englewood, around the corner, the week ]>efore. And at the Englewood this same six played two shows in one night. A talk with one of the "amateurs" appearing at the Empress revealed that the crowd had made a ru.^h trip here from a west side hou.se where they had gone through their stulT.^ Another bunch hurried intr. the Empress from a loop house, but were a little too late to get on. One of the girls frankly stated that "dis- covery" v\ght wa« her trade and it kept her well Kupplled with pin money. She appeared at the Chi- cago theatre ia.st week and wan "booked" I'or the State-Congress Friday. W. E. Pearyon. manager of th'; Empress, made no bone.s about hi.-* "discovery" night. He admitted tho .same crowd maibi nil the house.s and that they had a tremendous drawitig j)ower for family theatres. He ev hiblted little enthusia.sm over the tlioupht that the-io affairs intro- du(;<Hl any real talent, but stiled that soniG of the glrla In his "ero'.v.l ' fecured .small Jol)s. He cit<'d ar tual ca.sr.s. Last Mi.nday Pcai son h !-I 42 of the "a ma I eiir.s" on tbo Mil, and thr jiros;)(>c» 1 v»^ oisf moe'".- \\ < re lined up three (h^ep outsi.lo the tlie- at re. l'( ar.S(jn announces the < onf»'.stants at tlie Emi'iess and dofvs si>iue elo^^nlnJ;; to liven tlu' program. Tb^ clow ning was re\ ()!t in^ at fir-M .as it brutally insulted the vf unirst • rs, b'K it \va^ f'>iin«1 that l^ear^on kn«'W