Variety (April 1926)

Wfdnesday. April 7, 1926 PICTURES VARIETY 41 nrftctlcally all by their flrat immes and that they didn't mind tho-asln- ^ stuff at all. The orchestra also ''acted up." One of the typical "amateur" bills aeen very, frequently around theHc parta Ib as follows: One: A Jewish kid with large rluHses and an ill-flttlnpr nuit. Kings off key with comically traffic nea- tures while the orchestra carries on In the pit. Usually an uproar, but never a priae winner. Two I A rather handsome young- ster In a blue sweater w^ho does whlBtUng specialties crudely. An- nounces that he uses no musical ttifltruments whatsoever. Engaging personality; sometimes a prize win- ner. Three: A male Charleston danc- M> Executes suggc.«tivc <''harieston specialties fairly well. Wins prizes ftfifreauently. Four: A male contortionist who 4oeB some difflcult work in his itocklns teet. Uls shirt often flops •ut. Usually a prize winner. Fiv«: Badly dresned Individual •ailed the "singing newsboy." Haa Cairly good voice and Hing8 ofTslrie songs. Usually dragged off. 8ixt A girl Charleston dancer who does the "hot stuff." Often a frlse winner. And that, ladies and gentlemen. Is what 1* known as 'discovery" BiKht. As a family theatre, the Empross is all Utat could bo desired. Pic- tures are well selected so that even lihe youngsters are In perfectly on the plot and the prices are right— 30c. top, with a 15c. embargo on the ftlds. The picture tMs week is "His Secretary," Just right for a simple, anaffectlng crowd of hard workers. Harry Wagner at tho "monster" organ aptly rang in with "You Can't Be a Good Little Fellow and Btlll Be a Good Little Gal." It brought nuite a few generous sighs. Harry sings while he plays and not bad at all. Oodit must go to Pearson for arranging a policy so suited to his family trade. The "discovery" night bring them in by the hundreds standing as a very local draw. The customers don't care as to. how the contestants arc repaid financially, JUHt as Jong as the amateur comedy 1« there. A popular neighborhood house. Hoi. baby girls, the oldest about six, and their dad came on for some fast strong Bjrm work. This trio was easily the snappiest bit of the show. They tore the house down, atul Weit:fcldt showed his showmansliip by holding this act as the last. The fi'iale brought out the entire show singing "Always," with tho lyrics clianged to lit the anniversary pro- gram. During this singing a huge curtain of electric lights Is dropped as the house goes into a showing of making wax models of movie stars In II(»llywo(»d. Bel)e Daniels In "Miss Bicu-ster'a Mllllona" rounds out the program. This production is by far the best ever attempted by Weisfeldt, who has put over countless winners. It should bring the bou2*e record dough. WISCONSIN Milwaukee, April 4. The Saxe corporation announced that it would spend a barrel of money for their second anniversary thow, and from all appearances Eddie Weisfeldt, production man- ager, did it. He put on a produc- tion her© this week tliat outrivals anything ever attempted In a pic- ture house and even tops the vaude- ville bills by a long shot. Twelve acts with 45 people is the lay-out. Opening tho presentation a mall- man walks In front of the drop and HinKS a ditty about being unable to carry all the Invitations. A mall box, on side. Is piled high with in- vitations, and then the drop opens baring a huge envelope from which Slips a huge Invitation thanking the customers for attending. The ditty Is followed by a black out and a segue Into a huge roof garden night club scene that must have separated Saxe from plenty of Hhekelfl. The set takes up tho en- tire Wisconsin stage, the largest In th« state. About 30 "customers" sit around tho tables for atmosphere. i>ix little cigarette girls wait on the «Mist(»mers while waiters scurry nround bringing bottles of giiiirer h1«'. When the curtain pulls, all the "(ustoniers" ar\> dancing but give u;iv to the Skclly sisters, who do n rloyor soft shoe daiu e. A male trio (Miters to sing "Someone to Lovo," bowing out to I»la Fletcher, who posves.ses a nifty contralto voice and m.ikea a stately priin. The cigarette ^ir!.^, sent in by tl-f^ Poila Dancing,' school of Chicago, do a neat routine but were a bit shaky on their <'iparette boxes. They (lanro b^-tt^ r 'h in they Hlncr. The big noi-e of the show «^ a. iif'Xt, Harry ]loy.o. Ho off'* i i d a "M.ippy song ehutler ;n L iiiid then •i^is as toastniaster to Introduce the l'» xter sisters, Tliis p.iir try h ird ^"it fall to Impi'^ss. Tiiey h.-ve 'iaiuly voU OS hut t heir staf;e appcar- aru o count.s heavily a;.Hiii.^t tlu ui. N'<yt cr)nieH Jimmy AVatts. Watts l"iU.s l)iM f^-miiiine <;(ke-(.|f, whieli W'^t hlni a hand In the (Irccn'.vlch ^'illage Follids, hut 11 \%»'nl ov»-.* tl;o "pening day audience's head, iie is th ver. withal. Tliu Oiaiii^e Crovc 'no, thioo chaps with looks und ^"■'•es, sing a fast Ko'i^r in about '^\o minutes and bow out to permit "'o Hoihi ^Irls try a hand at .'i «^h-Tus pranee. AVlll Staiiton Avas 'Ik- first to stop tho his dr'-nk MUinhe>i- took the hoiis.- an^l )f li id h:ird time h(»\\iii- ofr aftei '••'fuites or FD of work. TIk-.-: f.-im •'riny and Hallnrk, tn-o Dixie uitis \^Mii l>anjo!^ who hku;; negro diifi*'« ■'•'d Kot over ea«ily. 1' look IluKhie 6 i)ot;)i. :1. a 'ittle not ov.r tu<lve, t.) hold the ' "ii-'^<v His 55inRinjT of " l^nvn h.v "1" Wine^^ar Woiks" and d nif^ir;- - him all that a k\(\ a< t » an u. i. '"d lu. Joolcofl ]-\^(. |;it nt Til* MET., BOSTON Boston, April C. Harold Lloyd's "For Heaven's Sake" gave this house a big start for the current week. The picture was greeted locally as t>M best Lloyd yet and the Indifferent sup- porting show mattered little. Tho previous week's presentation failed to go over and the absence of any pretentious unit this week was al moat a relief. The Pierrot's serenade, compris ing Julius Fisher playing lils one- atrlnged scllophone with a futur istic rooftop setting, was simple staging, but revealed clever Itght- ing. This drew the real hand of the evening, the Publix unit being more or less of a flop. This unit was Frank Cambria's "The Chinese Plate," which carries three people: Ruth Alport as solo dancer and Marie Herron and Edward DavietJ as a vocal duet standing ta a mam- moth chhia plate. Tho short reels coniprlsud a col- ored ficenio, a Music Master m i it s news reel and a Topics, cIo.^mh; with the tilrigle Ttml twLbtod tuk- series. ' The Choice," The overture whs "Caprlcclo Itallen," on which Klein worked va- liantly, but which barely m.nde the gnvde, a»^'ain being an example ol the music which policy rather than public tnste is being used ut this houre. lAk^. RIVOU Now York, April 4. An altogether good entertainment that runs about seven minutes over the usual two-hour limit is holding forth at the Rivoli this week. The show has novelty, a touch of com- edy, the second of the Gus Edwards produced revues for the Publix houses, and as a feature picture, "The Blind Goddess," a society melodrama that has a lot of sus- pense. The Edwards offering Is better than was the llrst of the revues whi< h he did for tho picture houses. A novelty was the scenic ov»>r- ture, a blending of the Scotch Rhapsody together with a J. P. Fitipalrlck presentation of "The Songs of Scotland" on the sciven. The second unit was tho Chantel filstora (New Act"), with a duo- piano specialty and some dancing with a pair of solo step artists. The Rivoli Movievents was a split in material from the Pathe and Inter- national news reels, the latter con- tributing live shots and the former four. H.mdd Hampey at tho Wurlf.er hat dled the pomilar hallad, ' After I Say I ni Sorry" in a niaim«'r to get a hearty response fiojii liouse, usinij five minutes to pui it ovi-r. The Kdwards revue was entitlcil 'Kids In Kandyland' (l*res«nta- th>ns>. which elleked at exactly 20 minutes whirh were Jammed with c<der, melody and dunolnp. Tho feattire tlnished off :bo bill. J'rcJ. LOEWS STATE Los Angeles, April 2. The presentation tnls week as a framework for the Kuroi>eun nov- elty duo. the Novelle Brothers, will send thin team of feline Imperson- ators once around the west coaftt hou.sce with as picturesque a scenic production as l<'anchon and Marco have turned out. The curtain goes up on ti)e seml-dark of early morn- ing, revealing a six-foot platformed setting of housetops across the en- tire opening, with a large clilmney set piece In tho foreground. Or- chestral arrangement definitely es- tablishes the atmospheric embel- lishment for an early morning fe- line (MiM'tshlp, whicli tho Novelle Hroihcrs do in cat garb and panto- mime. Huhe Wolf entrance<l to break up the cat courtship with a revolver shot, this gh lug the Novelles an exit and also the cue for tiio op» n- ing of panels whl< h <lisciosed "Bubo Woirs Greater Band" in tho top floor front room. The Wolf Band's opening number was a follow-up of the frliue theme i«leti. Tile eif;ht choristers wert; then CM. ftdlowed by Rube Wolf and hla .s.titrh' ( oi not solo. W olf ^:v\ e a iS.ij.i.ir Tuoki-r of iho \\'c<i inlro- diictiiin i(> Hose \'al\da. who In gen- '■i II .1 j IJ .i r \ I'l I < • is ,1 cu*-<>ut (•' I^liss TiK ke. . However, lier m lii; i!< pen- ileiii e \\a.^ otdy a fair rt-ndilioii of a ' iu>]> * h illa<l in d(>uhle voice, whli h Wolf savod by doin^ a double (Charleston \\ Itli ihv lady. A "p*'!*" .-^ong orchesiralion lla.vhed ft c<»rkin(j baritone voiee from one v.>f lite l>a('k row hoys. Thi.s ul^io iiad Mablt* llolliH doing an audience plai\t chorus. The duncing eight ugnln went to work for the finish, wlikh led Into the high spot of the Novelle Hrothers' novelty routine, tho flddliiig ncrobatle dance. Walt. STATE, ST. LOUIS St Louis. April 4. A marvelous day for the Easter parade .Sunday afternoon* and as a result there weren't many In the audience at the downtown State, liuslness picked up late In the after- noon, however, and for the evening shows tliere were crowds standing. Don Albert's overture w;ts appro- priate as a companion i>iece to the feature picture, both being 'The Bat." Albert's piece was iak<»n from Strauss' opera, "Die Fledormaus," and Is very tiincful in parts. An International news reel, then the Topics. The orchestral accom.« panlment to the latter, "Song of th* Ma me" (Gershwin), was well dope, as wan also ths ''Arabian Dance** from the Nutcraoker Suite, which in Directed by Sam9aylar If ''Ulna Pa lie •dot ever at ■A SMASHED all opening day records at Rialto, N. Y.! . . . and did $1,000 more than 'The Freshman"! Opened to biggest business in history of Impe- rial San Francisco . . . and walked away from record held by "The Freshman"! . and on Good Friday, Set new record at Royal, Kansas City! Shattered every record at Rialto, Pueblo, Colo- . . We could quote them by the score . . . records! . Records! . . . Evervwhere for HAROLD LLOYD in "For Heaven's Sake" . . The Clean=up of the Hour!