Variety (Nov 1926)

» f Wednesday, Ifovembcr 17, Iftl REVIEWS «« VARIETY VAUDEVILLE HOUSE REVIEWS PALACE (St. V«ud«) Variety dressed up the PuUce Monday niffht. Yep. and how! Old FalthCuU the office tuxedo, came out of hook and the paper vave the Pul- aco ft little class. The agents, stand- ing In the back, tried to kid after they recojnUed the tux, but thut tuz has «dtn too much. The ahow didn't de.' erve clafM rating. Three acta did '<iO inlnutes or more. One of thcM stayed 42 and the No. 3 turn was on for 2S. That's not vaudeville even for $2.20 downstairs. The two Bddies. Nelson and Leon- ard, consumed 63 minutes between them and followed each other. Nel- •cn flhaily called it a day and Leon- ard ault "milking" after 83 minutes. Both long sieges that didn't do the ahow any good. When in doubt bow at tho Pal- ace. Betanoourt and Co., recently play- ing the Loew houses, opened with balancing, thence Smith and Strong, who really didn't strike until their appearanco with Yorke and King, next to elMing. This latter act cleaned for the evening. As a mat- ter of fact Trini and Torke and King supplied all the klefc thero was to the show. The way the acts were annlhilat Ing time made It oepeolally hard for Ann Suter. who opened after In- termiaoion. No sooner had the boys atn^led ant tor the customary weed than Mica Suter flounced In an atrocious dress. It completely spoiled this ffirl's appearaneo, and her comedy doesn't need any suc4f costume as she wore Monday night BtartlBff from nothing, with half the house dribbling back by twos and threeoi the battle Miss Suter waged was something • to watch. And she got 'em in four songs that took a fifth for an encore. Rather large. Miss ^uter. and she empha- sizes the phy.steal proportions. Nice face, too, which contrasts with the mugging. A better spot and she probably would have romped home. For the smaller houses she should bo a cinch, although they've been spotting her No. 2, as at tha Broad- way, within those emporiums. If this girl deserves to be No. 2. then the K-A boys won bettiM pn t^e Amy last week. Kddle Leonard 1« following hia general conception of an act as he has come to see It In lats ysars. A g#naral hodge-podge of specialists sprlAging forth from a 16-piec9 hand in btaokface. It's mostly acro- batic and whirlwind buck stuff with no general routine. Meanwhile the welf-knowtt minstrel Inserts himself for about three songs. Why Mr. Xisonard goes from "Boley Byes" to "Ross Msrie" is something yoli can figure out. Leonard got three en- core.s and stopped with a speech'. Miss Suter ihade one, too. but said hers with flowers. Three bunches. Kddie Nelson clowned too long. Being a carefree comic anything went with this boy aiid they ap- peared to like it. up to a certain point. Too much pie can make a fool out of a cup of coffee, and that's what Kelsiin did. A eortdng low comedian for vaudeville. NelSQip^ but restraint isn't a bad virtuo. Trin! flashed a gorgeous produc- tion and lots of talent during her 42 minutSM. Using two songs Raquel Meller is also doing, she may not favor tlie renditions with the subtlety of Meller but for vaudeville sha seta the same results. A won- der at manipulating castanets and getting triple taps from her heels, Trini held all the attention there was around. A sweet salvo was the total for this Spanish maiden, who is quite a performer. Florrie Le Vere. assisted by Lou Handnian, opened her turn in the prop stage box and then went to full. A feminine singer and dancer Is also carried now. Handman didn't do so well with the opening comsdy, but when he got at the ksj r b d a r d and started to reminisce you realised the number of "hot" tunes this boy has turned out. Miss Le Vara did nicely all the way but should Que.«itIon the dropping of the skirt for the finishing Charleston. Torke and King were a panic. They started to laugh with the name card and never quit. "What an act! Kven forgot being encased in what was probably the first tux that has 'paid its way into the Palace sljfice Nora grabbed something east of Fifth to come over and watch her wave a fan. The Lvster Brothers dosed. is mure, succeeded. alth?Mgh Olenr and Jenkins, spotted second after intermission, had quite u contest on their hands. The colored boys have played the New York houses so often in their current turn it is no wonder some of their best gaga failed to titllate the customers. However, they stuck to it and fin- ished strongly with their doable song and hard shoe dance. Ahead of them in the last half of the program was Arthur Prince. Al- though programed and billed'to ven- triloquise, rrhs Love AfCair of Yus- Hif Hassan," the Englishman wisely oltered his standard specialty which got over with a bang, ttii eraasfirs with the dummy was as natural and uncanny as sver, and the material was far Mid Awar above the. ordi- nary series of gags used by most of the larynx jugglers. When drink Ing the glass of water Prince caused the dummy to say: "This Is what they all try to do, but they can't do it yet. after tt yaara.** Prtaoa, be it known, started the epidemic of gar- gling drinks among ventriloquists while their dummies watched and remarked. "Going, going, gone." It has always been as sure tire as rib' bons on the underwear. The next to closing turn, another comedy offering, was Joe Morris and Flo Campbell'In "Any Apartment," a Lewis and Young skit, which at least has the virtue of being new. It holds an "audience" bit in which Morris and Phil Silvers Invade a stage box. Some of the talk hit and some missed. The biggest laugh Is when Camnbell before leaving the box says, "Where's that taffy." Sil- vers remarks, "Don't make a fuss over a little piece of taffy," and CampbeH responds. "Tes. but my teeth are In it." The first half of the bill also held Plenty of strength. Diamond and Brennan in "The^ Faker" (New AcU). spotted third, and Ann Sutor fourth, halved the comedy honors. Miss f^uter mugtred and clowned to big returns, her delivery at times reminiscent of Marie Dressier back when the catchers didn't use gloves. The Four Karreys, one of the sweetest 'contortion acta In the racket, opened and bent the bang their way. It is a three-man and woman combo, the glrf dressfnt tfie stage and assisting. The men make an unusual appearance garbed as ^rladlatorsi They have worked out an Intricate routine of hand to hand lyid ground tumbling stunts working mostly on tables and pedestals. The contortion work is high class and makes some of the two and three- high formattona look almost Im- po.ssible. Carr and Parr, two English hoof- ers, who sensibly aim at comedy deuced and did nicely. Judged strictly as dancers the pair are or- dinary, but they have showmanship and have their stuff smoothly rou- tined. Most of the dancing is of the clone formation stylo with a decided leaning toward comedy. It's all soft shoe work, hut r bit different. They likod thorn here. Gaston and Andree closed the first half in their dance act assisted by Matura Shanley and Kdna McKay. The turn was voted one of the best that ever played the house. The ftdagio work of the principals In "Coquette," "Pygmalion and Gala- tea" ana 'HDance Macabre" stood out as away above the average. Carr and Parr, Oaston and An- dree and Arthur Prince were all members of the "All l-^nclish Bill" at the Palace, New York, a few weeks ago. "SevlIU," featuring "La Merl," on lats, closed to a walK out. although Iks aatr given a chance would have hali mm m$ iMM Dams Una. - ;V . vm. opened with uciubalios, the work of one of the two girls standing out. She is strung, all riKht, performitiK OS a tup mounter in head-tu-head work and then aloft on a ladder. RIVERSIDE (8t. Vaude) A vaudeville bill that reminded of some of the happy layouts before the war, wlien acts were easy to get. is on tap at the Riverside this week. Mond;iy nighf the house was comfortably clogged on the lower —A renorted theatre Party ff 900 may have swelled the total, out the Mil wurranted a play. The answer was the presence of fomr comedy acts, a real noveny nowadayw when comedy sets on K-A programs are as scarce as sus- penders on males. In fact with the exception of three acts, all leoned toward laugh producing, and, what STATE (Vitfda-Pala) The State Monday night was not crowded. Attendance was oonsid- si^kbly under normal- Showmen ex- pected tha national broadcasting of an all-star radio show would be fsit. but It was surprislnt for busi- ness to be affected at thS Stats, a natural drop-in house. Vatidevtlla cut to flva acts and the usual novelty overture out be- cause of "The Four Horsemen," the film running fO minutes. The bill was quite ordinary, with Just one standard act on the pro- gram. It was Ruth Roye. a stranger here, but fonnerly a favorite at the Palace, next block north. They didn't seem to know Miss Roye. but she won the new auditors without trouble and sidled off the one hit of the evening. (Jeorpe Kohreck and Co. (New Acts) closed the show. On third were Hugh Herbert and Co. in ' Any tliinp I<<»t Cusinf SH " Sketches are becoming extinct aiul this one ha.** been around so long that it Is a wonder It ha.s lasted, lie sent the turn out with other people for a (Ifflf, irat Is back playing hlnwielf The comedy at the closs just about got the act by. Bud and Elinor Coll were on sec ond. and after a slow start finished well. TheU* dancing, especially that of Miss Coll. tumsd the trick, the seemlnpr youthfulness of the team couhiing. D. Depford and C|0. HIPPODROME (Vaude-Pots) Reports of ilie 3&c. matinees at the Hippodrome have said they were slipping, and the slide trend is now noticeable in the night attendance. Monday evening there were gaps downstairs, while the balcony looked terribly lonesome. The few In the gallery should have been sent be- low. Logea held fairly well, but the side boxes were neglected. A few more bills like ths one this week and the Hip will be accused of working for tha Broadway picture houses or the neighborhoods. Six acts with two band turns among them, each holding a toe dancer Rither might have been a regular by itsslf a^d in ths same house, but the first was put on to open the vaude show, which hurt it. of course, while the second had to follow. It's easy to die nowadays at the Hip with that audience. Where they come from the Lord only knows, but they are ail there before 7.80, which might denote they bad no other place to go. The crowd, however, might have retrained "down town." taking their supper on the fly. When the picture started around lO.SO the audience had started ahead of it. With not over SOO people left when the film flnlshsd. And a nice comedy picture, too, a First Na- tional, "lAdles at Play." The pic- ture was far better than the vaude- ville, but who win believe a Hip picture now after the run they have had of film flops thsrsT Talk and songs seemod to fly out the theatre via wings M<mday even- ing. Only one turn took an encore, and that was a part of the act. Bows were few and the acts must have biien happy when It was aver. In order came "The Carnival of Venice," a dressed*up orohsstra turn with threa accordion players In a group of six. There were solos here, too, dancing and musically, with the turn appearing to -mn too long, though "Opening" was no tost. The Four Diamonds, second, danced mostly, with the'fflrl slnclng.^They have been there before, so the younR; woman knew what she was up against. Harris and Holley talked as usu.al, but cut out their encore. Probably they have figured to save their voices for next week. Sensible lads and colored. The laughs from the talk that were muftSi Oliwt have broken their hearts. After the Royal Court Orchestra of women with a male leader did their playing stuff. Including a dancer and the leader doing a cor- net solo, Tom Smith went to it In "one" and got along, his falls being something any audience t^n under- stand. And this mob the Hip is drawing has got to have it thrown at them. That iOc. at night at the Hip for an orchestra seat is making good for a lot of fellows with their gals from the avenues, alSo ftrom places no one could guess. The Al Loyals closed with their new dog act, very good; ' A police dog topped it off with an Instinctive high blank wall climb. When the Hip Is bara It's bare. That upstairs Monday night looked like the Madison $quare Garden Hrfth only the clealiMlii it Hm V RERUN iOALA Berlin, Nov. a. After a let-down-during the sum- mer the Scala Is back again with a fine program, rewarded by food at- tendance. The Blank Co. opens with a good sUsnt acrobatic turn, basing its ap- peal on ths strength of ths man and woman performers. The Bastlens, acrobats, follow with Ughtsr work In which fraoa Is tha ofelar Attrac- tion. An English dancing pair, Robert Blelle and Nunette Mills, have real class In their dressing and put over a Charleston which stopped the show. Wassilgeff septet givo the usual round of Itussian songs and get the returns that a harmoHF Mt f<MilVe all over the world. Fred Ixiula closes the first part moderately. After the Intermission Dorian jazzes out a piano act. It warmed up the audience. Matray and Katta Sterna are old favorites and their ballet was liked* A "Crazy Cat" dance was the center of Interest. An American turn. Du Fonts, had the audience eating out of their hiinils with a jugfcling routine which can compare favorably to Grock's. Paul Gordon, rope walker, and the Japanese .*=<oga flnl.^hcd up the pro- gram in a fashion which continental audiences are accuatomed to. WINTIMAflTIN 8how here run more along old- fashioned German lines and the re- turns ars not what they are at the Scala. ITou.so Is out of date and built in a form which leaves much of the audience at an unfavorable angle to t)>e Kia^e. T'ntil the man- agement bites into the sour apple and has the whole house remodeled there will be no real monar to be made here. Situation Ideal, and as soon as It (uTomes known that the theatre bus l>ecn put into better shape the old husiM«\ss .should set in again. l''ur the audlem-e big act this month is Richard Hayes, the iug- Kllni; Robinson. He reminds of W. C. Fields, man which no higher i-onipliment oan be paid. Other good Mun\hor.^ on the hill Inoluiled the tootbail match On bicycles between lleinrich Holt and Charly Harvard; ecc»»ntrit> Pierroty.s; rari.sl.in <lancer. Kudja MuKoul. Who putd her num- ber across on looks; Annie Fey and Toddy Cuisser. deliveriiiMT an effec- tive Charleston. Dio-Pl.i, stereoptl- cou dancer; the well-liked Mljares Hrnlhers, whose tiKht-rope act ap- pears a little too frequently on lh«' local pruRranis; Four IMiillip**. a i-onventlal but adequate balancing turn: and lUe Bois. who gives a burlssque revue In If mlniiHs. BROADWAY (Vsude-Picts) A particularly happy blending of comedy gives a bright entertalntnent at the nroadway. They have a poi»d picture, new to the town. It's a bargain at the acale—only tha mob Wouldn't believe It. M.>nday night ih«*ie wa.s about three-%uarters of a house, with yawning gaps across the back of the orchestra. Specialty bill started off quietly and promisingly with Powell and Hhinehart, man and woman work- ers In sand pictures. Always a flashy style of work, this pair pre- sents the simple turn capably. Both look well in evening clothes. Paul Sydell and Spotty, mediocre straight violinist and a miracle of a performing dog, did one of those things that sometimes happen in vaudeville—put over a simple little stunt turn that was a fulNslssd riot. This fox terrier Is the last word In animal acrobatics. It starts where the run at parformlnir dogs flnHh. and then goes the limit. As an example of the pup's accomplish- ments it is enough to relata that when it misses a balance on one forefoot held In the trainer's hand, it topples, then catches itself In a balance on the forelegs. Some of its feats are a throw through a full twister to a balance on the forefeet on the trainer's hand; a throw from the floor into a pirouette to the .same balance; a forefoot stand on one foot on the trainer's thumb. No. 2, the act stopped the show. Louise Wright essayed character songs sftsr ths nmnner of Lillian Shaw, bul^ hasiiT tha eliaraetar knack. She was just a heavy sou- brel airuggllng with dialect and making hard going of it. She uses compensate, as usual for finesse, and her comed>' Is loud rather than ' funny. A dull spot No. S. Mr. and Mrs. .limmy Barxy are a little fine and Nubtie in their l)um(»r for the I'roailway gathei inK M irry'ti ditty. "Without a Wedding King.' got into the second absurd verse before the wlioU- hou.s«' wa.« really sure that it was funny in latent and not straight. Even then they were a little cautions alxuit lauMrhinK- Thv Broadway audience is a clien- tele that likes its comedy plainly' MiHrked. (The larKe fat cornetlst In AI Moore's band later, doing a bur- lesque Salome danee, was to its lil<lnp. for Instance.) Kdith Clusper's danco interlude, .'oUowing, has a wealth of class, a little Jewel of stuping and construc- tion. JuKt a hint of sketch story runs through it. all accomplished without u word of dialog. The turn has pretty bftrklnsrs that mean somethinR in.Mtesd of Just »»elng . splurge uf silk and flash. And the routine of the dancinK f(\f\ and hor three younij men fiidft 1m neatly laid out for sightliness and variety. Brisk start shows drop in *'one*' of steamship at pier with three uni- formed customs inspectors, who ex- plain In a few song lines that they . suspect a woman smuggler. Open- ing a trunk in center. Miss Clasper Is disclosed. They do a bit of leg- manla with ndat^io, and off. Artis- tic feietling shows dancer's apart- ■ meat, where girl and boy do a oetsty : steps. ■ Inspectors come in, soarck* ing for HiQUggled goods in pantp; . find champagne bottle, get "lit," and girl back for adagio with tipsy in- snecton for comedy falls. The rou- tine goes through novel shadow dancs solo, acrobatic stepping by boys, toe dancing and change of scene for brief bit of adagio finish. Boys are Bud Sherman, Jack Meyers and Donn Rdbberts. All nice look- ing, fresh youngsters. The act is the composite work of Joe Bur- roughs. Philip Bar tk s i siae and Obb Conrad. Ksn Murray and Charlotte, nsxt to closing, put the comedy kick lata , show. Murray Is headed for emi- nence among the single entertain- ers. Here is a young comedian with style and spontaneous humor who Is bound to go far. Monday night he was on for more than 20 minute* of solid laughs, and every laugh a legitimate one. To make It good he., stepped into the Al Moore band turn, lollpwlng. und used up 10 more.« mlnntss fbr ths deep diaphragm' laugh of the nl^ht, when he led ofT Miss Wright while she waa clown- ' ing for alwrteeque <Wac*nMMl,** * and returned After sn affstago pMbl CQontlnned, on page EH DUSE REVIEWS ■Si x:apitol 4tMIW YOUKi New York, Sov. 14. At the Capitol this week the uross will depend upon how MM iMfbHe goes for "Upstage," an excellent picture, which, if catching the lays the right way, wUf bs li b#x*afllce winner through draw. In other ways the stnxe show, w liile not eunusual in merit, runs nict'ly. The Capitol always has the first aid of its really famous house orchestra of around 00 pieces. The vaudeville people can get a direct line at the Capitol this week why and how a picture house can do so much better with its stage acts through lighting than vaude- ville has ever done. It Is In the straight piano act of Julia Qlass, who has soms radio rep. The man- ner in which the Capitol has set and lighted Miss Glass' turn tells everything. It throws a pretty pic- ture around the player before site starts and that sends her "over." Miss Olass created no deep impres- sion as a pianist Sunday. She has an odd touch for a concert artiste, but required aatklat bayoM that setting. "Atop New York" is the title of the ballet, nicely done and with the Chester Hale girla, J»yoa Coles is the premiere. David Mondosa led tha tfVerture, timing his ^trance for the first Sunday perfomianee as muchly as would a sta«e or sorash alar. It got him it. **Moonllght on tha Ganges" was simg by Celia Turrlll and Julia For- rest, hfter which came a UFA short, "Death Trail," about bugs, and not so forte. Following Miss Otase was the news weekly, nothing extra, and then the featdsa. After that came a "Ko Ko Hong Car-Tune, " a Hed Seal short and humorous, of danoing llttls devils or something running along Illustrated (motion) replicas of what may be supposed to be "The Trail of the l^>nesome Pine." Creative^ funny and well executed. An organ solo ushered 'em out, and the house waa nearly iiiied at i '< tiu, AHne. LOEWS STATE (BOSTON) Boston. Nov. 10. The OoMwyn-Henrr King pro ductlon of TTsroM Bell Wright's novel, "The Winning of Barbara Worth," was given a premisra Ifia* terday under what were praStically exploitation conditions. Charley Winston, loeal publicity ' man for the Loew Interests. hn<l apparently been given a free hand ' and an u i i M w iltid budget to arash the picture over and he did evert*- / thing except build .bonllrea on the . roof of the State Houss. Daily and Sunday schedule for , copy ran way ahead of last week'n exploltotlon of l>aut W M tii i an at * the Publlx's opposition house. Met- , ropolltan. and the papers fell heavy ' for tha story of this Aim batat the' first to be Imfhortatlzed by the cofll^ ' mlttea of Governors of Amerlean ' Stataa far ftlHig fa nh irnflad • States archives for posterity. Pleture did not live up to its bUl* • Ing and Wklis it runs within two minutes of an hour and a half, a . lot remains to i/e done if it le to go out as a road production. The bl<^ pun< h of the picture, of course, is the breaking of the irri- gation fata on ths Colorada Wwwr: sweeping away villages and drown- ing the unfortunate refugees. Al* though offectlve, tha toning down of the lighting to biilld up tlie llluolon • took the edge off the really extraor- dinary inundation of the lowlands. The comedy Interpolations were poorly spotted, resulting In laugh:^ that broke the stuipense and pre- vented the cllntax. Another bit that will probablv havs to be recut Is the pistol shot that kins tha ambushsd vilUin. The' diatance was so absurd for a re- volver to carry that the men in the audience actually guftawad and then had to spend the next two minutes explaining to their women folks what Inspired the laughter. The remainder of the bill In- cluded Chief Caupollcan. Indian', liarltone who stopped tfta ifiow. anv^ Rudy Wiedoeft. perhaps the onTv living saxophone player who couki appear as a single In the Back Bay of Boston and k'Ot away with it. The organ specialty was "a lesson In golf." a son^-plugging comedy • slide that was the best of the local season, a news reel, a topics, and n Hal Roach featuring Charlie Chase In *'Be Your Age." Prior to opening the run there wan- n b el i e f that th o O e Ulwyn film Would carry over tWO Weeks be- ' cause of the exfdoltatlon and the fact that It was sn eastern piemlere"- of an "irunifdt.'il picture" serond only to th' "Hlrth of a Nation" and "Tlie Covered Wagon." Whether cC ' (Continued on page ft|