Variety (Dec 1926)

■ Wednesday, December 1, 1926 REVIEWS VARIETY 13 PRESENTATIONS (Extra attraction* in picture theatres, when not pictures, will be carried and described in this depart" ment for the general information of the trade.) "ROAMING GYPSIES" (19) Publix Unit 17 Mint.; Full Stage (Special) Paramount, N. Y. A Frank Cambria production. Whether it is to travel around the Publix houses or was put together especially for the Paramount is un- known. A big set makes it appear as though tho Paramount is to be the sole cutlet although the props can no doubt be cut down to fit. As the title suggests the cast is costumed in Gypsy attire with the routine running a conventional course. A chorus of eight dress the stage most of the Mine but come down front for a tambourine drill. Other than that there are four nongs and as many dances. Solo singers, quartet, feminine violinist, acrobatic girl dancer and mixed adagio team are prominent through- out, the running work of the latter duo being the high spot. The scene is in a forest witli some of the performers entrancing via a rather steep Incline from the wings. The lighting scheme is in blue and purple shades. Colorful and ably pieced together, the presentation as a whole held interest throughout despite the inevitable 'Gypsy Love 8ong" being present. Adolphus and Eastman were the adagio couple. Olive Vernell sup- plied the acrobatics, and Virginia Johnson and Bernard Ferguson pos- sessed the principal voices. A dag- ger dance was also turned in by Basil Ivanoff. Action and color overcame what- ever tendency the sinking had to slow up things, with nothing skep- tical about the acclaim tendered at the finale. Skip. out one conlllctlng with the other. There are no other units on the Plaza bill after the prolog and the super picture. hooray finish, which puts the audi- ence in treat fettle for the picture following. L'ng. "IN ALGERIA" Prolog to "Beau Gsste" Plaza, London (England). Although "Beau Geste" is a win- ner by itself in London, the method in which Francis A. Man- gan put a prolog over added greatly to the picture. The presentation Is quite simple, a replica of the fort of Zinderneuf. The set has immense dimensions and a great depth, an illusion se- cured throivgh the excellent lighting effects in which the Plaza excels. The cloudy sky is visible over the top of the fortress and an excel- lent Indian singer, Ali Khan, opens the prolog with a song called "In- dia's Sun.'* He is an Indian soloist of no mean repute and did justice to the number. At the completion of Ids song a company "Foreign Lcglonairs" enter with their commandant. These Legionairs are made up from an excellent male ensemble to the number of 1G, and did remarkably fine work in their repertoire of "Foreign Legion" songs, the solo Work b»ing done by a baritone, Fos tor Richardson. At tiie completion of the last ••Legion" song done off stage, as if the troops were wending their way in the distance, the massive doors of the fortress slowly open on what proves to be the screen with the main title of the picture presented with the stage lighting still playing on the set, the clouds slowly move across the distant sky and a sandstorm effect keeps up the illusion of the desert. Presently the fortress in the projected Mm is seen in flames, immediately the soft blue sky turns to a fiery red, the whole theatre becomes bathed in red as if the glow of the burning fortress was penetrating the very auditorium. This all dies down when the som- bre titles of mystery ask what un- seen force is working nere and the entire stage becomes a sickly green. T'pon this effect gauze curtains slowly close out the entire scene of bewildering mystery. When those curtains slowly open again it is to tiie title, bringing tho audience bark to the bee inning of the story when the Gucste boys Wert happy English children. The electrical effects do not, how- ever, end here. Near the end of the picture when the only surviving brother in the Him returns to his ''SYNCOPATED FROLICS" .32) 55 Mint.; Full; (Special Set) Capitol, Chicago Opened with orchestra of 14 men in tuxes surrounded by net props of huge roses. These props, are con- spicuous and become too familiar with frequent usage. A hot number by the band, with Del Delbridge leading, brought out six chorines, who went through a stamping version of something like the "Black Bottom." Snappy cos- tumes and good figures couldn't off- set the poor timing, and the girls left quietly. The Genin brothers, two young- sters familiar around here during the "Charleston" era, have taken advantage of the newer dance fad. They steamed through a version of the mud-shake with enough pep to get the crowd calling for more. Another let-down, with Lowell Gordon rendering a ballad too dramatically. He has a good voice, but hampered by overworked ges- tures. Continuing the Capitol's past pol- icy, a vaudeville act took the boards with the band, Paggett and Lubin, drolling healthy gags in blackface. They gave the crowd what it liked and brought the temperature up again. A uke and harmonica close gave 'em plenty of exit music. Delbridge and his band took the lead here with a production built around a couple of sweetheart songs. A scrim behind the band re- vealed two old folks reminiscing over younger days, with a fade-out- and-on showing a young couple doing the love stuff. Lowell Gor- don sang a chorus with quality. The band handled an orchestration here and proved its ability. A little more experience together will give this new organization that finesse it naturally lacks at present. Closing specialty spot was taken by the Four Knox Boys, comedy quartet, with enough of the ribaldry to overcome its harmonic mildness. Okay for band presentations. An ensemble completed. Del Delbridge needs a better quality of production to get over strong out here. C. C. Hood, his producer, is said to be new in this line of work. As this was his open- ing job, the several weaknesses may be merely due to Inexperience. A few more weeks of seasoning will offer a better example of his talents. Band personnel: Dave Holquin, Ettore Gualano, Tommy Quinn, violins; Leon Kaplan, banjo; Roy Knapp, drums; J. Rankin, Frank Ruth, cornets; Joe Lear, trombone; Chalk Steiner, tuba; Cy Reed, J. Cordes, saxophones; Paul Fairehild, sax and cello; Andrew Rizzo, accor- dion; Walter Steindel, piano, and Del Delbridge, conductor. Loop. "GLORY" (40) Prolog to ''What Price Glory" 20 Mins.; Full Stage Carthay Circle, Los Angeles Creation of an idea for a war picture prolog that is different from what has been seen hereabouts dur- ing the past year is almost an im- possibility. It Is necessary to show soldiers, nurses, Salvation Army girls, etc., and, of course, in a hut or place of diversion. Jack Laugh- lin, who stages the prologs here, chose the French cafe for the locale of his. He had a most pretentious set built. Used a lot of specialty actors and when the offering had run its course the entertainment turned out to be most satisfactory though not near so elaborate or pretentious as some other war pro- logs here have been. He had Morie Leaf, radio enter- tainer, doing comedy stunts and telling stories; Will Stanton, acro- bat, taking falls; HHene and Franks knocking each other around in a grotesque apache number; Kr- llne Wallace and John Sanna for an adagio number; Kosloff'fl Ballet and Flower, an institution here (though meaning nothing so far as home in England, the big cyclorama again beeoTnefl a beautiful blue fleecy clouded sky carrying along the story to a cheerful < nd. The manner in Which M'tmran has pre><nted ''Beau Geste" at the Plaza Is a fair example of Just how the sruice and screen ran be co 'UKELELE LAND" (23) Band and Specialties 35 Mins.; Full (Special) North Center, Chicago Al Morey, graduated from ban- joist to conductor of a stage band and master of ceremonies in a pic- ture house, looks good. His easy flow of language In introductions, make him so likeable. Whoever lifted Morey to his present place knew something. The stage band at the North Center has 10 pieces, besides Morey, who conducts and fiddles. Small, as against the usual size of stage bands, but very capable for its size and considerably better than some of the larger ones. A larger per- sonnel would dress the stage more but probably would take away some of the present cozlness. Aside from the Morey band. Louis Herman, the boy soprano, and six good-looking girls (house ballet), there wasn't much to the show. The presentation's title is a tip off to tho Hawaiian set, competent looking. Tho six girls first show in a "hoola hoola" dance well done. Really a mild cooch with the black bottom bobbing up often. Born and Lawrence, tall and short comic dancers, got over in a balloon dance. Good comedy in make-up, B. V. D.'s, ballet sikrts and derbies. The balloon stuff Is handled well. A short comic dance for encore was as good as the bal- loon thing. Louis Herman, for some months a favorite in Chicago picture houses, did well with a ballad and just as good with a pop in a recall. The three Dunn boys look no bet- ter than when seen a couple of weeks ago in vaudeville. Their har- mony is off and the only mention- able bit is a fast Jazz-Charleston dance by the smallest of the three. That that is their forte la s»en when the young man does the exact same step, with no variations, four times during the act. That he -vas also allowed to top off the company finale with the same dance was poor judgment on the stager's part. With the advantage of picture house staging and backing, the Dunns look better than in vaudeville, but com- plete rearrangement is needed for r cognition. Four boys in the Morey band bur- lesqued a "hoola" dance. Plenty of laughs from this. The drummer is hot in some vocal choruses, showing plenty of versatility in the band. Loop. the audience nrc concerned); sing- ers, and Arnold Grater, doing spc- cinltles just as thow* little stunts were done on tlie other side while the boys were in rest camp. For the finale, as the back drop arose, bombs exploded, machine uns fired, end the boys went into HOLT and LEONARD Songs 8 Mins.; Two (Special) Paramount, N. Y. A stage upon a stage Illusion with two feminine singers harking back to the days of Jenny LInd in dress selections. A white grand piano is beyond old-fashioned footlights and both artistes assume white, flowing dresses. The voices are of opposite range, blending nicely while each takes a turn at soloing. "Annie Laurie" and "Last Rose of Summer" are two of the numbers, a third also probably being of aged vintage. Both women handle themselves well, sing without effort and con- summate a soothing interlude which from observation was especially well thought of by the loge seat oc- cupants. Skig. COAST STUDIOS Lila Leslie added to "Getting Getrie's Garter." Metropolitan. "White Gold" will be Jetta Gou- dal's next for Metropolitan. Caryl Lincoln for Ingenue role In "Helen and Warren" series, Farry Sweet is directing for Fox. Howard Hawks will direct "The Cradle Snntchers" for Fox, instead of Allan Dwan. Bobby Vernon completed "Sure Fire" for Christie. Earle Rodney directed. Paul Slonne Is about to start on "Turkish Delight/' Irvin s. Cobb's first original screen story. Metro- politan. TTedda Hopper returned to the screen after lor.tr absence in "Or- chids and Ermine " F. N. Charles KVnv<> n will adapt and write continuity for "Show Boat" for U. FILM B OUSE REVIEWS Clarence BurtOfl and James Masoll for "Ming of Kings" De- Mi lie. PARAMOUNT (NEW YORK) New York, Nov. 27. It doesn't make much difference What sort of a program is in this liewett jeWel of the Famous Play- ers-l.asky-Publix string, as the curiosity wave is driving the public through the doors in a constant 10-hour stream. At 11:15 this (Saturday) morning the orchestra floor was solid. Two hours later they were standing three deep on one side of the Grand Hall (inside) and tour deep on the other, hundreds were wandering about looking the house over and the sidewalk line curled around 43rd street. The theatre s programs urge morning attendance for the 40c tap with the boys and girls evi- dently taking the suggestion. After one o'clock the admission hops to 65c, the house opening at 10.15. Saturday's first show was in ex- cellent shape, the only noticeable slip being the failure of the house orchestra to pick up the exact tempo for a dancer in the presenta- tion feature, otherwise the sent ule was well oiled from overture to the screen leader, which closed. Selections from "The Merry Widows" started off the initial de lux© performance and was Joined by "Fashions in Color," a "short" that had Hope Hampton displaying various dress models. It combined the opening items and helped the layout, as the show ran 15 minutes over two hours anyway. Vivian Holt and Myrtle I^eona.d (Presentations) next offered a song cycle, In turn followed by the news weekly. This was the weakest link. Only live minutes were given ovei to the current events, with nothing of particular import flashed. Per- haps that's why it was so short—no news. The Broadway houses gen- erally allot 11 minutes to current picturized doin's, but not so here this week, or until the Army-Navy game pictures come in. Five clips on the reel and Kinograms had four of those, with International the other contributor. Jesse Crawford here turned in a "miniature organ recital" that ran nine minutes with four distinct se- lections. Crawford opened by ren- dering a descriptive composition written by a fellow organist, Ralph Kinder, and then did the well- known solo pianist's delight, "Nola." Screen wordings were next on the screen during his playing of a pop ballad and the finish was the finale from "William Tell." Crawford couldn't get 'em to sing here and didn't make any particular effort to arouse the urge to vocalize. It may have been too early in the morning for the vocal calisthenics, but the impression remains that a Aim house, at least in New York, must be kidded into trying out its voice. Nine minutes Is a long time for an organist to use up, yet Crawford did it without boring anyone and the applause response at the climax was solid. This led into Frank Cambria's "Roaming Gypsies" (Presentations), a 17-minute stage offering holding a cast of 19. A woodland set was the background in full stage. After- wards came the main picture. "The Canadian," starring Tom Melghan. Inasmuch as the him ran 78 min- utes it pushed the routine consid- erably beyond the two-hour mark. With the mob waiting outside to gain seats it was noticeable there was an abundance of room In the tier restricted to logos, which sell at the windows for $1.65 at all times. Perhaps close to 100 people in tho choice location easy chairs, but Indicating tho early morning mob isn't of that c l ie nt ele. How- ever, many elderly women and men were in this section, If that proves or means anything. Hkig. CAPITOL (CHICAGO) Chicago, Nov. 27. Al Short and his stage band, for some months a feature at this south side theatre and responsible in no small way for Its healthy profit, presented the closing presentation in their "tour of the world" reper- toire last week and left tho house. Cooney Brothers are confronted with a problem which they haven't perhaps considered as seriously as they might. That problem Is how to hold the sizeable portion of patronage which has come to re- gard Short and his band as an in- stitution in this particular theatre. A band leader following another band leader who has become quite a favorite is up against a sort of childish resentment In his aggregate audiences, The trick is to remove this resentment with sudden Hash or sheer i>ersonality. As it WttS. the new Stage band got off to a slower start than was He has 14 niusi< ms where Short had nime. Ti.e mt won dn't have been so noticeable had the band been grouped more strategically, but a compact grouping tended to accentuate the fact and caused audible comment from the custom- ers. Second, a tinselly production W t which has become familiar at both the Capitol and Stratford, gave him a weak background. And third, supporting specialties were of ave- rage nun lit y when they should have been better. Another angle, that of not giving Delbridge extensive advertising and publicity, is explainable by the probability tnat Cooney Brothers didn't want to make a splash before they were sure the new leader had the goods. He has. What is needed is more showmanship in production and specialty support. A few more musicians would help, too, but tho theatre can tell itself how much money It should spend. As a suggestion for Delbridge, ho might become more assertive in his direction and announcing- The per- sonality is there. All it needs is ballyhoolng. His first production is under Presentations. On the Attn bill, "Take It From Me," was a good pick for Delbridgc's opening week. Newsreel. short, and cartoon fable completed. Business capacity by 8.30 Wed- nesday. AMBASSADOR (ST. LOUIS) St. Louis, Nov. 24. Unreceptivo audience at this show. Crowd Just stubbornly re- fused to applaud any of the stage units. About the only thing it found it did was laugh at the wise-crack subtitles In the feature. "II Guarany" (Gomez) was tho overture, Irving Hose directing with nicety. It was his first "heavy" number in weeks, and in good con- trast with the general lightness of the rest of the bill. K ha rum. the Persian pianist, from vaudeville, held the next spot. He offered a group of two solos, the first of which, played with only his left hand, was a corker. Kharum knows his keyboard. He was in "two" and did nine minutes. Following the International New» were the Loomis Twins, the two clever youngsters at the State here last year. The twins are great. Cute, pretty, they are in a class by themselves among the kid acts, with dellverv perfectly professional. By the time the organ solo by Stuart Barrle had finished, the leth- argv o' the crowd was appalling. They seemed to get a kick out of the slides the organist used for "Tho Old Family Album." but applause at Its conclusion was refused. Paul Oseard's Publix shows, "I r n- der Venetian Skies," and then "Syn- copating Sue." the feature. Oood program throughout, but an uncxplainable chilly reception. Ilucbcl LIBERTY desirable. Del D«-lhrid:je, nifty ap- pearing and likeable fellow, is lead- ing. Delbridge proved his enpabili- lies in a tryout at th*» Stratford theatre and during his time with Al Short as pianist and assistant director. As a Stage hand leader he is highly edict* nt. The trouble (PORTLAND, ORE.) Portland, Ore., Nov. 24. A presentation was worked out by Eddie Hitchcock, manager, in con- Junction with the feature picture, "Syncopating Sue," called "Synco- pation Week." Stago bill includes promising ma- terial, Francis Rose and his orches- tra, Theresa Stopper, danscuee, Dale and La Claire, adagio dancers. These two acts have been concocted into a delightful presentation. The band Is elevated on a fancy stand, as the curtain, made entire- ly of rosea, rises slowly. A mellow, blue light flashes across the stage, at which time tho presentation starts. Rose's band seems more of a straight dance aggregation with music more appropriate to halls than picture palaces. They reel off a few hot numbers, after finishing with the rose number. Theresa Stopper dances a very soothing and sclntllating waltz, amidst ri'h and colorful rose scene. Uirl shows promise. Hale and I.*.. Claire, mixed couple, climax with a few fast adagio dances. "Syncopating Sue." well received, together with a solo number by Glenn Shelby. Cohen. Blanche Mehaffey leaving Univer- sal upon expiration of h*r contract this month to free lam e. nelen Ferguson Signed by Tif- fany Production*, in picture direct- ed by Oscar Apfel. Louise Fa sends and John T. Mnrrav co-starred by Warners in "The Gay Old Bird.*! Herman Ray* ms k'T dh ' eot l ngi IF YOU DON'T ADVF**T'cr. i*j M»f»WtV