Variety (Dec 1926)

Wednesday, December I, 1926 VAUDEVILLE REVIEWS VARIETY 15 81 ST ST. (Vaude.-Picts.) Attendance here Friday evening approximated two-thirds on the lower floor, us good as usual if not hotter. A w>ll-bnlaneed Uve- al t 1 ill was fallowed b) the usual picture Routine nicer Intermission. Lillian MV^tjjgoL>wn feed away with the honors. Too bad this Utile girl who always get* a bl*c hand was not ut her peak when big time was paramount. If she had been. Miss Morton would have gotten the break due her. '1 here are few singles today who can .sell songs ^ke Miss Morton. A peppery person, she seems equally good with aynCOpgted stmt as with ballads. Though her voice may not possess carrying power she might make quite a noise in the big pic- ture theatres. If the dialect num- bers do not land i«s they do in vaudeville, her repertory is wide enough to satisfy. She lias been using M i'Ve Walked Home" before, but it will, doubthsss stick to her for a long time because of the lyrical comedy and the manner of rendition. Miss Morton's French number too is amusingly given and in fact she never lets down nor are any of her numbers under par. not the way she does them. Shuron Do Vries' revuo Closed the show with a dash of class. She is an acrobatic toe dancer with some good tricks of her own. One was a double back kick. Miss I>e Vries landing on her toes with feet crossed. H looked exceptional. Prank Bacon contributed a souse on skates, with some stepping on the rollers following. Six ballet girls were used. All are toe dancers but their presence is decorative. However, they build up the turn and will count if the act goes into picture houses. Billy KeT.y and Warren .lackson. assisted by lone Wreidt (New Acts) had the keystone spot at No. 3. On second were the clever Harry Fraley and Ruth Putnam. Both are neat dancers working with lariats at times and t arrying out the cowboy impression with a special drop. Fraley is only mildly successful with his chatter, given while twirl- ing the ropes. But his tap dancing is effective while Miss Putnam's efforts in that ho less so. The Petleya with aerial acrobatics opened. Ihcc 5TH AVE. (Vaude-Picts) Six-act bill leaning strongly to- ward comedy was slipped! in here for last week's second half, and didn't seem able to do much about it. flood sized house Friday night, but they needed a lot of persuasion before they'd give in. It was one of those audiences where the worst comedy act Is allotted the most ap- plause, and Jimmy I.ucas took both honors. If Lucas is as good as this gath- ering thought he was. then anything can happen. Lucas kept playing to the gallery until he got 'em, with almost outright pleas, and mean- while cut loose a series of released New Acts (Continued) Substitute for a getaway. A fast dance wouldn't be ft bad Idea. On here in the deuce and got over fairly well. f-Mtoi, BOB and OLIVE NELSON Contortionists 8 Mins.; Full Stage City (V-P) Simple light opener. Nh-e look- ing, shapely girl in full tights Walks on cold, and without parade goes into series of twists on pedestal back center. Man follows, working alone in same kind of stuff, most of ii getting one foot behind his ear and then hopping about. Wo man back from double feats, such as two-high bet.dS, and for finish man does rope skipping <>ii one foot, the other cuddling the back of his neck. Does all a plain contortion turn ton Id do for an opener, much or little, according to the Way ffOU look >t contortion as ;m entertainment CARR LYNN Animal Im tations 11 Mins.; One 5th Ave. (V-P) Male single with ImitationH nljl th< way from the barnyard to tin* conventional talking e;.t.s on the ba< k fence. Lynn handles them In a workmanlike manner, splitting up the routine with thin chatter for i nmedy Tin- carrying of a whittle to shut oft applause for laugh quips reached Ms objective here, and they liked it. The finish Is a characterization gags that moaned at being brought back. This comic ♦ r< o offered a huddertng ballad, supposedly writ- ten hy himself, that had the femi- nine partner posing as the horrible example, during the patter after the first chorus. All this was something about mother and father, d<. as your parents say. tin* curse of petting parties—-and, who cares, fox-trot. Hut. Lucas did nicely. Pacts are facts. Better than anyone else on tin* schedule. Geraldine Herbert is the partner, doing little other than to follow Lucas' sob interval by an- other ballad. On the other hand. T.angford. of Longford and ftfyrh, is a suave and sure performer. No stressing of points and no struggling to accent - uate. Kut the soft pedal thing hurt the latter In this house. They had a tough time hearing him above the gum chewers. Usherettes with mouths fall of gum lend a charming atmosphere. That K-A reel on schooling patrons bow and what to do with gum in their then tic- should have another ."-bowing for the house staffs. And Langford didn't do so well, despite haying been around a long while and knowing how to "sell" what he's got. The same goes for his partner Myra, a brunet, who does a neat straight and gives an Intelligent reading to a pop ditty, Tom Smith was another standard laugh provoker who had to wait until his mind reading burlesque before securing any kind of a genu- ine demonstration. Smith's falls and nut chatter let* 'em cold for at least the first five minutes. They didn't know what it was all about, and apparently cared less. That some- thing did haiipen marks the differ- ence between the veteran and the novice. Barller in the running the Smi- lette Sisters opened, only on this particular night there was but one present. An announcement from the stage explained that the other half of the family had been taken ill. Tin- one girl did as well as could be expected between juggling on a slack wire and a mite of acrobatics. Carr Lynn (New Acts) was No. 2. with the Lock lords, assisted by tho Paul Tilsen string orchestra, clos- ing. The latter team carried on easily, albeit the comedy number, sprinkled by boko falls, was some- what hurt through Smith's similar procedure just ahead. This well- known dance team's flashy catches, falls and adagio work make the act weM worth while. The announcements are up for the special week Of Deo. 6, when the 100th anniversary of vaudeville will be celebrated. Contests, ceremonies and celebrations—but It's about time someone thought of a "good bill week." A Universal-Jewell picture was the screen leader. AMERICAN of a youngster e;, pairing his iiist beo. Of the animal mimicking Lynn seemed to ^et most from his ling hit, using a -lass contrivance as an aid, while the conception t»f the back-yard felUiea was the high . omedy point. An ok-.y ea.rly spot boho-j i,, r the hops. (tltffi. (Vaude.-Pcte.) Downstairs Friday night there wasn't si vacant seat when Claude and KUCllle Fondaw opened In their dandy double trapeze turn. The act features a neck and crotch hold and spin by the man, and a break- away drop from a trapeze held hy the man who Is hanging head down- ward. The COUple work with speed and precision without stalling. One of the best in its class. The International News Keel gave the deaf and dumb fans a chance for an Optical thrill, and Record and Caverly (New Acts) picked up the vaudeville thread. Another film fourth was a Mer- maid comedy, probably the lowest low comedy tworreeler ever pho- toed, With a std of titles that could have been written by Noah. Simpson and Dean m-xt. man and woman, with sure fire hoke, passed nicely and were pulled out for an encore bit. It was the before and after marriage dancing of a couple. The act is constructed for small time, and with it that company should never lay olT. The woman doesn't depend upon anything so ethereal as lines for laughs, but stakes every gag to a follow-up of mugging that whams it over whether they have figured It OUt <>r not. She nets 'em going and coming. The man is a light straight. I'lidkin and Rhodfi in a flash dancing turn, assisted by n violin- ist and a girl sid»» dancer, were th.- a.ti-tic moment. The violinist doubles Into the pit, where he leads f<ir ihe last tew numb« rs. The Solo damer is so so. but the featured uiri holds much. An adagio double landed heavily, ami ihe mans itus- si.in solo, always sure ftrS at this house, duped, good small time turn Htanle> and Walters fNew Arts) followed, The pair e. ill never have i m pay any royalty en this one,, Cither for gags or blfS. The girl Is a looker and with an act they ; inlght hit the big loagoes, Kddle Heflf and Co (New Acts), another entry in the "lemon nit - * league, ware in the next hole. Kddle has evidently Pearl and O'Neal, and their an- nouncement of an Infringement suit was th.« comedy WOW of tlm season along Columbia Beach. Now along conn s Heff. and SteppeI with Dick Knowles, doing the bit I in the Keith-Alhee houses. Kits Gould followed the Juice peddlers In the be>t cycle o| songs she has exhibited. Mls»s Qould has improved cimsldorably since six- helped entertain the bo> s in tin ti.m hes. sin- has acquired QUease and showmanship. * Opening with an ordinary Intro- ductory number In which she kids her boyish bob. she follows with ' Re Vour A;;.-." per weakest Minn- her. • Kays," a sob ballad with the inevitable recitation, was gulped by this mob and sent her in high. "Who Says Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," with Kita proving by an exhibition of her own "slum" that the brum ts dO pretty w.11. Mas a pip number for her, and "Must Act/' following, another. In the latter she dons a red wig and smock for some burlesque dramatics that land right up alongside the pin. it was only a pitch shot ."rom there foi her encore. "Red, lied Robin. * She has dressed her turn elaborately and carries a male pianist. Kits In ready for the fastest company with hnr current turn. Mnm. Ifaree and Pttls. pony and dOg act. held the Closing spot, fol- lowed by "The fringe of Tempters,** feature. go*. 58TH ST. Harry Steppe ' ; identified quit. i ait \ 7T "hmoo Idi" was with HtepPO and n'V.'.il tor years In burlesque, When Miry riptit, f/Naal carried liis version to the Century Koef and did it wah .lack Pearl. Rteppe continued his version in burl earnie with another Straight a,an The Krutb rt* iiters• upon decided th* belonged to (Vaude-Picts) Nothing better than a routine small-time show for the BC< ond half. Good house Friday night, with plenty of standees." Six acts of vaudeville and "Oigoio" a\ i\ q.) as the screen feature. Neither could claim any part of the draw, the neighborhood crowd coming here regularly through force of habit and lack of bppOSitlOn In the neighbor- hood. That probably tells it. The Collegians (two men and a woman) Opened with a fast routine of tumbling, balancing ami other acrobatic feats. All handled skill- fullj and effectively, to merit de- served applause. Costuming was also in keeping with the billing, the boys garbed as wide-trousered "eakies" and the girl In flapper sport attire. KeiJIy and Doran (New Acts), on next, managed fairly well with a routine of chatter and songs of tl ht at ion variety, plus a dash of melodramatic satire for a finish. Lawrence and Gray (mixed team) scOred heavily on comedy in the follow-up with as neat a line of hokum as eould be desired. The comic's genteel DutCS was an ad- ditional asset in planting the laughs. The girl, a stately brunet with splendid contralto, handled numbers well and also made a good foil, working in a tempo that kept the COmio on his toes. The material was also above average. A good bet for this type of time and one that will work up to better things. Hugh Skelly-Emma Hell and Co.. the latter three girls, offering a singing nod dancing revue in which the girls contributed most of the stepping. Skelly clowning in and out to keep the laughter flowing*and making g good job of it with the uptown mob. Tim Wallop of the get at the Friday night session uas crabbed when Skelly'a revolver lammed at the juncture where he was to have shot the mislii feni quartet as the pay-off. When the pistol refused to work the girls Were left with nothing but a Blow- walkoff. Mayo and Bobby, male duo, were comedy hits of the mil next to clos- ing. Mayo doing his semi-effeminate "hehe" to big returns. The Chatter held them. A ballad by the "straight" In rich baritone counted, while Mayo's somnambulist soon panicked them for howls. Grabbed legitimate Show-stopping honors in this spot and can duplicate any- where at present pace, Th.' Caulfleld - Kitehie lievue, a mixed darn ing team ami male pian- ist, doubling as ivory tick lei and songster, closed with a routine of darning capably btuilled. Besides, each number was costumed in good taste, The girl's acrobatic stuff was tin particular stand rout, although the. male memh< r also gave a good account Of himself as a stepper, LINCOLN SQ. (Vaude.-Picts.) bight on Quantity hot heavy on I finality, considering the four acts' I fratneup, this L<>»w house at iio- Broadway and Cotunvhu* 1 av« nu«- ln- tersectlon of f.Gth street, sewn* only handicapped t'.v the capaHty limi- <ati..ns. Tiny were .-itndiuu r\x\n through the entire raudevil'e s^c* tion and not all lnherite<l seats with the Inception <'f the llnal per- formance Of the "Four Horsemen" I Valentino) re% Ival. Two comedy hiuh lifhn were Kpolted H^rol'id—iTiltl—third.— H ' Vlllli Kdwai ds is a iik< ly performer, Ins nersonalHy and ttk« stuff suggesting ntghf clith door |»ossli>ii • ties where, Iortili'd with a Kli»» line Ol talk. In- can help fill the curre-iit dearth of cafe confereiiolers. flesssr and Bfilfonr*, In the treV and inOXt -to-shut y i".f, n,k^t\ tr» a Hugo seorS Ressei " t»-aoo «i with Irwin, male partner, for a COUple of seasons. Miss iiaifour. his pres- ent vis-a-vis, impresses favorably as a straight, also managing some harmless vocalising decently. Besser iioe.s a hybrid character of "nui" ami light Viii comic, presenting equatl) as hybrid an admixture of corned) that is m w and trite, lb ill do tlm ancient business of "hope-to-dle-on-thls-spot,*' hopping away from tin- 'si»ot," ami then square hhhso'f with ;l n<w wrinkle. BeSSCr is one of those tannics of whom a reviewer will speak opti- mistically the first or second lime out, but after H number of audi- tions, it becomes apparent that pa sser's possibilities never advance beyond the hopeful stage. Besseir is not Unfunny and In truth seems capable of considerable advance- ment if he. or some Interested pro- fessional mentor should prove capable of sounding his depths. Opening were ponslnrs Monkles; closing The Pa mil) Mbum° ( New Acts). A favorable nxture at »!>«• house is that peppy trench orchestra. The trumpet player and drummer sound tike they bad dance band schooling, the brass particularly cutting up with some interesting mute stuff to ja/./ up the dance accompani- ments. Hetween traps and trumpet, the pit gang are made to sound very Important, although actually about six or seven. The length of the Valentine re- issue prompted the curtailment of the stage presentations. Seemin rly the reported slashing of the Rtm did not apply for the Lincoln Bouar* exhibition Which. according to schedule. Is allowing a'mosi an hour and a ball for its screening* m f Abel. CITY (Vaude-Picts.) • I'roving 'hat men iidnioer ol |>erformerS and Hash of sta^. ou- s.nible do not alont make «-nter- talnment, the second half frame-up here had upward of S| peoph- concerned in eight acta, it was about as dull and uninspiring an evening as you could get for four bits. Nobody was conspicuously bad, but in the summing tip a iwiir of contortionists who opened the bill and the Fourteen Virginians, JaSS orchestra, who closed, were the only consistent specialists "n the tunning and the two best Items. Most of the others talked—in- ched, it is seldom you llnd so loqua- cious an aggregation these days, when nearly all the conversational acrobats have been coaxed and btdlied to turn voiceless and singers confine themselves to singing. The contortionists were 1-ustcr Mros., Tuxedo* d men, who have a particularly Clean-cut routine of bends and twists that get away from the familiar work in tnis spe- cialty. Lavigne Young opens with woman going into pianolog. then switching to plant in box. an Italian dialect comedian, who. upon coming to stage, turns out to be a much better high baritone than comedian. She sits on his hat. and be rays "You THINK yon sat on my haf, you know damn well you sat on my hat." Yes. that kind of com- edy. I'or tb»- finish she sings ja*/. and he does operatic response-, working into good getaway. As long as they sing they do Well, but the comedy is terrible, sixteen minutes of this. Maurice Barrett and <!o. spring a dramatic sketch (New Acts). Everything that has been said in opposition tO bad talk and its dis- astrous effect upon good specialty goes doUble for Will Auhrey and Co. They use tip seven minutes getting ti Sketch Started and then forget It and turn six lively dancing girls loose to saVe the day, while Aubrey", who up to then has ie vealed himself as a pretty bad dialog promoter, does a dialect yodllng number that makes him friends, His little medley with his own accompaniment an the guitar also was acceptable and the dancing girls were distinctly wele..me In an evening not so exhilarating. Tt»ero Was, h> sid< s. a Juvenile who couldn't < ither talk or sing, and a third man who could dahce plenty, but suf- fered keenly when he tried to sup- p a t elocution. Troiubettas to».k up the eoiiver* nation at this point, but the. come- dian used a tliii K dialect and got over something like the Balleff ef- fect of scrambled Knglish. it a relief, at least, from the talk, un- gariri hi d v\ nil dialect, His tmttfa - tions are amusing and he downed them handily. Larry Clifford ^\ith "Show Busi- ness,!' which ban been somewhat extended; put ovei n sketch in terms of ^iie'iru- and dancing, and every- body liked it. They Start In t the- atrieai p>auager's office. Actors ami actresses come for rejh^fs'gl, all talking in riiyine after tin manner of "patty * sbngs." Then fin v do ii hit of dramatic burlestiue, dull* but \ ed by n — burb - xnu ^ 1 of th e s am t action immediately following^ hnd get aWav t.» a jassy t»attc»- finish for a brisk total. Hilly Melhioiott. tramp monot..- ^i>t, fol|oWed in When the amii- enee wa.s all but lulked lo death, and what be suffered wan hesrt- reudhsgt McI>ermott has an In- stnoattng tin<> t,f business thrit p •• i with his talk and it ought to have gotten him something, hut by the audience was In i frame of mind where they wined .u tho sound of tin- human voice. They came partly t<. lltV when he went into his Spanish opera burlsgqut it is tlu» poorest part ot his rou- tine, but it was song Instead of talk, and the audience laughed at the horseplay; Tin- Fourteen Virgin la na were disidosed as e.dh c:an -lo.dvhu young men. most with saxophones or i «>r- nets in their mouths, and on this promise— which was fulfilled- ih< > were a riot from the start. (>ew Acta.) Hush. JEFFERSON (Vaude.-Pct.) Not a vaudeville "name'' on ih<> S-ai t bill last half, with the com- edy resting solely on the shoulders of one young man. Ken Murray. He is a tall, breezy boy who w ars a silk dher and makes his verbal efforts heard in the Uppermost part of the gallery. That manner of making himself heard down there stood him In good stead when lis came on later to do his act. Murray's style of comedy before he had finally bowed Off for the night seemed to hit on all cylinders on 11th street. Prior to the .h«f* fersbn date Murray has been ap- pearing with a young woman billed as Charlotte; at the .left he had a young woman along, but he called her Thelma or Solma; it didn't matter much. She sure pulled a corking and slashing Black Bottom that just about scored the biggest apnlnuse hit of the show (and it d dn't seem the lc:«st bit naughty the way she did it because she was dolhg it right). Altogether, it was a big night for Ken, put him in right, and with the girl whanging over a sure lire, he Was the outstanding comedy slam. Dm- must allow for what laugh- ter John Irving IPlsher landed, but with John's piano following Rmh) Ball's session at the Instrument, several o; Fisher's "bits," while quietly worked up—he was on fifth —hit hnms with those who are wise to wise-cracking gags these dayi of wise-cracking monologlsts. I'ierlot and Schotield opened tho show. Credit must be given to their effort to brighten up the turn, the woman pepping up the juggling and balancing done by the man in a way that can't miss in the neighbor- hoods. McDonald and Oakes fared best on their dancing, the vocal part not carrying so much weight. Krnest Hall, with a double quar- tet of men. sang all of Ernie's old ballads to a fare-1 he-well. With Kr- nle occupying the main attention and also soloing a few times him- self. On sixth was the Rudolf and Kl- ton Revue, and this act made a most pleasing impress^'ii, the work of Miss Klton being exceptional. This young woman Is not only a graeefid ami daring ballerina, but she dis- plays amaslng skill, brought out most advantageously In her first adagio number. This act can also be nicely placed In the picture houses. Next to rinsing was Murray, do- ing his regular art and making the most of It. He mopped up. The ( loser was Tariella and Clark (New Acts). The feature film w»>nt on around 10:30 p. m , making It a lato show tit this house. Math. GREELEY SQ. (Vaude.-Pcts.) Not a single newcomer among Ihe four acts that comprised the vaudeville portion of ihe program at this bouse the last half last Week. Hill was Cttt to lour acta, as the house was playing the revival 01 "The Four Horsemen." As that Rim fuhs two hours and live min- utes, the stage entertainment was cu rtalled. Friday night, with a torrent of run, bu s ine ss WAS P'etly well shot. Lower floor was lean than three- quartern filled and the balcony light. FYed nod Al Smith (not the Gov* ernor). with a very snappy gym- nastic routine, opened, l<e||y and Knox following. Tin latter team have ah Idea that gets some laughs, but it doCsn't carry the act. The man's veil e is depended on to b U sicr the final Section. He tackles a number as a so!k about hal" Way and then woiks inlo n dint with the girl at the finish. This leaves that portion entirely laughless. The hit was registered, also "in one," by l.ubin. Lowrie and .Vbimly. Originally this was a two act, with l.ubin and T.oui ie. Th< y have gdded n girl who Works as a brown -d m. She Is on for H flash at the j opt-nine with the Straight man and later slips over a fast too rag. Tin three build »n> Into a fast dancing tinii. with the cotnedlan sidling iir audience r hard sla>«. date e |9o pet e. -n*. <' l o" iti K w m " an ad f a r th a u pp o- i it Ion in t b.- fa. nmount Quinttt. The aei w.i^ originaliy oaugnt at. • hi - sritne bou-e ;i little ovora year igo ItoUiiue rcinallirj pretty much the same. Th • women arc both d opraoOs and they do sell tho i n timbers I a >he autllstrlert. a t