Variety (Feb 1927)

VARXBTY NEW ACTS THIS WEEK WtdoMday, Febnuury 88, 1887 WAYBURN'8 iUDt OF *f7 (12) 37 Mint.; On« ami Full (•p«eial) Palace (St. V.) Ned Wayburn'a annual ravue, eaat from tha graduates of his dancing scliool, are holding forth in a much better than average act in tbe "Budfl of 1937.** Sammy ]>wla, a comedy dancer and comer: Herbe De Bell, a good looldng sweet voiced lead; Floyd Carter, a singing and dancing youth, and Beryl V«a Horn, m talMtad and pftty yMMg^^HlM, ara featured. Roger Gray wrote the dialog, and if that includes the "sidewalk chat- ter in one" between H«len Shapiro mmd lUtmtM, he will talw no bows; Morrie Rysklnd did a neat job on the lyrics and Walter O. Samuel, a tlnd, wrote the muaio. which in- Mvaral tunas that > will be whiatlad. The act is routined in revue fash- ion, opening with an anaemble. •9aig of Itn.** m flowar garden Idea, then an acrobatic dance by Herbe de Bell, followed by another full stager, with Qertrode London. >9Mra Jaekaon. Barbara La May, Helen Shapiro and Florence Kael- K-er. costumed to represent old song hlta with apm'oprlate danceo. An oootame dance by Sammy Lowis next went big, dui. to excel- lent legomanla stuff. "Any Old Time With Tou." sung by Van Horn nnd Ovtar, sounded like a corking lyric and melody. Gertrude London registered when following In an aero danoa, ai|d Althea Helnly. « pvetty IHlia kittker and contortion dancer, dltto'd with "Flip. Flap, Flapper" and dance. Lewla and Shapiro, again in •HOBo. Hallo, Hallo,'* gim a fair delivery. The classical moment, fol- lowed when a silver drop grounded for Honriette Henri «t the piano, siigir Taylor with TtoUii. «■« Mtas Van Horn and Mr. Carter vocalic- Ins "Little Dream That'll Come True." backed by an -^tUt^ seen thrsagh a serlm droii. Shapiro and Lewis next cross- fired bid gags inefrectually, but clicked with dancing, and Barbara lift May sH»pa< ant of a frame for a whale of an acrobatic contortion (lance. This specialty, however, can be cut conaiderably. It ran min- utes too long. "Black Black Topsy," with Helen Shapiro leading, followed by Nora Jackson, who ologged up the pro with • Ma«kboltom servod hot, prefaced a finals . iffllii everybody doing a stomp. Waybum haa assembled enoub'b talM to aattaty any audience. Youth aTid ability are here plenty and backed by a lavish production. The special aonga, thanks to Messrs. RyAlnd ant SaanMls. Mft tks act into class channels, and the dancing is of high calibre. The vocalizing of one or two of the principals, osMf bs Unproved upon but tha act is enteriai nH i i i>» kp tstr tfia way. , "Considerable pruning can be done and wftMi aantwilkiisd tha flash will be ready for the biggest and best. It's a worthy effort and fath- oms above the usual flash dancing turn of this ty^ Cmu KKANI ANQ WHITNKV "The Faker** , 18 Mine.; One and Full (tpsoial^ Palace i^t. V.) Robert Bmmstt Keane and Olairs Whitney are ufcing tl»e same aot. "The Faker, " that Jim Diamond and Sybil Brennan have appeared In around the east Ksane and Whit- ney played the act In the west. The Palace is the only eastern date where Diamond and Brennan haven't appsaMd ted It wlU bs tha only eastern stand of Xsana and Whitney in * The Faker." The act was written by Edwin Burke and strlkss a high average for laughs. It Is a satire on the various stages of courtship begin- ning with the flirtation, through ^he various fevers to marriage. Keane, as the fakeit, lectures upon the characteristics of the victims as the little comedy unfolds, making out a strong case against the woman in his' rola as the reprssentatlve of a society to save men from Just such designing females. At the finish, after all his cynical analysis, hs -W- wsasstsii by a woman who tells him she enjoyed his lecture and he immediately succombs to her wiles. The pafttar of Keane pulki aon- siKtent laughs althoui^" kl a few spots it niiHses. However,"^ the idea holds the attention all the way. Xenno and Jim Diamond nra two diametrically. opposite types yet each gets 100 per cent results out of the same role. Claire Whitney and Sybil BfUMMs an HM MCrssss leave Httle ta bs desired., P. J. O'Connor was satisfactory as 'the chump. Ce». ALMA NEIL80N and CMIi <•> "Any Step" Revue 20 Mins.| Full (Special) Hippodrome (V.-P.) Alma Neilson must be somebody according to the program billing that she gets at tha Hippodrome this weak. Her aaaM la IS-point fnllfaos tops everything also on the program. And Alma personally may be worth It. She sings, dances, doss some olsysr tba stuff and Anally shows that shs la capable of delivering a line of aerobatics. That meana that aha would be a great IHtls bet to stick into one of tho PubUs Theatres rsvues with a show built around her. The present arrangement which she is present- ing is just a small time flash and nothing mora. It ia badly stagafl and never seema abia to got away from that fact. With Alma there is a sister act, the Chalafont Sifiters, who have the all. There are also a couple of boys who supply the hoofing, and not half bad at that only not Bpottsd rifllit ai^^lll advised as to tho Introduction of an eccentric dance number in grotesque cos- tumes. There ia also a piano player but no d^ 'Tha slaisr aei -dtarto IMngs with a number and Miss Neflson makee her appearance from a huge tele- phone doll after singing a bit off stags. Comli^r on with this Im- mediately following Ruby Norton on tho bill she didn't get the hand that sha dsservod. Then there Is a brief bit of daaaing fer the ^pHna donna and the hoofing boys are ushered m with the prima donna mimiclng all their routines on her toes, a clever bit. . r Wvmm ilMtt an HmoisI runs right along In the same groove to the BALTIC NAVAL OHOIIUS (U) Russian Singers 12 Mins.) FuU (Special) Hippsdrsma <V.P> This Is a Russian singing com- bination composed entirely of male voices. It is the same aggregation that vas ntlltoad aa a pvalog to the legitimate theatre showing of the Russian film "Potemkin** In New York several weeks ago. On that occasion they presented a much longer program. In vaudeville they are before the set of a battleship deck that was used with the pic- ture. Tim flisn rsp r sss n t tho arew. While they stick to Eusslan num- bers the boys are all right but when they get away from their native composition it's not aa good. It was most noticeable when they of- fered ''Massa's in the Cold, Cold Ground." There has seldom been so many discords on any stage. There are 11 singers and one dancer. The latter is used for the finish doing a sort of a Russian hornpipe that got a hand. A mistake in the lighting was made at the finale. For the earlier part of the act the iippresslon was that Of a ship at sea at night and it was effecMva. Then for the dance the lights came full up and killed the earlier Illusion. The lif hts should have remained down and a spot only have been used for the Fred. VARIETY REVUB Dancing and Song f; ' 17 Mine.; Three and Full (ipiatal) State (V-F.) ■ Pleasing tail-ender featuring Mme. Nina and Mons. Vladimir. I finish, except for the bit of acro- Curtain rises on group of eight 1 batio dancing that Miss Neilson wood-nymphs kneeltag over m tear-1 contribttteg and which WM a^haad step alter at the top of which Is perched a tltlan-haired godde The last named swings Into a toe \ dancing classic with the eight ^^■^'f^^i'-^-**^*-^^^ niais—■ irtli u%m iHth^elartrtng W; v cymbals. i2silII1^ mtM Madame and. Monsieur later do I . J*"**** Z^TL^ some expert interpretive adagio 1 fV»F) dancing, bam atthred la a sslnlmma | Bforytklng saauasd up In Mi amount of clothing. The fade- ^^.,1^ gong», aolMm outs are nicely worked through a -^^♦w revolving platft>rm. A single turn» ^ " oimimm nam noveiiy mMMa^^nw evgnt gtns aiursa m Dutch coetumee warblfaig a sfini [isaint gn naoeplabls piotiOitMiHi ter A female solo vocalist emerges glelnra houses. It Is not a from the ran ks to put over a chorus ^^ale of a musical combo yet it has wtmn wamiSM ' sufflcient talent to put over the The feature dancers return 'or nmnbemaadsfeMlrMvp some rapid, eccentric waltzing In | partldriitf Hi^S oostumee of the tO's. The girls are tiv* fln^^ oa ii^ li gir«M MMl«sft m MSik- V. wmwm <iip^ mmrn^.m wm^ i ^ directoress. She fiddles between marking the tempo her taek quietly, making is do any gymnastics or grandstand stuff through heir Slaoe down stage as leader. The '*redheads" look pretty nat- a may be a dyed-bob or rnmimniaM — -mm^Am Am»,m*\^^ ^^t the tltlan-halred effect Is ^TlSJSSo3!^eSre\fSe1^ MILDRKQ PARISKTTl Sengs Roger Sherman, New Haven (P) Mildred Parisette, late feature of. the Havana and Montreal Opera I y*^ * FRANKLIN QISIS F. IA. (Continued fMm page 1> JMiMY KIMPIR gf«d S5 Mine.; Full Stage Jimmy Kemper, who Is no stranger to the middle western s t a g Sb de cs n n ^^MM^r to haM kagC up with the pace set by eastern bands of versatility. Kemper has tried but while he has an orchestra Of nine pieces that mIgM gal aver BuiTOunded by talent, the talent necessary isn't there. That takes In Kemper. In oonstruetlon the act would be railed odd In these sticks. It's an- nounced as a world's tour and starts that way, with Kemper com- ing an to do his sorig stuff, without the stuff explaining the reason. Most of the time, after posing on a thMe*step stircase, he appears to be looking at the SMon or the gal- lery. Later he does a dramatic bit, • unsuspected and unrelieved. After that there are a couple of dancing boys in close formation and a kicking girl. When the act Is about to be or should be over, the seme announosr eomea fbrth to say they are going back to AflMrica. It's too late. dime. Roger Sherman, week of Feb. 14. A totur of the Loew picture houses fol- up to its billing. One girl, and she appaaia la be about the youngeet, la the spright- llcst and most peppery of the lot; Miss Parlsetta haa n soprano voice of genuine worth and a per- \ ^^^ whangs a banjo, sings two num son and personality that attracted at the close goes in for a generous comment. Her voice Is etrutting that Indicates she smooth, thorougMy trained and be used to even greater ad- capable of filling Inrge houses with- vantage. For the most part the out- out a strain. She Is young andM*^ ^ strictly a musical unit, the strongly appealing to the male con- • routine that re- tlngent. She ihdwed a Itiin^flniis outsUnding work with the •Improvement between her Jfeiljpd instruments. A bass viol and 'cello last shows opening day. ^re used by one girl for excellent Able to sing several langiuiges, l*armeny results, and ths miss play- ana had a little dttBouty In select. hf« ^« I^?*''- m numlters. A German thing '^^OP^®"** is nicely inter- wag dropped for "A Kiss in the Po«««- Dark." and even this does not seem The musical array is Miss Egan, the happiest sslecUon possible. But with violin, the other girls playing a numbev iniMi "Fauet** was ad- trombone, drums, banjo, trumpet, mirably s\ing and enthiwlastically "a^c (». bass viol and piano, received. Another like it, less con- I A good act of its kind and surefire WHITNEY REVUE (S) Dances and Songs to Mins.1 Pull 6th Ave. (V-P) Verner Maurice Whitney presents this excellent revue carrying his proper name. Featured are Merita d Bedanok and If a revue doesn't grab this pair It will be strange. This team of adagio dancers is not exactly sensational but supply corking exhibition. TIm girl Is In the air most of the time^ although she is quite a toe an attractive figure. Also present are Paqulta Dias, a other of the act's features slated for the legitimate, and Fortuna Bonanova and Marcella Rey. the names indicate, the perfennere are foreigners. The Whitney girls, four in num ber, are well matched and cleverly trained. Their ensemble work is not oenflned ts a stralglit ravtlne but mahidea tag daneing, and there Is a novelty number Isnding the impression of comedy. Senor Bonanova is a tall bari- teW» nmh a vsal votes. First aa a cabdlero he dashes OS ssveral num- bers in Spanish, then changes to tux and sings a couple of pops in Bngllsh. 8>sms aa If he' had about one too many songs. Benor- ita Diaz is slender, has poise and a delicate grace that ia more at- tractive than the actual dancing asaidea, aha Is a Hslnr.* The costuming Is done with the taste of real production stuff. The girls look particularly well in a yellow and Black color eoheme. The Whitney flame la class act, to be rated among the best of Its kind this season and befitting any type of big vaude or picture the- ati^gi Ikes* shews under his mr, according to report. West Coast Theatres did a gross business of |1S,000.000. It Is possible that a few Of those In executive positions with tha PubHz argaalaatlon and who were In oloee contact .with Franklin win go ta the Coast WttH him. Franklin is at pi^aent, and baa bee» for eome time past, a dirsotor and a member of tiM ezecutivia committee of the Famous Players*. Lasky Corp., aa well as vice-presi- dent of Publix Theatres Corp. and an executive officer in many impor* taat aahsidlariaa. Came From Buffalo It was he who organised and placed the Famous P}ayers theetrss on a paying basis. He came ta F. P.-L. fronii Buffalo, where he was managing director for Mike Shea. Under Franklin's guidance the F. P. chain grew to be among the mieat important theatre circuits in the country. Links were added to the chain, new alliances formed and partners taken In until about IS months ago this cirenit formed the nucleus of the now tremendous Publix Theatres Corp.. organized by Sam Kata of Chicago when tho Balahan * Kata amalgamated with Playera theatrea FrankUn has poeelbly been tho princi|>al reason for Famous Play- ers acquiring some eC tho beslr theatree in 4he country. During thn past five years he has financed, de* signed and supervised the building of more than 60 houses for tho droultt' ■'■ ■ ^tli#.''.>4ramaag PAUL BROS. (2) Aorobats Minai Twe Opening aoana contains a laugh ss the curtain rises on a man straining hard to support a wooden leg. The rest of the act consists af ranttoa pela and head balancing. Tmpese work from tha top of the pol« is worked in effectively for the closing. The strong man fakes stuff. Good ventional than Herbert's "Kiss." would be more In keeping with her elbility. And she could easily stay m the neighborhoods. HUNTBR AND PBfVCIVAW on longer. Hotter selection of dress (»^,^^y should help a little. m:«!. . A-. DisUnctly adass net that la not mr^ JZ'm^ (V too highbrow ta eliek with avsry-' ^ ^ ' body. Man and woman. The latter sings, nothing to rave about, yet suffl- cient to fill in and give the man a breathing spell. She handles crossfire, her partner affecting DIAr MONKEYS 8 Mins.; Three (Spoetal) State (V-P) Fast work by group of well- I^aWaa makeup and dialect. The trained chatterers, scoring fron> mlxeo gags with some lariat ^t^rt; Register for laughs with "winging, danees and aorobatica. all queer strut ;m(l colored trappings. ««*»'ved «s a comedy prescription. Put thiouKli uHual routine, while The man Is a hard worker and UDovi-nly nmtcheU pairs stage mock gets results. He and the girl have battles. The star hionk goeH through & last minute "bit" with Inflated u regular acrobatic trapeze routine, toy balloons that Was funny to the r'llmMX 1h with four monks lying Broadwayites. on floor and twirling tiny barrelx Not a bad act and should All a on their legs a la Nipponese. Very spot where comedy Is. necdetl. hig No. 1. Anita ZMas Is tha trslaar. I Jfarh. ^OC HERLIHV OUCHKSTRA (11) Roseland Ballr e emt New York Joe Herllhy Is very popular In the New Bngland territory, particularly around Boston, where he held forth at the State baUroom and le now situated at the exclusive Lambs' Club, a membership dine-and-dance place differing from the New York night clubs with their promiscuous couvert admissions. The Herllhy band Is gaited pri- marily for dance qualifications and fulOUs it to the utmost The ad- vent into New York as a special guest attraction was solely on tho recommendation of Jean Goldkette, who played opposite Herllhy at a ipscent Boston ^engagement. The leader Is the arranging star of the combination, presiding at the Steinway. with Joe Breck. violin, conducting. Breck la an energetic and effective performer, stepping around briskly and Jazzing the pro- ceedings generally. Tom Maren i.** business manager of the outfit. WaMs arrangementsb with the three-violin and string battery, stand out alonp with the hokum numbers which are limited by re- Ti m i t n irlnf l o th e U nee l a na u b .lection to stopping the dancers, who invariably crowd around the plat- form. The management prefers to keep 'em stepping and circulating. It's a nice brisk combo and slated for a New York return at an enrly date. They siiTirost slnpo i)ossll)lli- ties because of their versatili;..-. AM Among other hlnewtttomi s r e di iad to FrankUn Is the aataMlshment of the first theatre managers' training school, now in Its third term. It was he also who induced John Murray Andersen to desert tHa togHlmala theatre In favor of staging gtagaa* tatlons for the Publix houses. For more than a year past Frank- ling has been besieged by offers from various theatre dreuita. It la known that one of the largeet vaudeville circuits has been after his services on at least three differ- ent 'Ccasions during thai time. Several other motlen ptoUa i a dhalMI have also been angling for him, but the West Coast propooition is the flret one that he has taken under serious consideration. Hnyden, Stone * Co., the hanking house which is Interested in tha operation of the West Coast The- atres, as well as to a certain degree in the North Americw Theatres and in tha Aasoeidtad Ftest Kn» tional, Is said to have been the factor which finally got Franklin to consent to sever his present connec- tion and take over the operation el the West Oaaat rtMiln. K iia Uail o n g have been going on for more than six weeks and contracts were finally signed last week, with the agree- BMUt to W ratlisd at a board od directors' meeting of West Coast to be held in Loe Angeles either ta^ day or tmorrow (Thursday). Franklin stated this week that West Coast had ben competently operating a large number of the* atres, that the foundation of the circuit had been well laid and that it Was his hope that he could build on that; fbundatlen. No Staff Charges Franklin also stated that the present staffs of Wast Coast Thea* tree would be rstalined and that there will be a place for all that have devoted themselves to the in- terests of the company. Whatever changes to be introduced will be for the expansion of the present holdings of the organization. With the announcement of Frank- lin's resignation from Famous Play- ers there were rumors to the effect that the Publix organisation had taken over these hoUsee. This waS absolutely denied. At the offices of Publix it was stated that no plans had as yet been made for the replacing of Mr. Franklin and that at prese nt i'.) re was no one individual that could be^ placed in the position he is vacating. Among those that might possibly go to the coast with Mr. Franklin are a number of rxooutlves who have been active in the r il e.«^tato and rervicj and maintenance divi- sions of theatre operation.