Variety (Jun 1927)

50 VARIETY LEGITIMATE PLAYS ON BROADWAY PADLOCKS OF 1927 Newark. N. J., May 3t. Tmx.is ^'iiiKin H ui.'l ill this "satirical r«vuH" .lui li'ii >-'t )<> i;ntl.ir'l MitcJonald and Billy KoHrt ('mi)Iv .ml lyiicsi; music liy I^€»« Da . i l. • 'ii-^.T and Urniy V. Tobi.ui. 1*1 .■^. ti;.-1 h; C. Willi.iin Morffan- •tern an.! Anion V. Sci^ilia; (llrei-led by Macd.inal'l; dan.'e>l by .John l:<iyle; .'-•■t- tinRa by Irving Kastnian; custunies by Mahi(>u. OpenM at tne Shubert, Newark, ]f»r 30. Caat Includes Mlxs Ouinan, Helen ship- man. Bobby Watson. Carl D. I'ranri.s. Edward J. I^nibpr. Rone Kessner. N»t Renard, T.illian West. Jans and Whalen. Bryson ami J.-nes. R.>mi\n<.'«»ra Quartet, nilly (JrfiMi, Wilti'i nurkp. Paul Maiknian, Herbert llarr. M >lly Dohcrty. Ormond Hlstcr.s, rticlps Twins. T.illiin Uoth, Arthur Campbell. (;<>.iic:e oDuiin. ll Mrina Herich. Karl W.»l''r>, 1 ..I ir.-i t.i I'liliiKin. Doris Pel- Iftlm. Calh.'iine . •• iTi-lall. V.illliof ( Texas Ouinan Cluti'.s bea.l waiteri .ind the T'^x.ts atroll(«r8 (band <'f .six) unler Anthony Olannitto'n direc tion: .tKo .>h..rua if 24. 16 9borua firls and eiKht sh<>wgjtl8. "Padlocks of 1(>27" in predicted Upon a fundamentatljr unsound Ibeory of flauntiner violation of a , national anvnilmont and flagrant exerciHo of publi'- £?yi)pory at the faces of the AnK'iicaii public. With- out holding: any briefs for the 18th amendniont. nnd concurring fully with a more or less popular metro- politan antipathy against a law that makes this nortiirnal camel resort to thirst quenching with spurious Instead 6t genuine and unadulter- ated l)evoratro, we are basically a law-abiding: people, hence the bad tiiste on this preniiKe. What add.s evfn preatf^r in.sult to injury is the basic crowing over the larceny perpetrated in any night club in payinii? $40 per quarts a popular "Padlocks of 1927" liquid quotation, although not orthodoxi- cally so. applyint^ to any other Joy cave. Still, the exaggerated flnan- eUil »tiiiidftl*d for bartering illicit beverage i.s but a hf^ifrhlonod re- action to the conditions existing in tiM fiit^ life. And so, while Mi.ss Ciuinan, or her librettists, may think it naieve for provincial Newark to feature these tilted financial figures in the "book," reduce it to the personal equation And a number of problematic con- jectures pres«'nt th«>maelves. For one thing, is it wise for Tex i» brug about her rate of exchange for nitt' t lul> t'n'< rl linni'-nt (") — that ? go a both tor tho iiitfrpreta- tion of "entertainment" and for grammatical purposes. Sec(»ndlv, om^ wonders how some Federal C ourt jurist, or a Federal enforcement official, might react to the boi.st< TOMS br.urk'.tdocio of tlie liquor trimmings in the revue. It's still a que.*«tion wlljk| ft dbld sobi r audience will think Of, tho ' I'adloeks" star's "sucker" braVado; of her personality, and of hei^ enter- t.i ijuneiit. The lUKht elub patrons visit the gypperies and takeries disguised as cabarets or clul>s for ono of soveral reasons, and all of them know it's J. gyp before they surrender their ehap(>aiix at the gate. liut take a theatre audience, cold sober after the evening repast, and tlirust a counterpart of a nocturnal madhouse before their conscious- nos.e;, and what can be the reaction for them in nlation to Mis.s Cui- nan's elui), and to every form .oX night clubdom or night life? They are faced with the prime perpetrator of genteel financial ex- traction brazenly lampooning her form of piracy. It's a cinch this will nf>t imhire a visit to any night club lliat evening, let alone Miss Guinan's place of nocturnal diver- tissement. Not only will it boom- erang for all night life, but for her- self primarily. On top of that, who will want to pay an additional $3 or $4 couvert to get another load of Ouinan after two and luttC hcMin of lier in the theatre? l»robably no one knows it better than Texas Ouinan that she Is no comedienne or even a good revue participant. Tex appreciates that Morganstem A Sdlbilia M paying her $3,500 a week (four weeks up in advance in a sound financial in- stitution by grace of m Mr. Kauf- man of the Bronx, the "angel") not for her histrionic talents, ¥ut for her name and tiifn^ as a eafe per- sonality. And that's about all Miss Ouinan shows in the shoWt her rep. For a starring reyuo, ilho to too economic with her person or her talents, but after a flash at either or both, it's Just as Welt An at- tempt at fortifyhig her presence with skit and "black-out" material is made, but it should be a better YORK THEATRES GEORGE WHITE'S APOLLO %^^f POPULAR M.^T.^ \vi;n & sat., i.to LAST 2 WKKKH GEORGE WHITE'S SCANDALS ^^^ 4^ AT nOX OFI'ICB FOR ALL PKitl'OUMANCli.'S Helen Ford tal the t'tteriy Diflfereiit MuHiral C'oniedj PEGGY-ANN wail I.ri.l] .McCONNELL J71 TIMnF West 42^ St. Bvea.8:30. -EiLtllPl^jA Mats. W«d. and Sat. ZIEGFELD THEATRE^\^,^Jt Mats. TlinrHdajr and Saturday GLORIFYING THB AMEBIC AN GIRL TIeketo at Kok Oflk'c 1« Weeks Ahead THE CREATEST SHOW EVER PROOUCEOt Reserved Seat3-$1, |1 SO, |2, )S 50. $3.50. $4 »nd 15 Thurtday MatineM—11 to $3. "BY ALL MEANS GO TO SEE TOMMY • A DELIGHTFUL COMEDY" —Hammond lli'r»l(t Trilmiio HENRY MILLER'S EVES. 1:30. MATS. THDBa ik tAt.; t Jl fill.RRRT MILLRR Treflents Holbrook Blinn tn FBRENC KOtNAm'S THE PLAY'S THE YfiIl«G' Wednesday, June 1, 1927 nil TimrkDC l*'l< "ft . W. of H'r Rvi. 4 10 mi« 1 nrlVrRCi M ils. WeJ. *nd Sat. tM *ahc Barker" with WALTER HUSTON TIIUIITQ QO J!""*, w «i.i St. I'.vd. 8 :io IllTICO tJVi. M,,,^ Tlrir*. & Sal.. i.M A. II. \VOOI»M prosontw I CRIME A Melodramii »r Nt-w Vm-U'M Underworld wMIl CHESTER MOiUUs—riMNK M. THOMAS •im Ca»( o! 100 iCnM»lrAvlMM*lr*v 38 St KfM. 1:10 Mata Wad.. Sat.. t:SO Ab lodtspatable Mes^ A. T,. KitT,ANGER prtiAnta Eddie Dowling ll^.lt.'^" Honeymoon Lane - Theatre (^iiild Actinff f'oinpuny In - \V«>ok of May .tO PYGMAUON THE SECOND MAN Ctlll D ' W. r.tj .St Kvor s ^» Mi»l». Thiin. aiia sau. a.30 WcrU (if M.iy :{0 NED M'COBB'S DAUGHTER M «vk of .lime 0 THE SILVER CORD > GoMwi 5iu%.f TIT MONTH GIRLS 111 Longacre WANTED fwaM«««w isth St . W. of U way K\.-iiinK5i nt 8:30. MAT.S. WKD. & SAT. at I:I8. B ROADWAY ■y Pkilfp DNMiriiif A 9mrm AIMI BROADHURST Kvs. 8:30 llaU. Wod. A SaL t:M JANE COWL "The Road to Rome" FLA YHOUSE-Jj2rv?-":V«Kr J-S IF YOU DON'T ADVERTISE IN VARIETY DON'T ADVERTISE rit tempt. The sketches miss where they .sbouUl be more than aver.\iT«'Iy sorviceabie in order to sustain mat- ters. So much for the pesstmistie as- pects of Texas Quiiuui'a maidea .-^tarrinR: revue, •Padlocks of 1927- without a nif?ht club scene would be as in- (•ff»'(;tual as MI.s.s CJuinan without a nifc'ht club. - Tiio cafe atmosphere serves as the first act finale, which .Mliapes up ris the best thing: in the entire production. It is here that T^x has heir innings. She Is the mistro.sa of ceremonies. She cajoles unwilling and wondering pro- vincials into giving the little girls K'rout biHT bands; sho prnM^ts the ou.stomers known and unknown; throws pellets and clappers at tliom; introdtices each of her "kids" (entire Gulnan club show and band is transplanted onto the stage), and even has the dignified and weather-beaten Valhoflf, the h^ad- waiter, on the stage to dress the atmosphere. Val Is a valiant ally In this finale, knowing as if by instinct Just when Texas has run out of her harmless missiles which she is pro- pelling in endless stream into the au4tc4ieie;^'">'' The usual Guinanesque ad libitum witticisms punctuate the proceed- InpTs; she paps about Charley Frey and Harry Thaw; explains the pro- hibitive checks by the fact the chump had a couple of phone calls in the place which accounts for the telephone ntimber being added in on the sad news; tells another ump- chay his bank check is okay, i. e., after she finds he has already par- ticipated of the bill of fare and it woiild b# too lato to mj itAy, aiMI so on. This night club scene will do much to put "Padlocks** over, if over it gets, and what an oppor- tunity for a New Jork first night it will be! Miss Guinan and her feminine cohorts are all over the house, perfectly at home in the aisles as well as on the stage, rumpling hair and ties and patting strange male customers familiarly. Couple this opportunity with a sophisticated and familiar first ni^'ht attendance and it'll bo half the battle. It is not difficult to imagine how sensationally the intimate idea can be carried through by Texas when the show hits town. Originally slated for the Shubert. New York, next week, the metropolitan pre- miere may be deferred a week In favor of another dog stand in At- lantic City or thereabouts in order to give J. C. Huffman, the Shubert producer, who has been called in, opportunities to do his stuff. And postponed it should be, becavise the show needs pleAtjr of kneading and fixing. Its crudity was to be expected. The Memorial Day matinee was vir- tually a dress rehearsal. The per- formance was further handicapped by the absence of much scenery which had not been fully hung. The full Texas Guinan Club staff, such aa doorman, captaina» waiters, etc., to dress tho theatre lirlth tho destr^ able night club atmosphere, was also lacking in numbers and in ef feet; ■ But with It all, and considering every shortcoming, "Padlocks" still requlr<Mi fnilch to whtp It Into iihape It means more than a task of re- routining. It means complete elision of materlAl and substitution of something more substantial. Uallard Macdonald and Billy Rose, who are basically and pri marily lyric writers, have done a Kood Job on the lyrics, but in also essaying the complete "book" au- thoring they did not quite click Macdonald has done some of this sort of thing with LeMaire's "Af- fairs," although other skit fash ioners contributed there brij^htly. wliile Rose has yet to win his spurs as a scene scrivener. Both, in "Pad- locks." have been allied by Anton F. SCibilia, the co-producer, who collaborated with (Jeorge D. Wiest on a few Interpolations, while "Amy," a scene by Frank Conlan. is one of the best if not the best blftck-out In the revup. As for Scl- biliri's cM-vvritings, Wie.st is a wi-lttM- who iashioned material in the past for RoWie of Sc^billa's tab produc- tions, .so the latter wonld be wiser to eschew any dubious honors as a '•hook** <^6ntrfntitor and permit Wiost to rise or fall on his own i-ffort.s. Taking the show piece-meal, it is spotty khd ragged. It has a good dialert (nniic in Kdward .1. I.,im- bert (lio.se Kessnor is teamed with him part of the time) although i>er- I'.iiming indivirlually in the main. Lambert and his "Minnie Fish " act irom vaudeville are familiars. He Is one of the liriL^hte.st interludes in tho lovue and with some attention to his material will advance, re- gnrdlofls of "I'adloei<s." Hobby Watson is an experienced ind high-grade Juvenile without op- |M)itunities. Jans and Whalen are \audevill© recruits who have their momenta hiif ftiv> nUnffftfhAi. i^t^ f^y thur Campbell (formerly teamed with Hart, in vaudeville) also fills In creditably if not importantly. There is a newcomer, Lillian Roth, cafe graduate and who merits a paragraph because of her potential- ities. She looks "cute" and will de- velop into a servieeable rag .song saleswoman, although in this pro- duction she does two published numbers. Rose, Macdonald. et al., should write her a couple of exclu- sive ditties. The revue opens with "Newspai>er Notices," featuring the "Graphic," "Herald-Tribune" and "American." mentioning the resi)e('tive reviewers, and complaining about the verdict it's an "over-rated turkey." (The danger In these wittiei-sms Is that the criticisms might actually be Just that.) Tex makes hor entianee on a white stallion, the lighting effect going democratic, but suggesting it would be an effective opener. "If I Had a Lover," by Miss Ship- man and Francis, sounds like a promising ntimber. but thei^e is no opportunity for plugging, excepting for a brief reprise. **Texas, Rarnum and Cohan," by Tex, I^ambert and Watson, is a good lyric that should be elaborated with a little produc- tion and not nierely as an olio spe- cialty. It's a strong verse. "Tap Tap." by Watson and Molly Doherty (last at the Frivolity (Mub) is the first of some good dance num- bers by John Boyle, who has done a consistently good job. "Tom Tom Days" is in the same category and incidentally a good dance tune. Eddie Lambert, with a Miltgross- esque dialect speciiilty, scored gen- erously, and the Guinan club finale follows some innocuous skits. It's here that Tex declares that "if it weren't for prohibition where would I be?" The "Amy" sketch is the brii,'htest. also In the same smut black-out genera, although this is a light-up instead of a black-out. Th<' action is in the dark, Tex beseeching her lovor tot klM her, otc, meantime giv- ing an intimate undress Tex's tour of how she retires for sleep it gets pretty raw when lights up ond Tex and her lover are discovered in telephonic conversation, ho in a booth, she in bed. A Spanish idea reopens. Lambert doing a hoko farulanK'o that's as funny as his other stuff. "It'fc Tough to Be a Hoste.ss" Is a good lyric and the first sentimental relief to Tex's night club career. A little of that to balance the rou^h stuff of tho opening sallies wouJJ do much to offset tiie bra.shnes.s of it all, for no one can gainsay the difficulty, as she ex|)lains it, of keeping things going when weari- ness and sleep as.sert themselves. Tliere is a black-out betwei'ii tWO men, with one explaining the reason he is dying his hair is beeau.se "gentlemen profer bltnides." "I'adloeks" is rough and over- board. It needs plenty of editing and staging .and an opportunity or two for a song hit to step out, al- though the music does not give par- ticular promise in that direction, ex- cepting for the two possibilities mentioned. Abel. TALES OF RIGO J. Oppenhelmer preHenta a dnnna with music; book by Maurice V. Sjimufls. h:».se<l on .story by Hyman Adier: mii.si.- nn.l l^rica by Ben S<-hwartz; whoI«» pnnluiMiun HlaK<»(l by Clarence Uorwent; at I-vrk-, M.tv :\o $3.30 top. Maria Mildnvl H<,i:and KolxTla ..Ifaurirt^ M ]<vin i^>nm Jay Kas.s^tt Ji>.se HuRh Ki<l<Ier \Uko Hyman Adler '^Ha Mira Nirtika ^t'ton •»... David r.eonard Vivien Ranker ., .MarRuerite iioruusb lialph Ciarlc... Warren Sterling Mr.s. Ranger Madeline Qr^y Henry Clark Qeorge Still well t\ Maraden.. ....f*arl Reed Mrs. Marsden Gladyn WiI.Mnn I'Jiblo SamuM Nus»);Aum Kashi ,. Walter l>oi,,fr Huzl Andri'W .SuUma This is one of those stillrl>orn af- (Contlnued on pa«re 51> PLAYERS IN LEGITIMATE DIRECTORY, EDWARD ALLAN in t«i HIT THE OECK'V iii-AieOr New york BETH BERI Direction JKNNie WAGNER t4e li^oai 4tlh at., New VsiHk LESTER W. COLE LEADING IVIAN with "PEGGY-ANN" VANDERBILT, NEW YORK EWING EATON Doing SingU Act in Vaudeville KEITH-ALBEE and ORPHEUM eificurrs Ion HARRY WARD ADA MAY for production and too over-confl- «lent. lacking in that musical com- edy conservatism and poise. N'.at llenard and Lillian West are il.so vauUe alumni, doing one spe- cialty as a team but otherwise ofD- el.itlng as "bit" contribtitors. Helen Slupman is all right after a fashion but vocally lightweight, and the show e in stand a good femalt* voice. Cari U. i'Yancia due* well, auid Ar- ;:• IN ' ^ "RIO RITA" ZIEGFELD, NEW YORK BIUY ARLINGTON Featured in "UDO LAPYff : GAIETY, LONDON VIOLET CARLSON SINGING COMEDIENNE in "RUDDIGORE'» COSMOPOLITAN, NEW YORK HELYN EBY-ROCK ^HONEYMOON LANi^* KNICKERBOCKCa NtW YMK LEON ERROL NATALIE & DARNELLE Feature Dancers with "LADY DO** Liberty Theatre, New York City MARIE SAXON VARIETY, New York JACK THOMPSON In "PEGGY-ANN" VANDERBILT, NEW YORK NANCY WELFORD LEADING LADY in TWINKLE TWINKLE'' ERLANGER, CHICAGO LEWHEARN^ FEATURED COMEDIAN "LADY DO" LIBERTY, NEW YORK STELA MAYHEW Featured Comedienne in "HIT THE DECK*' BELASCO, NEW YORK GEORCE SWEET Dancing Juvenile — Expert Actor REP. LOUIS SHURR NED WAYBURN JOHN BYAM la "TUB PROMRNAI>RBH" RfadHalMr Koltb-.llbM Vaadefllle SttlMcribe to VARIETY $7 Yearly Caaada and Foreign, $8