Variety (Sep 1927)

28 VAKlK'l'y. their l>iiiuls, Kivint,- tli'-m pUnty In the (i.iilirs ami ligliiH. J'oli srcin.s content \^itll this annual presenta- tion. An Drehestru can't be expect- 1 'ed to work iimoothly when It's Iwhlnil the footlieht!) only one in D2 weeks. (4) JARVIS HARRISON CO Sketch 17 Min».; One to Half (Special) Br«a4w»y <V.-P) A famiU^^r combination In a pketch nil! li'-teii in \ajl"tv's lile I'l" n< \\ ai ts. Tlic act starts l)efiiro a drop Chowinr 1 street under an elevated road, with MIsa Harrison enterlnc and exptalnin.ir she just ducked a (tent "111! frisli in a car. She Ih to take the *-levat<'d home, and disapptars throui^h an aperttire. Jarvis then roni(-s on as a tlrunk. pulls a few Raes, and also mills throutch the elevated entrance. ■Switch to half-stafre showa an •L" pl.itform. The cirl tries to pa«s by tlie ctshier l»ut liasn't a nickel. The drunk furnishes it for her and strikes up a conversation. There is conslderahle humof in the dialoR. The snn of the team then I'ciiH'S nn as a newslxi.v .and works a tap dance insi-rti»»n with okay results. Hack to tlie iindcr-elevated drop for cloi'ini;, the drunk taking the sir! ta-cet a cab after no train eortics. A cop breezes in and nalis the dame, expl.-iinin.i^ she is a no- torious pi<tiporktt. lie searelies her and liands over two watches and a Wallet to Jarvis. The cur- tain ;aj|ai on a gag about' the stuff not belailifin|[ to him. Knt*rtatBtlV for the intermedi- ates. ARTHUR AYLSWORTH CO. (3) Comedy Skit 18 Mini.; One and Three (Special) 86th St. (V-P) Arthur Aylsworth has been ap- peai'inj^ in vaude for some time in farcieal skits, his latest being "Knvy" by l-klwin Burke. Assistin.t; Aylswo'rth are Kenneth Loans, Bertha Broad and Helen S. Keith. The act hinges on the meet- ing of old pals, Billy still poor but George rich and the former Invit- ing CSeorse to dinner which takes in the friend's wife. N'ow tlie hostess and the rich maa s wife are distant cousins with it feud between the familie.s and when they get tojretlier fur flies, yhe upshot is tliat the bovs. friends FmCC CTTniTTimNI. nTln-ny .X coats and start a battle that halts when the cronies realize what chumps tb«]r are. .Thejr lock the wive* In to settle It between them and go otit together. A good tiklt, capitally played and ctiising lots of laughter at this house. Burke has written amusingly of the one woman who likes to put, on dog while the other has a stuh- born pride that even starvation wouldn't tcace. M'hlle not up- (CoOtlnued on page 39) lion to the Aeent ot Life LeinK' tul- tilled. Thus has Marcus Loew erected for himself a perpetual monument In the hearts ot man- kind; In the souls of a great ma- jority of simple, frugal folk who must perforce Watch their pennies; of a people that has but to move its physical self an avenue or two and be transplanted for a tew hours into a world ot ease and content- ment. What mattered the show on a day like lliisV What mattcrcl it that an .■ilrnoM c apacil.v Lalior l>.iy < rowd of prolct.ii l.ins was lulKcly t ii.ioyjiig it- self.' To tlu-Mi, tile iKitroas, noth- inc riMlly niattercd hut wliat thiy liad paid a liiKh larilT with which t'> ciiiiy ilienisclvt s. And thus had .Marcus l,oi\v .-rcctcd for himself an e\crIastillK :iionaincnt. The show must go on. The one and only axiom ot the show business. It did. It the overture sounded sour to this mournful reporter, it was. a secret to the cash customers. If the rest ot the tip-top entertain- ment that was a bargain at the ad- mission persistently recalled the transitory trials and tribulations It cost Its founder, none ot the patrons v.as aware ot it. To them (Jibson and Price, as he ju^Kled and she drew landscapes, wcic ;i tonic. True, some ot his I,lighter small talk <liil a non-stop tliKlil out ot tile window, and only such w iieczcs rcKistcrcd as "he had to die to get into the front room," or "he drank a liair tonic and the wliiskcrs tickU'd him to death" reg- istered!. But that's the secret of the success of Ijoew vaudeville: simple divertissement for an unassuming folk. The Hightower Trio, colored dan- dies, labored tiarder for IS minutes with some of their legmania than many ot the Labor Day patrons who were ot obvious labor union pattern, and the reverse English reacted well. Aside from the strenuousness of their efforts, the Ethiopians are not iwrticularly cdifyingr. ytanley and (iin^er (New Acts) cont.riluitcd a touch of the legitimate with tlieir comedy and regi.stered, and Uoscntont's Trouh.'idours. he.ld- linin^'. doing an extra show and oi'ViiMisIy <-ut in routine, closed the lirst stanza. Sans their usual jtrop- 11 tics cm the roof, tlio flash quintet clicked just the same. Reopening were Klalierty and Stonning, patter team, getting over decently but not as tulsomely as they might. For one thing the wom- an could do better by avoiding the calcium and retaining her hat. Anthony and Rogers, Mussolini comics with a Hibernian finish, cinched theAiselves on the latter. Little Plpifax, tried and true mime, closed, and the "Annie Laurie" (M- a-ilX t/mJUtita. eaatxtbufMA the final dash of InternationJiIavor. And the man responsible for all of the entertainment at this house at 150 others of his own and thousands of other theatre owners, Marcus Loew, was in repose and peace at Olen Cove. Aitet. AMERICAN ROOF (Vaude-PcU) AI. G. Field Minstrels . Akron, C, Sept 2. »ith a score or more of the old- time favorites missing from the cast, the Al G. Field MInstn l.i, designed, built and staged under the personal direction of Edward fonrad. has Inaugurated its 41st annual tour. .Not in many yeais has there licen so many ch.anKcs in the jk rsonnel cif tlie Field sliow. it is ilifflcult to I deleriiiine w licther the loss of tlie 11 i fcamor prinriiials will have a tend- peneillcd in for from the very mo- 1 ency to lU-tracl fr,tin tlu> popul iiieiit wc lire.ik-in our act on th t ireuU of morl.il «'xist,'iice. t'lti- niately. afti'r we liave all iilavcd long or short rout, s. and after the AKcnt of Life has exacted his i>er- eenla(,'e. l.iiviim s of us with .a bare net return for ;ivera^;c needs - and a foi lunate f, \v a lillh' sur- plus for the pro.iiietii.n i.f an o,-- ■ ■;i'<i(Mial llasli .o-l lh<' l'.le:it I'.ook- iiii.' Aia iit calls It a mortal session and \\ e prepare for a hi^' jiiaip into a hmu'er eir<aiit in the r.e\<uid. On the eve ot the death of the founder of a ;;re;it atiiuscnient en- tcrpiisi' that is dedicated to the ; la-eailinpT of joy to millions, ttroh- .'ilil,\- MO hctter exainjile of what one mans Terrestrial Circuit tour can he made to mean could be found th.an on the American Roof. Duiside the Amerii'.tin theatre on the 42d street side, and ndjacent to the Wullack'n next door, an old Woman , disregarded the screaming headlines on the morning tabs that dealt with a bomb scare. As sub- head matter, but to her (and Broad- way's throngs ot amusement seek- ers) the most Important, the de- mise of Marcus Loew. was her sales ,ai-guinent. She <-ai-kled the news with what seemed an unusual rev- er.'inee and Importance in her voice. The p.issers halted. Some at the American's box - odice window paused to pur, !l;ise a paper, .^ol- 1 ninh' these plos.iie p.itruns of an Mil avenue house like Iht^ .\nn-iiean| sr anned the ]>rinter s ink iitiiires- , — sit i n ?* tin the siniplv idileil news- i _ 1>ai>eis. .Mal'hc tll<-y sitlle.l in w.i r,l - 1'^'^e.l. Willi y, but they <lld not h.ilt in their nit. d. nn nuniher has eome> near rouK- within thi- temple of amuse- ! Illling llie spot In the olio formerly . . irity ■ ■I the show wliieh for almost a half eeulury has liccn a leader In the minstrel ffeld. (-'onrad has assembled a Capable eoiiijtauy. de\eloped some now stars, ■ cntiaitid some he has sought for many years and advanced others from the ranks. It is a most creditalile produc- t ion. Opening ot the show this season is simple yet impressive, and seldom has a first part beep so replete with features. "Up High" is the title tor the first part, the entire company taking part. Heading the comedy end are Km- mett Miller. Paul Taylor, Drane Walters, Hilly Redd ami earner .N'cwton. Miller carries the bulk of the comedy of the olio, and is one of the best jirincipals the l-'ield show- has fwi- fcatureil. ".Vny Time" is .Mill, r's soiij: liit. His work in the .ifl, , pi, c ,', '"rhc .\bnde of Spirits," is < \ pieal. ^i:ill,\- Doran, who for several ye.ars has been respiiiisilde for the dance numliers nti the l-'ield show, has given up minstrels for dance instruction in New York. Rddie I'hrlg, Meld veteran, has eh.Trge of the hoofers, and has worked out .some pleasing numbers. His danc- ing siiuad includes Warren Diigan. .lack Anlt, (larner Newton. Frank I .Milh'r. .Maurice Hair, .lolin Wat ncr ! and 1 I loran. ] I'.dly Cluin h .and .la. U Itieh.irds. for >,\'irs witll the show, ar,' s.idly tilers li i \Ii. I Ti re- ment where, for a jiitlance, niueii timaller than the fancy prices I harged further dow n the street or on one avenue away, they lose themselves In a world of illusion and mnke-hellevp. Tbus wua Uaruus Loew's dedica- '.aken by these two popular song slers. Kmnieit Miller and T'liil I'avey opi n the olio w ith a talking skli. The dancers follow with a short number, and then Paul Taylor and Orane Walters till a ."put usually allotted in seasons past to Bert Swor. Hughie and Koy Melnotle have a novelty wire turn. Just fair. "The Abode ot Spirits," skit on prohibition, Is amusing and prob- ably as entertaining as any pre- sented by the Field show In recent years. "Moonlight" Is the dancing spe- cialty, going Into the finale, Harley .Newland assuming the lead singing role. I/eslie Berry, veteran with the show, is the interlocutor. .Many of the former Field soloists are missed this season, namely. Jack Kichards, Billy Church, Dorf Castor and others. "Silver Threads Among the Oold' Is well done by Harley Newland; Phil Pavey sings "At Dawning"; "Forgive .M< " is Carl Graves' feature song, and "When "Vou're Lonesome" is bein^' credita- bly rendered by Russel Neff. "I'm Looking Over a Four-I>eaf Clover" Is the first ballad of the first part, sung by Stan Chapln. The Harmony Four —I'hil Pavey, Russel ' Neff. Lieslie Berry and Charles Page—get a nice lot of ap- plause and are one of the best num- bers in the afterpiece. STATE (Vaude-Pets) Vaudeville for 12 at 4Tth street and vaudeville for SO cents at 45th street—but vaudeville. Tlie five- act bill at the State this week is strong enough to outrun the film feature. And that isn't always the case in this house which gets its pic- tures after the, Capitol has had Unit choice. Anyway, vaudeville Is the thing here this week and "Mockery" (M-G-M) Is the picture. The lat- ter has I^on Chancy so that will help at the b. o., no matter what they liiink after they see it inside. The lirst two acts looked like routine vaude to the .Monday night regulars on this corner, yet the tabloid scanners took heartily to the Primrcse Four who deuced it, as is the habit ot quartets. One of the men made a bon voyage part- ing of it, no one pulled the light.s and It gave him a chance to stall long enough for a speech. Un- necessary, as the act had rolled ui> a legitimate score ahead of the pro- longed departure. This foursome finished with a ballad, as did Bob Nelson later in the evening. Possibly indicating a new era for singing acts as it wasn't so long ago that to finish with a ballad was con- sidered suicide. Incidentally,'t>oth acts got away with it. Previous to the singing contin- gent was spotted the Taki'wa nnit of three as oiieiiers. The Orientals ciLYtKiit Interest and bellied it along when the perch worker climbed to his staflC balance for risley stuff as the understander supported. A giant swing from the elbows on an- other apparatus topped otC but not before t|ie woman had soloed by manipulating a parasol with her feet. For Mght minutes okay and they liked It. Kerr and 'Weston, No. 3, inang- erated the flreworks although the upstairs gang didn't seem to know what it was about. When you're three rows from the rear w.lll in the State's b.aleony it's like being in the Yank Stadium bleachers for a fight. Toif .can tell a girl becatiae there's a dress In sight, but that's all. Give Ginzberg a violin and he'd look like Bernle from this locale. However, Donald and KIlie w lioopcd it up to more than a bit. Kerr Just romped through and gave the impression of bavin;; a good time, so the house cut itself .a slice of the morale. There's,^n;iny an act around that would do well to simulate a like spirit. The small dot In pink. Identified as Miss Wes- ton, made a good locking miniature While the act had the speed to make 23 minutes seem like 15. Kerr had 'em laughing. Miss Weston pleased the eye and the former's finale dance crashed In tor the extni points. Bob Nelson followed it rirht uii. greeted hy .a fair sized reception, and g.alUipi'd in by ridding: himself of three fast songs. A pop liallail fin.allv concluded ami this sponsored enou;;li .appreciation to bring him back for an encore whii-li turned out to be a medley of b.allads con- structed as the song writing history of a pop number composer. It took Nelson five mlntites to deliver this one and In the face of the returns it still leaves a memory of ques- tionable Judgment. Nelson's flip manner of delivery plus his voice, particularly attuned to rendering pop-hot lyrics. Is best when frolicking with songs that have a fast tempo and are fresh. Some of his announced titles for numbers hordi'r on the bhie tiut he sells It so that there is no offi use. (hit of .a Shubert revue. .Velson is a liilie for any vaudeville Iious,. jiiid should rn.ike tin otitst.indiiic master of eeremoriies in the pie: lire houses. Appearance and style make lllni It certaintv in the latter eajiaeily. Charlie Ahearn's hunch closed. PALACE (St. Vaud«> A couple of rubberneckers, looking travel w(»m and slightly uncon- scious in* thoy battled their way through the incHlstible current of arms. I<'KS and ellwws which jams th»' hlKhways and bywavs of Broad- way durinK the 9 o'clock parade niphtly. stepped lip to a man at tlic corner of 45th Htrcct and hc.-it.itin^r- ly infiiiircd if he had « v('r Jn ard of that quaint old place a.lonjr the sti t'ct \\ hiM (il<I - fashioned vaude- ville niiK'iit Kiill be fseen. "Only two hloolts to go." was the answer. "Vou'll Hnd it right neatt door to the 15-(J sandwich shop." Tiie least of tlie picture houses on the street is now better known off Llroadway tlian what was once con- sidered the ace of vaudeville houses. And. besides, why should anyone pay $2.75 for somethlnar they may have forgotten how to pronounce? Bustnesfl was off. and plenty, Monday niffht. Jo« Frisco was plas- tered all over the front of the house and programed, but never showed up. He is due to appear next week —maybe. Aside from that, It was a lineup that may fill the heart of the aver- iiKG neighborhood customer with joy, ; but with no one l>attinK them Into the left field or anything powei ful enough to send the howls up to a hit;hfr level. Odette Myrtil. for example, who \n reported as takhig a fiying trip through vaxidtville, should liave chosen a more up-to-date vessel. Hut, then, she may have figured she was only playint; the Palace, with the easiest mob in the world to work for, and everything after the deucer getting the breaks right unless ex- traordinarily bad. While affecting a soft, purring Parisian French accent. Miss Myr- til's correct pronunciation of words like "just," in addition to an un- canny ease in handling American phraseology of a kind >vhich usually soimds stiitt'd in the mouths of for- eign actors, Is a faux pas in need of a remedy. If the wt ll-known Kn^- lish language i.s to be womanhan- dled it might a.s wtU he done tlior- ou^'lily. Not so .sironj^ with the vocal self < tinns, hut all tlici c w ith a violin i)antotnime on the romance an old music master. Kc;il comedy, the kind tliat starts lauKli-s .somcwlicrc way in.side and brings tlu-m out in an irrepressible roar resemhtin^^ thunder, is scarcer than two-a-day vaudt-ville. John T. Murray and \ i\ ian Oakland get closer to delivering than anyone else on the bill. Tlic 1862 duet, as handled by this pair of satirists, is one of the lifesavers. "The Three Sailors/' with more comedy than tumbling, held next to closing, but not too flrmly. Hardly strong enough to get all there is from th« spotting. MosoonI Bros., in their 1927 Dance Revue, have retained practically the same routine, dropping their four previous girl assistants in favor of a new jiair. <:ay Nell and T>oro- thy Van A 1st. Miss Van A 1st is the snappier hip-.shaker of the two, car- rying a couple of solos easily for good r<-turns. The Mosconi liros., as u.'-ual, flo.'it through their show- Ktoppin.i,' routine. AS'.'illacc Kd(linger, in a skit en- titled "Tilings Could He Worse," is way helow p.ir with a weakly con- .<trucled pla.\Ut of few lauglis and slight opix>rtunities. Kddinger'a English straight Mma to be swal- lowing his tonsllji. having grave dilliculty in spcuklng Clearly. Over- acts considerably. Norman Frescott had John Mur- ray in the fakir's chair \\ it h his "Siirns of Zodiac." ,\ I'aii^ starter for the secnnil h.ilf as a wisc-cr'ack- ing giK'Sser of ra nu's and birth dates'. A team of da ncing x> lo pin mists, Hentfll and Could, two spotted. Okay in the hoolin^ doi>artnicnt, but the xylophone is "de trop," as Miss .Myrtil would say. In addition, a word like "xylophone" is bound to get a bad break from the printers. The Thrillers, expert roller-skat- ing tricksters, are a good team in the open Ing spot. Franklin and Royce. sharpshooters, closed. Kept most of them In their seats. r The tramp hnnri openinf; fuirpri}<ed. they aat forward in their Reatn anil stayed thrr*. IxitK of hoke and plenty of lauRha. A nine rlo for a bill that irnii vauilevllle nil the way and had • world of pnee Mi4. RIVERSIDE (St. Vaud*) A Kiaphie illustration anent signs tmaniUK nothing any more in vaudeville wa» prevalent here Mon- day nlKht. Lenore Ulric was curded lieadllner, from a booker's stand- lioint, but tile mub inside did their own picking. Also their own hnndi- capplufr. if such .1 term is jierniisK- iblc. In sizine up a vaude show with tlie leKit star just about nosin;; un- der the wire ftir slinw ]il:iee. Mav r>lier 111, 1 . .lini; anil Yates .'iiul l.a\\ley in m xt tii slitit wri : te.l hit iiiiMois .t\\.i> fniin ,\lr. IJelasiu'.s SI.II-. it seenii li a ease of t xpectation exi ee.l irit; realization. Also annther e.ise or had pi-.i|is. -Tiic Wolfs Cull." iilayli t. .suliinilted as propeller for .MI.1S I'Iric's vaude sojourn, was .1 iintalrt i \ \t idniti il i at nadilj placed two strikes on her before the curtain arose. Miss Ulric has an- other week ot vnudevlile before re- joining -I-ulu Helle" and will un- duiibledly be much happier In her former settinK As f<ir the show proper. It hi'M |il.-nlv nf iliv i - ii, V, ith plenty e; .wuiblin^ iuid iiuulint:. Cumliinod results of the nine-act bill wen sat- isfactory with the personal aiipcar. ance of Miss Ulric helping some* what to alleviate the disappoint- ment of her material. Three. Aces, male trio ef wh||.]. wind roller skaters, providisl fast opener, iioys do p.vmnaslie stunts on the rollers that ar*- well mulined and hit. Four Pepper .shak<-rs, rulured (luartet, maintained li\-ely tempo in follow up with some K'lod liarmon* i/.ing and a couple of danr-e num- bers, both-handled as ensembles and sending them over. Millard and Marlln, mixed duo, did «o-.ao with cross-fire and songa in a barbershop settinR. Some ol the ffaiifs scored for laughs and some not. Idea is okay and soma tlKhteninp up would help. Miss I'sher, sin^;inK sini-l. with a batch of dialect numbers ami i iiat- ter, wiu^ the real mopper-iip at this session. She is an attraeti\e liluruie who effects Heluew dialed el" the Milt dross variety and a sure-lire selling method. A straiKlU ballad anil rei itation toward the lin I h won her the hit of the show. Carl Shaw, Jean Carroll and Co., closed first half with a corking dance revue that had both talent and class aplenty. Featured mem- bers scored strongest in the colleg- iate acrobatics from a doubla standpoint, with Shaw even better- ing this with two followup solos, both acrobatic, and with the final one the smash. A male dancing team and br.aee of femnip pianists coniiirised the support, tlK> latter workinK double piano aeeeiiipaiii- ment for the dancers. W.Cromwell Knox, l-'uropi ;in jiiK'- Kler, followed with a ele\fr nianip- ulatiiiii of various olijects, ineorpo- ratin^^ a few dillieult ones and car- rying breezy chatter. Miss Ulric followed in "The Wolf's Cub," which fared better in preliminary reception than at the finish. Yates and Lawley. two boys and a piano, next with songs that set them pretty for second best honors. They are reported as a picture house discovery, entering vaudeville via musical comedy, throush having been spotted in "Vanities" last sea- son Their routine runs to I'omedy numbers and the boys know all that is neeiied abotit salesmanship. Out- and-out sm.ash, l-^vers and Oreta, mixed duo, closed witll dancln;:: on wire. .Male did the daneinp. wliieli ineiiuled Siianish tanpo, soft-shoe and i:iis- sian atop the wire, witli tlie uiil dressini; and handling the eimn- clator cards. Man executes tiie dances creditably and the il.mce Idea Is at least a slight noveiiv from the cut and dried wire walKiie; arts. /.'(/6o. 5TH AVENUE (Vauda-Pett) lOveri so far away from Tl,e Loop as L'Slh and liroadway. .Maiiliatt.in. Ihi- inlhlelice of (IrKan Chilis and siUKiuK bees has been felt aii.l translated into action. And for the benefit of a probably not very interested show business it may be stated that the organ stuff and the audience vocalizing was quite a hit here Monday night. The customers with a little practice are apt to get good. The Sth ave- nue bunch is prone to self-expres- sion anyhow with the strong ann of the law having been Invoked more than once to keep *em still. So they ought to lap up this com- initnitv singing as so much cream, .ilthouKh K-A died trying it at-the Hip. Seven acts. Ttut onl.v mentioned fi\e or six times duiinp: tlie e\e- ninff. Tlie management did as much "pointinj; with pride" as the platform of a Itei)ublicnn eomeii- tion. Anyone knowing vaudeville, and particularly the Goldie cafe- terias, can figure out how many apiiles the extra acts cost. The bill contained and featured I. H. Ilnmp and nertle Heck, comic and s(uihret from burloy-cue. They are abetted liy I.arry Cliffoi'd, Har- vey Howard and the l-'arley Sisters (New Acts). Their turn is ,i well- assorted selection of liroail hiinior, black-outs. slapstick and com- huslililc certainties. llamii lieinK from the Colunibia \\'licel is sani- tary, generally rcnienilM rinj; there are women and children in the audi- ence. At the 5th .'ivenue he had a Kreat sueeess with the feminine half. When some of the latter lauKhed they also shiieked. Also eminently successful in j arousing the masses to demonstra- 1 tlons of endorsement and apiiroval I were ll.ii ry l.arnj: and l-ternice I ll.iley, who teii-sliikeil easily. They lii't I'luiipeii laUKtl after l.'iiifrh out of ancient liits. sueii as; "a low i-r herlh is hi«tii r tlian an uiipet" and "Who f;oi Wliats Job." .\s time- worn as this line of \ auileville » .ml- edy is, it w.is still funny tlie way thi'! iiair dislied it. Also from the serapliook was the f^reek restatn.int nrih r.l iliiiii; l.mi. h of KiBRh's. I^nng's wbistllnK brou.i;hl" down the gallery with the eelestl.il tier echoing with plenty of gusto and revealing some first rate whisilinK of its own. Which is an- other proof that eomoiunily sint;- inu- sIiiHihl he ,'i ■■nil I nf:i 1" liere A load of rill.. stiitT w.iS tConlinued on jiajie 3<'>