Variety (Oct 1927)

Wednesday, October 12, 1927 PRESENTATIONS—NEW ACTS VARIETY 27 WM COLLIER, SR., A WM. COL- LIER, JR. Talk 10 Mint.; One P.lace (St. V) Little new in this one save the combine of the veteran light comic and Bcreen Juvenile. The duo con- trive to make their affair impromp- tu, In fact too much bo to mean anything with other than smart audiences. Most of the material even if original with the si'nlor Collier Is reminiscent through his having used it before on previous excursions in vaude and revues. Though good In spots it will hardly do In houses where you've got to play down to them these days. The "Nothing But Cuts'" idea Is employed In the gab between the duo which has the elder Collier editing; Buster's proposed speech at a forthcoming Friars dinner to Jim Corbett. Collier as usual deletes all remarks and has the boy do It In pantomime, claiming the silent stuff Is more In the* boy's line. A snatch of picture acting hoked up serves as a weak finish. The present act may be a wow frame for one of the Friars Satur- day nights, It may also go with the smart mobs, but Is not for gen- eral vaudeville. As presented Mon- day night it seemed the Colliers made a sudden decision white at dinner at the Friars to walk over and kill 10 minutes at the Palace. That's Just what happened. The reception was better than the finish. Kdbn. GITZ RICE & Royal Mountiea (6) Singing and Dancing 18 Mint.; Full (Special) Pataca (St. Vaude) I.ieut. Oltz Klce, composer, has gone in for the male ensemble idea. Rice and his associates keep in the scheme of things of wearing cos- tumes of the famed Canadian force. The ensemble has trained voices, harmonize well and make a good appearance. Their numbers are hundled as ensembles, save for a solo by Rice and a couple of dances introduced by Marie, a petite girl dancer. The sons repertoire includes past and present compositions of the com- poser. The costuming is effective and the harmony gets the act over. Proved a likeable feature in No. i on this bill and should duplicate In this spot on others. Edba. JOE MANDIS TRIO Acrobatic • Mm*.; Full Stage Stat. (V-P) Two men and a woman with a novel routine. Feature handstand feats, using for the purpose a pyrl- mld of tables and chairs about 15 feet high. Alternate tables and chairs make a flight of steps, the men working up and down at va- rious speeds balanced on their hands. Ground tumbling by the younger man varies the routine. Finish is second man, made up as grandpa, lifting 'himself up the four-high tables on his hands, the half-step chairs being removed. All three exit by doing a three-scries chemin de-fer from top of pyramid through entrance. Novel opener for modest vaude layout. Itush. HALL and ESSY CO. (4) Dance Revus One and Full (Special) American Roof (V-P) Dance revue with a thread of a story running through it. Opening in one with girl wishing that her old sweetheart would give up prize fighting. Enter pug for conversa- tional Interchange revealing Vhe left without a word two years be- fore and Is now dancing in a show without a lot on. A cute number has the four danc- ing girls as boxers and with padded mitts. A movie trailer labeled "round seven" is also used. Little or no continuity or reason for any- thing but construction blends easily Into the various numbers and keeps act out of the stale routine of straightaway dancing. Qualifies as a pleaser. Well staged, mounted and handled. PAN-AMERICAN FOUR Songs 12 Mins.; One Broa way (V-P). Quartette of Negroes whose voice, blend harmoniously. They do not overstay and vary their routine nicely. On comparison with many other colored combos this act stands even on general results. On lon,7 enough to make a credit Impression and get away to ntlal applause. .War*. SYRACUSE COLLEGIANS Musical Trio 15 Mins.; One Keith's, Syracuse, N. Y. Three Syracuse University stu- dents, George Walnwright, Clyde Chase and Reginald Harris, form the Collegians, given a trial book- ing at B. F. Keith's for the first half of the week. Wainwrlght is known locally for his banjo sextet and octet, which have figured in shows and as dance music around here. In the present act he vocal- izes more than he strums his fa- vorite Instrument. Chase and Har- ris are pianists, working as a duo. The latter handle the first num- ber, with Walnwright coming on for the second, a vocal rendition of a pop. The piano duet was well play- ed, if not particularly brilliant. Walnwright did fairly well, although he evld€-nced a tendency to let his lower register fade. That was prob- ably due to nervousness, for later he showed better control. "The Gamblers' Blue," his second number, was better sung, and his third, "Down By the Old Apple Tree." still better. Walnwright went back to the banjo for the chorus of this, playing the instru- ment behind his back while seated on a chair. An encore number, popular ditty, also had the banjo. As presently framed, It is doubt- ful if the Collegians' act has suf- ficient appeal to warrant playing a standard circuit, although it might go In the smaller towns up- state whero there's a yen for col- legiate entertainment. And the boys do need coaching in showmanship. Balm. "SPAIN" (31) Prolog "Loves of Carmen" 22 Mins.; Full (Special) Carthay Circle, Los Angeles. Again Jack Laughlin, producer at this house, has acquitted himself with honors. His creative ability in color, shading, lights and other ef- fects stands out as a beacon. This presentation serves the picture In full. The action Is so strong It is more or less difficult for the pic- ture to follow. Gypsy life is characterized by a colorful mountainous background which sets off the valley foreground Hills are planted in stucco on the stage and a genuine waterfall is used. The outstanding feature Is the dancing of the Canainos. Every thing is in their favor and they make the most of it. The Kosloff ballet (8) is a we! come adjunct. The girls are youth ful, pretty and can dance. Har rlette Milliard, ballerina, is a whirl wind and got over as such. Louise Caselottt chants with fervor as "Carmen," while Thomas Ames pleads with her in a duet. Louis ArnolcT is seen in a tambourine dance, well done, with Stephen Gombos doing the Toreador. Carll Elinor's orchestra is respon sible for the musical score which gave great support throughout. This production can take Its place among any that Laughlin has here- tofore produced. It has everything that makes for good, clean, solid entertainment. NORREE and Girls (8) Dancing 17 Mins.; Full (Special) 5th Ave. (V-P). Norree Is a serpentine brunet. supported by a chorus of seven and presented by Albertlna Rasch. The act Is qualified for the big vaude houses. Norree has two solos. In the first she builds a dance around her ability to kick, and in the second her mastery of graceful contortion Both bits are prolonged but not tedious. She wears little clothing and has a perfect right to do so. The seven girls open and close the act without Norree, and have an additional central spot. All are toe dancers with ballet, kicking and Jazz routines. There are no special ties. The dancers are well dressed and backed by simple scenic effects. If she doesn't like vaudeville, or its salaries, or things like that. Norree can bank on her adaptability to picture house presentations: Houses Opening The new Orphettm theatre. Omaha, opened here Sunday, Oct. 8, playing a continuous policy. The Opera House, Ansonia, Conn., legit, opened Oct. 8. I)e Kalb, Brooklyn, having re- verted from vaude to dramatic stock, is now playing five acts Sun- booked by Fally Markus. PALACE (St. Vauda) Current bill looked like a great comedy show on paper but didn't materialize as xuch in tho playing. With the two Colliers, Harry Fox- Beatrice Curtis, and Moss and Frye carded, it seemed a cinch things would be whooped up plenty. The latter teams qualified as usual, but the Collier combination was both brief and disappointing to most save the smart outfronters who enjoyed the quips for the brief spell the duo were on. The Colliers got their main ap- plause in reception spot with a spasmodic response at the finish. In getaway remarks Bill. Sr., remarked that if enthusiasm continued they might have the act in shape by- Thursday. More truth than poetry, for as is it isn't there for vaudeville (New Acts). A good house but not a sell-out Monday night, with the top price front well filled, but plenty of room In the rear lower floor and upstairs, too. Phil Brown and Thelma Lahart, whirlwind roller skaters, opened, do- ing some nifty fancy and trick skat- ing that got over. Moore and Powell, male twosome in eccentric make- up, followed with a mixture of sing- ing, dancing and Instrumentation on saws and other novelty instruments. An excellent deucer. Lieut. Gltz Rice, supported by a male octet of harmony singers and a petite dancer (New Acts) went over neatly. Moss and Frye, un- bleached comedians, had the com- edy field their own way thus far and measured up to the situation. Their familiar, yet funny as ever line of argumentative chatter plus their crooning of a couple of harmony numbers, set them pretty. Harriet Hoctor, William Holbrook and Simeon Karavueff, holdovers from last week, were class winners. The trio are expert exponents of the dance, plenty of class and sure- tire anywhere. The Colliers opened intermission. Nellie and Sara Kouns, also hold overs, followed, and were never in doubt. Harry Fox and Beatrice Curtis did their usual line of comedy and songs topped off by a black bottom by Miss Curtis. Fox's "Towels" song backed by the antiquated chorus remains the comedy panic of the act. Weldano's Sensation, two men and girl, closed, offering aerial acro- batics that were thrillers. J-.'rfoo. STATE (Vauda-Pcts) "The Way of All Flesh." well ad- vertised for Its screen quality, took care of the business and braced up the show Inside, vaude support not so heavy. Georgie Price in a frag- mentary routine of songs and talk featured the specialty bill in next- to-closing, making friends with the customers who appeared to be re- newing an old acquaintance, but the layout was distinctly routine. Joe Mandis Trio, two men and a woman, in hand stand feats and tumbling opened (New Acts). Phil and Eddie Ross have turned to white face, and now make their bid strictly on the straight sale of songs. They harmonize agreeably as tenor and baritone and carry on their song cycle In spirited manner. A dialect bit is their only concession to the lighter mflod and it does break up the straight tone of the material. They announce the "Wop" number as being in the Van and Schenck manner, but it was a pale Impersonation. Off rather abruptly after less than 10 minutes to a quiet getaway. No. 3 brought on the Buzzington Band, taking the first shot at any- thing like comedy. The rube stuff is pretty heavy handed, such as grotesque Patsy nearly losing his pants from time to time, but the oddity of the freak Instruments they play and the strangeness of some of their orchestral effects give them a certain Interest. The crowd found amusement in the hoke knockabout. Perhaps the idea, too, of an orches- tra without a saxophone has Its value just at the minute when two musicians can't get together with- out one or both pulling a sax. The leader of the outfit can dance more than a little, and his old-fash- ioned reel to the accompaniment of "Turkey In the Straw" made a capi- tal getaway. This climax was nice- ly built up for comedy through the one girl of the act being planted as an old woman in the audience to come up for the finish and dance opposite the leader. Fifteen minutes briskly employed. The restless Georgie held 'om easily for nearly 20 minutes with a characteristic collection of Hebe stories, punctuated with pop num- bers and his own stepping. Bequest invitation brought demand for Muddy Water" and probably Georgie could have gone on reeling off request selection* anoth-r 10 minutes. He hit with the house asking for more. Lew Lockett and Peggy Page have a trim little flash turn deliver- ing the maximum of goods for three people, the third member being the man pianist who solos an Interval with "Khapsorty in Blues" executed with elaborations that made It sound like A heavy opera interlude. Lockett is a top stepper par excel- lence, and it is upon tii.it specialty and upon his pert'ot mamv iit.it the turn stands firmly. The graceful little Birl partner merely dresses the picture. Lockett has an agreeable voice and a personable manner of handling numbers, but his announc- ing style la distinctly stiliit-il and pompous, Tho announcement* are not called for anyway. The) sel- dom are. deader Jos. Jordan used a good Idea in an overture when lie called upon civic partisanship to carry on a song contest. In rhymed slides he exhorted residents of the different New fork boroughs to show what they could do, working up to the finale with a call upon the Man hat - tanites to let 'er go. Appeal to local pride got results and Introduced the specialty section with Jolly atmos- phere Jduli. 81ST ST. (Vaude-Pcts) Good vaudeville here the first half. Monday night it played to an unapprcdutive audience and 10 rows of empties. Jutta Valey and her two men assistants began things with tra- peze work between two vertical par- allel bars. Miss Vale* Is a blonde with a pretty face and okay all the way down. That's plain enough, because she wears white tights that fit without binding. If all acrobats looked like Jutta there would be a new era. Incidentally, the trapeze work is good. Hope Vernon, prima donna, sang a special number and several pub- lished ones. Her closing imitation of a violin awoke some signs of recognition. Maybe the audience liked the singing, too. but it kept the thought to itself. Miss Vernon bears a slight resemblance to Gloria Swnnson and does her first number with a white Russian wolfhound. Tom Howard and Joe Lyons, do- ing bits from last year's "tireenwlch Village Follies," got some laughs in the middle, but passed off cold. In the first scene Howard and an as- sistant rehearse an act outside a circus tent, with the manager con- tinually warning them to quit. Each time the assistant eggs Howard to go on and sing, finally holding him up after a sock on the head by the manager and encouraging him. The other main bit is a burlesquey piece, Howard eating in a restaurant without any money and talking him- self out of the bill. Lyons acts as straight, while small talk is handled by a boy and girl. Eddie Allen and Doris Canfleld had the toughest time of any with their fly talk. Miss Canfleld ram- bles from one gag to another, act- ing like Ethel Barrymore one min- ute and a vinegar works lizzie the next. The act's humor Is good, but it requires a live audience. Besides handling the straight lines, Allen had an effective ballad spot. The team has done well in the Palace theatres In New York and Chicago. Ed and Tom Hlckey topped the bill. One of the brothers wears loose clothes and a red nose, and gets more out of niiudle-class gags than they're worth. Both hoys dance okay and finish strong, with a somersault over a table while locked together. Placed next to ekising. and logically. Paul Tlsen and orchestra, sup- ported by Darrlo and Irene, dance team, and Betty Hale, singer, closed. The name of the dance tenm Is hazarded, as they are not billed. The net is very well dressed, and Tisen's band is capable at both classic 2,rid jazs music. Three rou- tines are presented by the team— tango, waltz and a fast whirl num- ber for closing. Betty Hale is not in line with the rest of the com- pany. "One Woman to Another" i Par) closed. 5TH AVE. (Vaude-Pcts) Perfect booking office descriptive matter on how to scramble a vaude- ville show. Glance over the acts, take a peek at the results and grant that the "Mercury" saltl something. Gibson and Price, Joe Stanley, Jones and Rea, Jed I>ooley, Hob Murphy and Elizabeth Brlce figure pretty fair pop-priced entertainment. Yes? Well, an Italian male trio cleaned up. L'sed to help out Mabel Burke during a Tiffany illustrated film. Murphy called the threesome back when it was his turn and listened to doubt his judgment. Neither could the scml-pros have had enough friends in to stampede the applause to an extent which they didn't deserve. Nobody's fault; just the show. Gibson and Price, juggling, opened to kid an acknowledged dumb and cold audience about the amount of applause uti actor likes. Does Jed Dooley do the same thing while swinging a rope? He does and did. No. i. Then Bob Murphy, right be- hind, lunged Into a ballad which bad an Inserted recitation about "an act can be good, an act can be had, but it all depends on yoti " Nohndvil hrag about the applause they not Monday night. A bully put together bill that was as badly laid out, and conflicted with li*elf at various points, smothered every- thing. "All Comedy Week" on the exterior displays, too. Murphy, acting as master of ce r emonies, did pretty well at that, but the house couldn't get over its resentment because be rather shut off that Bye- talyun trio. Joe Stanley, hack to his old SC. made 'em laugh, but couldn't ex- tract any kind of a demonstration. All the boys must have hail a diet, feeling for their public this particu- lar eve, as they hung annul to help Murphy between ads, and got little or nothing for the effort. Jones and Kea's spluttering arid stammering delivery drew giggles while there couldn't have been more than 10 people in the house who ever heard of Eliza lieth Brlce. .Miss Brlce walked on to heavy silence and almost finished that way. Her voice and personal class were a bore to this gathering, which rolled down out of the balconies in its shirt sleeves, tieloss and un- kempt. They kept their coats on downstairs. The entrance doors here swing, and it was chilly out. You c count the house by tabbing the drafts across your neck. Anyway, Miss Brico found It tough going with Frank Kessler's band of eight men. It's got to be r. ugh, hot, or overly sentimental in this emporium. "All Comedy Week!" Nobody got much of a laugh—not the audience, not the acts, and certainly not the orchestra. Sitl. AMERICAN ROOF (Vaude-Pcts) The neighbors' sons who come over the excavations—where even- tually there'll be another subway— are a vigorous lot of lads. When they convene in Loew's upstairs opry they demonstrate their good health by a collegiate boisterous- ness. When liking an act they whistle, and when not liking an. act they still whistle, because they like whistling. They whistled loud for Rodero and Maley Monday night, and perhaps a little more lustily for Milton Berie. Milt was all hoke, and the twosome was guilty of a sob ballad just be- fore their finale. Both turns handle staple goods. Milt works whiteface and looks like Eddie Cantor— around the ears. He surprised no one when eorklii" up and Imitating the latter. Incidentally a good imi- tation as Eddie Cantor imitations go. Milt is also a comic, with plentv on the right side of the book, though possibly handicapped in develop- ment by a too easy popular success on the small time. The acclaim of the gallery has lulled many a prom- ising personality into a deadly com- placency. That sob ballad Is the sort of a thing that makes a persistent vnudevlllegoer want to ask, "Why?" Some people will probably never get used to comedians who just must get sentimental about home, or mother, or their little babe who has 10 remarkable fingers and as many unique toes. Also guilty of song were two of the Three Nelsons, a good hoop and spool Juggling act, but opposite on a popular ditty. The genuine merit of their offering squared the doleful carol. O'Brien and Josephine belong In the flies as a neat and serviceable deucer, pleasant and holding several respectable chuckles. "The Golden Bird" is one of those things. Last season there was a "Golden Violin." In the cotton or corn belts audi- ences might be found to accept this "novelty" with the proper faith and credulity in the ability of a house- hold canary to sing and clown with a female violinist In a short dress. Hall and Easy (New Acts) were on the Roof, minus the trappings they no doubt carry. They have a peppy and unusual dance revue with a quartet of femmes in sup- port. The vaude bill was short on account of the length of the feature, "Ben-Hur." Business excellent. BROADWAY (Vaude-Pcta) An act at the Broadway working on the earlier shows does not ap- pear at the last night show. This happened to Frank Mellno Co., acro- batic turn, who showed at seven o'clock prior to "Out All Night" (Universal). Stanley and Altree opened and the finish brought them home. The woman Is whirled rapidly around the head of the man held to a strap between the teeth (ft the latter. em Flashy as well as effective. The^ Pan American Four (New Acts) were followed by Abe Reynolds Co. This act gave the show Its mnln comedy smash. Carl McCullough's voice Is as good as ever and his tele- phone bit continues surefire. The Revue Cuslno De Paris is big In feminine numbers and costuming but its real strength Is the young lady who does a snake dance and who later flashes a hula In an Ha- waiian number. Thomas J. Ryan found much ap- plauding when the veteran dancer tapped a black bottom while Gula and Bonlta closed. The dancers re* celved full attention. A praiseworthy feature is the music, two men and two women combining on pianos and stringed Instruments. Colorful act displaying talent and rnstumlng. , Bernard A, Koticki, formerly In charge ol copyright and trade mark work In the legs! division of the Department of Commerce, Is now practicing law In Mlddletown, Conn. He resigned from the department assignment B-pt. £<>.