Variety (Nov 1927)

FSLM HOUSE REVIEWS ROXY (NEW YORK) New York, Nov. 6. Neat show, with the production flaah conceutrateU on the prolog to thf* feature, "Pajamaa" (Fox). Tak- ing: the cue from the title, the chor- Ifltera romp in their rich material Vompers. but not until they've de- scended the etalroaeee that run down the sides of the auditorium and through th» |Mtnit|yii but >et>tje8i bQxee* Twelve fflrle Daradin^ downward hf electric candle light ultimately Mached the eta^e where two mam- aiotil bede held a dosen each, and Into which all tumbled as the 16 American Rockets appeared on fac- tnfr Siaircases revealed hy an insert behind beds. AH this to a tuneful lned^ey of numbers that swept the ^reseixtatta tlurmigii.irilii 1^ im- petus. ' And this Roxy pit crew Is Improv- ing. Stay away from the house a couple of weeiM cmd you'll notice it. |li#«vv^;tlie Pajama Girls frolicked •p! the Ro<;ket8 danced. Adding the si^uditorium entrance it all consumed 13 minutes, finishing with Roxy's well-known scrim upon which -the feature title was flashed as the girls . beld the stage "picture." Very much okay and far better than many Broadway revv* efforts In the same direction. Preceding came the magazine, iMMing three Fox vUps and one firom International. The former had the Armistice Day library scenes, one ttnUrinti the boys in action, WUH a dtUple dropping and the stretcher- iKkarers picking them up. Movietone was also declared In on the news thing, opening with a closeup of a lion in the London zoo. His high- ness wouldn't roar, but the snarls were there. The 8l|pht and sound dMitraption then sWitdied to the tfMinging of the king's guard at SdelUngham Palace, a ceremony atmlfiP i6 our guard mottnt. but more elaborate. A sweet piece of work that never lost an eye all the way and drew applause. The organ triumvirate opened ' With a series of pops, after which the orchestra came in and the big chorus sang '*The Angel's Dream." Gladys Rice did "Last Rose of Sum- mer" as Gambarelli interpreted on AST toes, followed by the main flash, *jp|ownland." This had Aarsonsoh's Commanders on a rear platform Waxing warm over an ensemble of M plus a hard-shoe tap routlna by the Rockets. The "sight" here was the playing and singing of a pop <the 10 voices had been glee dub- bing various modem ■lyrics, any- way), which had Its title signifled by a blackout, spots in Uie trough hitting a suddenly exposed white iMLckground and the .multiple and weird shadows flMm Wi*toii. iMore applause. .^o specialists in the layout other tnan from the regular house stock pei|.>nnel, and it may be that there HARDING (CHICAQO) ^ € lik ago, Nov. -1. Add another to the growing list pt names—poor things—that vaude- irllto fMVot t0 irMssflfiber. Increase hf one the accounting of those who, .In :^ecamping for the land of big ddia and itai« bdiids. took the variety out of the variety racket. Pencil in ^arry Rose and give liln a food spo^ next*to-closing, say; for he's an outstanding ex- ample of the effects of the*new •haw buslttSM Wk a dIMIpla of the old. After floundering around these several years in a meaning- less oyele of vaude and eafe dates. Hose has located his bearings—in picture houses, before a band. ' In Chicago and for Chicago, Harry Rose is a perfect fllm house master of ceremonies. The neigh- borhoods, not familiar with his past, accept him as a new rage, something dliferent New York would be surprised. Hose delivers In a new vein and works in a dif- ferent manner, though he's still the same egotist. Formerly he was self-styled the "Broadway Jester"; now it s "The Great Rose." Hose has played everything •round town labtlod. Balaban & Katz the last fow %Oilu, cold turk •nd rehash. Moiil ia»portant. he is IMHatlng Ills turn. A ohango of material was something never at- tempted by Hose in vaudeville. He jgfi^ 4ulto monotonous therein. But now, perhaps, It's the Inspirational Stage band backing, or maybe the Mg ooln. In either ovont, he has been as much of a wow on return as at first sight For their outlay of heavy dottgh, tho plcturo houses are to be commended and consoled. .They drew a winner. Rose has been selected with fiammy Kahn to co-sub for Mark Fisher, who. In turn, is batting for Paul Ash down at the Oriental. Rose is managing the talk and Kahn, who did both for a while at the Central Park, the band. A JMIPPF combination in its flrst week. The first bill celebrating the Rose-Kahn arrival might have been Viuch better. It was Scotch with outside talent and only moderate in £reduction. Roiia opened faking ladorshfp of tho band. It is prob- ably only the union law that elimi- nates Rose from permanent conduc- Gould's eight-girl house ballet, an excellent group, then worked until Rose introduced Kahn. After that and until the announcer's specialty, which closed, it was all acts and band stuff, with only Ruth Olanville and a song by Kann protruding from the usual. Miss Glanville plays a saxophone, meanwhile rating plenty of ogling A good looking girl,%pd wears a becoming gown. Sax work exceed- ingly pleasant. Worthy and Thompson are two fast stepping colored lads, but garb and presence standing in their way. No matter how niftily they hoof, they will always supply grounds for adverse criticism unless one de- velops a smile to replace a fright- ened expression, and both develop a suit of clothes. The boys wore tired but happy at the finish. Owen and Anderson, announced as a pair of former fcotball booting college men, and looking the part, harmonized well and aeored fairly. In Miss Granville's spot they might have been appreciably better. Gould's ballet, about the best trained group of the many In town, worked thrice and hit on e^tch occill slon. ' Rose breezed through a series of songs and spontaneous gab in his flip manner, succeeding In stopping the show. He was handed upon en- trance and ihore at the last. A pan- tomimic insertion during a pop song was a darb bit. • The Fisher band, ^ piUf*, re- mains at 'thO house, rahor^ men have always more than served their purpose, musically and as show backers. They play in their usual excellent styl^ with tho MW director. Ed Melkel, organist here, has the most Impressive neighborhood audi- ence in Chicago, vocally. Melkel's "Organ Club" boasts more than half tho theatre's regular patronage among Its members. It affords fhe customers many, novelties, such as the announcement on the screen of a member's birthday. For this Melkel has composed a snappy "Birthday Song," which everybody in the house at the performance caught seemed to know. Melkel does no out and out plugging, al- ways seeking comedy methods by way of slides. In consequence, his audiences enter with the hope of getting in some personal notes. Re- sponse was tremendous and Meikei was forced to encore. "Fireman, Save My Child" (Par.) on the screen and Jolson and War- ing's Ponns on Vita. BusIboob very good. ^^^^^^ 1^ (NEW YORK) New York, Nov. S. Tho Paramount Orchestra Is used in a new form this week with the results warranting every effort made. Playing selections from "Faust" the pit crew is Joined by the Paramount vocal ensemble in two oolorf ul scenes mdklng up with clover lighting what tho soohic background lacks. A solo violinist, Bugeno Dubois, and a harpist, Carl Scheutze, play "Ave Maria" in one. For the en- cores they are backed up with a score of choir boys on a steep stair- case. The orchestra Joins in for the final bars. The combinatUm effort scored for a heavy return. In the presentation, "Moonlit Waters," Myrion Desha and Barte, dancers, recently at the Strand, stopped the show. The girt does a nymph dance with two supporters. Her graceful movements are prac« tically without parallel in this form of endeavor. Not on the program billing, this trio dosed tho show properly. Tho dMicors, WlM> have been doubling into picture houses from the Little Club, go on tour with Jhls'Publix unit Paramount News was mostly under the M-Q label with library shots of the first Armistice Day. Paramount claimed a special (Ml the New England flood. "Shanghai Bound" (Par.) feature fllm starring Richard DIx may have been at least partly responsible for the long line that formed Urom both sides of the box oflnce. Following the Crawford's at the organ was a Tiffany OOlolV TbO Bridal of Pennacook.*; followed with a slow tempo routine of bends that Imreodtsiely sold her. Things were moving at a fast clip at this point, Haley coming down front with tho orchestea pianist to ad lib and then wont Into a comedy song number. * The *'Lace Idea" was the finale, with Gushing and Rutton In a vooal number. Nine girls then put on a castlnet number with Valdreib Ifona Leo eoming baek for a fast tempo acrobatic dance. Cushing and Hutton then returned for another vocal number with the Tampon girls in beautiful lace cos- tumes. The "Idea" finished with fast dancing and a tableau under the back drop with eight girls en- twined with, lace streamers on a lace background. Tho stage presentation is easily tho outstanding attraction at the State. There is not too much band, neither Is It top-heavy with a preponderanoe of dancing or vocal numbers. "Becky** (M-O) was tho feature picture. Opening hlght had the usual Frl- dav capacity with waiting lines out- sido t9r ttio aoeond show. LOEWS STATE (LOS ANGELES) LfOs Angeles, Nov. 4. Loew's State celebrates its sixth anniversary this week with a fea- ture that can be classified as a di- versified and fast moving stage show.' Jack Haley, acting as master of ceremonies, seems to have caught the fatncy of tho State audiences. Fanchon and Marco's "Laos Idea" provided the background. iTitrrnational Newsreel opened, and then Haley was on. He then headed, the band in" a rendition be- fore a back drop of light blue and white lace with colored spots thrown on the drop. Haley put across oom- edy and then IVdro Valdros and girl partner went through a routine of Spanish dances, eight girls fin- ishing with a fast tap tambourine routine. Flo McF\idden, next, was a good subject for Haley to work on for laughs. The m. of c. downed to good effect and has a natural METROPOLITAN (BOSTON) Boston, Nov. t. A good Thomas Melghan picture and a solid liour \>f stage features, not to mention screen sidelines of several varieties, combine to make a praiseworthy whole on the biU of fare at tho Mot this^weefc. Melghan, starring In an under- world picture 9t merit, roisters a return to his init screen love, for it was In crime pictures that he won recognition many years ago, as movie time goes. "The City Gone Wild," his present film, le a lurid, dramatic yarn of a lawyer who knows how to wink an eye at crime, relieve his clients from the annoyance of spending their time in jail, while a mere deUU like a murder trial is pending and not guilty verdicts for them when theh: cases finally go to trial. Good^ox- ofllce proposition, but nothing to write hOBM about. The stage production Is particu- larly good; in fact, on a par with the anniversary program which was put on two weeks ago. The curtain rises on a grand orchestra tableau— • Studies from Fa^st*'—In which the orchestra divides honors with Frank Macdonald, Georges Dufranne, Ivan Steschenke and the Met ballet in the scene wherein Faust la tempted by Mephistopheles. Grand opera stuff in a Movia palaos^ but tt wont ever big*: Tho huvo, tntrleato Ifet organ did its stuff at the deft touch of Arthur Martel in a divertissement entitled "The Ocgaa Speaks." "Shadowland,- the John Hurray Anderson presentation on the stage, with Qene Rbdemich and the Greater Met Stage Band, scored. In the number were 1« Foster Girls, comprising a ballet oif agile, precise and clever dancers. Also In the act were Lavene and Al Cross In a bur- lesque acrobatic number; Idrena, a mce, little, graceful, double-Jointed girl. In a doll dance, and Roy Rogers, who is 'aooiewhat oC an oooontric d«mcer. Miss Stella did herself proud In the finale, assisted by Louise Albert on a hanging piano, which nearly broke up tho Show when a leg crumpled up during last night's per- formance, and the Foster Girls in unique serial ballet. In which they went through their paces high above the stage on trapezes and flying rings. The curtain number Was "Birds of Paradise," and a credit to the artistic genius of the producer. All In all It was a show that leaves no regrets, either with the audience or wltb the managemenL CAPITOL (NEW YORK) The supporting stage entertain- ment suffers a relapse due to the absenoo of a draw name, a lack that became conspicuous following a series o^ Important lineups since tho ehango to the new poHcy. The electrics carried only the name of Lionel Barry more, star of the cur- rent feature, **Body and Soul" (M-G). and Lopez, who presides over the suge band. This was won enough In Its way. but Lopez has become a house feat- ure, due to his stay of three or more weeks and ^o usual stellhr draw In addition was missed In the billing display and probably will show in the box oflleo total Sliow worked out nicely enough on the stage. Emphasis on the patriotic .angle, appropriate to the week containing Armistice Day, gave the performance an exhillrat- Ing angle, and put the audience In an emotional mood to respond promptly and generously to any- thing that pleased. Probably no ^.^^ ,„ „ ^ . * . star name could have drawn-mef^-SSSSt\ ,f^"f^ costumes applause than the Kits Bros., trio of l^***"** company thro^ comedy singers and dancers who were a veritable riot at the late Sunday afternoon show. They did around !• minutes and then ad libbed for another Interlude which could have been extended indefinite- ly. So that tho absence of a name was more In the appearance <Mf the show than In Its substance. le is skilf handled. Opening with the Inspir- ing overture of Sousa's "Stars luid Stripes," the effect was worked for a fine climax In a tableau with the house ensemble grouped In rich half llghu about a posed flguro of tho Unknown Soldier's tomh, oUtbOimtOd with choral effects. v On top of that a Teehnlo<nor short subject of 20 minutes by Metro-Qoldwyn dramatized inr ac- tion and costume the ereatlon of tho American flag, with Francis X. Bushman as Washington and Alice Calhoun as Betsy Ross, helping out the holiday atmosphere that gave tone and color to the whole show. The presentation Is a group of specialties working before Lopez and his l>and, nicely laid out and crisply presented with Lopes con- fining himself to straight announce- ments'and eschewing the comedy and gags. Dave White opened with a brief bit of zip eccentric dancing. Margie Barrett did a bit of itLzz stepping on her toeS aad^ tho Ches- ter Hale girls offered a pMitf uni- son dancing number. Do Pace soloed with his artistic mandolin solos a simple little spe- cialty that holds atten^on by its presentation novelty and the Ritz Boys put a climax finish on a cheer- ful and entertaining half hour. Time between these Indivlduu turns was used by the Lopez aggregation for number exploitation, and the band also came In for the display finale. The orchestra geta in a fine sub- dued musical effect and at tho fin- ish the back drop rises for a strik- ing picture of the girls grouped about a balcony holding transpar- ent toy balloons, and suspended In mid air mechanical balloons with a girl posed inside. These floating "bubbles" are a novelty. They are made by spinning curved arcs of shining metal, the reflections on the spinning bands giving tho tf- fect of a transparent globe. Pretty picture and inspiring n^mber for the finish. A Krazy Kat animated cartoon and a lively newsree^, with clips of Metro-Ooldwyn, Paramotint and two Fatha rlowi, Mueh of it air .tutt. j__ _ BRANFORD (NEWARK) Newark, Nov. 6. Charlie Melson's return from a vacation was marked by tho largest Saturday mat crowd ever seen here, with business in other houses not so forte. Out of 2,000 downstairs seats, not over 60 were vacant. Melson was met at the station and received a key to the city. Big sheets across the county heralded his return. It shows what Stanley-Fabian think Melson is worth to them. Tho show was prefaced by circus billing of Charlie on the screen, loud applause, and Marty Beck's orchestra was revealed "In a California Orange Grove," as the show is titled. They sit upstage with a straight front of boxes covered with designs of oranges. A pretty orange tree drop and practical trees at each side with oranges that light up give the at- mosphere. As the band is playing, Melsoh, dressed for travel and car- rying tho key, comes down the aisle attended by a colored bellboy in a maroon uniform (Lawrence Miller). He does comedy stuff with Miller, sings Calii'oj*nIa son? parodies^ pulls an old gag and gets it over. Hazel Spurly does some snappy dancing, followed by the 12 Foster Girls. Oeorglanna Orr is in at once with some lively steps. The drape at left raises, disclosing a dog house, from which oomo Spencer and Beach, introduced by Melsbn as "Hurtig and Seamon." In burles<(ue garb they do seneatloniU tuttlbllBg, both straight and comic. The band does a number, and then the girls return. They sit over the apron and, to the accompaniment of a stopped comet, do various novel maneuvers and kicks. They are liked, as is the musician, Newhoff and Phelps offered tS^^sual rou- tine of songs to good"results. The next number was significant. Melson says "Last week wo had a colored boy," and before he can get farther the house bursts into a roar. It shows the hit Lawrence Miller has made and also that the house is full of regulars. Miller enters for some very clever danoing, shows a keen sense of humor, an'*^ stops the show. ^In fact, the applause hardly stops from the time of his announce- ment. He does some brilliant slow- motion Stuff in tho light of the lob- stersco];>e. • Melson sings with some trick band stuff. . In the natter he pulls some Jlugs for the house, Beck and gthers. The applause shows that all are popular, particularly Beck. Melson's Whole performance i not up to his own standard. Too much personal stuff, too much homooomlng. and possibly he has too much billing. T^ut throughout he gets a big recep- tion. For the finale the trees light up. the principals are on and the girls dance In a new set of costumes. It company throwing oranges to the audience. Crull has given them 60 minutes of what they want. The rest of the show includes Jim Thomas, at the organ, in an original number called ••Ten Years Ago." with war songs and a parody, played straight and liked. Also a news reel. The orchestra overtured and the feature was "Rose of the Liaen West" WARFIELD <SAN rRANCISCO) San Franelsco. Oct 29 Al Lyons cams across the bay from Oakland to be orchestra di. rector and master of ceremonies at Lo^%'s Warfioi^l^ roplacing Walt Roesner. And ho elloked right off the bat. If the reception tendered the new leader at tho opening per- formances meant ansrthing ai Lyons is "across" with a bang. Tho Warfleld customers fell for his lik- able personality. Following tho popular Walt Roesner was no cinch, but Lyons had no difficulty in doing just that. ^ It was a corking good show of* fered at the Warfleld, and the pay gang relished Itmnd registered their approval unstintedly. A bigger band, some talented Fanchon and Mareo **speeialtlea* and a program of real entertainment was the fare. Lyons made his Market street bow following a brief Introduction by one of the band boys and responded with a few words in which he paid tribute to his prodeooOBor. - He then sent the augmented band into the difficult "Overture Raymond," which brought out every bit of musle. Tho band was with Lyons all the waj and gave everything Uiey had. Blnor Hurley, baritone, with the band, sang "Charmaine" and was forced to repeat. Jlnmiy ^ay, tap and soft shoo dancer, ottend a dif- ferent sort of routine. Ray is all action, hands, body and legs, and won deserved approbation. Lyons next favored with a piano solo, giv- ing the "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2.** His teohnle and • touch were Impressive and he deserved the en- core which he drew. This was a piano duet with Gns Wobor, regular orchestra pianist, with Lyons sing- ing a chorus of "You I^eft Mo Broken Hearted.** - Manual and VIda, Fanchon and Marco interpretative dancers, gave a pleasing demonstration of their art and Lyons Introduced Arthur West, comic, who proved refreshing. West opened with a lltto of kidding of Lyons and then went Into his wise-cracking nonsense which made a hit. He sang a comedy song num- ber, did a few danoo sto|Ml and exit* ed to be recalled. Lyons and three of his band boys offered a novelty number, with Lyons playing a piano-accordion, the other Instrumentation being bass, clarinet and banjo. The quar- tet pulled some corking comedy. Neal Castagneli, the clarinetist, fol- lowed with an impression of Ted ' Lewis singing "When My Baby Smiles at Me" and scored an indi- vidual hit. Here's a hoy that bears watching. Back after th^r bow. tho four boys played a 'Xittle German Band" Idea number that drew laugha Manual and VIda gave a Castanet dance and Lyons onco more sent the orchestra in actioUt playing different Interpretations of an old-time ballad. Curtain at finish of this number* with the mob/clamoring for mora despite tho 45 minutes elapsed* Screen feature was "Becky.** STRAND (NKW YORK) New York, Nov. 5. Hot competition is rappsnt on tho Apparently uncertain about a rea* sonable method of magnetizing pe- destrians to tho box ofllce, some the- atres have resorted to the old stand- by of elaborateness. This ia^an ex- pensive, but almost certain, meth- od, its fault lying in the constantly increasing expense to ward off the Inevitable palling of noveltv. Also, it is a suro way to brood oosii^ com- petition. Most of the Broadway theatres have a mammoth seating capacity, enabling them to spread the dough for increasing patronage. There is a limit to this spreading, but it has not yet been retched, when it does come the boys will be forced to uncover a sound policy fitted to rea- sonable budgeting. The Strand has been forced Into enlarging its programs by other houses. To its credit it fixed on a type of presentation with underlying soundness. Nathaniel Shilkret and his Victor orchestra of 60 men are to be used as bulwark for programs peppered with classic and popular entertainment. Shilkret is a name on the air and on records, and his first presentation proves he, is able to back his musical reputation. The orchestra Is In a rising pit, which Is lowered when full view of the stage is required. Tho men started with an excellent paraphras* ing of Schubert's "Unfinished Sym- phony," with the theme depicted be- hind a scrim on stage. Weaved into the classic was "Unfinished Melody,** a Jazz tune. On one side of tho stage Schubert was pictured at work In his study, while on the other sido a pop quartet handled the modern melody. The scenes were brought out Intermittently, with a vocal ohorus In the center made visible for a rendition of ^/'h ni '"^^^'' T l most effective stags number on program. Marguerite Namara of the Chi- cago Grand Opera 0«^»npany also worked a variation, sinking a Verdi classic and a Victor lierlxrt bal- lad. Miss Namara nas a fine voice, and drew a hand that would have done credit to an /pera crowd. Ileleno Donizon. ballerina, livened