Variety (Nov 1927)

WednMday, November SO. 1927 VAUDEVILLE REVIEWS VARIETY PALACE (St. Vaud«) ahow-bardened Timm B^ntjrt- lt'0 probably tb« fTMtMt Tftudc gbow IB tli« world thU WMk—«er- talBlj tli» bosrt on Broadway. There * Xow inside ohuckles not un- Biizod with a feeling of sympathy lK>rn ot Intlma^ understanding. It's wortll two feiuek^te IMr Itenie Brtoo mlhg "My Ifea." and a lot more to watch the repressed mug- ging of the gang of troupers who assemble Monday nights to pay komage to old friends making their appearance in big time vaudeville's last atMid. If half the audience had uttered Che unspoken thought that seemed ta reach out and transform the still- ness into a single, potent force Wbila a brilliant and versatile aiitar6Uner crooned the hymn of love and passion for which her nam^ has become symbolic, it would h&\S' been. "Where's Nickfey?—He must bave been dippy to paw Hp a d^e like that<^if he has.*^ Liisteniilg to Fannie Brice's alincher to a 40-minute turn rang- ing from slaprstick Hebe burlesque, delivered with a combination of 4ialect and mugging that results IB eonmilelY* laughter, io the de- lectable vein of pathos in "The Song •f the Sewing Machine," is more tluui A popular comedleima'a inter- pretation of a favorite song. That, final number, cloaking one of Broadway's best loved legits, served liere mainly as a reminder of the •tory of the poor little girl of the Sast Side whose great love is re- flected in her inimitable artistry. They called for "My Man" from the floor last week, but Miss BriM held It over for the current terntu Clark and Bergman, in a new act (New Acts), were given a full min- «ta feoeptipn on appearance. They l»«ri over, as far as the Monday* Bight mob was concerned, before they had said a word. In a tough ■pot. too, following Irono Bordoni <New Acts) and elOidB|r tte flrst iMLlf Of the bilL Tbo pair are tsamod vp fai an- other fodl proof routine. And if it Isn't all in the lines they're stiU de- llvorlng on all six. Discounting the fkiondliness of the local crowd they •mn carry any spot out of town "^tti tko present lineup. Miss Bordoni. with a new rep- ortoire, held attention from her •pening skit, a little overdrawn and terdering on the melodramatic, e registered far better with a pretty French number. partly Anglfciaed. concerning Mignon, and Bt the heavioot fotumo tr&m "*Bo lis Is Liove," to which she adds m 4listinctivo flavor humming a few %ara In ImlCttUoii of a muted vloUn. Following six curtains and an en- •ore the Insistent demands were iftttoOod With ajpooch. Five acts btti oioood with ai>eeches. One ot tho surprises was Thomas J!. Ryan, opening the second half, Who has been pounding the stage floors for approximately ii years. Bandicapped by material that would bave killed off an ordinary per- former in two minutes and teamed with Hazel Harrington, Ryan •topped the show. All lio Mid was that he'd do the same act he did at Tony Pastor's in the 70's. Con- sidering age the old boy is flMt on ftls pins. Ills version of the black iottom is a panic for laughs and •pplAvso. Rjran Is over 71. He told them about it at the Palace and got ma ovation from an audience that %iidoratood. Eddie Nelson in No. S could have vsmained where he was for tho rest IMt tho evening but evidently bad to Kike way for Miss Bordoni. Four pper Shakers, two-spotting, strict- ly small time, Max and His Qang |Kew Acts), opening, tumbling and trained dogs, scored with a number of new routines In that linfw Tbo S'arringtons. trapeze, closed. The salary list must bo brutal or brutal Manoob ACADEMY 81ST ST. (Vaudo-PoU) a particularly No new acts. 80 what the 'cU. I«t'8 duck it like this: Well, Harold Erichs got married. He's a blond, at that. ... In a ^urch. . . . By a preacher. ,, . And ke won't go into vaudeville. . . • The l«dlo*8 on. and it's I a. m. • • • And the kid from Montreal is pounding IMt picture newa . . . Vaudeville is Miot . . . And the boy is out of ShooL After 26 years. . . . That's e payoff. 10 to 1 the old boy stops ^rrlting those letters. Come on over, Pat . . . Pat, tlio Maump. . . . Twin beds are the be- •Inning of moral dlvoroe. .. . Itooos •re red and violets are blua . . . But vaudeville is shot ... It had to Wna. . . . And they're selling candy is the lobby of the 5th Ave. And "n^h^ i^A^^y' \f, fT^, . . . Bu^ ^Mmb It want free. ... Ho morod a seat . . . That cost him $S.SO. % • • And aa usher told him. ... So ■0 fbimd oat fte wasn't lylag. . . . After 2S joara.... Tbat vaadoviUe ■ shot... lAd Pat, Iho ohnrap. *. • Ooaso oa %P|r. Pat . . . Ifs the nuts. ... If iMFthlaff la.* • . Whioh R tat. . . . wkkh mskis ft aaaara ... Or (NEW YORK) (Vaude-Pett) Maybe one expected too much from the advance heralding rela- tive to the 14th street theatre's pre- tentious interior, atniusphoi c, entor- tainment and associations), which might account for a modicum of the disappointment, but the last half show as it laid and played was just an ordinary biU. That it did the capacity trade it did Friday night is the more to the credit of the tlie- atre's hold OB tho oast sido neigh- borhood. The show was Just a good old- fashioned neighborhood vaude pro- gram. Although the Academy lays claim to a picture house policy, it is a misnomer. The presentation idea has been cut to the bone and the overture omitted to allow for the eight acts' being seen in two hours, with an additional hour for the flicker portion. Prank Farnum and Co. headlined the last half, with Jans and Whalen, and Ryaa and Leo prominent fea- tures. The Academy of Music. Fox prop- erty, is not only burying Its K-A competitor (the Jefferson further down 14th street) but adds insult to injury by kicking mud in tho JofTs face via the City, also a Fox hold- ing, playing legit attractions as a subway stand. Between the two there Isn't much of a look-in for anything else on the ghetto's rialto excepting the 14th St theatre, fur- ther west where EJva Le Gallienne draws the haut monde and the in- telligentsia a iM«aiNMid«co downtown. A ground tumbling trio. Oreen, Page and Oreen, opened* Ouivon- tional knockabout. Clark Morrell with a male acoom- panist as the "co.," is a tenor whose simplicity is the keynote of his strong impression. Working song-pluggerish and an- nouncing the numbers by title with extravagant adjootlveo. tho divers- ity of his song choices at least elim- iaatos tho suspicion of plugging for a singlo firm. Morrell oamo to at tentlon several seasons ago at a professional try-out and still retains that semi-pro boaring and desire to please which seems to be the cor rect equation for his good impres sion. Gaudsmith Brothers, with their clever canines, are more and more to the comedy und worthy of the trey. ''Radio Fancies" (New Acts), dance flash, pleased, followed by Ryan and IJee. Tho team was not recognised im- mediately OB name bat Mlsa Lise's nasal twang cacne to attention ahd a scattering hand was a tribute to this standard team's past pjirform- ances. Frank Farnum (Now jkoto) another strong click. Jaaa aad Whaloa flMippod «p. Tho boys worked right for the house, seemingly fortifying them- selves against any obstreperous guerillas by roughing up their de- livery for the preliminary self-es- tablishmoat. Tair^Md easy flatting regardless. Taraan? ehimrp persoaator, nov- elty closer. "ByM MiOfll JMo** (Fox) feature. Business capacity. CLARK and BERGMAN (8) Comedy* Sonffo* Oanooo 25 Mint.: One (Spoolal) Palsce (St V) Old time vaudovillo flavor, laughs in matwrlal and business. dLdied out by a couple of experts, it's surefire. Dave Dreyeer and Herman Ruby are responsible for the material. A lot would slip through unnoticed with ordinary handling, but this pair capitalise on every possibility. Comedy oenters round a disap- pointed bride and a bridegroom who never shows up. The beet man, via light Dutch dialect gets an invita- tion to take the bridegroom's place and marry his old sweetheart. Though all het up about the pros- pect the oantlotia Dutchman goes slow when propositioned by the girl Finish with an argument, following the honeymoon, at a iV>ot called HoneirmooB Junetlon. Have another skit for the closing, based on a small time vaudovillo team who split when the male end figured ho was Juflt iarryiag tho girl and woke up in the guttw years later to flnd her a star. Went big hero olosing tho flrst half, partly on aoeomit of tho re- turn to vaude by an audience com- posed mostly of I-know-him-whens. RatOfl ^ylt ao high for oat oC town, iron FRANK FARNUJN And Co. (11) Band and Oanoo 15 Mine.; One and Ml Academy (V-P). Frank Famum has not been speciaUy aotlood trtaoo ll2t. The dancinp comedian has been con- siderably around In night clubs, picture hovaeo and vaudeville, most recently on a West Coast tour. wh«l a film short was used as an ad- vance herald. It shows Funum dis- porting with film oolobo teoludlng Pauline Starke, Renee Adoree and Monta Bell^ also a Screen Snap- shots excerpt of Famum teaching Jack Dompooy how to do that fa- mous step from Carolina. This framo-ap oarries a jazz aulntot tot tho aaolcal aocompani- monta two mea and two women dancers besides Famum's partner and tho star. The partner is a lookor aa^ altfa rtutpoiy, probably recruited finom the night elub floor shows and of a type not encountered in tho variotlofl or outside of re- STATE Five of the sweetest plajrlng acts at the State this week, including a oovplo of Broadway holdov^Ohi from the near-by K-A Palace, who top the show. They are the B. A. Rolfe Orohootra and Bmilo Boreo, the lat- ter the continental oomedlan whom E. F. AlbeO singled out for particu- lar oommendations la thO' now famous Aihoa «ii«ahur Biaocirtal letter. Boreo is a genuine artist, impress- ing himself and selling his linguistio shortcomings in a manner that shames the average glib-tongued native performer. As Boreo naively points out in one number. Ifs not what you do but how you do it. And so his accented "cute" mispro- nunciation, his exaggerated gut- turals, his broad but inoffensive grimaces and mugging, and the gen- oral flikhty flair of the foreign ar-' tist are the more fetching in their antithesis to the contemporary mode of stage salesmanship. That Boreo has been "Just arrived from Paris" for many years is beside the point. A decade hence Boreo will still be studiously faltering in his lingo, and the old generation, along with the new cycle of variety patrons, will be just as roooptivo of his hocus-pocus. On the subject of generations, the Rolfe orchofitral performance im- plies much more than tho obviously sure-fire and whiz-bang versatllo hand novelty Rolfe oflOrs. Here's B. A. Rolf'* a man who was Jesse L.asky'8 senior partner when of Rolfe A Lasky; a picture executive who. as head of the Blue and old Metro films, was one of tho keystone producing units in the now powerful Metro - Ooldw^'n - Mayer Corp.; a man whose fatalistic resig- nation to an axiom that his mortal existence revolves in eyelos, and who now takoB new-found Joy In his work as seriously as he did a score of years ago when the cinema racket was as relatively new as the Jazz band thing is in Its recently devel- oped state. With H all deoplto It afi Mid above tt all. Rolfe has aomo «ContlBued on pofo 37) She works well with Famum in tho double Bombors. opening with a oomody Bow^ wafts. The male and female donblo spodaltloo are so-so, Famum sustaining every- thing with his two solo offerings. The boys gat soa i othiag with a Simian danoe double, and the looker also ellckod oa her oolo legmanla. Famum*o iootolOgy Is tricky and flashy. The flnale Charleston, an original, does not roqulro the aUeged oomedy aaaotttOimoBt, going weU with- out It. Good danoe flash for tlpo best In vaude and ptotureo. Ahik III i i I ' ■ 'n iM ' RADIO FANCIM m Revue 15 Mine.; Throe (SpooiaO Aeadervt^, Now York CV-P). Act title derived from enormous radio receiving eablnet from which song and danoe specialists emerge. A magnavbx obatntptlon U em- ployed for tihe radio announcements. A phonograph record is electrically magnified for aa opener, following which a ilstor team, a male buck team, an adagio team and the odd diminutive "coneglate" chap do a and d. spedaRMo. Corinne Marsh registered particu- larly with a Regay ^unannounced) nimiber. Finale Is in the Uotsy- Totsy <niib for a fMt flnlsh. The radio Idea Is a good stunt to keep an average revue routine co- ordinated. Good intermediary pic- ture hoiioo aad iraado flash. 4 AM. ANGER and FAHI an^ CO. (1) Revue 23 Mine.{ One and Fall <«P00i) Mh Avenue (V P) Lou Anger and Mary Fair, with a juvenile assistant, present a se- ries of skits, each with a special set and each in a different locale, Can- ada, Mexico, etc.. represented as stops on a traas<^atlaOBtal flying trip. At the ith Avenue the turh was In a sorry state. Considering the money, scenery aad effort Involved, the results from a laugh and enter- tain n|fi!VLa°?l^ were meagre. Anger flounders about without materlaL His sputtering delivery does not suffice to stroteh tho laoghs over 23 minutes. Miss Wnkt Is a high-kicking daaoer of ability, bat Ii not dressed becomingly. Anger's rep may sell this, hot H Will aot do his top any IRENE BORDONI (2) Songs 28 Mins.; Three Palsce (St. V) In addition to name value Itene Bordoni, reappearing, represents d»>finlt<», nnniistnktiMe stnndaid.s of ability that cannot fail to elovute her higti above the usual vaude fare. Her light here slightly dimmed this week by another fern star. Mls»s Bordoni, however, registered as a show-stopper. The opening, based on the story of a Russian noblewoman whose child is devoured by wolves during a storm the day it is ehrlstened. is too labored nn effort and has the efl^cct of levelling attention to Misb Bordoni's vocal ability* Her voice does not seem to carry and the flrst impression, gained through the at- tempt at dramatics, prevails throughout. Her next appearance in pink hoop skirts and silver wig is character- istic of the type of delivery this songstress scores with best It is a song-monolog dealing with a naive maiden. Mignon. one of King Louis XlVs pets. Appearance and de- livery in this number are classic. **So This Is Love," a tuneful mel- ody, lent additional celcr through Miss Bordoni's exquisite Interpre- tation, brought on the heavy ap- plause that lasted wlille the cur- tain went up six times. Enccre was a aamber oatltlod Taroe^ that oould easily be substituted without eadnngering tho |M|t to Iho slightest degree. I^ttls^ Altor aadia«Miiiad at the Jforl. JACK BENNY And New Yorkers Talk, •onge and 9a|ia 21 Mins.| 0ns sndlMl Audubon (V-P). Jack Benny, at the Little Club, Now Tork, aad the Now TorkOrs, classy, muidoal outfit doing service at the erstwhile night club, are a new vaude combo. On the Initial Audubon appearance tt seoaul got for all neighborhoods. Benny walks oa la 'Hmo,* an- loads a few w i soorso ks aad tells of Ills aoibitloa, to have his awn band. As he exits a full band Is heard, but when the otartain ascends only oi»o aMui Is sosB. M Tiaotl pMsrlng the vioUn. Ho plsya awMlo and then walks off. Efforts of Benny to direct brings discords. He leaves and Vaauti di- rects while the band plays har- moniously. Benny reai^oars ahd takes vp tho batoa only to have musicians again on the sour notes* Oood for a laugh. Then Benny and his band get down to business and their masle Is worthwhile. Benny Introduces his arranger, Don Murray, sax player, and Mur- ray's given oredit for a eorklng band number that Benny announced as a '"RhapsodKr" In Red," due to its Indian lilt. A blond toe dancer ap- pears twles to advaatsga. John Grifflth. tenor. Is with Benny and he gets ample opportunity to display his pleasing pipea One of the featttrti tt • dvot by Venutl and Sddla LilMrtWlth Violin and guitar. — 'Benny and Noiir Torksrs ara;a flne layout for vaude or picture housea Benny scores with his gags, sells his band and the band adds to tho sals hf Its oseollont pteylag. Benny has seen to it that the or- chestra Is there nnmerfteally, it TOM KERR aa« m* iMssI Ksr Hers (13) •engs and Dancing .; , 22 MInai Three •rosdwsy (V-P) As an orchestra the Kerrlers manage well and can be depended upon for from Ave to 19 minutes of continuous playing. Time of stay is prolonged through Kerr trying to be funny. That's a mistake; also other unnecessary stalNag. Kerr brings on a female dancer, a guitar soloist and persists in stretching an act which is effective only when tho hofm aro pliQ^bif at a fast tempo. Qot over in spots. R08COE AIL8-KATE PUULMAH Co. (11) Revue 60 Mine.; One end Piill (Special) Ridflewood (V-P). Rosooo Ails has shottleA his big of tricks again and also dug hoa^ into the bankroll to Uno «p what tp by far his nost protoatioiis oon* tribuUon In thia as^ oadb It's ait au flash. Flash Is thstfr hat aa lA attractive background, for the la« Imltable dancing talent of Roscoe, Kate Pullman, his porsonable aad talented partner* %nCi> Others of ffeO support. This oomblnation ean*t miss. act Is a whole show in Itself. In routining Alls has not over- looked a bet from burlesque black« outs to fast dancing aad an sold with such a swift pace that you wouldn't believe It consumed the tt minutes in running time unless clocking lU Alls retains his ecosa* trie stepping and shufTle dance that lifted him to a headliner. Miss Pullman also Incorporates her agile footwork with as much sost ss ovsib The hoofing of either does not make the act new since the dancing has been sure flro for seasons. It's tha trinualngs and aew assistants that warrant a re-revlew. Alls, whose ability as a showman is never ques* tloaed, has sarpassed htmsoif la hit present llBOup of aides. None take the act away from him nor from Miss Pullman but they more thaa •givo support la arhooplag it ap tm the smash hit It Is. The aids aro Joe Rose, acrobatic dancer; Dor» othy Ellsworth, danoor; Ralph Foa* toa, luvoaUo stralghl^ aad BimM fC Bynoopation, flve-plsos blaation, and hot. Aside from the doing lots of SQOiSdy aad dolag tl welL He leads the blackouts, ad libs throughout, topping this with his oomedy eooentrle stepping aad shuffle dance. . - The turn through quantity aad quality rates more as a tab thaa aa act. Alls probably sil H for pla> turo houses hat ssomingly has sp- ranged it upon a schedule of elaa- tioity whereby he oan prune to Bkost tha faqulroBioata aC oMm^ ^ai% tab or picture theatrea Opener in "one" has Ails as boob trying to gain entrance to a gyp Bight slab with Foatea ioadiav for the dame baiting bit, whIoh never failed burlesque and got howls hero. Qoing to fan. Ails ioA trio are set for aaothor hlaokoat "School for English.' wherein three pupils are ooachod la but thrsa words, 1 Did," "Tor |St^ sa« "Thsrs What We WaaL** At tha tag a murder has been oommittod and the forsigaers when latere lagato^ by tho poUoo saswor hi pa« tatlon. It's a howl. other standouts in the blackout division are "Recruiting" and "Oas Later Ails and Miss Pullman s»- hance the laugh division with a . travesty mind reading stunt labelled I "Ask Mo Aaother." with Miss Pan* 1 man working In the audleAce and Ails in comedy get-up answering the quertM aMstly 'ooodajg fro» plsatd. This a big Dancing of Ails, Miss Pullman the others space the oomedy bit% ollBkazing with a protsatloas battla- ship scene where the band gets Its inning in view after much back stage accompaniment earlier. Alls aad Miss PttUmsn laoorpotate theig "Wooden Soldiers" buck for finish with cannonading accompaniment with fast stepping by aU for a SMSSh flaish. Ails certainly must have gone la the bag heavy for this ona it's H great act that has ovor|rthlng._ ■J MAX end HIS dMMHi Dog Act 8 Mins.) Full ^ •th Ave. (V-P). X sucoossful try at getting away from the monotony of animal acts. The turn Is interesting enough for an opening spot in all elasses s( vaudeville. Max st.iits t)efore a drape, at- tired in Ktun clothes and singing an introductory number about his act Ths drapos part aad disclose a half dozen canlnea While his dogs are not more talented than tho average animal troupe. Max gives tho routine novelty by woiklag with thfm thr<)U>?hout. He tumbles with them, plays lesp-froK. NINA snd NORA Indisn Clubs 7 Mins.| One Fox Audubon (V-P) In "one" and pretty close to the footlights thess young women offer a fast, snappy routine of olub swings, working mainly as a duo and showing to advantage through- | turu» back flips while one of out. The act Is speeded up by the swift •xrhango of clubs, whilo Ijoth wom- en carry on a line of chatter that helps. A sploadid act of Its kind aad lightly suecessfvl as aa opener at ths AnduboB. Mark. dogs retains his balaaoo on moving body. Max also shows flair for contorting and hoop ning, devoting a specialty spot ti A varied aet, weD preeeoted. asking no sppkmai aattt 1^ Is pleted.