Variety (May 1928)

S8 VARIETY |7H4^ HOUSE REVIEWS Wednesday, May 16, iggg PARAMOUNT (PAUL A8H) ("Hello, Broa^way"-unit) (NEW YORK) ■ Nevv:-.yprlc,.May .14. Paul Ash is ffcttlner his chance «n Broadway and it looks - lilce a ffood chaace.. New Yorkers and the.pic- ture house RoerS fcan't know" Itim overnight. Although, PubU* cer- , talnly did ffive the> prize m. o. an outstanding publicity send-ofE before 'The Giant of Jazsi-' opened at the Paramount Saturday for his initial Now York weoK. . • . Saturday, with the weather. too itlce, the ParatiioMiit did a big busi- ness and Sunday was nicer, givijig the house and Ash. a fair week-end on the gross. Tonight (Monday) at '. 8-30 the raramouht was capacity but no standee's nor box office line, but ' anothor ,fin0 car evening after the stretch of . bad outdoor weather since .-April 1. ■•■ An uhsuspected volume of: spee- ulatioTi seemied to swe0p; oyer the . show business as to what Paul Ash would or couM. do. in New York. That is because ho did. such a stu- pendous thing : In . Chicago, two steady years at the Oriorttal, put- .' ting that house over 'as a winner . from its outset and a year before it .-at McVickers. . Previously Ash was in Sah Fi-ancisco, a rage there, and a section where he can return any time to .play for the rest of his life, according to the Californian native : Bohs or managesrs. ^ . ; Ash will , grow on the Paramount with the orchestra playing "YoUre Wonderful." with Paul Small called froin the band crew for individual worlc. Following, the Tiller Girls, eight, did tt nice stepping danctS bit and won regular applause for tnem- selvos, followed by .Tohn Remos Midgets. One is so small he was taken out of a satchel. The gi ound acrobatics and lifts by Remos pf the smaller midget got ever;,'thing he may have wanted, hut the perch work slowed up the show, although the house made It evident they liked the turn. ' j-v^-* But it was a slow spot and diun i make it any too easy, for the three Ormonde Sisters, in the next to clos- ing position, with their harmonizing songs and dances. The centre girl of the trio seems the only dancer'Of the three, but the audience liked the girls well enough to make the encore easy, and still another,- the last led by Mr. Small, particularly announced for it, with the girls breaking In on the number.. ■ ■■. , \ • , Ensemble finale of a fan- enght proportion, with Mrs. JeSiale Qravr- ford at tlie upstage organ playmg with the . band. Miss Keeler came on again .to lead this;. Credit linos on the- program were given to Mary Redd for the tlan^e tensemblea; Carmine Vitolo for set- tings; Brooks for costumes r Ballaia Macdonald and Dave Dreyer for the opening lyric, and Rubey. Cowan for the finale versfe.. / i Mrs. Crawford played a medley ot light operatic airs for . her regular organ. interlude. Jesse may inform — .., 1 . • 4* I his wife that almost any organ trade. He's, probably taking^lt slow "js wii^ i- any or and easy at first. About the. only P^^yer .^^gi^^^^^ she does things in the:talent,way he displays eamst^c^^^^ "'Inspiration" is a ere personality, conducting and' bcnuoerts insp , . . . . ... showriiaiiship. Of the latter he seems to have a lot, to bick up his for- tunate personality, the latter made more marked by his shock of hair. He doesn't sing, dance or turn somersaults, but he does talk, and for Milton Watson, his Pacific Coast tenor, he played the piano accom- paniments for both songs. Ahd Ash clings closer to the acts than has been usuar with m. c.'s. Maybe he steadies them In that way. As a master of ceremonies on a Publlx stage Ash appears, to have, more liberty in introductions than the customary Publix m. c. In bringing on the acts he cross-fires a bit here and there, and only once said "Give this girl a hand." That once was once too many in the Tex- Guinan ballwiclc. Ash incites the apt>lause, however, by his oWn hand clapping, arid he is more generous to the turns with him on bows than he is with himself for the same pur pose. . ■ At the finale of the stage show, and to very substantial applause, Ash took the final bow with the oonipany and let It. go at that, He could easily have takeii or stolen two or more had he wished to jockey the applause. His manner is easy and in keeping with his ways, both apparently finding favor, whilie his comment, whether straight or flip, was reserved, not overdone and al^ ways just enough. He has. a good way of cross firing, whether the laugh goes to him or his opposite biting them off and niaking them short. , ', As a leader wUh a new band, ai though it's said Ash sent to the Ori- ental for a few of his band players thei^e, A.sh acquitted himself nicely. The brasses sounded too brassy at times, also drowning out the strings, but the miisic effect in toto better than anticipated so early, and with the sound evidence of a good ar ranger .some\yhere around. There aro about 25 men in the stage or- chestra with an odd arrangement for a New York stage bunch. Strings are to tho left (from the front) and with tho brasses 15 feet away to the right. In between is a • raised platform for the druihmer with his traps taking in the kettle drums, and to the fore, two backed up grand pianos. - -Opening- was a^^ Two large hands outside a curtain, to either side, held strings of rib- bons down to five girls, each, under the hand.'', while above on tho cur- tain and in an oval was an enlarged ■ animated picture^ face only, of Ash's, >pantoinimlng while the girls did the specially written lyric for the first number, "The Muslonl Mr. Ash," starting thcnjurront "Hello Broad- way*' unit. Ash first appeared, in person after ■ the band had come up on the ele- vator Ktagc playing "The Gang's All Hero," amidst clouds of steam. Ash • led the band through "Baok Yard," very well played, much more so than the'enauing "Man I Love,'' with both song . titles programed, m.iking the plug double. Another plug was a voice in tho band through a' moga- phonc dnin^; a chorus of orivh. Rubye Ki'olor was Uio first person Introducoil by A.sh. I-Io kiddod .iu-st a trifle over Ml.ss Kooler siiying she intended to sing. She sang "My Pet," then did htn- tap dancing and -. .was-.O-ve r. ^ , . Mr. Walfton was crto i\pKt, (Toimi [impressive in a fast tap dance and a fan number. The Oriental was certainly wise In replacement of 1 bulk'ts, ■ ■ ■ ■ ^ Lou Kosloff. band leader at the Chicago, is in the Oriental one week. B, & K. aro in a quandary about a band leader for this spot. Ko.sloff started h}s band with a .symphonic arrangement of. a pop number, highly class and a surprise I to the Oriental crowd* The first act was Gene .Sheldon, who has a strong comedy start as a hoofCr . who doesn't know what routines to pull oflf as the music keeps changing. Later he picks up his banjo and plays a special ar- rangement -of "Alabamy Bound with sound effects, Sheldon is great I for all picture houses LOEWS MIDLAND ("Paaoda Land"-Unit) . (KANSAS CITY) Kanaa.Ji, Clty< May 10, There is but little left with this unit since it was revlevved In the Capitol, New York, except one sing- ^ er, the dancing girls and the scenery, ijjnemy" (M-Q) on Sunday. Chlliv Among the absenC"are Al and^Kay ] viroather probably brought more STATE (BOSTON) ■ Boston, May 14 The velvet ropes were up tW lobby In optimistic-fashion bufr the draw was only fair despite" the Santley and Sawyer revue and "TIia Samuels, John Griffin And the Royal business than the bill, althouRh th^ • Irene -Taylor is the 3^0^. itself was a bit of a disao! ,1 now with the unU point^ent;. The picturo had apna the New York review, ^ntly been, slashed both for oonsS of He';bort'8 melodj^s ghip and to hold down the rumiS was the selection of Joseph ICline for.U, the resulting efiiect belnK a his Midlanders, and gave the shoW I. .' , ^ , ? "'-mg a a good getaway. Short news reel followed, arid, then Billy Wright, at the organ, gave the Ipcalites their first presentation of "When thip Irish Sally Sweet, one of th^ numerous U^^^ jj^^ Germans Get Together/' in- 6ort of intriguing picture puzzle When the heroine hSs.to g.6 demo- cratic to kieep her baby from starv- ing to death and flrially comes home ruined, but with a quart of niilkand cute'ilttU^'girts-whp hit tl.e plctt.r| I JVodJce^^ aldbuic^ to^ the air^ I bljf'hSf* lu^^^uIjS? houses after Peggy Bernier clicked I „i» nnoo on^r^c Tiri^h tita wnr/isi-i P'v'': ^'^'^ jusl .^uirieu tp at the Oriental, sang a couple of neckv numbers aimed at Kosloff. He consented to be made, and the flaps applauded. Why squawk, Joe? . The Gould hallet followed with a kick routine worked in long-skirted dresses, andso perfectly timed the girls were called back for a long bow. Lischeron and Alyce, charac- ter dancers; are one of those teams that lea:p around the stage in prac- tically nothing. They were dressed ai gvpsies here, and the title maybe was," "Mexican Jumping Beans s^t Play." Liked here. . After this the shutter dropwas let down, and Van and Schenck took oveij the house. Their reception was a prolonged affair. Starting with a sunshine song, th^y &ang seyer'al roes of 1928. Slides wlUi^he v^j^s -^ were used, but the "Give Your Kind 1 - Applause" thing failed to register. •This organist is capable of niuch better things; . . ' Some snappy strains' by Joe Ka'y and- his stage gang, all dolled up •with Chinese mahdariri. clothes. unravel,. Santley and Sawyer got off to the mo.st lame start tliey have ever made in Boston, -although they finally made tlie"'grade and. carried away top honors. Their closing . minuet; in'Colonial costume waa a really artistic bit, but their intro- S:S'thr^he^^n?f.n''lS;l«-.io" «- oat. for ,„c„ dragon affair. It Is a genuine nov- elty here, arid ploaised. Miss Taylor was next, and told them she was "A Good Girl," The audience believed it and'^lld not enthuse, although she tried to make •em like heir.- Applause was still lacking. • Wallace and Cappo fol- lowed for a novelty dancing bit, but did not fare n»uch better. _-_ - * , , 1 An original arrangement of "Sun- comedy numbere, and Van took .nis- jjy^j^g.. jjy Joe Saunders was the Schubert's MnspiratLpn : . ,a Pitzpatrick short early ori , the bill and very well done,.alsoli*itspa.trick s "Mother's Day" th.at. will probably run for the full week. AH .of; the florists should send Paramount a present this week. ■ Paramount News reel, with all Paramourit's shots, very short and very tame. For what it held it could have been left out^ altogether, espe- cially the four sets. of twins. Qne more in that group and Paramount News might have gotten some base- ball pictures, at least, . . After the Ash unit Bebe Daniels and Paramount wasted an hour pr so with a picture called "The 50-50 Girl." Whoever slipped that story over on Par never treated it in the 50-50 way^it was more like 95-5 for the writer. Other than the picture a very en- tertaining bill and lots for the 75c. gate after 6, all over the hquse, in- cluding the mezzanine. Miss Keeler, Remos' Midgets, and Mr. Watson, New Acts. ORIENTAL "Ramona" and an on(-oro. "Lilac Tree," to conKldoraV>lc applfuisb. Asli also Kidding lightly With him.. Wat- son appeared to make a solid im- pression. Ash said he was a Loland Stanford boy from California, whom he had had %ith him In Chicago. Watson has an attractive tenor, but it sounds flatty at times and tm- even In high. It may be the number of shows dally. ■ Ash had the show running pretty well by this time and added to it ("Sunshine Days'? Unit) (CHICAGO) Chicago, May 7. Dear Joe: —The last letter. I wrote to you was from the New^ York of- fiOe. You remember, I told you to steer' clear of there, because the town was nUts? I was right. I'm back in Chicago. —Listen, boze—just because you have a Detroit office in your bed- room don't lose your head. When I gave an Oriental unit a good no- tice a few weeks ago, whose busi- ness of yours waa it to pick tho unit up at your end and pan hell out of it? . Maybe you think that helps my rating with the old boy. Maybe you were so full of Detroit foam you caught the show from the marquoe, And what about my wife? Boy, how you fiuoered me! "I notion," .says she. "that this fel- low in Detroit says dinger Rogers Isn't so good. How come you said she 'was.?" "He h.atcs women," I explained. "You mean ?" says she halt- ingly, a grave and questioning look clouding her eyes. I huiig my head in silent acknowledgment. I'm sOrry,_Joe. but^you b^iiought it on yourself; Ttie next time you coriie to Chi I'll throw a party with women at our flat, and you can prove you're Okay in front of. her. Not too okay, though. Say, the Oriental .seems different Without Paul Ash. The crowd In- side' is quieter; and the house seems almost haunted. They miss th.at guy plenty. But you can't pari this *'Sunshine Day,s" unit, even if it plays Detroit with a sex picture. Jack Laughim has been .brought in fi'om the coast to alternate pro- ductions with Lou McDermott, and he spread his stuff as thick aia Meadow Gold wants you to spread their butter. Beside.s that. Van and Schenck headline the unit, sup- ported by (tOuo ShoUlon, Lischeron and Alyce and Sally Sweet. Loo A. Sta.hr has conceived one of'the prettiest sot.s over in a pic- ture house.. Tho noarcst thing it looks like is an Italian garden, with gi-(>on trees, shrubbery, foli.'igo ai'oln'r^, and slntuary .siirpad all over full .M.lago. Thi- nniskMan.M are out- -l.it UmI ^ ! is.-;ry py 1 i;S - — -. A staff .siiigfr oonio.s out and ballad spot. Van was oest in a new number called "Master of Ceremo nlea Blues," showing how the. great big-hand boys.have disrupted Amer lean hoin6 life, Schenck's ballad likewise brought out the heavy ar tillery, and the customeirs let them go only after Joe left the stage by running up. the aisle. . It was wise to feature the team the week after Ash left. ' ' . " An ensemble finale closed, wltht a silver waterfall in the rear of the Italian garden suddenly taking on life with the aid of spotlights. A huge sun revealed girls nestling against Its rays. The spectacle brought spontaneous applause. Run- ning time of production about 50 mlriutes, Jesse Crawford is at the organ this week as another drawing card Crawford is the gent who gave solo organists the rating in picture houses, and if the organists' union has any medals lying around he 1 should get them. He dldri't follow Keats' community singing style here, presenting a medley of popular and classic §ongs without screen slides. Very few local organists risk their reps on .straight pla^Ung, but Craw- ford isn't worried.. He sold his notes from start to finish. "Fifty-fi:ty Girl" (Par), feature Pathe Review and newsreel com pleted. , Jimmy . PetrlUo of the musicians union sends'his regards, Joe. And the stenographelj in Harry's office has been pining ever since the day you sailed for the city of paunches. Your ma called up the day she went to New York and asked me if you hid your winter underwear here. She said she knew you wouldn't take Stick where you are and lay off New York. . The old boy still thinks a double-feature bill at the Arena, Ori 8th avertue, is good training. Loop. band's offering, with Joe Kay sing ing through a megaphone, arid, the customers commencing to wake Up Gus Mulcahay, the dancing har- monicest, seemed to have just what, the bunch wanted. This boy know how to put hia stuff oyer. Girls were on for another neat routine of. Tiller stuff and gave an exhibition of woll^trained legs, Adler, Well and Herman, with their baby piano, found the audience in a good humor and proceeded tp keep them so, with the boys having a hard time to get away showmen to carry. They are iwifl^g four girls.. One of tliem, named Gertrude. Lemnibn, is. being featured f6r.,.a, toe dance that, alitiost stopped the'act. Boyd Seh- ter was the other featured act . but; vvas held down to such a short rou- tine that he did not crash as usuaL The Nevvs, Topics and Hal Roach comedy were. fair film fillers, and Birgc Peterson, -at the organ, had a mother sopg. that: was a mess of syrup even to . your reporter, who has beep knpwn tp weep over this sort of. thing When pajHsably pre- sented and when. in .tlie proper con- dition. ).:■■, Lihhey. WISCONSIN (MILWAUKee) Milwaukee, May il. "Spring Is Here" was the .stage' show and it .was right. While sprightly, and all that, it demon-! _ ^ stVated that buck fever can even Mlss Tayfor and the girls ori for .I make its entry to the . actor's soul. ■ ■ When caught the acts .seemed a bit tired, or maybe were Just wondering wliy they should work so hard when the customers preferred their cars to theatre seats. the finale, with the dancers working on the ends gave the little shOw a nice finl.sh, and the fans were all ready for "The Circus," which fol lowed. Hughes. \v.n-l.>los about.suiuiliino. days bi>fi)re a .'<h.iilti-r (\V(i\i \vbii.'h. 0()n(;(>a1?< (ho l),nn('i. Toward l\ls fijii.ih tho. now house biillct oC Davo Gould •;-hi.'^ go through a very good oombinatitMi of wriltz and t.'imbourlne routines, shedding their drosses for tho latter.' Those girls are all specialists, and did bits one at a time to a healthy hand. About four tim(fl as pood as tho Abbott girls who formerly wore hero. M.arle Peterson, loader of the nine girls, was particularly LOEWS STATE (LOS ANGELES) Los Angeles, May 11 Be.s.sie Love is the latest recruit from the screen for pictui-e hoiiso entertainment. Miss Love, a dimin- utive and accomplished artist, looks like a bet for tho spoken field. On the screen she has done many a good chore and her name is not un- known jptloe pubUa . - . ~Fanchbn arid Marco present'Her in what they call their "Merry Ann" Idea. She uses Jerry Delaney o.s ah aid. Miss Love dances, eccentric and hot; poses on Delaney's lap for a comic ventriloquist bit, and for a fini.sh does a combination black bot- tom-varsity drag. Rest of supporting show, as a composite unit, is not so forte. Tal-, ent is not brought out as ari even balance. A trio called Irma, Dot and Hazel are not warm. enough to 1 tickle the palate of the de luxe pic- ture house mobs with their chants in the harmony. Then Ily Mayor, pianist, slips his mits acros.s the ivories while Oscar Taylor, bari- tone, who has been used by F. find M. almost as much as "Ivory soap," exorcise:* his pipes for a couple of ballads. Four former line girls now do spoci.alties and an ensoniblo of acrobatic bonds and kioks with tho routine too long. Bonny Rubin, m.c, '. iillod (ho .show together, lie told a fow slorios, hoofed .a bit and suhslUn- -■tiriCPd-thtF"frt^rt'=tHat=lTP^s'"a=nTrtt7rnl= hero. Sotting for this turn .-ind ros- tuni(>s, though ihcxperisivo,' are a flash. . An M-G wookly, with .'i ft>w litOal .shots, opened. Then J. Wesb^y Lord, oriianist, put oyer a nifty l;i.ugli spe- ola.lLy with hia rendition of "Tho Troubles of l>atrioU MoCanii." "Our Gang" had a 25-mlnute session with "Rainy Days," and the main sfMoon feature was "Bringing Up Father" (M-(i), ht-avily backed by Hearst paper publicity. Vng. CALIFORNIA (SAN JOSE) San Jose, Cal., May 7. We-st Coast Theatres Circuit and Fanchon and Marco tried out an ex- periment for the past two weeTts, with the Installation of the Will King Musical Comedy Co. for a split-week engagement, i>laylng three days at this bouse and foi days at the Wilson, Fresno Experiment has had a twofold purpo.sei It was intended as a lever age to cruph local opposition by the Jack Russell musical corhedy com- pany at the American (National Theatres Circuit) since Jan. 1, and to determine if the higher type pf musical would prove profitable in the .straight . picture presentation houiie. The fir.st objective. was. obtained without any trouble, Russdl vblun tarily closing at the American the day after King opened at the .Call fornia, a block or so away, admitting defeat openly in a curtain talk. The second objective, as to the di-awing powers of King at the California, was also plainly demonstrated, busi ness taking an lapward spurt on both week ends his company played here. However, with^ a Fahchori and Marco production for the othe^* four days of the week, it was figured that the co.sts were prohibitive, and as the musical opposition has been i"e moved, tlie California goes back to its old policy of P. and M. produc tiong Tuesday and Friday, and F. and M. specialty bills Saturday to Monday However, plenty of youth and talent to be picked out of Eddie Wolsfeldt's offering. Stage set. was handsome, a huge bower of flowers, the bade drop of which ^jarted much on the order of the Spanish fan effect used some. week.s. back. Schooler had 'not much in this act, the first time Dave, as m. c., hasn't stepped out. Billy Meyers, tenor, and the Berri Da;ncers, both stock members, each have two spots and the dancers have, never been seen to better advantage. Biggest bet was Raymond "Sonny" Ei.sman, a littli? fellow who has a neat voice and knows how to handle his feet, Ed and Morton Beck have some hokum and El Cota and Byrne do an xylophone and darioing act. Fair and plea.sing. A brother and sister team. Bud. and" Eleanor Call, dance plea.singl.v. Art Rlchter plays the organ and attempts to get the audience to sing. Little success on this stunt any more. Short subjects and "The Actress" (M-G) complete the bill- STRAND ('-In Dutch".Unit) (NEW YORK) New York, April 12. .Joseph Plunkett has blended a quantity of fair specialty talent, a group of dancing girls, the stage band and Leon Navara. into a Staiv- lev show that looks better and more sprightly than it really is in idea and execution. Principal objection to production is that it is routine, riiachine-made on the acccptod be .model. There isn't ' much to :KIng Jias.^Jong.^beien ^n.ote.d_on. th.e Lpained^by-conforhiing-to.the unlyer coast for his productions, Current ly and his final week, he. is doing "Fair and Warmer," In. support of King, who is a droll.comic, are coast f^ivorites, including Bebsle Hill, iLiew Dunbar, June Clyde, Don Smith, Minerva Ureka and other principals, with a chorus of 12 hardworking girls King's cOmiedy is sure-fire On the coast. An hour show is given, divided into four scenes, with spe cialtios in front of the olio during scenic changes The musical of necessity relegated Jay Browcr and his band to the pit, but Brower worlced up the commu- nity singing idea and had the cus- tomers lustily joining in. It re- mained for King to develop Brew- er's histrionic ability. He assigned him a role In "Fair and Warmer," that of a . furniture mo-ver. Even Jay's sovcrost critics were forced to admit that he handled the part capably. The splitting of the \vo<'k between I'^rosno and San .Io.se entailed somo severe liaiHlshn)s on Uio King j:om- T>;fl^S'""iri^trjTi».spcu-'tallbiiT^Thoy^h^^ to make tho ir)0-mile Jump (-vornight by bus, through lack of rail connoc- tion, Willi a oonipany .of 20 i nd n(<arly a buggauo e;ir of y<!encr'y and priiporties, Cost was proliiiiitivo and brought about .a decision to ai)an(l(>n the ix'lioy, sending King and his company out in a now l*"an- chon and Marco unit Idoa. King Is .a money-getter for the West Coast circuit and has never been Idojitifiod with anything but a good clean type of entertainmeut .sal type. There's-too much competi- tion in that form of show. . Presentation, which rims 40,mni- ute.s, opens with a special screen fragment appropriate to Mothers Day (May 13), made up of famous quotations and portrait-s of; historic personages together with their ut- terances on the. mother thenie. . News weekly gives three of the services a look-im .with clips froriv Fox; International and Pathe. Fair action and variety in the composite, but nothing sensational and carry- ing punch. Fox'.s alr.ship shots this week with Movietone accompani- ment and the Paramount record ot a dirigible dcllverlhg, passengers to a llrier at sea .are ariiong. tiio iH\^ that arc bettor than anylhin.gm tnia topical. •, "In Dutch" opens with a drop in "one" showing mammoth ret>tc>diic- tlon of Dolft chinawaro,. 1)01 ore which Myrtle Pioree, soprano, snips a number, dressed in Dutch peasant garb. With tliis introdiu'lion stage band is rovoalod. all iii Dut. h co^- TUfitrin^^llir^VaT^tJu^r the.eliin.'i. . .. - ■ - , •„ The ih-o]> behind (hfin i.- pl'i";- with a center (K'oupiod by tl^' "f "; of a Duti'h gii-1, her gobb-n n:ur draped in (wo onorni'tu- looped to either side, • Navara takes oharge hf>r-, mj'^'. ducint,' each .i^poolalty aot a.-; n its stuff. AH (he turns are <h-f-'"';/i. in the wide trousers, or tho i'f>""^ .'iklrts of til" Netherlands. i formlty of costuming th;it gi^ some unity to the pcoooo.diiii;'^