Variety (Jul 1928)

Wednesday, Jidy 11, 1928 PARAMOUNT ("Ocean Blues"—Unit) <NEW YORK) New York, July 7. Good hot weather show at the Paramount this week. Paul Ash Is hick on Ifhe rostrum after a week In the pit. The barber's despair. In addition to his customary m. c,- Ing^ops the buck with Nell Kelly, rshl's ffirl has established herse>E as a corner favorite, and will probably wind up In a Broadway musical. She has a novelty delivery and can dance like all get out. .■■ The bill opens with a prelude by the paramount Orchestra, led by Emanuel Bauer! The News Weekly clips follow and the boys in the pit do their best with traps, etc.* to make it sound like the talkers. Jesse Crawford next in a straight routine of organ selections. Craw- ford took his usual bends at the fin- The presentation next. They are becoming morie musical comedyized each welk. This week It's J'Ocean. Blues," R. H. Burnside production. Sixteen of the girls work aloft in one number, on the ropes. This is probably an Alan Foster routine. Paul small has a song specialty In front of the line backed by the Fos- ter girls in cut nautical costumes and Ash and his muslckers oblige. following. . ■ , „ , Scanlon, Den»o Bros, and Scanlon "in gob costuriies followed in the.ir excellent tap . dance routine. In vaudeville the punch at the finish Is the discovery that one is a woman. At this house the girl didn't tip her fiex. ISvans and Mare In a piano, song and gagging specialty, and they like trie man's quips here. Attired m cowboy outfit with 10-gallon hat he went in for nut stuff at the box. The girl sang acceptably and foiled ■• Well "Just a Melody Out of the Sky" by Ash and his boys, was followed by Moss and Fry yarbed as galley cooks. The blackface pair proved that talking acts can do it in a pic- ture house. Their routine has been slightly changed with a real gag in- serted here and there. They made a decided impression. -Nell Kelly, next, did a whirlwind song, then used Ash for a straight In another song and also as a danc- ing partner. She mopped. • Ash looked decidedly salty in a blue ensign's unie and a white uni- form cap. He wasn't dressed to ' pass an admiral's Inspection,, but the frails okayed him from hat to fehoes. "Ocean Blues" had setting designed by' Carmine Vitolo, cos tumes by Brooks designed by Charles Le Malre, and special music •by Rubey Cowan. Nat Flnston also had a finger In it. A decidedly vaudeville tinge but A. great playing unit. . Z'*'^ tenor (unbilled) with them. They are adagloists, with the girl, a good toe worker, carrying the burden. Two numbers are a Btralght adagio and an Indian, the latter accom- panied by the vocalist. Maxwell and Lefe, also man- woman, arc comedy steppers, both in dress and work. They are fast and clever and stopped this show. Finale had the house gals turn their capos around to form a flag. An American flag. , Did its duty. Presentation running 46 minutes. "Stars and Stripes," title. Merle Clarke also went patriotic In his organ solo spot, -playing all United States tuno.s, but the .na tlon;il anthem. • "My Best Girl" (U. A.), film. • BigCi ORIENTAL ("A Movie Party" Unit) (CHICAGO) * ' . Chicago, July 5. With.eight acts and a show-stop- ping ballet, this 60 -minute Jack ROXY (WIRED) (New York). New York, July 9. At the Metropolitan opora stuvl.s in November; at the Roxy you got it when it's bvtr 90 in tht» .sluuU'.. This looks like a loafing week ?ill around in the big: house. Bosido.^ the easy operatic staging, tlvgrc is a repeat of the "Wooden Soldier" drill by: the Roxyettes. It copped every- thing In a quiet evening for applause and with a meagre house tonight (Monday). ' Ail of the people in the l,100-.soat mezzanine were shoved into the lirst five rows Of the middle section; per- haps 150. ' Orchestra fair. Woatho.K red hot,- but cool enough in the Roxy. That refrigeration alono shoyld have brought more trade. A mo^t attractive seftting was the opening with the pit qrchostra and 64 girls, in dlfCprent, co.stuming grouped upon the stage. Of those 24 were In igraduatlon white drossps. They did nothing but stand up once when the biand did, for a bow; It was the background for tho GRAND RIVIERA sheoti giving the orToot, thnuf^h more natural, of sound dovico. It wus. roUshod and drow favorablo omn- ineht.s, M-<i-M now.srool complcto'i bill. .BuPino.>^s oponing matinoi' g6od.- ' I'ldu'ord^. STATE (BOSTON) , Dusttm, .luly 10.- A. cool Monday niglit and K^otl bill brought big buxmoss for thiy 4,'COO-soati'r. NtM-ma Shoarer in "The. Actrofs" Avas tbo draw and the plcluro''not only ln-ld .solid through. tlio la.^l show but got good applauso. A rather unusual . tliins for pii'Iog- matic Bo.^toh. .... The surp.riso oamo i'n the .fiolan aind Bongor Itoviu-; an act. wiiioh has been knockint; around .for the past yvar, prowiiig slalo. It was booked in for a Sunday yhow . lo- cally about a. month as^o wIumi It was apparently n-ady to bre ak up. Clicked dwpito. .tlu' aunday ban on dancing and cOstumo chan^'o.s .and the roport.s th.'it wont over to N(>\v York apparently were boUvvod. Tho revue a.s it now stands is a.versa- tile band act with Loon Ivaverdi and Giileen. Dougal, and a . young sax player .who rosoniblos the I'rinco of Wales running aw.ay with flnst The lad Is a quiet cohiio with possiblUtie.s as a master of ceremonies. If a real showman could spend about a week with this act, build could be oho STRAND ui- i« « ffti. tHft operatic "Alda," with the singers Laughlin unit is. a sUndout for the I ^-^^^.^^ their awkward entrances mid-western route. Any house that Und exits on the big stage. . Any squawks needs a new m. c. number of songs, In solos, duos and ThP DriPTita.! Is set with Al Kvale M-rios, all operatic, of isourse, and the The Orientaris set wim ai "j.^* Uj^ing ggemed to run for nionths. It ^^"^'^^ ^i^Lo? i^tn wWt^^^^^ l^ave been better to have put j honors. ^f^^'iioT i?r^?hi louth Tnd they'?e sound to one of those foreign "Mac- of local naming youtn, ana ye lining. UP th^s^^l^S^^ a. burlesque b.allet or shine. WUh a f oof^^P'f,^"^® rehearsal, by Agnes! George dcMille. support him. he ^ a, ^^f^"^^'*^^^^^^ does it nicely, timing her com- I ing up novelties,. It without the film he s stuitneoeBi .^^ moments well but the entire bit of the sna:ppiest units on tlie T.ocw draw this burg has h^d^since tne i ^^^^ long. It should be cut time. His first change would be to original s. a. king went east^ down lo bring the burlesque bits make Laverdi quit using a feminine Production lor ^¥°V%o ofoL closer. The brevity would get over makeup. ' uses ^all of _ the Orientals stage i^^j^ better In a picture house, no ;. Eisa Ersi and Nat Aycr were the space, a replica of one o£ tnose re- ^^g-tter how short It nriay be at pres- gupporting act and had difiioulty in ception rooms without which _no Unt. fmaking the grade, possibly because society picture is complete, me Newsreel held nothing of notice over-plugged band is backed in center stage, Q^her than the short speech Al Smith Birge Peterson at the org.in has with a staircase on either side lead- jnade at City Hall, July 4, on the another tough song plug routine on' ing to a raised center entrance. A urgency of votingr; Smith can welU ^^ich he did his best but that wiis scrim at the start carrying enlarged believe In that.. His speech was on enough to offset the handicap, projection of whirhng flower pat- the Movietone. • The sHdes continue to come terns for no particular reason, but a Universal short, "Handicapped,' through ungrammatically worded, still effective. lis played by hands only. Not bad Number of acts made individual and really short, recognition difflcult. Three turns Organ solo of some volume, open- combined at the start to snap the hng the show. presentation into high opening speed.^ Feature film Is FBO's *TIlt of the "Charlb," dressed as a maid, is an Show,'* a lightweight for the Ropey, excellent tap and toe dancer, al- as the,, remainder of its bill this though not uncorking the latter week. here. She deserved a better spot; Next week is Wiled for Fox s a wiz on the fast rhythm and equal "Street Angel," with successive to an important assignment in anyJ weeks others of Fox's special fea- theroby giving about a thousand people at each show something to sputter about on the way home. BRANFORD (NEWARK) Newark, N. J., July 7. ^ ^ ^ _ _ A Garden Party" is billed as an stage unft ''BiVly""Mar^^^^^ Iia'sltures which have recently appeared [ Edward L. Hyman unit, but it has built a good eccentric routine on a | in the Broadway houses at $2 » k«<.t, ««r,«iri«,.^,Kw in n^^r- palr of flexible ankles, put his stuff over effectively and an unaniiounce* acrobatic blonde, Vilma Joy, com- pleted the opening with a fast hoop- roll across stage. The -unit's special Theodore Kos- STATE been considerably changed in per sonnel since starting out, and has manifestly been touched up by Harry W. CruU to suit the Bran- ford patronaee. The result is as pleasing a show as one has a right It moves rapidly, has (DETROIT) Detroit, July 7. Another one-man proposition here this week, built and playing iiround Monk Watson and topped, topped and stopped by that m.c. A series of these all-Watspn btage bills brings under considera- tion the question of how and what the Riv will do when \y:atson de- parts; he's bound to blow—they all do. The stay of Watson in Detroit, topping in time the record of any conducting m.c. anywhere, Is re- inarkable. Three consecutive years in one town and the same audience daily must attest to his aTjility, drawing and playing, and person- ality. In appeiaraince Monk is not the general picture house stage draw type. He's far away from that on looks, but with more pep and vim than 10 of the other kind fcomblned and with as much talent. It has been stated that his only apparent, fault , is haying rcinalned In one spot too long. Three years before one audience might educate bhe too well in the ways of that particular audience, conceding that different audiences have different tastes. The stage show surrounding . Monk this week Is an ultra-pa triotlc affair with a Capitol back- ground and a flag finish. Nothing ia,t all notable in Fred Ireland's production end, with simple . trap pings and the pace and routine iBlmilarrto that of an average vaude ville bill but for the band in the rear. Watson's dovetailing efforts iare practically the production, al- though In three bits the house bal- let (8) looks like number one hore- iabouts. Opening, a patriotic medley by the stage boys. Keystone. Screivid- ers, More appropriate than effec- tive, but the band later came through with a Jazz arrangement of a classic that took an enooroi • First outside turn, June Harris, ..8oft--V oicod- Bo ubrct .witli .a.nitc; clul) (LOS ANGELES) LiOB ^ngeles, July 6 Jack Waldron, recent importation I to expect irtff ballet of seven is among its I >^om the east, debutted here today plenty of fun, appeals to the eye, mn<,t imnressive Items They be- as m- and stage band leader, and pleases the ear, and brings back ^o^f J??, n ^n^;^n that eo%. away; to a nice start with the the old-time Branford enthusiasm. ^rn„^,^ «^ i^nc:n7i bn?^^^ ^arco "Mars" Idea.. . Set shows, band in dinner coats ^^?,c? rtn^workpf ir^te^^ ^ * personality that Uehind masses of flowers; above the house, and later worked an inter-| ^j^^^j^ grow on the customers as he Uand are five high, flowered arches. goes along. Opening day his line of Opening is slow, but pretty with * ^ifPo,.^^* frnm I "s^as a little too speedy for out the girls from the MacQuarrte talent, and entirely different from front, but he got his; gags across and Harp Ensemble doing garden party the accepted picture house cheruses. popularity by his ability to put f gtuff. George H. Morgenroth leads Chief Eagl© Feather, In full re- ^yer comedy song numbers a.nd P ^jj^ band occasionally and takes galia, was a hort novelty wlth^ his Ubrough his atepplng. : ■■' ' part In some of the business. The tap dancing. Although preceded by "Mars" ran heavy on adagio and ^^^^^^j ^he stage Is doing better, a raft of dancing, his costume made eccentric dancing, with a real .novel- although It Is not let loose any- hlm different and he clieaned de- Uy Injected by a double adagio, par- I j^^^.^ ^.^j^ j^^t ^^jj^ljgj.g jt has a servedly. . Rose Valyda, who sings ticlpated in by John and Harriet surety and a snap to some of In two voices, followed with two Griffith luid Huff and Hunt, and accompaniments that offer tender ballads that could have put showing new possibilities In this pleasure and promise, her over alone, but she cliniaxed particular entertainment. Waldron, 1. contrary to announcement of his with a wow burlesque adagio In the new m. c, opened cold ,herore h ^,^^^1. Charlie Melson, \*hich she used pint-sized Kvale, the the drapes and drew a small wel- m. c, as the girl. Built like a foot- coming reception, which he foUowed ^^^^ ^^jj ^^^j^ jg gtju ^ ball player, Rose tossed Kvale with e gag or two before starting | oa v,o nn-n around like, dandruff and walked off the show off. „ as the second show-stopper. I Opening was In -one' before a (WIRED)' (New York) ; .Now Vork, July 7.- Anotlif.-r all nMH'h;utical bill In this luviuro, hoii«o for the. •^^ook o<nnM\onJ ini^ tod.'vy. ll'a all cannod olhor than tho luv on h«.-.tra. linuse orKiiH aiKl a part <if the n.-ws rool. . Warner Brothers' V:taph'inod (talK^M) "I.iphts of Now Vork" Is tho innh\ film foature, with throe . lalkitig .Khort.s for tho v.anoty :end , of tho .'••ta.iro show.; ' Th.o Strand, lato.ly gono wire; and previously playing two of W.T.rncrs' full lon.gtJi t.alkorp, fyllowinp their aiipoaranoo at Warnors' on Broad- , way at top, now got.s a Vita first run in 'the feature. Its conipara- , tivo brevity, D7 minul.os, and lack ■. of class. a.i a talkor; likely induced the Warnors to-lot thO' Strand show it llrst, plus an extra heavy rental roportod paid by the Strand for the l)rivilot,''o. It may bo in oh a guar- antc<'. and porcontaKO. Willi any kind of a weather break this ."Lights of Now York," an un- dorworld of ordinary make and Story, aJiould do busirio.ss tor the . hoiise, mostly oh Broadway because of the shiart advertising it has been given; Called "The ilrst lOa per . cent, all talker" and In view of the space being devoted by the dailies to the new departure in pictures, that billing and that it's an undcrr . world should do the trick. in the shorts aside from the ever accepted Movietone (Fox) News, is a cinch low comedy record by Coh- lin and Glass, a clip from one of their vaudeville acts. Another Vita short is the Arhhoim Orcheglra, a second canning for Warners by that west coast musical organization, and al.^o another Vita.short of GigU, tho always present tenor,, with this much the best of the GigU talking recordings for the screen. (All re- viewed in detail under Talking shorts.) Other than the silent news reel, the pit orchestra did Its part directed by Alois Reiser, and Tim Crawford with PYederick Smith, gave the organ solos, closing the. show. ■ Friday, midnight the Strand opened 'this bill as a special shoj at $1.60 top. It did not draw cti pacity. About seven-eighths In the orchestra. One might have sus- pected that with all of the talk about talkers In the trade and In the lay press, along with the pos- sibility of legit actors getting per- manent or temporary Jobs In a new and lucrative field, or being called, upon for sight and sound tests, that actors alone, if not other-peo- ple of the show business,, would have given the . Strand an overflow, even at $1.50. . Perhaps thO actors were. In the balcony. Or maybe they don't want to know about the talkers, until they are a.sked to play In them.^ Or perhtLPs the only actors in New York last midnight were . at the Lambs Club -and of course _^the Lambs Club actors know that everybody in the world knows of them and where they may be found. Where they mp.y be found ought to greatly Interest the legit actors just now. . ^, However, Lee Shubert thought enough. of the event to watch it. With 29 Broadway legit theatres to fill next seasonp he should be con- cerned. failure to talk as clearly as he can He Is a natural comic and with the different performers, uses gag after Janet Sisters, blonde twin song scrim of M^s and other fifblf mrn'Se^^^^^^^^^ lively .and. win a Ihc^ <^i^ Ve?r"^littTe"'S?mony^"bft ancfthen the unity kicking routine. S^e, with tS sef re''^^^^ Costumes and^appearance decided J^n^i^^the Interior of an observu- assets. Kvale broke Into the stream b^^^^ Waldron handled the of specialties at this point with K^^^^. apparent ease and a special version of Tiger Rag, | gj^^^.^^^ g^^^^j gjjQ^„ianshIp. ready response—even the old ones, He sings a down-right plug of new Donaldson song. Eddie gets over as usual without a singing voice. Acts liked, and all enter Into the gags when needed. Arthur Ball Herd over ior-'a: second :week, Go-< I starts things wlth^a ypritab^^^ Go, comedienne, gagged with Wal- as he ^Ings j^th ^J'^^ Powerful ... , . - ^. , dron before going into . her songs, voice. Eddie has to coax them to dignified musicians on the route and easily duplicated her success of let him go. Dolores and H-dcly sing ■tackle It, but here It was the -ber- Uhe brevloua week. This little girl and dance. Eddy's dance on his Is a comer, and with a little devel- hands, big. Irmanette plays the opment shbuld be outstanding. Dur- vi^in as pleasingly as ever and ing her second number Waldron . goals them with her dancing as she tirely on her toes. Combination of I demonstrated he can step a little. play-s. Billy Adams, nut comedian the two talents makes nifty enter- Three Musketeers (niale) were of the type always welcomed here tainment. especially by a blonde next, with a comedy number, one deserves reception. . with sensational you-knows. of the boys accompanying on a The scrim behind the arches is Murray and Allen, harmony team, I miniature piano. -Vvith. the other raised and the MacQuarrio Harp aviuiKi-jf .1 _ _ •> 1 —,— _ ^inwriino- A 1 t.-. «v.rw.«..o each girl in an n .with the flow keen in clover for some time, it's kana me opya wcxo wuijr ^...^.j r ^rs, hkhlb, a.iu v^A.orcd backgro^^ ohontiho different 3,000 [celved, ,^ make a charm ng flash. While they about ^'V? ajfference oecwee^^ I'dca Chorus introduced aa 'Warriors pjay Loretta lA^e and-Al.sl Grins f n%^^h ?o,lh^ot7er as wrl^^^^^^^^ and d^incc. Add.s class and ?P^' ^'V^^nu m-n^fpf th^mlte^^^^ Maxine anci Doreen Interpolating a pje^ses. One other good number Thc'y should protect the material I j^^j^^^^ .^^^j^^j.^^^ ^j,g^p^ j,,^,(,iy M^^^^^^^^^ with guns. _ _ _ _ Inhfiriea Mevers. eccentric dancer, leading the band .with_his .clArl^^ and heating, the house Into'demand for an encore. It'll b6 too bad when rics. Vilma Joy followed In an excep .tional acrobatic routine worked en m.anner, sold herself nicely on ap pearance, but needed all of Wat- son's support and hoofing, and more, to get over on singing. She's ho better than the majority of the picture house soubret crop, and •Just as bad. Romainln© pair of turns were two mixed dance teams, though 'each dissimilar is style, Henry and Stafford appear to have altered a jvaude flash turn for two numbers teCor© the sta^e band, carrying a Fmale wa.? a July Fourth tableau, I Ch^irle^Meyer^,^^^^^ specialties led by Los Scow, plugger, singing .^^^^^.^^ hurled gags and patter, about memories of France, anfl K^^ ^^jj^^ of those out front were eventually centering on a ^Betsy Igj^^ to get hep to what It waa all Uos.s. I'roscntjhg the Flag" tableau l^jj^^t; He sang a couple of pavo- in the raised center stage entrance, ^jj^g numbers, and these wore The unit cotild stand a cut In d.anco nherally received, "fhen came tho =acte=bu t-Rt-i 11=- rates =amon g-^the-bcat=U Qubig=..adagla^that-went-ovc: ever prodtiood bore. tig. _ Henri Koatcs, .solo, organist, has outstanding wais Steve .Savage, developed the community singing eccentric hoofer, who 'wpwod ^ idea so much locally numerous audi- ] them, espejslally with his dope am.s smg- Ing "The Sliding Trombone" with a member of the band on the from with nice . work by both. Show runs 66 minutes. Twelve mlnutos of news Include 3 I'ar'fl, 2 M-f.5-M's, 2 I''oxc.m, 2 i'athcs, and a Kino. . They're, mild, ^^-^ , l.ut Kati.Mfy. Jim Thomas t.-ikos only ■^*"'=BWo;n""mirnrteg"^t=^thT;=cOTH Idea of "Checkers a la Music, amounts to no more than his play- ing for his move and the crowd He plays and Other Diseases." "w- ?M r Mrth^^ eight Volga held interest throughout. foXio'Sm!'" ' <^L?or'lBly^\oS;5''b^^ Show ran.124 minutes. A«.tin. SHERIDAN (CHICACaO) Chicago, July 4. Verne Buck's stage show at the Sheridan this week Is a little below average. Production is excellent but all of the acts smack of vaude- ville, more or less. The bill appar- ently was not booked from the pic- ture house slant. ■ Stage setting is that of an artist s studio through the skylight, a full moon and the Eiffel Tower. Show opens with bandsmen In their ac- customed places but with various .6CclToirs"gf6uI5<jd~ ~on each other's shoulders, .The boys, are singing "Hail, Hall." They go Into a band version of this number, Buck entering on the chorus. He walk.s on with his "limping soldier gait and the boys are led into a band number, singing the last few lines. ' Newhoff and Phclp.s,. vaude . act, in the opening spot. They sing and 'ch.atter, d61rig - a crying song and a fjghting-talklng song. Good vocal • harmony. ' , „_ A band number here entitled In the JOvening." Buck leads a male 'voice trio, singing lead himself. The boys are two hew members of the orchestra. Good, but not up to the days when Verne Buck, l-'loyd C/r^A-_ wold and Fiank Wilson did it ttl this house. . ; , Htanlcy House, neat looking kid of good jippcaranoe, sings, goes in for comody chatter and recitations. These last are his forte, "The ,Shofiting f«f I>a.n Modrew" from the conilo an.gle Is good. He sings a Tuf > l.l<■ yjo.f_ ijrst_ lirKj_3 from pojj..,soiigs^ u.^ing the music from elicH sbnk as he mentions It and the blttis liked. Nice little story form has been con- coctod as a result. At this spot the band comes in for a clover rendition of "Oh, You ILavc No Id<'a," with Buck singing comedy chorus and the boys break- ing in for the closing lines of each verse. Wallace and Cappo, comedy (Continued on page 36)