Variety (Sep 1928)

Wednesday, September 12, 1928 L E G I T I M AT E VARIETY 53 Plays on Broadway GOOD BOY Arthur Hanimcrslcln production. Two act musical play In 33 sccnea. Book by cuta Harbacb, Oscar Hammersteln H, and Henry Myers; music and lyrlds by Herbert atothart. Bert Kalmor and JIarry. Ruby, Stothart conducting. Book staecd by Heg- Inald Hammersteln; dances by Busby Ber- keley; stage settings by John Wenger, Me- chanical and trcodmlll ettects credited to Peter Clark. Inc., and Edward Dolan; tech- nical director, Lelghton K. Brill. ^Costumes deslKned by. Mark Mooring. Opened at Hwnmersteln's, Sept. 6. at $0.00 top first 10 rows; 15.50 rest of lower floor Pa Meakin Ma Meakin,"V Elvira Hobbs... Cicero Meakin.. Walter Meakin, Pansy McManus • • A. A. Stone ■ "New. Tork" •'Manhattan"......... • Betty Summers Bobby ■ Darnell Jimmle i .STam Hcarn Enle Shannon ..; Evelyn Bcnndtt . . Charles Bulterworth .Eddie "Buzzcll .Helen Kane Lester Bernard .........vAriel Miliars - -.. . Milton Douglass .IBarbara Newberry Dan Healy Borralh Mlnevlteh Members "of Chorus.—Louise Allen, Alice Akers, Mary Bay, Lioulse Blakeley, Lillian Burke. Margaret Callan, .Irene Carroll, Virginia Case, Georgette Caryl, Binie Cortez, Sylvia ColUnson, Betty Croke, . Ruth Cunllffe, Peggy DrlscoU. Madellene Eubanks, Jeanne Fayal, Rose- mary Farmer, Loretta Flushing, Muriel Greel, Beryl Golden, Bobby Gorman, Muriel Grlswoid, Buddie Haines, Dorothy Jocelyn, Alda Conkey, Olive Kenyon, Grace I>a Rue, Mildred I^oraln, Ruth Mason, Lucille Mercler, Dolores Nllo, Mabel Olsen, Alice Ralsen, Helene Mc- G)yn Boo Phelps, Bunny Schumm, Jean Unger, Betty Wright, Flo Whyte, Kay Wolf Dorothy Ward, Robert Abbott, Henry Cbrsell, .\ustln Clark, ■ Arthur Craig. Edwin GaiUard, Jack Irwin, Ned Lynn, Gordon Merrick, Tom Martin, Dick Neely, Gus Quinlan, Howard Raymond, Neil Stone, Morris Tepper, Treadmill mechanical effects arc the .saving grace of I'Good Boy," the new Arthur Hammerstein musical entry which, otherwise, would not rate $6.60 for the first 10 rows, or even $5.50 as the balance of the lower floor is scaled. It is the novel- ty of the German-irhported double treadmills with which John Wen- ger, the scenic artist, and Busby Berkeley, the dance jproducer, have worked wonders, that leaves the lasting impres.sion after it is all said and done. • . "Good Boy" holds a number of important people who, despite the libretto handicaps do much to further make the evening worth while. Eddie Buzzell, Barbara New berry, Helen Kant-, Charles Butter worth* Borrah Minevitch and his harmonica virtuosi, Dan Healy, Bffle Shannon, Sam Hearn, Lester Ber- nard and Evelyn Bennett are among the principals. In applause returns, the cute Miss Kane, who jumped overnight, so to speak, from 7 5 cents at the i'uramount to $C.tiO at Hammerstcin's, was out front alon^ with Borrah Minevitch, who tied it up cold, as well as Charles Eultor- worth, Dan Healy with his dance specialtie.s,, and the. lissome and pretty Earb-ira NcAVberry with her terp solo. These individuals were solidly elected on the applause vote. Eddie Buzzell, the unolRcial star of this one, who as the titular hero was burdened with , a strai^jht role, might have been deemed Over- shadowed in the hand-to-hand salvos because of his conserva- tive characterization. Possibly be- cause of this strict adherence to character, in the main, it does appear to sonie that he exceeded the bounds in interpolating city slicker wisecracks while doing a male Cinderella from the sticks invading Broaldway. At first bliissh this seems an inconsistency for a sap role, but Buzzell owed it to him- self to brighten up a too light as- signment. Buzzell „is again not without pathos, a perfect lit here. Charles Butterworth (e)c-secretary and chauffeur to J. P. MoEvoy, whom the latter sponsored on the stage in his first "Americana" edi- tion) built up his serious mien into strong results as he solemnly ele- vated his palms, face forward, and murmured, "Oh, the pity of it!" Helen Kane, whose impres.sion was mernorable if not quite the .wow she had been during the show's Philly engagement, unanimously impressed that' she should be assigned a sec- ond number. While repise-ing "I Wanna Be. Loved By You" .several times and getting more on each time out, a new song will probably come into the score before.the show grows much older. Borrah Mine- vitch with 'his nondescript gang of p.seudo street corner virtuosi of the mouthorgan, turned his 13 minutes of harmonica symphony into the big wow of the show. Minevitch also personally ' impressed as a light comedian, having broadened his scope and bespeaking potentialities along those lines. He has a good conception of grimacing values, al- though not overmugging into too low a funster. Dan Healy, the perennial juvenile and one of the most capable song- and-dance juvs extant, was cast as the light-heavy, somewhat of a de- parture for the sympathetic step- per,-although softening the menace assignment considerably Barbara Newberry, anotht'r s?top- cusc, in her first iniitoi-t.uit part, wa.s a cinch click on her two timrs out with her graceful dancing. A comely and shapely mis«s. Miss N«'\v- berry has improved since "The ! Golden Dawn," the provici\iK opi-rcUa tenant at the same tlKutro. With coaching in . the vocal depart- ment undoubtedly she will go still further. Miss ivcWDerry slipi>cd up on one song and iminodiatoly spoke the lyrics when her voice failed her, handicapped as she was by an ob- vious cold. She played opposite Buzzell .in a character not aptly conceived by the librettists. Therein lies the chief fault of "Good Boy," a book that weakens after the first act. The ftr.st act curtain is the anti-climax, a depar- ture in musical comedy plots in that the second stanza recedes from the leading couple's marriage. Because he is a failure, Miss Newben-j' re- bukes the hero on their bridal, night- While musical comedy books weVe never designed for serious analysis, it required no second sight to real- ize the jarring note in what is a pleasant sequence until the merce- nary element creeps in. However, it is plausibly soti-soapcd for the. ultimate finale. Show derives its title from the Uutlersville, Ark., mother's admoni- tion to her boy that he resist the wiles and nniachination.s of the big city and remain a good boy. The legit sentimental scenes between Buzzell and Effie Shannon^ as Ma Meakin, Impress from the .start. His meeting with the fiirtatious Helen Kane in a Pullman section of a.train is his first experience with temptation; this scene, bye the by^-, provied an early comedy highlight, and is said to be Buzzell's own crea- tive interpolation into the Harbach- Hammerstein-Myers book, settini? the character of Miss Kane at once. The allegorical revuesciue se- quences of the New York skyline and scenes, in New York are made possible by novel Impressionistic scenes—rfothing more than . set pieces before drapes—which * arie propelled oft and on on,the treadmills. There are two such belts, operating in either direction at the will of the Of)erator in the flies who, mechanic- ally and otherwise, becomes the most important individual as far as the actual' evening's presentation Iti concerned. These treadniills are said to have cost Hammerstein around $22,000. His stage crew numbers about 40, there is a femme chorus of 40 and 14 boys, and along with the cost of the cast this brings the show's nut close to $15,000, Including stage crew and orchestra. Playing in his own hi.use, by pooling luni.^o and ut: iraciiim, 1 laimiu i-st< in li;is a oham'o to ni;iKo lunn'-y. lUisliy Borki'li'y's danco numbot?;' uro nniVin^nly gDoil, liRhting on tho .u'irl.s' Ic^s from the wings holpiti!; vuo routino. The. bunion of the dani'o nuitinos, l)(\wvn-or, was shoul- dorod by HoMiy Connolly who .'^topiu'd out to tako hold of "The New Moon' wlH-ri'upon Berkeley was lalk'd in. Of tlic sovoi-al si'onio X'ffocts, that .swinging- first act (iualo will fetch tho most individual coniniont. •■(Juod r.oy" sliould enjoy a healthy r\ni, TVio moohanios, the general popularity of the individual people and the three song hit pos- sibilities (Mis.s Kane's "I Wanna Be Ijoved bv You,""Some Swect SoniC- one" arid the titular "Good Hoy'.'.i should all. combine for happy grosses at Hiunniorsteoin's,-with .the novelty moc-hanloal effects the most in-iportant element in the venture. Abel. : MACHINAL Droiua in iwo luirts and tcii sccno.s by Sophio Tri-adwoU. prosonlod by Arthur Hoi)liins at ilio I'lymouili, Sept. 7; staged by Mr. llnpl'in-"- A Young Woman A Toicphone (.!lrl A ^'tonogrtlllher .... A Filing Clerk......... An Adding CltMl;, A Mother. A Hu.sbaiul. .....'...... A Hfllboy. X Nurso A Doctor. A Young Man.. .■ A iJlrl.... ■ A Man. ■'■ A lioy. . A Man Oti'bard Kof). Another -Man A Walter • ,. .J^lta Johnnn MllUoent Tireen ..... .Grace Alwell ....Leopold Hadia Conway Washburn Jeiin Adair ,. .George Stlllwell ; Ouo Frederick Nnncy Allan Monroe Childa , .iHnl K. Dawson .. .Zcnalde ZlcgfeUl Jess Sidney .Clyde stork Clark Gable .....Hugh M. Hite ......John Hanley - -..John Waters .John A'onnery. A Judge A Lawyer for Uefen^' -■ -,V' Ai;» A La wvor foj-I'rosoeullon.Jauie.s MaeUonaKI A Matron. ...Mr;--. rhaM. Willard \ I'rie-t . Charlc."» Kennedy Though there are niany plays to come Ihore will probably be no more solemn play this season. "Machinal" i.s melodrama presented expertly in a highly oxpressibni.stic manner, episodic and with, lighting effects ratlrcr than .scenic settings. The final episode has not a soul upon the stage. Nor a sound once the lights are up. A woman has jiist been eleoiiocuted for tho willful /murder of her husband. The rosy glow of quiet dawn developed upon a pink eye from a battery of lamps. The woman has found the peace she wanted. The curtain drops. It's highbrow but exceptionally interest- ing and should catch the attention of more than Ihe.arty crowd. Arthur Hopkins has been a spe- cialist on stage lighting effects Some of the shows he has .so pre siiitcil did not liuul litu liis latest clToii is quite prMnii-iUi;. "Mach- inal" means ina>'hinci-.s. Lii'i; and . the will els of jusii,cc .lirind on, This woman wanted fi'ci iloni from a luis- liaiul -^ho never loveil, a m.m with • fat hands which madr> \u-v llosh ' crawl. She killed him with a boiUo, lillivl u illi stones as he sU i't by her side. She didn't divorce him he- cause .'.ihe didn't want to hurt iiim that much. Stupid? So wiis Kuth Snyder, Sophie TicathvcU was one of many writers who attended the Ruth . Snyder murder trial last year. ■ tfiie came away from it liUo others with an Idea of writing a play about the case. iMiss Troadwell started, but iihished with ciuite a different story; 'I'ho scirdidncss of the Snyder mur- der was. forgotten. All that remains is the niurdcr of a husband by a . wife. lie was an exasperating, egotisti- cal ciiK but treated her kindly. The woman had siipported liei- ihother by working as a stenographer. Her boss, the viee-prosidont of t\ie firm, fell in kivo with her. , She bore him ' a child. But In the six years of their married life she found no hap- l)incss with him. The only heaven she ever knew was in sin, an al'ialr with a youth whom she met in a speakeasy. There was no plan to kill betwe(>n the pair.. The man had returned to Mexico. Treated in the manner Of "Mach- . inal" niaiiy points are left to'the . imaginiition. There are seven epi- sodes in the first act or part and three in the last. Just the high- lights of the story of the wife and husband arc shown, mostly vOry. vividly. Only the jury trial of the woman is prolonged. She swears innocence until the aflldavlt of the lover is introdticed, telling of their relations; then she breaks down on the stand and .confesses. A. prior scene was the most sordid of the play, that in his cheap apartment where she had readily consented to go as his loveri . "Machinal" brings forth a new actress on Broadway, Zita Johann. She i)layed stock for about six' vcars. Last spring Miss Johann ap- peared in the Cleveland cast of ■Rope" 'done there as a stock show- ing, and attracted the attention of Uavld Wallace who wrote "Rope" . and who is now press reprosentativo for Mr. Hopkins. Miss Johann im- presses as being girlish and yet mature. She is of a type resembling Kath(?rine Cornell and may be des- tined to equal fame. She appeared in every scene, repressed and faith- ful to direction. Hers was no easy assignment but last Friday before Clayton & Waller Present Schwab & Mandels' "MANCHESTER DAILY DISPATCH" "LONDON DAILY TELEGRAPH" "THE TIMES" (LONDON) "MORNING POST" (LONDON) "NEWS OF THE WORLD" (LONDON) u AT THE GARLTON THEATRE -"BOBBY JARVIS, a comedian who simply MUST stay on this side of the water." —"MR. BOBBY JARVIS, THE CHIEF COMEDIAN, has a pleasant way with him and romped to good purpose."—E. K. "THFT^F ARE MR BOBBY TARVIS and Miss Goodie Montgomery to lead the way with "sonie of the best eccentric dancing to be seen in London at present. -"Bobby Randall as the substitute was played by BOBBY JARVIS . . . scored .heavily." —EDGAR WALLACE. - -"The cast is not conspicuous, but such honors as are to be had toJ^OE^Y.J^^^^^^ Goodie Montgomery, ^vho were most amusing m th^ir respective roles of a BOOB and a sophomore." J' ^ ■ ^ ^ _ ^ ^ _ v ^^-•^he principals-are^ A^ J-XRVIS, a very clever comedian. ... -"There are several good comedians, esi^ecially MR.. BOBBY JARVIS. who makes his first appearance in a Harry Tate sort of car.". -"BOBBY JARVIS is the most consistently sue cessful in keq)ing his head above the swirling feminine flood." "SUNDAY NEWS" (LONDON) "EVENING NEWS" (LONDON) DAILY HERALD" (LONDON) BIRMINGHAM POST" (B.RM,NGHAM)-;Jn. <^i|^n,^is the n,u.ic ..con.,, ,,,c .u„k. .cU handled aCever con,c<iia„. MK. ....LUSTRATEa SPORTING AND DRAMATIC NEWS;^K^ '''' ^ ■ "Desert Song," Casino Theatre, New York City Ten Months, Empire iTfieatre, Sydney, ^u^^ Now "Good News," Carlton Theatre, London, Eng. "Eggs Is Eggs"—and How—Ask Charlie Morrison