Variety (Sep 1928)

38 VARIETY HLM HOUSE REVIEWS Wednesday, September 26, 1928 FOX (Wired) (DETROIT) Detroit, Sept. -22. William Fox oponorl his local Hindu' loniplo last (I'Viduy) nisht. anc^. was lioyt to an invited and paid- adniLs.siou throng that fiUod all 5,- ■ 047 si'ats. This IVou.^p, dosii^ned by C. Howard Cnino and his asssoolates, Elmor GcHirn'c Keller and lion Doro, is a rt-'pUca of the Fox, St. Louis. iMie .tOAvn.sfolk thrilled to the QTcliltGC'tural offocts secured from a conibiniitlon of Hindu, Sian>ese, Ghl- n6Bc, liiu-mose, Persian and Mexican designs; They likewise thrilled at the compleh'rio.ss of the house on its openinE; date, sliiee everything was in ptM^fect readiness;. • Furnishings were in pliice, ushers knew their bows and the stage show moved with a iip'oed and llnish entirely un- expected. I>espite the speed of the bill (since abbreviated), the sho.w lasted three and a half hours. Wl)en the curtains wore opened oh the first nfghl, a long, drum roll brought the house ushers to tlvS i3tage for a drill. .. When this was over a locally Interesting feature in six episodes, called "The Pageant of Transportation," was presented, Starting with the Indian horse and drag, the number revealed in Bucccssion the covered wagon (quaintly enough never known in this ssection), the early *iorse and buggy, lake freighters, miniature locdmotives and train, of cars, and a rnodern automobile chased by an ofllcer on a real motorcyle against a panorama which represents De- troit by . night. It proved a faith- ful representation. Interspersed were unnecessary scenes from' the late war showing the boys in action on the front and culrhlnating with a fake tank on the stage. This number, while intend- ed to be big, suffered by comparison With the rest. A battleship effect, brought in at the same time, al- though for no reason whatsoever, was quite effective. An interlude, iapprbpriate to this manufacturing state, presented a "machinal" baljet la which a troupe of girls a la "R. U.: R." went through Weird and mechanical formations on th^ stage to the .acconipahiment of Bhrlll whistles, electrical hamniers and forced air punips back stage. The noise was s6 well done that it gave one the sa,me shudder In the marrow that a listener gets from hearing Sousa play "Stars and Stripes Forever." Adolphe Kornspan next led his 60- i)iec6 orchestra through Wagneir's "Rienzl" overture, and followed this tvlth a pop, "Blue Danube Blues." Next the Movietone Newsreel, which seemed devoted to Herbert Hoover in a campaign speech. George Bernard Shaw followed With his now famous talking short on Mussolini, and It was hilariously received by the opening audience. A programed address of welcome by Mayor John C. Lodge, which would have been. $i knockout feature be- cause of its local novelty, was can- celled because of poor results in the recording. "A Neapolitain Festival" revealed the ' largest number of performers ever seen on a locaj stage, since "The Miracle" hasn't been shown here. Thirty-two Tillerettes cavorted, a mixed chorus of fully 100 voices sang familiar Italian numbers and selected soloists offered individual numbers. « This latter number introduced "Street Ahgel" (Fox), Initial screen presentation. Holiday prices 75c top. Seven major movie emporiums downtown here in competition. new.«^re('l of eight .shot.s'. Afb-r tliat a Moviotony .short of Millpr and Farroll, two men chanting to a .slccl guitar. Subject sounded inotalllc throughout.. I'lddic Carter then pumped the rirgan, ))Ut couldn't get the h()U.s(\ to sing. "Dock.s of New York" (i'ar) scroeii feature. Unff. STANLEY (Wired) " (JERSEY CITY) Jersey City, Sept..'24. .This house succunib.s to the oncc- a-year . bugaboo of "fur fashion shows." As vsual, it moves along with the speed of a paralyzed snail, when the mddel.s are mincing around. Al Belascp, the m.c, tries vainly to pep it up, but gags just won't go with the fur rubbed the wrong way. Belasco does a cornedy dance, however,' that puts him in .solid with the cash customiers and does the riegular. howdydos in tiptop shape. He goes into ■ French cpmr edy talk for the opening seen?, a drop representing, a modiste shop, going straight again in full stage set. This Is elaborate yellow silk creation, and well done. Rita and Elsie Darling, who sing, shouldn't. Mildred (Mickey) Fee- ley puts over "Blue Grass" and ■''Forgetting You" like a million dollar baby. And Nat Nazarro, Jr., stops the show with his torrid acro- batic-tumbling, dance, which fol- lows a lukewarm cello solo, Rodion and Rabana are pas.sable in an adagio. A dozen Ada Kauf- man girls might have been better drilled. Their opening routine, with hat-box tableaux, was crude. Ten models wear the wrap's and coats, and are about as :bad on stage as the avisrage maid of their ilk. "The Whip,"; fekture film, with itij sound, is not so forte here. . Or- chestra, directed by William Oscar, clicked with "Connecticut . Yankee * selections. Ruby Keeler's absence from show missed muchly. Her. agent, Bill Grady of Wm. Morris oflice, can- celled her booking last Wednesday, saying that "Miss Keeler must go West immediately to escape t. b.,!' Stanley ofUcials report. Nazarre is in her place, but can't wear the $40,000 fur wrap they had picked out for Ruby. Her marriage to Jblson shocked Harry CruU. di- rector of house, who had accepted thie illness gag. Fitz. METROPOLITAN (Wired) (LOS ANGELES) Lo.s Angeles, Sgpt. 21. rublix units Koom to reach the , Coa.st in a fiamewoik which the local folks patch together as. best they can by using their m.c, band and .a isongster for embellishment. Seems to be all wrong the way . they are sold here. "Flapperettes," a John Murray Anderson endeavor, is the current dlTering. Cliorus. of 12 trot out at opening for a num- ber with as many rag dollt>, sup- po.sedly symbolic of the title, and then make way for the specialty acts. It Is said the unit as shown here ■i.'» intact from Chicago, with no withdrawals or additions. After the girls, the big punch of the unit is Oene Sheldon, pan- tomimist, who po.ssesses a dead pan and sti uma a mean banjo, lie winds up with eccentric and' grotesque Janclng. After Sheldon, no punch to the .Hhow until the Remos Fam- ily, thr(^c male gymnasts. In the interim, Ruth Denlse chants a couple of hot 'numbers and Blllle Gerber steps out in male attire for a--ballad-and a,-f cw-^steps.=^^.^^^::=.,,=^ After this, Henry Busse, new m.c, gets hl.s first whack at the ihbb. BussG didn't cret much chance to do comedy in this unit, but he wowed the mob mu.sically In leading two numbers. They then trotted out a chap named Eddie Magill, local, for a ballad. Magill boasts of a mega- phone studded with colored lights. It's about all he has. He slowed the show and didn't belong. Show opened with a Paramount i BRANFORD (NEWARK . Newark, Sept. 23. Charlie Melson Is back at the Branford and a mob Jammed the house for his reopening. .Calling the show "The Prince Returns," Harry Crull has a castle Interior as the set. Band was dressed in scarlet and gold uniforms with plumed shakoos. Paul Cadeaux sings "Prince of Good Fellows," followed by the Beth Barri girls, six stunningly dressed court ladles, and Chaiiie enters clab in a blue uniform. Scene, as is the whole show, beau- tifully lighted. Eddie Moran did the court jester, Willie the Three Adams Sisters .«5ang, Girls did a nifty dance with feather fans. After a band mimber they reappear for more dancing and some acrobatics. ]3i>st act of the .sort soon here. Moran, using the garbled talk for which he is famous here, stopped the show. This indicates Melson's worth to tha Fabians. Acting as I'^ddie's straight he brought him more applau.se than Eddie ever got while alone as M. C, Cadeaux sang again, the gals did an effective military tap with pick- Trar bitsr—ehai-lie- and Eddie took- a long time to pull a gag and Jack and Kay .Spangler do what is ap- parently their regular , act. It all ends with Charlie In a purple robe and crown singing. Presentation ran 50 minutes. Newsreel j-an lO minutes with three from Fox, three Par, two Patho and one M-G-M. Feature, "I-ialf a Bridoi' (Par),, pleased. Shows ran 120 minutes without organ solo. Austin REGAL (Colored) (CHICAGO) Chicago. ,SfiU. '2-2. Most uiiiijuo thcatr*^ in thl.s town and ptuhap.s in the country. Jiiglit in the heart of the colored be.lt sland.s this cxlravagauliy built jiic- turo house and doing great busi- ness.. Willie ■ patronage is almo.st exclusively colored, it is . not un- common to find a goodl,v nuinl)or of whites, mostly .perhaps out of curi- osity but at the same time for en- tertainment. No. question, about tlie latter. More value for -30c In this house than in any other of .Its Kind anj'- where. Stage shows are something to talk aboiit. Harry Gourfaln, for a number of years unit producer "with L. & T., puts on the shows. For the sheer merit and quality these shows hold, Gourfaln can stick a few feathers in his cap. The big drawing qard at this time is a colored comic called "Garbage." Seems that, this guy ciiused a panic overnight and has been holding on ever since.: Prob- ably to a white audience, he would not be so funny; but to his people, zowie! Another chap, Fcs.s WllHahvs, m,c. and stage leader. Quite a character, thi.s 'Williams. Comes out with ;i cheerful "Hello, gang," and i!> yelled back at with much busto, "'Lo, Fcss." That puts him in the ba.'jr right away. ' • ' Tlii.s week Fess is working, around a lavishly mounted idea, titled "I'i- ratcs Ahoy.". Initial performance Saturday afternoon was not as smooth as it probably will be later, but contained all the ingredicin.s. of a well hiade iip show, with plenty of talent. First number was by Leon Mc- Oray, baritone, with a busniensr like manner. Not so strong, but okay for an opener.' Next trotted forth Merecedes Walker. She's, a low down blues singer and accom- panies herself on the piano. Got plenj|;y ht>t with "Where ,the Sun Goes Down." Lineup of 10 hl- yaller babies followed and worked, like rockets. Routined to perfec- tion, they execute line formations and steps ■with ease and agility. Great looking bunch, too. Then out bounced' Garbage from a trunk or somewhere. and the fun started. He was met with a recep- tion startling, tp say the least.- Anything and everything this boy does Is strictly okay with the pa- trons. Works with a straight called Fatso who knows the ins and outs. As far as material goes, the gags used by Garbage can be credited to everybody. Fast and snappy song and dance team were Gene Collins and, Delia; latter a nice warbler. Collins: looks like he's had a lot of experience In the hoofing trade. Struts a mean step. Another type of dancing was handed out by Newman and Rogers, youngsters and all feet. They were on a little too early In the show. Closing were the Six Lucky Boys (White), risley troupe, and good. Got plenty of appla,use and deserved most of it. Pit orchestra, under direction of Dave Peyton, waded "through some lieavy moments with "1812 "Over- ture." Seemed as though the num- ber was a little too,much for the boys, who number 16.' Sammy Will- iams, at the organ, helped out here, but showed, to better advantage with his own console specialty. VVilliams has an organ club arid" the singing bee put on is a riot. Screen feature, "Four Walls" (M-G). Kinogram neWcs. shots added. Loop. UPTOWN (TORONTO) Toronto, .Sept. After putting a lot of time on an aiitunni fashion .show, prior to a big spread that will accompany the birth of .sound pictures at thi.s hoii.se, Jack Arthur is doing a.>snap- py little revue built to fit "Oh Kay" (l'\V), Real freshness to the 20 Itogge girl.s, who do .some footwork before a futuristic .set; Costumes of scar- let,- pliik. and gold, with, hats tot iniatch. Earl Capps and Sisters, priir of snappy, blondes, do some conventional hoofing, then spoil it when one of the. blondes .sing. Act never got goitig until Capps threw some gymnastic .Eccentricities. En Everglades scene, with Span- ish moss and that sort of thing, had Bettiha Tegara playing classics oh a violin. .Tei'in Haig, dressed to du- plicate Colleen Moore in the picture, .sang the song hits from the musical in a drawing room which was a copy of thai in the picture.; Rahce Quarrington, baritone, was In on the. "Oh Kay", rc'ralns, with the danc- ing girls returning in white, arid sil- ver for two more numbcr-s. Band played "II Troyatore," Lloyd Collins taking his dally dozen with the baton. Anvil chorus had sparks flying from the . anvil.s, and the "Miserere" was taken up by , the. trombone in an upper box. Collins even swung the baton on this fellow. Organ ivas silent. An ''Our Gang" comedy atid l-'ox news rounded but. . - Sinrlair. , STATE (Wired) (MINNEAPOLIS) Minneapolis, Sept. 20. Original arrangement of "Rhap- sody in JJluc" by John Ingram, con- ductor of tluv25->piece pit orchestra, was the current Week's orchestral presentation. It enlisted four women pianistes on the stage. After tlie number had started, the curtain JiyMJt-QJ^yeiil J^o gf_the girls fac- ing oiie another, and" Tuilher^TnoW back lianging.s parted, bringing into view the linal two more pianistes on an elevated platform. Shiny cream-colored hangings provided an attractive setting. In addition to the feature, "Lilac Time" (FN), and the orchestral presentixtion, program held but one unit, Fox Movietone news. It's the second week for the Moore picture. After a big flmt week, business somewhat ofL THE MET (Wired) (PHILADELPHIA) Philadelphia, Sept. 24. "The Met," formerly the Metropol- itan Opera house, is presenting an elaborate Inaugural program this week, contflLining a talker, a .sound newsreel, orchestral and organ num- bers, and several stage features. "This huge theatre, taken over by Stanley, has been completely renov- ated along the lines and with the presentations of the Paramount and Roxy in. New York. There is a movable center stage and three pro- grahi.s daily. First program begins with the "Second Hungarian Rhapsody" by the concert orchestra under Harry W. Meyer. Charles Nelli, concert master, plays the violin solo. Cath- erine Littlefield's ballet, with Miss Littlefield as premiere danseuse, supplies a background to the piece. Karl Bonawltz, guest organist, plays a novel selection called "A Trip Through the Organ," illustrating the capacities of the new insiru- jnent^ l:eucrrhg"st'age"fea?tunri3"th^ "A Garden Party," presided over by the locally well-known Al Wohl- man. Entortalncrs Include the l^it- tlefield dancers, "Vale and Stewart, Joe Lanin's Metropolitans, a lively orchestra; John Maxwell, vocalKst; Marietta, the "Dancing Venu.s"; Gaynor and Byron in a skating act. and others. Screen feature is "State Street Sadie" (WB), a. Vita tnlker. Waters, EASTMAN (ROCHESTER) llochosteri N, Y., Sept. 1!). Ilotiso staged a real premiere this week with a one-act operetta, .writ- ten by Herbert P.radshaw, young local busiiie.s.s man wiio dabbles in music as a hobby. Bradshaw pro- vided a colorful, rich and melodious score, and director Gayne Bunker dressed it in lavish style. Entire strength of the Company was util- ized in. the presentation called "in a Spanish Garden." Story, told in pantomime, Intro- duced a senorita (Dorothy Drakely), who waits for her toreador. He forgets the lady for a gypsy dancer (Thelma. Biracree), but the senorita sings her way back to him., A pleas- ing opening tenor solo, "Espana," sung by Albert Newcomb, and a harmonious duet for the toreador (Harold Singleton) and Miss Drake- ly. Presentation has color, verve and a wealth of melody to make It a bet for about any house equipped to make Its own productions. Miss Biracree, premier, danseuse, contributed a charming dance fan- tasy called "Porcelaine" for a second number. The overture, with Victor Wagner conducting the 70-picco or- chestra, was VZampa." 'Feature picture, "The Whip" (FN). Gooding. CAPITOL (NEW YORK) New York, Sept. 22.^ Stage show rah 45 minutes at the first Saturday performance, which means the current Mort Harris pro- duction, "Dream Garden," was bur- dened with superfluous moments. It may be the last of these locally produced units for a couple of weeks, as the house goes sound next week with "Dancing Daughters" (M-G), Movietone-. newsreel and a sound short. Only stage attraction listed is an undersea ballet by the Chester Hale Girls. "Excess Baggage" (M-G) heads this, week's outlay at the Capitol, solely screen supplemented by an eight-minute newsreel, mostly given over to M-G. Paramount was In with more tank stuff from Fort Wood—apparently a haven for all newsrecls when short on news—arid "Pathe displayed one clip. • No ex- citement. Short of B!) men In the pit rendering "Martha"" as the over- ture. Presentation had Emil Boreo as Its particular ]ea(l, with Allan Prior, Helen Wehrle and .Chamberlin and Hines the othtT specialists. Prior, Ipng.a favorilo at the Strand ,down the street, wasn't import.ant at the initial show. He did two familiar songs and bowed off to applause which sounded suspiciously demon- strative. That doesn't particularly refer to Prior, as the persistent hand-plugging continued for the unit as a whole and came from the rear of the orchestra floor. Lineup didn't need Prior; and lt\s odds-oh th.at .something or someone was out before dinner time. Helen Wehrle (New Acts) did contortion- istic front-overs, bends, sprawls, etc., in a costume that was strictly Beryl Halloy and cased the nudity over lo the film house under blur floods and a similarly sh.aded .spot. Wasn't offensive from the front, but -tlie-=stage=band=.^fGiind^thelc^ituiajL(L rack.s unnecessary. Roesner did two numbers with Mr- hoy.s, the second leading into the llnale, which had moat of the girls again wearing costumes displayed earlier. Oi'chestra hooked six mel- odies together for a no"Velty inter- lude, and Roe.sner hopped his cornet to give It added weight. Brief and away from the u.sual, Frank Stever barltoned an ordinary new ballad, and then the finish, minus most of the specialty performers. Cliamberiin and Hines drew a few snlck<'rs for their burlesque Apacho^ but the applause was heavy enough when they concluded. Later audi- ences may have approved of thi.i couple, but the opening show turn- out couldn't get Interested. They also had boToi'e appeared on Broad- way, at the Paramount. Stage set wa.s dominated by gut- tering silver material and lighted in purple and green, .'wlth the band In colonial dress under white wigs. Costuming , of the 32 girls corre- sponded, changes being made for a hot number to a "Blackbirds" tune and an abbreviated ballet behind Miss; WehrlC; Unit has more sight th.an entertainment value, although that impression Is possibly, due to the overtime and uncalled-for per- fli.stent applause. BOreo did 12: minutes, having Roesner's crew as important aids when reaching his audience and concluding numbei-. House slowly filled to reach about tlirce-quartcr.s by 2:30. An epidemic of carelessness to focus by. booth operators has been sweeping the B road w.iy houses lately. PraolicaHy ho tVx^at'^e has been Immune, .and wlmt this doe.s.to a feature, ought to bo the K- 'lso manager's, business. . . Sid, UNITED ARTISTS (Wired) (LOS ANGELES) Lo.s Aheeles, Sept. 20. Those big mon(>y getting prblogiS they were going, to put on at thia hou.se did not materialize with the opening of ' "Battle . of the Soxes" (UA) an the screen feature. In- .stead, they put on what can. be best characterized or described as a tab- leaux with sound. It. was similar in idea , to those Roxy had on the side stages at the Kialto. New York, when Riesenfcld was directing . the. orchestra, 11 years ago. . It-vV.xs called "The Tapestry," with ■ two peb.plt>, man and woman singer, in a tap- estry frame goi-geously ioounted and two other serving as the animated dccpratloh for large candelabres" in front, and doing a minuet as an interlude while the songsters caught their breaths between stanzas of Tossalll's "Serenade." The singers were F. De BrUin, baritone, and Edith Bird. Took just seven min- utes for the flash, which hardly rog- istered at the first night show on opening day. Performance started with overture of pop New York stage hits played by ah orchesti-a- of 20 pieces,. Will Prior directing. Prior is an ar- ranger and a baton, wielder who knows how to get tone, harmony and volume from a fair-sized mus- ical group. . Following this he an-, nounced disappointment in Pader- ewski not being present to do his stuff but, as in thei movies, they had his double. Doublei was a marlonotto in shadow box operated to play the Rachmaninoff "Prelude " .■^lop sti(^fc fashion. A novelty arid hit. with the crowd. International News held eight shots. Then a short, "Sunday Morn- ing the World Over," showed how folks did' their worshipping and where in China, Egypt, Arabia and Europe. Short enough to be inter- esting. Preceding the animated stage offering a Vita short had Eddie White warbling, a trio of songs and telling a . couple of gag.s. Not too hot. For $1 top this house is giving a rather inexpensive and mlscellaneou.s entertainment. Utig. SEATTLE ("Bartjoys" Unit) (SEATTLE) Seattle, Sept. 15. Home-coming for Eddie Pcabody, and this, his third stapd in Seattle, at the head of the Fanchon & Marco "Banjoy.s'' Idea, advertised as the farewell appearance. The dynamic banjoist and all-around- entertainer is due to break into New York within a month in one of the big houses. Jlmmi6 Maissel, his pal, also with a banjo, goes ailong, Peabody has a way of winning his way into the. hearts of the kids. He's a. boy scout, proud of it and work.s close with the troops and councils in, all the towns. School children wish he were attending their par- ticular high school, for he visits them and talks and plays at the assemblies. No wonder box office groans and the money bags burst when Peabody appears, for thou- sands of kids plug for Eddie. The- older folks just must go and see this boy. And so the managers smile. For instance, a scout rally was held yesterday at 9 a. m., and 2,000 boy scouts, most in uniforms, filled the main floor and much of the b.al- cony. R, R. Ruddiman was in charge of the boys, who gave some yells, tried to sing a little, and a few speeches were made, all In the riglii .spirit. They cheered Eddie, aho Eddie talked about his visit.s to "oilier Trodivs"Ih-ftll'"CDa!rt^CiticB^vher<= he played. He promised to carr-y good-will mes.sage and some boost.'- to the New York scout.s from the Seattle scouts. He told the scouts that he had been offered several thousand dollars to Indorse a cig o"" some kind, but was cold on It. Eddie and Jimmle played sornt pop tunes and all had a good time (Continued on page 63)