Variety (Sep 1928)

Wednesday, Septembei: 26, 1928 VARIETY 59 VARIETY'S CHICAGO OFHCE HAL HALPERIN in Charge Woods Bldff., Suite 604 Phones: Central 0644-4401 CHICAGO Professionals have the free use of Variety's Chicago Office for information. Mail may be addressed care Variety, VVoods BIdg., Chicago. It will bo, held subject to call, forwarded or advertised in Variety's Letter List. on the Palace Trouble that has bpconie synony- mous with local booKlngs o£ James Barton. aisappointea a largo audi- ence Sunday afternoon., Barton re- fused to show because Clayton, Jackson and Durante were billed the marquee : with him. It s l ourth time this trouble has occurred in Chlcaffo. Barton's contract is said to call for solo billing. . ^ ^ • Neyerthelo.ss the bill couldn't, nop with those three boys* hold over L'rom last week arid drawini;,' a size- able percentage of the good house, Durante is a comedian and a slnper—the first of his class to come out of the Bowery and into big time without wiping the gravy off his vest lie wears hats that weriB the nuts when Edna Hopper was adol- escent His voice wouldn't even show In a hog calling contest. His nose will go with him to his, gmve •18 a monument for China, l^ou Clayton looks like he just dropped in to say hello and collect., a bill. hoofs with sand on his shoes, so Ills mistakes wilKsound like trloks, Eddie Jackson sings and struts like an end man in a four-man •iilnstrel , show, . playing Cripple <5reck under canvass. An eight-piece band accompanies isverything, and the pomposite makes .»ne of the greatest acts ever ap- pearing in vjtudeville. The Palace lirowd indicated as -much. Sunday, nailing the boys^ back four times and (Jemanding more. - Ella Shields. English male impor senator, was moved from sixth to next-to-closlng, and scored with three thoroxifrhly Engli.<?h character fzations in song. Some of the humor was lost, but the talent was recog- nized. _ Substituting for : Barton, :Ray Mayer, cowboy piaiVist, and Editli Evans, recording pop vocalizer, re- turn of a few weeks back, went up against a prejudiced crowd biit worked . themselves into a speech Admirable feat. ' First half poorly", sijotted. Hope Vernon, prima donna, was followed by Pearl Regay in a song and dance act. With the latter suffering. • Miss Vern»n put over several light lyrics and Miss Regay was assisted by Adolfo Glron, pianist-dancer, and Moret Freeman, pianist. An Italian character song by Miss Regay was a total loss, but the rest had class. Seed and Austin, appearing before Clayton, Jackson and Durante, an- otheir punk spotting idea, .slowing down the first part of the latter act. Seed, pint-size, with acrobatic tend- *»nclps. Is one of vaudo's most re- liable, comics, and. his partner is a firfit-rate straight, A fast turn with no low spots. ■ . Veronica and Hurl, mixed tum- bling team, replaced Snell .and Ver- non in opening position; Hurl clim- axo."!) the act with a back-fall off . a high platform while seated on a chair with rollers attached to the legs, giving a rollaway fini.sh to the high pressure stunt. "Golden Dreams," posing and balancing team with gilded bodies, closed. Bing. State" Lake Snell and Vernon, billed to open the show Sunday nppii, showed up an hour late on account of trans- portation delay. Their absence threw the initial performance out of line, besides keeping the mob waiting an extra 25 minutes. In- terim filled in with Pathe film shorts that bored. Last-minute switches didn't do any of the aets any good. While the show, finally got started, there must have been a good many s<iuawks backstage in re po.sition.s. Wound .up by TTpham and Whit- ney revue opening and Klein Bros, following, and both acts topllning. Jeanne UphUm is the thing in the flash act,. Plenty tough for them to ante cold when they should have been on No. 4 or 5. At that the turn rhade good, considering the circumstance. Four .spocl.Uty step- pers are a fine-looking group, of gal.s, while Whitney, tog>Mhcr with Miss T'pham, take care of the feat^ ure stuff. ' . The Klein boys-, No. i, didn't seem, pleased about it. Another too early entrant was Dora Maiighan. Strictly high-pow- ered material Here who would have been ,a riot further down on bill. Miss Maughan, assisted .by a pian- I.st and another malo, skipped- through her char.acter songs with ea.se, and were liked. No encores, though; unusual for the .sophisti- cated Dora,. Three comedy turns, carylng only in type, followed each other on the last lap. First came Ann Francis and Mr. Wally, with the latter doing his customary funny antics in the way . of eGcentriG falls and hoofing, Miss Francis, scored with neat taps and foiled well for her partner. Then Harry Masters aiid Dotty Grayce, in tableaiT version of the old vaude days, not forgetting Tony Pa.stor's. Jjot of novelty ' in this turn the way it is presented. Both Masters and Miss .GraS-ce are excel- lent performer.s who know values of comedy .situations and punch spot.s. Company of five includes two sec- ondary girls and ,a baritone of quality. P:dith Ev.ans and Ray Mayer, re- eeritly picture house act, held down next to shut with a bang. Mayer, west co.ast product, is a demon at the piano and a smart wi.^^e cracker. Miss Eyans retains her appearance while delivering pop numbers in well-balanced style. Mayer s Diving Girls, aquatic turn, closer. "That Charm Quartet" not caught at "this show. On screen, "Craig's Wife" (Pathe). Biz good. Loop. in vaude and picture houses is the hoofing. Charles and Ruth Flag- lier were second; Ruth at the pitino and Charles singing comedy lyrics with his hat on crooked. The lyrics are laughs for families, arid the en- tire act is routined with suflicicnt quality to take on that time. Wont into a hurried encore hci-e. J^ayniond Wilhert, "iiausual com-' bination of Jii.^gler and trick golfi'r, has dressed his act in comedy and is equal to important .spots in inter- mediate vaude. After doing tricks with hoops that alone would, en- able, him to close a bill, he brings out the golf stick.s to hit a target five times in quick succession, drive • iff a watch .atul light a. match with- out broaki)ig it. : Wilbert cashi'd plenty of laughs with^ the' veter.vn gag of dislocating a watch borrowed uom t he drummer. Next to closing were. Fields and Delson. mixing funny dance rouilncs with ixiipa to n(jtable ri-sults 'liere. One drosses in. an oversize suit arid the. other" has the proVerhl.al ballad Reliable act in its class. "Banjo- land,'.' closing, comprises six . male. hanjoi!5ts in popular and serious musiC; .and a girl dancer. Full-stage With .special scenery, and a good, closin.g turn for vaudefilra. "Michigan Kid" (V), and regular community organ, solo by TjOuIs Lohman completed. Hoiwe half full. tUvg. (Sreat States Theatres. York for ;i eonlVrenro. is Al J Olson's ' for MoVlfkers ■ twinging Oct. 6. Koul" is sei llelt>iu>' ,S:iniuelSi daiisfuse. has announced her ehig:ig*?nu'nt tu llow- .iird .Ci. Mayer, on editorial staft Ohi- cago Evening Americ-m. mount, and Wade Ackerman.. U charge of l(3"th Street Iheaire. new LiOew houses, opened last week Ackerman was lU'omoted to that ■post .fnvm assistant manager.'^hip at Loew's Grand. The Oct.. 1. La ( irande lh» aire opens William Miskcll, appointed man- ager oi: 0\ford, C o n s o 1 i d a t c d Anuisciuoiit Knleprises house. When in Chicago Visit These Hits SELWYN . Mate. Thura, and Sat. SCHWAB and MANDEL Bring You TllK NKW COLr^ECilATE Mt'SICAl. COMKUV «GOOD NEWS" with un U.L-AMERICAN TEAM OF PLAVEB8 ITORTX F1.APPER FRESUIES AltE LYMAN (HimHelf) ft HIS ORCB. A, II. woons' ADELPHI MATS. WED. and SAT. A. H. WOODS' , 'The TRIAL OF MARY DUGAN" By Uay^ard VeiUer with ANN BARDING and Orisrinal New York Ciuit STUDEBAKER Mat. Today MATtT BASIL, Vlolot Kemple NASH EATHBONE COOPER HKNUT: FERDINAND STEPHENSON GOTTSCHALK AAHlAtcd by Oriiriniil I'nHt in the ConlinentHl Comedy 8<>t>Hatlon CORT MATS. WED. AND HAT. A HIT ROLAND YOUNG THE QUEEN'S HUSBAND' Belmont After experimenting the past sev- eral weeks with musical comedy tabs, house went back to usual five vaude acts., The mob favor the tabs If figures of attendance mean anything. Just about a half filled house Friday night and inclined to be cold to everything. Showing first run pictures with vaude. on three splits a v<'eek, business is not good And at a 40c top, too. Evidently something is wrong. It can't be the theatre, as the latter is probably classier than the average neighbor- hood vaude house around town With the Loop about .30 minutes away, and good transportation faci.l ities .no. reason why the bui-ghers shouldn't take advantage of that If the layout on view.Friday night Is any criterion, then that's the an swer. .Tim Jam Jems, acro-clowns, opening. Stuff they do is nio- notonou.sly familiar. Routine .^^low with not enough action. Followed a couple of colored hoofcfrs, .Midnight Steppers, and proved just. another set of log- omaniacs. Even the knee drops on< does is not unusual any more. Still get by as a No. 2. Kick Basil _and Co., recontj^y caught' showing at' Oie Ariiericari fails to impress on second sight Turn Is In no better shape and still needs a lot of attention. Rasll gets laughs with antiquated gags, but mostly forced. . Best bet of the line-up were AteS and Darling, .standard mixed comedy turn, with the girl a pip of a foil and a sweet looker. Ates' stuttering is the highlight In the act and he puts the gage across with salesmah.shlp. Eva Clark and Blue Boys (5) closed. Miss Clark has three new boys since last seen around. In.'^tead of the former harmony trio there is now a singing duo and not .so hot. Considerable edge is off the act since the former trio left. Miss Clark delivers her songs in her cus- tom.ary good style. Picture "Mysterious Lady" (M-O. Loop. Asher plugger, E. is Samuel."=!. now unit former^ son manager of tlilly Weinberg i-'^ booking bis 1\0- vusicals in the PnrllnnoM theatre, r.ei-wyn. Weirib'erg is aetin.g as m. ('. 'ago Symphony th^-ulro. West avenue, opens early in Chi- No- veniber. ■ .M)e Ciumbiner's i^tar. theatre is pla.viiig 2K' people burlesque show, with Harry Cleveland producing and Harry Miller managing. V.. 1 uses Oct: 1, with l''r('dd ;. Young's Palace, Gary, Ind., ■X . stage band sliow starting •with weekly c'hanges planned-, straight vaudeville Sundays, ie ,ytril, m. c. . -\iyee .Weigert. seeretary to John l.;iinp, iiKitiager of the r.ronx Opera Hiui.te, lias beori advanced l.o press, representative of that house. BROOKLYN, N. By JO ABRAMSON Majestic—"The Legacy, Y. 15milio and ..Romaine,- with Fan- ohori & Miirco two years, go .into production work in-the east at cop-i- pletiori of their current; Publix toiir. Ciri'at States/rhcatres have booked •'.King of King.s':; for all their houses. Werba's Brooklyn— 'Torgy." Jamaica—"Oat and Canary." Boulevard—"Pleasure Man/* Fox—"Fazil"-stage show. Mark Strand—"Lion and Mouse." Albee—"King of Kings"-vaude. Met—"Cardboard Lover"-vaudo. Fulton (stock)—"Cardboard Lover." Mayfair (stock)—"My Oirl." Momart-r'^JJawn." Casino—Stock bur. Star—"Step Along" (bur), Gayety—"I'lapper Follies" (bur). St. George—"The Racket." Orpheym—"Women"-vaiide. Two new shows trying out here Ibis week: —The Legacy" (La Ri- poste), by Sidney Howard, with b^lorenec Reed, at Majestic; "Pleas- ure Mari,"^at Boulevard. , Werba's Brooklyn indefinite as to next week^s attraction. Shuberts duo at M.ajestic with "Common Sin." "Courage" coming to Boulevard. "Main.street to Broadway" (Publix). Chicago Local • No. ball at Dec. 10. Bill Posters' Union, ]. will hold It.s annual, the Trianon Ballroom Senator Murphy and Freeman and Seymour go into Publix units after completing their vaude con- tracts this season.. Morris Chicago office negotiated the bookings. J. E. Rosen, Chicago branch man- ager for 'i"*iffany-Stahl, is in New York attending his mother during a severe illncs.s. E. Milton PashkoW, formerly of the Reelcraft Film Exchanges, has left that firm to enter DePaul Uni- versity here. Policy pictures will be distributed In Chicago by tlie Security Film Exchai-ige, Al Hoffman, formerly of Unlver- sal's Chicago office, has joined the B. N. Judel) exchange. Maxwell Blake, formerly I<\ N. salesman at Tjoul.svllle, has joined the -Chicago. office of .that, firm .un- der the direction of Gradwell Sears. tures and band show.s, including three act.s, booked by local William Morris oillce. . . Teller's Shubert theatre in the ea.stern district section of Brooklyn is going to open after all this sea- son. ICdmupd G. Titiwler, head of Lawler. Realty Co., has taken, over the management and hopes to open (Jet. 8. Lawler owns the big bll- li.'ird establishment above the the- atre. R. C. Cracrln designated man- ager of house... Rolland Yiddish theatre opened Monday on Eastern Parkway and St. Johns place. Jewish operetta, "Song of Love," by Louis Frelman, with music by Sholem Sccunda, with Michael Michaclesco In the lead. • P.'ilio, one opens Oct. 1 bush. of Schw.'ulz* hou.ses, ">.. In center of Flat- Haymarket, burlesque, two v.audcvlllc acts every night at midnight show. l>laylng Saturday Guy Hardy is handling puljlicity on "Burlesque" ,at the Selwyn. I^ew Star is company mannger. Paul Savoy of the Chicago Pan- tages office, engaged to Leola Smiley', Chicago non-professional. The marri.age set for Jan. 9. Louis Laemmlc's Alcyon at High- land Paik will play the Graeme Steele again this s(>ason. .7. B. Kop- pel of the I,^emmle office is in charge. Paul Savoy has signed .Tariics L. Robertson's Cinderella and Roose- velt theatres, Detroit, lor Pan- tages v.audeville booked .at the Pan Chicago office, five acts each. Congress Neighborly c u s t o m e r s here; iiainod to give any singer an ova- tion the moment he touches the floor .wvith-his-jacad.-_=.:^llicji^,(liffe.ren tlie south sidfi Ennlewood mutes, who wouldn't applaud Sophie Tucker, doubling in rislcy. The Congress is oiierated by L. <fe T, and booked by the Morris ChIcrit,o oirice. , , Warren and 'lill. opening the last h.'ilf. fire fdlni'-d danff-r.s. One of the beys h.-is a ballad, d^-llvered In a brown i^uit. grr-y vst..white .«i)aL.< and m.'iuvi; necktie. What will click Louis Brecka, owner of the Ho.- man and Lyric theatres, has taken over the Standard on street. North Clark United Artists sound pioUcy with of picture early, in will open Its the next change Ootobier. R. P. Collins of the New York Warner office has been named west- ern division sales nianager of the firm, with ofiflces In Los Angeles. He is spending several days in Chi- cago with Earl Silverman, Chicago district manager. Cecil Mabcrry, general sales man- ager for (Columbia pictures, is in Chicago arranging for a premiere of Columbia's "Submarine." Fred II. Knispel, former district representative for Pathe, has joined Columbia pictures sirnilarly. "^Tricr ObW/iTlxur-vey W^^W h.'is t.'iken a sjjot of his own on rilm liow after several years' as.soci.'i- lion with Jerry Abrams. Jules ,r. Rubens, general iii.anager it will go as a straight picture in- stead of the customary roa,d show. John Benson of the Carrell agency has taken ovor bookings of the Palace Theatre, Hamilton, Ohio, and three houses in Mattgon, Jackson- ville and Taylo;vilie, 111.. .„ Billy Clifford, forhier agent, has taken over the professional depart- ment of the Mador-Johnson dancing school. Kenneth Widener has been Cn gaged as organist at the Frolic the'- atre, 50th aind Ellis avenues. . Ben- jamin Cohn is managing the house. Edward Grossman, former sales- man with, the Chicago United Ar- tl,st3 exchange, Is now ■v\orklng on film songs at that company's Los AngelcH studio. . Business men of Coney Island or-r ganizcd last week the Coney I.nUnd Amu.semerit Association, the aim and purpose, being to attract more peo- ple down the island during the win- ter .arid to bring about a spring car- nival. Charles Armstrong elected j)resident. On the spring carnival committee ]Odw.ard Stratton has been made chairman, with Samuel Gum- pertz, George Tilyou and Charles Fellman and others,, assisting. The second season of the Brooklyn Little Theatre dramatic company gets under way late In October with Randolph Somerville directing pro- grama. Six plays scheduled for pro- duction. The Little Theatre oper.a company In Bi-ooklyn jilanning six produc- tions, and auditions are bcMng held this week at . the IJttle Theatre. Flrnest Otto and William (i. Rod- dick dire<-tlng. "I'oigy" at Werba's Brooklyn this week, first Theatre Guild production here in years. Howard M'Kent Barnes, Baltimore playwa-lght, has moved to Chicago, where he Is working on several scripts. His "The Intimate Secret" will be produced this season by W. T. Cask 111. Harry bas.sador Minturn Sept. 17 opened the with stock. Am- A. L. Burks, publicity I Iiri ted-Artlsts^theatrer at )iis home for sr-vcral director for C-hicjigOT^IIl wcfks. MORRISON HOTEL CHICAGO World's tallMt. 1144 roonia aad bmth* ST. REGIS HOTEL Mnglo Koom witliont Bath. 97. S». 99.00 SInirie K4>om with »ath.. . .910.00. 912.00 Twin B«d8 ^^itlionl. Uutb . 911.00 UouMit Itoom wKlMMit Italli.. .910, 912-00 Doiiblo Itoom witii itiith . 912, 914.00 Twin I»<'«lH with Both. 914.00- IluimmK water In al) room."* Corivcnloiitly located to all theatrea \Vllhln walkiiiK distance of the loop 510 N. Clark Kl.. IMionc—Superior 1322 . P'l.rt Armstrong theatre. Rock Isl- and, hu- reoifcned. It will play pic- BRONX, N. Y. C. Tuxedo, 2,t)00-.Sfat picture hous» at 2lOth street and Jerome avenm-, '.p'.ris tonight (WednoKdfiy^ .I;i'k liliimgattner operates the h'iii«p. 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