Variety (Nov 1928)

Wednesday, November 28, 1988 VAUDEVILLE REVIEWS VARIETY 37 PALACE (St. Vaude) Ted Lewis is the big musical noise at the ace Keith stand tliia week, and they're cheating terribly on the rest of it is a result. With Lewis taking away between $5,000 and f6,000 for his end. the support Is meager and the eight acts have been cut down to seven. To top this, CSrace Hayes ahd Neville , Fleeson ;were out.Sunday, because of a jump, witli Harry Fox and Beatrice Ciir-; tie substituting. , A shoj^ like this accounts for Hammersteln's now making the third house to offer Sunday night ■?sludevill6 concerts alongr with the Carroli arid, the Majestic. With some of those Xmas . Fiind benefits ©ut .6f the way,.it's, npt.uolikely that «ne or two others will enter into competition with the Palace's ?3 take at the gate of Sunday nights. Chows of this caliber arc the direct answer for the several other Sab- bath eve entertain.iripnts thn:t are getting support at the box office, Buch as the Bob B(?nchley-pace.l naix'^eTtlssemonts- -at~-t lve-_Boath..:.uth£_ ■various dance riecital."?, et al , ' on other BroadA^'■ay stagc'S. : Four dumb acts out of five corii- Drise the first half, with Dick Hen- derson, English comedian, the sole and saving bright spot of the^for.e- part. if tliat's variety,.which Is the keynote of vaudeville, no wonder the pictui'c houses are agitating 6tay-in-Brooklyn . .niovonients to ease the Brortdway pressure, such as is the case of the Brooklyn-Para- mount and Fox's; the Palace ha,s it can dt) .to get a. fair iatteiidancc. not only for opening clays, but r/gvi- larly. Downstairs draw wias fair- ish Sunday matinee, with upstairs decidedly bff. • Ed ..and Jennie Rooney . opened with {in aeriaT routine^. Caliber is of general average and would be as . unsertsational on a smallie bill as here, rating merely as just a good trapeze turn. Sole distinction Is Jenriie^s personality. She is, some-: what of a looker and, since the old B. a. and dumb act.s don't generally coincide, that's something along those lines. Follows Rector and Cooper (>;ew JictK). cpiaple.. of colored hoofers, .with familiar stepology, also show- manly, but not distiiiguishedv As it run.s, one-two, these acts, or thfelr equivalent caliber (if not better) could be encountered a block down Broadway at Loew's State for. SQie top and not $1.50 at the Palace, $3 on Suiiday night. In. fact, speaking, of one-two, the. State on the same day (since the Loew bills wind up oh Sunday as against Keith's opening) held the Rath . Brothers; a' Century Roof gymnastic highlight of some • sea- eons back, and Duel de Kerekjarto, esthetic violinist, riot so long ago featured on Keith-Orpheum . bills. At the State, for Loew^ the virtuoso is. deucing, while the Palace's No. 2 holds a pair of hoofers. , In the ti-ey is May Wirth with Phil and the Wirth family in their equine turn. A little song and piano have been added, somewhat of. an Incongruity for a sawdust act, but jBeemingly a stab at "class." Dick Henderson, roly-poly singing comic, came into a perfect spot. They were hungry for laughs. He gave 'em plenty and while the comedian cautioned them pointedly against- unseemly laughter, it was not a matter of script ad Ubbing. but kidtlincr on the square, so starved for comedy was the house, Henderson's been . over . before—it may still be the same visit-^hut the manner. of hi.-> clifk .should cinch him for this side permanently. He sings well, has a unique delivery and is an all-round general funny man wliioh is as any comedian should be. Nat.acha Xaltova closed with her artistic terp production. K. Giieral, G. Bogden and Nikolas Daks (her new husband) are her dance part- ners; C. Weeks is the violinist-con- ductoi-T'wiib~plugs- a wait with a solo, from the orchestra trench. The Nat- tova act is the last gasp in adagio aestheticism and makes for a class interlude. HariT Fox w iili Beatrict> Curtis and a male pianist reopened in place of CJracf Hayes-XeVllle Flccson. Being a makeshift ..routine, as .Fox expLiin^'d, one .should- riot be liyper- critif^al, although Fox- .h.ns been plfiying aro.und. and sbouid.. be re.a- .sonably prepared for emergency .booking. The act is mostly Fox, Mi.ss Curtis disapiVearing after her first aiipearance, Kox beoonios a blt too oonfidfntiar witli the cu.stomers and his manner of .extra-syllabic lyric interpretations also falls.gro- tesquely oh the .iear. Ho is getting TO be more and more one of thoi^c ".sl-hil-hilvf'f lyr-hye^n-ljing" (sil-. ver lining) songsters. Miss Curti.s ii.o ever is a win.^'ome foil, . Tvd Lewis was Ted Lewis, that's all. only more so, and. ruined an a\idien'?e that was attrtn-tr-d prin- ••ii).illy and, laayhaij.s. sul'-iy by the =lliilliLtLe(L.p'age(;lmn of jazz. Lewis wa.* >-ans"liis sf"(^^rifa-T"-fm'==Sunday-,- as Fox explained, and also phys- I'.-ally handica'pjx-d y>y illno,s«. The rhytl:m rna.'-ter txplain»'d that he hi}<\ uort'-n out of a sii.-kbed that V-iy iridrnine. T)jf- Pa!ai'*- iiad lookf.l for a sulistit'itf-. ^'atuj-day. Lf'.vjs nhv<- f)ii his all a.^ far as ruutinr- v,-as r t,],i f-mcd and hud to •■^i^ I'ff ui-j. ;• •^iitipN-iiicn'J'rx- spc crli .'ifl«-i' 1])^ ro.ruii' ."-iiii I. .'inor Ji.'''>i-.s ; Mtl I.iinK'^n ii;t.- the femmo assistanis. both personable, with the "pretty gal" isong subject a particular personality. The other .,is a hot strut stepper, not as cute as Bobbe Arnst, the former Lewis ally, but otherwise dance-offective. nui- .ning'more to the nite club hotsy- totsy type. An uncanny showman, Lewis I.? paradoxically both the jazz u-ago- dian, that he bills hlm.self, and the optimistic pollyanna of syncopated song. The trade-mark interroga- tion, "is everybody, happy ?" has been developed into a song scenario prop- agandizing the silver lining credo. Against this lis the usual superb background of torrid jazzopatiori, a corking "rhythm" song introducing the motif and m.anifesting itself in a serious manner—at least, a serious jazz jxianner~in that Russe motif instrumental rendition. Skillfiil or- chestration: contrasts tlie plaintive string work with rhythmic reeds, against a general picture of barbaric .'syncopation. The alchemy of emotion.s—ihe sobbing strings, the sibilant isax. the barbaric brass, the Aframerican vopdooisrii of sound, the tragico- -jazz. -mcjUf .-X)f__the:...sclectip_n-^ci)m^ bine into an instruriiental iriterpi o tation -that-Is. the more electric ii; contrast to the general insouciance of Lewis', familiar, syncopation. Lewis anew proves himself,a p6er in his particular field of jazzique. He's almost worth that $3 tup all alone, excepting , tluit at $^3 a head, in combination with ihpusunds of others' on a w'cc'k, .one merits some- thing- more than a . couple, of good acts and a riioss of medjoerity that isn't even saved by being variety. Ahcl. . STATE (Vaudfilni) Bfetween the very gpocJ' bilis . and the-occasiorial,, 100 per cent lemon lies, what is known as: .dverago vaudeville. The State bill this week i.s iaverage in all departriients; . For comedy there are Bobby Ea.f - ry, Carlton and Bellew arid Lillian Morton, in the order named. For flash is the Clinton and Rbpncy barid. For skill and dexterity, Three- Orantos, equilibrists. . - Of all the turns the Orantos , were the surest of their .stuff, the surest of clicking and the most universal in appeal. They have only one re- quirement; the stage must .be suffi- ciently. high. 'Show openers all, too often are taken for granted; an unfortunate truism. Yet, in effprt arid energy, constant attention to their work, uriremittirig toll . and practice, no other type of perforriier contributes as much. Mammy yodelers and gag peddlers caii fake, lift, stall, lay down and roll over, but the steady, faithfiil, hard-working dumb act niust forswear all these luxuries of indolence and tempeirament. It's a text for a vaudeville ser-mon. . Bob Carlton and Julie Bellow (Now Acts) are billing their turn "Old Sprigs, Remodeled and . Repaired. ' They are vastly changed in style of working from some years back, when rating as a class tw'osome Probably alert to the changes in audiences, not to mention bookers, Bob and Julie are appealing to th(? eye first arid the brairi last. A little more slapstick and they'll jump to next to shut. : Bobby Barry's carnival of hoke was enhanced by a crackerjack ada- gio team, recommended to the at- tention of production scouts. Lillian Morton, bankrupt so far as lyrics is concerned, was lucky to get acro.ss as well as she did. Walter Clinton and Julia Rooney. closing with their band, need nov- elties to relieve the monotony of jazz music. Rather a good band anci a generally pleasing turn failing to measure up as it should from lack of material.- ■ "Show People" (M-G-M) on sciee7i. Biz good. L(i?iil. HAMMERSTEIN'S (Sunday. Conceri) ^ Lota of aqua-ipura under th*.- tr(.-.stle since a vaudeville review was svritten with the above heading. , The stately and church-like ed'i- lice reared at 63d street to the mom- ory of the original Hammerstoin is now presenting Sunday night vaude- ville. The stained gliss windows of the theatre render Itjss farcical than usual the faintly persisting ■^saorod concert" label for Sunday evening diversion. Fally Markus Is booking the hoiiso, badly over-scaled at $3. Better ti' fill the house at $1.50, or pos.sibly $- than to invite emptioswlth so stiff a tap. A few observant min- utes in the Ipbby prior to the cui-- tain counted several groups of waur ilering, stags who departed without buying when learning the priocs. This clement is nuriierous along thi> main stem oh Sabbath nights. All are .potential .entertainment buyer; but few ai"e uriipchays.. Hammerstein's, with the WiniiT Oa):dPn' devoted to. the convorsa- lii^JD-aLcinemaj miglitjiujhl up a gixxl Sunday, night trade in tlTis-'Broaav way sector.. But not at tlie-prii'^'-- and not with the type of bill of tUi- opening Sund.ay. , This show was seen under ■disadvant.'iges and from a distorted perspective wh.en kocp- iiig in. mind that $.1 item, but won ao. ii w^as pretty weak. . Orchestra was ospocially uncer- tain. Naturally, but at Uw .same lime imperatively, this departmcrii must improve. Dcriokson and (Jas- sidy, .colored hoofing team, were all but ruined by the failui-e of the trench to come through. .The sock of the bill was Heleri Kane arid Dan Healy, beaming- darlings of. Father Wow. i'hoy Avere in familiar territory as tliey ;ippcar ori the same platform eight limes weekly in "Good Boy.'- Miss K.ihe sang a group. of her cutic; songs while Daniel kibbitzcd a hit. His poise and aplomb ingratiated jiim. into favor with the customers although Miss. Kane did most of tiie work. •■' No. 3 was William Kent, recently ■^u.spcnded by Eqinty. Two women, orie his wife, and a man assistcii ICent in a skit rather ragged and formless and in need bf .strengthen- ing. Even with so little material Kent made an impres.sion. He l.< a <-i'. ver guy when hc wants to be. .Sen.sing ,the drama: of the situa- tion, the audiencie greeted Bill cor- dially in a -far different Broadway appearance thah he has been accus- tomed to. A couple of asides about Equity . might better have been briiitted,. but since they Avere made without bitterness and in a whim- sical, self-kidding inanrier; it won t count. After all, a comedian mu.st be funny in any situation, and Suri- day night was probably not eaisy fbr Kent. . And he can as well kid as squawk about the suspension. Reynolds and -Donegan, standard roller skating turn, opened nicely: Ne(3 Kbrworth returned to his old' single and, with Ken Nichols again at the piano tor him, nutted his way to a substantial score in fourth niche. "The Hacooners, collegiate band, closed the first half. Neat and liked.. Tendency to kid during the Ed €and Lottie Ford revue Opening af- ter the entr'act. Act hit old-fash- ioned, but as it works steadily, that .seems an inconsequential detail. Morris and Campbell, closing, al- ways sure fire.. . Maybe one-third a hou.se. Laud. boys wore in a panic, When the slirowish wife bent her reealoitr.'uit spouse to her will (In another epi- sode), the essos in the audience rev* elod In this (stage) realization of some suppres.sed Inhibition. Allan Reno showed .exactly two years ago at the 5th Ave. He is as Engli.«;h riOw as then, and as mild in his pontentialities, registering tepid- ly, although bespeaking of the same amount of development as In 192t'). Seemingly he has stood still, in the interim. His is .^i variety routine of English aiid French clowning, with fiddling; hoke poetry arid stepology interspersed. King sapoliood with his comedy. Julius Kinzlor is . jirograrii-credited for the nite club skit authorship, but it's all King's inanner of presenta- tion r'atlior than the script.'. The S.ablrii act was. followed by "Rag.s and Riches," Alex Gerber tab (New Acts). , •Biz over-eap.'iejty - SiMidav ninht. AMERICAN - r ^(.Vaudfilrri)- ----w--__l-;.. ._ It's >;en(M-ally known the Ldew neighboriiooijs slashed dayliglit -ou: of their film li(nise expenses by gor irig .in for lh(> ,nll-.souivd gag aiul gave the musiei;i.iis the air. : A slunt at the bill at the AnVeri-. can Moiulay night looked as though, iho cut-enVrdown . epidemic; ria l roadiod the variety bookers and they were doing soim* fancy gilletinn of the vaude still extant. No raves and few boutiuets.- . ricture, ''Varsity" (Par), here as a silent, did not show ariy uritoward pull.'... The U4)stalrs show got a bully start from Bee Starr. (New Acts), but its rffecHvencss didn't last long, as'the bill .went below par arid staid there. Occ^'XsiQnal comedy flicker and flare only. Three Gpbs sang and danced ; rou- tine so familiar that the . audience knows just what is to be done next. This trio did well in a wayj with the steppirig recjeiving the most at- tention. Third were Melville arid Rule. Hardly an:.eyefllcker dcsyiatlpn frohri the routine of years ago by Melville arid Higgins. Whistle.-still there and the kidding is effective on the man's makeup. Johnny Barry and Co- t^lpscd the. first half, :. This act has been seen .SO-much that the playcr.s;. themselves seerii tp show indifferijrice. The lady killing gag got laughs, but nothing like It did yesteryear. The dancing of Barry and the girl at the close stood out. After intennission appeared Elsie Clark in songs, a.ssisted at the piano by Nelson Story, who. also is given the stage for a piano specialty. Miss Clark seems to have nunibers more or less suited to her style, with thait lyrical meaning- that covers.'up a vocal range in puttlrig it over. Rives and. Arnold were next. Due credit to this pair of crossfh-e ex- changers. They , have been at. the American before and they-know how tp feed it. Salvaged laugh returns; their bathing suit finish being alto; gethcr different from any of their previous closing exits. On came Pat Henning arid his folks. It was all Pati His. material isn't new. but he seems to have pol- ished up his dancing. In the windup spot was Annette and Boys (New Acts). Mfirk. 81 (Vaudfilm) Belle Baker, headllriing, hopped ori and siivcd the. day for this rou- tine bill, otherwise, at the Sunday matinee. Business nothing to shout about eithei". . "Keep- Moving," seven^pcople ordi- nary dance flash, opened with, the usual stepping sans songs with, the tough dance ensemble. Just a closer. Spence and True, mixed team, livened up in next niche with some bright chatter and song, getting away nicely (New Acts), Hap Hazzard, riext, toppf/d th'- predeces.«ors for laughs with ,sonw clowning in "one", before getting down to business with his wire- walking stuff in full stage. A girl assistant dres.ses. arid feeds for en- .suing repartee with Hazzard sow- ing "I'm up on his clever wire work. Good act and went big. Miss Baker with new songs ran away with the show without a struggle. Two comedy numbers had ^theni-~=.rAl)ing.=,^^lie„stpjp,ije_d^^e\^ry- thing with ".Sonny Boy." ~ Garnic.a, Asoenoio and Co., si.x people Mexican revue, closed witli Mex songs and dances. WarbliHi'^ handled by a girl trio with a niaU; solo darner registering equally well. Got over on novelty and should land in opener or closer an; wherp. ... ".'^hoM^ Gill" (F-N) or. K<-ri." 11. T.dhn FIFTH AVENUE (Vaudfilm) l^eiKir variety this first half than last week's, -with considerable im- ))rovement on the quality, although it's the same seven acts plus the main flicker, "The Cop" (William Boyd), First half last week had •'.Show Girl," better feature, which probably accounted for the cheating o.n.. th.e.: _ya.y^- ^ : ■■ Show is buTTl for comTidy aiid .sig- nalizes it Ih a couple of telling In- stances.. The Manny King act was tlie laugh, applause and every o'thei kind of hit of the bill. King opens as a nance Hebe, and in studious Milt- gro.ssesque whams 'em with his dia- lect and business. The hoke Apachr between King and the .Macwesllsh An^azon is the wow firilsh, foilow- in.g a barrage of laughs. . < Ju.st for a ehange of dialect, Frank and Teddy Sabini follow with equ.al- )y murderous results. .Sabini has built up his Instrumental routines and gets more legitimately on the musical business. The Bobbins 3 opened fast on roll- ers. Fynan and Doris (New Acts) inust, have been around' beforo, working with ease, and assurance .'ind brightening the deuce hole coii- sidei-ably. Jack Usher's broad comedy skV-tch, dwelling on domestic felicity an/i otherwise, registered for heavy re- turns With-the Sunday' night niob. -=AjuljiJieten}g?nepi^^^ mob it wa.--. .Stags' predominated; with "brATrrting- hou.se swains and their girl friends eomprlsirig the balance, in the main more concerned with their necking than what was going on about thcin. I.'sher's propaganda, pro and cot). .'K-'ordingly registered in varyln;.' di grpfs with the peaMnt.s. Whe^ rhr- broad-minded stage-wir»- okayed l'-.<.i-.i"r's clinch with the blorid", \hi HIPPODROME (VaiioTilm) Ike Jtose's ij.S Midgets (New Acts), on for 46 mlnutos, Is one of three acts in this wcek'.s. abbi"<^viated bill at , Keith's hippopotamus Hippo- drome. - They've cheated, and plenty, on .he balance. One and two .d o Nol.an Bros, and Ve.ssoy, dance affair in "one," and MItchHI and Dove, mixed comedy two-act. Competent intcr- rricdiate spotters, no doubt, but they -didn't fill the.order here. ThatX the booker's fault, not theirs. The da:ricing trip la coriipoged of two boy.s arid a girl, all dancing. The girl .sings once, but It doe.sn't count. The boys flight duck their West Point unlforriis for the firiale, soup and fish preferred, if only to ad- centuate, the .c.h.'i..nge. In dance style. With the novelty atLlre .on'through- out, the footwork all looks arid ineans the .same. Otherwise not bad. Mitchell and Dove's material all rclea.sed, saved only by the woman's comedy g(-tup and manner. It should bo a payoff where memories are bad. It wasn't thfit here—not even quite. The liosc troupe carries no ani- mals, yet it departs no farther from the routine midget turn, cxcopllng that it's probably dressod Up bettor and prettier than any other coin- pany of llliputlaris irt vaude. Sing- er's troupe is at the Paramount this week; Feature film is "Power" (Pathe), Should be <;onsid(;rablf; juvenile at- tend an ert^t b i.s==j.v^e£ik^^Jl^noJ-^.^^^^ won't be much of the ollua- klmT. Charlie MacDon.'ild, Hip's new man.'tgcr, has leased out the. .«t"re"t store north of th^i lobby, used a.s a di.splay -window by the Hip siriee Keith's .occupation of the house. Very ImattraefIve -ri the 7;;i<..t few moriih'-. it hasri't rri'-ani a thirig to the I),' ii I re, [}ifie. RIVERSIDE (Vaudfilm) Were every night Sund. y night the Rnorsido again would i t- the best businoss-gi<tting ni i.n.ljbi.'rhood •/audo house in the country. Only one .Sunday night a week now.ulays, where, formerly there were seven, fajiacity Sunday.s and ragged other day's means the Riverside has only one consistently goo(l day. out of every seven. '. Not that the current liill of six dosorved the Sabbath S, IL (,■>•: Iri*- djvidually okay, but spotted . badly, consequoiilly, playing 'way .vnider form. Falls, Ileadnig arid Boyee, l\o iiioro than a dcucer, though a good deuoer, whaniined in the fourth spot^ nj.ainly because no one lifted a log .till they appeared. : If. tlife riiotivo in thls .ar- rangeriient was to ;son one act reV gardleas of the consequences t.6 others, the wish .was fuUilled. Then, they placed Monica and .Skelly Co., frail tlasli but tlie oniy other dance ttu-n in the show, immediately fol- lowing, just to m.'ikc it look worse, it. dld._._. ■ P.'iul (Jordori, trick lL)U\vclUn.".Who~^^ tosses in about everything he can think of before mounting ,a wheel, opened. Next slot held Jlaynos, Lehman .arid Kayser, three hefty songsters, billed' sailrleally as "Thi eo Little Playmate.s." Thi.s pair and the Alonica-Skelly turn all un- der N'cwAOts, - Strength of the blir provided by two standards and standbys. O'Don-? nell and Blair and ..Kranicr and ' Boyle, the . latter - cleanup here, . There's: .still soriiething lacking In the O'Dorinell-Blalr production . to delay classing it as the best rough- house act of. its klrid in vatide. or anywhere,. despite that it Lsn't as funny now as it was a few years ago. The Idea, is, ripe for reloading with another line of chatter. ' Dave Kramer, in blackface, played Yid all the w*ay and scc.ured the ex- pected results. He and Jack ..Boyle m.ust be big men now, bringing oh * protege and ail that. Only big men think of glying'new blood a chance. Although Dave and Jack shouldn't force their Boston lad , . to ' play nance; firstly, because it embar- , rasses him; secondly, because gives Dave a chance to get too dirty; The trou.ser bit would be comical In another way, with the boy doing ' straight. On their won, Kramer arid Boyl* connected as they usually do. .J|ack: lost his voice between, a pair of botes during "Sonny Boy,". but otherwise his pipes possessed their normal sweetness. Still using "Typ- ical Tlpperary," the only remaining. , part of the original -Krariier-Boyle sure-fire, which is ariiong the souve- riirs of many a vaude-goer. "Show Girl" (F. N.), filin. Bii7C. ACADEMY (Vqudfjim) .- (Wired).. '';- Powerful vaude here curreritly, and luckily, too; Tlio. Acad(;my'fl usually strong screen end takes an awful drop, to mediocre with "Through the Breakers" (Gotham). It showed in attendance. Pleiity of empties Monday night In contrast to the Academy's normal <itand-up trade. A sock right down the line, from one to six on the stage, and the last act was the least iniportant. Jutta Valey and Co. (3), aerial turn of blg-tlriie classification, have opened better bills than this one, and opened this one excellently. Reed and Duthro, two dancing boys, singular leg team a couple of years ago but now somewhat formal be- cau.se the stylo has been worked to death before stage bands, second. They're a lot better than irio.st of their kind; yet no more than deuc- ers. For anywhere, however. Al Shcan and Lynn Cantor found this 14th street burich nioro In favor of the closing Gallagher-Shean par- *adies than the ofilce. sketch, preced- ing, -Opening with the noted lyrics would, of course, kill the sklti AH had round heels for "Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Shcari." The dead pan phiz of Jimmy Savo, accepted as one of the boys doWn here, drew a hand upon entrance. DoubtU'ssIy a cinch for Jimmy, any- way,- 60 It merely helped: to soften up the unfamillars. Everybody fell for the big pants guy. Hon Mr, Wu'.s Sirminute Chinese extravaganza. might h.'i v(+ b.eon. .saved for the closer. As the bill ran, the Pwiccooners (New Acts); band turn, .finished. Not a bad organIza- . tion, but it had an almost Inipo.sslble job In following what the customers tasted in advance. With all Its novelty and .seerilc and phy.'dcal beauty, the Wu pro- duction .still lacks conJ'isteMt pace. It slops -and goes too. frefjuently. lOllniinjitiiig ono or two iviinibej-s and shortening oiher.s woiild meet that end. • iOddie Lambert stayed on for. 27 miniite.s in the nuttiest oue-mari nut "a('t W t Fi (njuHilTT?Hs?--Heis=aKsiiitedJn one brief number by a young man Willi a mustache, but It is ftlll a one-man affair. Doing a l.'>-niinute pianolog at the start. Lambert gets iiiore l;iuglis with his big sho^-s —the lwj-g" .-t anyw.b'-re-than ^^illl the I Cfinti.'i'.'-d fin i)ii>re .:t!1)