Variety (Jun 1929)

Wednesday, June 19, 1929 VAUDE HOUSE REVIEWS VARIETY 51 PALACE . . (St. Vaude) [ A Palace bill that etipports, builds up to and depenils a lot on. Sophie Tucker, the kind of bill they gen- erally book In when Tucker is at the house. This -week's may be one of the best around Tucker, but sUll not a good Palace show. Nut has been chopped currently, looking around $10,000, $3,000 under the spring average. First. section was full of breaks Saturday afternoon, good breaks for the house. For once a Palace lay- out played better In the running than It looked on paper, much bet- ter. Jack Pepper and the Tnree Bail- ors were show stoppers, Pepper landing somewhat early. No. 3, and particularly good after following the single woman, deucer, Bwln Eaton, who didn't fare so badly herself. The others were Tom Davles Trio, motorcycle ' novelty; Morris Gest's Royal Russian Choir, featuring Princess Agreneva Slavlansky, and another group'of "Our Gang" kids, this one composed of Mary Kom- man, Johnny Downs and "Scooter" Iiowry. The Choir and Gang, New Acts. Miss Tucker, Joe Frisco, and The tCemmys, equilibrists, were the big second part. It Is Frisco's holdover Week. After the noisy, sensational opener eame Miss Kwlng, whose billing Is "12 Minutes of Variety." and who Sticks -on for 17. This 100 pounds of pep played the Palace a few years ago, also in the deuce, and now back again In the same spot. On another bill she might have done as well up higher. Miss Ewing Is still mostly a dancer, though varl- atlng her style to be a violinist and sax player. The sax number, now introduced as an Imitation of Ted X«wls, Is probably the only one of Iiewls of Its kind. When others ape Lewis they use a clarinet and usu- ally play the "St. Louis Blues." This ;glrl does It with a saxophone, with- out resembling Lewis greatly In other ways either. But the mop up acrobatic dance at the end squared everything. She works hard for such a slight girl. Jack Pepper and his two stooges, Paul Gamer and Jack Wolf, were there musically and with comedy to wham. Pepper has eliminated much of his opening talk and singing, for the better, and now gets Into the stooge and laugh stuff after about four minutes. If the interruption could be taade during a mammy song that means nothing instead of the song following, it would happen that much quicker. It arrives at any rate now, and when It does, It's in. Gest's choir was fourth, between Pepper and the Three Sailors, the latter finding the Palace a pushover as usual. There are few hoke acts of the physical variety topping It, and at the Palace they seem nt home. The film kids brought down the interrhlsh curtain. Frisco opened the aftermath. When Joe came on they were Just walking in, and many standing up. He wanted to know if it was the seventh Inning. Thereupon Joe re- hashed last week all over again until arriving at his street fakir bit. The lines built strictly for the boys bounced right dft the lay crowd Saturr'"'"' aft, and as the scene com- prises mostly flip stuff, didn't land so solidly. Especially the closing line, when a member of Joe's im- aginary audience says the watch chain given away free with each purchase couldn't be genuine gold for so little money, and Joe says, "No, not gold? It's better than gold, you. rat." For the impression ot Helen Morgan by Frisco, Ted Sha' plro, Sophie's hard working plan 1st, was enticed on to stall during the change, and Ted showed how much better off he is when the Ma- dame Is around. The best Ted could do was call into the wings, and ask Frisco If ready, so Frisco could en- ter for his female impersonation, after the "Mr." on the billing. The Morgan incident didn't secure what Joe probably'thought it would, and suggested Frisco didn't take a look at Jack White doing the same thing. Or'maybe he did. The Jazz dance with cigar, part and parcel, got htm off as Frisco always does get oft— over. When a single man Is ahead of Soph on any bill, she gets a class- ical Introduction. To Frisco she's the greatest singer of popular songs . on the American stage and Joe has been right before. And she's one little glrj who lives up to all In troductlons. Business about four rows short of full downstairs, not so good on a Saturday, the best matinee day of the week. Bige. heMe]mn„„ (Two-a-Day Vaudfilm) Minneapolis, June 13. With Olsen and Johnson and Sid Marion cutting capers, sure-enough fiin feast for Hennepin. Aforerhen tioned trio and their assistants ere ated a veritable pandemonium of laughter. ' Olsen and Johnson back after an absence of less than four months. Marlon also playlnff early retunt. ORPHEUM (St. Vaude) Much of the material and-business same as last engagements as well as during other earlier visits. This might have had some adverse effect I Los Angeles, June 16 on attendance, buti It apparently did . First Saturday . opening of the not lower the funsters' rlb-tlckllng rko bills at thia stand sa.w a heavy power. ^ turnout for the matinee, surprising The comedians, together with 1" -view of Paul Whlteman's stiff Clyde Hager, In the Olsen-Johnson competltlpn at the act, set a new Hennepln-Orpheum taEes- Seen fw^ record for blueness of gags and funeral aura of the h^ou^^ business as well as laughs. In its f.^'y '.""P^f^^l^*,! J^^^».^n most Mutual burlesque wheellsh "me air about the p^^^ and^hubert musical revue days the majesty of a Palace (New York) Gayety and Metropolitan here never c'^ckfhow turnout, have equalled the rawness mark That ^'^"".t^^J^^Z chalked up this week. The funsters mfn'^ went the llmlf evidenced by the nodding acqualn- went ine limit. tances between the front row In conniectlon with the effort to patrons with the pit orchestra per- re-establlsh the two-a-day, the clr- sonnel. Incidentally, for a trench cult apparently has taken off the gang, Danny Calms' RKO Melody cleanliness lid. This Is assuming Band as they are billed, under the that what Olsen and Johnson and baton of Billy Small, is one of the Sophie Tucker have pulled during smartest apparelled combinations recent weeks Is a criterion of the yet seen. Boys go in for- Impeccable freedom to be permitted performers, dinner jackets, stiff bosom shirts The wisdom of such a censorlees and fancy white vests, shaping up policy remains to be seen. Perhaps as smartly as any stage orchestra, it is felt that vaudeville has come Show played with dispatch and to the end of Its rope as family en- pep. The forepart is the BKO Col- tertalnment and that Its feminine tegiate Show, the best—and one of appeal, always limited, Is now so the earliest of the RKO units. To nearly nil that a stronger bid must its credit, It plays with the same be made for a certain class of male snap and verve that It' evidenced patronage. Then, again, because the when viewed at the Palace,' New public expects spice from them. It is Tork. possible that exceptions are being Second part held the headllner, made for Olsen and Johnson and Irene Franklin, still a great come- MIss Tucker who always have been dlenne, and Buck and Bubbles, the allowed much latitude. dynamic cut»ups, in their second . . - „ ^ ^w. 1 week of a holdover. Between Buck s Some of the stuff pulled this week, L ,^ Ivory-tlckling and Bubbles' however, seemed to transcend the tapping, the boys were In good taste boundaries by a consider- | j the barrier. Buck throws medium; no Ughts and noTeal hud-I PALACE ity. I First and second comics, two barl-I (St. Vaude) tones, sister team, two boy hoofers, i.^P^l'^^'''^ straight man, two Boubreta and Start Of Keith's Saturday opening straight man are some of the peo- schedule witnessed better than nor- ple. Man and woman guitarists and mal business in both the Palace and a colored mixed dance team are State-Lake. No apparent reason vaude'recruits. * why Sunday business should bo . Sister team, youngest of the two hurt. . , .onnn comics and the HtUe dork soub Palace this week carries $9,000 stand out. Latter is built up worth of talent and a moderate throughout and her toe specialty re- box-oflice appeal. Headlining is served for a late spot, so it looks a James Barton, back a little too lot better than is. Another specialty soon, and Ken Murray s unit com- glrl is under gilt paint from head pletely fiUlng the first half. Other tn xoe [acts are Bernlce and Emily, local For" bits the comics delved into girls from "Scandals"; PJeureUe the burlesque files and emerged Jeoffrle, soprano single, and Klku- wlth the usual stuff. Crowded ho- tas Japs. .• , tel with its newlyweds and sonam- It's Ken Murray's show from all bullst, train robbery, flirtations in angles. ^^,„i,t mii«- "one" and others are In ^ Murray's unit are Eight Tiller Costumes In good 6hal)e, and ex- Cocktail Girls, who open the show; ceptlonal for a Marcus turk. That's Poster, Fagan and Cox. male bar- the Marcus show's teal virtue. An- mony trio (replacing ^ter Hlg- other might be the nut, but 32 sal- fins); Ha"y Webb and ^"f. ^'tj arles must amount to something. twa Klrls assisting, and Helen and Maybe more In a tab of this sort Milton CTiarleston, Murray in than in a vaude bill for the road, his regular spot Ihserted in the m^nlv its elrlB But in New York unit temporarily are Bernlce and vauSl^oWs mo^rcirries Zre va- dance t^ clean, airy rletv and has a lot more to sell. displaying a load of class. Mayl^ fo^a wtlk o? two in the^ P^^^ the Murray hooray summer, not bad. these tabs, on « !l«Vr*il*,„^*<J?f,^*„!I?f,„„^"^^^^ gamble or low salary. No book, no cfn^ast sixth position with her Beople, Just girls. Nothing to think classic co onitura soloing. Miss SboUt. and thinking was labor on a Jeo«f»e clicked, quietly but stW nleht like Monday Bige. solidly. Her pipes are a pleasure night ilKe Monaay. .oij/c- l^^^^^ surprising enough, so are her face and figure. CXATP I Barton, seventh, took his .time. kllAlb I When following a prima donna (Vaudfilm) Barton could hurry his opening Biz Off Monday night. Weather h^unk scerio a UtUe but ^ton able space, but the audience at the I",""' 'J|XasTt7hat keVboa^^^^^ ^ , ^ p^jma donna performance caught by this reporter g«g^ys l^^^^^^^^ the bookers sending in the " seems^'Tseless "o? apparently relished all of it. A new -olored or white. Harry Hlnes unit It was necessary criticism seems useless, ir not Lindbergh gag by Hager has the fu- | '°o„ the point of crack piano- ( to rTduce the bin otherwise and | <»"«"1 »" crlUdzIng a standard act. ture of aviation depending uPon ^grs. that RKO Collegiate unit only two acta were played with it. t*"®, " f*?u " ■X ^ve Uie • pit pianist a half vacation ^hl^s brought in Bv|ns" and Pere_z Ss* ^T^^. While hilarity is rolling along on f^ro^-^" "lir ^ro^^s awomqiThe opener aid C^^^^^^^^^ '--"ths. Tsk. tak; all eights. Johnson stops the act to , j (colored) accompanying right son ort second, preceding the Hines true. »ornhfttlo whisper a question to Olsen who dl- {"^^^^^ until the 14 Brick Tops outfit ' *^ ^ K Kikutas Japs, rlsley and acrobaUo rects him by means of pantomime (gjage band) finale, which closed That starUng act had the bunch troupe, closed. Jfinfl- to the sought place off-stage. After ^jjg jj^g^ He, too, Is no slouch down front wide awake when the rushing out, Johnson returns In a ^jjg ijiacks-and-whltea -and fortl- duo got on the perch. The men do great hurry and In apparent distress ^gd the hl-yaller shouter In style, their stuff right out by the foot- to ask Olsen for a "nickel." Fol- Uj,sg Brown registered with "Real Ughts. Clrcusy trick for the finish, lowing Johnson's second departure, Estate Papa" and kindred type pops. Collins and Peterson have been Olsen explains that "Johnson had i -- -• — —— »— ALBEE (Vaudfilm) Not much to choose between the - - - - I Madl^'and "^y?"wTtr acr'S'-Jtep"- I at^"he'StTte" rnVnyUmes":'Collins I three big houses nested togeUier la to make a telephone call." Asked ,^/°nd rope-splnnlng. scored, as scored as usual with his comedy. Brooklyn on bue^M^^ to name two old numbers, Johnson §,j''the Runaway Four's nonsense, m fact, the two seemed to stay was terrible all around, wim an edge called out "Number One and Num- L-;j,„edy hit of the bill was Clara overtime and sure made it tough»vor of Oie Paramount, due ber Two." The gag about the old ^and Orval Whltlege. whose on the Hlnes mob. k',^''*"^ = maid "without any hits, assists or „t,e'g ^t lightning pace even had Hlnes* "20 Budding Stars" are In ^^^^ **t^'^°?"*"enda^^^^ errors." the blackout skit that has L^e hardbolled trench boys broadly better shape than when recently In was well Jelow haU <^paclty. Johnson counUng four feet In his -uffawlng. Thelr's Is a smart, thpr- the Fox houses with the train scene Neither had anything on ^^^^ wife's bed and Johnson's repeated oughly sophisticated and yet popu- out. Even this did not appear suf- to pull em in against tne una "I win not" to the whispered plead- j^riy appealing routine, backed by flcient to shorten the running time weather wid Coney. „itu„ Ing of his fellow piano player were L* d^n,a*ble staie salesmanship. to a speedier finale. The act wos A»bee had no heavy ^^^^ all included in the act before. Bobble Grice conducted the 14 on an hour with the inclination ap- way wlUi ' "jKh Voltage (Pathe) Weakness of the talking feature Brick Tops and they substantiate parent to overi*p the time on cer- feature ana Ada^^^^^ picture. "High Voltage," Pathe, star- their claim to the billing of "Ameri- t^n bits that could have been Just a stage program t^^ «,at it hti! ring wmiam Boyd, was more than ca's Greatest Girl Jazz Band." Act as well chopped. A little horse- be«» ^^T^ ^^J^'^Xnee tl^ouB^l offset by the vaudeville's strength holds everything: music, color, pep. play Is okeh, but an overdose is a 1 "J? 80°" comeay vaiues lurougn this week. Olsen and Johnson were Jazz, s. a., novelty, and showman- boomerang. iV fhat tuvni fha on for more than an hour, working ship. Their "St. Louis Blues" is Hlnes is a hard working m. c. " the cc^medy that Mve^ like beavers and offering everything stlH thrining. In between there is He has an entertaining bit in that ^J^ A^a May iMKea in their extensive repertory. After a hodge-podge interlude of hoke in spiel about his mother, yet Jj^ StaSt^ oS^Oie sta^e besW^^^^ his own act Sid Marlon worked on which the entire personnel partid- seemed handicapped in this big ™"»JtM ^.}^\.^^^ lf^^^^.^^ the stage and from a box with Olsen pates. I house by his voice. His pipes seemed i?* f I" Fulton street BHllnJ and Johnson. Because of the length Second half was led off by "Poet weak and on his song routine failed P^i"? v^vv on"^itar of 'Rio Rlto"" of the Olsen and Johnson offering and Peasant" (why?) overture.lto lanfl his usual score. Harrv has I went beavy on star ot Kio Kita, OI xne uisen ana jonnson oiiering ana x-eaeani, vtc.v...^, u^u» j>^>..Imhloh nf oniirnn la niirt nf thn aet'ii the vaudeville was cut from six to really well done, but seems that been having trouble with his voice ^hjoh, of cou^^ five acts, but even then ran for over even the Coast customers must be most of the season and that long P'^'''^ "» vauaoyiuo. t"wih'ourfl7which did not geem tool rarfelted with Von Suppe. Irene I line of chatter Just about »"ock8| " wm the tw refuyi ?o^"rr°o'kll^e%r?Md?h?errr f^ 'l^U^S.^^u^k'^^S M^eWSf^ rMf^Mr^^^^^ refused to patronize it In paying iP;"", » „,»h ..oin..- -riii mam- olattv will Aa at this comer. Dor- the bill going. nurbTrs.^de^plteorsen'lnk^oTn^^ always have been one of vaudeville's herg's Alaskans (dogs) closlng.^^^ best cards here. And so the two- a-day went Into the red for the fifth successive week. In the opening spot, Ethel Marino registered nicely with her trapeze work and rope balancing. Plenty of clalty will do at this comer. Dor- ™ "Vinf °u ^= ♦hi^t^^*i^ othy Morrison pleased with step- than t Is th^^^ ping. Matty MaSk'e first solo didn't «*yt"™ '"™leh«nB the substanca do so well, but he fared much bet- »' the 'ety Wll. ter when he sang with the uke. ^JJ*M^t^T^.iJi^^''^JJ^^ On the screen was ''Coquette'-l.^he flicker wm a (UA) with the news reels mixture fth^l^^t^rthe^fllmp^^gr^^^^^ punch to this act In which a Ijeautl- I to New York in that man ful Russian wolfhound lends dee- weeks. No. l. currently at the Jef 58TH ST. second of SrSis tab shows I of Fox Movietone and M-<VM si: | nau^ « J^wT)? Vt~und'Tews ACADEMY reel and a capltaJ comedy short by Ethel Sinclair and Marge LaMarr (Talking Shorts). Lestra LaMonte opened with hia novelty flash. "Paper Creatlonsi" fe- ful Russian wolfhound lends dec- i • ... • _»„„4v -„„. i,„, i oratlve effect. As deucers, Brown ferson (14th street) not seen but. and Derlckson scored their usual, from the account, m"<*.the same. , . This fellow s troupes have never I (Vaudfilm) Marion, No. 3. also received a re- ^^ ^ penetrated the metropoUs. al- picnty of variety on the first half I male Impersonator surrounded with ceptlon. Routine pretty much as | ^^yg gj-jekinp to the road, that part LJ^ut here^^^^^^ of the road knowing its tabloids. | news and "Hard-Boiled Rose." on tings and a rave of paper costumes And Marcus should sUck to the screen. Business fair at the middle on four girls and two principal road. Whoever sold him the New I g,,^^ Saturday night which usher- women; Isabel Brown, song and York idea deserves hia 111 wlH. If I ed In the Saturday opening regime dance, and Nan Francis, contortion Marcus who sold himself, then Mar- | instead of Monday as formerly. | dancer and a remarkably good one.- before. but it earned heavy laugh dividends. Marlon also was assist- ed by the same unprogramed fem- inine partner in his crossfire. Some of his gags are pretty blue but OllSfUTson'mSr''''" '° cue should"bl soreTtT«^^ M^r- ^"each and pSk weather ^^'^U^^g Acrh^-^^en '^oSnTUUs-teTririiV uisen-jonnson material. ^^g, ^.^j^j competitor couldn't have Saturday walloped chances of at- P'enty. It rates a spot on the nov- Provldlng a serious interlude, made a better suggestion, for hia tendance at this and other houses, e'ty setUngs fop a female imper-< Smoke Screen," crook playlet, next own advantage. I Val Irvlng's Collegians opened I senator and Its Incidentals. Show« to shut. It Is preceded by a screen jjot because New York isn't ac-jand contributed a neat production manly routining and staging help, announcement to the effect that It is customed to tabs, but because tabis I act with Val doing m. c, backed by greatly. the Chicago drama league's prize are not built for New York con- a nine-piece band In collegiate togs. FameU and Florence have the winning playlet and Is presented gumption, any part of New York. music comblnaUon handled trouper gait. Farnell opened ' with the original Chicago cast. This and that goes only fop tebs that I numbers accepUbly with Elsie Gil- here in bla atew Character with fast may Impress an audience. It needs come In from the road, of course, tert crooning saUsfactorlly. Wally Joshing on the preceding LaMonta all this extraneous plugging—and jute this Marcus tab. which was and Zella planting some nifty tep 1 turn that set him right. Here's a more. As a playlet, it Is crude and jjuut for the road. So why New dancing and Irv himself tied up I smooth clown working legitimately. . unconvincing. Acting and direction york? There's no more here than things with a sob baUad. A fast l Stuff has an engaging smartness to amateurish to the extreme. Story there. Only more competition. [dance finale also helped lots in zip-l't, paced on a high plane of humor; of an underworld girl trapped into rrhe "Glorified Revue" hopped [ping this one over, |hut still not too. refined for vaude ' a murder confession, it boasts some ^ight into the B8th from a road date, I Florrle LaVere and Co. clicked I laughs. Turn is almost a monolog, melodramaUc values which, how- Und was delayed a day in arriving, heavy in follow up with Miss La hefty woman fon coming on late ever, have not been skillfully devel- rprip must have been tough for the Vere's oongs and impressions get- the running for cross talk. Thls.^ oped. As a prize winner. "Smoke feathers were stHl flying Monday ting across In a big way. Nifty act. Pair paved the way for the Ada Screen" does not speak well for the night. Opened Sunday. Booked to "Jim." the Bear. wresUing bruin. May episode, laying the very de- Chlcago Drama League. open Saturday. Should never have provided plenty of hokum fun. the sirable light, background for a pretty Olsen and Johnson and their opened at an, for Marcus* sake. Fun howls coming through the awkward sti^lght act. . _ company of nine or 10, augmented week at the B8th. And that will no efforts of a couple of comedy plants *5^J''=°r?„°'^^^^^^^ ^t'- by Marlon and Including a number doubt give 'em enough of New York, to throw the animal. a'L^^7x1''«i^"*J"?,^„1^^^ of colored performers who came on By road standards, this is a teb- Deno and Rochelle. mixed dance ^^"^^"'f^'^iss May and^^ near the finish, occupied the stage loldf It'a mostly an giri atuff, an teom flanked by orchestra scored aid. Jack AHei^. dlc^^^ for 70 minutes, bringing the vaude Lepetitlonal girt stuff, but glris are heavily In dances with the Apache gf^^^^tn/w'VhP snn"nu,^blr^ we% tir-ar-clDSC:—NolsIestr-arrd-njrazlestkiHs-onnire-^ T~~rT"rTxce^elv iS^^^^ melange In Hennepin history. Pretty %„ the road they don't see quite so Conlln .and Glass mopped next to «iJfrp?h^ir from a cold much the same stuff as before, but many girls, lior so often.' had the audience screaming with six costume and posing tableaux, ing.^ (Jonlln's low comedy went well Kink a Jou hilarity and begging for more. For Tou know the kind. Show Siris with the downtown mob (md earned tlne^w^^^^ a new opening armed asylum guards prance In elaborate rags to the the team hit honors of the show by ^J^*"^"'"" °' Suspenders that got go tiirough the audience In search of tenor's warbling accompaniment, a wide margin. „ , , . , t 'Murrftw and Vivian Oak. escaped lunatics. The two lunatics. The kind the revues used to stage ^Sixteen American Rockets, ^glrly John T^^^^^^^ Olsen and Johnson, finally arrive on to make nudity look artistic,, and dance ensemble, closed with a. series ^and arc «oing l^m^'^rthS^rwttnl a prop tram. , ' then after the revues, burlesque of precision ensembles.. Th^^^^ Pathe sound news preceded "High picked them Aip to bring In white an lookers and know their PreC^lo" """^^"^^tlnued on^e 52) ^ Voltage" on the screen. J{€e«. I skin tlghu. Marcus baa struck a' stutr, i » ^ shut with piano capers and clown- she was suffering from a cold, fter - ■ - " I ""•"k-a-Jou" stepping finale rou- wae the. best, following upon