Variety (Oct 1929)

68 VARIETY W O M E N' S PA GE Wednesday, October 30, 1929 Unconmon Chatter By Ruth Morris Jessel Dinner This and that at the Jessel din-' ner..; . Cjcowded- attendaince tor' the first big theatrWal function of the year. Impressive dais, \»^lth a Pub llx head sitting next to a Fox execu tive—proving that rival magnates laugh at each other's jokes ■virhen they meet at dinner. ..• •Eddie Can- tor In rare form, keeping the diners in hoots with rapidflre comedy. . . • Georgle Jess6l nervously Chewing VP all the guest cigars... .William Morris (who accuses this u«spart- ment of omitting his nam«j Ini stories) looking perfectly beeyooti- lul In an old Tuxedo.... ; Mrs; Eddie Cantor - in. a simply draped black velvet, with white flowers trimming the decolletage. Marjorle Cantor in peach-colored crepe and her .first orchids,- appearing to enjoy her father's humor.. She probably pre- pared his. speeches... .All , the dresses trailing, .the . ground..>. Sophie Tucker stunning in Ivory colored satin*. Accoxnpanyliig .\Frafi . of the new . off-white . American' broadtail. With cape-collar bordered in deep sable. "Wliite mplree lining trimme(^ with a mbnograni .Stitched in 14-carat gold thread and read- ing "SLIT," the "t" given promi- nent billing.. ..Mrs. Milton Ager <Variety's' Hollywood Chatterer) In: green crepe: and no by-line.... JtoUy Picpn,. singing, her delightfur Rum- shinsky numbers... ;Tvette Rugel in- printed chiffon "and ^and voice.... Mrs. Jimmy ' Walker wearing egg- shell chiffon and an unysual scarf headdress... .Mrs. ' Ma:r6us Iloew. and Mrs. William Pox both in dark^ tasteful chiffons....Mrs. A. ^. Bala- ban smart in black satin. ; ...JGeorg1e Jessel's own "Mammy" In greeii , sequins, leading the rush for' auto- " graphs.... The Sisters, G.. (on.' theilr , way from Germany to . Holly wood to appear In Paul Whlteman's pic- ture),, cunning in sea-gre^n tulle and Biarritz sunburns', 'their severe, lacquered bobs'strikingly: attractive. ,,; .EllaRetford,. Ensllish Vaudeville favorite, .In white satii^. with print- ed velvet, wrap, fox-trlmmied. ' Bubbling Joy , Rarely plctiure-stars, appearing In vaudeville, do more ' than • wear 'showy clothes and say a few shy words. Leatrlce Joy Is at the Palace this week doing an entire act' on her own Very isticcessfully as far as audience reaction is concerned. Her manner is oVer-gro clous,-but 'we're getting used to that In picture fltars. Her frocks are nice—<i green organdy with horse-hair hat ac- companiment (cdmlng from moving pictures, that was a certainty) a form-flltlng' white, evening gown and a pllEiIn serge coat for a French ^character number. Tfte less ..said about that the better, but . in. all Justice, Saturday's audience simply doted on It. , The Popice .sisters are an agree- " able harmony dub with soft voices, good looks and qu,iet mannefrs. They .are dressed in black velvet frocks with lengthened skirts of tuHe and flower trims—perfectly alright, "but not nearly, as chic as their own smart style deserves. They ought to blow one Week's salary on two knockout gowns. Thelma White^ (with tiddie. i'ardq) wears a cheap^looking dance ab- breviation of black lace over a flesh foundation and later appears In a sweet evening dress of blue taffeta with skirt of bunchy white tulle. Should substitute blue sllli- pers with white tulle bows for the black ones worn with this.. Match- ing slippers can do a lot for- a dress. The long suit Of the Queen with the 4 Diamonds seems to be dancr ing shorts. They're" regulation style, not nearly as good as her work. Tliere are four girls in Joe Fojer's "Society Gambols," two statuiesque singers, atid two excel- lent dancers. They all wear pror- vided costumes with as good grace as. possible, and do very . well by their, particular _sp'eclaltle.s. Backstage Stage Show . ~~Tfie""^eient"^pTctui^"^^ back-stage stories has worked its way into Paramount's cui'rent pres^^ entatlon, "Showland," which pro- . vides a glimpse behind the scenes at rehearsal time. . Idea is worked amusingly with. Qlever, shifting ef fects, the last being a stage dotted to the flies with bass drums of graduating sizes. The drums get everything but a. good boating at finale time, one opening to rovonl a historical tableau, and the oDum becoming Illuminated In. the best picture housei manner. Helen Kennedy, an eccentric song stress, handles familiar bits of comedy and wears frocks of the flapper type, and Plora Vestoss clicks out neat taps In dancing shorts. Her costumes are cunning things made more attractive by accompanying long sheer hose. The Dorothy Berke troupe ap- pears, in three fSets • of iostumies, regulation rehea.^'sal rigs In red and white, floating waltss dresses, and gladiator yerslons fOr* the drum hoOp-la: The last two groups , could have been grand If so much hadn't been done to the.m> Darling Jack Oakia "Sweetie!' Is a descriptive title for this week's feature at the Para- mount. . It has a sap1t)y and silly little story, made entertalnliig^ by a musical coniedy flavor and grand personalities. You may not remem- ber ai thing about .-It after you've left the theatre—except that > Jack bakle Is a darling and that you've itiad an. awfully good time. Helen Kane> and Oakie run away with the picture, the T-fornier reg- istering; her be-roop-de-rbops with a baiig/ No attempt was made in costuming to hide Miss Kane's overweight, which seems, a shame. A clever designer could Ini prove her, appearance treiiiendDusIy. Nancy- Carroll Is pretty and appealing as the chorine who falls 'heiress to a boys*^ prep school. One of the grandr est parts of the .picture Is its re- vamping, under theatrical Influence, of the schools. Alma Mater Into a blackface "Alma Mammy." .Typical Vaude 'Musical As far as one opinion Is con- cerned, It was a sad day when vaudeville shows adopted the bljou- musical type of entertainment and did away with the proper, progres- sion of acts'lip to. dnd away from a headllner; Opening with a big mu- sical flash Is like serving the meat course before ihe hors' d'oeuvre— and the result Is tabloid Indigestion. They're all built on the same pat^ tern, these musical acts. There Is the glib comedian, who might seem funny for 12 minutes, but wears out his welcome^ In a succession of fa- miliar blackouts and attempts at. versatility. There Is the stage band, sometimes good, and sometimes not —but good or not It's always there with Its silver throated tenor or Its boyish baritone. If the audience' Is fortunate, the band Is comprised of men and not feminine blue-blow- ers. There Is the bra^s-volced comiedienne. If she sings, she does be-robpfde-oops or tells about her neighborhood "down by de gas woiks." As bows follow applause, a waltz clog- follows the latter. If she merely talks, she cues In with well-known answers that the entire audience could deliver In unison. There Is the young lady who does everything but break a leg In acro- batic dance shorts trimmed with sequins—or the tap dancer In brief velvet overalls—Or the sister team that sings, in 'thirds and ostrich feathers. If the presentation goes wistful, It is usually with a couple sitting on' a bench beneath a: painted cherry tree; singing soft phrases at each other while the curtains part at up- stage center to reveal the scenes of childhood or the spirit of '76. A line-up of precision dancers Is never omitted. It can be counted on to a^jpear "in one", while full- stage is being draped in Silver or. gold, or perhaps both; for the big finale. This Is a composite picture . of the average vaudeville musical. It happens to be appearing, at the 86th St. this Week under title of "Fred Llghtner's Frolics." Even its n^me sounds reminiscent. hip molding and othelf* two-plece with circular skirts^ tb(» latter much newer,...Lord * Tttylbf' showing blaclc broadclotli haia^vety smart, but difilcuit .to weir If •otoo'd color- ing Is not definite... .Gartler's new gift display, featuring the "JOwel of the Month";...The longer evening wraps, built to flare over trains, ob- tainable at Bonwlts. Also Reboux's new pressed solell hat, with scal- loped crown lengthening Into a flared brim... .Long evening gloves definitely "In," with fine white suede favored for evening. Short black Ones also used with sedate black gowns.., .Norman Hartnell models at Best's, Including "Grandma's Garnets," "Pink and Silver" and ^'Ghostl," a transparent .wraith of a dress... .Grand .sports sweaters at Macy's, some I>laln with turtle necks (than which there Is nothing swell- er), others In giddy pialds- and stripes.... Rhinestone Jewelry big at Altihan's, necklaces selling from $16 to $300. tVhat jMce Phonies! . .Petite women may be easily fit- ted at Sax's small size department. This shop also showing foreign-, made cprsellettes with the new line. Selling at $160, and Interesting^ to note that ■ the entire first shipment was sold but'in foiir days. Rusaia's .Bficl Boy •^Rasputin" is the latest addition to the large collection of films oh Russia's bad boy. The present, by Gregor Chmara Is rattier than eve'r, and makes One wbndbr even rdore at .the reputation he amassed as a ladies' nian. . Two Important wom- en's parts are • taken by Suzanne Delmas and' Mary ^Cid, .who go In for the, usual continental eye-roll- ing and chest-heaying. The inclusion of news reel shots (with glimpses of Czar Nicholas and Kerensky) .help to make the film rhore vivid. In the Shops Stewart's new front, jutting imr presslvely in the modern manner up 12 stories on 56th St. Interior showy and overdone—walls tinted too dcopiy, trimmings too elaborate causlhg. some to call it "Thd Para,- motint="^Theatre'^of----the-==Shops:^?- Prices, however, have: not moved upward with, the location. Among its numerous "Little Shops!' is one dedicated to .larger headsizes, which is a sensible idea'in this day of changing coiffures. Fitting rooms all arranged with a thought to day- light. ■ Lanvin's black crepe with beaded net slcovoH .'it Stern's.,. .Altman's showiiiK attractive frorlcs in knit- ted (wcM-djcr.^-iy. sonic ploatpd from Miss Joy'a Smart Govyns Leatrlce Joy wears several smart gowns in "A Most Immoral Lady." One Is In dark'chiffon with trans- parent bodice, over a low-cut crepe foundation and another has a bead- ,ed V. lns>rtlbn built up to a, high neck line, and a skirt of. sparkling fringe. ' .- A hfet worii Is, clever in. Its ma- nipulation of a. tinyj draped brim Into .a bow effect in front. More foip Talker Morris office has booked Tommy Atkins Sextet, Nell O'Day, Al Nor- man and Jacques Gartler for Paul Whlteman's Universal picture. PARAMOUNT (Continued from Page 61) assist In all the stuilf, couldn't get usual results out of their spotting. Full stage finale had the stage hung with drum heads backed by colored lights. Band appeared bn stage'tor first time in the unit; and went through a brassy but very well handled medley of pops. Da'vls took one solo with trumpet. Late pickup of pace started here. Following the Rios, Sallie Vestoss tap danced and paraded with baton, leading the ballet In a drum majOr routine. Miss Vestoss Is a blonde, with swell figure and some, tap ability. Military music and -parade gave the show Its first big fiash, just at the,flnlsh. Paramount Sound News com- pleted. Bang. CHICAGO Chicago, Oct. 26. After two vveeks here PUbllx units changed back to the Oriental, leav- ing tho ace house bf town to devise its Own program', "Gypsy. Life.!' Show this week on ohe set, out- doors, and a knockout, for planning, color and effect; rating applause from an aUdlencb jammed In to see the 'plrilc" feature. , Show Is all color and dancing, with a dash of vocalizing and little comedy; Music especially satisfy- ing, being taken from the operettas, principally "Countess Marltza.'- Leading violinist of the pit or- chestra, Hans Muenzer, on stage with three good numbers and great results. , This b6y has an unestl- mated following among the women in town. Ben Doya, comedy dancer and coritorlloriist, came on Without a re- hearsal and got across big, especial- 4y.Mt]bL]liI_s^laftlfil)Ast^drunkj3l^ An- other comedy* dancing bit offered By! Paul Olsen,' jgetting a couple of laughs with a rag doll. Regulation gypsy dance, by Janlva Kurrl, just for atmosphere's sake. The pipes department carried well with Arch .Cannon, tenor, and Ruth Fischer, soprano. Bourman ballet Avorks hard and earnestly. Crowd was packed up against the, stairs at close of the first show. "Modern Maidens" (M-G-M), In after being held up by the censors almost three months. Loop. in P'arls, Oct. 19. Tlie Invitation opening of "Halle lulah?' C^HIt- the Deck") at the Mogador was as Interesting eiB most any Important Broadway pre- miere. Openings • are; : somewhat like pre-vlews and are loftily called "repetition •generales.'.' The Ingenue was. very sweet and cute and quite unusual for a French girl. She seemed American until her poor chorus of "Sbmetlmea.. Fm Happy" In English. Dresses were, girlishly nifCledi . usually with large collars.. One becoming dress was made . of white, tworlnch, pink- edged, ruffled net, with tight bodice, full skirt and' large .bertha collar.-. The ; chorus girls* dresses were simple and ch.eap, looking like noth- ing Very much, but the showgirls were better with a number, of smart gowns. A Nllergreen satin creation was a twO-tlored /novelty, short front, long skirt and circular back. High neck line In front and no back save for a five-Inch, streamer at- tached froin the front and flowing across the shoulders. It was loosely knotted, ini, the back., Another turqouise blue taffeta hiE^ no back at all, arid what a calamity if that narrow taflfeta' band around the neck snapped! The only trlm- ming/ Comprised rhInestOne stars splashed all oyer; . The wrap to match was a billowy, full-length mode, with an enormous colliau* of self material made . of folds and folds and yards and yards of taffeta. A number of beautiful- models were seen In the lobby during In- termission, which lasts fully a hklf hour,: and one certainly doesn't mind it a bit, considering the bar Bervlce. A delightful thing about the the- atres here, even the very smallest picture houses, are the bars, where, fot the. large sum of three to seven, francs you can have your choice of the swellest cocktaills—and It Isn't speakeasy stuff either. A black taffeta, deserving of men- tion, had a long cape collar to the RKO WOODS (NEW) Chicago, Oct. 25. Aladdlii worked with 100 car- penters, decorators and electricians to transform this. 1,200-seat house from a dreary legit stand to one of the coziest sound theatres In the city. Opened with "Rio Rita" In In- vitational premlefe which packed the ..house with local celebrities night before popular opening. About 26 tickets, all that re- mained after people of show busi- ness and others of Importance had been deadheaded, were disposed of at $5.50. Premiere was the best yet In Chicago. • ^ , Six days earlier the Woods passed out - as a legit house. Workmen stripped It to the bone within 36 hours and had It completely re- decorated an hour before the pre- miere. House is flnished in rose motif. Front gleamed after 10 years of grime had been washed off. RKO Woods is RKO's flrst-run house In the city. Schedule -of prices Is 35-60-86O. weekdays and 50-85C. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, with 1 p.m; the low-price deadline. Doors open at 9 a,m. RKO sub-leased the Woods from the Shuberts for one year at-rental of $185,000, with optlbn for: four more years.. > fiouse> at Pearbom Randolph streets, heart of . the Rial to, is owned .by Aaron J. Jones> Sr. ■ Loop. FOX ("Bows and Beaus"—Unit) Brooklyn, Oct. 28. Chilly weather had a warming ef- fect oh the b. o. ait this Fox house and the late Monday night show held close to capacity, right on top of a capacity sUpper show^ .Nicely blended bill had "They Had to See Paris" (Fox) linked up with Fan- chon & Marco's "Bows and Beaus" unit .The feature^ starring Will Rogers, more than made up in com- edy what Was lacking along that line in. the stage show. The natives seemed to be having, a great time for 75c. Coscia and Verdi mix up their musical turn, with pantomimic clowning, one playing the violin and the other the cello. Boys take turns .at jloing comedy during the playing bf^ classical" numbers;'^-THey""M5 down an early seven minutes In the proceedings for flne applause re- sults. The unit, neatly mounted and ex- pertly staged, has 14 dancing girls olfering some novel routines, mainly acrobatics, while a mixed double quartet holds up . the Vocal end of the show, especially In a "Study In Pink," vodal number done before a scrim curtain with the couples being silhouetted against the drop in highly effective style. hips, of black net, embroidered with small clusters of different colored flowers. The- Ibng. full skirt had a four-Inch bo^(ler. of. the same trim- ming. A .crimson velvet wrap with, a collar of sable enhanced tills cre- ation, i '.' Another peachy, corar satin gown, worn by a typically well-dressed Parlslenne, ■ was molded (even sculptured) to the form' so. \Bty tightly that one wonders, how sh5 could possibly sit down In safety. The only trimming was -an enor- mous sllyer-cloth bow, .with Its knot In the V-polnt of the extremely low back. Loops tacked on each ' side Of the decollete. "8e(luctibn" A picture! Wow 1 As the title Implies, made in Czecho-Slovakla« Is Just too hot for the U. Si A» Plenty.of dirt and gotten to at once with apparently no loss of time. Some of the shots were seemingly just too much for bne young girl of the audience, who pulled a real faint and had to be carried out by her bby friend. This is a real hotsy- totsy screener. Olaf Fjord, juvenile, ; is quite handsome and with a littl?; handling would nriake a good lead for Anier- Ican pictures. Don't like, the way! he makes up his eyes. Ita. Riria, leading lady, and the Victim of : the "Seductio^i," must have a wealtness f or perfUme.. !Fjord gives her a bottle of a scent labeled Erotlkon" (the original Czech title) "and she falls. Otherwise all right, looking well In clothes that were surprisingly good looking. A leopard coat was very snappy as was a smart black velvet "suit worn with an enormous white foX and a black" and white felt hs^.t. Girls, If you want him to give in just try some bf that Ihtoxicatlng. come-hither parfum. La Femme de Paris. It's tres Irresistible! Bright red ena.meled flnger nails are the. current Continental vogrue evidently. .One Woman-carried .the color, scheme to an extreme by" flashing bright grreen enameled nails to match her green ensemble, Ho'W- ever, that's Just a freak. just. like the nuts back home. French Customs Cans it be a new custom or per- haps It's a very old European , style to wear wrist watches with evening clothes. At one first-class night club, five out of eleven smartly gowned "women^ore watches. Another French custbnAi' seems te be the wearing, by Womisn In par- ticular and the men p'Ccaslonally* of rings of an descrlptio'ns, on the. Index flnger. It certainly doesn't improve' the appearance of the hands. Still another old French custom Is being Inexcusably rtide. Be it a. .man or a -woma^. If he or she Is attracted by something you a.re wearing or doing, they stare, glare, pointedly use their monocles or lor- gnettes, walk around you or along- side of you fbr blocks until their curiosity Is appeased. It Is a com- mon occurrence In . restaurants, the- atres,-cafes or stores for people to look you up and down for 10 min- utes at a time. 'They, use no tact, as In America, where one .nliay, with studious '' carelessness, obtain a good picture of what one. wants to see. Never are they embarrassed by "dirty looks." Rather discon- certing at flrst. The hew fob watches, worn usually oh the shoulder'br ! pocket of a sports outflt, are knockouts. In varying colors, of green, red and black enamel with designs In Imitation .and real diamonds, al- though truth to tell, one Can. hard- ly tell the spurious from the gen- uine. Above all, very practical... One novelty design was heart- shaped In diamonds on a square^ onyx watchi Thretj dainty Initials, also in diamonds, relieved the black attaching ribbon. FREAK LOSS - - Mrs. Eddie Milne, Jr./: wife of the .e.aatern. represen ta tive . of the pan- tages interests, Is out one expehsive" purse ahd contents, including trav- eling expenses to the west coast and all jewelry she carried. . • Mrs-. Milne placed her purse next to a porthole. on a plane trip to Hollywood, Plane ran into a storm In. the middle west and had to come down near St. Louta Thursday on the trip out Mrs. Milne had to wire New York for enough money to con- tinue the journey.