Variety (Dec 1929)

Wednesday, December 18, 1029 .1. FILM HOUSE REVIEWS VARIETY 41 GLOBE New Tprk, Dec. 16, Charles Dillingham once housed his musicals here. ^ Then, with the trend of the times, |2 pictures start- ed creeping in intermittently. Now comes the RKO tenancy with Radio Bicture^ on a grind, Legjt show here now. seems like yesfterda-y's celebrity. On Broadway, Just ofC the corner of 47th street, the Globe is very much in the heart o£ things. HlgH rental and an excellent location has induced an 85-cent top week nights with a tilt to $1 for holidays. Steep scale for a straight ipicture program on a grindi in competition with de- luxe houses charging the same or less. Early Monday night the Globe was being passed up by those who were strolling. Sparsely populated at 8 p, m., but there's, nothing spe- cial about a pite-Xmas Monday night anywhere. : Globe has Its architectural dis- advantages for pictures, which may be sw^allowed because of the loca- tion. Screen Is , not wholly visible from the rear rows. House hag 1,- 066 seats. Acoustically, ther-e is no complaint. Feature and shorts Mon- day night registered excellently, in sound. Interior is best described as a legit converted to pictures. As a Broadway showing spot for Radio pictures, the theatre fills a lieed. There is the frequently ad- vertised prestige of such an eng^ge^ ment, and the chance of a Broadway outlet for Radio programers, "Dance Hall" (Radio), current feature, would not have" been seen In or around Times Square otherwise. Shorts in support were "General Ginsburg" (Radio), "Station B-U-N-K" (Col), and ah animated sound cartoon, "Sole Mates" (Gol).. But f<)r the first time in weeks the stranger in-town can tell it's the Globei Name has finally been put in lights ajbove the niarquee. They'll have to spend & bit to educate 'em that the house is now on a grliid Bang. and "The River" at the Fox be con- sidered as na'eeting this sort of op- position. Will Osborne, Rudy Vallee*s best known imitator, is. playing a week at the Fox and must be conceded some following merely on a basis of the reception he received. It seems hardly necessary to argue that he does not compare as an at- traction with Vallee, although Co- ]umbia Bi'oadcasting Co. is giving him . number one spotting and breaks on everything. Fox has Rube Wolf billed as coming in from San Francisco. Oh the Coast for thei last five years, Wolf, a brother of Fanchbn and Marco, has rotated from one big de luxe house to another and has following and- popularity in half a dozen Paciflb toWns. Thei'e's lots of tricks in Rube's bag,, but everyone may as well real- ize" in advance, not afterward, ex- actly how tough a test the Fox, Brooklyn,' is going to be. At a time when it's debatable if the stage band thing is not pretty well exhausted and m. c.'s as a group on the threshold of the exit por- tals, Woif should come well forti- fied by surrounding shows. Brooklyn is undoubtedly far richer soil than Manhattan, and particularly Broadway, for the type of entertainment with which Wolf has been identified. To some extent the hick borough is ah opportunity as well as a test. Jules Jordan, a gent with a mop of blonde hair, now directs the pit orchestra here. This week he does not have to double onto the ros trum, through Will Osborne having charge there. Land. CAPITOL UPTOWN Toronto, Dec. 18. Jack Arthur cut the pit orchestra . from 30. to 15, put them on the stage, with -Horace. Lapp, former ace or- ganist, handling the stick, and built up a program around a few local standbyB. Nothing hot, but welcome relief , from the one-act "divenlsse"- ments" of recent months. Lapp was nervous, and partly be cause of thfs got the crowd with him. " Ar]|ene Jackson, blonde looker with a baby voice, scored with light pop after Lapp had run the band through a Jazz version of the clas- sics. .; Stage dressed bright but simple. Wally Arbor was effective in a pair of classics, and Harry Bins, strong cn voice but Weak on stage presence, was moderately liked. On his "Tip Top' Through Tulips" some Dutch hoofers did a clog. Closed on arrangement of "Road to Mdhdalay," with Persian market stuff worked in. Far below stage efforts of pre- eound days, but a departure from straight caniied entertainment. "Brdadway" (U) feature. Sinclair. FOX ("Dance Moods"-^Unii) Brooklyn, Dec. 14. If there la one weakness that has chai-acterized many of the Fanchon and Marco units reaching the east, it's the habit of starting slow. As for' instance this one, which opens with a fatiguing, despite pretty, classic ballet so slow and so pro- longed that nothing could have lifted the tempo thereafter. This lack of acceleration Is like creeping -paralysis,, and all . too many of the later units have been af fected by it. At the start Fanchon and Marco sent through a series of units that were wows, packed with talent, Ideas, and class and making most bf the New York produced flash stuft look pretty crumby,. ,. It ia, of: course, an enormous task that the. jLos Angeles producing organization has-undertaken; that of keeping in motion a cohtinuous coast to coast ribbon of . stage shows. A large, supply of a£5plrin must be consumed in functioning on such a scale. Pep is the supreme requisite, the conspicuously absent ingredient Girl formations of less optical charm but more sock and heat are needed. And, above all, siJecialty people, who work fast and come dians who . have punch. Winifi'ed and Bill, who carry the laugh as signment with "Dance Moods," are entirely too leisurely and serene in method for a picture house pres- l.«nMjJb3n.,^jyiey_^make_^the.^t5'.peL..Qf turn which requires a vaudeville setting. , Vince Silk as m, c. with the unit gets a couple of giggles .and makes his announcements well but can- hot be regai'ded.as a comedy factor, At the Paramount two blocks away Publlx Is. heaping high the competition. It has Rudy Vallee permanently, this week Belle Bakei; in person. Gene Dennis, a mind reader, s 11 on top'of the regular Unit. Not by any. stretch of the imagination can "Dance Moods" ("Toytown"—Unit) New York, Dec. 13. . Current stage bill is a bit too pre- mature. A week off, anyway, as "Toytown" is Xmas stuff, colorful, cute and cunning, but not class A entertainment by a long shot. "Hallelujah" (M-G), first time at pop. prices on Broadway, will prob- ably take care of the Capitol's biz this week, with or without the stage. It's an economical way out when the picture is strong enough. Ques tionable if wise where piresentations are taken seriously. With two familiar and standard names, in Fortunello and Clrillini and Karl Emmy's canine circus, Chester Hale wove a pretty pattern around this unit, but it dies cold because of a dearth of snap comedy. Even hokum of an/ kind would have beeh a life saver. Show lags for 20 minutes in silence except for three successive routines by, the ballet and tootings by the stage band before a word is uttered. Pantomime is cleverly done, by Ivan Triesault as an old toy man displaying his wares. In this wise Triesault is probably the first m. c. working through entire show with- out opening his mouth once. From ah exterior drop in "ohe," opening: scene shifts to full spread, disclosing band on elevated plat- form, with Hale girls propped be- neath as boudoir puppets and me- chanical dolls,. Brought to life, they -do neat but Usual routines, followed by solo gyrations of Mile,. Pavla; slow and Uninteresting, Miss Pavla seems a newcomer, with a monicker that can't miss suggesting Pavlowa, but has plenty to learn about- ballet work. Acrobatic antics of Fortunello and Cirlllinl failed to evoke as much en- thusiasm or laughter as the team has been seen to evince in vaude houses. Early spotting here!didn't do them any good, it seems, though the clown acrobats worked with as much deftness as always. Hale girls for second number trotted out a 'Vooden soldiers" formation, im- pressive only because familiar. Not a novel wrinkle in this old and over- done routine. Mechanical motif carried through even with coloratura warbling of Aileen Clark. In doll fashion Miss Clark unloads some rapturous and ■worthwhile notes, unmistakably, classing her as a fine singer. Chirps her trebles like a bird, ahd sports a comely physiognomy, Emmy's per- forming pups land nicely; canine stuff on display usually sure-fire with kids and adults alike. This ken nel rates above average ahd appears to better advantage In a picture house than In vaude, where it's been around, for a long time. . Windup is pictui-esqUe, but again lacking in solid punch Ingredients needed to bolster. Immobile pup- far as getting up and walking off. pets become animated, but only as Ballet picks Up the rest, with syn- copated strains tapped out on stair- case. For finale there is ah ensem- ble parade, with no spectacular lights or effects, Yasha Bunchuk's overtural Clas- =sic=.this jy,eeJLM^rOUndJhjL Ww^^^ in Nine MinutcV' actual time it takes the orchestra to wade throuprh popular anthem from a dozen dif ferent countries. Numbers evplve aroUnd scenid still shots on scrim for a. bit different slant, Newsreels from M-G International (silent) projecting two clips and Hearst Metrotohe displaying three Length of feature held doMv'n stage end to 35 minutes, with another 25 including the rest. Biz off Friday hight, rain hurting. Span. LOEWS STATE CMnternational"—Unit) Los Angeles, Dec. 13. Customers are going to kick at this week^s bill, with 86 minutes of rambling film feature and the Fan- chon & Marco idea holding nothing to talk about. "Internatiohal" idea runs Just oyer 30 mlnUtes, . taking Georgie Stoll's violin solos as time out and the girls were in action; not over 11 minutes of it This Idea: as a, three-act vaudeville . bill with girl background, most of their action through scrim. Acts are sti'ong enough to carry, perhaps; two mixed dance team iajid a pair of Jap jugglers who cash in for laughs. In the setting, drapes give the e;f- fect of a colonnaded hall. Orchestra leader works half-way up. a grand staircase and . the ' musicians, are practically concealed. Set is un- usual but -no knockout. Finale in the continental parade style, with the girls coming down in pairs, well stripped and with nationality sug- gested by headdress and coloring of long trains. Conclusion haig' girl garbed as goddess of Liberty raised on an elevator with girls in star- spangled undress group around her. Gets a patriotic hand. Group dancing is best In the ldea.'s Spanish opening. Ten girls swing rose-colored skirts in effec- tive group movements through the scrim. Line leaders in striking gold half-skirts, one leg hude. Frederlco Flores in opening num- ber and girls-of-all-nations finale. Voice husky ahd unintelligible. Markel, and Faun, Swede eccen- tric danc?e pahtomine act. Is strong- est. Osaka boys Wisely play for laugh touches in their barrel toss- ing. Act built, up by girls working -behind the scrini in odd but decora tive 'Jap costumes, ' Billy Carr does a gliding apache solo, Mignon Laird on to massage a harp, then Is stripped by the apache and goes Into aero-inter- pretive dance that would be ex- cellent If. the conventional split and limbering: exercises were omitted. Feature is ^'Untamed" (M-G) with Joan Crawford. News clips and comedy round out two and one- half hour bill. Biz fair on opening day but likely below average later, with such a weak bill. cialties are brought out as enter- tainment for a group of visitors. Anything dealing with gypsies at the Roxy can be relied on for color. Markert's 32 Roxyettes have an individual bit titled "Dancing Feet" —popular dance routine with light- ing concentrated from the hips down. Girls form an unbroken line across the wide stage, and start oh a platform which slowly lowers to stage level. Short and snappy. The Roxy. ballet his its inning in 'Nocturne,'' an abbreviated asthetic period i wherein they play merrily with a large piece of silk. Symphony orchestra In the pit Is doing skillfully by "Southern Rhap- sody," sweet interpretation of 'way down south as expressed by good music ahd directed by Erno Rapee, Screen . has "This . Thing Called Love" (Pathe) and a newsreel di- vided by Fox and Metrotohe. Best liked In a dead news week was sheep-shearing In Australia, sound- ed in Movietone. Main floor business several rows from capacity Saturday afternoon. Bang. BRANFORP Newark, N, J., Dec, 13. Publlx unit, "Npvelties," cohsid erably changed. Is billed as "Charlie Melson's Homecoming." Melson has been the most popular m. c. ever In Newark, but he: has real competi- tion to face In the memory of Ed Lowry's long stay, herei Melson got a. big hand from the capacity house and went into a flat song about his return. With his platform gone, he jumps over the foots and stands on a table In the orch to sing from there. Song not so wonderful, but his old. smash Is still there, and he has them in his hand. He errs In kidding a bit on the encore, as a disappointed ^'Oh!' from the logos shows that some one's dreams went tor smash. Unit went welL Biggest hit Is a nut comedian, Gene Sheldon He plays the banjo and dances, but his comedy work with eternally sticking his fingers,-his simple but ludicrous gestures, and. his swell falls convulse the house. An addl tion is Boyce Combe, single doing stories and songs. Liked, The other acts -with the. original unit, Anna Chang and Johnson and Brady, colored. steppers, scored easily. Band played a hot number to a standing finish with striking results. . Pit band under George Morgen- roth brilliantly handled "Chocolate Soldier," with organ in at end, Or- ganlog by Harold Rieder includes three pops and a number of wise cracks. Very little singing in this show. Feature, "The Painted Angel" (FW. SUPERIOR Isrew York, Dec. 17. There's only one way by which to reach this house,' to take off lit Times Square^ walk to the Battery, board an Iron Steamer at Battery Park for Coney Island, at which point transfer to a street car and go to Chambers street, walk to the Brooklyn Bridge, take a Third ave- nue "L" at this spot, get oft at Mth Street, then walk down thrcQ blocks on 3d avenUe^ and you'll find the theatre at the northwest cornei? of the junction of 81st street, but It will be closed, which Is the proper time to get there. Even the smell IS different. House must be a tough spot for neighbor hood lovers for the Inspiration pos sibllities within this . theatre are truly vamplrish—and no matter how cold It Is without—the without preferred. Walls of theatre are littered with narrow^ longitudinal pasteboards carrying a legend In various Ian guages, "E VIetate Fumare," reads one In English:-'"No -Smoking Per- mitted." . Guy who had these signs postec. had keen eye judgment. - No pair of eyes can miss them. ■■ Counted 120 customers. House Is one of those novelty grinds that one day shows . "musir cal comedy revues"; another day, "Vaudeville of the better kind," and on other days films< This night films. Fares were 26 for floor and 30 for boxes/ Kid or kidding rate 15 cents. Customers mostly -.nelghborhobd housewives. One Chinaman spotted. Others white. Two or three women carrying, babes In arms. ' Neighborhood Is mass of tene- ment houses pillared against the "L." Theatre Is Just another shopping place and they bring all their pur chases with them. Some audience members use two seats, the other one for the bundles, A candy butcher tramps up and do-wri the aisles with everything that anhpys a woman's poclcetbook. Theatre's idea of attracting cus tomers Is to run commercial ads on the screen, one of which reads: "Where Do You Expect to Spend the Summer," Feature was "Tonight at ..12 (Universal) with program extended to two shorts, one talking and one silent—105 minutes. PARAMOUNT ("Ingenues"—Unit) By way of escape from formula, Fublix offers' a band clothed in chiffon instead of tuxedoes. And in fulfillment of the idea tlius present- ed, all specialty talent is exclusive- ly feminine. Each member of this, unit is a girl, except the carpenter, undoubtedly male. With tlie platform usurped by the fluffier sex, the male communicants of local 802 are dbwhstairs in the pit, where they were permanently back in the neolithic era of Prof. Riesenfeld, Of girl bands "The Ingenues" is certainly the most pretentious and probably the best. That's praise with I'eservatlons, as for some in.r. herently Insurmountable cause girls just ;can'*t work up much lather when tackling syncopation. Those smooth blends' of InstrUmemation that the better male groups achieve seem beyond negotiation by the girls. Still, there's showmanly qualities In this organization which, coupled' with the fact that they do play at least pleasantly,' makes It a good booking ahd an event apt to Impress . the Publlx patronage along the westward trail.; And it's a relief from the stencil type of unit turned out like so many matched parts In a drill press shop. There has to be an bccasional transfusion of new blood and ideas to keep stage igilts from going de- crepld from age and hard wear. Lou McDermott and Fred .Evans are new, to mention but a doupile of evidences that A. J. ^alaban Is alive to tlils danger, Jean Bbydell never did' better on her numerous. Broadway appear- ances than With this unit.' She gets perfect spotting In front of the. drapes just before the .finale, and found the hoi pollol avld for. comic antics. Result was very definitely a wow. '. - Keeping the puppies In trim, Ruby Keeler Jolson plays twb weeks for. Publix, here and at the Paramount, Brooklyn. Two girts, announced as her sisters; aippear with her briefly. Did nicely. Other Items worthy of mention IjLr^ elude the sumptuous metallic gowm- of Mrs. Jesse Crawford! a funny talking "Screen Snapshots" (Colum- bia) and the toy display In the lounge donated by Macy'B. "The Marriage Playground" (Par) on the screen, and business good. Land. ROXY (Presentation) New York, Dec 13. It is nice to lean back In a soft Roxy chair after walking over many yards of expensive Roxy rug. Later one may blow downstairs and have a wee cup of black Roxy coffee served* hy .a, prim Roxy attendant. Clap hands and appreciate every- thing; Roxy is giving the works. Stagecraft as handled here is al' ways an example of what other guys could do if they had the money, time ahd ideas. One of this week's masterpieces Is a deserved repetition, with Harry Stockwell singing "Marching Home." Highly impressive In its simplicity, it has Stockwell emoting the militatr chant as the headia and bayonetted rifles of soldiers move endlessly be- hind him in vague light. As a cll- rnmrrStuckwelHs^secn-later-march'-^ ing toward the audience, seemingly in midair, as the parade continues below him. Then there Is "Czlganyok," gypsy color festival with singing, and ;dancihg, in a mammoth woodland set. In Its cast are Harold Van Duzee, tenor; Elizabeth Biro, prima; Patricia Bowman and Leonlde Mas- sine In an excellent gypsy dance; Frederick Fradkin. violinist; Roxy's ballet, and Markert's 32 Roxyettes as a military precl.slon corps. Spe-' SAENGER ("Rah, Rah, Rah"—Unit) New Orleans, Dec, 14. Sophie Tucker, ^'Last of the Seeth Ihg Matrons," looms above all else at the Saenger this week,- in the billing,. on the rostrum and, most Important, With the dear old public Saenger needed a red-hot attrac tlon, away from the conventional, with .w^hich it has been limping along for months. Soph fills the bill ideally. That blonde gal remains the same .perpetual vocal dynamo, singing her high-voltage ditties with comparative ease, gathering her au dlence in her lap, as it were, while lolling and cajoling 'em. Used six numbers, when caught, exiting atop a crescendo of ap- plause. "Red Hot Mamma" was the starter arid interlarded and hitting heavily was that, staunch standby of other seasons, "Some of These Days." Soph was stockingless with a pair of flapper-Uke ankles, and wore a nifty white creation stylish- ly lengthy. Miss Tucker appeared during the "Rah, Rah, Rah," revuette, which might have been called anything. Just Carlton's girl band, opening with a chorus number, but soon -sllppin>r^back-=-to-theIr^InstPUment8/ Very lightweight and idea-less. Did they need Soph? Don Pbillipini, orchestra leader. Is in his flhal Vtreek, and the patrons for-the major part were thankful of no m.c. to slow up- the performance, which, other than Soph and Wesley Lord, organist, was slow enough. Lord had a few parodies on popu- lar selections to whet the fftns. and thfy went for "om. Picture was "Half Way to TTf . .-nn," Bamucl. EMBASSY (Newareet) . New York, Dec. 16. Pretty Inferior program . to be billed as sound news at the ^Emr bas3y Monday. Of the approximate 21 clips 15 were unmistakably library. Fox and Hearst eeeni to be sharing the honors every other week. Thirteen of the current sub- jects are Metrotone. X^ast week Fox had the big. edge. Sheep shearing, lady Elks re- ducing, Santa. Claus, chorines bowl- ing and Washington flashes com- posed some of' the libirary ^tuft. Hlghliight news shot was .t|ie Ul- fated glider flight in. Sah Francisco. Real- thrlU when pilot was suddenly precipitated from his chair and started falling. Debate between \&ngllsh novelists on marriage casUally interesting to this aUdtence. Silent view of sinking of "North- ern Light" and rescue of crew by "Baltic" were ordinary, given talker touch by one of ship's offlcers de- scribing conditions. Interesting library clip on light- ning. Diagram showing its tend- ehcy to hit skyscrapers. High voltage In General Electric labora- tory also worth while. Interior of Fox Movietone studio. New York, plugged through Times Square beauty picking gag. Appeal especially to womeh. - Congressman .Crpss* slap at mar- gin playing appreciated by some lii the audience. Throughout shbw little of the customary spurts of laughter and Attendance at night stIU standing them up. Woly. ORIENTAL (Presentation) Chicago, Dec. 13, Show here this' week spasmodic^ but over big. with the matinee mob of flaps. Opens with chorus work- ing In front of a drop depicting dock, with gals dressed In African hunt- ing togs,, set for a Ubn-huntlng tour. After a simple routine, plus a weiaia specialty by three femmes (presum- ably the Three Marvels), Lou Kos- loff, m, c, enters to waste some time in a weak gag bit with a black- face attendant. Drop lifts to reveal a fair tropi- cal set. Chorus out again ahd flops In an attempt to get tropical. Billy Chandleri..member of. the_ band, does_ a "Sermon in Blues," whIcK Tts momehtib of comedy, a -wow with the flaps,: Will Morris, hoke cyclist, spent a lot of time In roughhouso clowning, arid went over nicely. Failed four times in hia f.nal acro- batic bit, then quit. Allan and Canfleld, recently at the State-Lake, found this flap crowd ItH meat, .ind rang the bell .solidly. Johnson Brofs., . a pair of colored kids, .supplied the' tap hoofing, and^ (Continued on page 60)