Variety (Feb 1930)

Wednesday, February 12, 1930 NEW ACTSPREVIEWS VARIETY 46 ADELAIDE HALL Sona; 0»ncta S3 Mins.; Full Palace 8t. V.). Adelaide Hall, whose reputation blossomed In "Blackbirds," is a bet for vaudeville If the money Is right. ■With headline billing, as she is re- ceiving at the Palace, must go head- line salary. It's dependent on Miss Hall's al>lllty to "draw in vaudeville" away from as well as in New York, for vaudeville touches cities where Broadway musicals mean nothing. Her discs may have partly blazed a trail. As entertainment, Miss Hall is a person vaudeville can easily use. The colored singer and dancer has poise, appearance and ability.. She also had 3111 Robinson as a helper at the Palace Saturday matinee, and Koblnson said he may be on hand all week. He didn't enter until the finish and by then Miss Hall had proved herself. Lew Leslie's reported refusal to permit the girl to sing her "Black- birds" numbers seemingly made little difference. These used, credited to Cecil Mack, suited the singer. After all, the way she sings Is what counts. Dandridge and Tate are the harnessed plapo accompanists and double with pipes in the act's hotter moments. Hot enough also when just playing. Bige. WILL MORRISSEY and CO. (4) Comedy,. Piano, Dances 30 Mins'.; One and Two Jefferson (V-P) Okay anywhere. It's 30 minutes of snappy hoke -and slapstick, and Morrlssey's' name is still good bill- ing. Plugged hat comic is assisted by Mldgle Miller and three males. One plays a roller skating Bnglish dude and the other two are blank comic and soft shoe dancer. Closed seven-act bill to excellent returns. Nothing original, Morrlssey even using his old film making bit and dumb dog who doesn't do anything. Act opens in "one," goes to "two" and finales in "one" when the quin- tet trots out with paper bats, chant- ing gags and swatting Miss Miller and the pit band all over the place. Opener sends Morrlssey into the orchestra. He backslaps the cus- tomers and pit band. Second comic enters from front to stop him, say- Jng he's a,, censor. Ho goes Into a ^hox~ to -watch the turn, getting his bit In In a "later spot when the dog comfs on. Frank MASTERS and Co. (13) Band, Specialties 24 Mins.; Full (Special) Jefferson (V-P) Not enough clicking material here lor the 24 minutes' running time congumed. At least six or eight minutes could be lopped off, some of the numbers cut and the remainder tightened up, act now havlngi a tendency to set a rather slow pace. Changes should rig up offering as very worth while for better neigh- borhoods. , Masters as a sailor leads a band of eight dressed 'as Parisian artists. An average band. Masters 'arid his lour specialty artists lifting act out of small-time rating. Sister team (Anita Twins) score in an acrobatic dance and In other numbers and comedian early in act, doubling for solo, registers In a. semi-spiritual though having a weak tenor voice. Specialty girl doing the Helen Kane stuff, and only fair at It, does two. numbers, slowing act up badly. One would ^e plenty, and Masters could easily and effectively chop down the comedy attempt at the be- ginning, even to tossing away the crossfire by one of the specialty art- ists for laughs. Talk old and not especially funny. ..^ Dance by Masters at the finish saves offering from what might have happened If pace had not sud- denly increased. Result, over well hero. Char. MORRELLand BECKWITH Songs, Piano 13 Mins.; One Lincoln Sq. (V-P). Male team, pianist and baritone- tenor that rates pop houses only. Man sings In alternating throaty tones and monotone low. Pianist pulls a nifty by reciting what he's going to do and then with an old man's mask plays ''Dance of Ma- cawbre" in dramatic lights, etc., to goal this please-easy. Then he proves he'^s not much of a pianist in tttempting what he called "The Doll Dance." Just the same the pair got the audience here for an encore and the only act on a five-turn bill that received that compliment. THE KITAYAMAS (2) Risley 9 Mins.; Full (Special) B8th Street (V-P) Oke closer or opener. Two Jap boys do a bit of acrobatics but BUpply mostly pedal Juggling. One of the chap.s, on his back, twists and turns with his feet a Jarge tub. which the other boy later mounts for a few feats. Major por- tion of the turn is taken up with the Jjnderstander's manipulations, with his feet, of parasol. RICARDO CORTEZ (4) "Wanted" " Dramatic Playlet 20 Mins. Full (Special) 58th Street (V-P) A highly melodramatic under- world skit is this in which Cortez is making his debut In vaudeville and one that will probably go as a hit anywhere. It is from the pen of Edwin Buxke,,who has yrjtten for Cortez a miniature part not un- like those Cortez has done in pic- tures. Interest Is worked up for Steve's entrance by two "dicks," and a "moll," formerly the sweetheart of a gangster caught by one of the dicks and "burned." One of the dicks bears a grudge against the other and persuades the gal, now the moll of a gunman, both dicks are seeking, to squeal to him alone. He discoyers that the murderer under an alias, is a brother to the hated dick and determines to send brother to get brother. Without tell- ing the other flatfoot that the mur- derer is his brother, he tells him where they can find him. Meantime the gal goes back to the murderer's room, disclosing the fu- gitive as Cortez. After the girl paci- fies the man's uneasiness and takes his gun away, his brother, the dick, enters. When the detective dis- covers that the accused is bis brother, he Is in a quandary, but spun-ed on by the jibes of the other detective, determines to arrest him, asking for a few minutes alone with his brother. Thereupon both grow sobby recalling old times, the dick determines to let his brother escape and. gives him a pistol. Cortez 'mo'ves as though for the window but instead gets behind a screen and shoots himself. Curtain falls after Cortez' brother makes the other dick promise he will not divulge the right name of the dead criminal. Cortez does very well with his part. Leslie Adams is the detective brother of the criminal and Tom McGulre the other dick. Doris Kemper Is the girl. All three give neat support" with Leslie Adams doing especially good work. Bee and Ray GOMAN and Co. (6) Songs .and Dances 20 Mins.; One and Full Stage Hamilton (V-P) ■ Bee _ and Ray Gonian feature dancing, doing very w'eir Vith' itT The man has an inning with a Ted Lewis imitation that ,was w^ll re- ceived. Work of the Harmonir Sis- ters and four hardworking dancing femmes helped greatly. Act is ani- mated and pleasing. The Gomans carry a.musical di- rector, "a blond woman who works as'hard as the principals, doing her stuff in the pit, and a helpful part of the turn. Songs by the Harmony girls got over; they change for each number and are aided by the dancing four- some. The Gpn^ans show good team work, especially with .their opening number as the toy soldiers. The gym number by the girls was a standout and well done. .Act has speed and animation.. Hanillton audience applauded it en- thusiastically. Mark. BRADLEY and TIERNEY RevOe o(8) Songs, Dances 14 Min.; One and Full (Special) Lincoln Sq. (V-P) Pop stuff. Seven girls and one boy In this one. Four of the gals compose p. chorus, two others do twin specialty, other girl's a blonde cartwheeler. Just routine stuff with good costumes and setting. Act opens in one for introductory song and dance and then changes to full. Twin girls and boy do opener after which chorus does the famil- iar dance routine only so-so style. What the turn needs is dancing direction. It's got two numbers, one a rag doll dance skit and an- other, an Indian tableaux that while not original, could be worked up to class. Singing's mostly by girl twins but doesn't call for thought and Is used to Intro dances in a couple of spots. Opened show here for fair applause. EDDIE LEONARD Songs 5 Mins. Capitol (pres) N. Y. Eddie Leonard makes his debut in the stage band field after life long service In minstrels and vaudeville. Accustomed to at least 30 minutes of continuous rostrum occupation, the vet blackface artist ^^as under"iobvious handicaps when needing to compress his stuff to the minimum requirements oi! picture house units. His performance, caught on the first day, was below his average, but his applause was too great to. admit any question-of the place he holds with the theatre- going public. When finding himself in this, his new restricted orbit, Leonard should click far more strongly than he did on this early showing. Practically all performers finding their orches- tra behind instead of in front of them for the first time experience this same difficulty. "Roily Polly Eyes" and "Ida," quickly recognized as Leonard's trademarks, form the basis of his turn, a series of songs topped by a little jingle danolng. He wears his customary spic-and-span satin vest- ments of minstrelsy. A respected representative of an older school of show business comes belatedly to the newest, medium of popular entertainment. He carries with him indubitable proof of a well entrenched popularity. He should prove a good booking for the Loew picture chain and will at last find out it's not necessary to 3tay on a stage forever. Land. "ECHOES OF THE DESERT" (5) Dancing 13 Mins.; Full Stage 58th Street (V-P). Neither the action nor the atmos- phere carries out the title. But strictly on specialty merits, leav Ing novelty out, "Echoes of the Desert," dance offering, passes a fairly rigid test. O. K. as a sup- porting attractlo.h. Trio doing adagio work and a team of hoofers make up personnel The act opens In a set with a marine drop and closes in one of woodlands atmosphere, there being no' desert, color in turn or its stag ing. "Jilale' team ' appear"" as col- leglates and do" two routines, one a skating eccentric. . Outside of adagio combinations, with a long- distance throw for a good finish there is a toe dancing specialty of b.£.tter than the common grade. Routining o. k.- but better tttlie than "Echoes of the Desert" might be found. Char. Nina DE SYLVA and Matt GIBBONS (10) "Flowers of Seville" (Dance) 14 Mins.; Full (Special) 81st St. (V-P) Such effective scenery as carried by this turn is seldom seen in vaude. "WHilch is "Flowers , of Seville" In a nutshell; It will go as far as any act can on scenery. Second to the scenery is some dancing, all Spanish, by a line of eight girls and Nlnja. De Silva. Matt Gibbons adheres to the American style in work. The two principals dance separately until the finale. Girls' work is unusual in tlpls day of standardized unison dartclng. Ml.s.«( De Silva's standout Is a solo in Bti'iking radium costume. Gib- bons' contributions are a series of dlfllrult splits and a Spanish cape waving number. Scenic arti.st rates first mention and will get it from all audiences. Stager also seems to have known his stuff, for the turn Is so paced that it never drags. Other fianh act producers, take a look.' Bige. The SPARTAN REVUE (5) Dances, Songs 9 Mins.; One^and Full (Special) Academy (V-P) Class dancing quintet, good any- where. Played opener here on tnree-act bill and ■^ent over nicely. Three boys and . two glrLs, who do about four numbers. The two boys in collegiate outfits with sweaters and gray striped trousers open in "one," singing and the dance. Drop files to "two," when girl does single to ballet dance. Back to "one" special, and the two boys do a skating dance, to be fol- lowed in full atage with a special woodland setting, where two girls and a third boy do a neat adagio. It's not sensational but rhythmic, well tuned and nicely costumed. CARDIFF and WALES Comedy 15 Mins. 58th Street V-P). This mixed couple has been In vaude for years, but act now done is new to the Variety files. Is big time from start to finish, with good material and salesmanship giving it especial rating. Next to closing* spots In average neighborhoods should entail no worries. The woman Is a clever comedienne, man acting as a .good, clean-cut straight and feed. Material centers around marital arguments of pair just outside of dome.stIc relations court where judge has told them to try to settle things themselves, Baby clothes (but for dog) Is angle borrowed as twist for the finL-ih. Played third here on .a four-art bill and found the going smooth and ea.<!y. Char. MILLER and WILSON Comedy Acrobats 8 Mins.; One 81st St. (V-P) No Bimllarity to the Miller and Wil.son recorded in the lil'-.s five years ago. Former a song and dance team. This combination of .same nam" does a good No. 2 Toutlne of acrobatics and tiimbling, all with comedy Intent. One does a flying somersault which lands him on hi.s spine with a terrific tliud. Otiier's best Is a foot spring against the proscenium arch. Comical flnl.sh gets them off to laughs. Landed in the deuce at the 81st and can do as well any- where in that spot. Biac. FORUM (Continued from page 43) " climbing, and In this way can ^(feo and hoar from any angle of the house. Policy is rather unusual for n grind. No mats during week days, with but two shows nightly; Sat- urday one afternoon frolic to draw the kid trade, while Sunday is con- tinuous frooi two to 11, allowing about four shows. Two splits a week, Wednesday and Sunday, while the most attractive feature to the box-ofllce Is the straight 35 cent top all the time. In a sector where they've been socked pretty heavy in the same house in the past, the minimum scale should mean a lot. They'll go for 35 cents where they won't for a $1. Warners will use this stand as a regular second run release for Its own and F.N. product, and with shorts will naturally give the break to Vltaphone subjects, though it's understood they'll pick these from the outside too, where and when needed. Preview nights from time, t-o time will be a further Induce- ment. It's a good spot and Warners looks to have the right dppe to put the Forum in the running. Opening was big, arc lights, crowds, and celebs attending. House filled up early and stayed that way, lines jamming the outside and a healthy Interest notable among the rabble. One of the most outstanding things about this opening was that people stood in line all day to buy tickets. This is the first time out hei-e this has occurred, inasmuch as usual premieres carry a $5 top, with reserved seats. Opening of the Orpheum, Xmas Day, has been the only other Instance of waiting lines, but there it 'wai an aU day grind with no stars, while at the Forum it was a gala affair, stars and all. Premiere program ran abijut two hours with "So Long Letty" (WB), "Stimulation" and "Dance. of the Paper Dolls," both Vila shorts, and a Mickey Mou^e cartoon, "Jungle Rhythm," filled In while a Par newsreel opened. House Is W.E. equipped, sound coming over great aided by good acoustics. Vic Rosen in manager. Span. • CAPITOL (Presentation) Chicago, Feb. 7. •<Flyln' High," local production, was in the nature of a prolog for •'"Flight"-(Col),-but-'succeeded.-only in a stiff finale showing a lighted plane with 10 girls perched on the wings. ^ One specialty is good, the other fair. Maxellos, tumblers and foot- balancers, five men. Worked a nice 15'>'minutes with novel foot tosses and plenty of comedy. Played around with Cookie, the m. c, but stretched it a bit. Fred Ardath, drunk comedian with man and a girl, occupied another 15 minutes. Act well known from vaude but his pantomime registered. Dialog rather old, however. Refnainlng 10 minutes supplied the usual presentation stuff. Clean opening, band muffled behind an Illuminated cloud scrim, saw the Abbot girls doing an ordinary rou tine. Then Qookle tried' a recita tipn for a "Navy Blues" specialty, chewing the words some, but com- pen.satlng with comic stuff, the girls as sailors In a drill number. Business excellent at the fir.<;t evening show. Practically solid downstairs and a good part of the balcony occupied. . • Loop. Australia (Continued from page 2) preview attractions. Before fitting, exchanges generally arranged show- ings at city theatres Sunday nights. Critics began to kick at having to do extra work on the-Sabbath, so Idea was- dropped. KaiTl Norman with the Fullers for the season. Leo Carrillo touring New Zealand in "LombardI, Ltd.," for William- son-Tait. Melbourne follows. "Clowns In Clover" decided hit at Melbourne, with Ann Penn, English, featured. "Desert Song" (WB), picture, playing all States with success for U-T. "Singing Fool" (W^B) also doing well for same management. Hot weather hit business hard during the Christmas season, with outdoor attractions leaving the city managers weeping. Ted Henkel scored at the Civic theatre, Auckland, as musical di- rector 'and presentation producer. Henkel played 82 weeks at the Cap- itol, Sydney. COLISEUM (Con(,Inued from page 44) is a wop dialectician who comedes at the opening and then introduces Lane for a little comedy instru- mentation. Main portion of turn is taken up with a buffoon ballet between D'Amore and Lane, very good. Phil Fabcllo's orchestra has gained quite a rep In this neighborhood and the boys are all known and liked. Their instrumentation and singing for the overture Is given as much attention and respt)nBe as the entertainment on the oilier side of the footlights. LINCOLN SQUARE (Vaudfllm) Lop.slded vaude bill here the first half. "Navy Blues" (Metro), the feature, I3iz Monday evening was fair. Vaude showed five, turns, with only a flash act called "Libby Dancer's" attemiJling originality. Of interest on tnc bill beyond the feature and vaude was a Metro- tone reel running about half silent. Library shots, and maybo old. Op'.-ning act was the Nltos, >for- merly the Three Nitos and now only two. The woman is out, 'Casual pantomime acrobatli; clowning, a bit more subtle than is oustotnary. 'Woll lik^'d, Morroll and Hockwith fNcw Actsj, spottf'd .second, <;omprI.«e an uncultivated baritone-tenor and a' pianist who acts. Wowed 'em here and can sail along in the pops. Third wore IJIlly Arlington and Co., the "Co." a woman who slng.s and feeds. Still good for laughs with his comic drinking bit and fake harmony singing. Arlington now plays a clean Irarnp, .shaved anr] George D. Parker, American pro- ducer, responsible for magnificent staging of "Journey's End," Cri- terion, Sydney. Parker has been with W-T, for six-yeare, [■ Joe Wayne, American, returns to America this week after two years at the King's Cross, Sydney, as fea- tured organist. Julia Dawn scored nicely on opening as organist at Prince Ed- ward, Sydney. Miss Dawn Is first woman Wurlitzer expert in this country. E. J. Carroll, managing dlrect<jf^' of Carrolls' Theatres, Ltd., leaves this week for America in search of. concert talent. The Carrolls are big operators in Queen.sland, playing In conjunction with Union "Theatres. Fuller's playing JRio -. Rita". In . neighborhood house near Sydney to huge , success. Janotte Gllmore, American dancer, still a feature. Dave Mallen and Charley Sylber quit the show some time ago, re- turning to America. "Rita" about best money-maker ever handled by Fullers. Broadcasting Is on a very low level over here. Some of the stuff going on the. air is extremely poor. Still all kinds of chatter around about vaude being still alive. ^ But one large company played vaude with its picture programs and employed an experienced booking man to take care of the route sheets. Circuit . usually bad anywhere from 30 to 40 acts playing weekly, mostly Imported. Now one act Is playing the chain. And th"^ former booking manager Is assistant to the house manager In one of the com- pany's theatres. Another talker apparatus on the market under the title of Defoy Talkie Equipment and selling from $3,750 to |4,7B0. Stated to operate both sound-on- fllm or disc. Rupert Foyle, Vic- torian showman, behind the com- pany. ^ Until such time as the Federal government, working in conjunction with the State government, can make available tax tickets, each theatrical management must affix stamps to every ticket sold at the box-office to the value of 35 cents and over the tax value. Box-ofllce girls are hollering be- ca,usQ their throats get dry during the busy periods licking the stick- ers. NEWSSEELS AS TARGETS (Continued from pqge 1) to sense the value of the audible newsreel which, because of its llhiltatlons in covering spot news, has been much more receptive t«c3l'- a novelty Idea (even if a plug) than were th** old silent reels. Concert, opera, amateur little theatre groups, and personal. prc-ss agents for various people are among those li.^tcd as trying, to .soil the ncw.src-el a reason for wljc-''ling out the truck. >ill. Ri<:h and Adair in next to flowing were pretty weak, but got the crowd. Same turn used to be known a.s Richardson and Adair. It's a mixed duo, the man playing an old niiiii with young ideas. Knflro showing took 161 minutes. Night faro for floor is 60c.