Variety (Mar 1930)

Wednesday, March 26, 1930 VAUDE HOUSE REVIEWS VARIETY PALACE (St. Vaude) Tiresome, laugh-shy bill, a faU- -ample of what a Palace show ■houia not b€, and as such reflective of the seemingly lost art of vaude booking. It's put together without Imagination and in the same spirit that a Sunday date out of Detroit might be filled In. _ ■ V/b&t someone seems not to bear In mind Is that the Palace Is the show window, the parade grounds, of the R-K-O circuit. Such* sloven- ly window-dressing wouldn't be tol- erated In an Atlantic and Pacific tea store on 9th avenue. A willingness to take chances where sound booking would not make the gamble Is responsible for bringing acts into the Palace that ob'Mously find their proper level in the B8th Street and don't belong any nearer Times Square. There hn.ve been many such bookings. The fact that some get by la no excuse. Florence Richardson's band act got by Saturday matinee, but It didn't belong, and someone . must have known in advance it didn't belong. Gambling. Taking a chance. A vaudeville bill can only be as good as its component parts, but still the ace house is booked on a gambler's blind confidence in luck. Miss Richardson and everyone concerned were probably relieved that the final result was as fair as It was. More than a hint of raz- zing- through the act's running, \yith individual numbers not clicking smartly. One of those narrow squeezes. Individual turns take the odium for a bill's failure. Actually a bad Palace bill is generally com- posed of good acts. And still a bad bin. That's the paradox of booking. Mascagno Four, remarkable mixed quartet of whirling dervishes, start- ed the show with the proverbial bang. Brady and Wells followed without their usual success. These blue yodelers erred with two dirge- like verses of a new Gil Wells bal- lad of meager merit. Distinct per- sonal and show let-down that could not be squared by turning on the heat for the getaway chorus. With the early spot probably to blame. Stage wait before the Richardson act, another afterward, while" a mountain of flowers were passed up over the footlights. Then Flo Lewis, ■tarting very slowly and not safe the first five minutes. Still the^ same routine. Finished well, a rule with this Interesting red-headed come- dienne, with the numerous asides for the boys. But still the same routine. Must be years. At this Juncture rule No. 87 called for a touch of art. Roy Cropper ^ (New Acts) was the .answer. Nice cfferlng, but the bill didn't need art Just there. It needed giggles. W. C. Fields, the topper, split his two skits, "Stolen Bonds" and "Golfing," with entr'act intervening. Drollery sure fire.. Unelll Black- burn, a looker, and Al Bennett, a Clfted stooge, helped. As a matter ■ of Judicial record Fields' comedy methods were of a type that needed idilferent spotting. At the risk of seeming to pile., on - the compla,ints,- eyen Fields, as han- dled on the booking end, was not ■ble to develop his full potentialities. That's the way it is with a vaude ■bill thait goes wrong., A row of bricks that all start to topple over. Very pretty is the turn Beth and Betty Dodge have framed with John Byam, as usual the perfectly groomed tenor. Why do they per- sist in taking five minutes to get on the stage? Folderol In the name of novelty is still silly. Vaude Implies epeed, and that flapdoodle about "my partners haven't showed up" is iof interest to no one. Certainly not jthe supposedly sophisticated Palace, Two beautiful Russian wolf- hounds come down the aisle with the girls. But five precious minutes are wasted for the sake of a fleeting flash. Slim Tlmblln, repeat, did very well in the next to shut, providing .the laugh-avid audience with some- thing to chew on. Blackface comic's ■ubstantlally same act he Is pre- ■entlng was made by Warners some months ago aa a short, with Tlmblln featured. Tom Davles Trio, cycledrome rid •rs, closed, but couldn't hold the •nervated customers. Good act and probably more valuable as an opener than a closer, since American book- ing traditions are opposed to any fother positions for dumb turnfe. Good business Saturday matinee Land. If affecting any theatre at all, it will be the Palace. Ted Healy commandeers the State stage for the entire bill this week, on an hour with his comical stooges, with the pit band on the rostrum for background and the customary vaude out. It's a solid hour of laughs. Seemed quite a novelty to the State regulars at the first show Saturday and they went for every- thing. Biz, too, house holding close to capacity by 2. Vllma Banky's "A Lady to Love" (UA), feature. Healy's first show here seemed much cleaner than his first at the Palace, with the latter experience probably kept in mind. Plenty of 'hells" delivered in Healy's own In- offensive way, but a letdown in oth- er departments. Audience enjoyed it all. Routine much the same as at the Palace recently. Addition of two girls to doll It up and a couple of changes in the stooge section were the marked departures. Material about the same. Healy is among the few who bears watching more than once and can tell - the same gag twice without muffing a laugh the second time. Pit band of 17 and Ruby' Zwerllng, director, opened with an overture on the stage. Thereafter the spot was turned on Healy and his mob. Col- ored boy playing a uke and whis- tling and a kid harmonica player are recruits. Girls, both lookers, were Miss Howard, high kicker, and Doris Ellington, • voealist. Howard trio, Healy's blond foil, - colored hoofer, stocky singing girl, pianist (with the house band), three face slappers with" the wrestling bear, and. Pansy, the xylophone player, the familiars doing the stooging. - Healy has 16 people with him. With the band (18), 35 were on the stage at the finish, staged here as at the Palace with Shemp Howard getting stripped to trunks. After all the preceding fun, this turn does the unusual in closing with a final and topping yell. Stage portion ran exactly an hour. Bijje. STATE (Vaudfirm) Joe Priaco, Ted Healy, Phil Baker, *oii Holtz, Van and Schenck, Sophie Jucker, Belle Baker and possibly >annle Brice and Clayton, Jackson •nd Durante later on in quick mic- •esslon comprise about the stiflest fcame opposition ever offered on Broadway for Keith's Palace, Frlg- •o, Holtz and Van and Schenck have keen at the State recently, Healy Is Jkere this week aiid the rest are booked or tentatively set. Loew'a eeems be paying out tfose to 1300,000 over average ex- penditures for the aeries of names, •« the theory these same names^ .^Ule established for years in the Keith theatres, may be new to the I/oew audiences. U'» a gamble with toost of the theatrea. At tb* Stat« «» Broadway tb* aaiUM omt lurt COLISEUM .(Vaudfilm) (Last half, 19-21) " An unusually fine bill and enter- taining. It's a local amateur revue, the best ever found around,, that rounds out the value of the vaude bill and gives it what a.neighbor- hood of this type can use. Aside from the .tyro presentation, there's Flo Lewis for strong next to closing fare and the Norman Thomas Quin tet as a fairly good follow-up. From all appearances Loew's new 175th Street (de luxe presentation), down Broadway six blocks, hasn't done any noticeable damage to the Coliseum, 181st street's standby for many years and until recently the biggest house on the Heights Thursday night, tail-end of the last- half bill,, first floor revealed only a few. vacants to the very rear. Re- served seat Is still the policy here, thqugh discontinued In many other Keith family houses, with the touch 7Bc. fo;r boxes and 60c.. for orchestra. At that price show seen isn't a bad bargain, even though some of the vaude looks like low-salary stuff. Opening act is merely a fsiir ada glo turn, the sort often spotted in a presentation unit for a very brief routine. This is George Andre and Co., three men and a woman, doing the conventional routine. Flash from costumes, scenery and lack of stalling qualifies the turn as a pleaser. Jack Gerson (New Acts), on No 2, proved the weakest spot. There was a reason. He appears later in the amateur frolic as m. c. and thus serves two purposes, latter better than the first. Three numbers with no laughs to relieve are done. Show- manship, style and personality left in the wings, if it exists. A good neighborhood turn of its kind, Norman Thomas Quintet (col- ored) on next. It's the pint-size drummer, who's all over the stage, that puts the act over. This is probably Thomas. He does the drummer stuff that has made Jack Powell a favorite around vaude and picture houses, but makes the mis- take of never taking the spotlight alone to demonstrate his work. Al- ways the team, pianist or singer are performing while the drummer is at It with all his might. Over very nicely. Flo, Lewis, with Tony Aretta .to feed, held next to closing with ease. Here's a comedienne who works with the utmost assurance, taking her time and even clowning with her partner over strictly profes sional matters. Even this, however, seems to register. Amateur revue Is "Kolleglate Kapers," sub-billed as "The Coli- seum Frolic," It runs 40 minutes and includes four-score people, many of them dance pupils of Ger trude Bigelow, who has a school in New Rochelle. Others from around the Heights. Some dance others do harmony work, still others impersonations, both boys and girls Because a number of the Juvea are still in their high-school age, the novice unit has been played eye nlngs only. It was kept here for an entire week, holding over for a sec- ond half. Merited it entirely. On the screen Collsfeum has Bebe Daniels la "Love Comes Alone" (Radio), good programmer, and Pathe SoTjna News. Char. RKO (Vaudfilm) Los Angeles, March 20. They're finally exploiting the vaude here In the way they might have done long ago, when the bot- torh started to drop. "Only vaude- ville show in town,'^ Is the billing In front of the hotfsc. It .should also be In the newspapers and everywhere .else the publicity ap- propriation allows. While the vaude situation in this town is how beginning to perk up a bit, the RKO for a long time stood alone In the field and very little was done about the vaude bills there. Now that some com- petlsh Is showing, it still isn't too late for the house to step out and tell the city. At the RKO this week Is the sec- ond Intact bin sent out from the east by Charles J. Freeman, Four turns, all carrying a punch and all clicking. If vaude can be revived out here these Freeman shows will do it. And no B. O. headliners! From /a standpoint of salary the Skelly Sisters, Monica and Ann, rate the most, with the five people act getting $1,150. One thing these four act bills are doing is eliminat- ing squawks about spotting. Here the Skelly turn is No. 2 and belongs, A neat, fiashy and snappy turn with Ann Skelly all over the boards with her comedy antics. Picture scouts should get a load of her. Four Cirillo Bjfothers lead off. In the five or six bill days this act would Jump a couple of notches easily, as would Pepito, the clown, who is closing here. Problem of opposite ends of a bill apparently has been solved with these four act units, which Is a very important item. The Cirillos are gingery boys in collegiate style, with a versatile arrangement of sOng, dance and instrumental routines. Since seen in the east they have improved and polished off considerably. Good on the hoof and oke on the warbling, too. Scott Sanders, character comic, is next to shut. Doing a venerable character, with more or less pathos, even if burlesqued, Sanders has a good deal more dirt in his material than should be. Away from the blue stuff Sanders does a good turn, with a lot of it sure fire. Pepito, standard In both vaude and. picture houses, Is more or less handicapped on the tail end. First because of Sanders iJowing much too long ahead of him and then the audiences here have not yet been trained to accept and wait for the closer as they would for the others. Pepito's mimicry Is of the best, as it has been for years. Biz good at the last show open- ing day (Thursday) with "Melody Man" (Col.), feature. No shorts other than a Pathe sound newsreel. Span. workers and successful to a certain degree. Lewis Mack and Co. have their cowboy travesty working in bettor shape with the old bit that Barrett and Gallagher used in "Tlie Battle of Too Soon," getting a laugh at the finale. Mack works it a Httle bit differently, but the idea is there. That male quartet sounded immense on the opening, but why the boys don't do a little more of the close harmony thing is a question. The four men prove one of the best parts of the act. At last Art Henry has been wel- comed into the Keith fold, and thrice, welcome is he with his sure- fire comedy, Henry is a natural en- tertainer, who clowns, muggs, plays a violin, dances and uses his femme partner for a bit of roughhousing which had the audience in stitches. Henry and Miss Martin have their comedy monkey biz working fast and certain, and the act received the most applause of this five-acter. Henry has been around a long time, but not until the past year has he landed right—and how! His style of comedy is needed on a lot of R-K-O bilLs, For the finish there were those eleven Arabs, the Liazeed D6mnati Troupe, who do some of the old acrobatic pyramiding and then fiaSh some fast groinid tumbling. A good closer oiC its kind. On the screen the Pathe news and the Bebe Daniels talker. Mark. HAMILTON (Vaudfilm) (Last half, 19-21) ; N:o sellout-here Thursday-Jilght, but biz pretty good. It was first feared Loew's new 175th Street would have some effect on biz here, but according to returns in the Keith books the house hasn't felt the new one a bit. It may have been fate or what have you, but the Hamilton did some $600 more the very week the new 175th Street opened, and that In face of a lot of circusy billing and Washington Heights biz tieups. So that's that as far as the 17Bth is concerned. The Hamilton crowd Uked "Rio Rita" when It played here, so, with Bebe Daniels back on the screen in "Love Comes Along" (padlo), the Hamilton played her name up above the film. Returns, however, below "Rio," with perhapB a little too much dependence resting upon Daniels. The vaude has long played an essential part in the life of the Hamilton, but which went the way of all vaude flesh when vaude took such a toboggan. No name played in the last half, with the layout apparently intended to figure top- heavy on comedy through the place- ment of the Lewis Mack and Art Henry on a five-act bill. The money act evidently was Lee Morse, given program significance on the strength of her Columbia re- cordings. However, Just how strong discs are wasn't on the surface here, as there was nary a request for ahy number which Miss Morse said she would sing if so desired. So It was an out-and-out belief that had It been radio and Miss Morse a fav on the aJr similar to her record fol- lowing it would have been some thing else. Tet Miss Morse did very well; In fact, she is a far better en tertainer for vaude than on any previous appearance. She shows better showmanship, sticks to the type of songs which made her rec ords standout. The show opened with Alice Deyo and Co. It was "Alice" on the house program, while the annunciator and out-side cards had her first name as "Dixie." Miss Deyo was assisted by two young men, who worked in some hoofing in addition to one acting as the partner of Miss Deyo on her adagio work. The act features a flight of steps or stairs, with one of the boys doing «. Aanclng specialty that gamerefl Home appTatise. Hard ALBEE, BROOKLYN, (Vaudfilm) Rebellion upon part of Joe and Pete. Michon to take closing spot threw a monkey wrench Into the regular layout Saturday, with the acrobatic comedy duo winning their point, gettlng-next |o closing. That Jazzed remainder of the bill around plenty. Results a topheavy,. show, with the only comedy acts on the bill, Chain and Conroy in deuce and Clifford and Marlon in follow up, leaving the rest of the bill hollow for laughs, but neither suffering for the last-minute spotting. Maybe the situation was cleared up later, and it better had. With the Michons frowning upon the getaway spot, "Flowers of Se- ville," Spanish dance flash, sched- uled for opener, was shifted back to closer, and Naro Lockford and Co., set for a further down spot, was pushed Into opener. As laid out Saturday the bill was one of those hIt-and-mIss lineups, excepting in a couple of Instances. Despite house did capacity, as it usually does on Saturdays and Sun- days, no matter what's In, but the layout has to be good to mean any- thing for remainder of the week. Lockford, flanked by a support Including three men and girl, opened with gymnastic stuff topped off by a travesty foursome adagio, with Lockford doing dame and taking falls for laughs. Later LIU de Muthe, femme member, was tossed around plenty for legit adagio stuff and with her postifte stuff copping legitimately as well as Lockford's burlesque- stuff and sending the act away to good returns. Chain and Conroy tickled with comedy talk, singing and dancing, gaining most laughs on their trav esty on mind readers. Clifford and Marlon were in a tough spot following Chain and Qonroy, but Invoked greater re sponse than their predecessors. The outfront mob went for them heavy, Ricardo Cortez, from pictures, went-better personally than his ma terial in next niche In the dramatic sketch "Wanted." The Michons work hard and clean up on returns. "Flowers of Seville," with Nina De Silva and Matt Gibons, dance team, fianked by eight girls, closed and satisfied with Spanish dancing. Miss De Silva shines creditably in a couple solo numbers, castlnet and cymbal dances, while Gibons gives a good account In acrobatic solos and the bull fight dance. Well mounted scenlcally and costumed in good taste. It went over in a fair way. "Second Wife" (Radio) on screen, JSdia. PALACE (St. Vaude) Chicago, March 22. Looked like old home week her# ! this afternoon, with plenty of ol4« time standards, Gus Edwards headlined with hi* seven-person revue. Using flv« talented femmes, headed by Ai-mida, who sings and dances a la Spanish, with her sex appeal for the rest, Collefte Sisters delivered the hot ■ warbling sind hoofing, while Mar- Jorie Moore did the too dance and the violin playing for the ritzier mob. Gogo Delys managed the quiet clowning with her com$dy songs, besides one torch ballad. Ed- wards himself was on and off for the entire 35 minutes of the revue, singing, dancing and clowning. Act is set in "three," with a man at the piano. Running time should be cut. Opening were Harriman, Swan and Lucille in some wild dancing and hoofing. Rapid double adagio stuff, and some excellent single tap. Entire act fast paced and oke. Ly- tell and Fant followed, and built nicely after a slow start. Some hoke material. Including the fake magi- cian's egg-in-hat trick; and closing with the one-man band bit. All right for the spot. Tom Brown and the six saxophone brothers were received warmly and sent away kindly. Chamberlain and Hlmes delivered their Bowery song and dance to a lot of people wh© had seen the act before, but clicked nicely. Gus Edwards followed. Opening intermission was Adelaide Hall, colored warbler. Assisted by two pianists, who also manage some hot vocalizing. Jack Osterman,' next to closing; got a reception and was over big. Sang and gagged, and then led the orchestra in a "musical cocktail" of mixed songs. Jack Is doing a bur- lesque of Rudy Vallee that clicked big. Five Avalons, wire act, closed. Business good Saturday afternoon. Loop. 81 ST STREET (Vaudfilm) Only three acts this week, because of "Sally" (F.N.). It nearly filled the theatre Saturday afternoon Many Juveniles. Sensational Kihutas opened, draw- ing gasps for their remarkable acro- batics. Loads of class to this Oriental act. The sole to sole stunts stopped the show. Excellent aero batlcs. Zelda Santlo.y followed in song with the methods of stars giving their orders in a beancry. Miss Santley is short on her Helen Kane and Maurice Chevalier; but her Ted Lewis, Eddie Cantor and Fannie Brice are meritorious, par- ticularly the Brice. Carl Freed and orchestra of eight, with boy and plrl dancer, closed. Freed has an amiable style of clowning, his billing, "U-Ropo's Foremost Orfhestra," typifying his foolery. Light material employed for Blap.«tlf;k responw. Kids likfd him. Ojche.stra more of a back ground' for Frrc-d th.an a unit of artl.'itlc mu.t|c purvf-yorf. LINCOLN SO. (Vaudfilm) If all the Loew houses were— pushover like the Lincoln Squara the bookers could go on vacation. Biz Saturday eve slow on th4 pickup. Picture, "Condemned" (UA). Claridge Sisters and Downey opened the vaude. Former Downey and Claridge turn with a few changes. Bike riding of Bowney or rather his pantomimic clowning with the breakaway wheel remains the principal reason. ' Gene Green depends on his song and story-telllng. He is still hold- ing on to pop songs, but apparently getting the best returns from the comedy lyrics In "Mama Getting Younger." It's one family number that can't miss. Gene lias several stories that sound a little blue and that "see, hear and feel Clara Bow" is pretty warm. Charles Kemper and Co. same coipedy act that as formerly played under the title of Jean- nle and Co., with Jeannle, the mld^ret - "baby,"--'-Tstlll- "Worklnr, but omitted from the billing. Got a lot of laughs, but the biggest ap- plause came on the encore in "one" when Jeannle and Kemper swung away from the act long enough to do a song and dance bit. Jeannle did a "boop de hoop" song, but got the hit on her dancing. Mae Usher next to closing. Single girl who doesn't depend on ballads to help her out. It was the comedy slant on the words of her "Not So Good In Hollywood" which put her in biggest fav. Miss Usher also worked up her supposed romancing with the musical director. Closing - were the Topnotchers (New Acts), dancing and acrobatics. Mark. FRANKLIN (Vaudfilm) (Last Half, 19-21) With two acts originally billed but later eliminated, the show was run without regard to printed program and made distinctly Indifferent small time vaudeville. Not that it meant anything, for the first programing had a comedy talking sister team closing the show after an all-talk-- Ing-and-dancing bill. That must have been a typographical error. They couldn't have meant to do such a thing in the first place. Among the things the bookers don't do purposely is to close a bill with chattering sisters In "one" after delivering two flash dancjr turns earlier In the evening. ■' ^ Bill as run with its substitutions had three entirely straight acts out of seven, no knockabout low comedy whatever, and six acts that made a considerable part, if not all, their appeal on their dancing. In the seven turns there were only two who went after comedy as a main issue. That's one way to book a small timer in the Bronx. At this performance (Thur.sday night) they had about one-third capacity down- stairs, and it seemed reasonable that they've had plenty of bills like this one before. ,Morell and Elynor (New Acts), boy and girl roller skaters, opened. Nice brisk turn with speed and cos- tume flash. Grace Holden and Coral Kayns^ (Continued on page B3)