Variety (Mar 1930)

Wednesday, March 26, 1930 NEW ACTS VARIETY 53 JAY C. FLIPPEN (2) Comedy , « .. x 15 Mine.; One and Orchestra Academy (V-P) ■ ' , , After a season at the helm of an ■R-K-O unit. Jay C. Fllppen is back •without the excess. Supporting, an audience plant working in the Sid Silvers manner and a blonde foil on the stage m !1;h Fllppen. Jay C. man- ages to grab a big quota of laughs, and the act Is generally good, but there are several disappointing mo- ments and the Impression is that Fllppen could do better. For one thing that plant stuff has been overdone. In using it, Flip- pen is following where he used to lead. It makes them laugh to a fair extent, yet Fllppen has always made them laugh, and louder. Several years since Fllppen went whiteface; There Is a natural spot for him now to return to cork. His blackface was always one of the best among many. Today good blackface turns are lare. It's a spot to step in If Fllppen wants it.^lfe. DELIVERY BOYS (Joe Schuster, Johnny Tucker) Songs 13 Nlins.; One Academy (V-P) In the deuce at the Academy, the Delivery Boys (Joe Schuster and Johnny Tucker), radio team, were tripped up by bad routining and ap parently lack of knowledge of how to keep 'em interested in a stage act. Imitating (by request) other and better known radio acts for a finish saved them from a Hop. In spite of the finish, which wasn't too good In itself, but seemed good in contrast to v.'hat had preceded, the Delivery Boys made a pretty dismal impression. Harmony opening doesn't get them started at all. Both seated on . a piano bench, one playing and the other handling the audience, while a prop mike is letttered WOR to supply the ether classification. Imitations, as called out by an only slightly interested csowd, were given 'Of Amog . 'n Andy, Vallee, Oakland, Osborne, Happiness Boys, Bernie, Rolfe and other radio lights. A few were faithfully done and well received. Someone yelled La Belle Rose and ^another chirped "Rise of the Goldbergs," but Schuster and Tucker passed them by. Both good for laughs, however. In the radio Imitations, Schuster and Tucker have an idea, but contribute little to it. They need an act. For vaude, as presently routined, the Delivery Boys don't deliver. Bige. BOY SCOUTS (4) Singing and Dancing 12 Mins.; One 125th St. (V-P) A male foursome hoofing, with a couple of numbers and getting laughs through discrepancies in size of the group, ranging from four to eeven feet. Boys open in collegiate attire. Two loUow with an eccenti'lc double, with remaining two succeeding for a traffic ^[Qp,.a<;robatiQ^..a;id^.ll four in ballet costume for another Vocal arid travesty for finish. It got laughs up in this soft neighborhood, but won't roll them In the better grade house. Closed show here to fair returns. Showed nothing unusual in hoofing and may get by in No. 2 on pop bills. VAN and BROWN Singing and Dancing One Franklin (V. P.) Colored boy and girl, boy doing plenty of class hoofing and girl fill- ing in nicely as foil and with true colored knack of handling peppy jazz song numbers. Boy's stepping is the foundation of the turn. He's the tall rangy type that can do legmanla and taps and grades with the best. Bill Robinson imitation for the feature, of course. No. 2 on the minor time. Rush. THE TOPNOTCHERS (4) Dances, Songs, Acrobatics 15 Mins.; Full Stage Lincoln Sq. (V-P) Array of talent, but routine not shaped for best results. One girl is highlight through her ground acrobatics. Two boys do most of the hoofing, although the acrobatic girl figures in a trio eccentric num- ber. Boys not bad tapners. Fourth member i^ a girl who takes care of vocal "^assignments. She at- tempts too much. A pleasing turn with ho stalling but acrobatic girl the standout. .Varifc. LOUieviLLE LOONS (10) With Harlan Christie Band Act 19 Mins.; Full Academy (V-P) More novelty In this band act than shown by any since Horace Heidt captured Broadway, Versa- tility of the Heidt bunch isn't pres- ent here and not very likely that the Loons will go as far as Heidt, but the novelty and music present In this one, and the powerful help from Harlan Christie, m. c, places it above the average and better run of vaude band turns. The Loons, led by Walter David- son, and Christie, have been playing middle western houses. Band lacks the customary youthful appearance, and the manner in which the 10 are stretched across the stage makes ea^ji very prominent. First impres- sion means nothing, however, for when getting to work the bands dishes out steady entertainment. Pianist, probably Davidson, rises once to introduce Christie. Latter does sap in straight attire, walking pigeon-toed and talking that way to complete the effect. Christie's reci- tation number concerning a glass of wine and a glass of water (illus- trated), finely done, is strong entry. Band plays "Tiger Rag" in a new way for a warm finish. Digf. ON WAH TROUPE (5) Chinese, Tumblers 12 Mins. Full Special) Hippodrome (V-P) Good middle spotter. Hair hang- ing by two girls as they balance a couple of acrobating kids and table-g at the same time, the best, Fifth in the layout is tall male, mostly atmosphere. In all other respect act similar In setting costumes and routine to other Oriental tumbling and con- tortionist turns. Finale is usual twirling tricks. Played here to big returns. "DANCE MODELS" (6)., Paul Yocan and Co. 19 Mins. Full (Special). 86th St. (V-P). Paul Yocan, formerly in a three- people act, has expanded into six. It's a. turn that while slow is very well staged and costumed. It might be greatly improved with reduction of the running time to 14 or 15 min- utes. For average vaudfllm, fair. Plenty of places exist where cut- ting can be done. Acrobatic-fan dance specialty is a little long, also the piano teolo. Latter wouldn't be missed at all. Some of the intro- ductory matter, including love bit leading into one number and the Spanish single topped by a double, could be taken out. Tocan formerly had' only Eva Saether and Eunice Schramm, spe- cialty dancers, in his act. He has added Miriam Chester, Madge Whiteside and Lynn Burno, latter pianist. Two new girls are also specialty people, doing fair acro- batic and other specialties. The fan dance, with the acrobatic touch, is one of*the flashiest in the Yocan act and by all means should be retained, although standing cutting. All in the Yocan turn are fairly capable but not outstanding. W^ith- out the staging and flashy costumes, their efforts would be minimized frorti an audience viewpoint. The costumes alone go a long way to- ward putting the act across, though blistering no one's hands with ap- plause. Char. SEYMOUR and HOWARD Talk 14 Mins. 125th St. <V-P) In '27 Lew Seymour and Jessie Howard were in their own revue, humorous blaeicouts; -Now both • are with no other assistance playing man and wife for comedy crossfire. The material is too heavy, drags, and is without punch. Out of their former revue they have retained the opening bit. It is one of those marital wrangles in which wife and husband indulge in making biting retorts. After that they sit at a table, supposedly In a cabaret, and imbibe freely, with Miss Howard, a bronze-haired wom- an, attempting to draw laughs from constant drinlting. A little ex- change of souse talk, and Seymour goes into a semi-comedy recitative song, with the girl slumping to the floor at the end of his song. Missed fire here. Lacks substan- tial material. ROY CROPPER Tenop 15 Mins.; Two Palace (St, V.) Roy Cropper is recently from the Jolson theatre series of Herbert re- vivals. He Is billed as a "romantic tenor" and presents a clean-cut up- standing appearance to sustain the prefix. He lig,s a robust auditorium- filling voice and gets by easily as a class singing turn. Trifle throaty a couple of times, but this is a temporary condition, possibly due to opening matinee tension. Four numbers rendered, semi-classics. Light, short piano solo by Jimmy Rogers nicely re- ceived. Able accompanist, but he should watch the make-up for the back of his neck. In toto, pleasing. Land. MILLER and VEL1E and Co. (2) "Waiting at the Church" (Comedy) 25 Mins.; Three (Special) 86th St. (V-P) Mixed foursome made up of Harry Miller and Jay Velie and Audrey Berry and Claire Nolte, with new talking and singing comedy sketch by Harry Green, Agreeable polite turn that ought to appeal to better clientele and with effective mild comedy angles to i^ccommend it to the generality of neighbor- hood.s. Rising drop discloses two girls sitting "on steps of a church and registering grief at standup by bridegroom-to-be. Blackout, which should come on a laugh, but doesn't, and two men seated in same spot and revealing identical situation. Friend of Jilted boy undertakes to get him a substitute bride right away and upon entrance of disap- pointed bride's girl friend, he opens negotiations. Rest of the sketch is intermingled comedy and song to finale of double wedding. Introduction is cumber- some and should be clipped. Sub- sequent comedy business between bride's tomboy friend and bride- groom's cave man pal has laugh- able features. Could be plentifully rough^ed up and hoked where that course seems advisable. Here done in medium style and clicked. Young men are brisk and nice looking and handle comedy trimly. Girls are lookers both and suave foils. Ingenue a likeable polite player and soubret has the comedy knack. No. 2 here and did well. Merits better spotting in this grade of vaude. Itush. GRANDOS and PORTER and Co. Dancing and Music. 14 Mins.; Full Stage* Franklin (V-P) Team made up of Pepita Grandos, Spanish singer and dancer, and Phil Porter, dance partner and tenor. Backed by Clemente's Serenaders, five men in Spanish costume play- ing an intricate xylophone on a long table, and extra man on bass viol. Act lacks punch. Couple start with song duet to Serenaders' accompaniment. Girl goes from this to Spanish dance arid - mutsh - .clicking- of- eastanets, Serenaders fill In gap, with boy on for tenor eolo ending with an- nouncement of Miss Grandos doing a Spanish version of the breakaway, which turns out to be Just the breakaway with clicking castanets. She a^so does song number in Span- ish with a stepping finish. Dancing Is not Impressive and turn scarcely justifies probable sal- ary for seven people. That many salaries and transportation call for some sort of punch, and the act hasn't got it. Rush. THELMAWYNN Songs 10 Mins.; One 125th St. (V-P) Thelma Wynn Is a likeable brunet with average singing voice, singing four numbers acceptably. She should make the grade as deucer in pop- priced houses! Lacked sufficient fin- ish for the better grades, but that may come later. In front of the stage band here the layout consisted of pop opener, Herbert medley, comedy number in "hebe" dialect, and ballad with tear- jerker recitation. Latter got most. Next to close here, probably due to the stage band gag, but wouldn't hold the spot on regulation bills. Edba. "DANCE BOUQUET" (8) Revue 11 Mins.; Three (Special) Jefferson (V-P) Not worth considering. Dull flash that doesn't sparkle a single glint. Apart from the act there is some- thing to be said for the solo work of the danseu.so, young blond girl who dances with ease of movement and action grace. With a bit more understanding of the music and what she is trying to interpret, she is a pretty good bet for a worth- while turn, . The boy la minus and the chorus of six girls less than that from the talent viewpoint. On looks it's different. But looks alone don't make dancers—even a choruq girL MORELL and ELYNOR Roller Skating 7 Mins.; Full Stage Franklin (V-P) Fast turn on the rollers by nice- looking medium-sized girl and man partner. Nicely routined and cos- tumed, dressing running to rhine- stone trimmings. Excellent opener. Get under way swiftly with whirls from hand holds to start, go into graceful dance movements on the rollers and finish with a whirl finale, girl held out straight by spin- ning partner, with ankles locked around his neck. Girl opens in attractive frock of blue skirt and changes to scanty tunic solidly covered with the phoney sparklers. Work before own novelty drop showing gigantic roller skate with Couple entering through the wheels. Rush, NARO LOCK FORD (4) Dancing, Acirobatics 13 Mins.; Full (Special) Fordham (V-P) Around his familiar back break- ing and bone bending tumbling and acrobatic dancing, Naro Lockford has draped a new company and act, with the newness an added advan- tage for Lockford'a own sensational work. It is an excellent novelty dance turn. Closing number, gagged up bur- lesque on group adagio dancing, is a natural for laughs and within the comprehension of all vaude audi- ences in following a two-year deluge of serious adagio duos, trios and quartets. The three men and the girl supporting Lockford are all on for the closer, Lockford taking hard falls at the end of his flights in con- trast to the girl's cleaner work. The girl, Lili De Mutlie, is on with Lockford in the starting num- ber, the golf bit he used in another turn, and shows herself to be an ex- ceptionally supple and graceful lit- tle trick. She is on again a bit later for a legit adagio number with one of the men. Good in itself,, this is perfect entree for the succeeding satire. One of the boys has an acrobatic solo in "one." liige. • FRANKLIN (Continued from page 51) the chatter sisters originally pro- framed to close the show, on No. Sisters are doing the sophis- ticated dame line of cross fire, but make only fair headway with it, mostly because, they haven't the suavity the stuff calls for and try to strong-arm It across. Method de- .^feats them, although the material has its good points. Pepita Grandos and Phil Porter (New Acts) are Spanish dancer and dancing tenor backed by own or- chestra. No. 3 instead of programed No. 6. Fair spot for the specialty, but they didn't make much of it. Van and Brown (New Acts), first designed for No. 2, turned up in No. 4, where the colored boy's imi- tation of Bill Robinson (two imita- tions of Bill in this show) got them a great return. Act was the first ripple in the evening. When show framers w^ait for No. 4 to start the evening, something's wrong. Jarvis Harrison and Co., added starter, made the first dent in a passive audience by means of com- edy. This is the street sketch with the trick drop showing passing "L" trains and in the right surroundings makes good vaude. Here they went for it in a tumult, even after the trio (Harrison's dancing son is the third member) had taken up 23 minutes, which is a good deal. Joe and Marion Harkins, veteran .comedy sketchist.s, did their "Mar- keting" bit to gales of laughter. First rate line of low comedy talk between the nagging wife and the stew husband returning from store errands all lit up and trying to Ex- plain where he spent the money. For a neighborhood audience like ■this Bronx clientele the idea is per- fect. These two turns were the only excuse the booker had for this half week. His error wa.s that the whole seven acts weren't of like quality. Black and Silver Creations, an- other dance fiash, involving seven people and routine in frame up, closed a dull and uninspiring per- formance. "Love Comes Along" (Bebe Daniels-Radio Picts.), fea- ture. Rush. "THREE DodTORS" (3) Comedy Talk and Songs 19 Mins.; One State-Lake (V-P), Chicago "Doctors" Pratt, Sherman and R\idoIph are doubling from station' WMAQ, where they have built a rep and following. They clickPd with the audience on their.first ap- pearance and show excellr>nt pos- .sibilitics for vaude in localities wlu-re they are known. Thoir PopRS are delivered oa.slly find sati.sfactorily; their comedy i.s a bit weak; and the piano-playing by Rudolph is merely a filler. Routine as a whole needs tighteri- fnc. The boys have comedy per.sonall- ties and look like they could handle material. As It stand.s, act's best bet is the warbling, whioii will please practically any mob. Loop. STATE-LAKE (Vaudfilm) Chicago, March 22. Vaude show skims over 65 min- utes, shorter than usua.1. Esther Ralston, the blonde looker, packs the marquee punch, but inside Frank Gaby is the wallop with his ventriloqulal comedy. Bookers will insist on putting two singing male .single comics on the same bill, Gaby for one, and Hal Nciman, who ha.s ditched his tramp act. With Gaby's singing start, act had a hill to climb, com- ing on after Neiman, "Speedy Feet" .small fla.sh with a boy for neat .specialty hoofing, and five glrl.s, openod. This is compara- tively new and working nicely. A comic song and dance by two girls, and a radium finish with company grouped on a prop Robinson stair- case for a tap routine, are strong items. Boy la above average in hi.s legmania. In the douce Neiman, wearing a tux arrangement with falling pant.s, and retaining his big feet, carried well with a few intimacies to the audience, but the principal bit is Ills parodies. E.sther Ralston, third, has p.Iice<l her act since it opened new at the Palaeo here, and with some im- provement in speed. Boy at the piano singing into the mike con- tinues as a strong si.s.set, Mi.ss Ralston reached the peak with her taxi-dance girl sob impersonution. In her "Boardwalk J'.lue.s" dance, following, she made a perfect but unintentional fanny fall, but man- aged to swing her arms with the music, and the comedy of It helped. getting her an encore. Chief asse* of this dazzling blonde still re- mains her looks and form, both amply revealed. Fourth, Frank Gaby, with him "Meanest Man on Earth" song start pulling him over despite the simi- larity to Neiman's act with an un- familiar audience. A cinch when bringing out his dummy for the ventriloquial banter with a stooge in a box. The jazzed up song by the dummy, with voice shaking as Gaby shakes the doll, got over with a smack. Closing was that good hand-to- hand act by Frank Sylvester and "nephews," the three midgets, com- edy with the smallest keeping this turn fresh for the folks. Few walked. Show completed with "Rich People"' (Pathe), Pathe Review and "St. Louis Blues" (Radio), two- reeler. Business capacity downstairs with main floor holdouts, but just fair In ' the balcony for Saturday noon show. Loop. 58TH ST. (Vaudfilm) Old style vaude Is being shot into Proctor's 58th Street on a small scale by the R-K-O office with no apparent effort in sight to make "names" stand up in the neghbor- hood. Apparently the bookers flguro there's nothing close enough to give the house opposition as far as the combo thing is concerned. Placingf four-act bills here is giving the fea- ture the main dependability. And when the picture • hasn't any drag the vaude nine times out of 10 looks like a large-sized piece of nothing. The bill Saturday had turns around the New York houses for some time. "Sally" (F-N), was the talker and that Marilyn Miller was the draw. Lee Morse is considered to have some following due mainly to her records, yet about the only play she got around the section was a credit for her disc rep on the lobby frames and In the program. She did very well here. On second which dldn^t seem to feaze her work or her ap- plause, at the flnlsh she madet^^}:^- self heard even to the last row^ and this is some trick in houses of the elephantine size of the 68th Street. Opening was the Honey Troupe or family. Neat appearing acrobatic turn. After Miss Morse the Four' Camerons. Easy for the boys and "Pop" to score with their rough hoke and blah-blah comedy rough stuff. Closing were Dillon and Parker. They get wholesome assistance from the supple, acrobatic femme dancer and the tapping colored boy. The B8th goes for fast hoofing and the audience demanded more from the negro. Mark. ACADEMY (Vaudfilm) 180 minutes of show here Saturn day. On such a schedule, with no intermission and only the alterna- tion, of pig^ur§s.jand..Y§LUde to change pace, pretty high quality ol 'enler^ ' talnment must be maintained else it'll wear them out. No worn or tired looking pans in the 14tli street mob, so the quality must have been there. Seven acts, "Blaze o' Glory," fea- ture picture, overture, newsreel and trailers. For half a buck Saturday until the night show. Seven acts here with a picture and eight at the Palace without one for one-third the Palace's top. Sometimes the bills here are Palace bills all over again. Ofttimes the picture makes them better. Show is the reason .why the Academy Is a gold mine. Just as shows are the reason why other the- atres are not. , Jay C. Fllppen (New Acts), at the Palace last week, headliner here this week. Another, Willie, West and McGinty, played the Palace a short time ago. At least three of the five remaining turns are equal to the average run of Palace turns. From such facts the only conclusion to be drawn is that the Palace is consid- ered vaudeville's "ace" theatre be- cause It's the only straight vaude house on Broadway. Loew's State, block away from the Palace, Is cur- rently headlining Ted Healy, who headlined for two'straight weeks at the Palace two weeks previously. State Is one-quarter of Palace's top. Good looking and talented bill opener in Bob Carter and the Albou Sisters, Carter dancing and talking and the girls (4) dancing, singing and playing musical instruments. Excepting when Carter talks ^ bit too much the turn speeds on; best part of the excess talk is that it can easlly.be eliminated. "The Delivery Boya" (Joe Schuster and Johnny Tucker), radio team, weren't going so well until getting into imitations. Latter added a fair flnlsh to a less than fair turn fNew Acts). The .spllt-seoond time and manip- ulation of about a million prop.s by Willie, West and McGInlty were as good for big returns here as it is ev(!rywhere. A finely thought out, perfectly rehearsed and smoothly performed knockout act. Let-down in next spot, held by Glfford and Gresham, youthful com- ics, assisted by a nifty blonde In short wardrobe. Up. ahead of the ventriloquial bit, which closes and (Continued on page 65)