Variety (Apr 1930)

Wednesday, April 23, 1930 PLAY REVIEWS VARIETY 69 troduces a ^lary In which Eupposed Intimacies are eet forth. Only in «ne detail Is Hoger able to dent that testimony. Countless cases of women who snake accusations against men have feeen decided against the man where It is a case of one's word against the other. In the case of "Penal Irfiw 2010," It seemed far-fetched to believe thfe maid would accuse the rising young man of this well-to-do home, especially in light of the de- fendant's known ability before the Taa-T. It is not strange, however, that a Jury tvould convict, even though the defendant swore that with evi- dent sincerity he was not guilty. But there is a snapper finish here. A woman is brought into court when the decision has been made. She is the wife of the chauffeur and Is ruslied to the stand, testifying that Dora had come between her and her husband and had been liv- ing with him. Dora thereupon con- fesses it was all a frame-up. There were people who remained to ap- plaud. The acting was mainly indiffer- ent, but Frank Milan's playing of the accused lawyer made a good impression. Janet McLeay was the double-crossing Dora and good enough. They seemed to like Worth- ington Romaine as the boarder. But the play Isn't good, and will be ■hort-llved. ^^f^- Kilpatrick's Minstrels Old-time minstrel show, produced by Thomas Kllpatrlck. Staged by J. A. Shipp. Musical numbers staged by ttonald Hey- wood. Material selected and edited by Henry Myers. Presented at th© Koyale, New Torki Saturday evening, April 19. Bones- Tom Bethel, Harrison Blackburn, Stan- ford McKlsslck, Dan C. Michaels. Tambourine— Amon Davis, Sidney Baston,- J. Louis Johnson, John Jja, Rue. Interlocutor ..Henry Troy Tenors- John W. Cooper, liouls Craddock, 'Wil- liam Hart, Bert Howell, George W. Nixon. Baritones- George Battle, Thomas H. Brandon, Rudolph Dawson, William Cornish, Billy Demont. Basses— J. W. Mobley, George Myrick, Donald Hayes, James K. Ix>ve, R. C. Raines. Soprano Jarahal Drum-Major J. Mardo Brown Minstrelsy as was three decades back is incorporated in this produc- tion with a toss as to whether the gags Dad and Grandad laughed at can' be accepted on faith by the younger generation. .Upon this pre- mise will depend the longevity of "Kllpatrlck's Old Time Minstrels." An out-and-out freak and a brave gesture upon part of young Tom Kllpatrlck, new producer in quest of novelty for his Urst production fling and hitting upon the old-time minstrel show idea. Whether it lives or dies Kilpatrick deserves a great big hand for the audacity of trying. But from where the reviewer sat little hope or comfort can be given the producer that he has a bonanza for better than a few weeks in New Tork. Although the show has its enter- taining qualities, mostly in the song and dance section, It is woefully lacking in comedy. The period stuff may alibi the archaic gags, but whether it will go with the buying mob is something else. We have our doubts. Production runs accoi'dlng to old- fashioned minstrel formula, em- bodying first part, olio and after- piece, and carries an all colored troup, even to the band. The min- strels number 24, and the band 12, making an aggregate of 36, mostly unknowns to Broadway, which at least keeps salary list down, and with the production outlay not amounting to much either. With economical hook-up the show can survive for a while at least. With comedy lacking, the show must stand upon its song and dance features. As is, it does very well in that division. The principals are there 40 ways on vocalizing, with soloists and choral groups clicking in yester- year numbers from "Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight" to "Under the Bamboo Tree" and with delivery and accompanying dances in the manner of a by-gone era. The first part is speedy and a clicker when the specialty folk were warbling or hoofing, but slowed up somewhat when the end men were working ancient gag.s. Every chest- nut save "Why does a chicken?" was trotted out and some laughed. The vocalist.-i carried the fir.st part with all above listed doing their stuff to satisfaction and with Wil- liam Corni.sh uncorking a great old- time buck and wing. Amon Davis got best results for comedy with a preacher bit as built-up for "What You Gonna Tell Maasa Peter?'' both going over big, as well as J. Mardo Brown's drum-major manipulations in finale of first part. Olio held Harrison Blafkburn In a monologistic spurt that packf-d .«;ome laugh.''. Dawson and Cornish is a neat buck double. Jarah.nl, femme imporsonator, In songp. Ka.«t- on and Howell in clowning and in- strumental numbers and John Cooper in a ventriloqulal specialty. -MI got over with ElaoUburn's gab and Cooper's ventriloqulal stuff top- ping the rest. The afterpiece Just another one of those things that may have made them laugh 30 years ago, but won't now. The gag about the ugly duckling daughter on the hands of the old gent and no tak- ers until they believe he has in- herited a large legacy and all for- mer suitors rallying for the hand of the gal. Well done for what it was worth, but no riot for laughs. Edba. LITTLE ORCHID ANNIE Farce comedy in three acts presented at the Cltlnge, April 21. by Myra Furst; written by Hadley Waters and Charles Beahan; staged by Frederick Stanhope. Ruth Davis Jane Allen Oswald Reynolds Franz Bendlaen Madge King Kitty Kelly VI Mudgeon Leona Marlcle Bud Condon Spencer Bentley Evelyn M'alsh Mary Murray Daniel Michael Paul Flynn.. .Janies Norrls Madame Elaine Maude Odell Annie Westlake Betty Lawrence George Graham Walter Davis Myron C. Kuppenhelmer... .Frank Wilcox Mrs. Flynn.; Jane Corcoran Blanche , Lois Parker Harry CIIfTord ....Eddie Dean Patrick O'Connell Robert B. Williams "Little Orchid Annie" is a raw little comedy, farclal most of the way. Title doesn't mean much, but there are "lines," some with double meaning and others not so subtle. That may attract some patronage for a limited engagement. Doesn't rate as an attraction the agencies can do business for. It is the saime play that was presented in Los Angeles about a year ago by Rowland & Pearce. Myra Furst, new to the east, is offering it now. They thought it very naughty out there. The same Eltlnge saw the types of "Annie" long before in the Woods' farces. The girls in undies are mannequins in Madame Elaine's dress shop, which has its male gown designer —swish. What changes If any except for the cast which is entirely different, not noticed. The principal char- acter is little Annie Westlake, one of the models. She is very popu- lar with the designer and Elaine, also two wealthy men, one being Kuppenhelmer, Washington mer- chant, and the other George Gra- ham, a steel man. Annie is sweet but very dumb. She is accepting presents from Kuppy and Georgle. The former has Just given her a new Rolls Royce, while the latter has made money for her in the market. The other girls know their stuff and won't believe the relations be- tween Annie and her rich boy friends are purely platonlc. The special doubter is Madge King whose comments furnish most of what fun there is. She had been Kuppy's girl friend and said she knew he didn't give up, except. It is Christmas eve and a party is proceeding in Annie's new apart- ment. The guests are in all kid clothes, it being a Mother Goose affair. One of the men comes as an infant, dolled up in a diaper and large pin. ,A fight is started'by Danny. Flynn, whom Annie is putting through Tale. Cops arrive and the men are taken oft to the station house. That solved things for Annie, since Kuppy, George and Danny had all declared they were going to stay all night. Play tames down, with the finale disclosing Danny as Annie's husband. Betty Lawrence plays Annie. Its a question how well she registers in the part. She seemed an art- less but. successful though pre- sumably -virtuous gold digger. In "Houseparty" this season she at- tracted attention, even though to some her "I Pack My Bag" bit seemed pretty strong. Kitty Kelly scored best—the same Miss Kelly once of the Zlegfeld group but now somewhat rounded out. Ossle the designer asked why she was pudgy and she answered: "Three meals a day and a daddy who knows how to feed them to me." Franz Bendsten did very well as the designer, but the remarks thrown at him were dangerou.sly near the line. Jane Allen, Leoha Maricle and Mai-y Murray were the other "lookers." Miss Allen's short lyric about sinning was that way. too. Maude Odell played Madame Elsllne with a dialect that did not .seem nece.ssary. Frank Wiloox okay as Kuppy. "Little Orchid Annie" should give the ticket bargain hunters some amusement but that's about all. Ihrr, cide to chuck aside won't be missed —it's that kind of a show. The plot, adapted by Edgar Smith from Homer Croy's story, "They Had to See Paris," is the main Ob- stacle at present. There's too much of it. It turns chiefly about "Chic"" Sale, who, behind the whiskers of the old ""tuby" player, succumbs to the wislies of his daughter-in-law and her children to desert the quiet life of Clearwater, Okla., for the livelier atmosphere of Paris after he has struck oil on his land. How the family gets scratched with social ambitions, how the children forsake their old sweethearts, and their va- rious experiences until they get back home, is carried out and followed all too faithfully. But it does give Sale opportunity to give a remarkable portrayal, of an old man. There are good bits that Sale injects from his Harmonj- Hall and schoolroom skits of vaude- ville, and several references to "The Specialist." When Stella Mayhew, as the gossipy Aunt Min, returns to the kitchen with an armful of kin- dling wood it "knocked the audience into the aisles." Miss Mayhew and Nat. C. Haines, who plays Aunt Min's fiance of the last 20 years, help in creating some mirthful moments when Sale is not on the stage. They are best in the Oklahoma scehes of the first act. With Lillian Taiz and Eilleen Dou- gall, this quartet proves the most talented of the company in support of Sale. There is a chorus that's not particularly impressive in beauty; neither is its dancing or singing. Of Russell Tarbox's music two tunes, "Roll Along, Covered Wafeon," and "Once in a Blue Moon," may at,, .in popularity. Watson Barrett showed his usual good taste In fashioning the 14 scenes of the two acts. , Shortened considerably, "So This Is Paris" can be made into agree- able entertainment. It is fairly funny, fairly novel, and there is al- ways "Chic" Sale. Wcintraui. Out-of-Town Reviews so THIS IS PARIS Atlantic City, April 16. The new Khubort musical play had its lirst performance at tlu- Apollo l.i.'it night, whore it glitter'-d and titter>;d about aimles.sly for almo.st four hours, exhausllny botH stagefolU and fpcijlator.i — at l'.'a«t these who .«iuck to the end. Tli'; show is. evidently designed for the entertainment of New York's sum- mer vi.sltors, and if the .'^huherts expect to make anything out of it they win have to do bodvi sharp und wide trimming. Any part theydc- MEBBE Chicago, April 20. Farce comedy In three actfe bv B. M. Kaye. Presented at the Erlanger April 20 by Henry Duffyj directed and staged by Ferdinand Munler. Three acts. Walter Turnbull Bryant Washburn Christopher Morton' Stanley Taylor Alice Hinsdale Charlotte Greenwood Edward Page Eddy Waller Mary Hudson Doris Brownlae Ellphalet Potter Edward McWnde Hank Smith Wilbur HIgby Ely Sweezey William Robyns Joslah Story Jenkins "William H. Turner Ezra Pine. Tom Burke Pansy Hooper Jane Morgan Charlotte Greenwood turns a small town courtroom into a bat-- room. She swings her legs and arms for three acti and Is very funny, jijaklng this farce sag and stagger with laughs. The rest, cast, story and otherwise, doesn't seri- ously matter. Piece was known about five years ago as "She Couldn't Say No," tried, and withdrawn. Florence Moore had the Greenwood part. Script has since been revised considerably. Story deals with an attorney's love-stricken and devoted, smart- llke-hell stenog who assumes the role of a woman lawyer In a breach of promise case, with her fee from the banker-defendant to be some railroad stock her boss wants. When she gets to the sticks she finds her employer has been engaged by Pansy, the gaddy plaintiff. The stenog gets the Judge and the others stewed, which is excellent Green- wood hoke, showing Charlotte off to considerable advantage, and wins the case, the stock and her boss. A fair cast has Bryant Washburn as Attorney Trumbull, William Rob- ins as Ely Sweezy, Jane Morgan as Pansy Hooper, and William Turner as the judge, handling their parts well. All of the laughs are slapstick and most of the catch lines puns. Miss Greenwood and Ethel Barrymore now have something in common. Both can make poor material into passable entertainment. LOST SHEEP Atlantic City, April 21. Comedy by Delford Forrest. Produced by <",eorge <"hoos and Jack Donahue. At Apollo. Atlantic City,, week o£ April 21. "Lost Kheep" is a lively farce, or will, be if given clo.ser direction, ac- celeration and a final curtain with a punch. It is the work of Belford Forrest, who has used the old plot of mistaken identity, but given It a different .setting and new treatment. The Hielwyn theatre Is to hou.se this f-ntertalnment within a fortnight a*id .should give the producers, Iceorge Choos and Jack Donahue, ! the dan(/ing comedian, ample time Ito bring in a play doctor to fix it |ui'. -Manhattan audlenines ought to take it kindly. "Lost Slier-p". details the adven- ture.s wlil'^h befall a Methodist pas- tor who afoepts a call from an Eng- lish pari'-)). The (.-hapel house belnc in the stage of construrtlon, iho miiilstfr nmst rent a house, tem- por.'irily. for his family, whifh In- cludes thi-'-e young and cliarmlnf.' danf;lit< rs. He. negotiates the lea.se through an unscrupulou.*-' a:.'eiit who turns over a house in whii-h all too rc'renlly ^^'Ji?-' practiced the oldest (Continued on pagr 7C) London As It Looks (Continued from page 66) put the woman's name in. He knew she did not matter. He even braved his editor. He won! Some more of them oupht to behave like this—and then make speeches in Trafalgar Square, The Play They Did Not Must "Suspense," Patrick MacGlll's now pln.v, wn.s not on the "must" ll.<;t. It is a serious story about the war and how men died, written by an earnest young man who was once a navy and who has no pull of any sort. He has a child who is tubercular and just writes for his modest living. He wrote a wonderful drama in "Suspense," which ranks w'ith "Journey's End" for its strength and virility, but is all about the Tom- mies, not the officers. Yet the "Evening News," one of the Rothermcre papers which boosted the Cochran revue said, "This play never .stands up." Perhaps they take it lying down. June Gets in the Nevvs June made a bad break the other day. She is Lady Inverclyde now, you know. The "Evening News" published on the front page a statement by her that, when she saw "Suspense" th.at night, she would see her dead brother on the stage! i At the Battle of Loos, she said, her brother, Dudley, went out in front of the line all alone, captured a.party of Gerinan soldiers and brought them back. "To me, it will be the most poignant of scenes," the "Evening News," was told by June, who is said to have told Patrick MacGIll her brother's story. Well, when June saw the play, she saw that the young man was not her brother at all, but a young private who, full of funk, ran across No Man's Land, was fired at by his own. company and was subsequently placed under arrest for desertion. The "Evening News" was made to look an awful ass. So were the critics wlio received from their editors at the theatre the cutting, with a message, "Interview June on this." June would not be interviewed. I do not blame her. The "Must" Men Mias the Story The "Daily Mall" missed the story of "B. J. One," the next night. It was out getting "musts," I suppose. Here was the launching of Maurice Browne, Ltd., founded on the fortune of "Journey's End." They had an idealistic program, given away and full of blah, and with all the names of the 14 executives care- fully printed, with.the alms and objects of the firm, and the play waa an Idealistic one, staging the Battle of Jutland and urging co-operation in peace time, just as you get co-operation In war. • v Yet the "Daily Mail" did not know that three of the executives had already resigned—one Clifford Hamilton, the general manager, because there had been too many arguments in the Browne ofilce; Walter Havers, manager of the Globe theatre, because he had sacked seven program girls who had been taken on again by Maui'lce Browne, who said, "Humanity.^- comes before efficiency"; and Thomas AVarner, the stage director, who sent me a copy of the program and said, "I have resigned. After read- ing this program, I would prefer to starve," Idealism-Goes Wrong Maurice Browne is the most idealistic theatre manager I know. Now, surely the "Dally Mall" must have known that there was a good story in that night's play? No, It Just printed an ordinary criticism, and did not sec the drama going on right in front of its eyes! They ought to have "musted" Maurice Browne, Then they might have known something about it. I saw their news man in the house, looking as though he had walked in on his way from Cochran's Revue to the "Co-Optimiats," with his pocket full of musts, and knowing nothing about it. Now, I hope Maurice Browne will become practical as soon as he can. "B. J. One" Is a naval disaster. "Who Is Elsie April?" There was quite a sensation at the pa;rty which Charlie Cochran gave at. the Savoy to celebrate the 300th performance of "Bitter Sweet," for suddenly, there came loud cries for a speech from Elsie April. "April! April!" shouted the members of Cochran's companies. She stood up, blushing, sat down, and stood up again, while the scores of guests who were not members of the Cochran companies, were asking; "Who is Elsie April?" At the next table sat Gordon Beckles, the music critic who, after the first night of "Bitter Sweet," had written, "There were two Important omissions from the program—the name of the woman who transcribed the music and the man who orchestrnted her work." The woman was Miss Elsie April, who has written music for scores of London's so-called "composers" and the orchestrator was Albert de Orellana, Cochran Puts an Omission Right Cochran had to write to the "Daily Express" and admit that Coward was not technically capable of writing down music fit for playing. "I think it only fair to add that the harmonies taken down by Miss April were note for note as Mr. Coward composed them," said Cochran in this letter. Elsie April never made her speech. Cochran, scenting danger—so Gordon Beckles tells me—sprang to his feet and In a loud voice said, "I call upon my co-host, Mr. William Boosey." Elsie April eat down. Then Peggy Wood made the best speech of the kind that an actress is said to have made for years. I was not present. The Duchess Who Was "Dearie" There was nearly a tragedy in the life of the Duchess of Lclnster, except, of course, that her life has been tragic for some time. She was a chorus girl, or something of that sort, called May Etherldge when she married the heir to a not-rich dukedom and, since then, she has been living in poverty, trying to get film work. A few days ago she was living with a man called Williams, and there seems to hive been a quarrel over the radio. Afterwards, she turned on the gas. The landlady's story is an illumination. "I knew she wasn't Mrn. Wllllam.s," said the old woman, "so I could not call her tliat, and allliough I knew she was the Duchess, I could not somehow cfill her 'Your Grace.' So I u.sed to call her 'Dearie.' ZTt thoiiglit that would do." a(kl''<:.«std The "Lady" With Cowheel . This reminds me of a story Dorothi Ward toM m" when .she was on tour with a v.-iudevillc artl.'.t<- who w;i.s thfutOit to be the wife of a Knight, until his d^ath i.jroved that sl,e wa-su't. One night a telegram e;,me to th'iir NortlK.in lodgings, "Lady .So-and-.So." ".She don't live here," .s;,id tlif- l.-indlady. "Oh, that's Ml.ss l;lank iJlanU," .t.aid Dorothy. "Is she 'Her L.'tdy-hip?'" ir ked the o!(] wei. Cin. "I didn't think nh^- coul'J be, because ,^he l.-'id ecwhcel for '.-ippcr la.st night."