Variety (May 1930)

Wednesday^ May 7, 1930 VAUDE HOUSE REVIEWS VARIETY 53 PALACE (St. Vaude) Another bad bill, second straight, foUowine the frailest biz week the Palace has experienced in a long •while. It, played to the worst Sat- urday matinee attendance in even a longer while, and the wetather wasn't the only re£:ion. Nothing to draw •em In; nothing to make therh laugh If they did happen to buy. There Is but one laugh turn In eight. Making it a pushover ■.en- gagement for that one act, but a bum occasion for the rest of the show and the house. Accepting the Palace as the em- blem of vaude, vaude this week again bon*ows from a picture house, and this time the loan saves a Pal- ace bill from utter flop. The Roxy theatre ballet, thrown out of work by the engagement at the Roxy of Paul Whiteman's orchesti-a, is the bill saver. In the company (New Acts) are Patricia Bowman and Leonide Massine, Roxy's . featured dince team; Ruth Durrell, colora- tursi soprano, and 20 dancing girls. ■ Seldom does a vaude audience see such colorful dressing and graceful action. Either a nice bit of book- ing or it fell into the booker's lap. This Palace week with its two-a- day should be a picnic for the Roxy crew after the customary four and five dally on its home grounds. . Twenty-two girls in the Roxy turn and 21 more in The Ingenues, girl band, which closed. Five other women, one of them Mae Murray, in the' first part, or 48 altogether on this bill. Spotting had most of the femmes and all of the flash in the second part. Lone comedy tu^-n, Al K Hall, In the first section. Not a laugh after intermission, nearest thing to ofTe coming from Robins, with Robins an excellent musical novelty rather than a laugh setter. Miss Murray has the top billing. The Ingenues were 40 minutes closing. In spite of that, the bill did not run as long as usual, winding up at 5:10. Plenty of cutting pos- sible without harming the bill and would have helped. Here was a .chance to eliminate the superfluous time and grab another comedy act for the moments saved. Another comedy turn would have meant a lot and there was room for one. ' Closing act, best girl band, musi- cally and for flash, In vaude, could do much better In less time, say 30 minutes. This way the routine fre- quently crawls instead of sprinting. The newness here and the Ingenues' outstanding feature Is the versatil- ity of the girls, all of them tripling and quadrupling on various instru- ments. Investment for instruments alone must have been terrific. Pro- duction also superb. If the owner, Eddie Sherman, gets his dough back he's a magician, .After 35 minutes of the band stuff, a girl, steps out for' an imitation of Jean Boydell. That arrived after five o'clock. Something was nec- essary before the drapes to allow a change in set, but the something selected isn't quite strong enough to follow 35 minutes of anything. Most of the band in "one" at the opening, all playing banjos. Novel- ty all the way, biggest novelty be- ing' the absence of a conductor. Pace is apparently set by the piano play- er on the left, with the bunch fol- lowing her head movements. Two Bpeclalty singles are the toe tapper and MIna Smith, billed as "Europe's Most Beautiful Concert Viollnlste." rollowing her brief solo Miss.Smith reappers under a wig to sing the way they sing in Chicago. Some of the Ingenues' flash edge dulled by previous appearance of the Roxy ballet, but not enough to hurt the band's grand- production much. Band, down to half an hour, would have been a better choice to close the first part, with Miss Murray following Instead of preceding In- termission and the Roxy ballet to close the bill. If any bad Palace . show needed spotting, this one did, without getting It. Miss Murray's marimba band background is down to four from Bix when last around, but no other changes. Introducing the "Merry "Widow" waltz. Miss Murray states It is already five years since that picture was shown. That means five years of an inconspicuous Miss Murray, but still Mae Murray is the Palace headllner this week. She looks like a million, as she always did, and the halo of a star is still about her blonde head. MI.«!S Mur-i ray's personality is so sparkling that the dead pan, non-expres.sive man- ner of her dancing partner, William Moffa, Is almost a laugh. They brought Miss Murray out for a speech and she said "this makes my Wildest dream come true." Opening, the Norman Thomas Quintet, repeating. Last trip the col- ored combInatIon,was on later. Spot »»iade little difference, for they stopped the show. Boing .so well In the starter Is a rare Palace feat. 'Blood and Thunder," the satire on old-f.ashioned mellors, deiicod. Now preceded by a trailer explaining the J\;orks and asking the audience to hiss and applaud at -the right mo- »ionts. The trailer is exce.«s bag- Paffp. Two audience plants to lead the respon.se would .serve the pur- pose much better, for this way it Is ^xpeoted and not .spontaneou.sly lunny, Peter Hlgglns, in his third Wrnlght Palace week, had the third ppot and tenored his way to the usual sock. The R-K-0 contract signed by Hlggins places him on the verge of fame and fortune. Al K. Hall had everything his own way next to closing Part One. Doing his old "Sap at the Beach" turn and still going back to bur- lesque for situations. It's not had vaude as Hall does it.- In this in- stance the scarcity of comedy gave It an extra wallop. liigc. R-K-O (Vaudfilm) Los Angeles, May 1. Carrying the biggest nut yet stamped on the four-act units, cur- rent vaude bill stands at a co.st of around $3,600 and Is packed with solid entertainment. In going over the average $3,000* budget these units have been coming out .on, the booking ofllce make up with differ- ence In talent. Ken Murray headlines, with his turn grabbing the lion's share of the show in money and time. Mur- ray at $1,950 Is a buy for vaude, with Milton and Helen Charleston and an unbilled comedienne, worked as a stooge, thrown in. After that its Murray, his cigar and wise cracks all the way, In the same manner of delivery he's been around with in vaude for a long while. While originality of gags can't be traced directly to him, Murray Is one of these natural laugh getters, rejgardless of what he does. Helen Charleston, always elite, helps out with warbling and foiling, while her brother, Milton, carries along a steady patter of comedy with Murray that has its knockabout punches. Neat novelty opener, in the Kita- yamas, Japanese hand balancing and contortion done by the man while the ■ girl partner just looks. Kitayama is an old tinier in what he does, familiar with afl .the tricks. His best is a contortionistic stunt performed on an elevated perch only about six inches square. Foster, Fagan and Cox, rath- skeller trio, have agreeable voices and look equally as well. They hold the deuce and later appear with Murray to much better advantage. Dcanny Duncan, In the same sketch he's been around with for years, holds up the middle with strongly packed comedy, Inter- spersed with song and dance. A domestic sketch which goes over with average audiences. First show opening day (Thurs- ' iy) ran a bit overtime with 64 rninutes clocked. That's consider- ably over the allotted schedule, but sometimes unavoidable. Doubt- less cut down later. "Framed" (RKO), feature. Biz very good. Span. STATE (Vaudfilm) Ace house of the Locw Circuit has Jules Bledsoe, the whiz colored bari- tone, a.s heudliner at a reported honorarium of $1,750 wc-okly. liled- soo ."^o far as the Times tSiiuarc pub- lic is concerned, is the best known male singer of his race. He was third on the bill here, although ap- pearing fourth at the openln.s; show because of backstage exigencies. Nice tive-act bill all the way. I<'irst to .l)!it was Al Gordon's Coni- edy Canines, In its quiet way one ii£ the most remarkable demonstra- tions of dog training now irouping the vaude trails. fiisa and Lehn, an adapio couple v.lio provide a superior and novel l)raii(l of luike terpsichore, did nice- ly in the douce» Handsomely mounted and assisted by four .swanliily groomed young women it I)Osscssi.>« brightne.«:s and booking utility. Karly comedy is less than exerueiatihg but quickly over and easily forgiven. Collins and Peterson, two men, are .standard Loew circuit material. And just the type that Messrs. Lu- bin and Schenck find reliable for their neighborhoods. Meaning loud and audible to the back rows. Maurice CoUeano turn has been around last couple of years and ranks as one of the 'best knock- about comedy turns, with more than a tinge of sensationalism; ".Montana Moon" (Metro) for the screen. Saturday's attendance averagely good. Land. ALBEE, BROOKLYN (Vaudfilm) . Strong bill here this week,' but played to a weak audience Satur- day matinee. Crowd was also apathetic. Vaude is the major magnet this week, due to the fea- ture flicker, "Love Racket" (F.N.), carrying no rep or publicity. Alma Rubens, the fllm player, and Cham- berlln and HImes are the two fea- tured names and bore the brunt of the entertainment burden. "Dance Fables," Meyer Gplden's act, started. Turn is mainly adagio, carrying three men and one girl. Previous to the adagio work a little comedy pantomirrie, entirely un- necessary, and a blond girl stepper have the spot. Adagio routine Is of the familiar type employed by most turns where the contingent Is three to one. Girl is cute and a flne worker, Nicely presented. Tom Brown and his brothers, a sax sextet, deuced in fair to mid- dlln' fashion. Tom attempts to make his-sax talk and succeeds for comedy, but in some instances the audience is unaware of what he is driving at. Also makes the sax cry when. Instrumentally panto- miming with his five brothers. For the finish Tom takes to a clarinet, and the group supplies straight In- strumentation of pops. Alma Rubens In the trey spot. Her songs were liked. Announces a Helen Kane imitation, but in- stead sings a Helen Kane number her o'wn way. Later the scene goes to full for comedy travesty,. with Miss Rubens and the lover caught by her hu.<iband. Got a nice hand at the'finlsh, and Mi.ss Rubens made a curtain speech of thanks. Chamberlln and Ilimes on next and were too fast for the lethargic mob. On and off before they got wise to what was taking place. Mi.«;s Chamberlln opens -with her tough Bowery song and dance. Himes trooped on for a fast tap number and then Into the comedy Bowery- Apache, Miss Chamberlln taking the offensive. Joe Marks, who, according to Variety, did not do so well at the Palace last week, had his day here. Apparently, he is a better neigh- borhood offering than a bet for the Palace. Ills Dutch dialect and low comedy hoke was' oko for this mob. Bits with girl and boy assistants only so-so, loosely woven and worked out, but Marks made them like him despite his .shouting de- livery . and strong-arm methods. Took two encores, one a parody of "Sonny Boy," sung by Marks, which is not so hot, and the rest dancing by Marks, the gal and the boy. Two assists are no dnnners at all; gal is ungainly and boy has no routine. and Into a chair held aloft by an understander. Woman mostly at- mosplu'ro and act jOaylng full stage. Over nicely. Show went 163 minutes with four or Jive minutes' overtime, which means Hipp has pone fast. Better espoeially fo- warm weatlier which is now creeping In but could stand extra film feature, l^itho sound newsreel and trailer stuff lengthened the picture end to 80 minutes, of which 67 belongs to feature "The Golden CaU" (Fox). K-C-A .short, "The Strange Interview," also' for seven minutes, and Charles Steli*- with pit band overtured for slightly over four. ACADEMY (Vaudfilm) Academy is not putting on the heavy dough vaude bills It was a year or two ago. Probably doesn't need to. Seems to be pretty well grooved and is reported a money- maker. They still spend money and no headliner is too big, but a more moderate general budget prevails. Saturday's bill may be cited as a typical Academy line-up: Larry Stoutenburgh, the trick bllliardist; Three Blue Steppers, t.wo man and girl dancing turn; Eddie Hanley, the dead pan comic; Patti Spears, the songbird; Phil Baker, headlin- Insr. and a girl revue, "Lovely Ladies" (New Acts) to close. Baker stated It was his first ap- pearance on 14th ^treet In ten years, which may have been his' one seri- ous remark. As some of the wheezes curled up like frying bacon he parenthesised that they would be reserved -for spots further uptown. Anent his recent disastrous baptism as a legit producer Baker stated the doorman at the theatre had -been arrested the second night for loiter- ing. Acts of the wise cracking single type, with or without stooge, are numerous, but few, or none, can compete with Senor Baker in pro- viding generously and consistently new smart cracks. His stuff, bar- ring a few blue jokes and a couple of bewhiskered items, is remark- ably fre.sh and bright. Miss Spears scored a very sub- stantial hit, second only to Baker's. She has played here before. In fact apparently got her first real vaude dates through the Fox ofllce. She is understood still to be hardly out of her teens. Warners "Song of the West" fea- ture. Trade somewhat off Satur- day. Land. HIPPODROME (Vaudfilm) Mild bill got out of gear Saturday matinee when Flo Lewis, slated for the middle on the six-act lineup, called on the pit band for aibout 12 Intros and then didn't show, com- pelling Wilton and Weber to move up and take over the house. Info around the house was that Miss Lewis' partner thought a "3" •was a "5" on cue time and caused the delay. Happy for the house that Wilton and Weber followed the wait. Their comedy saved the situation. The boys did their ventrllo dialog snap- pily and came through. Altogether neighborhood vaude bill opener, Maud Henry's Ele- phants. Usual elephant tricks with a trainer and two assistants. Went ever nicely to give Johnny Downs a good break on reception. The former "Ota- Cang" kid doing an adult turn stJll offside, but the novelty of his youth took him over the hurdles. Kid's been around plenty now, but still no change in the act which might it make well to mention that the showman.shlp of Downs is wrong; the customers still expect a kid and Downs ought to do kid stuff and leave the adult single arrange- ment until he's grown out of the juvenile in appearance as well as voice and dress. But mild tlunigli he was he lammed with a couple of routine bows. Cowboy Kev-ls, four boy.s in chaps; the Mann .Sist^-rs and Mammy Jfnnle, brown-face Jemima pai-rt-d. (New acts.) Flo Lewis took next to closing on the first .«-how on account of the delay and bounced In for an e.\tra bow with her tin auto gag and stuffed dolls and funny makeup. Tony Aretta, her partner, is pood on looks, but misses In vigorous style. Alexander Troupe, cut from sevf-n to five, four men and one woman, doing tumbling and springboard le.nps, clo.ccd. Blpge.st hit is f^^prlnp- int- a f-'iiy Into a triple .'•omer^auU STATE-LAKE (Vaudfilm) Oliieago, May 3. A jjood bill despite three male acts out (>C the live. High points wore llanlon Bros., opening with their dual dancini; and spook bur- lesiiue, and the closing act. I'rin- cess A;.;reneva Slavian.sky and her Ito>al Kussian Chorus (20) of men and girls, Hanlon Bros. (3) were off to a good start with the bellhop dual motion before the prop mirror In a hotel, and were right for the kids with their skeleton chase and head squashing finish. In the deuce, Lander Bros, shoved along w-Ith their pvi.ns gags and mls- pronpunciaticms, with Billy now- straight and Harry comic, for good returns. They have cut their theme song with its many to fewer verses. Following, they worked with Palm Beach Nights, five girls, In the No. 3 act. These girls are all good specialty dancers, and W'lth Harry's pantomlnie with a trick hat plus more patter by the brothers, formed a polite tab act good for solid laughs. Fourth, Healy and Cross In their male harmony efforts did not click the first two numbers, but finished strong In a five-song routine. Act was slightly handicapped by poslr tion, but needs newer material for the .State-Lake. Closing,, the Russians, booked In for a showing were a tremondou.". surprise despite concert hall tactics. Princess, a short, round girl, directs from a green box and doesn't give any of the other soloists the spot- light, which Is unwise. Songs are native ballads and folk numbers, with the company In nice choral work and all possessing good voices. Russ dance finish is appropriate and brought clamors for more. Act Is overdressed, however, and needs tightening and restaglng. Will then be a novelty cinch for family houses. "The Other Tomorrow" (FN)j Pathe Review and a Felix Cat (Bee.) short completed. Business off; weathei' nice. PALACE HAMILTON (Vaudfilm) Diversified layout tor first half here, but could have stood more in the laugh di- vision. Bookers probably figured t-wo sure-fires in William Court- leigh and Co. in trey and Joe IToung and Co. In follow up to carry com- edy burden of the show. Young did his part, but Courtleigh's revival of "Peaches" didn't raise much dust with the mob in Saturday night, and only a fair house at that. Sketch was okay when produced some 20 years back, but even In revised form It fails to keep up with the current parade. George "Wong and Co., Chinese novelty act, enlisting three men and two women, opened with a satisfy- ing, routine of juggling, contortion and gymnastics that gave all five an opportunity to keep on toes throughout and maintaining a fast tempo throughout. Grace Doro planted a planologand songs In follow up, pleasantly put across and well received. WilHam Courtlelgh and Co. fol lowed In "Peache.s," a skit which he used two decades ago and from which time has seemingly -worn off considerable lustre of the comedy, It's the gag about an Inveterate fol- lower of ■ the ponies who promises his fiancee to quit gambling, only to welch when finding her dad Is fac- ing ruin, and goes for a 30-to-l shot to take the old g"nt out of the red by getting the winnings up with the latter's broker, s.nving (be bacon for all. Two men and girl appear In support. Joo Young and Co. followed and grabbed plenty of laughs with his hokurn l;iyout that runs to heavy burlesf|Uo, even to blackout, but gets af-ross. Billy Jjjjrague straights for Young in the blackout. Kleancjr Gib- son plants .a couple of vocals and dofs a mauling number with the undersized comic. Adele doe.s a coat- room girl and probably plants a dance as well, but not here. The burlesque Apac-he by Young and Sprague is still the laugh wallop of th act. O'Jjenishawn, Snow and Columbus clos'-d ami held them w;itli classy danff routines, well, ehoscn and giv- ing all of th'' trio ample opportimity to-projf'f't all manner of clever foot- work. The trio worked three eri- seriibles, spa'-ing with solos and with Miss O'Denishawn ;,"-(tl)i." l.i ' rf'turns from her ballet d.'i.# \ HarU-m dance a la "Lulu I!' I < vided a torrid getaway i\iui\'< • . ,'•. all three strutting their , sl iff to heavv reiiirn". '•'I-'rarned" rHadlo) fif-reen f'-.'iture IJdOn. (St. Vaude) Chicago, M.iy 3. Lojig bill oi>(>ned strong, settled somewh.it toward the center and closed nicely. It was a bill that on the 'wiiiile deserved better business than the house got. C)pening were the three Alexander Sisters, wlio delivered a clean, fast and smooth dancing turn. Blond girl manages some excellent tap ■ stuff, while the two brunettes stand out with the .-Vpaehe nvunber. Hoy Rogers slipped, up on his clowning, hut got his h:xnd on his nifty turn- . bling, especially a jump. landin.tr on the back of his neck without use t>f his hands, Arthur and Mtirti'U Havel, assisted by two girls and super, got a couple of laughs with their skit. Turn Is practically a two-act, with the boys grabbing off all the retiu-ns. Irene Franklin, holdover, got a re- ception and sold those short songs in which she specializes. Deserves credit for using short "Idea" songs, without padding.them. May Wirth has a circus act that needs four horses and seven i)erformers. Punch of act Is Miss Wlrth's bare- back riding. A couple of girls throw In a warble or two, Kdgar Bergen opened intermission . with some excellent ventriloquism. Material not especially clever, but Bergen's handling of the dummy and his side-play built the turn up great. Act trios to tell-a story; doc- tor and nurse finding sick newsboy on a bench in a park, taking the kid to the olllces, operate and every- thing is okay. Boy is hired as othc© boy with the nurse and doctor sweet on each other. Story doesn't Inter- fere with tho act's m<?rits. Henry Bergman and company, company being a band, two femmes, one of which Is the 11-year-old daughter, and supe, followed. Band Is oke and In the background the daughter boop-boop-adoops, and the other girl goes big with some acro- batic dancing. Scene Is prison, with everything clowned. Act wanders a bit, but makes the grade easily. Berman's semi-tear jerker at th« close rather a false note. Derlck.son and Brown have a class tenor and pianist turn. Piano solo rather long but oke, with Derickson^ mixing his warbling from hearV5»^' prayer stuff to pop tunes. Big. Four Haas Brothers held every- body with their pip perch work. IjOOp. JEFFERSON (Vaudfilm) A poor Idea of a neighboring bill, overweighted with talk which was seldom funny and light on low comedy. Even what there was by way of laugh effort was misdi- rected. JJew idea Is vaude seems to be to break Into a dance I'outlne any time things get slow and no- body is present who can sing. Danc- ing probably Is vital to a - well rounded show, but It doesn't make a whole bill. Talk nearly always slows up a specialty performance and one of those 100% dialog turns leaves a terrible hole. Talk here mostly hasn't a glimmer of an Idea behind It. Two particularly flagrant of- fenders were Ada Gordon In a sketch suffering from anemia of everything but gab, and Vic Oliver, who has a nice personality, can play the piano, but talked him.self out of the customers' good graces in 18 minutes. Joe Morris and Flo Campbell talked a good deal in next to clos- ing, but proved'the exception to the rule, thelr's being the only Inter- lude In tho six acts that indicated experienced troupers. Morris builds a real comedy character in the sketch'"Any Apartment" and he de- livers'his dry comedy lines with unction and aplomb. Miss Camp- bell Is a dandy foil and their assis- tant, Phil Silvers, manages a com- edy boy role with capital effect. This sketch proved Itself here, hold- ing down the next to closing spot In a dull hill and making It st;md out like a lighthouse. Rest of the bill was mostly fillers and on their showing picked on a price basis. Do the bookers see any of this material before they put it together? You wouldn't think bo from the blending of -some recent programs. Here's a six-act show with Its three principal spots over- loaded with talk, and the maln.stay of tho combination, a standard number, a talking sketch, sur- rounded with talk. The Morris and Campbell turn would have been vastly more valuable If It had come as a change of pace after solid specialty material. Instead It was hung right after another UikitJ^A sketch Involving two men and two women and built around a domestic situation of comedy import. Opener was Tip Top Tappers (New Act), straight dancing flash of seven people and a fast, bright, girly starter, CooiMT and O'rren, two ni'-n who have the ,'-:ub.stance for a si»"cl,ilty turn, but don't use It In showmanly manner. One of them. Is a lirt-t- r|;iss Imitator and the other is a 1 violinist of ability. Ni-itlK-r i« a i-om(-dian of any dlstlnctiim. Ac- "ordlnf y thf-y subordinate their i-eal specialty ability to a h.ng and unfunny altf-mpt at burlcsciuf a- I'o- bailc.«. No, 2 here which i.s the tCor.tinucd on page 54)