Variety (Jun 1930)

Wednesday, June 4, 1930 NEW ACTS-REVIEWS VARIETY 59 HIPPODROME (Vaudfilm) Hipp eocB industrial in a modest «ay this week, with a demonstra- tion o£ a mechanical ice box made tv General Electric by a personable blond eirl. Display Is inside the lobby, but you wouldn't put it down to entertainment exactly. Show- manship is mostly the appearance of the blonde. Big business goes after the advertising thing cautious- ly No attention is called to the ice box, but there it Is, If you're interested. Bill Is typically Hippodrome, Strong on dancing and with good comedy punch. Otherwise nothing of special moment. Comedy is vig- orous and effective in a heavy handed way, but they laughed at it continuously and hard, once the clowning got to going. Opens with M. Marinoff's Canines, trained dog turn of obvious foreign origin and a couple of extremely good ideas. One is the opening with the back of the stage occupied by a. miniature marionette theatre and the dogs working in simple leaping feats to the cueing of pup- pet figures worked in the regular string way from above. Stage then goes to about "two" and the dogs act out a comedy episode of the lover, the angry husband and the faithless wife, bow-wows playing without visible trainer. At this performance something went wrong" and there were delays, but the. idea got across for laughs despite its roughness. Helena Jusla and Charlie, colored mixed pair of singers and dancers, a 'Jet down in No. 2 principally be- cause they have no comedy of mo- ment. Woman is a good blues singer with a robust voicfe for such numbers-as "Man From the South," but there seems to be no special reason why she should do a male impersonation, even for an imita- tion of Bill Robinsoq's stair tap routine which is featured. Dave Harris arid Co. took charge for no less than half an hour, which is plenty of time for the act. Much of the time is now taken up in putting forward Dave, Jr., nice looking youngster who can dance more than a little and has an agree- able light voice. Usual family style of comedy exchange, not particu- larly strong here. Act has plenty oT variety and good specialty with the tap dancing of Ethel Ray and the rag doll specialty of Polly and Pam, but it Isn't designed to stretch out for half an hour, which Is the usual unit duration. Grotesque comedian and Harris* own "one- man band" specialty is the real substance of the turn^ Act has strong low comedy and specialty stuIT, but stretching dilutes the punch. ' Seems to be no special use for the comedy magic which might have been dropped here, since an- other turn alter on used the same idea. Two Daveys spotted in No. 4, which is pretty heavjr assignment for a talking turn irt this huge house. Nevertheless the ad lib joshing of the man put it over for strong laughing returns. Plenty of smart talk here, such as man's fre- quent reference to "too many for- eigners In the audience," point of which his accent makes it perfectly apparent he Is an Englishman. Naughton and Gold took charge at this Juncture, falling into a great spot with their knockabout clown- ing. Situation called for strongest kind of low comedy and this trio with their fast and violent hokum filled the bill. They're all over the stage at once In acrobatic rough- house following the audience intro- duction and they achieved the com- edy climax of the performance, par- ticularly with their finishing ab- surdity of making a board and two wooden "horses" fit Into a painter's platform. Libby Dancers a capital light flash for the finish with a background of six nice looking and fast working Kirls dressing the stage for the dis- play of a man and woman adagio PJiir. Girls appear in the costumes of the various sports like tennis, polo and football, accomplishing in- neperolent dance routines In Inter- <'sting style with the adagio bits of the two principals giving the turn pace and variety. Girl principal ^oes some nice toe work as ipci- oental to her .opeo.ialty. Turn ha? particularly nice appearance. The costumint?, although not expensive or elaborate, sets off the trim danc- ing girls. It's no Roxy ensemble, ""t It is a showmanly arrangement of nice material. "Arizona Kid" fFox) feature. Rush, ; ACADEMY ^ (Vaudfilm) y"other three-hour show for first ^aif with plenty of diver.sity and nash. Plenty of clickers, too, but a oit shy on laughs. Biggest roar Saturday afternoon T^Til U'® unprogramed back fiip of Britton when chair keeled off Platform in Britton's band act, he eolng with It. Molly Picon, pride of the East bide toplines. No. 4 on a oix-act o'li. It's her first appearance out- side of the Yiddish theatres in this 11, '^^^es withput saying she's ine big draw, R-K-O had Molly for several weeks and seemingly over- looked a good bet by not spotting the Yiddish comedienne at the Jef- ferson. Miss Picon copped the show Saturday afternoon. Paula and Al Blum opened with posing and gymnastics of the haijipl- to-hand variety,.: registering on finesse of handling rather than newness of routine. Audrey Wyckoff, diminutive and dynamic dancer, followed with an- other one of those family acts. After spotting a nifty jazz on toes, Miss TVyckoff introduced her "dad" and then her "^granddad." Trio got over on the hoofing and the family gag didn't hurt any as an applause getter. That grandfather angle is a darb. Milt Britton and Brown Derby Band followed and whopped up with hot tunes. Nine boys and versatile with warblers and hoofers. Britton handles trombone and m. c.'s for the numbers. Swell looking girl dancer smacks across an acrobatic con- tortion dance for tops. After a routine of pops the boys, wigged and costumed to represent music mas- ters of yesteryear, do a medley of classics for a coi'kiiig finish. Anger and Fair, mixed team with man doing eccentric comedy, got the first crack at laughs. Lingo the usual flirtation stuff. At tag the big chap goes pansy and more howls for the comic. Not new but had value here. Then Miss Picon, with male ac- companist for her character songs, mostly comedy numbers, and a great reception. Fanchon & Marco's "Hot Domi- noes" (New Acts) another of the F. & M.'s production Ideas, copped for class in closer. "Man from Blankley's" (WB) on screen. Edba. Kennedy Pathe Holdings (Continued from page 4) each. It Is mostly held by bankers, with Pathe, itself, reported having some of it. It's an 8% stock with a provision if Pathe passes divi- dends for eight successive quarters, the preferred stock is entitled to elect the majority (eight) of the Pathe board at its meeting follow- ing the eighth default. Pathe recently defaulted for the eighth time, with each quarter call- ing for a 2% dividend. It reached a total for the two years of $128,000 in Interest for the $800,000 of this particular preferred issue. Suspect "Steerer" With the committee advertising and issuing statements, and Joseph P. Kennedy in Virginia at the time, it was suspected that there was a "steerer" behind the movement. Va- rious conjectures connected East- man, A. C. Blumenthal and H. J. Yates of the Con. Laboratories. The Eastman association was named as possible through Pathe's 49% held in Dupont-Pathe raw film stock- makers, with that 49% reported vlr- tuall/ control through the widely scattered Dupont-Pathe stockhold- ers over the map. Consolidated is reported a large buyer of Eastman and is also said to have carried large accounts from some Indlc picture producers. Jules Broulatour is reported friendly with Yates. Again It was suspicioned that a major distributor might have been after Pathe, through the connection of Dick Rowland with the commit- tee. Rowland had been selected as chairman, it was reported, because he was a film man, having been with First National for years. Important Law Firm The names of Root, Root, Clark, Buckner & Ballantine as counsel to the stockholders' committee gave It more strength than anything else in connection. Another name on the committee was that of Water- man, Bonn & Co., New York .Stock Exchange members. The Stock Exchange firm is said to have sold some of its customers Pathe preferred, and these cus- tomers complained to the firm when the eighth payment had been passed. It was then that Rowland was called in, from one account, but this story did not find credence. Kennedy, In Virginia, with Elisha Walker, when informed of the agi- tating committee, is said to have conferred with the stockholders from whom he had secured proxies. Verifying none had been revoked, he finished his vacation at Hot Sulphur Spring-s,' returning Mon- day (2) to New York. Placed Rowland Warners and Conpolidatod chave been' frequently jnentionod as clo.sely related. • Through Setay, the banking houpe of which Yatos is also president, and H. M. Warner, plus all of his employees, is the biggest stockholder, the movement for the po.sitionlng of Richard Row- land in Pathe was rumored as pos- sible. The latest holding of Setay, the Liberty National Bank and TrvFt Company, Is credited by War- Sally O'NEIL and Molly O'DAY (3) Talk and Singing 12 Mins., one and full (Special) 86th St. (V-P). This turn will have to draw en- tirely on the strength of the O'Neil- O'Day names and please, if it does, on that score, also. Outside of the names of the former film stars, there isn't much of an act here. What there Is has been badly and hastily slapped together. : Plays as clumsily as it looks, with little chance in a house like the 86th Street, or any other of ecoring right. The two sisters come from pic- tures, with pictures nearly having passed them by since sound came in. Neither is a:n important name for vaude nor with the pull at the b. o. that some fiicker satellites have recently evidenced. It is understood to be an R-K-O office act, booked on the coast. Of the twam, Sally O'Neil has been more in the public eye lately through picture work, the trailer opening the sisters' act- indicating th;it, while for Molly O'Day, she is taken back to "The Patent Leather Kid" (FN); Trailer announces the girls recently completed "Sisters," soon to be released. Miss O'Day was declared out of pictures for a time, due to some excess weight. She shows little of that now in vaude, but exhibits considerable un easiness on the stage. Miss O'Neil being much more at home in front of an audience. A Juve who fails to make any thing of an impression announces the sisters and introduces them, bringing out Miss O'Neil first. He Jays on the encomiums pretty thick. Whether exaggerating or not, this p. a. stuff is badly overdone.. Miss O'Neil tells all about how she came to go Into pictures, with the audience at the Saturday matinee finding little of apparent interest in this and the time it re- quired. She mentioned M-G-M, Louis B. Mayer, Marshall Neilan, et al. When through. Miss O'Day came on. She starts to tell also about herself and start in flickers. For a moment, obviously to inject a little novelty, the sisters commenced to disagree. If an attempt at comedy, result feeble., A special song double takes the sister twain off. Their voices are weak and harmony poor. What the O'Neil-O'Day combina- tion needs, if expecting to go further in vaude and get anywhere in it, is someone to. put together an act for them. They might make an im- pression if able to unearth a few laughs. Appeared next to closing here and received discouragingly. Chur. FRANCES WILLIAMS (5) Songs, Dances 23 Mins.; Full Stage Palace (St. V.) Frances Williams was last listed under new acts five yi'drs ago, at that tiUle.^^Iill strictly a vauile per- sonality and having a short lime pveviou.sly parted from Vanessi. iSince then Miss Williams has be- come 0)10 of Broadway's favorite blondes ilirnugh her work in "Scan-, dais"' and the class night places. Added to Miss Williams' billing at the I'alace this week is a brief en- gagement in 'international Kovue." In addition to her own turn she is doing a seven-minute afterpiece with another act on the bill, Jans and AVhalen, also from the Leslie show. The nunjber they-do. is an- nounced as from the revue. As Palace acts go—for the Pal- ace—Miss AVilliams is o. k. The Palace is on Broadway and she's a current Broadway pop. Also, Miss Williams' singing style is Broadwnyish and the wriggly dance she closes with fairly, discreet but not exactly built along neigliborhood lines. Miss Williams sings in machine gun style, using three or four num- bers each tinie on and never stall- ing or waiting. The closing and po.Utely handled Oriental dance is an Indian number from Leslie's production, with Miss Williams in abbreviated costume. Jack Holland and June Knight's ballroom numbers are blended into Miss Williams' solo work, the team doing a waltz and a tango. They are a good looking and graceful pair. Third and fourth members of the act are Leo Feiner and Har old Arlen at the twin pianos. Miss Williams is a comely girl who can wear clothes, and wears 'em. Her black gown as a starter and blue one as follow-up, before the shorts, are sights for the women, with Miss Williams also a treat for the masculine eye. All of that plus her singing and the suggestion of class pervading the entire effort, puts Miss Williams away as a Palace act par excel- lence and maybe for elsewhere, that maybe depending a lot on the act's asking and the booker's bidding Ideas. Bige. D'ANSELMI Ventrioloquist 15 Mins.; One and Audience Empire, Paris Apologizing for his French, this Spanish ventriloquist, of nice ap- pearance, could probably get away with it Just as linguistically In Eng- lish; probably easier. Has naive manner of apologizing for his language, but has an act which Is more. His stuff Is just a bit different. His doll rolls his eyes a bit more realistically than the average dummy and his stuff, espe- cially the trick einging, quite okay. Does freak stuff with a French phone receiver, coming Into the audience under a quadruple spot where all can watch his lips, and apparently doesn't move 'em for a double-voice phone conversation and self-duet. With the dummy he also works on the runway right down to the front-row customers, and altogether did well. If his English as good as his ob- viously accented French, he'll do okay. AieJ. TOM-TIM (3) Aerial 10 Mins.; Three Empire, Paris Okay international aerial act, chiefly on flying rings, but forming human trapeze formation.? through prodigious strength of the heaviest trio member's fulcrum positions. One Is a personality guy and gives 'em the molars just a little too much. He does the aerial lift stuff. Triple formations On the flying rings look fla.shy. Act works too stolidly and too laboriously. Could speed up and smooth down to better general ad- vantage, and then be acceptable anywheres. A1>cl. nerites with playing the "straight role" in the placement of Rowland. The former report ,of R-K-O In a deal with Pathe has not entirely died away, with other deals in pros- pect, it is said. The annual meeting Monday Is expected to clear tho path for any deal Kennedy may proceed with. While announcing his rf.-tirement from the direction of Pathe, Kennedy remains chairman of the board. J. J. Murdock Is ostensibly the president, though it is reported Murdock placed his resign-ation of that office with the Pathe board some time ago, without It being acted upon. STARLIGHT REVUE (5) Revue 12 Mins.; Full (Special) 86th St. (V-P) Punch of this song and dance re- vue ,a lightweight, lies mainly and only in the acrobatic singles of one of the males, a JUve and unbilled, as are the others in the company of five. Might do in smaller neighbot- hood vaudfilms, - but short on strength. Youth doing acrobatic numbers Includes splits and back-kicks with womanlike suppleness. He works with smoothness and gets individ- ual applause, entirely rating it. Does numbers near opening and at the clo.se. Mixed dance team, soprano and a pianist, are the other four. The work of none impresses, although calculated to pass where audiences are not too demanding. Soprano does a Chinese number and colo- ratura solo, the team several varied routines, best of which Is a double with an Apache touch. Outside of the acrobatic dancer, nothing in the act is more than mildly entertain- ing. Opened show here and over lightly. Act carries a neat set in full stage. Co.stuming is attractive and man- ner in which routine is laid out o. k. Char. RADAELLl (1) Songs, Piano 22 Mins.; Two Palace (St. V.) RndaelU is a tenor fron\ Milan, Italy, via Leslie's "Internationiil Re- vue,'' in which the singer was placed after the show started off. Kadaclli didn't .save^t, but was credited witli doing the rovuc much good. Ho it* all voice and nothing else, but that voice Is enough. No personality or appearance, ju.st a voice. Such an exquisite voice that tho handicaps don't seem to n)atter after the first flash. At the Palace Saturday matinee Radaclll was decked out In one of those square-cut tuxedos of a style that expired before the war—Spanish war—and his appearance was at a disadvantage due to a poor example of makeup. 'No matter how they present Radaelll, he'll not be a graceful leading man, for lie's far from that type, but smart dressing and a makeup that'll be kind to lii.s face would be helpful. RadaelU was as nervous as an amateur the first show, looked as though about to blow up during the first and second numbers, and In the first song muffed his lines. He covered as well as he could and made them forget it with a groat singing finish. On the high notes also the nervousness showed itself. Radaelli's pipes are powerful and true, and he can. sing "PagliaccI" for all it's worth. Three songs by RadaelU, all in Italian. Were he to try a pop in that voice of his, the chances are that he'd be a lot stronger for vaude. Radaelll is no Caruso, but he looks like the nearest vaude Is likely to get to Metropolitan stars and re- main within the budget. Eris Zardo at piano. BIge. MADDOX and CLARK Talk 9 Mint.; One Jefferson (V-P) Short and snappy little turn which shouldn't find It Tiard getting by anywher^. Line of chatter is especially suited for the neighbor- hoods. Two girls, one tall in an evening gown and acting the swanky dame; the other short, garbed In street wear and plays the part cf a Bow- ery femme. Cros.sfire Is about the small girl's antics at a party, with the swanky femme attempting to teach her better. Patter is fast and contains many .a good gag, some of which aero- planed o'er the heads of audience. Among these was the crack of the smaller girl as the taller bawled her out for bad manners. Wind up with hoke horseplay for strong laughing climax. DENO and ROCHELLE (2) Dances 16 Mins.; Full Stage Palace (St. V:) Newest Item In the new Deno and Rochelle dance act Is a creation they call the "Racketeer Dance."' In and out of vaude for some time, Deno and Rochelle have been noted for their class and their Apache. The "Racketeer Dance" Is another ver- sion of the same apache, but the team dramatize the title in dress, so to speak. Being the Apache, It's Just as good-In the dance way, and better in that Deno and Rochelle have stepped ahead by modernizing an old one. Peach dance turn. Waltz opener, knockabout eccen- tric and the apache arc the three numbers. Helen Manning does the pacing with solo songs an! dances and an Introductory lyric at the start. Pianist is not billed, niffe. TRAJAN DE ST.-INES Musical and Quick-Sketch 15 Mins.; One Empire, Paris Curious admixture of musical and painting act, all mfdlocre but okay open'-r. Being dumb, can play any- where. Trajan do .''t.-Tnes ftough" billing) rfdfliy attired in dinner .jacket, white spats .and artistic Windsor tie. Opens "Pong of India" as flute solo, very mild. Pianologs a hit In- cluding a guitar's Imitation on the piano which he think.s is a guitar imitation; could be cut to advan- tage. Then a land.scape painting, not bad, but takes too long. Four flute freak finiph. So-BO opener. Ahft. LINGA SINGH (5) Magic 17 Mins.; Three Empire, Paris Hindu magician with some differ- ent cabinet Illusions. All of the same cabinet Idea with the deceiv- ing pitch-black cloth background, but neatly done, with beaucoup flashy trimmings such as flame, gals, etc. A catelepsy trick, of the old levl- tatiori, done differently, ,on three swords with finally only one eword'a point apparently sustaining the gal's head as she is rigidly sus- pended In mid-air, with seemingly nothing sustaining' her at mid- centre or at her extremities Is a flash. ' Llnga Singh looks like a McCoy Hindu and not of the Harlem vin- tage. His femme assistants are Caucasians and nice looking. Oke anywhere. AtcJ. RICH and ADAIR Talk 12 Mins.; One Jefferson (V-P) Mixed couple, with the man play- hg the part of an old hick totter-" Ing around with the support of a cane. Girl, comely blonde, 1« the foil for the old man's punch lines. Strictly for the neighborhoods. Crossfire is of the familiar va- riety. Comedy arises from the girl teasing the old boy about his age and its relationship to "wlmmen," With the old boy getting all steamed up and coming back with a few funny cracks. , For finish, girl goes to abbre- vi.ited garb, sings and makes a stab at dancing. Old boy goes Into a little shurtling. Oke deuccr. EAST and DUMKE Songs, Hokum (Piano) 18 Mins.; One State-Lake (V-F), Chicago Ed East and Ralph Dumke, two radio names over WGN, (Chicago, have a new act thoroughly big time. East is the pianist and tenor. Both are big fellows who carry stage presence. They learned to sell their material with a small- time act routed In tho middle west. Art at present leans heavily to hokum, which, after a straight song .■itart, verges Into petty arguments, knockabout, a ventrlloquial moment and heavy falls. Dumk* handles tho comedy songs with an "old gang" satire and a .surefire recitation. These two would have a standard aot If they had a straight harmony number or two in addition to the opening and closing one. Loop,