Frisco and Loretta McDermott

Frisco came home. This is Frisco's home, even though he did name himself after an opposition town (which he never saw). When Frisco left home be was a sawdust-floor cabaret hoofer out of a Job, Our prodigal son breezed back a headliner, at our most aristocratic vaudeville theatre. With him came Loretta McDermott, likewise a native. She used to be a popular model about the studios, The house was packed, due partly to Frisco and Loretta, undoubtedly. The reception was more noisy than solid, featuring vocal explosions from some roughneck admirers, a class of citizens seldom entertained at the Majestic. Throughout the act there was vociferous laughter from scattered individuals. Only at the finish was there any concerted demonstration, the hand being only fair even when Frisco did his Jazz dance, a product familiarized here by years of inter-table work. Prosperity has improved Frisco. Working still in his own rude way, he has become artistic in exploiting his apache nonchalance. Loretta helps him by feeding that strain as no one short of Frances White has even done before. She la a flower of chic and charm against the proletarian exterior of her crass partner, and gives to the turn that spring of gentility and refinement which it so lamentably needs. Even admitting Frisco's supremacy at his own vulgarisms, his unique talents end personality cannot quite entirely excuse the grossness of It. As a dancer he is apt and characteristic of the good-natured phases of American dive society. A lot of humor would help to take the smear off it, but Frisco's humor, famous off the stage, is flat in view of the audience. He carries a Jazz band, also Chicagoese of origin, and the whole product must be taken here as a local crop, and Chicago had better not be too critical of its own. The act stopped the show and Frisco took some of his own kind of bows. His bows are the best moments in the act. Frisco will draw all week the class of audiences that prize fighters and ball players pull in. New York ate this fellow up. Chicago never took him seriously, never starred him, let him live from hand to mouth for years. New York cannot bowl Chicago over with him as a discovery; Chicago wants another look, though, to see what it was Chicago so long overlooked and New York so avidly snapped up. All that showed at the Majestic to answer this look was Miss McDermott, the only new element he has added. It helps, too.

Variety, 54:6 (04/04/1919)