Sam Lee, in Chinese makeup and costume, with a special drop in “one,” plays several popular numbers on a shepherd horn, then plays a novel one-string fiddle and closes, playing a few patriotic numbers on a small xylophone, walking off to almost nothing.
Rose Sheldon and Brother started it with some nifty hand-to-hand and head-to-head balancing, with a little loop and bail juggling intermixed while accomplishing the stunts, all of these getting solid hands. The man wears a sport suit and the woman wears a dainty blue costume, and they work together with ease, setting this turn out as an opener for the two-a-day.
Little Lord Roberts, with the assistance of a man in Santa Claus garb and a special setting, sang five songs, most of these being parodies of popular numbers, with a short dance following each of these and a change for every song. He copped the applause honors, but not on his merit as of old.
Maurice Samuels, a comedy skit with two men and a girl, Samuels doing Wop character, opens in full with a set of the inside of a flower store, later going to “ons” for a few minutes to talk, and then returning to full stage, having several heartthrobs throughout the playlet, makes four very pretty changes in costume. They were heavily bombarded with applause.
Nora Allen and Company, her company a short, chubby man at the piano, not even getting a chance to show himself up, just pleased. She has a voice worth listening to, but sings four selection not of her style, and could do much better with numbers that are of her {bra?}; however, she closed singing “The Love Nest,” taking her off successfully.
Rice and Elmer, both in comedy make-up, monkeyed around on triple bars and a trampoline, sometimes getting a laugh in their routine, but depending altogether on an exceptional comedy finish, each man getting into the other man’s arms to do a semi tumble, each man taking his turn to be on his legs, while the other man’s feet were up in the air.
Frank Dobson closed with his sirens, taking the legitimate hit of the bill with ease, heading a flashy ensemble punctuated by speed and the sort of laugh that tasted like duck soup to the bargain hunters.
Lyons and Yosco found the time of day, the sort of day, and whatever other individual elements were on tap, to be just what they wanted. These cagey showmen belted it over for deep laugh and stout handclaps.
Toney Grey and Co. presented a crude form of the old minstrel afterpiece. “Dr. Bones,” woefully overacted. The girl proved weak and, though there were laughs on hoakum, even this hoak-craving audience didn’t enthuse.
It is a skatey thing for comedy, one of them playing a student skater. There were good falls and laughs, The finish was a whizz, there being a pirouette on skates that drew an ovation. Nora Norine, second. Nora is a local favorite, with a fine Irish thrush voice. She trilled through a routine of new and fresh sounding songs, assisted by a pianist (Rex Moore) and hit hard with an Oriental number, Her close, a character gem, came as an encore that whistled past all that had come before, taking her off happy and hitful.
