17 Mins.; One. Of the trio the tallest wears a plain suit, affects the mannerisms of a simpleton and in addition to singing alone and with the other boys does a bit of Russian legmania that is about the best of the act. One of the trio has a prop smile used overtime. The piano player, who also sings, has pert assurance that gives the wrong impression. The boy sings harmoniously and get plenty of applause.
22 Mins.; Three. “At Home” McConnell and Simpson, assisted by Laurence Simpson, have a new act, “At Home,” by H.H. Winslow. The action is supposed to occur in the McConnell and Simpson home at Kansas City. Living with them is Grant’s brother Laurence. The men return from a ball game, arguing, and the wife at home has a meal waiting. There’s talk of spending the evening out when the suggestion goes that a rehearsal of the new McConnell-Simpson act take place. In a jiffy the trio enacts a farcical little skit with Miss McConnell playing the role of an insane asylum superintendent, Grant Simpson, a lawyer, who makes real conditions at the institution, and Laurence Simpson, a Chicago drummer, who plays doctor, attendant and patients with the aid of wigs that the “lawyer” may be fooled on the supposed “filled up” business the place is doing. After the act Laurence refuses to reherse it a second time and rushes out, leaving his brother and wife quarreling over him. The ‘phone rings. Grant is informed that his brother has been killed by an auto. Here Grant breaks into tears and a transformation comes over his wife when she realizes the boy she has been berating is dead. It’s. a quick change and very well done. The new act gives Miss McConnell opportunity to use her old laugh mixed in with some hysterical tears, while there’s a mixture of comedy and pathos. The act was well received Monday night.
27 Mins.; Five. “The Sons of Abraham.” Joseph Hart presents Hugh Herbert in this sketch of old fashioned and modernized Hebrews, written by Geo. V. Hobart and Mr. Herbet That Mr. Herbert wrote and inserted most of the typical “Yiddish” lines and actions is as easily believed as it is seen that he wholly holds up the piece, in his character of retired merchant, who left his underwear business to two growing sons. In the father’s absence for three months, the boys, after having incorporated the business, become involved. The “old man” returns in time to save them from a receivership, by an immediate advance of $50,000 and a promised loan of $20,000 more. The sons (the parts are played by Thomas Everett and Arthur Thalasso) are modernized American Jew boys, sharply contrasted in appearance, ways and language with their orthodox Hebrew father and his lifetime companion, Speagle (Gustave Hartzheim). The sons are too loud, too noisy in fact, for their roles, but that may have been a matter of rehersal. The story is not overstrong, has no sympathetic strings, and is made blustery through the introduction of two “women” (Adelaide Folger and Carol Parson). These girls call on the sons at their place of business, today they have sent some goods C.O.D., I unless paid for on deliver, “everything is off” between the two couples. It is while the young women are at the office after the father returns. The presence of the young women begets horseplay that distorts such of the story as then exists, and the entire portion of the sketch that this section discloses could be removed, also removing at the same time the “women” from the piece. Suggestion regarding them would be as effective, if this phase must be dragged in. the elimination would reduce the running time and make the action swifter. The earlier part of the playlet drags. Mr. Herbert is doing a fine bit of playing as the father. Audience’s will like him, Hebrews among them, even if the latter will not particularly relish the act itself, as at present consisted. For one thing, it gives the wrong impression of the American born Hebrew. But as an act, Mr. Herbert will make good in it, and will make it good.
19 Mins.; Full Stage. Will prove a clever comedy sketch for small time providing it is cut down to the real meat in the idea. At present the turn is at last four minutes too long and consequently draggy in spots. Miss Iles is a clever little girl who does nicely with the material she has. Her support is not a strong as it should be. The man is clever enough, but the woman settlement worker is not. The act while a comedy has pathos well turned to laugh at the finish. When in shape, good for small time.
17 Mins.; One. Another “audience” act. Two men; the straight coming on and apologizing for the absence of his partner. The comedian coming from the audience, asks for his money back because he got in on a pass which he could have sold had he not come to the show. The straight invites him to the stage and after a little talk the two got into numbers. They got quite a number of laughs from the Sunday crowd and seem to be a nice little comedy turn for small time.
Full Stage (17); One (4). “Pick” – Act. 21 Mins. Act will not do in present shape. Bradly put together and entirely too talky. Robinson Brooks does a female impersonation of a “wrench” and “bawls out” her “husband” throughout the turn. Four picks try for singing and dancing. They are very bad in the former department and do not pull anything unusual in the latter.
: 23 Mins.; Full Stage. Prodigies of the midget or lilliputation size are no longer a novelty on the American vaudeville stage. Singers Midgets, a recent importation from war-bound Europe, make their play for popularity on the strength of their numbers and their versatility of the little people. The midgets combine a mixture of variety, the act making the best impression with its concerted vocal efforts at the closing on the “Tipperary” number led by two of the company. This “Tipperary” song is put over in typical musical comedy style and is a valuable asset to the entire act. One midget is a miniature Sandow and makes some wonderful lifts for his proportions. One of the older little men puts two elephants through an interesting routine. A woman does pony riding which availed little. Nine of the midgets offered acrobatics, one showing more agility than the rest. Pyramids were in the majority. After a song-violin obbligato number by the man-woman “team,” the finish came with the song. There are 17 in the company. The program says 40. The remainder may have been too small to be seen.
14 Mins.; One. A little girl who is offering a kid characterization that will fit in nicely on any small time bill. Miss Andrews is a small blonde person, looking exceedingly well in the little pink kiddy dress. She opens with a kid song that gets over nicely and follows this with a number of kid stories. Some are rather old, especially the one that ends with “Come in I tooked it off now,” but the way she tells them gives the little yarns a new sort of atmosphere and they bring laughs. She closed with another song that earned her three bows.
25 Mins.; Full Stage. This act seems to have hastily been thrown together without apparent rhyme or reason being evolved when the finished product has been turned out. It is an excuse for a small time team to appear in numbers with three girls and three boys working as a chorus behind them. The chorus is one of the bad features. They cannot sing nor dance, and as that seems to be the reason for the act, why the less said the better. The act is prettily costumed.
17 Mins.; Full Stage. A little dramatic offering that seemed to get past the audience despite the principal male character persisted in acting all over the stage. Two men and a woman in the sketch. One of the men is the district attorney, the other his secretary, and the woman is the former’s estranged wife. A man about-town has been murdered in his studio apartment by a woman and the police have a suspect in custody. The D.A. is confident she committed the crime. The wife enters and pleads for the woman, stating she is certain of her innocence and finally makes a confession that she is the one who killed the “rounder” After he lured her to his apartment and insulted her. The D.A. orders the police to free the woman they have been holding and he and the wife sit down for a long talk at the drop of the curtain. The act has possibilities but the present company does not make the most of them.
