Location:
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Type:
Singing.
The slangy term of one person saying, when another seems wrong in his stage work, "Go into your dance," has been worked out by Bud Grey into a laughing bit. During the middle of
this turn, Mr. Grey announces he wilt recite "Dam McGrew" Starting with the orchestra at the correct pitch and time, the musicians swing into fast dance music, with Grey starting to dance after abruptly stopping the recitation. He then dances around the apron and as the music stops he is at the left entrance. Making a slip, he stands up, extends his hand to the audience and says, "How's that,'' but is yanked behind the drop by a stage hand hardly before it is uttered. The comedy of this business is so good that Mr. Grey should work it out into the main bit of the turn other than the cycling. He might seriously resume the recitation after dancing, with such other comedy bits as may be contrived, doing it among the first things attempted in "one" and with no suggestion of comedy before starting. Mr. Grey was formerly of Grey and Peters. His present assistant is a girl, who seems through an effort, probably made at home, to perfect her enunciation, to have left several flat song notes in
her vocal register that jars her singing. If she would try singing with more naturalness and smoothness it might show a considerable difference. Mr. Grey also sings, in discords and
at high pitch and when the lights are turned out on him, he lights a match,
holding it over his head until finishing. His comedy bit on the wheel is an imitation of a Jewish cyclist, with legs wide apart and a shifting movement on the seat to the same music Ben Bernie did his Yiddish singing bit of "Over There." The Grey Yiddish riding brings a laugh. The feature straight trick on the wheel is the three-time fly around. The turn fits in nicely on small time. If Mr. Grey doesn't make big time with it it will be because the comedy ideas as suggested in the turn are not his own. Anyone who can work out a couple of bits in the act as he has, has enough comedy in his make up to get on the big time.
Source:
Variety, 54:1 (02/28/1919)