Regulation posing turn. Nihla, well formed young woman wearing pink silk union suit, stands on pedestal in front of white screen, while male assistant in balcony focuses series of colored slides on her with stereopticon. Slides elude usual flower or, butterfly, winter landscape effects and reproductions of well known paintings, with couple of “kind applause” patriotic subjects for finish.
Two male and two girl singers with cultivated voices; costumed in Arabian attire. The repertoire consists of an ensemble, classical opening, disclosing good harmony, followed by one of the girls soloing “Old Virginia,” another ensemble and an encore.
“The Prodigal Father.” 1
23d St.
Lew is a member of the Welch family and also a Hebrew character comedian. For vaudeville he has a three-people sketch built on a far-fetched theme. The curtain rises on a lawyer’s office with a mother reading about father’s exploits with chorus girls after her son, a lawyer, had secured a divorce for her. She decides she wants him back, but the son opposes. Welch enters and mother hides in an adjoining room. He too, is ready to make up, and the comedy is derived from his dialog with his son, who adopts a superior air. The well beaten trails are adhered to with Welch getting laughs from some Indifferent material by his handling of the dialog and character.
12 Mins. One (Special Drop).
Ning Toy is a youth. He may be Chinese but he stands a better chance of being Italian. Ning opened with “Down in Chinatown” sung in a wee voice that failed to draw returns. He played a steel-string guitar in Hawaiian style and followed that with “So long, Oolong,” kneeling for the song. The enunciation was minus dialect, the first tip-off Ning was not all he seemed. That less excused his “easy of pace came with the final number. Ning making a rhymed announcement of J. K. Emmett’s favorite “Sleep, Baby, Sleep.” He yodeled the chorus, a surprise over his preceding vocal exhibition. This number was the best. Ning was out with more Chink talk, removed the wig, which didn’t fool any one, and explained the chatter meant he was a boy in Chinese.
14 Mins.; One.
The Princess is introduced in the usual “pitch” by an assistant. Both are garbed in Hindu or Indian attire. She is seated upon the stage while he works through the house, using a telephone like contrivance to get questions from people seated at a distance from him. The answers are usual stock remits, and come in quick succession to the male’s verbal requests which (——) ‘ cueing. If this is the method it is cleverly handled. No coin reading or describing articles in the routine.
‘Serving Two Masters”
18 Mins.; Full Stage (Special)
“Serving Two Masters,” written by Ben Barnett is a mystery melodrama, with a suggestion of travesty here and there, but in the main played m a serious dramatic vein. The east holds three characters. Bernard Thornton, who presents the playlet, playing the leading role, that of a young stock broker, Arthur B. BdwardS doing a heavy and Marguerite St. Clair, a “vamp.” It is constructed on the “cut- back” principle. The entire action takes place on a dark stage, the facet and at time the whole persons of the characters being illumined by spotlighting ranging from a “baby” to one of the regulation diameter. These are operated from the wide and front and lend an effective touch, which emphasizes the air of mystery which is the keynote of the piece. The opening is in total darkness, a shot breaking the stillness and followed a second later by a man’s voice phoning to the police someone has been killed. Mr. Thornton is seen at the phone explaining he will give the police a detailed account of the killing.
An announcer steps out into “one” and informs the audience he has discovered a pair of phantom hands capable of playing anything requested on the piano. He displays a pair of false hands while delivering the explanatory lecture. The stage la set with a satin drop, having an opening in the middle. This is backed in two by black curtains, grand piano being visible. On each side of the opening in the drop there is a row of red, white and blur lights. This gives a sort of mystic effect, making the interior which holds the piano appear shrouded in darkness. Announcer then places the pair of false hands on keyboard of piano… Going down into the orchestra, the announcer then calls for request numbers. This part of the turn is unusual,’ the announcer is no visible or audible transmitting signals to the player, who played some 40 or 50 pieces asked for, ranging from the classics to pop songs of the day without a miss.
“Miss Prohibition” (skit).
The girl does a toe dance, garbed in the period of 1847. Neville also appearing in 47 costume, after the fashion of the Johnny Walker ads that graced the billboards a few years ago. A sign reading Johnny Walker and talk relating to that personage gave the impression the couple were boosting the vintage.
16 Mins.
Two men, both black face, one tall, the other short, in comedy talk and songs. Shorter man, who does comedy, offers funny wench impersonation, changing to that character from male garb, while straight sings Irish ballad, the latter delivering sis stuff likably. Double for closing Comedian has acid proof negro dialect, gets laughs without forcing matters, and straight owns excellent tenor voice. Entertaining double with average line of material, which they better by competent handling.
16 Mins.; One.
Man and woman, man doing English “fop” type, and woman straight, with an occasional fling at the comedy end. A Scotch terrier carried on by man is productive of a bunch of laughs at the opening. The talk has the man misunderstanding woman’s American slang expressions, as per the usual “silly ass” routine. Double song in which woman endeavors to give man jazz dancing lesson and comedy double for finish. The talk is bright and very well handled by both, the material holding little that is familiar aside from the misunderstanding of the American idioms.
