Bigelow and Clinton, a two-man singing turn, registered strongly in the deuce spot with a good song cycle. A Chinese double with the pianist handling comedy Chinese Reponses scored strongly. A few lines pulled in Yiddish almost broke up the number.
“Extra Dry” was next, while Grace Nelson with her single singing turn was No. 4. Her first group of numbers went along nicely enough without any tumultuous response from the audience, but “Eli, Eli” at the end brought a storm of applause from the Seventh avenue clientele. Miss Nelson gets some striking effects with her vocal fire works, although her operatic number was pretty heavy stud.
They continued to walk out on so excellent an act as Fred LaFrance and Joe Kennedy’s new vehicle. “The Patty of the Second Part,” as funny a blackface duo as any of them. The situation of a “wise coon” fight promoter explaining the complications of a fight contract to a bonehead ducky pug has endless possibilities and they make the most of it. The exchange of talk about signing of the “black hope” with a wild man from Michigan who has only knocked out a dozen topnotchers “always by accident” and the stupid reluctance of the lazy coon is screaming comedy. But the audience had been killed off.
William B. Friedlander’s “Extra Dry” has all that an entertaining half hour could be expected to deliver in lively numbers, tuneful score and engaging stage pictures and, having the first try at the thirty-minute style of number entertained thoroughly. The piece moves swiftly with its catchy lyrics and capital dances, but it could be made to set a good deal faster pace if the dialog were cut sternly down to a minimum. Such numbers as the “Scandal,” song need no leading up to. The talk and “bit” between the school mistress and the bellboy was funny, but the rest of the lines could be scrapped and the numbers and dance could stand on their merits. They have “Production class.” The “plot” of the piece rather cheapens them than sets them off.
Wilton Sisters, opening after intermission, did their regulation varied turn, the raggy violin and piano stuff putting the girl over solidly. One of the sisters has developed into a first rate comedienne, delivering a comedy speech that held up the show.
Frank Matthews and Ada Ayres, fourth, were a laugh from start to finish with their “Hard Boiled” skit, by George Ryan. The author has collected all of the known “Stingy man” gags and interpolated them, but they’re all so well handled by Matthews and Ayers, the old ones land just as strong as the newer ones.
The LeGrohs, second, one of the classiest of the acrobatic acts in vaudeville, caught up the running and surprised the regulars with the smoothness of their ground tumbling routine. With the LeGrohs it isn’t what they do, it’s how they do it, the real test of showmanship.
Rudinoff, opening, caught a nicely settled house and entertained pleasantly with sketching, shadowgraphing and whistling. Rudinoff does all the familiar shadow stuff, such as “the serenade,” “man smoking,” etc. They ate ‘em all up as if they had never seen ‘em before. Whistling with handkerchief in his mouth, which recalled Marshall Montgomery, sent Rudinoff off to unusual applause for an opening turn.
“The Old Hag” 18 Mins.; Full Stage. Occasionally, in consistently patronizing the big time vaudeville theatres, one collides with a comedy sketch that qualifies for the novelty classification either because of a new idea in construction or the originality and build of its theme, although such cases are decided rare in a season. In Emmett Devoy’s “The old Hag” it might be early recorded that Devoy has taken excellent advantage of all the possibilities and completed a sketch that will eventually number him among vaudeville’s six best sellers of the current season. “The Old Hag” is a little domestic story, full of interest from start to close, with an abundance of good, up-to-date comedy and a corking finish. The scene is the home of a young couple, married but a year. The inevitable petty quarrels helped along with two ungovernable tempers are making things unhappy. The husband (Arthur Bell) blames everything on his wife’s mother (Maude Durand) and the wife (Ann Ptttwood) blames her mother-in-law for the state of affairs. Mr. Devoy is the family friend. With a little diplomacy he adjusts the differences. The girl’s mother, a widow, had formerly courted the family friend. The old love is renewed during the action and leads up to the finish where he proposes. She doesn’t answer and he leaves. Finding him gone, she executes a little audible acting which he hears, having stepped but just outside the door. Upon his return with ensuring embrace comes the curtain. The individual parts are excellently taken by the principals, with Mr. Devoy and Miss Durand standing out conspicuously. The piece has been produced on a two-dollar basis. With heart interest, petty thrills and always comedy in sight, “The Old Hag” is a fine piece of vaudeville property. Emmet Devoy wrote it and probably staged it. His labor has brought him a splendid reward.
It Can Be Done” 20 Mins.; Full Stage (Special Set).
Several months ago a story appeared in the Saturday Evening Post, the theme of which, slightly altered for vaudeville presentation, is made the basis of the latest Chas. E. Evans vehicle, having been played last season by the Princess Theatre Players. The scene is the rear platform of an observation car on a west-bound training running at high speed between Rochester and Buffalo. The characters include a New Yorker (Mr. Evans) with a healthy bank roll, an adventuress (Mabel Frenyear) who plans to relieve him of his wealth, and a Pullman conductor (Alexander Carlton), the latter merely handling introductory and closing lines. The girl tries the various glib-tongued methods to make a “touch,” and, failing in these, makes a grand-stand demonstration of a mild badger game, pulling her hair down and opening her clothes to create evidence of an attack by the man. This happens after he refuses to present her $500 on request. The conductor, hearing her screams, after falling for the ruse, is convinced of her trickery when Evans displays the ashes of his cigar, its presence being sufficient evidence of his inactivity during the ride. Throughout the playlet the dialog runs to light comedy, carrying many good laughs and other possibilities for the addition of others. A surprise finale is provided with Evans’ exit, when the girl, after listening to his braggadocio agent the impossibility of “trimming a New Yorker,” displays his purse which she plunked during the scramble. An additional kick is registered upon her discovery that is empty, Evans having extracted the collateral before she located it. The finish is handled a bit fast, Miss Frenyear bumping the anticlimax and the climax into a combined laugh where to belong together with the natural surprise. With a few short lines between the business this would be materially strengthened. The idea is unique inasmuch as the car-end set in a dark background is both realistic and novel. It maintains the illusion of rapidly a moving train and reflects credit upon the producer, no author being programed. The piece is sponsored by William A. Bradey, and will probably be listed as one of the season’s best vaudeville productions, principally because it is a novelty, something very rare in the sketches. The cast is excellent for the piece and at the Alhambra, brought home a smashing hit.
