Events ran as programmed, with rather a late start noticeable. It didn’t prevent O’Rourke and Adelphi having a struggle, due to the fact that they were still walking in. The girls made a fine uphill battle of it, and though it looked doubtful after a talking song, done by both, they came back strong with their late number and repeated with another encore that sent them away on the right side of the ledger.
A very good measure of entertainment was given by Davis and Darnell, next to closing, in their “Birdseed” skit. People in the rear who had even the couple previously said the act had been particularly brightened up at the opening, It ran speedy all the way, with laughs plentiful, all gotten by Frank Davis. Adele Darnell, through her repressed method, makes a corking foil for her partner. There are not many women who would so subdue themselves for the benefit of the act. Miss Darnell besides is a comely brunet who dresses well and in taste. They held up the spot, retuning to vaudeville from a production.
Another single was Mitt Collins, No. 4 with the material used by the late Cliff Gordon in make-up, mannerism and matter. His topical talk including politics did something in a way, and had Mr. Collins sufficient personality to aid his delivery he would be ever so much better off as a dialect monologist. The similarity in many spots to the talk of Collins and Senator Francis Murphy, who are doing “Dutch” topical stuff. Seems to say that both have secured their material from the same author (Aaron Hoffman) and may be appearing through an understanding. Mr. Collins should drop the horse-meat dialog, extending to the jack-ass bit. It’s offensive in its suggestions of eating horse flesh, whether culled from newspaper reports or not.
The laugh register was Mary Haynes, substituting for Kharum, opening after intermission. Miss Haynes’ material in a considerable proportion just suited the Colonial audience. Much of it isn’t very high. They thought well of her “five-an-ten-cent store clerk,” which she does well, but the best bit in the turn, and new for Miss Haynes, is about marrying a juggler. Miss Hayes took rank as a single on the small time with little polishing.
13 Mins.; Three (Interior; Delf Setting)
Title: It didn’t take Lucy Gillette long Monday night to prove that novelty still abounds in juggling. Here’s a woman of pleasing appearance, acrobatically inclined, and with prodigious strength which she uses without assuming undue masculinity usually manifest in acts requiring display of physical prowess. She registered a solid hit at the Colonia, being a wonderful juggler, steady of eye and quick of hand. Miss Gillette shows no bugly muscles, yet she’s of stocky appearance. She wears a dutch outfit, as also does a man who assists in handling the articles. The setting is also of the Dutch delf scheme. Miss Gillette juggles all sorts of heavy articles on her forehead while spinning plates and basins with her feet and hands. Her routine is varied and pleasing, difficult apparently for even a man, but she gracefully, prettily and smilingly executes each trick to big results. Miss Gillette is one of the vaudeville treats of the season. The big time could use a few more with women of ingenuity and originality.
24 Mins. (Special Drops and Setting). In their newest vaudeville offering, “The Masher,” Mr. and Mrs. Carter DeHaven are getting further away from singing and dancing. In fact, the entire strength of “The Master” rests on the dialog between the diminutive pair and the “situations” arising from the young stage door Johnny’s determination to show the actress a good time. There are several song numbers, to be sure, and well handled in the usual DeHavenesque style; yet they are secondary considerations in the summing up of the act’s impression. In “one” Miss Parker, looking younger and prettier than ever, is singing front stage. Carter interrupts from the box. She promises to meet him at the stage door and go out for the cats. A stage door drop then is used. Carter does a song and dance while waiting and also chins the stage doorman. He and Flora then taxi to a quiet restaurant room in “three,” where Flora proceeds to make Carter’s roll like a thimbleful of ashes. Here the DeHavens sing two numbers, the most effective and snappy being the “Marriage Is a Grab Bag.” This is a neat, gingery little conceit, with the DeHavens and the waiter, doubling as the preacher, doing a trotting dance around and off the stage in bridal procession. For the end, following their ejection from the private dining room because they were not married, the masher takes Miss Parker home to New Rochelle. She enters and does a disrobing “bit” before a transparent window. The masher, broke, sings a little soliquoy and starts to walk back to the city as a lightning and rain effect is used in “one.” The act is away from anything previously offered by the DeHavens. It’s light and airy but sufficiently molded to give satisfaction. DeHaven is the accredited author, but the song, lyrics and music sounded suspiciously like Gene Buck and Dave Stamper.
Following the Le Groh act the Follis Girls put in an appearance and offered a pleasing little mélange of song and dance. Theirs is a cure act without any great punch, but it carries ideas.
[New Act] Arab Acrobatics, 6 mins; full. Usual Arab acrobatic turn with six men. However, an opportunity was offered at the Colonial act this week to get a line on the act that would have been difficult to imagine had the turn filled the place on the bill originally allotted to it. Instead of closing the show it appeared second, and the applause for the pyramid formations and the whirlwind acrobatics frequent.
Fred La France and Joe Kennedy in “The Party of the Second Part” (New acts) were a blackface hit. The act is running as smoothly as might be expected, but when it is once in real shape it will bring screams of laughter.
Following the acrobatics Ed Morton slipped over a fair sized hit with popular numbers leaning mostly to comedy stuff. “You Tell ‘Em,”his opener, got by nicely, a song about “Our Vestibule,” full of suggestion, was eaten up by the upper loft delegation, and “Onion Time in Bermuda” and “wedding Bell Blues,” the Latter with an arrangement of all the married woe songs of the past decade, both were surefire for him.
