Whiting and Burt rolled up an impressive total in the next to closing position. Most of the songs are new. “I’ve Got a Bimbo,” doubled in boobish attire; “Pretty Little Cinderella,” with Sadie Burt in a nightie in bed with a doll and picture book. “Alimony Blues,” a solo by Whiting; “Dog Gone Dangerous Eyes,” one of their crying doubles, and “What Did She Say,” the talking double held over from the season. They were favorites from the start and made the published numbers sound like new under the clever handling. A recitive [sic] encore was new.
After intermission and “Topics.” Al Raymond in a tangled talk monologue got them, after a slow start. It wasn’t the softest place for the Dutch comic but he went after them heroically and at the conclusion had registered a long series of hearty laughs. Raymond is of the school that gave us Cliff Gordon and Senator Francis Murphy, and follows the well beaten paths of these exponents of the garbled English. He has excellent material commenting upon everything topical and current and is showman enough to milk it. He went over strongly.
Finally Bert Fitzgibbon wandered on. The daffy one had been moved up from the fourth spot and had to stall for several minutes to wait for his brother, Lew, who was dressing when the call for pinch hitters sounded. Fitzgibbons thereupon proceeded to demonstrate “spots” meant nothing in his life, by stopping the show cold in the deucer. He nutted his way into instant popularity and was very muchly indebted to his brother’s likeable personality and musical ability. About the middle of the act Bert discovered the signs hadn’t changed. He immediately put a clown skating burlesque sliding back to appear with some Anderson and Yvel’s wardrobe. It was a howl.
Yvette, violin player and dancer, assisted by Eddie Cooks and Kino Clark, put on a pretentious act which does not make sufficient display for the amount of apparent investment. The drops are heavily trimmed with imitation flowers. There is a center door giving a glimpse which in coloring, mostly of cerise, gave the whole picture a jangling note. The dancing boys were scarcely as effective in their comedy, although they had some fast stepping.
Franklin Wilson, stereopticon poses opened the bill. There seems to be no good reason why the black support shoved through the drop for her to stand on should not also be enameled white so as to merge with the colored lights, which in this case came from the gallery spot light worker, instead of from a lantern man stationed near the musician’s leader. Some of the color-effects are excellent, and Miss Wilson has the beauty and the figure to put the turn over.
The Lee Kids are a real novelty. New York vaudeville patrons get little enough of clever youngsters, and here comes a pair that have a comic knack in good restraint and without the familiar tricks the elder show their children as preliminary to a stage career. The almost intangible touch of sentiment at the finish adds immeasurably by way of contrast to the broader nonsense that has gone before.
Everest’s animal turn started things off well, the lighthouse giggling freely at the monkey shines and especially the new wrinkle which had the “orchestra leader” doing a frequent “shimmy.” It may have been the comparatively slim crowd which kept down the scoring.
Julia Curtis displayed her trick voice on second holding up the spot successfully. She claims four different voices in the rendition of one number and probably attains that objective. Her animal idea of the several stars mentioned, however, secured the best results.
Frank Burt and Myrtle Rosedale with the comedy concert “The Substitute” did nicely on third. Burt’s hair part drew the first laugh and his eccentric dancing at the close took the team off to favor. The pillow stunt is a good bit of business, as claimed.
George Choos’ “The Little Cottage” was also back for a repeat after out of town bookings and this neat and clever production effort had no trouble getting the “place.” There is little doubt about the ability of this act to gather another season or so of big time bookings, but for next season Mr. Choos might provide fresh wardrobe and repainting of part of the act would be in taste. The choristers still look good in a part of the frocks and only some of the “year’s holidays” costumes need renewals.
