14 Mins.: One (3); Full Stage (special Set) (11). Gene Hodgkins and Irene Hammond, described as “A Yankee Boy and an English Girl,” do a combination piano and modern dancing act, in a pure white set that is extremely slightly the set occurs after an opening in “one,” when the couple sing a song. It would seem a useless procedure to start the turn in “one” with that set in reserve. During the full stage portion a picture drop is employed to throw a representation of the Blazing White Way on the screen, with the electrics doing the different dance steps. It afterwards shows the dancers before the camera doing the maxixe. They are supposed to come down a short flight of steps, burst through the paper and continue the dance themselves upon the stage. Monday night the drop didn’t take care of itself. A large hole was torn in the top and this ruined the effect of a rather clever stage idea. The couple do a fox trot to a song, the music of which is popular about for the fox dance. In getting away from the familiar two-act and “society dancers” while still remaining both, the act has brought its most value. With the opening in “one” out and both ends of the act proper made more pronounced, Mr. Hodgkins and Miss Hammond should become popular in vaudeville. They have the necessaries.
18 Mins.; Full Stage (Special Set).
Title: Classed as a “tank art” through having a tank upon the stage. Capt. Sorcho’s vaudeville turn, removed from Coney Island, where it was a concession for a couple of seasons, looks good enough to go over the circuit once an interesting exhibit. It dwells almost wholly upon the equipment of a deep sea diver, and in a measure, as far as the limited tank will permit, gives an idea of a diver at work at the bottom of the ocean.
11 Mins.; One. George L. Moreland announces he will answer any question on baseball since 1846. Three-fifths of the act is devoted to still pictures of baseball of other years, with some photos of prominent people connected with it. The remaining time is submitted to the audience for questions. Monday night at Hammerstein’s but two important questions were put: the first, how much does Christy Matheworn get? Mr. Moreland answered the amount had not been announced, but it was supposed to be $15,000. The next was which team would win the world’s series. He replied that is not yet a record, but in past history of baseball, the Bostons had never lost a world series they contested for. In a gathering of baseball fans, Mr. Moreland would come in handy and be enjoyed. An elderly man, who not doubt had stored up a world of records and statistics, his turn is not a vaudeville one, and not for vaudeville, in or out of the baseball season. If he continues to entertain the public in this way, on the variety stage, he should employ plans to be certain of comedy on the questions at each show.
“The Enchanted Statue.” 9 Mins.; Full Stage (Special Set). The little set these miniature people use, together with their small voices, make the “sketch” they are trying to present look like a marionette show. Loney Haskell, in announcing them through the program omitting the “Tom Thumb” portion in the description, and Mrs. Gen Tom Thumb is 73 years of age. The midgets are recalled by name and fame as freak attractions, having exhibited in side shows and museums for years, if not all the present troupe, some of them. They are not to be seriously considered as actors, and what they did doesn’t matter – it is the sight of these very little people who are so well known by reputation. But for vaudeville that means little now, as midgets are employed who are real entertainers, something the Thumbs probably have never aspired to. The setting is antique as well. The act showed “No.8.” It just drew curiousity, satisfied at first sight. The program billed the people as Count, Countless and Baron Magri, quite some nobility in the reading.
15 Mins.; Full Stage (Special Set). Extravagantly billed on the program, which called Kar-Mi a prince of India, this magician, with two assistants was placed to close the Hammerstein program Monday night. The stage setting that seemed to say that several things would be attempted, besides the dressing of the people concerned in robes suggesting East Indians, held the house at a rather late hour, until the turn finished. Kar-Mi is very dark-skilled, much more so than his woman-assistant, who is the person mostly used for the disappearances, although the other man is employed at one time for a substitution. The main illusion is at the finale. It is made somewhat lengthy by a slow manner of working, also the continued chatter Kar-Mi uses, and his work of borrowing a couple of watches from the audience. Cut down and worked faster, this would be an excellent illusion. It contains the substitutional as well. The early portion has a sword swallowing feat by Kar-Mi, who swallows a bayonet affixed to a heavy musket, holding the latter up on an even line with his mouth. Later he loads the gun, and swallowing a portion of the steel barrel that has been detached, fires it at his male assistant’s head, apparently knocking off a card placed there, with the shot. A few tricks of legerdemain are mixed in. Kar-Mi secures some comedy from his talk, that carries an accent of some sort, perhaps India although sounding Dutch (not German). It’s an odd sort of act for present-day vaudeville made odd mostly through the sword swallowing that is not performed here in the customary museum style. The turn ought to get attention on the small big time, and might take care of a spot of the big time.
“Hogan in London” 17 Mins.; Five (Parlor). Another of the “Hogan” series Bert Leslie has made popular in vaudeville. His frame and that of the “Hogan” sketches has come through the slang Mr. Leslie uses, new slang each time with many twists, some of it very bright and nearly all good for a laugh. In this latest number, written by Frank J. McGettingan and Mr. Leslie, the talk is the best “Hogan” has had in the slangy style. Little of it is forced, nearly all has good points and several lines brought real screams. The scene is set in a London home where Leslie goes as a painter from New York to receive $10,000, his share of a fortune left by an uncle. A company of three, two men and a woman, does nicely, the cabman (Legai Robinson) especially well taking care of the character, in action and make-up. The support as usual act only as freeders to Mr. Leslie. The finish could stand a little strengthening but the act is there easily. A line on the Hammerstein program, referring to Mr. Leslie says: “A Cody of None – Copied by Many.” That is true.
14 Mins.; Full Stage. Barton and Lovera have constructed a rather pretentious vehicle to background the man’s cycling and the woman’s dancing, opening with a plush set with the woman’s costume to match. A Spanish dance and a dance labeled “Love and Temptation” is done by the woman, after which the same is burlesqued by the man on a unicycle. It carries class and comedy and should make good anywhere at either end of the bill. They were a hit at the corner.
12 Mins.; One. Frank E. Gordon is either a much abused originator or a very guilty imitator. His metropolitan appearance should arouse some very interesting debates as to who originated the “lemon trick” (first shown around here by Jarrow) and the egg and hat trick, previously done hereabouts by Wallace Galvin. Gordon does them both and does them well. He opens with the “lemon” trick substituting an egg for the lemon and playing card for the money, as shown by Jarrow, bringing the trick to a convincing finish, but without much accompanying comedy. The egg and hat trick is shown with a small boy aiding, looks good and carries many laughs. Another good trick is the three-card-monte, using either glass or tin plates with playing card fronts, the idea being to watch the shift of the cards. A plant is employed with some laughs as well. The plates are handled well by Gordon, but the plant is a bit awkward, giving the idea that double plates are used. This may or may not be so. At any rate Gordon does his tricks well, perhaps better than the others, but needs more “appearance.” This fact was made conspicuous through his early position where he required every thing to pull attention. At that he went over nicely and could hold a better spot.
Fred Heider, a tall, angular youth with a pair of legs that should eventually land him somewhere better than the third spot at Hammerstein’s, for a brief moment showed a flash of ecetric dancing from that threatened to put his turn up among the big hits, but the flash was brief and the balance of the act lacked the required kick and class. The opening, showing Heider and Miss Raymond as street urchins wondering how they can make the amateur show, is very much “small time” and gives the pair a weak start. Following is some dancing and a character song by Heider that is still more convincing of undeveloped talent. The girl dances well, but the turn is shaped wrong for best results. Heider will bear watching, but requires direction and material. Through hard work the couple pulled a fair share of applause at Hammerstein’s under hard circumstances, the handicap of the spot being obvious.
14 Mins.; One. For her vaudeville debut Valli Valli, late star of “The Queen of the Movies,” probably selected the most inappropriate theatre in New York, for, strangely enough, they didn’t seem to favor the musical comedy calibre of vaudeville at “The Corner.” Miss Valli has four numbers, all ballads with a slow tempo and very suggestive of the musical comedy style. She also has a special musical director. None of the songs carried the required punch nor brought results and none succeeded in rousing the essential enthusiasm. Perhaps under more favorable circumstances the turn would connect, but for vaudeville in general Valli Valli needs more than the present billing to get over. The Majestic, Chicago, should have been her opening point for she is popular and there and her style would have met with favor. Her ability remains unquestioned, but unfortunately she lacks big time speed insofar as the vehicle is concerned.
