Following then was Gertrude Vanderbilt, with Dean Moore, accompanist, remaining 21 minutes, and Miss Vanderbilt dancing for the finish. Not much dancing but enough to make the house want more. Previously they had gone through the turn as routine when before in New York with the exception that at night one song was omitted. The Vanderbilt act held up through Miss Gertrude’s hard work, and she is still working too hard. But 21 minutes seemed long. Some effort should be made to reduce the running time. Mr. Moore is doing better with his “nance stuff” but just as badly with the ballad.
The first section had been closed by the Doners in their second week. During intermission and stretching it a bit, Edwards David made a Police Hospital Fund appeal, drawing a few laughs on his facetious remarks anent the cops, at the same time humoring up the house for the collection boxes. For the four days of the fund collecting, inclusive of Sunday night, the Palace had taken up around $1,100. Mr. Davis referred to without mentioning the Morning World, which had been panning the Police Hospital from the public for several days. He said there were objectors to everything, and in this case they could be set down as conscientious objectors.
The usherets passed little straw baskets up the aisles. The girl on the right-hand aid of that row of boxes having nothing but box seats to collect from, when she reached the last box had two one dollars bills in the basket and some small silver, probably around $4 in all. There are 12 or 14 boxes on that side.
Following such a show, McDermott might have been up against it. But he bobbed in when the crowd was expecting another Tucker bow, and before the mob knew he was on he had ‘em. It took masterly maneuvering, because half the gang was on the edges of the chairs. They settled back and McDermott, legitimate successor to Nat Wills, made them howl with his trampisms, then goaled them with his opera voice and his characterizations, a bang hit.
L.Wolfe Gilbert, third, started the tying-up process which thereafter became more or less chronic. With a pianist and his pseudo usherette, Gilbert let loose his clutching ballad-selling pipes and wowed the spot.
Henriette De Serris and Co. closed with a series of posed painting and sculptures. “The Angelus,” “Confidences,” “In the Woods” as replicas of paintings and several sculptured studies with the posers in white were really beautiful. It is a highly artistic turn and held the greater part of the house to the finish. Attendance capacity.
Harry and Emma Sharrock down next to closing and following the Doner family act held all but a very few stragglers. One man in the rear of the orchestra offered Mr. Sharrock a bit of stone from the Washington Monument, and for a moment of two Emma Sharrock calling off the objects in the mind reading stunt became flustered. Harry managed to cue her quickly, however, and the house handed the couple an appreciative burst of applause for pulling themselves out of what looked like a pickle, and doing it with a fine display of headwork and showmanship. The Sharrocks.
Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Barry were the first to receive a reception. “The Burglar” never went better. Jimmy Barry’s “rube” characterization seems to improve with age and Mrs. Barry’s laugh is laughing the audience into merriment just as niftily as when the team started back in the old Pastor days.
Wilson and Larson, second, an acrobatic team of the modern type, made the house hold its breath with the apparent recklessness of Wilson’s ground tumbling. The team gathered in a bunch of laughs with some likable comedy, the finish leaving ‘em great for Corinne Tilton’s Revue.
Adelaide Bell and Co. opened to the regulation half a houseful, but compelled attention with her contortionistic and legmania dancing. Three legitimate bows at the finish with the audience still coming attested the good impression registered.
Neapolitan Duo, two Italians (male) who look like twins and say they are, might have camouflaged the billing and gotten a surprise, as they look and sing just the same. As it was they sang one by one and then together, just fair, with homemade voices and street-singer clothes.