Dugan and Raymond with their near flying machine, gift tree and apples planted the laugh punch for the second part of the show, appearing seventh. There are several new laughs in “An Ace in the Hole.” One came when Dugan decline the dinner invitation, saying he had a “date to go to the automat to get a ham sandwich out of jail.”The dropping of the solid “apple” brought the heartiest laugh.
Little Sybil Vane aired her big voice opening intermission and she trotted off a hit. The English lass looked fresh in a bell-shaped old-fashioned frock for her opening numbers. During a change Leon Domque had his inning at the piano and delivered, Miss Vane varied her routine with a ballad mixed in between semi-classical and operatic selections.
Interest this week was in the initial vaudeville appearance of Vera Gordon, formerly of the Yiddish stage, who offered a sketch, “Lullaby” (New Acts), being assigned to closing intermission. Miss Gordon has been a long time coming and being an artist capable of supplying a tear or a laugh, she should become a fixture.
[New act] Juggling, 8 mins; one. Special. W.C. Fields must have been the inspiration for this juggling act as the man, who supplies the action in the turn has certainly copped some of Field’s mannerisms. “Nolan” announces the girl assistant, who does just about as much that implies.
Going through a regular routine with intermediate stabs at comedy, the man put over an average opening bit adding a few new twists to some of the tricks, but failed to live up to the advance dope, as programmed, “The Jesting Swede.”
Beeman and Grace, doubling with the Palace, closed working to a few stragglers on their way out, but those that stayed were well repaid when Beeman started to skate, his bit of doing a whirl on one leg, similar to that done on ice, comes pretty close to being miraculous and is enough to put the act over in itself. It did just that.
Arman Kaliz and Co. succeeded with the flash of clothes and scenery never failed to keep everyone’s head up. The thread of the story of the “fool” falling for extravagance, drink, chance, etc. with his getting “the works” at the finish and turning to “Virtue” meant nothing except to carry along the scenes, but the girls were “there” – made so by the costumes and one or two of the musical numbers were well arranged.
It was during the pantomimic bit of an Adam and Eve number that the house came very close to reverting back to joshing. The act took several curtains and as a speech, Mr. Kaliz mentioned that this was the first of a number of production acts by him, one of which was to be for Amelia Stone and called upon the latter to stand up – she being in the first row. That was good for a few more bows.
The Misses Dennis took up the entertainment and sailed through with their harmony and four songs, pleasing mightily. Doing 13 minutes just about made it right. A sweet act that can’t miss with the girls’ appearance and voices to back it up.
Long Tack Sam and Company closed intermission. The leader was forced to see three members of his troupe take the honors away from him, at least for this performance. Those referred to are two boys on the parallel bar and the girl with her bit of juggling and contortion. The former showed enough stuff on the cross bar to make a lot of these acrobats who are opening and closing shows sit up nights thinking out how its done and practicing overtime. The boys are whales at their specialty.
Ruth Roye had to make a speech after singing three numbers in her own rough and ready style, with much facial contortion and a discreet shimmy quiver. She is inclined to overwork some of her eccentricities of manner, but she does communicate a certain responsive good will in her audiences, perhaps by her very exuberance. At any rate she marked up an unqualified individual hit on a bill that is no small feat for a single woman next to closing at close to 11 o’clock.
Florence Walton stood in the electric outside, dividing with Miss Gunning. Her two fur wraps, one of real chinchilla and one of ermine fairly screamed of staggering overhead and her diamonds echoed the same thing, the cyclorama drop that furnished the background murmured modest thrift to the extreme of shabbiness. The fact that the offering so emphasized class made this unsightly detail distressingly insistent. Young Allan Faran is a refreshingly manly dancing partner, a relief from the anemic youth of that profession, and the violinist who covers two intervals for Miss Walton’s changes is an artist. However, Miss Walton’s assistants merely furnish a framework for her sartorial orgy Miss Walton herself is put in the shade by her possessions of clothes and baubles. Although she is the same slim, graceful dancer as before.
