“The Creole Fashion Plate,” now also billed with his own name, Karyl Norman, was a holdover and he ran Leonard a close second. This new headliner ranks as the finest female impersonator developed in a decade. Norman has class, clothes and the ability to deliver songs. The latter feature aids the impersonation perhaps more than his dressing and there were plenty present who were fooled despite the repeat date. His natural voice is in itself unusually pleasant; his falsetto well modulated and never blatant. Besides, in carrying forth the illusion, he has most of the little feminine tricks – and the women are quick to note that. Norman’s Spanish song is the best dressed number, It is a toss up which melody he sings best – “Daisy Days” or the pick lullaby “Bye-Lo,” the final encore and taken from last season’s routine. He is a sure favorite wherever he will appear and his readlines to respond is going to win him a flock of friends.
Then Joe Laurie Jr. came along and scored. This chap has a wonderful delivery for the material that he writes for laughs and he does manage to keep the audience howling. His “mother and father” plants are corkers, they are somewhat ahead of the unusual vaudeville plant pulled for a laugh and their legitimate appearance lends all the more to the desired result.
Florence Merritt and Gaby Bridewell, on second, managed to pull applause sufficient for the three bows that they took, but it seems that these girls are worthy of better material than they now employ. It was only the “blues” at the closing of the act that pulled them over. Prior to that, their offering was draggy.
Percy Oakes and Pamela Delour opened the bill with their dance specialty, pulling unusual applause for an offering of this nature. Dancing acts of the semi-ballroom type have long lost their kick for vaudeville audiences, yet here is one of those acts placed further down in the bill. Their routine is different, their whirls wonderful inasmuch as they out-Miller the Marvelous Millers of years ago, and there is never a slow moment in the act. It is action from beginning to end.
Lorimer, Hudson and Co. closed with a comedy cycling act. The comedian of the turn is wearing a very mussy facial make-up, which calls for cleaning up. The regulation cycle tricks are capably done by the troupe of four.
Next to closing Grace Nelson scored heavily with “Eli, Eli” well chosen for the Hebrew holiday. Miss Nelson is going in more for the concert style of numbers than heretofore. She has everything, personality, appearance and a tuneful soprano voice, used perfectly.
Fallon and Shirley, opening the second half, entertained with a singing, dancing and talking routine. Mr. Fallon is still doing his announced imitation of Bert Fitzgibbons from the former Fallon and Brown act. He is also still doing announced imitation of Mr. Fitzgibbons throughout the rest of the act. There are quite a few familiar gags in the talk. The “hush” money bit, probably the oldest, in common with the others, landed solid laughing returns. Miss Shirley dances neatly and handles the straight end intelligently. The team were a decided hit.
Kelly and Pollack, second, were up against unsettled house, and the greater part of their talk died. The old tough dance which has been a trade mark with Mr. Kelly since the days of the Kelly and Kent act got something, but not nearly as much as if the pair had been placed in a more advantageous spot.
Patricola picked the running up instantly after the intermission and the Topical picture which made a break requiring an especially strong number to generate speed. Patricola’s routine gets away to a fast start and works up nicely to a climax in the Irish number. They called for two extra songs Monday afternoon and then didn’t want the singer to go.
Mel Klee goes after his audience promptly and has them with him from the get-away, even if he has to step across the footlights to the top of the piano to accomplish his purpose. His talk is all bright and pointed and his numbers score unmistakably. He has a robust voice for rag numbers and makes use of a sympathetic tremulous break on rising notes, effective for ballads. The ballad about midway of the routine was a bull’s-eye, coming as it did after the rather rough kidding of the rest of the acts on the bill. Some of this stuff is going to get Klee in Dutch with the rest of the bill one of these days.
