Walsh and Edward, man and woman of very youthful appearance, went over big and they deserved all credit. The couple could be classified as kids, for neither member appears over the voting age. They have a corking good dancing turn, the singing hardly measuring up. The make member sure can step.
Ben Smith placed between Miss Wirth and the Masters and Kraft turn, went off to excellent returns. His confidential parlor car chatter drew some laughs though there was a bit too much familiar matter. When he flashed his tenor, however, he had things his own way. His use of “Sweetheart Blues” counted more for the medley worked in. But Smith showed a nifty lyric with “A Union of Our Own,” the lines being based on the labor federation idea.
Dave Kramer and Jack Boyle again showed their strength in the late spot. They registered with a bang regardless of the wealth of comedy ahead and easily copped a hit. There is one bit used that seems rather out of date. That is the letter from France (Field Martial-Court Martial). The bit has been done so often before that its value is nil. The house knew the point as soon as Kramer mentioned his “brother in France.”
The Innis Brothers, opening the second half, earned both laughs and applause, and with their advent the show began to look better. The boys at the finish proved to be the hit of the program thus far. They were the first act that really warmed the audience into like.
The second half was perhaps not so strong as the initial stanza, but the difference was negligible it’s hardly worth mentioning. Dugan and Raymond, who were down for next to closing, found it a bit hard, due to the time, but pulled out with enough left over to make that curtains accredit at that hour.
Flo Lewis, assisted by the colored lady’s maid, “Dardanella,” was a bit of a let-down, although there was much in her flash kidding that hit the “wise” Palace audience. Miss Lewis occupied an amusing quarter of an hour, in spite of a little too much of a colored maid. The personal talk of Miss Lewis’ about getting her new vehicle was plenty of the “just among ourselves” sort of thing. The interjection of the colored girl, however, somehow take away the atmosphere of “class” that one expects at the Times Square Keith house. The hoke is rather obvious.
William Gaxton and Co. appeared in an excellent comedy vehicle and Gaxton’s clever snappy style in the leading role scored a laughing success that justified a speech.
This couple have a very good line of comedy chatter, the act being a little after the style of Franklyn Ardell’s who played here last well. Received many laughs and finished to a good hand. 17 min. in 3, spl.
Christie and Bennett, next to closing, held attention and secured laughs consistently throughout their talking routine. It’s practically the same act that was done some months ago by Lloyd and Christie and is away from the usual run of talking turns, in that it doesn’t depend on gags so much laughs as the every-day nature of the subjects discussed.
And it was slam-bang variety that won out Monday night, as represented by the Monarch Comedy Four. It’s one of those old-time singing fours, with a nance, Tad, eccentric and semi-straight. Every time the Tad started to tell a gag the nance broke him up, and always for riotous comedy returns. Just to cinch their comedy hit, the eccentric slaps the Tad on the back with a folded newspaper, likewise for howls. Not so very funny in telling, perhaps but distinctly so in a low-comedy way, as handled by the Monarch Four. They sing tunefully, much above the average, with a youthful tenor standing out in the solos. The act stopped the show, No. 4.
