Sissle and Blake, colored men, do some harmonizing, play and sing “blues,” rag, jazz, etc.; also a serious number written by the late Jim Europe. The finished with Joe Goodwin’s latest ballad, “A Vacant Chair at Home Sweet Home,” and scored a hit.
Corty and Althoff, a chic girl bubbling over with personality assuming French mannerisms in song delivery, was accompanied at the piano with her partner, whose playing of “Lucia,” with the left hand, was received with appreciation. The classy appearing girls scored most successfully.
Jack Reddy started well as a souse, singing “Alcoholic Blues,” but was too early to get any results with his familiar confidential talk, and finished with a dope number lightly received.
Bertram and Saxton, in second spot, yodeled and guitared to pretty fair results, with a duet of good high voices and not much material.
Vernon Stiles received an ovation. The audience simply couldn’t get enough of him, and Mr. Stiles worked as hard for them as it was possible to do. For his first encore he allowed the audience to select the class of song they preferred, and when the majority seemed to want an old fashioned number he announced a song the first part of which was in the classic Hebrew and last part is Yiddish. That one did stop. Then Stiles asked for another suggestion, which answered by singing “Million Miles From Nowhere.”
Juliette Dika, a plump and smiling French girl, did very well with popular numbers, French and English. She got most on her closing song. “A Soldier’s Dream,” a French number also used by Mlle Nita Jo. “Little Jam,” a wrestling bear, closed the performance.
Miss Neuman is equipped with a powerful voice, a smiling personality and the ability to sing blues with a punch. But Miss Neuman experienced the usual difficulty in this house of getting a helpful response from the audience for her efforts. She worked very much as though she was sorry it was necessary to disturb them, and for the greater part of her act it looked as though the audience accepted her in the same spirit. However, after her blues song things were different; she had them then, had them good and plenty, but by that time she wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about her conquest.
Louise Dresser with Jack Gardner and Elsa Ryan divided the top billing. Miss Dresser and Mr. Gardner appeared sixth, the customary headline spot, beginning with a single word conversation, and going into an alphabetical number followed by individual specialties. The signified team finished to big applause calling for many curtains with a medley of old time songs identified with them.
Redman and Wells name finally appeared. Miss Wells proved to be very good to look at and, although she cannot sing much, that didn’t matter for nobody seemed to expect it of her.
Walman and Derry, male and female violin and piano turn, do modern song selections, combined with a parody on “Home, Sweet Home” that only went fairly. The team have ability to entertain, but lack showmanship. “Pep” is what they need.
