11 Mins.; One. Neat act with a laugh in nearly every line. Powers comes on in Irish make-up, genteel and neat and keeps in the character all the way through, even in his dances. Miss Emerald, taller by almost half again as her partner, walks across stage leading bulldog. Powers, as Cassidy, is asked if he would like to see dog do tricks. He is eager. Then follows pantomime by is Emerald with an imaginary dog, good for numerous laughs. After some good brisk talk, Miss Emerald leaves stage while Powers sings and dances. He comes back with a small concertina and begins to make a speech to audience. Baby voice in the wings keeps interrupting and calling him. Miss Emerald finally emerges, and the contrast between her bulk and the baby voice is good for another big laugh. Act ends with a travesty on grand opera where the man chases the woman about the stage in an endeavour to keep up with her. The turn well very with the Academy audience; so well, it was changed from second to fourth place.
12 Mins.; One. Ball players of renown, Mike Donlin and Marty McHale, in their double turn for this season, are showing a very entertaining vaudeville act, considered aside from their reps on the diamond. Of the dialog, it mostly “puns” either Donlin of the Giants or McHale of the Yankees. In this way laughs are secured. McHale sings two solos, with the men opening with a well-written conversational number. The singer has a pleasing voice, a lyric tenor almost, and handles it very well. He got over an Irish number easily, and did unusually well with “It’s a Long, Long Way from Home,” following it. The principal line of this song was again used, when Mike in a recitation got his man around the third base, McHale breaking in there to again sing “It’s a long, long way from home.” Both players wear evening clothes. Mr. Donlin has greatly improved as a vaudevillian. He slips over dialog like a veteran. Mr. McHale needs to get a big more easy in bearing, but this will come with a few appearances. The two work well together. They now need an encore, when Mike should do (and kid himself about) his famous dancing. The act with the names is a good one for big time. They cover in their popularity all cities of the major leagues, and with “the act” to hold them up, make desirable booking.
7 Mins.; Full Stage (Arena Cage). Mme. Andree is working six of the cats in an arena cage of the type that was the centre of Bostock’s at Coney Island. Although her beasts are billed as lions they have the appearance of lionesses. None of the animals has a mane. Mme. Andree runs them through the usual routine of lion stunts; mounting of pedestals and a see-saw. The trainer has the animals so that they are constantly showing their fangs and claws and this lends an added thrill to the act. she works fast and holds the lions for a picture at the curtain. It is a good closing turn.
15 Mins.; Two (Special Drops) “The Girl and the Bank.” A nice-appearing two-act for small time, that is capable of being developed into big time material. The setting is the paying teller’s window of a bank on a dull day. A girl calls to cash a check. The paying teller, who squares the bank by saying it is a “Reserve” one, kids with her. From the conversation, not bad at all and quite nicely handled by the couple, the teller, closing the bank for the day by pushing the clock to three, sings a song. “Why Must We Say Good-Bye?” the title blending in with the clock moving. The girl returns, notices the teller is absent and seeing no one else around warbles “The Garden of Roses.” This must have been a troublesome movement for the couple to overcome, how to get the girl back and have her sing with a “legitimate” reason. Anyway the teller had only left to put on his evening dress, so when he got back, they both sang “Honey Bee,” a rather good number as they do it, with an original bit of business involved that suggests the pair were at one time in musical comedy. Another bit of good business is the best bursting, and on the other hand, they are using the Melville Ellis-Ada Lewis “Should a fellow kiss a girl when taking her home in a taxi?” The trouble with the turn just now is that when they are talking, one thinks it would be well to use a song here and there, and when they sing, one prefers the talk, not because they don’t sing well, but through the selections, expecting “Honey Bee.” Their voices are not for rags, however, but there must be more melodious numbers around the publishers than those employed as solos. Neither voice is strong, and the girl is the better of the two. The young woman likewise has a better idea of getting points over through emphasis of action and expression. These appear to be the same people, or man at least, that Mark reviewed about a year and a half ago when they were working in full stage. He made suggestions then the couple seem to have followed, and they should keep on trying to improve. On the general run their appearance and work, the people in the act should make the big time, either with a better edition of this turn or some other.
22 Mins.; Five (Office). Paul Gilmore and his company rushed into the Fifth Avenue program Tuesday evening, playing a comedy sketch that will get over in those small time houses where the audiences are not over-particular, as to story and methods of playing. Perhaps this sketch was built for the small time. It certainly could not have been intended for big time. There is not enough body to it, for the piece is only held up my Mr. Gilmore’s playing with that remembering a matter of preference. When a bachelor around 45 years says he hasn’t had a kiss for years, and balks away from one with the girl he has just became engaged to wed, it’s on a par with the vaudeville business of a decade ago about the woman a skins what a kiss is. And the Kiss-Moon Song is Heaven compared to it. The Gilmore-sketch story is of the bachelor in love with his youthful stenographer but won’t declare himself. The girl and her brother frame him to ask her. His only fear seems to be that he is too old. Then into the kiss stuff. The girl did the best of the quartet a couple of others having minor roles. There is plenty in this playlet that will make women who have missed much of what it contains laugh immoderately at the dialog and the antics, and they will laugh harder at it in the smaller houses than the large.
: 17 Mins.; One. “Master and Man.” Act opens with talk on the war which is pertinent and to the point. Carries a good quota of laughs. Cantor in black face and Lee playing straight. After war talk, Lee sings “Carolina” and Cantor comes on for “Victrola” and “Snyder’s Grocery Store.” Cantor does some travesties on pictures that are laughable. Cantor also pulls a lot of “cissy” stuff which is unusual in blackface. Act ends with a brisk duet. Went so well at the Palace that Cantor had to make a speech. Good comedy act, and out of the beaten rut.
18 Mins.; Full Stage. Ralph Dunbar, he of lyceum and Chautauqua fame, sponsored the Salon Singers in vaudeville, the turn having just reached New York after an extended tour of the Orpheum Circuit in the west. It carries three men and two women, one of the male members accompanying on the piano. Two quartet numbers, one at either end of the repertoire are filled in with five solos, each member having an opportunity to exhibit his or her individual ability. A comparison in this division would not be exactly the proper thing. Suffice to say the entire quintet acquitted themselves finely, combining to offer one of the most artistic straight singing specialties the big time uncovered some seasons.
15 Mins.; Full Stage. These two newcomers in vaudeville are members of Atlanta (Southern League) baseball team. They open with a burlesque ball game in which the two play all the positions and do their own coaching. Kircher pulling coaching stunts which have made him famous over the Southern circuit. Pictures showing Kircher on the coaching line help the number which should go well through the south.
11 Mins.; Full Stage. Nice looking couple, the man working in evening clothes, the girl in a pretty white satin dress. They offer the conventional routine of modern dances, including the tango, waltz, fox trot and one- step, and while from a standpoint of gracefulness they seem somewhat better than the average, the fact that they have chosen the modern dance idea is a severe handicap in itself. Still this team can follow a majority of the others and could make a great many who have been getting money for it around here throw their dancing slippers away. If the big time audiences are willing to stand the tango thing any long, Weimers and Masse can distribute it as well as any.
9 Mins.; Full Stage. Two men and a woman, the latter exceptionally attractive through neat dressing, offering a routine of fine work with the usual featured semi-sensational finale, in this instance being a leap and pull to a hand-stand, the Orpington’s using but one hand in the experiment instead of two. The understander is very capable in this work. Closing the Alhambra bill, they finished to a filled house with any noticeable deseetations and in these days of late shows, this is quote an accomplishment. They can go the route anywhere at either end of the bill and satisfy.
