27 Mins.; One. Clara Palmer and Bobby Barry won their spurs in musical comedy. Their experience in the legitimate is now serving them well in the present turn. Barry in Romeo make up and Miss Palmer as Juliet are supposed to be at a ball. They sing, dance and talk, with stepladder comedy, a burlesque on the balcony scene from “Romeo and Juliet” being given. For the closing Miss Palmer is dressed in an Italian outfit while Barry is in evening clothes. The act runs too long, but they appeared to relish Barry’s fun making immensely. The act will do better when played more. It may depend too much, though, upon the former musical comedy work of both Miss Palmer and Barry.
15 Mins.; One. Florence and Lillian would be enough. Nobody would stand for the inferred “sister stuff” after a single look at them. After that the girls want to hie themselves to a couple of publishing houses and get new songs, then get someone to arrange for them a routine, and they will, with the aid of some work, evolve a “sister act” that will go right over the small time like a race-horse. The girls are dressing nicely, have good voices, look well, and it seems indeed a shame that they were not properly advised before breaking in. The taller has a rare voice for vaudeville, outside of the regular prima donnas, and the little girl looks, as though she might be a possibility as a comedienne. Just at present she is working straight and it is handicap. A few weeks with some one who could tell them what to do and pick their material would make the girls a contender for better time. They look fresh, and vaudeville is always ready to welcome new faces, if you can back them up with talent, which these girls seem to have.
15 Mins.; One. Sidney Barcy and Frank Farrington are the two leading male players in “The Million Dollar Mystery.” The pair have had little experience on the vaudeville stage, as their present turn shows. They are picture actors and it is to their disadvantage that they have sought vaudeville. Anyone upon seeing them on the boards will never give them the credit they should get for their work in pictures. The act opens with a reel showing the men as they appear in the serial. They receive a note from the management stating they will be cancelled if they do not put in an immediate appearance as the audience is waiting. Some trick photography is used in the dressing of the two men. Their clothes spring to them from places around the room. The picture shows them rushing to the theatre. At this point they appear n the stage and the few real picture fans present on the roof Monday night (not many, or they would have been downstairs) let forth some applause. The two men stood upon the stage in an assumed dazed manner and questioned each other what they should do. Bracy told Farrington nearly lost his life in one of the last episodes. Then both threw bouquets at themselves with Bracy finally going into a sob recitation, the best thing done. Farrington follows with a burlesque story on his job of villain. This failed to amuse as did many of his antics. Frank may be able to do a number of things before the camera that won’t go over in vaudeville. For the finale the two sing about the “Mystery” and they make a hasty exit, to return for a last attempt at comedy by Farrington. It is a freak act and the names should bring business in the houses where the picture has been playing. The turn is running too long, opening.
18 Mins.; Full Stage. Two women and a man are the principals in this sketch of the popular melodramatic heart-interest type that always goes over in the smaller houses. There is the deserted wife who is left with a baby; the comedy Irish woman (in this particular case the usual janitress and the foreigner, an Italian second-hand furniture dealer) always the one engaged to the comedy character woman. Deserted wife is bewailing her solitary and destitute fate when janitress enters. “baby will die because I have not the money to buy milk to feed him.: is the speech, and then there is nothing for the C.C.W. to do except steal the milk from the dumb-waiter and obtain the good will of those in front of a laugh or two. The Y.D.W. then relates the tale of her early life and also shows how she was brought to her present plight and then C.C.W. again comes to the front and offers her a home. The man enters the scene accompanied by the C.C.W. He is to buy the furniture from the Y.D.W. is willing to marry him and she exists to change to wedding gown. In the meantime Y.D.W. returns and discovers that the man is her uncle and there is a clinch and the C.C.W. walks in on it, explanations follow and a comedy finish. The act is small timey from start to finish and the role of the Young Deserted Wife is poorly played.
10 Mins.; Two. These two girls announce themselves as appearing in “A Professional Tryout.” They sing published numbers and work in “two” with a couple of dresses hanging on the back wall of a supposed dressing-room. The stout girl is on the June Mills type and puts her songs over in much the same manager. Her partner is a slim person, and sings rather listlessly. The big girl has a change to put the turn over, but title might as well go out, for it is useless. They just sing, that’s all.
17 Mins.; Full Stage. An elaborate dancing act in which the steps of old time, as well as the modern are demonstrated in an artistic environment. The stage is set with a huge gilt frame and the dancers appear as in a picture. Each dance is named for a city, and each city represented by an electric-lighted drop. The cities are New Orleans, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Antonio, Boston, New York, a suburban locality, and Washington, the latter showing an elaborate picture of Uncle Sam Columbia, the North, the South and other symbolic figures. Laughlin and Shaw are featured. The costumes are fresh and new, the dances well executed and the act looks good for the best time. It is produced by Boyle Woolfolk.
10 Mins.; One. A man and woman singing and dancing team. It would be better if they dropped the singing and stuck to dancing.
13 Mins.; One. “Sister” act. Girl opens with lively number. Each has solo with effort for audience to make out what the words are about. The blonde in particular mushes her articulation. The girls make several changes, the last being most attractive. For the closing the blonde sings while the brunette whistles an accompaniment. She’s there with the whistle. The girls should reframe the turn and give the whistling greater play.
17 Mins.; Four (Special Farm Setting.) Bouton and Parker have a novel musical act for the pop houses. The man is an old farmer, while the woman plays the daughter. They get music out of the milk cans, the old well, pickets on the fence, and for the closing the girl sits in a prop auto and plays the melodeon, singing an old number that pleases. Both sing. The girl has a good voice, of high range. Act is well staged and got over nicely.
85 Mins. (Special Settings). “The New Sunnyside.” Max Bloom has taken his old vehicle known as “The Sunnyside of Broadway,” added new scenery, new people, new costumes and has made of it a neat, swift and comical little musical comedy. It is a corking good laughing show, with not a dull minute. It has variety also, in good dancing numbers. There is not much plot to the show, but there is so much liveliness and loveliness displayed that this is not a handicap. Mr. Bloom, seen in a Hebraic character, carries the burden of the comedy although George Browning and Louis Swan, who get into the semblance of a horse and cavort over the stage in a ludicrous manner, get a smother of laughs early. Alice Sherr does some effective work and is at her best in a sensational dance near the close, assisted by George Browing. She wears a smashing creation consisting of red tights, a black gauze gown with a sort of tunic of spangles. Inez Belaire, a Chicago young woman, appears here and there and adds a very nice specialty in a whistling number. The show is almost one continuous laugh, closing with burlesques on “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and the old fashioned war drama which are distinguished by some very good pieces of business in the way of travesty.
