8 Mins.; Two (2); One (6). “The Singing Blacksmith” The singing blacksmith could have posed for Longfellow’s hero if there had been a spreading chestnut tree on the stage at Hammerstein’s, but as there was not a tree in sight the smithy was not a hero. He opened in “two” with a special set, showing the inside of a shop with an anvil. His first song got over fairly well. At its close he went to “one” with two other numbers. They were, “I Had a Gal” and “Tip Top Tipperary” the first did not show his voice to advantage but with the last number he passed of course, a blacksmith in a red flannel shirt and leather not a very pretty stage picturesque “The Singing Blacksmith’ will manage to get over on the smaller bills.
17 Mins.; Full Stage (Special Set). “When the Sun Rises” is a dramatic thriller that will serve in a good spot on a small time bill and entertain nicely. There are three people, but the greater part of the work is on the shoulders of a man and woman, the other man, who has the role of dispatch bearer, is most likely the carpenter of the act. the scene of the action is laid in South Africa during the Boer War. An English Colonel and his wife are the principal characters. The hour is just before sunrise, and the scene the interior of the Colonel’s quarters. At the rise the woman reads aloud the copy and an order for the execution of one of the members of the command for neglect of duty, and intimates that she will do all in her power to prevent it taking place. The Colonel enters. She pleads with him to save the boy’s life (the audience is left to infer that the youth was her lover). The Colonel maintains he is powerless to act, as the finding of the court martial has been forwarded to Ladysmith, to the commander-in-chief. Since then the little command has been surrounded by the enemy and all communication the main army cut off. The wife then confesses the boy is the Colonel’s own son, born after he divorced his first wife. The husband decided to forge an order to stay the execution. The first gleam of drawn is seen outdoors and a single shot is heard (even though the Colonel calls it a volley). I: is too late. Ah, but no! Hark! A horse is heard approaching and the despatch rider arrives. It was at him the outpost fired, and the dispatches are from General Buhler, to the effect the boy is to be given a chance to die honorably at the hands of the enemy in case they capture him as the “enclosed papers must be forwarded to be relieving force,” and so the son is saved. The sketch has the makings of a good thriller, providing it is played properly and the action is hastened by cutting some of the talk and the scenery chewing. In the hands of Holbrook Blinn it could be whipped into a real act for almost any time, not excepting the Princess theatre.
: 22 Mins.; Full Stage. “An Innocent Bystander” Homer Miles, with “An Innocent Bystander,” has given vaudeville something is the way of a distinct novelty, a skit, surrounded with all essentials of success and one that left a reminiscent impression to the average patron, principally because of the unique method employed in its production and delivery. The scene shows a corner in New York City with the Night and Day bank in the foreground. Two men approach the bank, one remaining without while his friend enters on business. Considerable byplay ensures in quick order, the main complication arising through the theft of an old lady’s purse and its transfer from one member to another. The theme develops around the idea that something happens every minute in New York. The individuals, particularly those featured give an excellent performance, although the young man taking the thief could inject a little more of the “type” into his work. The setting is attractive and prettily built.
14 Mins.; One. Returning to vaudeville, and at the Palace this week, Bobby North sings songs, uses dialog, has a burlesque “one-word drama” and concludes with an “Alphabetical Rag,” which is the best portion of a non over-strong turn. Mr. North starts off with a singing number entitled “I Am Looking for a Job,” in which he informs the audience there is a good comedian at liberty (referring to himself) that the legitimate managers are not bidding for, mentioning several legits by name. it leaves the audience to infer that that is why he is in vaudeville just now, and is as interesting to them as the program mention that he is “Late star of Lew Fields’ Hanky Panky’ and ‘Pleasure Seekers.’” The “one-word drama” is good for a laugh here and there, Mr. North taking the old idea of a one-man drama to convert it into the one-word thing. After that some talk about home and baby that brought very little. There are no natural comedy points to do the dialog. After an operatic medley, there is the very good rag alluded to, that has eight or nine of the best rag strains in it. Mr. North wore a cutaway with high hat, and used a Hebrew accent in his singing, but talked straight. He might sing the songs that way also. Mr. North has enough to go along (his voice always standing him well instead), but the turn will stand improvement. He was “No.4” on the Palace bill Monday night, getting over nicely.
9 Mins.; One. Funny, how this double-voiced thing is springing up among singles in vaudeville. It’s old stuff outside of that. Any single speaking about a notice will use two voices, one when it’s good and another when it’s bad. Rosie Miller hasn’t nearly the singing range that some of the others have talking. One can almost imagine Rosie going into a music publisher, asking what good rags he has hanging around loose and then inquiring the best way they are getting them over nowadays. The publisher Rose spoke to must have told her the double-voice thing was au fait at present. One thing about Rosie is that she enunciates clearly. You can’t miss a word. Every song is the same, and Rosie sang four in nine minutes at the Fifth Avenue Tuesday night. This matter of time is becoming a serious item. Up to Rosie’s appearance the record was 9 mins. 38 secs., held by a single at the Jefferson but maybe Rosie beat her through not getting so much applause. If the orchestra can stand it, singles may yet do five songs in six minutes and doubles go through an act in less than ten. That will be regular motion vaudeville, and would let the house give five or six shows a night, with acrobats getting through their turn under five minutes. But the songs that Rosie Sang! They were “Cotton Blossom Time,” “Carolina,” “Down Below” and “At the Ball.” Got Rosie the most noise, so that is giving Mose Gumble a neat little best of Max Winslow, but it’s 50-1 that either one of those “pluggers” tipped Rosie off to the double-voice thing. It wasn’t announced on the stage, nor the program, nor did Rosie make it very evident. It’s in here through inside info, and it’s just as well, for if Rosie is going right on through vaudeville believing she has a double, it can remain a secret between us. And if she is going to sing rags or any other kind of numbers, Rosie might better do them in character.
11 Mins.; Two (Special Set). The Six Navigators are an acrobatic turn that has grown familiar to vaudeville under another name, according to report. In the renaming of the act, the sextet has adopted a style of dressing, with a special setting, that takes it away from the fleshing-clad athletes who tumble in groups. This company is dressed as sailors on a ship scene. They do some fast acrobatics, with many good tricks from a springboard, the best of these being a double somersault off the board of a two high. The act closed the Fifth Avenue bill. It is dressed so differently from what the people have grown accustomed to or expect, that the act should be used in the centre of a small time bill, to get full value. It will do very well on the big time or the small big time, and would make a nice opening number for any big time program.
7 Mins.; Full Stage. Majories is presenting a neat little opening wire act that will serve to open almost any small time show.
25 Mins.; Full Stage (Special Set-Drapes). Assisted by Lester Sheehan and The Clayton Sextet. Pep., Ginger, Paprika and Mustard, Bessie Clayton and her company, and that composes the best modern dancing act vaudeville has had, bar none. When the Bessie Clayton turn is seen, you will think of all the others – and then forget them. Miss Clayton heads and Lester Sheehan assists, also The Clayton Sextet, the latter furnishing the music. It’s 50-50 in this turn between the dancing and the music. The white orchestra on the stage, programmed as The Clayton Sextet is Mel Craig’s College Inn orchestra from Cony Island, and which also played at the College Inn on 125th street. The “Sextet” has seven clean-looking young fellows, with Mr. Craig leading, adding a dancing violin insert, and another trick violinist is Al Tucker, while there is a trap-drummer with a cartload of effects, including a “fire alarm” number that takes the engine to the fire, also returning, but it isn’t strong enough to make it worth while, unless needed. Besides in the orchestra are two banjos, a piano and another violin. It’s necessary to make the music as important here as it is on the stage, for Miss Clayton’s act might not have been voted such a good one without it. In proof of that, the Joan Sawyer act and her musicians preceding on the same bill were enough. Craig’s men, including himself, played as though they breathed the very spirit of ragtime. It was their music (“Ragpicker” and “Michigan”) that made Clayton and Mr. Sheehan’s Fox Trot the biggest dancing hit the Palace has ever held. The dancers were entitled to all credit for their work in this, but the music carried them along. They just had to dance to it. Opening after termission, Miss Clayton appeared before the cloth to announce what the program had already stated, that she would do a series of dances of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. “Yesterday” was a Colonial number in costume; “Today,” the fox Trot, followed by their own idea of a Tango, nicely executed with a Spanish movement thrown in for good measure, the turn concluding with Miss Clayton’s own fast tow dancing, such as she did years ago in fast time, hurling a hundred steps into three minutes. Between the dances the orchestra had its opportunities. Mr. Sheehan is a useful dancing partner, and looked well while doing the stepping. Miss Clayton looked truly remarkable, was dressed in that way also, and gave an exhibition of the way to frame a vaudeville act with dancing that commences where the best of the others leave off. It was the fastest and most pleasant 26 minutes the Palace has seen in many a day.
17 Mins.; Full Stage (Special Settings). The famous poseuse of Great Britain made her first American appearance Monday at the Palace, New York. She is La Milo, exquisite of figure and artistic to a degree in her exposition of living statuary. Though in some of the posed pictures, La Milo is burdened only by the alabaster whiting for the miserable effect, the way it is done removes all taint of immodesty and any appeal to coarseness. While this phase of the Milo act doubtlessly disappointed those who looked for a sensational disclosure of the nude in art, everyone present at the Palace Monday appreciated that they were seeing a high-grade vaudeville posing turn, carefully thought out and well put on. La Milo did nine pictures, one a group of three, with La Milo in the centre, though this was left for the audience to decide for themselves, the principal poseuse not being identified nor distinguished in the group, excepting by her exquisite form. At the opening of the turn some moving pictures were sown of La Milo in Paris. She was fully gowned in these, wearing “clothes” and “hats.” Between poses, to fill in for settings, were “Cruickshank’s Sheet Lightning Caricatures,” a novel idea in bringing out sketch line drawing of America’s best-known men, but the outlines were decadently English in conception, the name attached to being the only proof of identity. Placed to close the Palace show, La Milo held the entire house at both performances, the matinee running until 5.45. as both houses Monday were capacity, this attested to a preliminary drawing power of the turn that nothing on the opening day’s bill in the theatre could dispute with it. La Milo should prove a draw over here. She may safely be depended upon to attract the classy set that is always on the lookout for this sort of thing when well done, also always anxious to see a woman’s perfect figure such as Milo possesses. This is a very big point on her favor, for a “classy act” with box office value means much to vaudeville nowadays. The common herd will also want to see La Milo, even though their crude ideas of nude posing are not fully carried out by her. Closing the first or opening the second half of the program would have been a more advantageous position for this number.
10 Mins.; One. Zella Norton varies little from the usual run of women singles who rely on published numbers. This little girl has a good appearance and her songs are put over in a way that should please most audiencess. An attractively dressed single for the small time.
