W. Horlick and Sarampa Sisters, formerly Herlick’s Gypsies, have a novel dancing act with a special blue eye, combining the whirlwind gypsy effect with Russian hock steps. They closed with an up-to-date acrobatic tango.
William Ebs, carrying his live dummy out in the suitcase, had the wise Palace bunch fooled, but when the dummy came to life and ran off the stage on his own power, they gave him a powerful hand, demanding an extra song by the midget.
The closing act, Weston’s Models, which relies on beauty more than speed was carried away on the momentum of the entire show, and swept over to a bang. This posing act, composed of two women and a man, is one of the most artistic and sensational acts of its sort in vaudeville today, relying on no host of accessories, the only real assistance being the marvelous lighting effects, with most the poses physical instead of art poses. Their “Marathon,” Gladiator” and “Forward” received heavy hands, and they held in a solid house.
[New act] Straight singing. 12 mins; one. Male baritone solo’s “Road to Mandalay,” “Your Eyes Have Told Me So,” “Pretty Kitty Kelly” and “Mother Machree.” Good voice of evident cultivation. For vaudeville a comedy number could replace one of the two semi-classical numbers. Good act of its kind, but lacks variety.
[New act] Comedy and songs, 14 mins.; one. Last winter Ned Nestor and Olivette Haynes headed a revue. Out by themselves they have framed a skit routine called “Her Guardian.” Nestor plays straight, Miss Hayne doing an eccentric comedienne throughout. The opening talk hinges on the young guardian’s threat to marry her off to an old professor, the cross fire working up a tag line, “Get Out.” Nestor singled with a lullaby, the words of which were parodied, and he sued a pillow to represent an infant. He dodged the high notes in the number, but yodeled rather well. Miss Haynes had “Im a Darn Wise Kid.” Her clowning drew giggles and she shaped up as a promising eccentric. On next to closing the act was well liked.
[New act] Monologist, 12 mins.; one. Billy Connery has stories and songs. A good part of his chatter is located overseas and there are war angles which carry out his mention of having been a soldier. Some of the stories were in Irish brogue, but he showed familiarity with French with a song number of the close which drew him an earned encore. A rhymed yarn recited with muted orchestration was anent the war and the part of the Yanks played. That bit went for a good hand. For pop audiences Connery is amusing. He delivered nicely here.
[New acts] Skating and dancing, 9 mins; one. Two young men in evening dress, who have an untutored routine, opening with song and dance on the Doyle and Dixon line, then going into roller skating, after one announced a solo dance as his own conception of tapping He seemed to think more of it than the audience did. The small time is the place for the act, where it may be able to locate more advantage than it does now. Both the boys might learn to take bows without making a facial appeal apparently for them. That is more acrobatic than artist.
After that the applause was frequent, Glad Moffatt in the second spot makes the mistake of too great a similarity in the style of numbers in her repertoire. For instance, the selection of two comedy numbers, both in Irish brogue, isn’t wise. The rube number seems unsuited to her. Perhaps a little switching of songs might prove beneficial.
“Marriage vs. Divorce,” the Rath and Garren allegorical playlet, which is really a combination sketch and singing and dancing act, which held the spot immediately preceding Collins, was one of the hits of the bill. Just why this act is still playing around on the small time is hard to ascertain by looking at the turn. It bears all the earmarks of a big time offering and it certainly entertains.
A pleasing entertainment the first half, altogether the show ran in a somewhat unusual manner with Mitt Collins, the headliner, closing. The audience seemingly was in doubt when he finished as to whether or not it was the end of vaudeville. Collins incidentally did not seem to get warmed up to his work for some little time after he started, and he was pulling hard for laughs. His style of delivery (at lest the style he employed Monday night) lost a great many of the points that should have been sure fire.
