This act is closely patterned along the lines of the Gallager and Rolley turn—army captain and blackface private. The locale, however, is in the arctic regions, flying machine, icicles, etc., being painted upon the special set. The comedy rises through a constant play upon words, such as referring to the town of “Ask Me for It,” etc. The comedian has no dialect whatever, despite his darkened features and the straight man does not time his feeding to the fine nicety so essential to this class of comedy. The material they have is superior to its Interpreters.
Hats, balls, clubs, etc., are the accessories used by Ferrier. The tricks are accompanied by a little talk with a catch line, “see.” This does not develop the laugh that it should for the featuring it gets.
Two sopranos (one at the piano) and the third sister a contralto. Although using popular ditties they are straight singers, depending mainly upon harmonizing to score. They know how to sing but their voices are not sufficiently out of the ordinary to warrant any demand for the act beyond the three-a-day. Unattractively gowned, their hair not done up attractively and amateurishly made up (no corresponding in facial coloring), they go through a pleasing little routine and retire without registering anything but a negative hit.
“Party of the First Part.”
The turn has a black face comedy talk routine, Jackson doing the manager to La France’s comedy as a near boxer. Instead of stepping as formerly in the act, Jackson has a ballad and the men duet with a popular number at the close. This number works to a good exit, the crowing of a chicken Interesting both boys. La France pulls forth a meal sack from his hip pocket. They open it and sneak for the “bird.” Some of the chatter can go out* there being sufficient comedy material to stand pruning in the mid section. Looks good for the better houses.
18 Mins
Miss Whistler’s turn has a jazz band setting, though the routine of songs hardly explains why. At the opening she had a lyric mentioning the individual musicians. After that the singer offered numbers of the ballad school, the band accompanying, also, having two numbers of their own. The cornet is displayed clarity and power in one of them. The pianist announced Miss Whistler, who is a tall, good-looking auburn type, in a medley of her musical comedy successes, meaning the songs she formerly had in production. This was offered for the finale. The act closed the show well, but minus the kick needed for the better houses. It was overtime for the spot.
The present company consists of three, the dancing couple and the man who performs in the orchestra trench on the concertinas, who also conducts the musicians in between times. The dancers do a Spanish number for an opening, the concertinas performing thereafter. Miss Soltl taking up the vocal refrain at the conclusion of the concertina solo. The third man showed a step- ping solo Interestingly, a ballroom dance finish sending them off to a good getaway. Excellent pop house frame-up.
14 Mins.
A drop showing the stage entrance of a theatre with a messenger boy (dummy), seated on a bench outside, with the man working the dummy from the back, gives the act a little different opening. A woman dues a small bit with the dummy and does not appear again in the act. The man takes up his position on the bench and the act continues, although, for a couple of bits, the dummy is again worked from the back. Another dummy, a baby, is brought in neatly and a very good “kid” crying bit is introduced. The act is a little different from the many ventriloquial offerings. There is no attempt at eating and drinking while handling the dummy, and the turn runs along smoothly and evenly with a reason. The singing and yodeling are very good, and the act makes for very good entertainment in its present surroundings. The act would stand up very nicely in the smaller big-time circuits. It went very good here, getting nice applause throughout and finishing strong.
10 Mins.
The understanding of this team resembles in build, name and style of work the strong man in the Franklyn. Charles get the brother act flashed a good routine that held most of the house in the closing spot. The stunts are well done without, however, an attempt at speeding in other routines of the kind. For the finish they have evolved a lift suggestive of the chair lift in the Franklyn, Charles act. The brothers work it out with a table, which is not as spectacular and does not look as difficult.
13 Mins.
These two girls in their present vaudeville offering are a disappointment. They wore with Joe Wood’s “Mimic World” for several seasons. After the retirement of Seymour Felix from the act the girls were mostly responsible for putting It over. It looked then as though they were sore fire for vaudeville, but the present specialty is anything but that… The Morley Sisters are much better endowed with natural ability than the majority of sister acts now playing the better houses, and it seems a pity to let them slip simply because someone has not taken the trouble to tell them what’s what.
18 Mins
The act did all right it the 58th Street and in similar houses would probably do as well. It seems like, a bad time of the year to put on a dramatic sketch with the warm weather coming on and the general bent toward light entertainment.
