McNally & Ashton
“Direct From Brazil” — Man and woman; man blackface; Singing, Talking and Dancing; 17 min in one; went good.
Military Octette
42 min. A bunch of boys formerly in vaudeville and now in the service stationed at Fort DuPont, Delaware. Present a minstrel first part dressed in army uniforms, two in blackface doing end-men. Program includes popular songs and ballads and a routine of jokes. Act could get over on performance alone but with boys in uniform it was a riot of applause.
Kramer and Boyle
Kramer and Boyle golfed them in the next to closing spot with crossfire and vocalizing. This pair have developed into a comedy team of standard proportions and can hold down the next to shut position on the strongest of the bills. Boyle in a smooth convincing, straight of excellent stage presence, also possessing a voice of no mean caliber, while Kramer is a black-face comic with production possibilities. They scored solidly in a difficult assignment.
Coakley and Dunlevy
Coakley and Dunlevy, a two-man blackface team with a special set showing trenches, came next and got laughs all through the act, but could not get much in the way of applause. They put across their stuff with a wallop, and one of the men sings two ballads that slow up the running. The material and act is out of date, and the audience didn’t care to be reminded of the war.
Browning and Davis
Browning and Davis, two men in blackface, next with well routine comedy crossfire material. Though their talk is bright and snappy, it runs a little long before they go into their singing. A ballad by Browning and a comedy version of the same number by David sent this pair off to big returns.
Troutner and Heffner
Troutner and Heffner, two men in blackface, one a comedian and the other straight, received a fair return for their comedy talk. “Oh, Look,” the King offering, was replete with laughs, making a good impression as the closing number. A feature that brought much favorable comment was the scenery in the background.
Pistel & Cushing
12 min. “The Stranded Minstrels.” An old-time blackface comedy turn, their material being the same as used by the old Simmons & White act with a property man doing the “ghost bit.” Did fairly well.
Gaylord and Herron
Gaylord and Herron, a couple of girls in blackface, handed out good comedy for laughs in olio, going to full stage for a dressing-room bit, removing the black in view of the audience and finishing a hit.
Elizabeth Nelson and the Barry Boys
Elizabeth Nelson and the Barry Boys held the next spot with ease. The act opens in “one,” with one of the men doing blackface, the other straight, with a couple of bright lines, the comic singing in a very good voice. The act goes into “one and one-half,” where it picks up speed. Miss Barry does excellent tumbling and back-bending stunts. She also makes several striking changes. The act cleaned up without an effort, and could have held a later spot.
Grant Gardner
Grant Gardner, billed as Mons. Grant Gardner, has about a minute of mysterious music, with lights changing, leading one to believe almost anything, making his appearance from the opposite side of the spot in grotesque blackface make-up. He explains the psychology of laughter, telling a few humorous stories, topped off with eccentric dance, and for an encore plays a peculiar cornet.