DIY History | Transcribe | Keith-Albee Collection | Managers' report book, November 13, 1916-January 21, 1918

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Managers' report book, November 13, 1916-January 21, 1918

Page 169

PHILADELPHIA    B. F. KEITH'S    OCT. 1,    7
PATHE. 9 min. A good average of clothes.
LAMB & MORTON. 10 min. A man and woman in a nicely staged balancing act. They have a new way of introducing their material with some attractive stage setting and made a good opener.
FORD & GOODRIDGE. 14 min. A young couple in songs and dances. They have some good material but do very little with it until the finish when they won a liberal hand with a song and dance. Make three changes of costume. Only a fair act.
RAE ELEANOR BALL. 13 min. This classy violiniste has played here several times and is a favorite with our audience. With a program of high-class numbers, closing with one popular selection, she was just as well received as ever.
BERT LESLIE & CO. 18 min. "Hogan In Mexico." His sketch, as usual, is one built entirely around Leslie and his slang. He has a lot of new talk which got a lot of laughs. As in the past, his company is not of the best, but Leslie carries the sketch along and it proved a fairly good laugh-winner.
BRENDEL & BURT. 19 min. These two young people were members of "Made In Philly," our big Summer Revue last year and, of course, are big Philadelphia favorites. They have a brand new offering, called, "Waiting For Her," a mixture of comedy talk, a couple of songs and some dancing. The act needs a lot of tuning up, especially in the opening minutes where it is rather slow. They have the making of a good act and here they scored a good sized applause hit.
JOAN SAWYER. 26 min. With a lot of new dances, Miss Sawyer repeated the success scored last season. She is without an orchestra this year, but carries several musicians, two of which introduce solos on piano and violin during her act. As usual, she wears some stunning gowns and is splendidly assisted by George Harcourt in the dances. She closed her act with a little speech inviting the audience to accept free wool for knitting for the soldiers and also attempted to sing a comedy song, which did not do so well.
WATSON SISTERS. 24 min. Despite the fact that these girls were forced to work in their street clothes, owing to the failure of their trunks to arrive, they were the applause hit of the show. Singing songs is no longer the big feature of their act, the girls working up a big laughing hit through the handling of their comedy talk.
WINSTON'S WATER LIONS & DIVING NYMPHS. 14 min. This act is good enough to be headlined on any bill in any theatre in the country. It is undoubtedly the best aquatic novelty ever seen in vaudeville and made the audience burst into applause several times during its showing. Two girls and a group of water lions go through a routine of very showy tricks in a huge tank. The seals are wonderfully trained and the act makes a tremendous show. In the closing spot, it registered a solid hit.
"RETREAT OF THE GERMANS AT THE BATTLE OF ARRAS." 40 min. First showing of these pictures created an excellent impression on the audience, ninety per cent. of which sat through the entire episode with intense interest.
GENERAL REMARKS. A corking good vaudeville show surrounding the war pictures furnished a satisfactory entertainment for a crowded house, plenty of comedy and Joan Sawyer adding a lot of class.

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PHILADELPHIA B. F. KEITH'S OCT. 1, 7 PATHE. 9 min. A good average of clothes. LAMB & MORTON. 10 min. A man and woman in a nicely staged balancing act. They have a new way of introducing their material with some attractive stage setting and made a good opener. FORD & GOODRIDGE. 14 min. A young couple in songs and dances. They have some good material but do very little with it until the finish when they won a liberal hand with a song and dance. Make three changes of costume. Only a fair act. RAE ELEANOR BALL. 13 min. This classy violiniste has played here several times and is a favorite with our audience. With a program of high-class numbers, closing with one popular selection, she was just as well received as ever. BERT LESLIE & CO. 18 min. "Hogan In Mexico." His sketch, as usual, is one built entirely around Leslie and his slang. He has a lot of new talk which got a lot of laughs. As in the past, his company is not of the best, but Leslie carries the sketch along and it proved a fairly good laugh-winner. BRENDEL & BURT. 19 min. These two young people were members of "Made In Philly," our big Summer Revue last year and, of course, are big Philadelphia favorites. They have a brand new offering, called, "Waiting For Her," a mixture of comedy talk, a couple of songs and some dancing. The act needs a lot of tuning up, especially in the opening minutes where it is rather slow. They have the making of a good act and here they scored a good sized applause hit. JOAN SAWYER. 26 min. With a lot of new dances, Miss Sawyer repeated the success scored last season. She is without an orchestra this year, but carries several musicians, two of which introduce solos on piano and violin during her act. As usual, she wears some stunning gowns and is splendidly assisted by George Harcourt in the dances. She closed her act with a little speech inviting the audience to accept free wool for knitting for the soldiers and also attempted to sing a comedy song, which did not do so well. WATSON SISTERS. 24 min. Despite the fact that these girls were forced to work in their street clothes, owing to the failure of their trunks to arrive, they were the applause hit of the show. Singing songs is no longer the big feature of their act, the girls working up a big laughing hit through the handling of their comedy talk. WINSTON'S WATER LIONS & DIVING NYMPHS. 14 min. This act is good enough to be headlined on any bill in any theatre in the country. It is undoubtedly the best aquatic novelty ever seen in vaudeville and made the audience burst into applause several times during its showing. Two girls and a group of water lions go through a routine of very showy tricks in a huge tank. The seals are wonderfully trained and the act makes a tremendous show. In the closing spot, it registered a solid hit. "RETREAT OF THE GERMANS AT THE BATTLE OF ARRAS." 40 min. First showing of these pictures created an excellent impression on the audience, ninety per cent. of which sat through the entire episode with intense interest. GENERAL REMARKS. A corking good vaudeville show surrounding the war pictures furnished a satisfactory entertainment for a crowded house, plenty of comedy and Joan Sawyer adding a lot of class.