New-York tribune., 1919-06-16
On the Screen
Tully Marshall and Sydney Aims
worth Excellent in 1.-The Grim
son Cardenia,'' at Rialto

Although we carried with US our
losecolored spectacles when we visited
the Rialto Theatre yesterday they
failed to throw the proper glow over
The Crimson Gardenia," which is the
feature picture there this week. and
we had gone with our mind all made
up to enjoy this Rex Beach melodrama,
too.
1t is a romance Of the Mardi Gras.
Owen Moore is the hero, one Roland
Van Dam, but we gather after sitting
through five or six reels of him that
he didn't even give one of them as to
what happened to him. He seems a
most casual person who couldn't bother
to convince one that he was a young
millionaire visiting New Orleans for
the Mardl Gras, in search of adventure.
HIS vagueness seemed to be shared
by most of the company. 1t was as
though they had separated themselves
INTO groups and said "Now let US do
this or This would be good place
for a shooting" If one may believe
the titles the French people spoke
broken English, too, among themselves
instead of using their mother tongue
When we speak of the general
languor, however, we wish to except
Iully Marshall and Sydney Ainsworth
Both were excellent in their parts.
We had heard that "The Crimson
Gardenia" got its name from the fact
that a white gardenia worn over the
heart of Emile De Due turns red with
his blood when he is stabbed, but moth,
ing is made of this incident in the
picture.
There was one clever bit of business
which set us to thinking Where did
Mr. Goldwyn get his "centrals" anc
why can't New York have some like
that in it's Offices here?
When Roland Van Dam finds himsel-
trapped in the home of the counter
feiters he manages to get a boo}
under the telephone receiver and raise
1t up to attract the attention of Cen
tral. Then he directs his conversation
into the mouthpiece and before tn.
gang can murder him there are crowd
of policemen to save his life. 1t is ;
good idea if you can get Central tx
listen, but if we shouted "Spring 3lO0'
into the telephone we should probabl,
hear over the wire Bryant 1880 doesn'
answer" But it worked in the pictur,
and Roland lived to take Madelon i,
his arms and kiss her on the chin
Madelon was played by Hedda- Nova
Reginald Barker directed the picture
"a Desert Hero is the new Arbuckl,
comedy which is on the programme.
is quite different and suggests to ou
suspicious mind that Roscoe is gon.
in for the legitimate 1t has a prett,
maiden, who is reformed, and mora
and Salvation Armies and not any pi,
throwing or sausage making.
One of the most enjoyable feature
of the programme is the overture.
i, Mendelssohn's "Midsummer Night
Dream" written when the great com
poser was only seventeen years old.
The Rialto male quartette SAM
"Annie Laurie" and "Kentucky Babe
The light opera number is "Mlle
Modste H. U.
Square Deal Sanderson" is anothe
Hart picture with a significant cog
nomcn. In the new picture Mr.. Har
plays the role of man named Sander
son, and, as may be suspected, he give
every one a square deal.
It does seem as though Mr.. Har
will just have to run out Of plots i
he sticks to his determination to pre-
sent only Western plays, for We ar
quite sure there is nothing new unde
the Western sun.
And even now he cant fool all o
the people all the time" In the seen
where Sanderson finds the dead MAJ
with 1000 and letter. early in tn
picture, we said: "Ah, the letter j
from little sister Mary, who hasn'
seen him since she was a baby, an,
she is sending money to come hom
because mother is very i'll. Sister vii
be seen in the early morning fryini
eggs and wearing neat ginghar
gown"
And then Sanderson opened the let
ter and read: Dear Brother Bill:
am sending S. 900 to come home.
shan't know you because l haven't seel
you since l was a ba by" So of cours
Sanderson impersonates brother Bill
and in the early morning Ann Littl
is seen wearing neat gingham gov