Evening star., 1922-03-27
C0LUMBIA-"The Sign of the
Rose"

1.-THE Sign of the Rose" a drama
union of film and footlights, with
George Beban as author. star and
supervisor, was presented at LoeW's
Columbia Theater yesterday. before
capacity audiences throughout the
afternoon and evening.
The novel combination of pictures
and personalities doubtless accounted
for it's share of the crowded attend
ance, but there was also the presence.
very real distinction on the stage
and thanks TO the wisdom of press
agent who refrained from barring
plot details to point where interest
becomes shopworn, there was the
freshness of successive surprises in
the unfolding of the story that had
something of the thrill that comes
from cutting the leaves of novel
whose ending will be a mystery until
the very end.
merges into stage form, with the same
actors carrying the plot forward In
person until the closing scenes, which
return to the screen. 1t is a simple,
everyday story of human nature as
expressed by the rich and the poor.
with circumstance as a golden link
that binds the two together. The tale
has nothing to do with an old English
inn, as the title rather suggests. but
is SO new as to have for first and
poignant feature the death of a child
by skidding automobile-with New
York for its setting. and for hero an
Italian emigrant; pathetically ideal
characterization of laughter, tears
and soul-splendor that the star has
made to stand out, Saul like, in type
portrayals of the stage.
Beginning on Christmas eve. the
story visions two tiny girls. each joy
ously impatient for the coming of
Santa Claus. The Italian brings
tree to the bankers home, and then
goes to his tenement room to carry
happiness to his bit of daughter.
The rich child is kidnapped and the
father. susrecting the italian. rushes
his car to- the slums to find him. The
streets are muggy; the car sklds ana
kills the Italians little girl, who is
playing blind mans bun on the COP
bles.
This much of the plot is revealed
because of the stage act, in which the
stricken father goes to florists to
buy rose for his little ones grave
who attempts by every terror of the
third degree to make him confess to
the stealing of the rich child-a scene
played with such energetic realism as
to warrant the hope that it was over
done. 1t is in this scene that the star,
assisted by Helene Sullivan, as the
mother of the kidnapped child, and by
the excellent actor who plays the
part of the detective. steps from
screen to stage. The scene between
the two gives a tense understanding
of the agony of helpless innocence
when subjected to the power of a
law so perverted as to make of its
representative a figure of legalized
crime.
For twenty-five minutes the actors
carry on the story in stage form,
when suddenly the theater is DARK
ened and the camera takes up the
drama to it's end. 1t is a "happJ"
ending.
MANY men of many minds" can al
ways be relied upon for arguments of
many kinds. but it seems a safe thing
to predict that the average intelligent
lover of good acting and motion pic
lures can ask nothing more enter
tainingly worth while than the fine
acting and attractive picturing Of
George Beban IN 1.-The Sign of the
Rose"
The spirit of the play has for SYM
pathetic undercurrent the soft melody
of an orchestra SO appropriate, in Its