The New Pictures

Babbitt. The great American legion that calls George Follansbee Babbitt friend will hardly recognize his familiar figure as a skeleton, stripped of most of the flesh and blood wherewith Sinclair Lewis endowed him, strung about with a few chunks of cinematic laughter-bait, dangled rakishly by Director Beaumont inside the standard triangle frame. Corporeal flesh the producers could and did obtain, in the not unconvincing shape of fat Willard Louis, hitherto unknown. But of spiritual tegument the scenario had none. For obvious reasons, Tanis Judique, middle aged and harmless in the novel, was sent to the boudoir and brought out a sleek, home-wrecking creature (Carmel Myers). Mary Alden, the Babbitt wife, has played frumpy parts until they are second nature to her.

The Arab. The locale of The Arab is Northern Africa and thither Rex Ingram moved his company. In view of this effort one is somewhat disappointed not to find a more unusual picture.

The theme, rather antique, deals with a Christian Mission threatened by a Moslem uprising; with the love of a native son for the Missionary's daughter.

Ramon Navarro in the title role is more roguish than ever before. One is grateful for the absence of "Sheikery." While the Arab's desert-tribe does gallop across the hot sands to the rescue of the Mission at the crucial moment, Rex Ingram has not handled this in the absurd way which often causes the spectators to reach for their hats and march out.

For Sale. A woman, of course, and in this case Claire Windsor, daughter of socially prominent Manhattanites disporting on the edge of bankruptcy. Her impecunious suitor is discarded and a wealthy one selected. Returning from a party at which the engagement was announced, the plutocratic fiance is killed in an automobile wreck. This opens the field for Adolphe Menjou-wealthy, socially ambitious. Claire's father has misappropriated money entrusted to him for investment by Menjou.

A crude sprinkling of society functions, jazz-parties and glimpses into Apache-dens of Paris fail to help this mediocre picture.