New Pictures

Sparrows. Mary Pickford is back in one of her twelve-year-old ragamuffin roles. This time she is little "Mama Mollie," that maternal wisp of a girl who battles for a tribe of smudgy-faced, curly-haired, innocent-eyed orphans against the cruelty of one Grimes, keeper of a baby farm in ' the swampy southlands. Mr. Grimes has a half-witted wife, and belongs to the Charles Dickens-school of characters.

The cinematography is good. There are real alligators and fake Spanish moss. The plot calls up tears of Little Annie Rooney.

The title of the film was orginally advertised as Scraps, until Joseph M. Schenck and Douglas Fairbanks saw the working print. In the gospel according to St. Luke, there are passages about the lowly sparrow who is not lost sight of in the eyes of God. In the film Mary gathers her little "sparrows" to her heart. Said Mr. Fairbanks: "Even without Miss Pickford it would still be a great picture."

Subway Sadie (Dorothy MacKaill, Jack Mulhall). Out of material rich enough for genuine epic drama, they have extracted common cinema slush. The roaring subway," the jostled crowds are employed as sentimental background for a nitwit who wants to go to Paris more than anything else, but marries a poor subway guard instead. The guard turns out to be the son of the subway system's owner, so she goes to Paris after all.

Diplomacy (Blanche Sweet, Matt Moore). Scenarios are never so stupid as when they fret with secret service intrigue. In this one, the British U. S., Russian diplomats fight it out for the balance of power. The dastardly Bolshevik spies perpetrate villainous deeds. Especially reprehensible is the smooth lady-spy who opens the door every time state secrets are being discussed. Fortunately for civilization, Matt Moore, U. S. Secret Service agent, marches capably before the camera whenever conditions become too crucial.