Babbitt

You know when a novel really hits the consciousness of the public when its very name becomes a noun. To be a Babbitt is to be your outstanding middle class citizen with avarice is your main trait and you must by all means maintain a veneer of respectability.

I'm sure that Guy Kibbee could have played the role had Warner Brothers written the film just as the novel was written by Sinclair Lewis. But seeing when it came out it was at the dawn of the Code. The Babbitt we see here is a typical Guy Kibbee part, a fatuous, but essentially good hearted soul. Kibbee is married to Aline McMahon and has two children (there were three in the Lewis novel)played by Glenn Boles and Maxine Doyle.

Kibbee gets himself in a pair of jackpots. First he gets involved with Claire Dodd who was in a typical Claire Dodd role as the other woman. It's all quite innocent, but she's going to make trouble. At the same time Kibbee who is a real estate salesman gets involved with a pair of schemers looking to benefit from some inside information one of them is a city commissioner (Russell Hicks) and the other a millionaire whose lifestyle Babbitt craves and is played by Walter Walker. The two potential scandals intertwine.

Since is a codified version of Babbitt the ending is a soft landing for Kibbee. How he does it you'll have to watch the film for, but let's say he's mighty glad he's married to Aline McMahon who gives the best performance in the film.

There is a silent version of Babbitt put out by Warner Brothers as well. It might be closer to what Sinclair Lewis was writing about. As entertainment this version isn't bad though.