Rico Edward G. Robinson Joe Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Olga Glenda Farrell Released by Warner Brothers | Directed By Mervyn LeRoy Proof That It’s Pre-Code Homosexual undertones galore. From a few guys checking out Douglas Fairbanks Jr.’s dance moves to Rico’s gushing toady, it’s hard not to read the whole thing Read more…
Tom Powers James Cagney Gwen Allen Jean Harlow Matt Doyle Edward Woods Mike Powers Donald Cook Ma Powers Beryl Mercer Mamie Joan Blondell Released by Warner Brothers | Directed By William A. Wellman Proof That It’s Pre-Code Our hero is a thug and he’s punished for his actions. But, boy, Read more…
Matt Nolan James Cagney Sue Riley Nolan Loretta Young Skeets George E. Stone Pop Riley Guy Kibbee Ruby Leila Bennett Buck Gerard David Landau Released by Warner Brothers | Directed By Roy Del Ruth Proof That It’s Pre-Code If you’ve ever wanted to see a woman get slapped around, well, Read more…
Chick Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Ruth Joan Blondell Scrap Iron Guy Kibbee Bushy Sloan Alan Hale The Drunk Frank McHugh Kendall David Landau Released by Warner Brothers | Directed By Alfred E. Green Proof That It’s Pre-Code The film’s opening minutes read like a checklist of Code no-nos. There are prostitutes, Read more…
Tom Cardigan John Barrymore June Perry Helen Twelvetrees Vanny Powers William Boyd Released by RKO | Directed By George Archainbaud Proof That It’s Pre-Code Our lead character has a fridge full of alcohol. And a table full. Several table fulls. The dude likes to drink. He may Read more…
Harold Horne Harold Lloyd Barbara Barbara Kent Charcoal, the Janitor Willie Best Released by Paramount Pictures | Directed By Clyde Bruckman Proof That It’s Pre-Code Someone gets called a ‘pansy’. There’s a ritzy ‘Emperor’s Club’ where everyone enjoys getting sloshed. Feet First: And Safety… Oh, Well, You Know “That’s not Read more…
Jojo Joe E. Brown Winnie Winnie Lightner Tom Paul Gregory Released by Warner Brothers | Directed By Lloyd Bacon Proof That It’s Pre-Code Everyone is drinkin’ at speakeasies. A lot of the characters have been through a divorce or two. Winnie euphemistically notes about her ex-husband, “As a wrestler he Read more…
Carol Morgan Tallulah Bankhead Bill Wade Robert Montgomery Peter Blainey Hugh Herbert Released by MGM | Directed By Harry Beaumont Proof That It’s Pre-Code The film opens with a montage of newspaper headlines over the years promising that the end of the Depression is at hand. The papers are greeted Read more…
Jerry Fredric March Joan Sylvia Sidney Claire Adrienne Allen Buck Skeets Gallagher Vi Esther Howard Mr. Prentice George Irving Released by Paramount Pictures | Directed By Dorothy Arzner Proof That It’s Pre-Code The movie is based on a short story entitled, “I, Jerry, Take Thee, Joan.” This was changed to Read more…
Temple Drake Miriam Hopkins Stephen Benbow William Gargan Trigger Jack La Rue Released by Paramount Pictures | Directed By Stephen Roberts Proof That It’s Pre-Code I’m going to go ahead and just quote Thomas Doherty’s Pre-Code Hollywood on this one: The Story of Temple Drake is a model of pre-Code Read more…