Danilo Maurice Chevalier Sonia Jeanette MacDonald Ambassador Edward Everett Horton King George Barbier Queen Una Merkel Orderly Sterling Holloway Released by Metro Goldwyn Mayer | Directed by Ernst Lubitsch Proof That It’s Pre-Code-ish How sexually carefree and attractive is the Chevalier character this go around? At a mod Parisian brothel, Read more
Tom Brown Gary Cooper Amy Jolly Marlene Dietrich La Bessiere Adolphe Menjou Released by Paramount | Directed by Josef von Sternberg Run time: 91 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film “What are you doing with those fingers?” “Nothing. … yet.” One infamous scene has Dietrich, in a tux, kissing Read more
Simon Edward Everett Horton Doris / Julia Patsy Ruth Miller Easter Louise Beavers Released by Warner Bros. | Directed by Archie Mayo Run time: 69 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film “I never spoiled a reputation in my life– male or female!” Simon’s maid, a black woman named Easter, Read more
Lola Lola Marlene Dietrich Professor Rath Emil Jannings The Magician Kurt Gerron Released by Paramount Pictures | Directed by Josef Von Sternberg Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film Our lead singer, Lola Lola, has what men want, and is more than willing to pass it along. The Blue Angel: Destroyed Read more
Peggy Sawyer Ruby Keeler Dorothy Brock Bebe Daniels Julian Marsh Warner Baxter Billy Lawler Dick Powell Abner Dillon Guy Kibbee Pat Denning George Brent Loraine “Lolly” Fleming Una Merkel “Anytime” Annie Lowell Ginger Rogers Thomas Barry Ned Sparks Mac Elroy Allen Jenkins Andy Lee George E. Stone The Blonde Toby Read more
Chandu Edmund Lowe Princess Nadji Irene Ware Roxor Bela Lugosi Released by Fox Film | Directed by William Cameron Menzies & Marcel Varnel Proof That It’s Pre-Code Death rays! … wait, that’s not exclusive to the early 1930s? Lots of mysticism and indulging in the mystics. One not particularly effective Read more
Yvonne Greta Garbo Andre Robert Montgomery Delval Lewis Stone Released by Metro Goldwyn Mayer | Directed by Clarence Brown Proof That It’s Pre-Code “There are tricks in every trade.” “You ought to know, dearie. Your trade is the oldest.” “I was just going to ask if you came with a Read more
Joe Anton George Raft Jerry Healy Constance Cummings Iris Wynne Gibson Leo Roscoe Karns Mabel Alison Skipworth Maude Mae West Released by Paramount | Directed by Archie Mayo Proof That It’s Pre-Code “Why that dumb cluck!” George Raft awakens and undresses to bathe. We see a lot of him. Llllladies. Read more
Ted Taylor David Manners Judy Mason Ann Dvorak Peter Sturgis Ken Murray Released by Warner Bros. | Directed by Lloyd Bacon Proof That It’s Pre-Code Saxophone player Ted Taylor thinks he’s getting a good reaction from a stage manager, but the guy’s only checking out a woman in a leotard Read more
Flo Helen Twelvetrees Babe Robert Armstrong McTeague Charles Bickford Released by Fox Pathe | Directed by Ryan Murphy Proof That It’s Pre-Code Drinking and speakeasies. Everyone is after Flo’s virtue. Or if they haven’t got it, they don’t believe she still has it. Not the nicest portrayal of South American Read more