Romance

1933

Aggie Appleby, Maker of Men (1933)

Agnes ‘Aggie’ Appleby Wynne Gibson Adonriam Schlump Charles Farrell Red Branahan William Gargan Evangeline Betty Furness Sybby Zasu Pitts Aunt Katherine Blanche Friderici Released by RKO | Directed By Mark Sandrich Proof That It’s Pre-Code Sybby (Zasu Pitts) is getting blotto in a speakeasy and exclaims, “At this rate, Mae Read more…

By Danny, 9 yearsFebruary 10, 2014 ago

1934

Fashions of 1934 (1934) Review, with William Powell and Bette Davis

Sherwood Nash William Powell Lynn Bette Davis Snap Frank McHugh The Duchess Verree Teasdale Joe Hugh Herbert Baroque Reginald Owen Released by Warner Brothers | Directed By William Dieterle Proof That It’s Pre-Code Walking down the Seine, Snap is offered some dirty pictures, which he looks at with much relish. Read more…

By Danny, 9 yearsFebruary 7, 2014 ago

1934

The Cat and the Fiddle (1934) Review, with Jeanette MacDonald and Ramon Novarro

Victor Ramon Novarro Shirley Jeanette MacDonald Charles Charles Butterworth Released by MGM | Directed By William K. Howard Proof That It’s Pre-Code A man and a woman living together, unmarried. This may not seem that crazy nowadays, but for simply showing this act, the film was refused reissue when the Read more…

By Danny, 9 yearsJanuary 10, 2014 ago

1932

The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932) Review, with Barbara Stanwyck

Megan Davis … Barbara Stanwyck General Yen … Nils Asther Mah-Li … Toshia Mori Jones … Walter Connolly Bob Strife … Gavin Gordon Captain Li … Richard Loo Proof That It’s Pre-Code You may not be old enough to remember this, but at one time miscegenation was illegal in many Read more…

By Danny, 10 yearsAugust 9, 2013 ago

1934

Gambling Lady (1934) Review, with Barbara Stanwyck

Lady Lee … Barbara Stanwyck Garry Madison … Joel McCrea Charlie Lang… Pat O’Brien Sheila Aiken … Claire Dodd Pete Madison … C. Aubrey Smith Directed by Archie Mayo Proof That It’s Pre-Code A note on this one: the only copy I could find had the Production Code seal on Read more…

By Danny, 10 yearsJuly 30, 2013 ago

1933

Blondie Johnson (1933) Review

Proof That It’s Pre-Code It’s about a lady gangster who takes over a mob through her wits rather than with her body– which is pretty rare for a Pre-Code. She’s vicious, cunning, and makes suckers out of her enemies. Blondie goes into the hospital to visit her gangster cohort who Read more…

By Danny, 10 yearsJanuary 4, 2013 ago

1932

Man Wanted (1932) Review

Proof That It’s Pre-Code

When you watch Pre-Code films, it’s sometimes hard to realize just how disenfranchised women were during this time period. That’s because movies in that era went out of their way to give us strong female roles who did things like run a car company, function as a doctor, or, in this film’s case, be the lead editor on a magazine. And, the best part is, in this one our heroine not punished for being devoted to her job, and she’s damned good at it.

Of course, the heroine’s husband is a louse who engages in extramarital sex, but that’ll happen.

Big old goof Andy Devine claims that there hasn’t been any marriage in his family for three generations. Wait, didn’t he claim that back in Doctor Bull too?

The Particulars of the Picture


Lois Ames… Kay Francis	Tommy Sherman… David Manners	Ruth Holman… Una Merkel

Andy Doyle… Andy Devine	Freddie Ames… Kenneth Thompson	Directed by William Dieterle