Pre-Code.Com Site News for July 2017
It’s sweltering summer! Well, I mean it was when I lived in Japan. Now I’m on the elbow of California and it’s foggy from about 6:00 PM to 10:00 AM every single day. It does get up to sunny and 65 in the afternoons and I’m a five minute drive from the beach, but when I lived in NorCal before it was 70 year-round and it never rained. I probably would have laughed off even the idea of fog up there. And now I’m not being made fun of for wearing sweaters in the summer! Like I was in Japan. And California. And that trip I took to Hawaii. Look, I just like sweaters.
Wow, that was a digression. Who cares what’s happening outside, because the movies are inside, where it’s cool and nice and the fridge is within easy reach. Turner Classic Movies is spending the month regaling its patrons with not one, but literally dozens of Alfred Hitchcock movies. The real treat, though, is that Ronald Colman is star of the month! Yes, I actually believe this. Colman was a fixture of the pre-Code era, playing those suave, clever fellow roles that William Powell couldn’t get from him. Unfortunately, his pre-Code showings this month have a few gaps– and words can’t describe how bummed I am that Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back isn’t getting an airing, because that movie is a blast.
July actually kicks off with a showing of the original The Mummy, probably to give audiences an antidote to how the latest remake is dominating the box office charts. There’s also a day of programming devoted to Lily Damita, because why not. Oh, and there’s a day chock full of Joel McCrea pre-Codes, including many of his collaborations with Constance Bennett, which I’m also really looking forward to.
As usual, I will be taking a vacation for the first week of July in celebration of my birthday. This year I’m headed down to beautiful San Diego for the long weekend, meaning I get to experience the undeniable thrill of having a toddler on a 7 hour train ride and then re-experiencing it three days later.
Side note: I did not include the many early-30s foreign films they’re showing this month since this site covers primarily covers Hollywood movies. But, hey, watch Vampyr on the 18th. It’s fun stuff.
Patreon Bonus for July
Patreon is a way for readers like you to help me cover the costs of running this site for a only a few dollars a month– and, honestly, it helps a ton. The bonus for July will be reading more of Dashiell Hammett’s The Thin Man. Whether that’s a bonus or a punishment is up to your own perspective! (My Maureen O’Sullivan… it’s not so hot.)
Become a Patron!
Pre-Code Hollywood Movies on TCM in July
Please note: All times listed here are Eastern Standard. This schedule is subject to change (like if someone dies or the world ends– you know how it is). See the full TCM schedule for the month here. If you subscribe to TCM via cable, you can watch TCM online via the TCM Watch site. If you don’t have cable, check out Sling TV, where (Americans) can watch TCM online or on their Roku for only $25/month. Plus you get HGTV and Food Network. That’s how I got my wife to okay it.
| 6th, 2:00 AM |
Raffles (1930)
A British gentleman is secretly a jewel thief. With Ronald Colman and Kay Francis. |
| 6th, 3:30 AM |
The Devil to Pay (1930)
A spendthrift’s return shakes up his family. With Ronald Colman. |
| 6th, 5:00 AM |
Cynara (1932)
Infidelity threatens a lawyer’s marriage. With Ronald Colman and Kay Francis. |
| 10th, 1:30 PM |
Way for a Sailor (1932)
A devoted sailor jeopardizes his love life for love of the sea. |
| 12th, 10:30 AM |
Way Back Home (1932)
A New England preacher shelters a young boy from his alcoholic father. |
| 17th, 6:30 AM |
Way Out West (1930)
A carnival barker is forced to work as a cowboy. With William Haynes. |
| 17th, 8:00 AM |
Renegades of the West (1933)
A cowboy goes undercover to catch cattle thieves. With Tom Keene. |
| 19th, 6:15 AM |
The Silver Horde (1930)
Joel McCrea vs Louis Wolheim in Alaska. Kicks off a day of pre-Code McCrea! |
| 19th, 9:15 AM |
Born to Love (1932)
A pilot who was thought dead turns up, throwing his former lover’s life into disarray. |
| 19th, 10:45 AM |
The Common Law (1932)
A kept woman gives up luxury to move in with a struggling artist. |
| 19th, 2:45 PM |
The Sport Parade (1932)
College team mates follow different paths after they graduate. |
| 19th, 5:15 PM |
Chance at Heaven (1934)
A society girl steals a gas station attendant from his working class girlfriend. With Joel McCrea and Ginger Rogers. |
| 25th, 10:45 AM |
Friends and Lovers (1931)
A society woman and her husband blackmail the men who flirt with her. Starts a day of Lily Damita films. |
| 25th, 12:00 PM |
The Woman Between (1931)
A World War I pilot falls for his commander’s wife. |
| 25th, 1:30 PM |
The Match King (1932)
An ambitious young man corners the market on matches. |
| 25th, 3:00 PM |
Goldie Gets Along (1933)
A small town girl schemes to get to Hollywood. |
Questions? Comments? Or do you just want to bug me? Leave a comment below!
Related
2 Comments
Patricia Nolan-Hall (@CaftanWoman) · June 30, 2017 at 5:56 am
A few new titles for me this month, mixed in among some favourites. Thanks.
Jeannie (@gkneeisme) · July 8, 2017 at 5:49 am
It’s Ronald Colman month, my DVR is very full 🙂
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