Happy July! I hope everyone is having a nice summer so far. The wind has finally kicked up where I live, which has made it an excellent time to sit inside and watch movies.
TCM is pretty light on pre-Codes for this month, plus they’re inexplicably showing Central Park twice. So don’t feel bad if you missed it! There’s pretty much nothing going on on any other platform either, so that’s great.
For those of you who live in Los Angeles, which I assume is either a minority or a majority of you (one or the other), my friend Kimberly Truhler is putting on a monthly film series at the Egyptian called The Style of Sin that features a ton of great pre-Code actresses. Do check it out if you can.
A friendly reminder: if you want to help me keep this going, you can become a Patron over at Patreon. I will be drawing the winner of my Forbidden Hollywood Volume 2 DVD set when I get back from my Independence Day weekend trip, and get that in the mail along with some other goodies. I appreciate your support!
Pre-Code 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).
- Plot descriptions and casts lists below come from TCM. See the full listings for the month here.
- If you subscribe to TCM via cable, you can watch TCM online via the TCM Watch site.
| Date & Time | Film |
|
2nd |
Central Park (1932) |
|
Small-town kids out to make it in the big city inadvertently get mixed up with gangsters. Dir: John G. Adolfi Cast: Joan Blondell , Wallace Ford , Guy Kibbee . BW- 58 mins, CC, |
|
|
7th |
The Gay Divorcee (1934) |
|
An unhappily married woman mistakes a suitor for the gigolo hired to end her marriage. Dir: Mark Sandrich Cast: Fred Astaire , Ginger Rogers , Alice Brady . BW- 105 mins, CC, |
|
|
7:30 |
It Happened One Night (1934) |
|
A newspaperman tracks a runaway heiress on a madcap cross-country tour. Dir: Frank Capra Cast: Clark Gable , Claudette Colbert , Walter Connolly . BW- 105 mins, CC, |
|
|
8th |
White Zombie (1932) |
|
A zombie master menaces newlyweds on a Haitian plantation. Dir: Victor Halperin Cast: Bela Lugosi , Madge Bellamy , Joseph Cawthorn . BW- 67 mins, |
|
|
10th |
The Divorcee (1930) |
|
The double standard destroys a liberal couple’s marriage. Dir: Robert Z. Leonard Cast: Norma Shearer , Chester Morris , Conrad Nagel . BW- 82 mins, CC, |
|
|
10th |
Ex-Lady (1933) |
|
A female artist is torn between her belief in free love and the constraints of romance. Dir: Robert Florey Cast: Bette Davis , Gene Raymond , Frank McHugh . BW- 67 mins, CC, |
|
|
10th |
Queen Christina (1933) |
|
Romantic tale of the 17th-century Swedish queen and her romance with a Spanish diplomat. Dir: Rouben Mamoulian Cast: Greta Garbo , John Gilbert , Ian Keith . BW- 99 mins, CC, |
|
|
11th |
Fashions of 1934 (1934) |
|
A con artist and his beautiful assistant take on the fashion world. Dir: William Dieterle Cast: William Powell , Bette Davis , Frank McHugh . BW- 78 mins, CC, |
|
|
11th |
Baby Face (1933) |
|
A beautiful schemer sleeps her way to the top of a banking empire. Dir: Alfred E. Green Cast: Barbara Stanwyck , George Brent , Donald Cook . BW- 76 mins, CC, |
|
|
15th |
Central Park (1932) |
|
Small-town kids out to make it in the big city inadvertently get mixed up with gangsters. Dir: John G. Adolfi Cast: Joan Blondell , Wallace Ford , Guy Kibbee . BW- 58 mins, CC, |
|
|
15th |
Sidewalks of New York (1931) |
|
A society boy gets mixed up with gangsters when he falls for a girl from the slums. Dir: Jules White Cast: Buster Keaton , Anita Page , Cliff Edwards . BW- 74 mins, CC, |
|
|
17th |
The Public Enemy (1931) |
|
An Irish-American street punk tries to make it big in the world of organized crime. Dir: William A. Wellman Cast: James Cagney , Jean Harlow , Edward Woods . BW- 84 mins, CC, |
|
|
17th |
Footlight Parade (1933) |
|
A producer fights labor problems, financiers and his greedy ex-wife to put on a show. Dir: Lloyd Bacon Cast: James Cagney , Joan Blondell , Ruby Keeler . BW- 103 mins, CC, |
|
|
20th |
Cross Fire (1933) |
|
A war hero takes on gangsters who’ve invaded a wild West town. Dir: Otto Brower Cast: Tom Keene , Betty Furness , Edgar Kennedy . BW- 56 mins, CC, |
|
|
21st |
The Front Page (1931) |
|
A crusading newspaper editor tricks his retiring star reporter into covering one last case. Dir: Lewis Milestone Cast: Adolph Menjou , Pat O’Brien , Mary Brian . BW- 101 mins, CC, |
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|
24th |
Faithless (1932) |
|
A spoiled rich girl is wiped out by the Depression. Dir: Harry Beaumont Cast: Tallulah Bankhead , Robert Montgomery , Hugh Herbert . BW- 77 mins, CC, |
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|
28th |
An American Tragedy (1931) |
|
A factory worker’s romance with a beautiful heiress is complicated by an earlier fate. Dir: Josef von Sternberg Cast: Phillips Holmes , Sylvia Sidney , Frances Dee . BW- 95 mins, |
|
|
29th |
The Key (1934) |
|
A British officer stationed in Ireland falls for the wife of an intelligence man. Dir: Michael Curtiz Cast: William Powell , Edna Best , Colin Clive . BW- 71 mins, |
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|
29th |
Manhattan Melodrama (1934) |
|
Boyhood friends grow up on opposite sides of the law. Dir: W. S. Van Dyke Cast: Clark Gable , William Powell , Myrna Loy . BW- 90 mins, CC, |
Questions? Comments? Or do you just want to bug me? Leave a comment below!
