Some pretty light pre-Code offerings on TCM this month, but I rushed a bit to get this up in time since there are a few fun ones on May 1st that may be worth checking out.

If you haven’t yet, I hope you’re getting your copy of Mark Vieira’s Forbidden Hollywood. (It sounds like the first printing has already sold out!) Raquel has a pretty great review of it over at her blog, Out of the Past, that’s worth reading.

I’ve been a mix between sick and miserable the last few weeks, (thanks, California superbloom), but I’m hoping things improve as all of the plants die inglorious deaths. And a happy May to all of you!

Pre-Code Movies on TCM in May

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.
  • If you don’t have cable, check out Sling TV, where (Americans) can watch TCM online, via an app or on their Roku.
Date & Time Film

1st
6:00 AM

Alias French Gertie ( 1930)

A female thief poses as a maid to bilk her high-society employers.

Dir:  George Archainbaud Cast:  Bebe Daniels , Ben Lyon , Robert E. O’Connor .

BW- 68 mins,

1st
7:30 AM

Blondie Johnson (1933)

A female crook fights her way from poverty to the top of the underworld.

Dir:  Ray Enright Cast:  Joan Blondell , Chester Morris , Allen Jenkins .

BW- 68 mins, CC,

1st
1:45 PM

Paid (1930)

A young innocent plots revenge after being sent to prison unjustly.

Dir:  Sam Wood Cast:  Joan Crawford , Robert Armstrong , Marie Prevost .

BW- 86 mins, CC,

1st
4:45 PM

Midnight Mary (1933)

An abused orphan sinks into a life of crime.

Dir:  William Wellman Cast:  Loretta Young , Ricardo Cortez , Franchot Tone .

BW- 74 mins, CC,

2nd
2:00 PM

Sinner’s Holiday (1930)

A jealous young man frames his sister’s boyfriend.

Dir:  John G. Adolfi Cast:  Grant Withers , Evelyn Knapp , James Cagney .

BW- 60 mins, CC,

2nd
3:15 PM

The Guardsman ( 1931)

A jealous husband dons a disguise to test his wife’s fidelity.

Dir:  Sidney Franklin Cast:  Alfred Lunt , Lynn Fontanne , Roland Young .

BW- 82 mins, CC,

2nd
8:30 AM

Sundown Trail ( 1931)

A ranch foreman and an Eastern lady inherit a ranch.

Dir:  Robert F. Hill Cast:  Tom Keene , Marion Shilling , Nick Stuart .

BW- 53 mins,

7th
9:00 AM

One Sunday Afternoon (1933)

A small-town dentist longs to avenge an old friend who stole his love, but discovers there’s no need.

Dir:  Stephen Roberts Cast:  Gary Cooper , Fay Wray , Neil Hamilton .

BW- 69 mins, CC,

7th
12:45 PM

A Farewell To Arms (1932)

An American serving in World War I falls for a spirited nurse.

Dir:  Frank Borzage Cast:  Helen Hayes , Gary Cooper , Adolphe Menjou .

BW- 89 mins, CC,

7th
8:00 PM

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
3:30 AM

Rafter Romance (1933)

A salesgirl falls for a night worker without realizing they share the same apartment.

Dir:  William Seiter Cast:  Ginger Rogers , Norman Foster , George Sidney .

BW- 73 mins, CC,

17th
2:00 PM

Tarzan The Ape Man (1932)

A British lord raised by apes kidnaps a beautiful noblewoman exploring Africa with her father.

Dir:  W. S. Van Dyke Cast:  Johnny Weissmuller , Neil Hamilton , C. Aubrey Smith .

BW- 100 mins, CC,

17th
6:30 PM

The Bishop Misbehaves (1933)

A church official with a taste for mysteries gets mixed up in the real thing.

Dir:  E. A. Dupont Cast:  Edmund Gwenn , Maureen O’Sullivan , Lucile Watson .

BW- 86 mins, CC,

18th
8:28 AM

Renegades of the West (1933)

A cowboy goes undercover to catch the cattle thieves who killed his father.

Dir:  Casey Robinson Cast:  Tom Keene , Rosco Ates , Betty Furness .

BW- 55 mins,

18th
11:30 AM

Beers and Pretzels (1933)

In this short film, Ted Healy and the his Stooges are fired by their theater and try out new jobs as waiters.

Dir:  Jack Cummings Cast:  Edward Brophy , Moe Howard , Larry Fine .

BW- 21 mins,

20th
10:45 AM

The Mad Genius (1931)

A deranged ballet teacher will stop at nothing to keep control of his protegee.

Dir:  Michael Curtiz Cast:  John Barrymore , Marian Marsh , Charles Butterworth .

BW- 81 mins, CC,

21st
1:00 AM

Flying Down To Rio (1933)

A dance-band leader finds love and success in Brazil.

Dir:  Thornton Freeland Cast:  Dolores Del Rio , Gene Raymond , Raul Roulien .

BW- 89 mins, CC,

21st
12:00 PM

The King (1930)

In this comedic short film, a game of “musical beds” ensues when a queen attempts to trap a king in an affair.

Dir:  Charley Rogers Cast:  Thelma Todd , Harry Langdon , Brad Michigan .

BW- 20 mins, CC,

22nd
6:45 AM

Westward Passage (1932)

An heiress gives up her fortune to wed a poor novelist, then dreams of giving their children the finer things.

Dir:  Robert Milton Cast:  Ann Harding , Laurence Olivier , ZaSu Pitts .

BW- 73 mins, CC,

24th
1:45 PM

Night Nurse (1931)

A nurse discovers that the children she’s caring for are murder targets.

Dir:  William A. Wellman Cast:  Barbara Stanwyck , Ben Lyon , Joan Blondell .

BW- 72 mins, CC,

26th
6:00 AM

The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934)

An invalid poetess defies her father’s wishes to marry a dashing young poet.

Dir:  Sidney Franklin Cast:  Norma Shearer , Fredric March , Charles Laughton .

BW- 110 mins, CC,

26th
10:15 PM

Jewel Robbery (1932)

A jewel thief falls for a tycoon’s wife in Vienna.

Dir:  William Dieterle Cast:  William Powell , Kay Francis , Helen Vinson .

BW- 68 mins, CC,

31st
7:15 AM

The Most Dangerous Game (1932)

A big game hunter decides to stalk human prey.

Dir:  Ernest B. Schoedsack Cast:  Joel McCrea , Fay Wray , Robert Armstrong .

BW- 63 mins, CC,

31st
8:30 AM

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932)

Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale of a scientist who unleashes the beast within.

Dir:  Rouben Mamoulian Cast:  Fredric March , Miriam Hopkins , Rose Hobart .

BW- 96 mins, CC,

31st
10:15 AM

The Vampire Bat (1933)

Villagers suspect the town simpleton of being a vampire.

Dir:  Frank Strayer Cast:  Lionel Atwill , Fay Wray , Melvyn Douglas .

BW- 63 mins, CC,

Questions? Comments? Or do you just want to bug me? Leave a comment below!

Categories: TCM Schedules

Danny

Danny is a writer who lives with his lovely wife, adorable children, and geriatric yet yappy dog. He blogs at pre-code.com, a website dedicated to Hollywood films from 1930 to 1934, and can be found on Twitter @PreCodeDotCom.

1 Comment

Veebs · May 1, 2019 at 10:55 am

I’ve programmed all the pre-Codes that are on today (May 1) to record. I’ve seen Midnight Mary before and loved it!

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