When I mentioned I was writing a book about Barbara Stanwyck to people around my age (mid-twenties to mid-thirties), they usually didn’t quite know who she was, unfortunately. If they asked me what movies she had been in, I always rushed right to Double Indemnity first, thinking they might have Read more
John Bishop John Wayne Monte Black J.P. McGowan Duke Duke Released by Warner Bros. | Directed by Mack V. Wright Run time: 59 minutes Somewhere in Sonora: Guilt and Innocence “Don’t worry about me, I’ve always been a lucky sort of a cuss.” Of all the Warner Bros. B-Westerns that Read more
This minor clash between old and new would have been one of many, as traditional ways of showmanship gave way to modern, more impersonal exhibition of filmed entertainment. What we come to celebrate, then, are the long-gone years when movies we now call classic were sold at both nationwide and Read more
John Trent John Wayne Tippy Frank McHugh Alice Marceline Day Released by Warner Bros. | Directed by Tenny Wright Run time: 54 minutes The Telegraph Trail: Beep Beep Beeeeep “Don’t get too close! Remember– women is tricky!” A bit of giddiness overcame me during the playful introduction to The Telegraph Read more
John Drury John Wayne Ruth Gaunt Ruth Hall Duke Duke Released by Warner Bros. | Directed by Fred Allen Run time: 55 minutes Ride Him, Cowboy: High Ridin’ Hokum “There ain’t no reason I can see why a horse don’t have the same right to a trial as a man.” Read more
Pre-Code.Com Site News for July 2016 Hey everyone! My June was completely nuts– I had friends visit, summer semester started, I went to Alaska for two weeks (with no internet), and my beloved dog, Chico, passed away. My plans for July are school and possibly faking my own death so Read more
So why go back to the movies of the pre-Code era? What’s the point of discovering and watching these films all these years later? The questions are valid. After all, we’re talking about a brief period that ended almost seventy years ago and counting. Most of the films are unknown Read more
Emma Marie Dressler Mr. Smith Jean Hersholt Isabelle Myrna Loy Released by Metro Goldwyn Mayer | Directed by Clarence Brown Run time: 72 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film “Don’t be silly, Bill. Storks don’t bring babies.” “You don’t know anything about it.” “Don’t I?!” “She’s fast, too!” Emma Read more
Becky Sharpe Myrna Loy Amelia Sedley Barbara Kent Joseph Seldey Billy Bevan Released by Allied Artists | Directed by Chester M. Franklin Run time: 73 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film Outdated line: “He’s a gay young bachelor!” “You’re a shameless little hussy!” “I know it’s incredibly old fashioned, Read more
Dan William Powell Joan Kay Francis Betty Aline MacMahon Skippy Frank McHugh Steve Burke Warren Hymer The Doctor Frederick Burton Released by Warner Bros. | Directed by Tay Garnett Run time: 67 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film A woman sleeps with the guy to steal the bullets out Read more