Margie Nichols Dorothy Mackaill Myrtle Nichols Joan Blondell Allen Crane Walter Byron Eddie Adams Conrad Nagel Harry Gleason Joe Donahue Walter Nichols H.B. Warner Released by Warner Brothers | Directed By John Francis Dillon Proof That It’s Pre-Code “They padlock a speakeasy one day and the next day the same Read more
For those of you not in the know, frequent site citation and cool guy Cliff Aliperti released his first eBook a few days ago. The book is called 11 Pre-Code Hollywood Movie Histories: Early Depression-Era Melodramas, Adaptations, and Headline Stories. I breezed through the book this last weekend, and Cliff Read more
Tira Mae West Jack Clayton Cary Grant Slick Wiley Ralf Harolde Benny Pinkowitz Gregory Ratoff Big Bill Barton Edward Arnold Kirk Lawrence Kent Taylor Released by Paramount Pictures | Directed By Wesley Ruggles Proof That It’s Pre-Code It’s a film about Tira, “The woman who discovered you didn’t need to Read more
Progress Report We have 7 essays that have been reviewed and finalized. We have 9 essays in rough draft or in progress (not including my own). The tone in the essays range from academic to nostalgic, and I’m very excited about all of the ones I’ve seen so far! I Read more
Helen, AKA The Blonde Venus Marlene Dietrich Ned Herbert Marshall Nick Cary Grant Released by Paramount Pictures | Directed By Josef Von Sternberg Proof That It’s Pre-Code There’s a bevy of beautiful women skinny dipping in the opening scene. Most seem to be wearing flesh-colored underwear for a few of Read more
Jekyll / Hyde Fredric March Muriel Rose Hobart Ivy Miriam Hopkins Released by Paramount Pictures | Directed By Rouben Mamoulian Proof That It’s Pre-Code Men need to control their passions, lest they let their dark side run rampant and turn into horrifying monsters who sexually abuse and murder women. Sound Read more
Michael Richard Cromwell Dora Arline Judge Betty Dorothy Wilson Duke Eric Linden Prof. Matthews John Halliday Barbara Aileen Pringle Released by RKO | Directed By Gregory La Cava Proof That It’s Pre-Code There is kissing in this film. Some damn good kissing. A nice car is like a hotel, but Read more
Thou Shalt Not: The Scoop on Sin “Well, I think is that the denial of reality was what the Production Code was all about. When you establish these kinds of moral views, you’re not trying to describe the world as it really is. You’re trying to describe the world as Read more
Wilkie Spencer Tracy Hogan William Boyd Mitchell George Cooper Mary Ann Dvorak The Colonel Billy Bevan Fifi Yola D’Avril Released by United Artists | Directed By A. Edward Sutherland Proof That It’s Pre-Code The best part of being a lifeguard is the women. Sometime you may even get two! Someone Read more
Johnny Dangerously Michael Keaton Lil Marilu Henner Danny Vermin Joe Piscopo Ma Kelly Maureen Stapleton Tommy Kelly Griffin Dunne Jock Dundee Peter Boyle Released by 20th Century Fox | Directed By Amy Heckerling Johnny Dangerously: Once. Once. “Dames are put on this earth to weaken us, drain our energy, and Read more