Sam Spade Ricardo Cortez Ruth Wonderly Bebe Daniels Casper Gutman Dudley Digges Effie Perine Una Merkel Iva Archer Thelma Todd Dr. Joel Cairo Otto Matieson Released by Warner Brothers | Directed By Roy Del Ruth Proof That It’s Pre-Code Sam Spade likes the ladies. More on that below. Homosexual subtext Read more
Thatcher Colt Adolphe Menjou Sebastian Donald Cook La Tour Greta Nissen Miss Kelly Ruthelma Stevens Jim Dugan Harry Holman Flandrin Dwight Frye Released by Columbia | Directed By Roy William Neill Proof That It’s Pre-Code A married circus performer is having an affair and everyone wants in on it. A Read more
Eadie Jean Harlow Tom Paige Jr. Franchot Tone Tom Paige Sr. Lionel Barrymore Released by MGM | Directed By Jack Conway Proof That It’s Pre-Code-ish Eadie on her home life: “Since you came here, there’s only one way for a girl to end up in this place and you know Read more
Roy Rutledge James Hall Monte Rutledge Ben Lyon Helen Jean Harlow Released by United Artists | Directed By Howard Hughes Proof That It’s Pre-Code There’s a few foul mouthed fliers here, who utter things like, “Don’t be an ass!” and “Son of a Bosch!” The first World War is drenched Read more
Mary Clay Joan Crawford Dillon Todd Robert Montgomery Jeff Williams Clark Gable Paula Billie Burke Shemp Charles Butterworth Connie Frances Drake Released by MGM | Directed By W.S. Van Dyke Proof That It’s Pre-Code-ish Marriage is one big joke. Several scenes of Gable and Montgomery just exiting the shower (different Read more
Tony George O’Brien Jerry Sally Eilers Steve Humphrey Bogart Released by Fox Film | Directed By Irving Cummings Proof That It’s Pre-Code A man is killed and the only other person there says it was accidental suicide, so, hey, party! One other notable thing. And I’ll get to that in Read more
George Dwight Roger Pryor Sally Upton Mary Brian Nick Pappacropolis Leo Carrillo Released by Universal | Directed By Karl Freund Proof That It’s Pre-Code Nude silhouettes for those of you who love those. The gangsters aren’t such bad guys, even if they gamble often or make wager with women regarding Read more
Egbert Higginbothom Bob Woolsey Tommy Tunner Bert Wheeler Peggy Dorothy Lee Released by RKO | Directed By William A. Seiter Proof That It’s Pre-Code “While they’re up on their toes, we’re out flat on our–” “Tommy!” “– heels!” “The manager came backstage and said he didn’t allow profanity in his Read more
Louanne Dorothy Mackaill Wally Dean Frank Fay Miguel Parada Noah Beery Released by Warner Brothers | Directed by Michael Curtiz Proof That It’s Pre-Code “Why don’t you marry that guy and forget him?” We meet Dorothy Mackaill in the movie lounging in a negligee cooing a parrot on her outstretched Read more
Ruby Jean Harlow Eddie Clark Gable Gypsy Dorothy Burgess Lily Mae Theresa Harris Bertha Muriel Kirkland Al Stuart Erwin Released by MGM | Directed By Sam Wood Proof That It’s Pre-Code Our introduction to Ruby (Harlow) involves Eddie (Gable) running into her apartment and Read more