Mae ThorpeDorothy Hall June ThorpeJudith Wood Joseph Von SchraderPaul Lukas Directed by Dorothy ArznerReleased by Paramount PicturesRuntime: 77 minutes Proof That It’s Pre-Code One of our leading ladies gets fired for not sleeping with boss; of course, this is the ‘nice guy’ who later reneges on his decision. Not really Read more
OliviaAnn Harding NickLaurence Olivier Mrs. TruesdaleZasu Pitts Directed by Robert MiltonReleased by RKORuntime: 73 minutes Proof That It’s Pre-Code A hotelier very skeptical about a married couple appearing wanting to get a room, but doesn’t believe them until a certificate is furnished. Divorce, with the couple reuniting despite subsequent marriages. Read more
Madame Du BarryDolores del Rio King Louis XVReginald Owen Armand d’AiguillonVictor Jory Directed by: William DieterleReleased by: Warner Bros.Run time: 79 minutes Proof That It’s (Almost) Pre-Code “Madam, what are you trying to do to France?”“Oh, just what it’s doing to me.” We’re introduced to Du Barry (del Rio) in Read more
Mary MarloweMary Pickford John CarltonLeslie Howard SunshineNed Sparks Released by United ArtistsDirected by Frank BorzageRun time: 90 minutes Proof that It’s Pre-Code High infant mortality rate. Extramarital sex. Leslie Howard at one point gets doused in petticoats. Secrets: Love Through the Ages “I’m saving a man from drowning tonight.” With Read more
Wallace Beery is a dopey wrestler unwittingly ensnared in a love triangle in FLESH. #precode
Sherlock HolmesReginald Owen Mrs. PykeAnna May Wong Eileen ForresterJune Clyde Released by: Tiffany PicturesDirected by: Edwin L. MarinRunning time: 72 minutes A Study in Scarlet: No Shit? “Come, Watson. The game is afoot.” Earlier this week I decided to write an essay about Billy Wilder’s The Private Life of Sherlock Read more
ManuelaHertha Thiel IlseEllen Schwanneke Frl. von BernburgDorothea Wieck Directed by: Leontine Sagan and Carl FroelichRunning time: 88 minutes Proof That It’s a German Film Set in an all-girls school, some of the kids have girlfriends or get playful with one another, including slaps on the rear. A woman kisses a Read more
Dot Dorothy Mackaill Dick Joel McCrea The Ned Sparks part Ned Sparks Released by RKO Directed by Lloyd Bacon Run time: 76 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film The best I’ve got is that there’s a dog named ‘Pansy’. Kept Husbands: All Lost “Easy things aren’t much good.” Have Read more
Sally Leila Hyams Tom Reginald Denny role Lilian Bond Released by MGM Directed by Charles Reisner Run time: 73 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film “You were a blushing bride– and what blushes!” “Awright, I’ll go around without a stitch of clothes! Without a stitch of clothes! Like Lady Read more
