1932
Flesh (1932) Review, with Wallace Beery and Karen Morley
Wallace Beery is a dopey wrestler unwittingly ensnared in a love triangle in FLESH. #precode
1931
Stepping Out (1931) Review, with Reginald Denny and Charlotte Greenwood
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
1931
Expensive Women (1931) Review, with Dolores Costello and Warren William
Connie Newton Dolores Costello Neil Hartley Warren William Melville Raymond H.B. Warner Released by Warner Bros. Directed by Hobart Henley Run time: 60 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film Our first shot of our heroine is of her in the bathtub, scrubbing up. Connie gets a call from her Read more
1933
Gambling Ship (1933) Review, with Cary Grant
Ace Corbin Cary Grant Eleanor Benita Hume Manning Jack La Rue Released by Paramount Directed by Louis J. Gasnier and Max Marcin Run time: 72 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film Benita Hume pops out of the shower at one point and (it’s difficult to capture in a screenshot) Read more
1932
Hell’s House (1932) Review, with Bette Davis and Pat O’Brien
Jimmy Mason Junior Durkin Matt Kelly Pat O’Brien Peggy Gardner Bette Davis Released by Allied Artists (?) Directed by Howard Higgin Run time: 72 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film One early scene has Jimmy Mason (Durkin) trying to pick the right door to knock on, and he plays Read more
1931
The Star Witness (1931) Review, with Walter Huston
Whitlock Walter Huston Ma Leeds Frances Starr ‘Pa’ Charles ‘Chic’ Sale Released by Warner Bros. Directed by William A. Wellman Run time: 67 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film Gangsters and murders and that particular snarl we all know and love. A kid gets kicked across the room at Read more
1932
The King Murder (1932) Review, with Conway Tearle and Natalie Moorhead
Henry Barton Conway Tearle Elizabeth Hawtorn Natalie Moorhead Pearl Hope Marceline Day Released by Chesterfield Pictures Directed by Richard Thorpe Run time: 67 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film One of those films with breach of promise suits galore and mistresses on the side. The King Murder: Checkmate “What Read more
1932
Night Court (1932) Review, with Phillips Holmes, Walter Huston, Anita Page and Lewis Stone
Mike Thomas Phillips Holmes Judge Moffett Walter Huston Mary Thomas Anita Page Released by MGM Directed by W.S. Van Dyke Run time: 92 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film Based on a true story, this is a film about a corrupt judge who forces women into prostitution, frames and Read more
1930
The Office Wife (1930) Review, with Dorothy Mackaill and Lewis Stone
Anne Murdock Dorothy Mackaill Lawrence Fellowes Lewis Stone Katherine Joan Blondell Released by Warner Bros. Directed by Lloyd Bacon & Michael Curtiz Run time: 59 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film Katherine is an author who dresses in suits and chomps on strong cigars. She’s clearly coded as a Read more
1934
George White’s Scandals (1934) Review, with Rudy Vallee, Jimmy Durante, and Alice Faye
Kitty Alice Faye Happy Jimmy Durante Jimmy Rudy Vallee Released by Fox Film Directed by George White Run time: 79 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film “You Nasty Man!” features gams galore and oodles of men focusing in on various lady appendages with delight. Jimmy Durante has lost his Read more