Joan Constance Cummings Frank Paul Kelly Clark Russ Columbo Sybil Smith Blossom Seeley Hugh O’Connell Chuck Haskins Tex Kaley Texas Guinan Released by 20th Century Pictures | Directed by Lowell Sherman Run time: 91 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film One character, Sybil, is a former burlesque queen, and Read more
Ann Carver Fay Wray Bill Graham Gene Raymond Carole Rodgers Claire Dodd Released by Columbia | Directed by Edward Buzzell Run time: 68 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film A woman… with a college degree! And… and she doesn’t want to sit around the house! It’s madness I tell 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Bevan Released by Allied Artists | Directed by Chester M. Franklin Run time: 73 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film Outdated line: “He’s a gay young bachelor!”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
Danilo Maurice Chevalier Sonia Jeanette MacDonald Ambassador Edward Everett Horton King George Barbier Queen Una Merkel Orderly Sterling Holloway Released by Metro Goldwyn Mayer | Directed by Ernst Lubitsch Proof That It’s Pre-Code-ish How sexually carefree and attractive is the Chevalier character this go around? At a mod Parisian brothel, Read more
Bruce Foster Tom Brown Maizie Dickson Joan Blondell Bob Parks Kenneth Thompson Released by Warner Bros. | Directed by Lloyd Bacon Run time: 74 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film There’s a murder set off by a pair of adulterers… adultering. “That’s not your business!” “No, that’s monkey business!” Read more
Madeline / Shanghai Lily Marlene Dietrich Doctor Harvey Clive Brook Hui Fei Anna May Wong Henry Chang Warner Oland Sam Salt Eugene Pallatte Mr. Carmichael Lawrence Grant Released by Paramount Pictures | Directed by Josef Von Sternberg Run time: 83 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film This film’s most Read more
Peggy Sawyer Ruby Keeler Dorothy Brock Bebe Daniels Julian Marsh Warner Baxter Billy Lawler Dick Powell Abner Dillon Guy Kibbee Pat Denning George Brent Loraine “Lolly” Fleming Una Merkel “Anytime” Annie Lowell Ginger Rogers Thomas Barry Ned Sparks Mac Elroy Allen Jenkins Andy Lee George E. Stone The Blonde Toby Read more
Zara / Maria Greta Garbo Bruno Melvyn Douglas Salter Erich von Stroheim Released by Metro Goldwyn Mayer | Directed by George Fitzmaurice Proof That It’s Pre-Code Zara lives out of wedlock with a man, despite the fact that she may be married to another. (Though, to be fair, she has… Read more
Helga/Susan Lenox Greta Garbo Rodney Clark Gable Ohlin Jean Hersholt Released by MGM | Directed by Robert Z. Leonard Proof That It’s Pre-Code Our female lead is threatened with rape and abuse constantly before turning to prostitution and gold digging. Susan Lenox: It’s A Man’s World “I think the most Read more
Joe Anton George Raft Jerry Healy Constance Cummings Iris Wynne Gibson Leo Roscoe Karns Mabel Alison Skipworth Maude Mae West Released by Paramount | Directed by Archie Mayo Proof That It’s Pre-Code “Why that dumb cluck!” George Raft awakens and undresses to bathe. We see a lot of him. Llllladies. Read more