Arlene Bette Davis Val Margaret Lindsay Tony Donald Woods Spencer Lyle Talbot Izzy Hugh Herbert Chief O’Malley Alan Hale Bradford Arthur Byron Jake Bello Irving Pichel Maynard Douglas Dumbrille Released by Warner Brothers | Directed By William Dieterle Proof That It’s Pre-Code Notably, the night club at the beginning of 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
Cleopatra Claudette Colbert Julius Caesar Warren William Marc Antony Henry Wilcoxon Released by Paramount Pictures | Directed By Cecil B. DeMille Proof That It’s Pre-Code-ish The film’s title card is placed on a strategically lit nude woman. Much of Claudette Colbert’s wardrobe is focused on showing as much of her Read more
Robert Mitchell Ricardo Cortez Dorothea Barbara Robbins Jimmy John Beal Released by RKO | Directed By Worthington Miner Proof That It’s Pre-Code-ish A husband and wife have separated and she is clearly having an affair with a very young artist on the side. A young woman (who gads about in Read more
Marky Shirley Temple Sorrowful Jones Adolphe Menjou Bangles Carson Dorothy Dell Released by Parmount | Directed By Alexander Hall Proof That It’s Pre-Code “Clothes don’t mean a thing!” “Yeah, I hear they even get married in those nudist colonies!” “All I know, boss, is that I’m supposed to be a Read more
Lydia Darrow Miriam Hopkins Don Ellis Frederic March Honey Rogers George Raft Released by Paramount Pictures | Directed By James Flood Proof That It’s Pre-Code Everyone seems to be pregnant, whether they’re married or not. I really don’t get to write this often, but really: suicide galore. All of Me: Read more
Oscar Jaffe John Barrymore Lily Garland Carole Lombard Oliver Webb Walter Connolly Owen O’Malley Roscoe Karns George Smith Ralph Forbes Matthew J. Clark Etienne Girardot Released by Columbia | Directed By Howard Hawks Proof That It’s Pre-Code A couple lives together despite not being married. They share a bed shaped Read more
Cassie … Jean Harlow Gladys … Mae Clarke Dot … Marie Prevost Proof That It’s Pre-Code Drinking by the ill-mannered, with one upper crust youth noting, “Most of the girls around here like to compete to see who can get blotto first!” Several colorful euphemisms for the rear end, including Read more
Carlotta Vance … Marie Dressler Larry Renault … John Barrymore Oliver Jordan … Lionel Barrymore Kitty Packard … Jean Harlow Dan Packard … Wallace Beery Max Kane … Lee Tracy Millicent Jordan … Billie Burke Dr. Talbot … Edmund Lowe Polly Jordan … Madge Evans Proof That It’s Pre-Code “The Read more