1933
Sailor’s Luck (1933) Review, with Sally Eilers and James Dunn
Sailors on shore leave run amok in this lousy comedy.
1934
Good Dame (1934) Review, with Sylvia Sydney and Fredric March
Sylvia Sidney and Fredric March are in love again. This time it ain’t the booze that is strangling their relationship– it’s fast-talking slang! So much slang! Slang for days!
1932
Okay America! (1932) Review, with Lew Ayres
Lew Ayres is a tough-talking gossip columnist out to save the nation in Okay America! (32).
1932
The Conquerors (1932) Review, with Richard Dix and Ann Harding
Roger Standish Richard Dix Caroline Ogden Ann Harding Matilda Blake Edna May Oliver Released by RKO Directed by William Wellman Run time: 86 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film There are a couple of particularly brutal episodes in this one, including a child begging for its life before dying 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
1933
Pick-Up (1933) Review, with Sylvia Sidney and George Raft
Mary Richards Sylvia Sidney Harry Glynn George Raft Muriel Stevens Lilian Bond Released by MGM Directed by W.S. Van Dyke Run time: 92 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film All about the kind of woman who survived the Depression any way possible, and the men who picked them up. 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
1933
Day of Reckoning (1933) Review, with Richard Dix and Madge Evans
John Day Richard Dix Dorothy Day Madge Evans Mamie Una Merkel Released by MGM Directed by Charles Brabin Run time: 68 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film Adultery. One man asks the prison librarian, “Do you have a book on sex?” There are a couple of murders here, and Read more
1933
Lilly Turner (1933) Review, with Ruth Chatterton and George Brent
Lilly Turner Ruth Chatterton Bob George Brent Dave Frank McHugh Released by Warner Bros. Directed by William Wellman Run time: 65 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film Lilly goes through a number of tragedies that would make censors blush soon enough. For one, it turns out her husband has Read more