Jerry Fredric March Joan Sylvia Sidney Claire Adrienne Allen Buck Skeets Gallagher Vi Esther Howard Mr. Prentice George Irving Released by Paramount Pictures | Directed By Dorothy Arzner Proof That It’s Pre-Code The movie is based on a short story entitled, “I, Jerry, Take Thee, Joan.” This was changed to Read more…
Temple Drake Miriam Hopkins Stephen Benbow William Gargan Trigger Jack La Rue Released by Paramount Pictures | Directed By Stephen Roberts Proof That It’s Pre-Code I’m going to go ahead and just quote Thomas Doherty’s Pre-Code Hollywood on this one: The Story of Temple Drake is a model of pre-Code Read more…
Elsa Carlyle Tallulah Bankhead Jeffrey Carlyle Harvey Stephens Hardy Livingstone Irving Pichel Released by Paramount Pictures | Directed By George Abbott Proof That It’s Pre-Code Once again, everyone is amazed by a marriage that involves love. Tallulah Bankhead tries to transform into Wonder Woman but forgot to put her outfit Read more…
Nathan Rothschild George Arliss Count Ledrantz Boris Karloff Julie Rothschild Loretta Young Captain Fitzroy Robert Taylor Duke of Wellington C. Aubrey Smith Hannah Rothschild Florence Arliss Released by 20th Century Fox | Directed By Alfred L. Werker Proof That It’s Pre-Code The Duke of Wellington doesn’t swear, but injects the 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…
Sadie McKee Joan Crawford Michael Alderson Franchot Tone Tommy Wallace Gene Raymond Jack Brennan Edward Arnold Opal Jean Dixon Dolly Merrick Esther Ralston Released by MGM | Directed By Clarence Brown Proof That It’s Pre-Code Sadie and Tommy move into a one room apartment where it’s noted that the landlord Read more…
Rid Riddell Clark Gable Jim Rellence Ernest Torrence Ruby Madge Evans Angela Marie Prevost Tip Scanlon Lew Cody Tommy Boy Released by MGM | Directed By Charles Brabin Proof That It’s Pre-Code Heavy narcotics use. Well, by horses, but still. Sporting Blood: A Legacy of Tragedy “Since the beginning of Read more…
Jeff Keane Lionel Barrymore Consuela Fairbanks Karen Morley Brenner Nils Asther Released by MGM | Directed By Charles Brabin Proof That It’s Pre-Code A man’s marriage? A SHAM. The government? A SHAM. Eh, there are probably more shammy things here too. Oh, and the Senator tells his daughter playfully, “You’re Read more…
Agnes ‘Aggie’ Appleby Wynne Gibson Adonriam Schlump Charles Farrell Red Branahan William Gargan Evangeline Betty Furness Sybby Zasu Pitts Aunt Katherine Blanche Friderici Released by RKO | Directed By Mark Sandrich Proof That It’s Pre-Code Sybby (Zasu Pitts) is getting blotto in a speakeasy and exclaims, “At this rate, Mae Read more…
Aigo Francis Lederer Basil Pemberton Henri Stephenson Joan Pemberton Elissa Landi Released by RKO | Directed By J. Walter Ruben Proof That It’s Pre-Code Our lead ditches his Eskimo wife to go to Europe and chase a white woman. But don’t worry, kids, the white woman preserves her virtue! Man Read more…