Released by Paramount | Directed By Dave Fleischer Minnie the Moocher: Ghostly Goofs As a boy growing up in Illinois, there’s really only one thing that was a staple in every child’s cultural education. That was the movie The Blues Brothers, of course, which ran on WGN at least once Read more…
Released by Paramount | Directed By Dave Fleischer Old Man of the Mountain: On Top of Old Fogey “Whatcha gonna do now?” “I’m gonna do the best I can.” Cab Calloway’s third appearance in a Betty Boop cartoon sees him as a white haired, white skinned crazy magic mountain hermit Read more…
Released by Paramount | Directed By Dave Fleischer Mother Goose Land: Hating Spiders and Snakes Kid’s stories are dark, man. You’ve noticed that, right? Hansel and Gretel ends with a witch being immolated, three blind mice lose their tails, the Pied Piper commits a widespread (and unpunished) kidnapping, the little Read more…
Released by Paramount | Directed By Dave Fleischer I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead: Et Al The Betty Boop cartoons that Dave Fleischer put out are kind of a weird rarity. Besides the occasional Jewish in-joke originating from its director, they often showcased African-American singers and acts who were rarely Read more…
Released by Paramount Pictures A Bundle of Blues: A Walk in the Sun “I’m weary all the time.” Why are there no great black stars of the pre-Code era? While I’ve doted upon Clarence Muse a few times (and by god it’s great to see him when he shows up) Read more…
Mabel Joan Blondell Barbara Hemmingway Ruby Keeler Jimmy Higgins Dick Powell Mathilda Hemmingway Zasu Pitts Horace P. Hemmingway Guy Kibbee Ezra Ounce Hugh Herbert Released by Warner Brothers | Directed By Ray Enright and Busby Berkeley Proof That It’s Pre-Code-ish Leading romantic couple Barbara and Jimmy are 13th cousins, or Read more…
George Dwight Roger Pryor Sally Upton Mary Brian Nick Pappacropolis Leo Carrillo Released by Universal | Directed By Karl Freund Proof That It’s Pre-Code Nude silhouettes for those of you who love those. The gangsters aren’t such bad guys, even if they gamble often or make wager with women regarding Read more…
Egbert Higginbothom Bob Woolsey Tommy Tunner Bert Wheeler Peggy Dorothy Lee Released by RKO | Directed By William A. Seiter Proof That It’s Pre-Code “While they’re up on their toes, we’re out flat on our–” “Tommy!” “– heels!” “The manager came backstage and said he didn’t allow profanity in his Read more…
Louanne Dorothy Mackaill Wally Dean Frank Fay Miguel Parada Noah Beery Released by Warner Brothers | Directed by Michael Curtiz Proof That It’s Pre-Code “Why don’t you marry that guy and forget him?” We meet Dorothy Mackaill in the movie lounging in a negligee cooing a parrot on her outstretched Read more…
Suzanne Lillian Harvey Tony Gene Raymond Baron Herring Leslie Banks Released by Fox Film | Directed By Rowland V. Lee Proof That It’s Pre-Code “If you were my wife, I’d have the privilege of beating you!” Lillian Harvey’s legs are often on full display, among other bits. The plot. The Read more…