Philo Vance William Powell Hilda Lake Mary Astor Det Heath Eugene Pallette DA Markham Robert McWade Raymond Wrede Ralph Morgan Arthur Coe Robert Barrat Released by Warner Bros. | Directed by Michael Curtiz Run time: 72 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film A dog is beaten to death (off Read more…
Oliver Lane Herbert Marshall Wallace Lionel Atwill Bascom Ralph Forbes Mrs. Vail May Robson Mrs. Hopkins Mary Boland Helen Elizabeth Allen Released by Metro Goldwyn Mayer | Directed by Jack Conway Run time: 67 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film [poking head out of bathroom] “I thought you were Read more…
Joan AKA Mary Smith Blanche Mehaffey Buddy John Darrow Scoop Raymond Hatton Released by Mayfair Pictures Corporation | Directed by E. Mason Hopper Proof That It’s Pre-Code The A.D.A. is visited by a woman named Mary Smith. His butler was absent because he was, “playing ping pong with the maid next Read more…
Irene Gloria Stuart Robert Lionel Atwill Walter Paul Lukas Released by Universal | Directed By Kurt Neumann The Secret of the Blue Room: Am I Blue “I warned them. But they laughed at me. But I tell you that anybody who sleeps in the blue room is never heard of Read more…
Damon Wells Edward G. Robinson Jessica Mary Astor Weston Ricardo Cortez Daphne Mae Clarke Stanley Vance Louis Calhern Curtis David Landau Released by Warner Brothers | Directed by Archie Mayo Proof That It’s Pre-Code Our film’s villain is a murderous briber who uses hypnotism and spousal abuse to rob people Read more…
Released by RKO | Directed By George Archainbaud Murder on the Blackboard: One Note We’re going to do something a little differently this week. Instead of my usual review, instead, here’s the second full chapter from my new eBook, Murder on Celluloid: A Companion to the Hildegarde Withers Film Series. Read more…
Hildegarde Withers Edna May Oliver Inspector Piper James Gleason Gwen Mae Clarke Philip Donald Cook Hemingway Clarence Wilson Barry Robert Armstrong Released by RKO | Directed By George Archainbaud The Penguin Pool Murder: Whirlpool of Intrigue We’re going to do something a little differently this week. Instead of my usual Read more…
Philo Vance Basil Rathbone Sigurd Arnesson Roland Young Belle Dillard Leila Hyams Released by MGM | Directed By David Burton and Nick Grime The Bishop Murder Case: Hickory Dickory DULL “And as for you… Fools! Idiots! Children! Baffled by Mother Goose!” In doing my research for The Bishop Murder Case, Read more…
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…
Sam Spade Ricardo Cortez Ruth Wonderly Bebe Daniels Casper Gutman Dudley Digges Effie Perine Una Merkel Iva Archer Thelma Todd Dr. Joel Cairo Otto Matieson Released by Warner Brothers | Directed By Roy Del Ruth Proof That It’s Pre-Code Sam Spade likes the ladies. More on that below. Homosexual subtext Read more…