Good Guy John Preston Bad Guy Eugene Sigaloff Woman Mae Stuart Released by Far Eastern Films | Directed by Harry Garson Proof That It’s Pre-Code Our villainous, nigh-incomprehensibly-accented villain plans to vivisect an orangutan! To show the world that all these things he thinks about evolution are true! And he’s Read more
Wally Wally Wales Ruth Ruth Mix Black Bart Al Ferguson Released by National Players Ltd | Directed by Alvin J. Neitz Red Fork Range: what Red Fork Range is one of those movies you’ll see on TV screens within movies while the main character is snoozing, half to show the Read more
Bill Wescott Wallace Reid Jr. King Kelly Paul Fix Marian Martin Phyllis Barington Released by Willis Kent Productions | Directed by Jerome Storm Proof That It’s Pre-Code “Bull.” Marian has a Japanese chauffeur who she constantly calls an idiot. Our hero jokes to him, “We ought to be good friends. 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
Marcia Cameron Mae Clarke Bob Henderson James Hall Trixie Barnes Marie Prevost Released by Columbia | Directed By Roy William Neill Proof That It’s Pre-Code “You cheap, common…” Women living with criminals outside of wedlock. Rich people are assholes. The Good Bad Girl: And The Ugly “That’s what I was. Read more
Flicker Hayes James Cagney Rose Lawrence Joan Blondell Nick Gardella Victor Jory Released by Warner Brothers | Directed By Lloyd Bacon Proof That It’s Pre-Code Early on, Flicker Hayes (Cagney) agrees to rob a safe filled with junk and “nose candy.” Rose Lawerence (Blondell) plays a prostitute who decides to Read more
Joe James Cagney Lee Ann Dvorak Anne Joan Blondell Eddie Eric Linden Spud Frank McHugh Pops Guy Kibbee Released by Warner Brothers | Directed By Howard Hawks Proof That It’s Pre-Code Joe (Cagney) and Lee (Dvorak) are clearly sleeping together before they’re married. But this also means that Joe doesn’t Read more
Helen/Raquel Constance Bennett Doug Franchot Tone Vicky Tullio Carminati Released by 20th Century Pictures | Directed By Sidney Lanfield Proof That It’s Pre-Code Doug needs to compose his newest musical number in the lady’s room since everywhere else is taken. One of the film’s musical numbers revolves around a woman’s Read more
Sylvia Bruce Marion Davies Bill Williams Bing Crosby Lili Yvonne Fifi D’Orsay Conroy Ned Sparks Jill Patsy Kelly Ernest Baker Stuart Erwin Released by MGM | Directed By Raoul Walsh Proof That It’s Pre-Code “What’s the ‘P’ for?” “Pratt.” “I knew it.” Bing makes a joke about having drank absinthe. Read more
Teresita Lupe Velez Bates Lee Tracy Achilles Eugene Pallette Released by RKO | Directed By Gregory La Cava Proof That It’s Pre-Code An enticement to see an exotic dancer that doesn’t work as well nowadays: “She makes the old grow young and the young grow gay.” “But he ain’t the Read more