Biff Gary Cooper Virginia Fay Wray Amy Frances Fuller Released by Paramount Pictures | Directed by Stephen Roberts One Sunday Afternoon: Regrets, I Have a Few “Ain’t no crime in this world like stealing another man’s woman.” One Sunday Afternoon is about two things that constantly interest me: class conflict Read more
Joe Gimlet Lee Tracy Mary Gimlet / Mary Wright Mae Clarke Ted Wright Otto Kruger Released by MGM | Directed by Edgar Selwyn Proof That It’s Pre-Code “As the lady said to the sailor, nothing’s stopping you.” Drunk Tracy is clearly checking out Clarke’s rear when she insists that he Read more
George Simon John Barrymore Rexy Gordon Bebe Daniels Doris Kenyon Cora Simon Roy Darwin Melvyn Douglas Harry Becker Vincent Sherman Lillian La Rue Thelma Todd Released by Universal | Directed by William Wyler Proof That It’s Pre-Code Ya’ll like class warfare? Our hero previously rigged a court case with a Read more
Sylvia Day Mae Clarke Joseph B. Smith Ralph Bellamy Jeanie Vance Marie Prevost Released by Columbia Pictures | Directed By Edward F. Cline Proof That It’s Pre-Code Sylvia (Clarke) and Tony (Hale Hamilton) run a con that involves a fake pick pocketing and extortion from dopey department stores. Tony becomes Read more
Jackson Durant Warner Baxter Gertie Waxted Myrna Loy Tony Gazotti Nat Pendleton Jim Crelliman C. Henry Gordon Sue Leonard Martha Sleeper Mimi Mae Clarke Released by MGM | Directed By W.S. Van Dyke Proof That It’s Pre-Code “Mouthpiece” Jackson Durant is more than happy to defend bootleggers and chorus girls– Read more
Jamil El Shehab Ramon Novarro Diana ‘Di’ Standing Myrna Loy Gerald Hume Reginald Denny Cecil Harwood C. Aubrey Smith Achmed Pasha Edward Arnold Powers Louise Closser Hale Released by MGM | Directed By Sam Wood Proof That It’s Pre-Code Myrna Loy takes a dip in the film’s most infamous scene: Read more
Queen Christina Greta Garbo Antonio John Gilbert Magnus Ian Keith Oxenstierna Lewis Stone Ebba Elizabeth Owen Aage C. Aubrey Smith Released by MGM | Directed By Rouben Mamoulian Proof That It’s Pre-Code The titular queen is quite obviously a bisexual and also crossdresses. Christina compares nights of passionate lovemaking to Read more
Clare Ann Harding Mary Myrna Loy Jimmie Robert Montgomery Bridget Alice Brady Rogers Frank Morgan Walt Martin Burton Released by MGM | Directed By Harry Beaumont Proof That It’s Pre-Code It’s very much about dealing with adultery, which is explored and discussed at some length. This also includes talk about 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
J. Phineas Stevens Lee Tracy Dorothy Mason Madge Evans Dr. Prescott Frank Morgan Floppy Charles Butterworth Kelley David Landau Calhoun John Miljan Released by Metro Goldwyn Mayer | Directed By Jack Conway Proof That It’s Pre-Code “Since you refuse to share my humble dwellings for the evening, there’s only one Read more