Released by Victor Adamson Productions | Directed by Victor Adamson Lighting Bill: You Read That Right “Hey! You see the lightning gun hand that fella had?” “He got a lightning gun hand all right.” Lighting Bill definitely radiates with the aura of carelessness. The title on the title card? Misspelled. Read more…
Cutler Pat O’Brien Barbara Ann Dvorak Millicent Claire Dodd Released by Warner Bros./First National | Directed by Robert Florey Proof That It’s Pre-Code-ish Our main character, “Spot Cash” Cutler, pretty much pushes and prods rubes out of their money by way of selling them junk that’s been falsely made to Read more…
Released by Pinnacle | Directed by Marshall Neilan Chloe, Love is Calling You: Hang Up, Dear. “Give me two bits and I’ll tell your fortune. […] High water… sticks and stones… about a mad gal with a great big home. Find a room in the swamp… the roots of evil. Read more…
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…
Carol Genevieve Tobin John Adolphe Menjou Charlotte Mary Astor Eric Edward Everett Horton Janet Patricia Ellis McTavish Hugh Herbert Released by Warner Brothers | Directed by William Keighley Proof That It’s Pre-Code Married man John spends his afternoons “playing polo” over at friend Charlotte’s house. Realizing she has to win 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…
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…
Edward Weldon O.P. Heggie Stella Weldon Sidney Fox Nolan Henry Hull D.A. Plunkett Moffat Johnston Gar Boni Humphrey Bogart Joe Biggers Lynne Overman Released by Universal | Directed By Chester Erskine Proof That It’s Pre-Code One of my favorite quotes about the Production Code comes from Wikipedia (I know, I Read more…
Annie Snodgrass Zasu Pitts T. Fenny Sylvester Nat Pendleton Adam Frink Edward Everett Horton Toots McGuire Ned Sparks Ruby Pert Kelton Oswald John Qualen Released by RKO | Directed By William A. Seiter Proof That It’s Pre-Code Former actress-turned-kept woman Ruby (Kelton) insists, “I belong to the world!” Sylvester (Pendleton) 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…