Pre-Code Essentials is here! You can now order the book at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, or Larry Edmunds, and have it arrive in a timely manner.
If you have picked up the book and liked it (or at least not hated it), reviews at Goodreads, Storygraph and/or Amazon do help get the book in front of more eyes in the varying algorithms.
I leave on Tuesday for my book tour to Washington DC and New York. I’ve attached the flyer here again below. I apologize for the handful of dates; I’m traveling from Germany and these were just the ones that worked out the best in a time period such that my wife won’t go completely insane without me in the meantime.
In terms of promotion, I recently appeared on the Forgotten Hollywood Podcast to talk about it. Kim appeared on the Film Week with Larry Mantle on LAist to talk about the book as well.
Pre-Code Movies on Criterion Channel in November 2025
Criterion Channel has two interesting showcases this month. The first is a tribute to Howard Hawks, with his 1932 Scarface recently entering the collection. The full edition of that movie with its bonus features will be up on the channel, plus two of his other pre-Codes, The Criminal Code (31) and Twentieth Century (34) on the channel. I think this may finally be the month I have my daughter watch Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, so wish me luck.
Their other notable addition this month is their Pioneers of African American Cinema collection, which features a lot of independent titles from the early 1930s that I have not seen. These include Hell-Bound Train (1930), The Darktown Revue (1931), The Exile (1931), Hot Biskits (1931), The Girl from Chicago (1932), Ten Minutes to Live (1932), Veiled Aristocrats (1932), and Verdict: Not Guilty (1933). I’m looking forward to checking these out!
Click here for the complete Criterion Channel updates for November.
Pre-Code Movies on TCM in November 2025
November is actually pretty solid for pre-Codes on Turner Classic Movies, a nice step up before December just becomes Lady for a Day and Little Women. November 9th the network will have a Zita Johann night and the 25th they have a full day honoring Lionel Barrymore, both of which are absolutely bangers of line-ups. I’d also recommend the double feature of Svengali and The Mad Genius if you have the time for it. Hope you catch something good!
All times listed below are EST and subject to change. Click here for the full TCM Schedule for November 2025. Films marked with an asterisk are detailed in-depth in Pre-Code Essentials.
- 11/3 @ 08:15 – 20,000 Years in Sing Sing (1932)
- 11/3 @ 10:00 – Little Caesar (1930)
- 11/3 @ 11:30 – Three on a Match (1932) *
- 11/3 @ 12:45 – 42nd Street (1933)
- 11/3 @ 16:00 – The Public Enemy (1931) *
- 11/4 @ 07:30 – Secrets of the French Police (1932)
- 11/4 @ 10:15 – Svengali (1931)
- 11/4 @ 11:45 – The Mad Genius (1931)
- 11/6 @ 11:00 – Side Show (1931)
- 11/6 @ 14:00 – Rain or Shine (1930)
- 11/7 @ 06:00 – Loose Ankles (1930)
- 11/7 @ 08:45 – The Hot Heiress (1931)
- 11/7 @ 10:15 – The Girl from Missouri (1934)
- 11/9 @ 20:00 – The Sin of Nora Moran (1933) *
- 11/9 @ 21:15 – The Mummy (1932)
- 11/9 @ 22:45 – Tiger Shark (1932)
- 11/14 @ 06:00 – What Every Woman Knows (1934)
- 11/16 @ 04:45 – Ladies They Talk About (1933) *
- 11/25 @ 07:30 – Guilty Hands (1931)
- 11/25 @ 08:45 – Grand Hotel (1932) *
- 11/25 @ 10:45 – Rasputin and the Empress (1932)
- 11/25 @ 16:30 – Arsene Lupin (1932)
- 11/25 @ 18:00 – Dinner at Eight (1933)
- 11/26 @ 06:00 – What Price Hollywood? (1932)
- 11/26 @ 09:45 – Little Women (1933)
- 11/27 @ 05:15 – Goldie Gets Along (1933)
- 11/28 @ 11:30 – 42nd Street (1933)
- 11/29 @ 01:15 – Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933) *
Did you find something good to watch? Did you pick up my book? Sound off below! Happy November!
