Eli Watt Lionel Barrymore Sarah May Robson Jimmy Watt Joel McCrea Letty McGinnis Dorothy Jordan Joan Stockton Frances Dee McGinnis David Landau Released by RKO Pictures | Directed by John S. Robertson Run time: 72 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film Pre-marital sex. One Man’s Journey: Never Ending Story Read more
Babs Winnie Lightner Sidney Charles Butterworth Joe Donald Cook Released by First National/Vitaphone/WB | Directed by Roy Del Ruth Run time: 64 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film Star Lightner dresses in a hula skirt and has no qualms about flipping it up, down, and all around. Another job Read more
Dr. Dick Lundley Conrad Nagel Marianne Madison Sidney Fox Laura Madison Bette Davis Mr. Madison Charles Winninger Valentine Corliss Humphrey Bogart Hedrick Madison David Durand Released by Universal Pictures | Directed by Hobart Henley Proof That It’s Pre-Code The family’s youngest brother pesters his sister about her undergarments: “Why don’t Read more
Danilo Maurice Chevalier Sonia Jeanette MacDonald Ambassador Edward Everett Horton King George Barbier Queen Una Merkel Orderly Sterling Holloway Released by Metro Goldwyn Mayer | Directed by Ernst Lubitsch Proof That It’s Pre-Code-ish How sexually carefree and attractive is the Chevalier character this go around? At a mod Parisian brothel, Read more
Tom Brown Gary Cooper Amy Jolly Marlene Dietrich La Bessiere Adolphe Menjou Released by Paramount | Directed by Josef von Sternberg Run time: 91 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film “What are you doing with those fingers?” “Nothing. … yet.” One infamous scene has Dietrich, in a tux, kissing Read more
Bruce Foster Tom Brown Maizie Dickson Joan Blondell Bob Parks Kenneth Thompson Released by Warner Bros. | Directed by Lloyd Bacon Run time: 74 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film There’s a murder set off by a pair of adulterers… adultering. “That’s not your business!” “No, that’s monkey business!” Read more
Madeline / Shanghai Lily Marlene Dietrich Doctor Harvey Clive Brook Hui Fei Anna May Wong Henry Chang Warner Oland Sam Salt Eugene Pallatte Mr. Carmichael Lawrence Grant Released by Paramount Pictures | Directed by Josef Von Sternberg Run time: 83 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film This film’s most Read more
Captain Carson Richard Dix Natascha Gwili Andre Busby Edward Everett Horton Arline Judge Hortense O’Dare Gabby Zasu Pitts Voronsky C. Henry Gordon Released by RKO | Directed by Wesley Ruggles Run time: 70 minutes Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film We’re introduced to the film’s villain as he seers closed Read more
Lola Lola Marlene Dietrich Professor Rath Emil Jannings The Magician Kurt Gerron Released by Paramount Pictures | Directed by Josef Von Sternberg Proof That It’s a Pre-Code Film Our lead singer, Lola Lola, has what men want, and is more than willing to pass it along. The Blue Angel: Destroyed Read more
Zara / Maria Greta Garbo Bruno Melvyn Douglas Salter Erich von Stroheim Released by Metro Goldwyn Mayer | Directed by George Fitzmaurice Proof That It’s Pre-Code Zara lives out of wedlock with a man, despite the fact that she may be married to another. (Though, to be fair, she has… Read more