Tag Archives: Pre-Code

Heroes For Sale (1933); Dir. William Wellman

Posted on April 18, 2010 by sheila

“It takes more than one sock in the jaw to lick 120 million people.” So says Tom Holmes, played by Richard Barthelmess, in William Wellmann’s pre-Code drama Heroes for Sale, a terrific film, and included in TCM’s Forbidden Hollywood Collection, … Continue reading →

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Merrily We Go To Hell (1932); Dir. Dorothy Arzner

Posted on April 28, 2009 by sheila

Normally I try to get my thoughts organized before writing a review, and I do want to write something more formal about Merrily We Go To Hell (starring Sylvia Sidney and Fredric March) – but I’m going to make an … Continue reading →

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The Cheat (1931); Dir. George Abbott

Posted on April 25, 2009 by sheila

Blue Velvet has nothing on the perversity shown in 1933′s The Cheat, starring Tallulah Bankhead. There will be spoilers in this review. Elsa Carlyle (played by a throaty-voiced Tallulah Bankhead) is married to Jeffrey Carlyle (played by Harvey Stephens). We … Continue reading →

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Torch Singer (1933); Dir. Alexander Hall/George Soames

Posted on April 21, 2009 by sheila

One of the things that strikes me about the pre-Code movies I’ve seen is that the endings leave you, at times, with an unfinished feeling. You think, Huh. Yeah, everyone’s smiling, and ‘things worked out’, but how the hell is … Continue reading →

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Hot Saturday (1932); Dir. William A. Seiter

Posted on April 19, 2009 by sheila

Hot Saturday, starring Cary Grant (with Randolph Scott in a smaller part), is one of the films included in my absolutely yummy Pre-Code collection that I just bought. Pre-Code films can shock even today, and you realize what the crackdown … Continue reading →

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Hot Saturday Here I Come

Posted on April 16, 2009 by sheila

Receiving this in the mail today, even though I bought it myself, makes it feel like Christmas morning. I haven’t even watched any of it yet – but the prospect of seeing Cary Grant in Hot Saturday – a movie … Continue reading →

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Baby Face (1933): Pre-Code Female

Posted on May 25, 2008 by sheila

In early May I wrote about 1933′s Baby Face, starring Barbara Stanwyck in a highly charged pre-Code melodrama about a woman’s dubious rise to the top. My thoughts about Baby Face here. And a couple of days ago House of … Continue reading →

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Baby Face (1933): The Pre-Release Version

Posted on May 1, 2008 by sheila

Baby Face, the notorious 1933 movie starring Barbara Stanwyck, is one of the films that brought about the infamous “code years” – where filmmakers had to submit to self-censorship and censorship from studios. There were things you could and could … Continue reading →

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Another Great Reason To Live in New York

Posted on January 14, 2005 by sheila

The restored version of Baby Face starring Barbara Stanwyck, originally released in 1933, is going to have a run at the Film Forum, starting Jan. 24. Baby Face tells the story of Lily, a trampy bootlegger’s daughter (who is better … Continue reading →

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