Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise) (1931)
Synopsis: A poor farm girl (Greta Garbo, Ninotchka) runs away from home and is rescued by worldly architect (Clark Gable, Gone with the Wind). They fall in love, but unforeseen […]
Tag Archives: Pre-Code
American sound films between 1927 and 1933
Lady for a Day (1933)
Synopsis: A New York City street vendor, ‘Apple’ Annie (May Robson, Bringing Up Baby) has been pretending to be a high society woman to her daughter, who has lived in Spain […]
The Story of Temple Drake (1933)
Synopsis: The place is a small town in the American South. A spoiled rich girl, played by Miriam Hopkins (Old Acquaintance), is forced into prostitution by her rapist. Reaction & […]
Street Scene (1931)
Synopsis: One day in the lives of several tenants in a poor New York City neighborhood. Reaction & Thoughts: This early sound movie still packs quite a wallop. Producer Samuel […]
Universal Monsters: Drácula (1931, Spanish-language Version)
Synopsis: A mysterious Transylvanian aristocrat, Conde Drácula (Carlos Villarias), moves to London, England. Dracula is really a blood-thirty vampire who begins to terrorize the city. An intrepid intellectual, Professor Van Helsing […]
Universal Monsters: Dracula (1931)
Synopsis: Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi, Murders in the Rue Morgue), a Transylvanian vampire, moves to London, England, and begins a killing spree. A determined occult expert, Professor Van Helsing (Edward […]
Cimarron (1931)
Synopsis: Sprawling epic covering 40 years — from the 1880s to 1920s — of Oklahoma history. The story is told from the perspective of a lawyer & newspaper editor, Yancey […]
The Bat Whispers (1930)
Synopsis: A heinous burglar known as “The Bat” terrorizes the city with a series of daring crimes. The criminal’s latest misdeed, a bank heist, leaves the police baffled. In a […]
White Zombie (1932)
Synopsis: A young couple, Madeleine Parker (Madge Bellamy, Charlie Chan in London) and her fiancé Neil Parker (John Harron, The Crowd Roars), agree to get married at a friend’s Haitian […]
Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)
Synopsis: In 19th century Paris, France, a sadistic scientist and circus performer, Dr. Mirakle (Bela Lugosi, Dracula), is determined to prove that humans and apes share the same ancestors. In […]
The Virginian (1929)
Synopsis: A cowhand, ‘The Virginian’ (Gary Cooper, High Noon), and his best friend, Steve (Richard Arlen, Wings), vie for the affections of the newly-arrived school teacher, Molly Wood (Mary Brian, […]
The Bette Davis Project: Bureau of Missing Persons (1933)
Synopsis: A smug detective, Butch Saunders (Pat O’Brien, Angels with Dirty Faces), is not happy with his transfer to the Missing Persons Division because he thinks that looking for people […]
The Letter (1929)
Synopsis: In British Malaya, Leslie Crosbie (Jeanne Eagels, Man, Woman and Sin) and her businessman husband (Reginald Owen, Mrs. Miniver) live pretty conventional lives. One night, Leslie shoots an old […]
The Bette Davis Project: Ex-Lady (1933)
Synopsis: A free-spirited artist, Helen Bauer (Bette Davis), doesn’t believe in marriage. She doesn’t believe in having babies either. Helen is perfectly content with her open relationship with boyfriend, Don […]
The Bette Davis Project: The Working Man (1933)
Synopsis: While vacationing on the East Coast, a disillusioned shoe manufacturer, John Reeves (George Arliss, Disraeli and The House of Rothschild), comes across an old rival’s children. Reeves pretends to […]
The Bette Davis Project: Parachute Jumper (1933)
Synopsis: Bill (Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Ghost Story) and Toodles (Frank McHugh, The Front Page) are penniless ex-Marines looking for employment in the Big Apple. The pair meet an equally destitute […]
The Bette Davis Project: 20,000 Years in Sing Sing (1932)
Synopsis: Life-long criminal Tom Connors, played by Spencer Tracy (Boys Town), arrives at Sing Sing Correctional Facility (Ossining, New York) with delusions of grandeur. The sympathetic warden (Arthur Byron, The Mummy) tries […]
Three on a Match (1932)
Three childhood friends face life’s ups and downs. The aloof Vivian (Ann Dvorak, Scarface) marries a wealthy lawyer (Warren William, The Wolfman), but she doesn’t like being a socialite. Partygirl […]
The Cabin in the Cotton (1932)
Synopsis: Marvin Blake (Richard Barthelmess, Broken Blossoms), a son of poor cotton farmers, aspires to go to college and his dream comes true when rich plantation owner Mr. Norwood (Berton […]
The Dark Horse (1932)
Synopsis: When a bird-brained country bumpkin, Zachary Hicks (Guy Kibbee, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington), inexplicably wins a gubernatorial primary, party leaders hire sleazy campaign manager Hal Samson Blake (Warren […]
The Rich Are Always with Us (1932)
Synopsis: Socialite Caroline Van Dyke (Ruth Chatterton, Dodsworth) has everything she ever wanted: friends, money and a good husband. However, when she finds out that her hubby (John Miljan, The […]
So Big! (1932)
Synopsis: In the late 19th century, a young woman, Selina (Barbara Stanwyck, Double Indemnity), finds herself penniless after the sudden death of her beloved father (Robert Warwick, Sullivan’s Travels). Selina […]
