Pre-Code Hollywood

Hellzapoppin' (1941) Olsen and Johnson, a pair of stage comedians, try to turn their play into a movie and bring together a young couple in love, while breaking the fourth wall every step of the way. Zany comedy that pioneered many concepts used in many Hollywood classics (funnily enough, many Hollywood producers would try to pretend they invented things that were actually ideas pioneered in this movie). Incidentally, the lindy-hop dance performance (the scene with the black workers dancing acrobatically together) set the standard for professional lindy-hop dancers, and is still used to teach professional dancers today.

Citizen Kane (1941) Following the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud.' Considered by many to be the greatest movie of all time, it is definitely worth a watch even if our standards of movie greatness have moved a bit since then.

'IT' (1927) A salesgirl pursues a handsome playboy. This silent classic catapulted Clara Bow into superstardom despite being an outsider in the circles of Hollywood royalty.

Fate Is the Hunter (1964) An airline executive refuses to believe that pilot error, by his friend, caused a fatal crash and persists in looking for another reason.

Foreign Correspondent (1940) On the eve of World War II, a young American reporter tries to expose enemy agents in London. Alfred Hitchcock was on form when he made this - suspense suspense suspense !

The Dawn Patrol (1938) Excellent wartime drama - British flying aces in World War I contend with the harsh realities of war. This is a remake of the 1930 pre-code movie of the same name (that I don't actually have), but the drama and impact are still there.

The Glass Key (1942) A crooked politician finds himself being accused of murder by a gangster from whom he refused help during a re-election campaign. - Alan Ladd - Veronica Lake

Beat The Devil (1953) Noir spoof/comedy... hard to categorise but it's definitely tongue in cheek. A quartet of international crooks are stranded in Italy while their steamer is being repaired. With them is an English couple. The 6 are headed for Africa, presumably to sell vacuum cleaners, but all is not as it seems.

His Kind of Woman (1951) A deported gangster's plan to re-enter the USA involves skulduggery at a Mexican resort, and gambler Dan Milner is caught in the middle.

Sirocco (1951) A cynical American expatriate gets involved in smuggling and gun-running for the rebels during the 1925 Syrian insurgency against French occupation.