Pre-Code Hollywood

(2005) Weimar Berlin R-rated Documentary - After Germany's defeat in WWI, Berlin transformed itself into a degenerate city of sin, featuring cabarets, bars and clubs catering to all sorts of sexual fantasies and perversions. Although not looked at in this documentary, Weimar Berlin was a strong influence on the drive to push the limits in pre-code Hollywood. The exploitation of the destitute by the rich in Berlin may be revised to sound like open-minded liberalism by modern writers, but at the time it was very much out of step with the moral standards of most German people, and so could be leveraged by the Nazis in their rise to power. Upon seeing how the Nazis subsequently clamped-down on the hedonism of Berlin in 1933, Hollywood panicked as they realised that their lifestyles were also out of step with most Americans - and it was a fear of a Nazi-style clampdown that triggered a willingness to comply with a strictly enforcement Hays Code in 1934.

(1931) Your Hat Comedy short

(1932) If I Had A Million A dying tycoon gives million-dollar windfalls to eight people picked from the city directory. - Gary Cooper... Steve Gallagher - Charles Laughton... Phineas Lambert - George Raft... Eddie Jackson https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023049/

(1933) Lot in Sodom Trippy art-house type of short film... If you don't know the Bible story of Lot and the Sodomites (Genesis 19), then this will make no sense whatsoever - even if you do, it might still make no sense whatsoever - psychedelia in the 30's! - Friedrich Haak... Lot - Hildegarde Watson... Lot's wife - Dorothea House... Lot's daughter - Lewis Whitbeck... The visiting Angel https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122158/

(1930) City Girl Silent Classic - A Chicago waitress falls in love with a Minnesota farmer, and decides to face a life in the country. F.W. Murnau's photography was exceptional as always, making this relative pot-boiler something much more interesting to watch than many contemporary offerings, albeit the "talkies" had already taken hold by this point. - Charles Farrell... Lem Tustine - Mary Duncan... Kate https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020768/

(1936) SHOW BOAT Directed by James Whale of Frankenstein fame, this first film version includes some of the original cast from the stage production. - Irene Dunne... Magnolia - Allan Jones... Gaylord - Charles Winninger... Captain Hawks - Helen Morgan... Julie - Donald Cook... Steve - Paul Robeson... Joe https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028249/

(1953) The Band Wagon MUSICAL - A pretentiously artistic director is hired for a new Broadway musical and changes it beyond recognition. A song & dance classic... Fred Astaire teams up with the beautiful and talented Cyd Charisse in what is arguably two genre-defining performances - the graceful American Smooth ("Dancing In The Dark" at the 59 and a half minute mark), and the breathtaking "Girl Hunt" that makes up the last 15 minutes of the movie... ...not to mention giving me an instant crush on Cyd Charisse when I first saw this on the BBC as a child... Cyd preserved on film forever, still very much in her prime at 30 years old when this was filmed (then released the following year). - Fred Astaire... Tony Hunter - Cyd Charisse... Gabrielle Gerard - Oscar Levant... Lester - Nanette Fabray... Lily https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045537/

(1953) Kiss Me Kate Family-Friendly Musical - An ex-husband and wife team star in a musical version of 'The Taming of the Shrew'; off-stage, the production is troublesome with ex-lovers' quarrels and a gangster looking for some money owed to them. Ann Miller was one of the most talented and hardest working dancers of her generation, and watching her turn a lounge into her dance-stage in 'Too Darn Hot', it's easy to imagine she would have received her fair share of party invites from movie executives. - Kathryn Grayson... Lilli Vanessi 'Katherine' - Howard Keel... Fred Graham 'Petruchio' - Ann Miller... Lois Lane 'Bianca' - Keenan Wynn... Lippy https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045963/

(1940) Broadway Melody of 1940 Family-Friendly Musical. Eleanor Powell was a much better dancer than Ginger Rogers and really lifts this movie to a different level from a dance perspective. - Fred Astaire... Johnny Brett - Eleanor Powell... Clare Bennett - George Murphy... King Shaw - Frank Morgan... Bob Casey https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032284/

(1936) Swing Time Musical Comedy - Roguish gambler/dancer "Lucky" Garnett is challenged by his fiance's father to come up with $25,000 to prove he's worthy of her hand. But after he falls in love with a dance instructor, Lucky will do anything to keep from earning the bucks. The quickstep in this movie pretty much defined what the ideal quickstep ballroom dance should be - incredible stuff from Fred & Ginger (that scene starts around 21mins 40secs into movie). - Fred Astaire... Lucky Garnett - Ginger Rogers... Penny Carroll - Victor Moore... Pop Cardetti - Helen Broderick... Mabel Anderson https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028333/

(1934) The Gay Divorcee Musical Comedy - A woman thinks a flirting man is the co-respondent her lawyer has hired to expedite her divorce. Released just after the Hays Code strict clampdown in summer of 1934, it is the first movie in which Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were the starring couple (they had been in a couple of previous movies together but never coupled as the leading stars). - Fred Astaire... Guy Holden - Ginger Rogers... Mimi Glossop - Alice Brady... Aunt Hortense - Edward Everett Horton... Egbert 'Pinky' Fitzgerald Honourable mention to WW2 pin-up Betty Grable, who appears as dance speciality "Knock Knees". https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025164/

I'm going to start adding some movies that fall outside the pre-code time period but are movies most likely to be appreciated by this channel more than my other channels. If that's not to your liking, just scroll up and get one of the best collections of pre-code movies there is ;) (Incidentally, if this post says "Leave a comment" at the bottom of it - I'm not actually touting for comments - I don't know why it suddenly started appearing on this channel, as it doesn't happen on my other channels - but no harm done, as they say.)

(1934) The Richest Girl in the World An heiress switches places with her secretary in order to find a man who will love her for who she is and not for her money. - Miriam Hopkins... Dorothy Hunter - Joel McCrea... Tony Travers - Fay Wray... Sylvia Lockwood - Henry Stephenson... John Connors - Reginald Denny... Phillip Lockwood https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025718/

(1933) The Keyhole Anne Brooks is being blackmailed by her old dancing partner Maurice. Movie rescued thanks to TCM. - Kay Francis... Anne Brooks - George Brent... Neil Davis - Glenda Farrell... Dot - Monroe Owsley... Maurice Le Brun https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024211/

(1933) The Good Companions Musical taken from J.B. Priestley's novel about three musicians joining together to save a failing concert party, the Dinky Doos. This is not a big Hollywood extravaganza, but a British film in the style of the old music halls/variety theatres popular in Britain until after WW2. - Jessie Matthews... Susie Dean - Edmund Gwenn... Jess Oakroyd - John Gielgud... Inigo Jollifant - Mary Glynne... Miss Elizabeth Trant https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024073/

(1933) I Was A Spy During World War I, a young nurse in a hospital in German-occupied Belgium is secretly feeding military information to the British. - Madeleine Carroll... Martha Cnockhaert - Herbert Marshall... Stephan - Conrad Veidt... Commandant Oberaertz https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024161/

(1932) Trouble in Paradise A gentleman thief and a lady pickpocket join forces to con a beautiful perfume company owner. Romantic entanglements and jealousies confuse the scheme. A very enjoyable comedy drama. - Miriam Hopkins... Lily - Kay Francis... Madame Mariette Colet - Herbert Marshall... Gaston Monescu - Charles Ruggles... The Major https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023622/

(1931) Ten Cents A Dance Men pay a dime to dance with Barbara and her fellow taxi dancers. She marries Eddie and plans to quit dancing. Before she does, she meets a handsome and rich gentleman. I think I've shared pretty much all of my HD pre-code movies already, but while this is an unrestored print, it's perfectly watchable and the story is a good one. - Barbara Stanwyck... Barbara O'Neill - Ricardo Cortez... Bradley Carlton - Monroe Owsley... Eddie Miller - Sally Blane... Molly - Blanche Friderici... Mrs Blanchard https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022469/

(1933) Ever in My Heart World War I brings tribulations to an American woman married to a German. - Barbara Stanwyck... Mary Archer / Wilbrandt - Otto Kruger... Hugo Wilbrandt - Ralph Bellamy... Jeff https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023992/

(1930) Ladies of Leisure Frank Capra classic - An upper-crust artist hires a 'party girl' as a model; romance follows. Love, romance, and... umm... prostitution and suicide? It can only be a pre-code drama! - Barbara Stanwyck... Kay Arnold - Ralph Graves... Jerry Strong - Marie Provost... Dot Lamar Lowell Sherman... Bill Standish https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021040/