Pre-Code Actresses

Perhaps the most versatile actresses ever to appear on screen. She excelled in anything she was in - light comedy, serious dramas, romance movies... Nobody can quite compare to her immensely interesting and varied filmography... She was at the top of her game for a very log time. Even in the 1960s and 70s, she was a constant presence in movies and TV.
PRE CODE MOVIES:

1934 The Secret Bride
1934 A Lost Lady
1934 Gambling Lady
1933 Ever in My Heart
1933 The Bitter Tea of General Yen
1932 The Purchase Price
1932 So Big!
1932 Shopworn
1932 Forbidden
1931 The Miracle Woman
1931 Night Nurse
1931 Ten Cents a Dance
1931 Illicit
1930 Ladies of Leisure

Beautiful in a gentle, humble way with porcelain white skin and long, silky blonde hair, Ann Harding excelled at playing the stoic, long suffering heroine of impeccable moral standing - but she was an extremely capable actress who was sadly typecast too early in her career. Some of her post Code movies expanded her repertoire, but her biggest fame was prior to 1935. Oscar Nominated.
PRE CODE MOVIES:
1934 The Fountain
1934 The Life of Vergie Winters
1933 Gallant Lady
1933 The Right to Romance
1933 Double Harness
1933 When Ladies Meet
1932 The Animal Kingdom
1932 The Conquerors
1932 Westward Passage
1932 Prestige
1931 Devotion
1931 East Lynne
1930 The Girl of the Golden West
1930 Holiday

A perfect example of a fine, accomplished woman remembered for all the wrong things. Yes, many will think William Randolph Hearts when they hear her name, and there is none to blame - after all, it is her claim to fame, but below the public persona of the magnate's mistress was a progressive, kind, insanely funny and talented lady. One of the few actresses who actually made fun of themselves (obviously a gal with little to no vanity), she was a great comedienne.

MOVIES:
1934 Operator 13
1933 Going Hollywood
1933 Peg o' My Heart
1932 Blondie of the Follies
1932 Polly of the Circus
1931 Five and Ten
1931 It's a Wise Child
1931 The Bachelor Father
1930 The Florodora Girl
1930 Not So Dumb

She started as vamp and ended a top notch comic actress who could tackle drama with equal verve... But the moment when she bathed in a milk bath in DeMille's "Sign of the cross" (where she was a deliciously naughty Poppea along with Charles Laughton's very geniusly played Nero) changed her career and catapulted her to stardom, an impulse she used with every inch of her enviable talent... A perennial favorite and a very capable leading lady...
PRE CODE MOIVIES:
Imitation of Life
1934 Beatrice 'Bea' Pullman
1934 Cleopatra
1934 It Happened One Night
1934 Four Frightened People
1933 Torch Singer
1933 Three-Cornered Moon
1933 I Cover the Waterfront
1933 Tonight Is Ours
1932 The Sign of the Cross
1932 The Phantom President
1932 The Man from Yesterday
1932 Misleading Lady
1932 The Wiser Sex
1931 His Woman
1931 Secrets of a Secretary
1931 The Smiling Lieutenant
1931 Honor Among Lovers
1930 L'énigmatique Monsieur Parkes
1930 La grande mare
1930 Manslaughter
1930 The Big Pond
1930 Young Man of Manhattan

A Broadway alumna who entered movies as a mature, seasoned player and gave some of the best early talkie performances... She also played some of the most wanton, rampart female characters on film... As open minded and liberal on screen as she was off screen, Chatterton is a joy to watch in Pre-Code movies, as her intensely expressive acting and well modulated voice betray her expansive theatrical background and perfect timing... Often cast as hard as nails, jaded women, her hard looks and curvy figure certantly helped to make her characters realistic and not over the top (as many theatrical actors do). Sadly mostly forgotten today...
PRE-CODE MOVIES:

1934Journal of a Crime
1933 Female
1933 Lilly Turner
1932 Frisco Jenny
1932 The Crash
1932 The Rich Are Always with Us
1932 Tomorrow and Tomorrow
1931 Once a Lady
1931 The Magnificent Lie
1931 Unfaithful
1930 The Right to Love
1930 Anybody's Woman
1930 The Lady of Scandal
1930 Paramount on Parade
1930 Sarah and Son

Pretty British born actress, little known today. She was one of the few Hollywood stars that melted easily into sound movies. Her most memorable role of this period was in "Love Affair" with Humphrey Bogart - a pity they did not work together in other movies. Her careers ended just as the Code set in. Was very good in dramatic roles.

1934 Cheaters
1934 Picture Brides
1933 The Chief
1933 Curtain at Eight
1933 Neighbors' Wives
1932 No Man of Her Own
1932 Love Affair
1931 Safe in Hell
1931 The Reckless Hour
1931 Their Mad Moment
1931 Party Husband
1931 Kept Husbands
1931 Once a Sinner
1930 Bright Lights
1930 Man Trouble
1930 The Office Wife
1930 The Flirting Widow
1930 Strictly Modern

In my opinion, the most wonderful speaking voice even recorded on film... Deep, warm, mysterious, with an incredibly alluring trace of a foreign accent, Dietrich was perhaps not the best actress around (falls short compared to Stanwyck or Davis in terms of verstility and broadness of roles), but her charisma and charm made her a superstar. Teamed with German director Von Sternberg, she made some fine movies...
PRE CODE MOVIES:
1934 The Scarlet Empress
1933 The Song of Songs
1932 Blonde Venus
1932 Shanghai Express
1931 Dishonored
1930 Morocco
1930 The Blue Angel
1930 Dangers of the Engagement
1930/I The Blue Angel

On screen, she was pure magic. Nothing can quite describe the thing Greta Garbo had - you must see it to believe it. Once you see her, it is impossible to tear your eyes away. This is probably the reason why she is not connected to any of her leading men (like Myrna Loy or Katherine Hepburn are) - she often "ate" her co-stars, and acted with actors who were not big names in themselves, but rather support for the better known actresses of the day (for instance, Robert Montgomery in his early days). Gave some of the most touching performances of the 1930s and retired before her career declined - a shrewd and smart move.
PRE CODE MOVIES:
1934 The Painted Veil
1933 Queen Christina
1932 As You Desire Me
1932 Grand Hotel
1931 Mata Hari
1931 Susan Lenox
1931 Inspiration
1931 Anna Christie
1930 Romance
1930 Anna Christie

Cute as a button, active as a dynamo and infinitely spirited, Nancy Carroll won over the public easily in musical comedies, which was a genre that suited her perfectly. She is pure delight on screen - also has to be seen to truly appreciate. Was a team of sorts with Phillips Holmes, an interesting actor who also gave some good performances in the Pre-Code era. Sadly not remembered today, and her career went into a sharp decline right after the Code was put in use.
PRE-CODE MOVIES:

1934 Jealousy
1934 Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round
1934 Springtime for Henry
1933 I Love That Man
1933 The Kiss Before the Mirror
1933 The Woman Accused
1933 Child of Manhattan
1932 Under-Cover Man
1932 Scarlet Dawn
1932 Hot Saturday
1932 Wayward
1932 Broken Lullaby
1931 Personal Maid
1931 Night Angel
1931 Stolen Heaven
1930 Follow Thru
1930 Laughter
1930 The Devil's Holiday
1930 Honey
1930 Dangerous Paradise

She was the working man's Irene Dunne - often cast in hard hitting dramas where her character suffered tremendous injustices, and often ended bitterly. She was especially noted for her melancholic eyes and wonderfully brooding voice. Her facial features, not quite beautiful but certantly unique, helped her peg down the stereotype fully.
Sidney was a fine, well developed actress who played non glamorous, grim and serious roles. Later in her career she did manage to up her movie "social status" - but obviously the public did not accept it well, and she took a nosedive in the 1940s.

MOVIES:
1934 Behold My Wife
1934 Thirty Day Princess
1934 Good Dame
1933 Jennie Gerhardt
1933 Pick-up
1932 Madame Butterfly
1932 Merrily We Go to Hell
1932 The Miracle Man
1931 Ladies of the Big House
1931 Street Scene
1931 An American Tragedy
1931 Confessions of a Co-Ed
1931 City Streets
1930 Five Minutes from the Station (short)

She entered the era as a flapper, and graduated to playing morally strong, non nonsense ladies in rags-to- riches stories that the Depression audience loved to see. She was not a trained actress ant it shows, but a raw quality in her acting in powerful and always pulled her trough. Not to mention she was a women determined to succeed and she have both her body and soul to the character she played (also visible if you watch more of her movies). She was MGM's biggest star, next to Greta Garbo and Clark Gable, and belted out some impressive movies opposite several great leading men of the day. Married for a time to Franchot Tone, an incredible altought neglected actor.
PRE CODE MOVIES:

1934 Forsaking All Others
1934 Chained
1934 Sadie McKee
1933 Dancing Lady
1933 Today We Live
1932 Rain
1932 Letty Lynton
1932 Grand Hotel
1931 Possessed
1931 This Modern Age
1931 Laughing Sinners
1931 Dance, Fools, Dance
1930 Paid
1930 Our Blushing Brides
1930 Montana Moon
1930 Great Day

One of the best actresses ever to grace the screen - what more do we need to say? While she was versatile, her modus operandi for a long time were first class bitches, and she excelled in playing them. A trained, theater actress with a good diction and technique, Davis was also a dynamo in real life, and not someone you could tamper with easily - all of her character carry this seed in themselves (she never played meek, watery women). She fought her battles on and off the screen and left the world a legend with an impressive filmography, something she most certantly deserved.
PRE CODE MOVIES:
1934 Housewife
1934 Of Human Bondage
1934 Fog Over Frisco
1934 Jimmy the Gent
1934 Fashions of 1934
1934 The Big Shakedown
1933 Bureau of Missing Persons
1933 Ex-Lady
1933 The Working Man
1933 Parachute Jumper
1933 Just Around the Corner (short)
1932 20,000 Years in Sing Sing
1932 Three on a Match
1932 The Cabin in the Cotton
1932 The Dark Horse
1932 The Rich Are Always with Us
1932 So Big!
1932 The Man Who Played God
1932 Hell's House
1932 The Menace
1931 Way Back Home
1931 Waterloo Bridge
1931 Seed
1931 The Bad Sister

Queen of the MGM lot, a woman with limited talent and only average looks who proved to the world that determination and hard work could get you to the top. She was a consuming professional and gave her all in movies, playing extremely strong, proto-feminist women in many of her Pre Code movies. Despite the fact that she is often connected to her husband Irving Thalberg and considered "the boss' wife", she was more than capable herself and used each opportunity to the maximum of her abilities. Sadly she was not versatile enough to be considered a top notch actress, but left a very interesting filmography behind.
PRE CODE MOVIES:
1934 The Barretts of Wimpole Street
1934 Riptide
1932 Strange Interlude
1932 Smilin' Through
1931 Private Lives
1931 A Free Soul
1931 Strangers May Kiss
1930 Let Us Be Gay
1930 The Divorcee

Often called a great beauty (not to me!), Young had a very early start in Hollywood and was a leading lady before she turned 20, playing in a large number of movies (not all of the them good, in fact some some them were quite bad) and opposite some very good actors. Her youth is apparent in these movies and works both against and for her - she is fresh and energetic, but at the same time not subtle and experienced enough. In the end, she was a capable, charming actress, not as memorable as Garbo or Crawford, but holding her own. As opposed to her saintly reputation later in life, she played some very racy characters on screen.

1934The White Parade
1934/I Caravan
1934 Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back
1934 Born to Be Bad
1934 The House of Rothschild
1933 Man's Castle
1933 The Devil's in Love
1933 She Had to Say Yes
1933 Midnight Mary
1933 Heroes for Sale
1933 The Life of Jimmy Dolan
1933 Zoo in Budapest
1933 Grand Slam
1933 Employees' Entrance
1932 They Call It Sin
1932 Life Begins
1932 Week-End Marriage
1932 Play-Girl
1932 The Hatchet Man
1932 Taxi!
1931 The Ruling Voice
1931 Platinum Blonde
1931 I Like Your Nerve
1931 Big Business Girl
1931 Too Young to Marry
1931 Three Girls Lost
1931 The Right of Way
1931 Beau Ideal
1931 How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 8:
1930 The Devil to Pay!
1930 The Truth About Youth
1930 Kismet
1930 War Nurse
1930 Road to Paradise
1930 The Second Floor Mystery
1930 The Man from Blankley's
1930 Loose Ankles

The triple threat: singing, dancing and acting, Rogers' career was just forming during the Pre Code years, and she only made a few noteworthy movies (42nd street and some early pairings with Astaire).
She was a determined professional who conveyed elegance and grace in her movement like little else in Hollywood . It was more style than substance that launched her career, but she developed into a highly accomplished actress who could play almost anything, nabbing an Oscar in 1940 for Kitty Foyle.

PRE CODE MOVIES:
1934 The Gay Divorcee
1934 Change of Heart
1934 Finishing School
1934 Upperworld
1934 Twenty Million Sweethearts
1933 Flying Down to Rio
1933 Sitting Pretty
1933 Chance at Heaven
1933 Rafter Romance
1933 A Shriek in the Night
1933 Don't Bet on Love
1933 Professional Sweetheart
1933 Gold Diggers of 1933
1933 42nd Street
1933 Broadway Bad
1932 You Said a Mouthful
1932 Hat Check Girl
1932 Hollywood on Parade No. A-1 (short)
1932 The Thirteenth Guest
1932 The Tenderfoot
1932 Carnival Boat
1931 Suicide Fleet
1931 The Tip-Off
1931 Honor Among Lovers
1930 Follow the Leader
1930 Office Blues (short)
1930 Queen High
1930 The Sap from Syracuse
1930 Young Man of Manhattan
1930 Campus Sweethearts (short)
1930 A Night in a Dormitory (short)

Interesting looking, reed thin actress with an incredibly cute nose - she changed her image several times during the decade playing exotic seductress in the early 1930s, and managing to slowly break the mold by the time she code set in - she ended the prototype of a perfect wife in the late 1930s. She was often paired with Bill Powell, although she also acted opposite Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy to great effect.
She played some powerfully alluring, sexy characters during the Pre-Code time, and showed major acting promise that developed later in her career.


1934 Broadway Bill
1934 Evelyn Prentice
1934 Stamboul Quest
1934 The Thin Man
1934 Manhattan Melodrama
1934 Men in White
1933 The Prizefighter and the Lady
1933 Night Flight
1933 Penthouse
1933 When Ladies Meet
1933 The Barbarian
1933/I Topaze
1932 The Animal Kingdom
1932 The Mask of Fu Manchu
1932 Thirteen Women
1932 Love Me Tonight
1932 New Morals for Old
1932 The Woman in Room 13
1932 The Wet Parade
1932/I Vanity Fair
1932 Emma
1931 Arrowsmith
1931 Consolation Marriage
1931 Skyline
1931 Transatlantic
1931 Rebound
1931 Hush Money
1931 A Connecticut Yankee
1931/I Body and Soul
1931 The Naughty Flirt
1930 The Devil to Pay!
1930 Rogue of the Rio Grande
1930 The Truth About Youth
1930 Renegades
1930 The Bad Man
1930 The Jazz Cinderella
1930 The Last of the Duanes
1930 Bride of the Regiment
1930 Cock o' the Walk
1930 Under a Texas Moon
1930 Isle of Escape
1930 Cameo Kirby

Mostly forgotten today - and often, remembered for her unhappy ending - she committed suicide just before her 50th birthday. But, back in the Pre Code Days, Helen was a popular actress, like Irene Dunne and Sylvia Sidney, cast in dark dramas, playing long suffering women, often connected to wrong men who mistreated them. And, like both Dunne and Sidney, she had an unusual, winsome face not easily forgotten. Her effortless acting style was highly natural, and quite different from the highly theatrical styles prevalent back then. Her rocky private life hampered her career, and by the end of 1930s, she was down acting in B productions and cheap westerns.

1934 One Hour Late
1934 She Was a Lady
1934 Now I'll Tell
1934 All Men Are Enemies
1933 King for a Night
1933 My Woman
1933 Disgraced!
1933 A Bedtime Story
1932 Unashamed
1932 Is My Face Red?
1932 State's Attorney
1932 Young Bride
1932 Panama Flo
1931 Bad Company
1931 A Woman of Experience
1931 Millie
1931 The Painted Desert
1930 The Cat Creeps
1930 Her Man
1930 Swing High
1930 The Grand Parade (short)

First lady of the American theater, the highly skilled actress gave several great performances in the pre code era, even winning an Oscar for her first sound movie. Sadly, she made too few movies to be well remembered, instead opting to give her energies to the theatre. Altough she played snow-white, morally pure characters in all of her Pre-Code movies, her warmth and intensity perfectly suited those sometime dull roles and gave them an interesting, almost double-edged quality of steel hands in velvet gloves.

PRE CODE MOVIES:
1934 What Every Woman Knows
1934 Crime Without Passion
1933 Night Flight
1933 Another Language
1933 The White Sister
1932 The Son-Daughter
1932 A Farewell to Arms
1931 Arrowsmith
1931 The Sin of Madelon Claudet

Nobody combined innocence and naivete with such blatant sexuality like Harlow did - not even Marilyn Monroe, who famously patterned herself after her, could match it. Altough often typecast in the "sexually active but sweet" roles, and never having a chance to give a real, top notch, once-in-a-lifetime performance, Harlow is still remembered as one of the best Pre-Code actresses. Once the spectator sees her, it is clear why - she is so extremely likable, so alluring, so pure in a naughty way.
Unlike Garbo, she worked better when she had a good partner, as part of her charm was a rapport she developed with her male co-stars - always there was a subtle (sometimes not so subtle) sexual tension that perfectly suited her. Died too soon.

PRE CODE MOVIES:

1934 The Girl from Missouri
1933 Bombshell
1933 Dinner at Eight
1933 Hold Your Man
1932 Red Dust
1932 Red-Headed Woman
1932 Scarface
1932 The Beast of the City
1932 Three Wise Girls
1931 Platinum Blonde
1931 Goldie
1931 Iron Man
1931 The Public Enemy
1931 The Secret Six
1931 City Lights
1930 Hell's Angels

Nobody was as witty, racy and straightforward as Mae West was back in the 1930s. Her style had a unique duality - she was direct enough to let you know what she wanted, yet never over the top, never too crass and blatant. And her one liners are a thing of legend! Interestingly, she was not a great actress, but played sexually experienced, sharp tongued women with such passion and abandon that she had no need to expand her repertoire.

PRE CODE MOVIES:
1934 Belle of the Nineties
1933 I'm No Angel
1933 She Done Him Wrong
1932 Night After Night

Jean Arthur is well remembered today, as she should be, but not for her Pre Code movies. She came into her own only in the 1940s - but her start was way back in the 1920s (imagine, she was a player in silent movies!), this means she obligatory "lived" through the Pre Code period. Arthur was an unique actress, possessing her own brand of sexuality that nobody could copy - a highly intellectual, active and progressive allure. Much easier to understand when you watch her standing toe to toe with Rita Hayworth, whose sexuality was more passive. And her voice - somebody once wrote she had a "frog-like voice", IMHO a better comparison would be "like the sound of walking on sand" - all this combined made her an actress born only once. A special treat in any movie she appears, her filmography is full of good stuff and great co-stars.

MOVIES:
The Defense Rests
1934 The Most Precious Thing in Life
1934 Whirlpool
1933 Get That Venus
1933 The Past of Mary Holmes
1931 Ex-Bad Boy
1931 The Lawyer's Secret
1931 The Virtuous Husband
1931 The Gang Buster
1930 The Silver Horde
1930 Galas de la Paramount
1930 Danger Lights
1930 The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu
1930 Paramount on Parade
1930 Young Eagles
1930 Street of Chance

Like Crawford, she was cast as a perennial Cinderella, going from rags to riches (often with a price) in most of her movies. Unlike Crawford, who, despite all the designed wardrobe and perfect hair, remained a working girl at heart and behaved that way, Bennett was a mesmerizing, ethereal nymph, shinning with a shimmering light from within. She was fluid as water and possesed a calm spark (like a mature, sedate pixie), which made her unique as far as actresses go and cemented her in in he hearts of the movie going public. She was a huge star in the early 1930s.
Her typecasting as a strong woman often wronged by high society worked for a time, but later afforded her a career decline in the mid 1930s, and she would never enjoy the same success again (except Topper, 1937). A spell bounding movie presence, has to be seen at least once.

PRE CODE MOVIES:
1934 Outcast Lady
1934 The Affairs of Cellini
1934 Moulin Rouge
1933 After Tonight
1933 Bed of Roses
1933 Our Betters
1932 Rockabye
1932 Two Against the World
1932 What Price Hollywood?
1932 Lady with a Past
1931 Bought!
1931 The Common Law
1931 Born to Love
1931 The Easiest Way
1930 Sin Takes a Holiday
1930 Common Clay
1930 Three Faces East
1930 Son of the Gods

Already older than 30 in the Pre Code years, she had a quiet, mature quality that served her well in serious family dramas that she was always cast in. In these early Pre Code dramas, she has tremendous presence and is a pillar of strength not easily taken down, often having to endure hardships and other stings of fate. Dunne was also an operatic singer who later made some good musicals and excelled in comedy movies, making her highly versatile as a performer.

PRE CODE MOVIES:
1934 Sweet Adeline
1934 The Age of Innocence
1934 Stingaree
1934 This Man Is Mine
1933 If I Were Free
1933 Ann Vickers
1933 The Silver Cord
1933 The Secret of Madame Blanche
1933 No Other Woman
1932 Thirteen Women
1932 Back Street
1932 Symphony of Six Million
1931 Consolation Marriage
1931 The Great Lover
1931 Bachelor Apartment
1931 Cimarron
1930 Leathernecking

A strong woman off screen, Hopkins did things her way and refused to be badgered into roles she did not want to play - as a result, she made relatively few movies, but most of them are a monument to her large talent. Despite possessing a thin, high-strung ad somehow shrill voice, she rose to give some stunning performances and hold her own opposite other screen heavy weights (both female and male, like Bette Davis, Frederic March, Gary Cooper and so on). Equally good in comedy and in drama, she was one of the few actresses that could play morally pure characters with a hint of sex appeal - something that her great rival, Bette Davis, lacked and Hopkins had in abundance.

1934 The Richest Girl in the World
1934 She Loves Me Not
1934 All of Me
1933 Design for Living
1933 The Stranger's Return
1933 The Story of Temple Drake
1932 Trouble in Paradise
1932 World and the Flesh
1932 Dancers in the Dark
1932 Two Kinds of Women
1931 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
1931 24 Hours
1931 The Smiling Lieutenant
1930 Fast and Loose

The best comedienne that ever lived, period! Yes, yes, Claudette Colbert and Barbara Stanwyck were also good comediennes, but it was Lombard who was the BEST of the lot. Born with an unnaturally perfect comic timing, Lombard had the luck of being a knock-out looking blonde, giving Hollywood a rare combination of looks and female comedy, often reserved for plump and matronly women (like Marie Dressler) or unattractive Midwestern hicks (like ZaSu Pitts and Patsy Kelly). As a result, Lombard played in some of the best comedies in 1930s, opposite a large number of great leading men (almost all of them in fact!). Despite her short life, she made a large number of movies. Could also hold down her own in drama, but her comedy roles overshadow most of her other effords.

PRE CODE MOVIES:
The Arizona Kid (1930)
Safety in Numbers (1930)
Fast and Loose (1930)
It Pays to Advertise (1931)
Man of the World (1931)
Ladies' Man (1931)
Up Pops the Devil (1931)
I Take This Woman (1931)
No One Man (1932)
Sinners in the Sun (1932)
Virtue (1932)
No More Orchids (1932)
No Man of Her Own (1932)
From Hell to Heaven (1933)
Supernatural (1933)
The Eagle and the Hawk (1933)
Brief Moment (1933)
White Woman (1933)
Bolero (1934)
We're Not Dressing (1934)
Twentieth Century (1934)
Now and Forever (1934)
Lady by Choice (1934)
The Gay Bride (1934)

She was not a great actress and she never gave a truly spellbound performance, but her ample comic timing, a regal disposition and great singing voice combined made her a capable star in her own right. Later in the decade she was famous for her operettas with Nelson Eddy, playing pure, impeccable women - but in her Pre Code movies she was a racy, if elegant and royal, adventuress who was ready to experiment...

PRE CODE MOVIES:

1934 The Merry Widow
1934 The Cat and the Fiddle
1932 Love Me Tonight
1932 Une heure près de toi
1932 One Hour with You
1931 Annabelle's Affairs
1931 All Women are Bad
1930 Oh, for a Man!
1930 The Lottery Bride
1930 Monte Carlo
1930 Let's Go Native
1930 The Vagabond King
1929 The Love Parade

She was the epitome of an intelligent, beautiful, and kind woman. Not only beautiful in an unique way, but with a stunning, honey laced, deep voice and a sedate and mature acting style, Astor shone in any movie she appeared in, be it comedy drama, be it as a lead or as a supporting actress. She was often the rival of he leading actress for a man - and she often won in strange, morally dualistic circumstances. A seasoned film played in silent movies, she was a professional who knew her work and who can boast a long and successful filmography.

1934 I Am a Thief
1934 The Case of the Howling Dog
1934 The Man with Two Faces
1934 Return of the Terror
1934 Upperworld
1934 Easy to Love
1933 Convention City
1933 The World Changes
1933 The Kennel Murder Case
1933 Jennie Gerhardt
1933 The Little Giant
1932 Red Dust
1932 A Successful Calamity
1932 Those We Love
1932 The Lost Squadron
1931 Men of Chance
1931 Smart Woman
1931 White Shoulders
1931 The Sin Ship
1931 Behind Office Doors
1931 Other Men's Women
1931 The Royal Bed
1930 The Lash
1930 Holiday
1930 Ladies Love Brutes
1930 The Runaway Bride

The wide eyed, blonde broad from the wrong side of the city, Joan Blondell made tons of movies for Warner Bros. Sadly, only a few of them are worth watching today. She was not a person who fought for better roles but rather went with the flow (and accepted any opportunity given to her), thus her filmography is not really impressive - however, her acting prowess is never in doubt.
While never a top class actress, she was quite reliable and regularly saved movies from total ruin with her spirited performances. Today she is associated with gangster movies the most. She played opposite James Cagney (the king of gangsters) several times - her tough-but-tender style perfectly working with his half-crazy, highly-strung style.

PRE CODE:
1934 Kansas City Princess
1934 Dames
1934 Smarty
1934 He Was Her Man
1934 I've Got Your Number
1933 Convention City
1933 Havana Widows
1933 Footlight Parade
1933 Goodbye Again
1933 Gold Diggers of 1933
1933 Blondie Johnson
1933 Broadway Bad
1933 Just Around the Corner (short)
1932 Lawyer Man
1932 Central Park
1932 Three on a Match
1932 Big City Blues
1932 Miss Pinkerton
1932 Make Me a Star
1932 The Famous Ferguson Case
1932 The Crowd Roars
1932 The Greeks Had a Word for Them
1932 Union Depot
1931 Blonde Crazy
1931 The Reckless Hour
1931 Night Nurse
1931 Big Business Girl
1931 My Past
1931 The Public Enemy
1931 God's Gift to Women
1931 Illicit
1931 Millie
1931 Other Men's Women
1931 How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 10: 'Trouble Shots' (short)
1930 Sinners' Holiday
1930 The Office Wife
1930 The Devil's Parade (short)
1930 Broadway's Like That (short)
1930 The Heart Breaker (short)

Several elements combined to make Kay Francis the star she was: the wide apart eyes, the oddly shaped face, the Cupid's Bow lips, the deep, husky voice, the charming way she pronounced R, the tranquil, calm way she spoke. A living proof that the whole is more than the sum of its parts, Francis was for a time the unabashed queen of the Warner Brothers lot, playing leads in successful weepie movies. More talented than given credit, or indeed, the chance to prove herself, she was unfairly ousted from the A list by her bosses at Warners and replaces by Bette Davis in the mid 1930s.

PRE-CODE FILMS:
1934 British Agent
1934 Dr. Monica
1934 Wonder Bar
1934 Mandalay
1933 The House on 56th Street
1933 I Loved a Woman
1933 Mary Stevens, M.D.
1933 Storm at Daybreak
1933 The Keyhole
1932 Cynara
1932 Trouble in Paradise
1932 One Way Passage
1932 Jewel Robbery
1932 Street of Women
1932 Man Wanted
1932 Strangers in Love
1931 The False Madonna
1931 Girls About Town
1931 24 Hours
1931 Guilty Hands
1931 Transgression
1931 The Vice Squad
1931 Ladies' Man
1931 Scandal Sheet
1930 Passion Flower
1930 The Virtuous Sin
1930 Galas de la Paramount
1930 Let's Go Native
1930 Raffles
1930 For the Defense
1930 A Notorious Affair
1930 Paramount on Parade
1930 Street of Chance
1930 Behind the Make-Up

There are many things to admire about Ann Dvorak. She was a strong, independent individual, and this character trait is carried along in her movies. Never a gentle, delicate woman prone to weeping, Dvorak played iron willed, reckless and brassy women on screen, often opposite better known actresses (who played the weepie women!). Started playing chories (in a tons of movies), and graduated to leading roles all in a span of two years, Dvorak deserves to be better known today.

1934 Murder in the Clouds
1934 Gentlemen Are Born
1934 I Sell Anything
1934 Side Streets
1934 Housewife
1934 Friends of Mr. Sweeney
1934 Midnight Alibi
1934 Heat Lightning
1934 Massacre
1933 College Coach
1933 The Way to Love
1932 Three on a Match
1932 Crooner
1932 Stranger in Town
1932 Love Is a Racket
1932 The Strange Love of Molly Louvain
1932 The Crowd Roars
1932 Scarface
1932 Sky Devils
1931 The Guardsman
1931 This Modern Age
1931 Son of India
1931 Politics
1931 Just a Gigolo
1931 A Tailor Made Man
1931 Dance, Fools, Dance
1930 Love in the Rough
1930 Doughboys
1930 Good News
1930 Way Out West
1930 Our Blushing Brides
1930 Children of Pleasure
1930 Free and Easy
1930 Lord Byron of Broadway
1930 The Woman Racket
1930 Chasing Rainbows
1930 The March of Time

People often remember her as the pulp, serious secretary from her later TV series, but back the 1930s, Sothern was one of the sexiest, most beautiful actresses on the lot. And she was a great torch singer too! Sadly, she was not a real Precode actress, as she acted mostly in uncredited roles until 1934 - too late to make a big impact without the censors hampering it. However, her later portrayal of Maisie, in a series of MGM films in the 1940s, bough back a strong female lead - while she did lack the finesse and elegance of Pre Code femmes (Maisie was quite a crass and brass girl), her numerous adventures befitted a fearless, strong woman sadly lacking in cinema of those times.

MOVIES:
1934 Kid Millions
1934 The Party's Over
1934 Blind Date
1934 The Hell Cat
1934 Melody in Spring
1933 Let's Fall in Love
1933 Broadway Thru a Keyhole
1933 Footlight Parade
1930 Whoopee!
1930 Doughboys
1930 Good News
1930 Song of the West

1930

After branding her a gangster's moll (due to the famous Watermellon scene), it's easy to end up surprised at the whole range and versatility of Clarke's body of work. She was a sweet girl, or a deadly, venomous woman, whatever you needed - and she was good at it all. Yes, in the end she was not a top talent, and made too much bland movies - but she had a long, and relatively successful career, spanning all the way into 1960s - more than many actresses can say. A must watch from this period: Waterloo Road - a movie that fully utilized absence of censors, a true classic!

MOVIES:
1934 The Man with Two Faces
1934 Let's Talk It Over
1934 This Side of Heaven
1934 Nana
1933 Lady Killer
1933 Flaming Gold
1933 Penthouse
1933 As the Devil Commands
1933 Turn Back the Clock
1933 Fast Workers
1933 Parole Girl
1932 Penguin Pool Murder
1932 Breach of Promise
1932 Night World
1932 The Impatient Maiden
1932 The Final Edition
1932 Three Wise Girls
1931 Frankenstein
1931 Reckless Living
1931 Waterloo Bridge
1931 The Good Bad Girl
1931 The Public Enemy
1931 The Front Page
1930 Men on Call
1930 The Dancers
1930 The Fall Guy

The predecessor of all the "blondes" - Jean Harlow, Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, Marie Wilson - Farrell was the original prototype of a fast talking, dizzy blonde. Yet a certain element sets her apart from all those who followed - a jaded, tough, hard boiled allure. As a pure stroke of luck, she was in the perfect studio for hard boiled heavies - Warner Bros, along with Cagney, Bogart and Blondell. As all of them, she was overworked, and belted a huge number of movies, many of them not to her merit, but, like Blondell, she often rose above the mundane material given. Sadly, unliek Blondell, she was often cast in supporting roles, and this severely diminished her chance to truly spark. However, she played one of the perennial late 1930s female favorites, newspaperwoman Torchie Blane, in a series of movies. Could say more than 350 worlds in 40 seconds!

MOVIES:

1934 The Secret Bride
1934 Kansas City Princess
1934 The Personality Kid
1934 Merry Wives of Reno
1934 Heat Lightning
1934 I've Got Your Number
1934 Dark Hazard
1934 Hi, Nellie!
1934 The Big Shakedown
1933 Havana Widows
1933 Man's Castle
1933 Bureau of Missing Persons
1933 Lady for a Day
1933 Mary Stevens, M.D.
1933 Gambling Ship
1933 How to Break 90 #2: Position and Back Swing (short)
1933 The Keyhole
1933 Girl Missing
1933 Grand Slam
1933 Mystery of the Wax Museum
1932 The Match King
1932 I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang
1932 Three on a Match
1932 Life Begins
1932 Scandal for Sale
1931 Little Cesar

She made only three pre Code movies, but, in many ways, Claire was the epitome of the Pre Code women - liberal, strong and doing things her own way.
As a famous and much lauded Broadway actress with talent galore, she possessed the self assurance, maturity and credibility to pull off such roles with natural ease.
Like Helen Hayes, she made too few movies and is not as well remembered today.

1932The Greeks Had a Word for Them
1931 Rebound
1930 The Royal Family of Broadway

More known for her beauty than any of her acting achievements, Bruce did possess a unusual but alluring face, and had a deep, velvety voice - she was perhaps a better torch singer than she was an actress. Often cast in supporting roles, and when in leads, inevitably it was a short, 60 minute production, Bruce never came into anything near to artistic validation and fulfillment - and yet, while Hollywood is to blame, she as much was not a great thespian. Yes, she could hold her own, but a monotonous, boxed acting style with little variation for roles did her no great service. Another claim to fame were her colorful husbands - she was the wife of Greta Garbo great love, John Gilbert, a non-bad actor who ended with a sad end.

MOVIES:

1934 The Mighty Barnum
1934 Dangerous Corner
1934 Jane Eyre
1932 Kongo
1932 A Scarlet Week-End
1932 Downstairs
1932 Winner Take All
1932 Sky Bride
1932 The Miracle Man
1931 Hell Divers
1930 Whoopee!
1930 Follow Thru
1930 Let's Go Native
1930 Raffles
1930 The Social Lion
1930 Safety in Numbers
1930 Paramount on Parade
1930 Young Eagles
1930 Only the Brave
1930 Slightly Scarlet

A quiet, understated actress who never got to first base, Landi still made several good movies and displayed a penchant for playing placid and deeply rooted characters that stood their moral ground.
Sadly, most of her movies are unknown today and only a few hold up.

1934 The Count of Monte Cristo
1934 The Great Flirtation
1934 Sisters Under the Skin
1934 Man of Two Worlds
1933 By Candlelight
1933 The Masquerader
1933 I Loved You Wednesday
1933 The Warrior's Husband
1932 The Sign of the Cross
1932 A Passport to Hell
1932 The Woman in Room 13
1932 Devil's Lottery
1931 The Yellow Ticket
1931 Wicked
1931 The Parisian
1931 Always Goodbye
1931/I Body and Soul
1930 Children of Chance
1930 The Price of Things
1930 Knowing Men

One of the most abused stereotypes in moives, old or new, is the wisecracking best friend, a non nonsense, sassy character there not for the story, not really vital to the movie in general, but somebody to go for the laughs, win over the audience and show some moral suport for the main star. Una Merkel was, in the 1930s, the queen of such roles - the Kewpie doll looks, the annoying, nasal southern accent made her a veritable jackpot for the stereotype. Due to her being a foil, she played opposite a large number of famous leading ladies. She never outgrew the status as a second banana - and her career suffered in the 1940s, confined to B class productions. She had one more hit int he 1950s, and in a leading role at that!

MOVIES:
1934Evelyn Prentice
1934 The Merry Widow
1934 Have a Heart
1934 Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back
1934 The Cat's-Paw
1934 Paris Interlude
1934 Murder in the Private Car
1934 This Side of Heaven
1933 The Women in His Life
1933 Day of Reckoning
1933 Bombshell
1933 Menu (short)
1933 Broadway to Hollywood
1933 Beauty for Sale
1933 Her First Mate
1933 Midnight Mary
1933 Reunion in Vienna
1933 42nd Street
1933 Clear All Wires!
1933 The Secret of Madame Blanche
1933 Whistling in the Dark
1932 Men Are Such Fools
1932 They Call It Sin
1932 Red-Headed Woman
1932 Huddle
1932 Man Wanted
1932 The Impatient Maiden
1932 She Wanted a Millionaire
1931 The Secret Witness
1931 Private Lives
1931 Wicked
1931 The Bargain
1931 Daddy Long Legs
1931 The Maltese Falcon
1931 Six Cylinder Love
1931 All Women are Bad
1931 Command Performance
1930 The Bat Whispers
1930 The Eyes of the World
1930 Abraham Lincoln

Arguably, Hepburn's movie outlet in the 1930s was her best - she played a wide variety of interesting roles in interesting movies, something she never repeated in her later career despite all the hoobaloo that her pairing with Spencer Tracy enjoys today, and several extremely good performances she gave n the 1960s and 1970s. From her very first movie she was given substantial roles and never had a grooming period in movies like many other actresses - but this is perhaps her disadvantage. In her pre code movies, Hepburn is always good, always carrying out her role with a graceful yet strong femininity that has little to do with wishy washy damsel in distress types so prevalent in movies before the 1930s. Yet, she is too stage-y, too rigid, too inexperienced in most of them. Her accent is too strong, too high class New English. She is often not soft enough, not warm and engaging. But despite this, she could easily impress viewers and gave hints of the great actress she was to become later in her life.

PRE CODE:
1934 The Little Minister
1934 Spitfire
1933 Little Women
1933 Morning Glory
1933 Christopher Strong
1932 A Bill of Divorcement

The ultimate "bad girl" of movies, Trevor was a wonderfully versatile actress - her long careers and Oscar can attest to that. However, when she started back in 1933, she was often cast as a lead in romantic movies. But, even back then, Trevor is not quite the lovable, likable girl that man of her contemporaries were - a sly, fox-like quality lurks in her eyes all the time. You never know what she is thinking, and have the impression she is plotting forever in her mind. But, unlike the mysterious, alluring sirens Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo, Trevor was completely down-to-earth, very realistic, almost brassy. Came into her own only later in her career, but had a very good start, playing leads from her very first credited appearance.

MOVIES:

1934 Elinor Norton
1934 Baby Take a Bow
1934 Wild Gold
1934 Hold That Girl
1933 Jimmy and Sally
1933 The Mad Game
1933 The Last Trail
1933 Life in the Raw

She did not possess the typical "beauty" Hollywood was after - as, logically, was often cats in non flattering, grim, supporting roles - but Karen Morley was one of the best, most serious actresses to come out of the 1930s. Whenever she appears on the screen, an almost magnetic pull sucks in the viewer, and the fact that she isn't as beautiful as the leading actress opposite her turn to dust quickly. She also had an very developed actor's "sensitivity", adapting with little effort to a broad palette of different roles. It was her private life that effectivly ruined her career twice: first, when she married Charles Vidor, and later, whe she was unjustly tried by the House Committee on Un-American Activities. She lost both times, but continued undoggedly to pursue her interest in leftist causes, never giving it up. An incredible woman and actress!

MOVIES:
1934 Wednesday's Child
1934 Straight Is the Way
1934 Our Daily Bread
1934 The Crime Doctor
1933 Dinner at Eight
1933 Gabriel Over the White House
1932 Flesh
1932 The Mask of Fu Manchu
1932 The Phantom of Crestwood
1932 Downstairs
1932 The Washington Masquerade
1932 Man About Town
1932 Scarface
1932 Are You Listening?
1932 Arsène Lupin
1931 Mata Hari
1931 The Cuban Love Song
1931 The Sin of Madelon Claudet
1931 High Stakes
1931 Politics
1931 Laughing Sinners
1931 Never the Twain Shall Meet
1931 Daybreak
1931 Strangers May Kiss
1931 Inspiration

MOVIES:

1934 Radio Parade of 1935
1934 Unfinished Symphony
1934 Midnight Alibi
1934 Long Lost Father
1933 The Worst Woman in Paris?
1933 Goodbye Again
1933 Dance Hall Hostess
1933 Alimony Madness
1933 Christopher Strong
1932 Behind Jury Doors
1932 Vanity Street
1931 A House Divided
1931 Fanny Foley Herself
1931 The Last Flight
1931 Salvation Nell
1931 Daybreak
1931 Dracula
1930 Mothers Cry
1930 Outward Bound
1930 Rough Romance

MOVIES:
1934 A Girl of the Limberlost
1934 Der verlorene Sohn
1934 The Girl Thief
1934 Over the Garden Wall
1934 I Like It That Way
1933 A Man of Sentiment
1933 Notorious But Nice
1933 The Eleventh Commandment
1933 Daring Daughters
1932 The Sport Parade
1932 Strange Justice
1932 Beauty and the Boss
1932 Alias the Doctor
1931 Under 18
1931 The Mad Genius
1931 The Road to Singapore
1931 Five Star Final
1931 Svengali
1931 The Naughty Flirt
1930 Whoopee!
1930 Hell's Angels

1934 In Old Santa Fe
1934 A Man's Game
1934 Speed Wings
1933 Perils of Pauline
1933 Police Car 17
1933 Dance, Girl, Dance
1933 Corruption
1933 His Private Secretary
1933 State Trooper
1933 Air Hostess
1932 Bachelor Mother
1932 Slightly Married
1932 A Successful Calamity
1932 This Sporting Age
1932 Big City Blues
1932 The Night Mayor
1932 The Vanishing Frontier
1932 Madame Racketeer
1932 The Strange Love of Molly Louvain
1932 Fireman, Save My Child
1932 High Pressure
1931 Side Show
1931 The Bargain
1931 Smart Money
1931 A Shocking Affair (short)
1931 The Millionaire
1931 50 Million Frenchmen
1930 Mothers Cry
1930 River's End
1930 Sinners' Holiday
1930 Taxi Talks (short)
1930 Chills and Fever (short)
1930 A Tight Squeeze (short)
1930 All Stuck Up (short)

MOVIES:
1934 What Every Woman Knows
1934 Death on the Diamond
1934 Paris Interlude
1934 Grand Canary
1934 Stand Up and Cheer!
1934 The Show-Off
1934 Fugitive Lovers
1933 Day of Reckoning
1933 Broadway to Hollywood
1933 Beauty for Sale
1933 Dinner at Eight
1933 The Mayor of Hell
1933 The Nuisance
1933 Made on Broadway
1933 Hell Below
1933 Hallelujah I'm a Bum
1932 Fast Life
1932 Huddle
1932 Are You Listening?
1932 The Greeks Had a Word for Them
1932 Lovers Courageous
1931 West of Broadway
1931 Heartbreak
1931 Guilty Hands
1931 Sporting Blood
1931 Son of India
1930 Envy (short)
1930 The Gob (short)
1930 The Bard of Broadway (short)
1930 Many Happy Returns (short)

MOVIES:
1934 Gentlemen Are Born
1934 The Dragon Murder Case
1934 Fog Over Frisco
1934 Merry Wives of Reno
1933 Lady Killer
1933 The House on 56th Street
1933 The World Changes
1933 From Headquarters
1933 Paddy the Next Best Thing
1933 Captured!
1933 Voltaire
1933 Baby Face
1933 Private Detective 62
1933 Christopher Strong
1933 West of Singapore
1933 Cavalcade
1932 Once in a Lifetime
1932 The All-American
1932 The Fourth Horseman
1932 Okay, America!

MOVIES:
1933 I Have Lived
1933 The Big Cage
1933 Soldiers of the Storm
1933 Jungle Bride
1932 Prosperity
1932 Skyscraper Souls
1932 Night Court
1932 Are You Listening?
1931 Under 18
1931 Sidewalks of New York
1931 Gentleman's Fate
1931 The Easiest Way
1931 Reducing
1930 War Nurse
1930 Little Accident
1930 Our Blushing Brides
1930 Caught Short
1930 Free and Easy
1930 Great Day

MOVIES:
1934 Secret of the Chateau
1934 Gift of Gab
1934 A Very Honorable Guy
1934 Jimmy the Gent
1934 Cross Country Cruise
1933 King for a Night
1933 Picture Snatcher
1933 Luxury Liner
1933 Employees' Entrance
1931 Murder at Midnight
1931 The Naughty Flirt
1930 The Widow from Chicago
1930 Sweethearts on Parade
1930 Sweet Mama
1930 Show Girl in Hollywood
1930 Playing Around

MOVIES:
1934 Servants' Entrance
1934 Change of Heart
1934 Carolina
1933 Paddy the Next Best Thing
1933 Adorable
1933 State Fair
1932 Tess of the Storm Country
1932 The First Year
1931 Delicious
1931 Merely Mary Ann
1931 Daddy Long Legs
1931 The Man Who Came Back
1930 High Society Blues