Pre-Code Movies: Hollywood High Jinks!

Well, my first two eBooks on classic movies were so well received that I wanted to write on a subject that is near and dear to my classic movie heart: Pre-Code Hollywood. Just as film noir gained popularity (and notoriety) in the 1940s and 1950s, the early 1930s saw the period in Hollywood history known as the pre-Code era. Films weren't subject to the same kind of moral scrutiny that would be given later in the decade after the establishment of the Production Code Association and the strict enforcement of the already existing Hollywood Production Code. Stars like Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, Joan Crawford and others thrived during this period and risque and racy subject matter appeared often.

 Movies displayed a much more realistic and gritty tone in pre-Code films. Pushing the envelope meant higher ticket sales in Depression era America. It also meant an interesting take by Hollywood on the sometimes unpleasant, sometimes naughty world that it tried to reflect. Sin and Vice in Black & White: 15 Classic Pre-Code Movies explains what a pre-Code movie is and essays a sampling of the kind of movies that were produced and exhibited during this brief but powerful time in American cinema.

 The movies I chose to review and discuss were across the board. Warren William in the unique The Mind Reader, Busby Berkeley's fun and folly with Footlight Parade and Crawford, Harlow and Francis in almost anything! If you like classic movies and pre-Codes specifically, check out Sin and Vice in Black in White. It's a super deal at only $2.99 and it is FREE to borrow for members of Amazon Prime. Also, even if you don't own a Kindle, you can download a FREE Kindle app and read the book on your Smartphone, iPhone, iPad, tablet or personal computer! You can get the FREE app HERE!