Pre-Code Gems
by redrumm104 | created - 26 Feb 2022 | updated - 4 days ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. The Sphinx (1933)
Passed | 64 min | Adventure, Crime, Mystery
A man known to be a mute is suspected of committing a murder, as he was noticed at the scene. However, witnesses saw and heard him talking as he was leaving the scene of the crime. The ... See full summary »
Director: Phil Rosen | Stars: Lionel Atwill, Sheila Terry, Theodore Newton, Paul Hurst
Votes: 528
2. The Iron Man (1931)
73 min | Drama, Romance
Prizefighter Mason loses his opening fight so wife Rose leaves him for Hollywood. Without her around Mason trains and starts winning. Rose comes back and wants Mason to dump his manager Regan and replace him with her secret lover Lewis.
Director: Tod Browning | Stars: Lew Ayres, Robert Armstrong, Jean Harlow, John Miljan
Votes: 343
3. Night Nurse (1931)
Passed | 72 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A nurse enlists the help of a petty criminal to foil a sinister plot to murder two children.
Director: William A. Wellman | Stars: Barbara Stanwyck, Ben Lyon, Joan Blondell, Clark Gable
Votes: 4,492
4. Red-Headed Woman (1932)
Passed | 79 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Lillian (Jean Harlow) relentlessly attempts to seduce a married man (Chester Morris).
Director: Jack Conway | Stars: Jean Harlow, Chester Morris, Lewis Stone, Leila Hyams
Votes: 3,537
5. Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)
Passed | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
A wealthy composer rescues unemployed Broadway performers with a new play, but insists on remaining anonymous.
Director: Mervyn LeRoy | Stars: Warren William, Joan Blondell, Aline MacMahon, Ruby Keeler
Votes: 9,147 | Gross: $4.80M
6. Blonde Crazy (1931)
TV-G | 79 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
The adventures of an egoistic con man and his glamorous accomplice.
Director: Roy Del Ruth | Stars: James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Louis Calhern, Noel Francis
Votes: 2,324
7. The Millionaire (1931)
Passed | 80 min | Drama, Comedy
A millionaire automaker retires upon the advice of his doctor, but becomes so bored he buys half interest in a gas station and works it on the sly.
Director: John G. Adolfi | Stars: George Arliss, Florence Arliss, David Manners, Evalyn Knapp
Votes: 591
8. Taxi (1931)
Passed | 69 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Independent cabbie Matt Nolan is primed to let his fists and handgun deliver payback after a big taxi firm uses intimidation and violence to squeeze out small-timers.
Director: Roy Del Ruth | Stars: James Cagney, Loretta Young, George E. Stone, Guy Kibbee
Votes: 1,553
9. Lady Killer (1933)
Passed | 76 min | Comedy, Crime, Mystery
A former gangster makes it big in Hollywood, but his old life catches up with him.
Director: Roy Del Ruth | Stars: James Cagney, Mae Clarke, Margaret Lindsay, Leslie Fenton
Votes: 1,885
10. Blessed Event (1932)
Passed | 80 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Al Roberts writes a gossip column for the Daily Express. He will write about anyone and everyone as long as he gets the credit. He gets into a little difficulty with a hood named Goebel who... See full summary »
Director: Roy Del Ruth | Stars: Lee Tracy, Mary Brian, Dick Powell, Allen Jenkins
Votes: 763
11. Cocktail Hour (1933)
Passed | 73 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Cynthia Warren, independently wealthy through her ability as an illustrator and poster artist, rebels against the premise that every woman is destined for matrimony and motherhood, and ... See full summary »
Director: Victor Schertzinger | Stars: Bebe Daniels, Randolph Scott, Sidney Blackmer, Muriel Kirkland
Votes: 185
12. The Spanish Cape Mystery (1935)
Passed | 73 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Detective Ellery Queen's vacation is interrupted when murder strikes next door to his oceanside cabin.
Director: Lewis D. Collins | Stars: Helen Twelvetrees, Donald Cook, Berton Churchill, Frank Sheridan
Votes: 326
13. To Be or Not to Be (1942)
Passed | 99 min | Comedy, Romance, War
During the German occupation of Poland, an acting troupe becomes embroiled in a Polish soldier's efforts to track down a German spy.
Director: Ernst Lubitsch | Stars: Carole Lombard, Jack Benny, Robert Stack, Felix Bressart
Votes: 43,042
14. Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941)
Approved | 95 min | Comedy, Romance
A couple who have been married for three years are shocked to learn that their marriage is not legally valid.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Carole Lombard, Robert Montgomery, Gene Raymond, Jack Carson
Votes: 11,320
15. Each Dawn I Die (1939)
Approved | 92 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A corrupt D.A. (Thurston Hall) with political ambitions is angered by news stories implicating him in criminal activity and decides to frame the reporter (James Cagney) for manslaughter in order to silence him.
Director: William Keighley | Stars: James Cagney, George Raft, Jane Bryan, George Bancroft
Votes: 3,734
16. Dangerously Yours (1937)
Approved | 62 min | Crime, Drama
Several jewel thieves sail from Europe to New York hoping to steal a famous gem that is being carried aboard a luxury liner. Double-crosses and a budding romance complicate matters considerably
Director: Malcolm St. Clair | Stars: Cesar Romero, Phyllis Brooks, Jane Darwell, Alan Dinehart
Votes: 99
17. The Mystery of Mr. X (1934)
Passed | 84 min | Comedy, Crime, Mystery
A jewel thief suspected of being a local serial killer targeting police officers decides to solve the mystery himself to clear his name.
Directors: Edgar Selwyn, Richard Boleslawski | Stars: Robert Montgomery, Elizabeth Allan, Lewis Stone, Ralph Forbes
Votes: 496
18. The Mind Reader (1933)
Passed | 70 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Con-man Chandler and his helper Frank decide to create a clairvoyant act for the carny circuit, as a little research reveals that Americans spent $125 million on mind-readers and astrology.... See full summary »
Director: Roy Del Ruth | Stars: Warren William, Constance Cummings, Allen Jenkins, Natalie Moorhead
Votes: 564
19. Girl in the Case (1944)
Approved | 65 min | Adventure, Comedy, Mystery
William Warner is not only a crack defense lawyer, but he has an even more useful skill--he's an expert at picking open any kind of lock, which comes in handy in his line of work. This ... See full summary »
Director: William Berke | Stars: Edmund Lowe, Janis Carter, Robert B. Williams, Richard Hale
Votes: 58
20. Heat Lightning (1934)
Passed | 63 min | Crime, Drama
A lady gas station attendant gets mixed up with escaped murderers.
Director: Mervyn LeRoy | Stars: Aline MacMahon, Ann Dvorak, Preston Foster, Lyle Talbot
Votes: 1,030
21. Doctor X (1932)
Unrated | 76 min | Comedy, Crime, Horror
A wisecracking New York reporter intrudes on a research scientist's quest to unmask The Moon Killer.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Lee Tracy, Preston Foster
Votes: 4,266 | Gross: $0.88M
22. Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933)
Passed | 77 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
The disappearance of people and corpses leads a reporter to a wax museum and a sinister sculptor.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Glenda Farrell, Frank McHugh
Votes: 6,831
23. The Public Enemy (1931)
Passed | 83 min | Crime, Drama
An Irish-American street punk tries to make it big in the world of organized crime.
Director: William A. Wellman | Stars: James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward Woods, Joan Blondell
Votes: 23,024 | Gross: $1.01M
24. I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)
Passed | 92 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Wrongly convicted James Allen serves in the intolerable conditions of a Southern chain gang, which later comes back to haunt him.
Director: Mervyn LeRoy | Stars: Paul Muni, Glenda Farrell, Helen Vinson, Noel Francis
Votes: 14,438 | Gross: $1.42M
25. History Is Made at Night (1937)
Passed | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A wealthy divorcée falls for a charming Parisian, but her insanely jealous ex-husband will do anything to get her back.
Director: Frank Borzage | Stars: Charles Boyer, Jean Arthur, Leo Carrillo, Colin Clive
Votes: 2,495
26. Mad Love (1935)
Passed | 68 min | Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi
In Paris, a demented surgeon's obsession with a British actress leads him to secretly replace her concert-pianist husband's mangled hands with those of a guillotined murderer with a gift for knife-throwing.
Director: Karl Freund | Stars: Peter Lorre, Frances Drake, Colin Clive, Ted Healy
Votes: 5,878 | Gross: $0.37M
27. Libeled Lady (1936)
Passed | 98 min | Comedy, Romance
When a socialite sues a big paper for libel, the editor responsible calls in the help of his ignored fiancée and a former employee to frame her and make the false story seem true.
Director: Jack Conway | Stars: Jean Harlow, William Powell, Myrna Loy, Spencer Tracy
Votes: 8,919
28. One Way Passage (1932)
Passed | 67 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A terminally ill woman and a debonair murderer facing execution meet and fall in love on a trans-Pacific crossing, each without knowing the other's secret.
Director: Tay Garnett | Stars: William Powell, Kay Francis, Frank McHugh, Aline MacMahon
Votes: 4,446
29. The Ex-Mrs. Bradford (1936)
Passed | 82 min | Comedy, Mystery
A wealthy mystery writer uses her doctor ex-husband's non-payment of alimony to coerce him into a reconciliation.
Director: Stephen Roberts | Stars: William Powell, Jean Arthur, James Gleason, Eric Blore
Votes: 2,193
30. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
Approved | 75 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
An ordinary British couple vacationing in Switzerland suddenly find themselves embroiled in a case of international intrigue when their daughter is kidnapped by spies plotting a political assassination.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Leslie Banks, Edna Best, Peter Lorre, Frank Vosper
Votes: 21,165
31. 42nd Street (1933)
Passed | 89 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
When the leading lady of a Broadway musical breaks her ankle, she is replaced by a young unknown actress, who becomes the star of the show.
Director: Lloyd Bacon | Stars: Warner Baxter, Bebe Daniels, George Brent, Ruby Keeler
Votes: 13,039 | Gross: $2.30M
32. Millie (1931)
Passed | 85 min | Drama, Romance
Millie's life begins to crumble when she finds out her husband is having an affair.
Director: John Francis Dillon | Stars: Helen Twelvetrees, Lilyan Tashman, Robert Ames, James Hall
Votes: 857
33. Three on a Match (1932)
Passed | 63 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Although Vivian Revere is seemingly the most successful of a trio of reunited schoolmates, she throws it away by descending into a life of debauchery and drugs.
Director: Mervyn LeRoy | Stars: Joan Blondell, Ann Dvorak, Bette Davis, Warren William
Votes: 4,395
34. Footlight Parade (1933)
Passed | 104 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Chester Kent struggles against time, romance, and a rival's spy to produce spectacular live "prologues" for movie houses.
Director: Lloyd Bacon | Stars: James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell
Votes: 6,095 | Gross: $3.49M
35. Grand Hotel (I) (1932)
Not Rated | 112 min | Drama, Romance
A group of very different individuals staying at a luxurious hotel in Berlin deal with each of their respective dramas.
Director: Edmund Goulding | Stars: Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery
Votes: 20,884 | Gross: $2.69M
36. My Man Godfrey (1936)
Approved | 94 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A scatterbrained socialite hires a vagrant as a family butler - but there's more to Godfrey than meets the eye.
Director: Gregory La Cava | Stars: William Powell, Carole Lombard, Alice Brady, Gail Patrick
Votes: 26,458
37. Trade Winds (1938)
Not Rated | 93 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Kay Kerrigan commits a murder and then changes her hair color, assumes a new identity and flees the country by ship. She's unaware that she's being followed by Sam Wye, a skirt chasing detective. The two soon develop a shipboard romance.
Director: Tay Garnett | Stars: Fredric March, Joan Bennett, Ralph Bellamy, Ann Sothern
Votes: 704
38. Skyscraper Souls (1932)
Passed | 99 min | Drama, Romance
An entrepreneur will let nothing stand in his way of acquiring a 100-story office building.
Director: Edgar Selwyn | Stars: Warren William, Maureen O'Sullivan, Gregory Ratoff, Anita Page
Votes: 924
39. The Famous Ferguson Case (1932)
Passed | 74 min | Crime, Drama
Reporters at a scandal sheet dwell on a murder case, with tragic results.
Director: Lloyd Bacon | Stars: Joan Blondell, Grant Mitchell, Vivienne Osborne, Adrienne Dore
Votes: 465
40. Alibi (1929)
Passed | 91 min | Action, Crime, Romance
Chick Williams, a prohibition gangster, rejoins his mob soon after being released from prison. When a policeman is murdered during a robbery, he falls under suspicion. The gangster took ... See full summary »
Director: Roland West | Stars: Chester Morris, Harry Stubbs, Mae Busch, Eleanor Griffith
Votes: 952
41. Black Sheep (1935)
Approved | 76 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
On a cruise ship a professional gambler comes to the aid of a young man victimized by a jewel thief. The young man turns out to be his son.
Director: Allan Dwan | Stars: Edmund Lowe, Claire Trevor, Tom Brown, Eugene Pallette
Votes: 401
42. The Sin of Nora Moran (1933)
Passed | 65 min | Adventure, Crime, Drama
A young woman with a difficult past is sentenced for a murder she didn't commit, but revealing the truth could hurt people she loves.
Director: Phil Goldstone | Stars: Zita Johann, John Miljan, Alan Dinehart, Paul Cavanagh
Votes: 780
43. The Most Dangerous Game (1932)
PG-13 | 63 min | Action, Adventure, Horror
A psychotic big game hunter deliberately strands a luxury yacht on a remote island, where he begins to hunt its passengers for sport.
Directors: Irving Pichel, Ernest B. Schoedsack | Stars: Joel McCrea, Fay Wray, Leslie Banks, Robert Armstrong
Votes: 14,015 | Gross: $0.97M
44. King Kong (1933)
Passed | 100 min | Adventure, Horror
A film crew goes to a tropical island for a location shoot, where they capture a colossal ape who takes a shine to their blonde starlet, and bring him back to New York City.
Directors: Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack | Stars: Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot, Frank Reicher
Votes: 90,990 | Gross: $10.00M
45. Holiday (1938)
Passed | 95 min | Comedy, Romance
A young man in love with a girl from a rich family finds his unorthodox plan to go on holiday for the early years of his life met with skepticism by everyone except for his fiancée's eccentric sister and long-suffering brother.
Director: George Cukor | Stars: Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Doris Nolan, Lew Ayres
Votes: 18,253
46. Stella Dallas (1937)
Approved | 106 min | Drama, Romance
A working-class woman is willing to do whatever it takes to give her daughter a socially promising future.
Director: King Vidor | Stars: Barbara Stanwyck, John Boles, Anne Shirley, Barbara O'Neil
Votes: 6,278 | Gross: $2.00M
47. Menace (I) (1934)
Passed | 58 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Menace is a very fast-paced dark house murder mystery with a plot centering around three people who are targeted for death because of their alleged guilt in the tragic death of a psychopath's brother.
Director: Ralph Murphy | Stars: Gertrude Michael, Paul Cavanagh, Henrietta Crosman, John Lodge
Votes: 78
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