On YouTube: Saucy Pre-Code Moments Part Four

 

There are a lot of familiar patterns and themes in classic pre-Code Hollywood movies (the time period roughly between 1930-34), as can be seen in this collection of clips. Censors found it too racy, but these classic films were also honest, humorous, and adult in a way movies never were again in quite the same way, both in classic movies and on to modern times. 

I have so much fun making Pre-Code videos. A part five is coming. Here's what I've done so far: 

Saucy Pre-Code Moments

Saucy Pre-Code Moments Part Two 

Saucy Pre-Code Moments Part Three 

Watching Classic Movies Podcast: Talking Melodrama with Millie de Chirico

Melodrama, it’s much more than Douglas Sirk-directed mid-century dramas, I had a great talk with writer, film programmer, podcaster, and teacher Millie De Chirico about what melodrama really means, what we love about it, and the surprising places you can find melodrama, from horror to action flicks. 

Subscribe to Millie’s Substack, Professional Sweetheart 

Check out the fantastic book Millie wrote with Quatoyiah Murry TCM Underground: 50 Must-See Films from the World of Classic Cult and Late-Night Cinema 

My video review of the book 

Millie’s official website 

Millie co-hosts the fabulous I Saw What You Did podcast with Danielle Henderson 

Follow Millie-- 

Twitter: @milliedechirico 

Instagram: @debbie_country 

BlueSky: @milliedechirico.bsky.social 

The show is available on— Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, PocketCasts, Google, and Radio Public 

Like the podcast? Want to hear more frequent episodes? Subscriptions are as low as 99 cents a month 

You can also support my work on ko-fi

Watching Classic Movies Podcast--Robert Dance, Author of Ferocious Ambition: Joan Crawford's March Towards Stardom

There are few stars who have reached the heights that Joan Crawford did. In his book Ferocious Ambition: Joan Crawford’s March to Stardom my guest Robert Dance explores how she rose from childhood poverty to the top of her industry where she maintained a successful career for over four decades. We talked about her drive and talent for business and how she was a surprising feminist presence in mid-century cinema. 

You can purchase Ferocious Ambition: Joan Crawford’s March to Stardom here 

Check out the gorgeous photos on the official Ferocious Ambition Instagram account

The show is available on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, PocketCasts, Google, and Radio Public

Like the podcast? Want to hear more frequent episodes? Subscriptions are as low as 99 cents a month

You can also support my work on ko-fi

Watching Classic Movies Podcast--Nat Segaloff, Author of Say Hello to My Little Friend: A Century of Scarface

The two cinematic versions of Scarface were influential films which reflected their times, the thirties and eighties respectively. The prolific Nat Segaloff explores their legacy in Say Hello to My Little Friend: A Century of Scarface, a fascinating book that draws on Nat’s industry experience and considerable research skills. We talked about the effect these movies had, the people who made them remarkable, and what it was like to meet Scarface director Brian De Palma. 

Learn more about Nat’s many film books at his website 

You can purchase Say Hello to My Little Friend: A Century of Scarface here

The show is available on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, PocketCasts, Google, and Radio Public

Like the podcast? Want to hear more frequent episodes? Subscriptions are as low as 99 cents a month

You can also support my work on ko-fi

Watching Classic Movies Podcast--Odie Henderson, Author of Black Caesars and Foxy Cleopatras: A History of Blaxploitation Cinema

Film critic Odie Henderson has applied his vast film knowledge and solid storytelling skills to the writing of an excellent new book Black Caesars and Foxy Cleopatras: A History of Blaxploitation Cinema. We discussed the stars, creators, triumphs, and key films of this rich period in cinematic history. 

Buy Odie's book here 

Check out Odie's Blaxploitation playlist on Spotify 

Keep up with Odie on BlueSky 

Odie's film reviews: 

Boston Globe 

Roger Ebert

 

The show is available on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, PocketCasts, Google, and Radio Public

Like the podcast? Want to hear more frequent episodes? Subscriptions are as low as 99 cents a month

You can also support my work on ko-fi

On YouTube--Magnificent Marlene Dietrich Moments: The von Sternberg Years

 

The seven films director Josef von Sternberg made with Marlene Dietrich are a remarkable record of the filmmaker’s obsession with his star. From the cheap cabaret of The Blue Angel to the grandeur of The Scarlet Empress, von Sternberg explored different settings, but coached Dietrich to maintain a familiar array of characteristics in each film. From the way she moved and spoke, to the little bits of business that gave the woman she played life, there is one Dietrich who rises out of the seven women she played for the director who made her not only a star, but a legend. 

Films in video: 

The Blue Angel (1930) 

Morocco (1930) 

Dishonored (1931) 

Shanghai Express (1932) 

Blonde Venus (1932) 

The Scarlet Empress (1934) 

The Devil is a Woman (1935)