Sex, Vice, Violence & Malevolent Morals in Vintage Cinema

Darkened theaters across the globe radiated picturesque violence, rewarding vices and free love mixed with alcohol and hallucinogenic spirits in early 1930s cinema. 

Mark A. Vieira's 2019 book, "Forbidden Hollywood the Pre-Code Era (1930-1934) When Sin Ruled the Movies" was a solid three-star read. A lot of pictures from Hollywood yesteryear made this 271 page book a quick and easy read. 

Vieira said the U.S. population was a 122.7 million people in 1929, and 90 million American's went to the movies that year. Vieira's writing was not nearly as gripping as Thomas Doherty, who wrote 1999s book, "Pre-Code Hollywood Sex, Immorality, and Insurrection in American Cinema 1930-1934," yet both writers fueled my fascination to watch and collect many of these Pre-Code film gems. 

Both writers detailed the code of ethics as to what the public ears and eyes could be exposed to amidst movie houses across the globe. 

Tales of devious daughters, straying wife's, wild youth and unmistakable references to drunkenness, crime and coitus were just some of the elliptical allusions venturing into the frontiers of unabashed expressions.

Pictured from left to right are actress's, Barbara Rodgers and Lynn Browning. Below, left to right is Toby Wing and Renee Whitney promoting their Pre-Code flicks. By 1935, ads with this much skin was prohibited, and not until the 1950s did Hollywood begin to wake up again. In 1968, Hollywood implemented its rating system.  

 

Extreme politicians and religious zealots were even shocked by some of the Pre-Code movie titles; "The Devil is Driving" (1932), "Laughter in Hell" (1933), "Safe in Hell" (1931) and "Merrily We Go to Hell." (1932)

Ladies were not left out either, as leading men also exposed lots of skin. 

Top picture is Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O' Sullivan in 1934s "Tarzan and His Mate." Below is Larry Buster Crabbe in a scene from 1934s "Search for Beauty." 

"Forbidden Hollywood When Sin Ruled the Movies" was a library acquisition, and I have barely scathed the tip of the iceberg in movies I want to revisit, and see for the first time. 

Above picture is Dorothy Mackaill in 1931s "Safe in Hell," which was among many movies of the Pre-Code era featuring a consortium of stories of scantly clad women, complete with crime and seduction. 

Sin in soft focus is captured brilliantly in this book. 

Mark Izzy Schurr