Vintage Hollywood, An Incipient Brothel Tainting Virgin Eyes

Sex, vice and violence along with malevolent morals were just some of the things that assailed the senses and souls upon those who ventured into the darkened movie theaters laden throughout the universe.  

The above picture is Jean Harlow as Lil Andrews seducing her married boss, William, Chester Morris in 1932s "Red-Headed Woman."  Jean Harlow was integral in derailing the critique of commercial Christianity during the Pre-Code Hollywood era. 

In "Red-Headed Woman," Lil (Harlow) uses her natural allure to advance herself financially. Adultery and excessive boozing outraged many far-right Republicans and their insane counterparts, the crazed Christians who had the insane idea, they could dictate morals. By 1935, these Wack jobs won, and even the cartoon character of Betty Boop's skirt was drawn closer to her knees, and her garter belt was never shown to mainstream audiences after 1934. 

Lured subject matter was still allowed after 1934, but the wicked had to be punished in some form or another, via jail, an untimely death, or other forms of ill will toward these characters who partook in enthusiastic indulgences of sin and vice. 

If you want to watch 1932s "Red-Headed Woman," you may not want to read the next sentence and skip to the next paragraph, because I am going to give away the ending to this move. In "Red-Headed Woman," Lil fornicates with at least four different men, and with each of these rich men, she aims for an even a wealthier man, and in the end of the movie she marries a much older and very wealthy man. As Lil and her new hubby are in the back seat of their very nice, chauffeured car, the young handsome chauffer driver looks in the rear-view mirror at Lil and winks, and she winks back at him. Earlier in the film, Lil was married to another rich old man who had the same chauffer driver, and he divorced Lil, because she was seeing him while the two were married, hence, Lil's sins were rewarded in the end, which was a big no-no come 1935. 

By 1935, as I learned from reading 1999s "Pre-Code Hollywood Sex, Vice and Insurrection in American Cinema, 1930-1934," far righties and Christians with way too much power inflicted their laws biblically into Hollywood contracts; 'Thou shall not take or cause to be taken any photography in which girls are shown in underwear, fancy lingerie, teddies, scanties or drawers.' This is just one of the 12, yes 12 commandments in the actual Hollywood contract written in 1935, and it wasn't until the 1950s, these insane commandments for moviemakers started to cease, and not until 1968, did Hollywood implement the movie rating system.

The above picture is a publicity shot of Joan Blondell from her 1933 sex comedy, "Convention City." Blondell was another integral babe who combated the far righties and Christians with her sexiness and films that were an opiate for delicious deceits. 

Cruel Christians and their poisoned Republicans pals nearly ruined the movie industry, but these fools did their damage. In 1934, the original print of "Convention City" was destroyed along with hundreds of other copies of the 35mm film print, which makes it impossible to own a high-quality print of this lost classic, which, incidentally, is on my bucket-list to acquire. In the 1960s, Blondell owned a 16mm print of "Convention City" and showed this movie to various friends and family, and its been said by some, "Convention City" was soft core porn for its day. ("Joan Blondell A Life Between Takes," 2007) 

The above picture is a publicity still of 1932s "Virgins of Bali, a picture featured in the 1999 book, "Forbidden Hollywood..." by Thomas Doherty.  

The symbolic journey into the forbidden zone was ventured upon in "Virgins of Bali." The women bathed shamelessly in their nude bronze bodies. The girls were firmly and harmoniously developed and walked with a swinging and easy rhythmic movement. (Doherty)   

It's a no brainer today's movies are much more graphic and risqué than the four-year Pre-Code era, but that four-year period in cinematic Sin-Sation pioneered the way for today's sexy men and women to flaunt their stuff, and for the writers and directors to delve into the indulgences of wild youth, devious daughters, straying wife's and the elliptical allusions embracing visions of picturesque violence. 

Doherty's book, "Pre-Code Hollywood" is very detailed in documenting the Pre-Code movies exposing political fraud, hard drug use, and the heinous crimes of Al Capone and John Dillinger, among others. Sex just happened to be my favorite subject among these nearly 100-year-old movies, and because of my father and the local library, my quest to own and view these movies has essentially just begun. 

Dorothy Mackaill, pictured above from 1931s, Safe in Hell" is a tale of sex trafficking, hard boozing and murder, and yes, I own this gem of a flick. The people who love me the most don't even know me, yet they remaster movies made more than 90 years ago and distribute them just for me. Indeed, there is love for me. 

Mark Izzy Schurr 

  

Sound on film was not mainstream until 1930, and the labyrinth of pleasure-seeking vice movies between 1930 and 1934 were truly entertaining and intriguing to me. 

The Q

Trumpism, insanity, lies and a kaleidoscope of catastrophe fueling the Republican party and its lunatic cult, the QAnon seep into my anger receptors. 

The Q said Democrats eat babies and par-take in satanic child porn, via using the code, Cheese Pizza, meaning Child Porn They also said President Joe Biden is a reptile guised in human skin and these claims are just the tip of the iceberg fueled by Fox News and two other far right facsist networks too many Americans adhere to as they numb their minds to the likes of Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity and republican congress woman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a member of the QuAnon.  

The Republicans crave more guns and have stupid or no solutions to the nefarious slaughter of school children. 

The Q said many of these mass shootings are not happening, it's a ploy for the Democrats to take away our guns, including the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas in which 19 children, 10-years-old or younger were gunned down with an assault rifle by an 18-year-old who legally purchased this military style assault weapon on that same day, and had a documented mental illness. Two teachers were also slain in Uvalde,  Texas. Everything is fine, America has more guns than people and an insane rate of mass shooting, so thoughts and prayers to all the victims and their families is our government's only solution thus far.   

Mark Izzy Schurr

Hoover is my Shepard I shall not want...He arouseth doute in the Republican party. He leadeth me in the path of destruction. For his party's sake, I fear evil, thou art with me. 

Anonymous, early 1930s.  

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 

   

 

 

A Cathedral of Sin & Delicious Deceits

The enthusiastic indulgences of love, lust, booze, hallucinogenics and illegal activities in the media matrix of the early 1930s was a spherical sensation into the imagination.

"The more you see, the more you want to see," he said to Joan Blondell, pictured above in "Union Depot."    

Two Daisies, prostitutes shown scouting out various sailors in 1932s "Union Depot." This movie is complete with murder, adultery, excessive boozing and grand theft. Blondell is the focal female character in this 1932 film gem.  

Obviously movies today display sexuality and vices more vividly, but the writers and actors in "Union Depot" got their point across clearly and concisely. 

Fornication, such as adultery had to result in ill consequences by a film's end in July of 1934. Biblically written laws were enforced in mainstream movies by then, and it wasn't until 1968 that our current movie rating system was implemented and 100 percent of the insane censorship laws was dissolved. 

Shirley Temple starred in three movies in 1934, and by 1935 Temple was the number one box office draw in America if not the world for the next three years. She became Hollywood's mascot of morality after the Hollywood Pre-Code era of 1930-1934.     

Mark Izzy Schurr        

Another Modern Moron Book Review

 "My Best Friend's Exorcism," and "Horrorstor" contain conflicts beyond believe, yet New York Times Best-Selling author, Grady Hendrix weaves Satanic rituals and ghost hunting into a blissfully bizarre barrage of horror and laughter.

These are two of five Hendrix books I've read, gifted to me from my sister Linda. 

"My Best Friend's Exorcism" details the friendship of Abby and Gretchen who were high school besties in the late 1980s. In 1988, while the two were still in high school, one of the two is possessed by the Devil, or is she? Image if the only way to save the life of your best friend is steal a baby so the infant can be sacrificed in a Satanic ritual. Hendrix knows how to create conflict in his stories, and this is just one of many in this book. 

Hendrix tinges on the goriness of Stephen King, yet manages to keep his books at a PG-13 rating, at least in my mind. 

Hendrix suggests that some women in the 1980s breed babies for the sole purpose of sacrificing them to Satan and said the Health Department writes the term 'Irregular Procedures' on their medical charts when documenting demonic possession. 

Young best friends, barely old enough to legally drive and on the cusp of finishing high school to enter the realms of adulthood are both thrust into an insane reality, complete with murder and genuine friendship. 

She slid out a broad gleaming butcher's knife and looked directly at her friend who was turned the other way in the dark living room...Hendrix has a writing flare that suits me, and I sincerely thank Linda for introducing me to this amazing writer. 

Male and females have a slightly different clock ticking in our minds which omit an infinite array of actions and feelings, and "My Best Friend's Exorcism" gave me an enlightening understanding of the female mind. Three stars easy for this book. 

Mark Izzy Schurr

Work manufactures lunatics who lose their minds in the numbing grind of repetitive labor, Grady Hendrix said in his book "Horrorstor."   

Upon reading the above words, I automatically gave this book a solid four-star rating. 

This novel is about a group of co-workers who sell high-end furniture and decide to become ghost hunters because of strange activities after hours in the workplace. 

In a nutshell, this is the story of four co-workers, three women and one man who decide to make their own TV show about ghost hunters. Trinity names the show "Ghost Bomb," because the show is about ghost's and according to her, the show is the bomb. 

Trinity sincerely Believe's in ghosts and her co-worker Matt agrees to be a part of the show in hopes of parting her thighs. 

Bloody handprints are seen on the walls of the store by the ghost hunters, and when one of their own disappears, they begin to believe she is alive in the walls of the store, and the quest to save her begins. 

The basic storyline seems lame and silly maybe, but Hendrix has great character development and this reader found himself pulling for the quote-unquote hero of the story and rooting against its villains.  

Mark Izzy Schurr 

         

Savage & Sensational Spheres of Innerspace

Journey beyond the darkness of cold black spring in the northern spheres of Earth and comfort the soul amidst this world of slain justice. 

Eagar to experience new wonders and challenges beyond this mortal plane, and tread upon a world without leaders or followers. As a creature of chaos, I traverse the realms of oblivion and infinity. To dwell on an island in the far reaches of an unknown galaxy where death is sleep and forever ends when a sun sets. 

Mark Izzy Schurr

Picture was Schurr Shot at Donner Summit, California, April 30.  

Bee Positive

 The caressing ambience of spring has seized my sensations, and the mystic band of elation has shrouded unwarranted doubts and fears. 

While too many others seem to harbor hate and cling to grudges, I choose to laugh and not explain myself anymore. The periphery of human perception has put me on a path of an enticing and unknown energy that penetrates the core of oblivion and infinity. I'm no angle, nor a demon, just an entity who studies grace and skill, with insane dreams of tranquility, peace and harmony.

Mark Izzy Schurr

Picture was Schurr Shot in my back yard in 2021 with my Sony Cybershot 50x zoom camera.