#pre code

Paul Muni and Ann Dvorak in ‘Scarface: The Shame of the Nation’, 1932.

Jean Harlow, mid 1930s

When Joan Blondell serves herself some jail time, she encounters these two broads playing checkers.  One of them gives her the sage advice: “Just make up your mind not to get tangled up with a man again.  Any man.”  Ahem.  And then she looks down contemplatively at her checkers before being interrupted by the prison matron, who is probably a candidate for Secret Lesbian herself based on her job title.

The Smiling Lieutenant is mostly about Claudette Colbert and Miriam Hopkins being in love with Maurice Chevalier, which is very straight, but they share one very charged scene with each other, which is very gay.  In it, they go from enemies to friends over the course of a song, mainly through Colbert teaching Hopkins how to be a bad girl.  A slap fights leads to weeping and then comforting each other and then showing each other their underwear and then singing about lingerie and then kissing.  It’s basically the gayest makeover montage ever.

While the Louise Brooks lesbian movie of choice is and ever shall be Pandora’s Box,Beggars of Life is no slouch in the queer department.  It involves her dressing as a boy in order to avoid the police after killing a man in self-defense.  Basically it’s a movie in which she looks the way she does in the above photo for around 80% of her screen time.  You know, if that’s something you’re into.  

Here’s 5 to watch during this week’s Summer Under the Stars lineup on TCM.

1. Anatomy of a Murder (1959) at 11:45 pm ET/8:45 pm PT Monday, Aug. 23: There’s lots of wonderful films airing during Eve Arden’s SUTS day, but her wistful performance as James Stewart’s secretary in this courtroom drama is one of our favorites.

2. The Love Parade (1930) at 9:45 pm ET/6:45 pm PT Tuesday, Aug. 24: French actor Maurice Chevalier’s SUTS day brings lots of excellent pre-code fare, including this frothy Lubitsch-directed confection about the amours of a vivacious queen (Jeanette MacDonald), whose roving eye soon alights on Chevalier’s charming soldier.

3. Stage Fright (1950) at 4 pm ET/1 pm PT Wednesday, Aug. 25: This under-rated Hitchcock thriller about a murder in London’s theatrical community is airing during Jane Wyman’s SUTS lineup. Hitchcock’s daughter, Pat, who passed away recently, has a droll supporting part as Wyman’s good-natured chum, Chubby Bannister.

4. ‘Til We Meet Again (1940) at midnight ET/9 pm PT Friday, Aug. 27: If you caught the iconic romance One Way Passage (1932) during Kay Francis’ SUTS day, you might want to check out the remake, which stars SUTS honoree Merle Oberon and George Brent. It isn’t quite as good as the original, but it’s still makes for a great night of movie escapism; plus, Frank McHugh reprises his role from the original as a small-time con man.

5. Finally, we’ll always have Casablanca (1942), which is airing at 6 pm ET/3 pm PT Sunday, Aug. 29 during Ingrid Bergman’s SUTS lineup.

Commercial sheet music from the film score of “Palmy Days” (1931)

unrepentantnerdshit:

chaotic-carnifex:

borinquenaqueer:

depiction is not the same as glorification and I need people to get that 

depiction from the POV of a character who thinks it’s okay is still not glorification

But…. But the Hayes Code clearly states…

Dorothy Lee (1930)