Pre-Code: A Fascinating Genre Quiz

Answer: Greta Garbo

The film was advertized as "'Anna Christie': Garbo Talks!" Garbo had been a successful silent star and the studio sought to capitalize on that. "Anna Christie" was a Broadway play by Eugene O'Neill in 1921. The film earned three Academy Award nominations including Garbo as Best Actress, Cinematography, and Best Director. Using the same sets, a German language version was made with a different cast except for Garbo.

Answer: Grand Hotel

"Grand Hotel" (1932) won the Best Production award that year. "Grand Hotel" had several overlapping stories that told the background drama of its guests. MGM pulled out all the stops and featured its best stars in the production that included Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery, Lionel Barrymore, Lewis Stone, and Jean Hersholt. The plot consists of vignettes of the characters in the busy hotel who seem barely aware of each other as their lives interact.

The film is based on a 1929 Vicki Baum novel "Menschen im Hotel". It was adapted for a Broadway drama that had 458 performances. "Grand Hotel" is where Garbo first said "I want to be alone". In fact, she says it three times in the film. Some have tried to apply it later to her personal life as a reclusive but she countered that she only wanted to 'let' alone not be alone.

Answer: She Done Him Wrong

"She Done Him Wrong" established West as a box office star and brought Cary Grant into his first featured role. "She Done Him Wrong" is the shortest film, 66 minutes, to be nominated for an Oscar as Best Picture. West plays Lady Lou who has promised to be faithful to a gangster (Gus) now in prison. However, Lady Lou has had a multiplicity of male friends, including Captain Cummings (Grant) a psalm-singing reformer. However, he is in reality an undercover federal agent gathering evidence to break up Gus' gang.

In the film the famous exchange between West and Grant is often misquoted, although West did say "Come and see me sometime" in other contexts. The quote from "She Done Him Wrong" is "I always did like a man in a uniform. That one fits you grand. Why don't you come up sometime and see me? I'm home every evening." Because of her use of multiple double entendres, she became a frequently quoted actress. She had trouble all her career with film censors but she always said that the censors made her famous.

Answer: Freaks

Tod Browning had worked on the development of "Freaks" for five years before he was able to film it. The basic plot is simplistic: a love triangle. Two men love one woman. Hercules is a large imposing carnival strong man; the other, Hans, a little person; the woman a trapeze artist called Cleopatra. Cleopatra seduces Hans believing that he has a large inheritance but becomes hysterical when confronted by Hans' friends--the freaks.

Here Tod Browning broke from traditional Hollywood. Rather than have makeup artist create the freaks, Browning used actual freaks from sideshows. The freaks have monstrous birth defects. On film these hit the darkest spot in audiences and critics were outraged by the 'poor taste' of capitalizing on the unfortunate freaks. One woman blamed her miscarriage on the shock of seeing the film. It was withdrawn from the public for over thirty years.

In the late 1970s it was brought to life again, first as a midnight movie. One survey ranked it has the 15th best film of all time. The website "Rotten Tomatoes" gave it a 93% approval.

After the disgrace of "Freaks", Tod Browning had difficulty finding projects in Hollywood and only directed a handful of movies, the last in 1939. He died at 82 in 1962.

Answer: Miscegenation

An American woman (Barbara Stanwyck) is caught up in a skirmish among Chinese war lords and is rescued by General Yen (Nils Asther). General Yen is at heart a sensitive man but evil in the way he manages his war and treats his enemies. He brings Stanwyck into his house among his concubines, one of whom will betray him. Their relationship develops from anger to respect and a smoldering sexual attraction. This is climaxed only in a dream sequence. As his power crumbles, Yen drinks the 'bitter tea'.

The theme of miscegenation was not well timed as many states had strong miscegenation laws. Love between an Oriental man and a Caucasian woman was not brought out so openly before as in this film. Distrust of Orientals and fear of what was termed 'white slavery' spelled failure for the film's future.

The film also illustrates the choice that Hollywood made in the portrayal of Oriental characters. The lead roles were white men in heavy makeup as with Nils Asther here.It was also used in film franchises such as "Charlie Chan", "Mr. Moto", and "Fu Manchu".

Answer: Clark Gable

Lora,(Barbara Stanwyck) a high school drop out, gets to be a trainee nurse through the intercession of a kindly doctor. After completing her training she is assigned the care of two children whose mother is an alcoholic and is having an affair with the family chauffeur. Lora comes to believe that the mother and Nick are planning to murder the children. She quits but returns when told she needs to gather more evidence. She is aided in the end by a former patient who is high in the criminal hierarchy.

Cagney rejected the role as he was not accepting any supporting roles at that time. Joan Blondell is the roommate and both she and Barbara Stanwyck flash their under garments.

Answer: Ray Milland

Cagney delivers machinegun-like dialogue and revs up the fast pace of the film. Blondell tries to go straight but her husband caught his fingers in the till and is facing embezzlement charges. Cagney has tried to go walk the line without success. Together they try a new scheme to bail her husband out of his bind and to make a nest egg for themselves for a non-scam life. It fails and Cagney goes to jail. Blondell visits him and pledges to be true until his release when they can go straight together.

In spite of the 'crime does not pay' ending "Blonde Crazy" is a very watchable film. Joan Blondell does a nude tub scene and draws ogles whenever she enters a room.

Like many young actors of that period, Ray Milland survived in supporting roles until his breakthrough 14 years later with his Academy Award winning role in "Lost Weekend" (1945).

Answer: Busby Berkeley.

Rather just having a dance filmed, Berkeley made the dance for the camera. He used lavish costumes and settings and unusual camera angles to achieve his effects. Often they were filmed with a camera suspended over the dancer creating the effect of a kaleidoscope.

"42nd Street" follows the romantic movie formula of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl but adds song and dance to the mix. In this case it was Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler. "You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me", "Shuffle Off to Buffalo" and "42nd Street" are classic melodies from "42nd Street". In 1934 "42nd Street" was nominated for an Academy Award. In recent years stage versions have been produced.

Answer: Auto manufacturing firm executive

Chatterton plays Allison, a driven no nonsense auto company executive, a firm she inherited from her father. Bored with her polyamory with men, especially those who only want her money, she goes to a local carnival. There she meets an attractive man and they have a good time but he declines going home with her. The next day she discovers that man, played by George Brent, is in fact an auto designer who works for her. She invites him to her home to go over plans but he is all business and avoids her physical advances. Later she is able to seduce him away from the mansion on a picnic.

Brent proposes marriage but she says she likes things the way they are. Angry at her rejection, he quits but returns and helps her through a financial crisis at the factory. Finally she accepts the marriage proposal but he is to run the company while she stays home and has eight children.

In the context of the 1930s the film makes two points. One is that a woman is fully capable of running a complicated business. Secondly, the traditional role of the woman is in the home. The ending no doubt pleased the audiences of that era.

Answer: Marlene Dietrich

Josef von Sternberg directed this film and made Marlene Dietrich its centerpiece. A somewhat naive girl is married to the shallow Prince in hopes of improving the bloodline. She produces a child but few believe the Prince had anything to do with it. Over time she grows in confidence and eventually leads a coup d'etat and proclaims herself Empress.

The late Roger Ebert described the film this way: "a relentless excursion into style... a bizarre visual extravaganza, combining twisted sexuality and bold bawdy humor as if Mel Brooks had collaborated with the Marquis de Sade."

The sets in reality are spare--shadows, props, tricks and mirrors. Gargoyles often fill the scene as if leering at the human parade. But always Sternberg focuses on Dietrich with whom he directed seven pictures. Sexuality is suggested rather than overt. Catherine, in inspecting the troops, seems to look only below the belt. "The Scarlet Empress" could have not been made any later in time. It focus on Catherine as an oversexed, sexually-depraved dominatrix and in a context of erotic images and scenes of torture.