Tag Archives: Pre-Code Hollywood

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The Bootleg Files: Windy Riley Goes Hollywood

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BOOTLEG FILES 820: “Windy Riley Goes Hollywood” (1931 short starring Louise Brooks and directed by Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle under a pseudonym).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On public domain labels and as a special feature on a Kino Lorber Blu-ray offering.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: A lapsed copyright enables endless dupes.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: It was already on a commercial label, but the public domain dupes never stopped.

The 1931 Educational Pictures short “Windy Riley Goes Hollywood” is not remembered today for its content – which, quite frankly, is terrible – but as a low point in the creative lives of two iconic talents of the silent screen who came into the talkie era with their respective careers in shambles.
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Wheeler and Woolsey: The Pre-Code Funnymen

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Few comics took full advantage of the loose standards of Pre-Code Hollywood with more gusto than the team of Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey. In this episode of “The Online Movie Show,” film historian and podcaster Geno Cuddy offers insight on the duo’s saucy on-screen antics and classic routines.

The episode can be heard here.

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Clark & McCullough: The Forgotten Kings of Comedy

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From the late 1920s to the mid-1930s, Bobby Clark and Paul McCullough turned out a series of wild, bawdy and often surreal short comedies. Today, the team is mostly unknown to the average movie lover because many of their films are lost and the surviving films are rarely revived. Film historian and podcaster Geno Cuddy considers the Clark & McCullough legacy and advocates for a new appreciation of their surviving work in this episode of “The Online Movie Show.”

The episode can be heard here.

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The Charley Chase Talkies

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Charley Chase was a reigning star of the silent comedy world, but he also carried on well into the sound film era as both an inventive performer and a versatile director. In this episode of “The Online Movie Show,” we explore Charley Chase’s sound films with James L. Neibaur, author of “The Charley Chase Talkies: 1929-1940.”

The episode can be heard here.

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Mack Sennett’s “Hypnotized”: A Pre-Code Oddity

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One of the strangest films of the Pre-Code era was Mack Sennett’s 1932 comedy “Hypnotized” starring the blackface duo Moran and Mack. On this episode of “The Online Movie Show,” film historian and broadcaster Geno Cuddy offers insight on the history of this highly irregular production and the distinctive talent behind its creation.

The episode can be heard here.

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The Jean Harlow Films

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Jean Harlow was Hollywood’s original blonde bombshell, and she lit up the Pre-Code screen with spirit and sexiness that has never been duplicated. In this episode of “The Online Movie Show,” James L. Neibaur, author of “The Jean Harlow Films,” pays tribute to the great star’s too-brief life and stellar career.

The episode can be heard here.

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Ricardo Cortez: The Magnificent Heel

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During the 1920s and 1930s, Ricardo Cortez was one of Hollywood’s most versatile leading men. His best known films include D.W. Griffith’s “The Sorrows of Satan,” Greta Garbo’s first American film “Torrent” and the original 1931 version of “The Maltese Falcon.” In this episode of “The Online Movie Show,” we celebrate the life and career of this remarkable talent with Dan Van Neste, author of the book “The Magnificent Heel: The Life and Films of Ricardo Cortez.”

The episode can be heard here.

“The Online Movie Show” is produced at Platinum Wolfe Studios.