Pre-Code Essentials

Fans of Pre-Code cinema should be out doing cartwheels because of the exciting new addition to the TCM library! Pre-Code Essentials: Must-See Cinema from Hollywood’s Untamed Era 1930-1934 by Kim Luperi and Danny Reid is a gorgeous, well-researched book, brimming with information about the films, studios, and stars of Pre-Code Hollywood.

Celebrating this pre-Hayes Code period during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the book discusses the subjects and themes portrayed in pre-Code films in addition to profiling 50 films released during various points of the pre-Code period. The 1930 Production Code also makes an appearance in the book as well as numerous administration records and letters between studios and censors. Moreover, over 200 photos are also included in this fascinating book.

I highly recommend this book to fans of Pre-Code Hollywood and its array of stars. Moreover, if you’re a Barbara Stanwyck fan, you’ll be delighted to see that this book is dedicated to her.


Pre-Code Essentials: Must-See Cinema from Hollywood’s Untamed Era 1930-1934 is available for purchase via Running Press.

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About Annette Bochenek

Dr. Annette Bochenek of Chicago, Illinois, is an avid scholar of Hollywood’s Golden Age. She manages the Hometowns to Hollywood blog, in which she writes about her trips exploring the legacies and hometowns of Golden Age stars. Annette also hosts the “Hometowns to Hollywood” film series throughout the Chicago area. She has been featured on Turner Classic Movies and is the president of TCM Backlot’s Chicago chapter. In addition to writing for TCM Backlot, she also writes for Classic Movie Hub, Silent Film Quarterly, Nostalgia Digest, and Chicago Art Deco Society Magazine.
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