WOMEN OF THE PRECODE ERA:
NAUGHTY, BUT NICE!

Tuesdays, April 3, 17, and May 1st, 7:30 pm

During the four year period (1930-1934) before the Hays code was enforced, Hollywood released some very risque films. Film Historian Philip Harwood will explore women in the pre-code era: how women were presented, and the types of subject matter displayed. In this course, we will view and discuss three films. You must register for the entire series.

FEMALE (1933, Dir. Michael Curtiz)
Alison Drake (Ruth Chatterton), the tough-minded executive of an automobile factory, succeeds in the man's world of business.
She is known to invite men to bed and then dump them. She then meets an independent design engineer (George Brent).

THREE ON A MATCH (1932, Dir. Mervyn Leroy)
Three former school mates reunite: Mary (Joan Blondell), Ruth (Bette Davis), and Vivian (Ann Dvorak). Although Vivian Revere
is seemingly the most successful of the trio, she throws it away by descending into a life of debauchery and drugs. Also stars
Humphrey Bogart and Warren Williams.

BABY FACE (1933, Dir. Alfred E. Green)

Lilly (Barbara Stanwyck), sexually exploited for most of her life, strives for success by sleeping her way to the top of a big-city bank.