The Howdygram recommends our favorite scandalous pre-Code films.

You know what I almost forgot to tell you? Not only is this Melvyn Douglas month on Turner Classic Movies, they’re also airing dozens of scandalous pre-Code films from the early 1930s on Fridays in September. There are lots of titles I can’t wait to see for the first time and old favorites that are always worth watching again. Here are some of my recommendations, okay? Please try not to miss the ones with teeny red stars; they’re AMAZING.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5

Frisco Jenny (1932) starring Ruth Chatterton and Louis Calhern
Female (1933) starring Ruth Chatterton and George Brent
Baby Face ★ (1933) starring Barbara Stanwyck, George Brent and John Wayne
The Divorcee ★ (1930) starring Norma Shearer and Chester Morris
Footlight Parade (1933) starring James Cagney, Ruby Keeler and Joan Blondell

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12

When Ladies Meet (1933) starring Ann Harding, Robert Montgomery and Myrna Loy
Double Harness ★ (1933) starring Ann Harding and William Powell
For the Defense (1930) starring William Powell and Kay Francis
Bombshell ★ (1933) starring Jean Harlow, Lee Tracy and Frank Morgan
Red Dust ★ (1932) starring Clark Gable, Jean Harlow and Mary Astor
Design for Living ★ (1933) starring Fredric March, Miriam Hopkins and Gary Cooper

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19

Three Wise Girls (1932) starring Jean Harlow and Mae Clarke
Possessed ★ (1931) starring Joan Crawford and Clark Gable
Two Seconds (1932) starring Edward G. Robinson and Preston Foster
Beauty and the Boss (1932) starring Warren William and Marian Marsh
Hot Saturday (1932) starring Cary Grant and Randolph Scott
Blonde Venus ★ (1932) starring Marlene Dietrich and Cary Grant
Skyscraper Souls (1932) starring Warren William Maureen O’Sullivan

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26

A Free Soul ★ (1931) starring Norma Shearer, Lionel Barrymore and Clark Gable
Loose Ankles (1930) starring Loretta Young and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
They Call It Sin (1932) starring Loretta Young and George Brent
The Public Enemy ★ (1931) starring James Cagney and Jean Harlow
Scarface ★ (1932) starring Paul Muni, Ann Dvorak and Karen Morley
Little Caesar ★ (1931) starring Edward G. Robinson and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
Penthouse (1933) starring Warner Baxter and Myrna Loy
Three on a Match ★ (1932) starring Bette Davis, Ann Dvorak and Joan Blondell

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And finally ... AN EXCELLENT KITTEN VIDEO to round out a perfect Thursday! Here are a bunch of teeny-weeny kittens learning to use their voices. Oy, are these guys cute, or what?

Thank you for reading this.