Underrated pre-code romance movies could be remarkably frank about unhappy marriages, adultery, prostitution, and women who refused to behave in the way respectable society wanted them to behave. Before strict enforcement of the Hollywood Production Code took place in the middle of 1934, movie studios had much more freedom to portray complicated adult relationships on the screen.
That unusual freedom resulted in countless movies where a heroine could do things they wouldn’t be able to do on screen after 1934. For example, lead heroines could have a sexual past without automatically becoming a villain — or a “fallen” woman. Wives could contemplate being involved with another man. An unmarried couple could treat each other as adults.
Some of these films aren’t necessarily progressive by today’s standards, and even if they began very ahead of their times, many of these movies ended up pulling back toward convention by the time the credits rolled. However, what makes these 10 movies fascinating today is how openly they were willing to shed a light on difficult characters and stories.
There are many pre-code films that, correctly, get quite a lot of attention. These are 10 underrated pre-code romance movies that we feel deserve more.
The following entries avoid major spoilers.
10. The Crash (1932)
Genre: Romantic Drama
Starring: Ruth Chatterton, George Brent, Lois Wilson, Paul Cavanagh
Directed by: William Dieterle
The Crash follows Linda Gault (Chatterton), who is married to financier Geoffrey Gault (Brent). Geoffrey makes use of his wife’s various relationships with married men to better obtain valuable stock market information.
However, the 1929 stock market crash changes their balance of power. Enter another potential future Linda can have with Ronnie Sanderson (Cavanagh), an Australian rancher, and Linda begins to question whether she should stay with Geoffrey.
The Crash is bold for many reasons, not just the infidelity that Linda’s husband encourages. This romantic drama treats marriage very much like an economic arrangement, rather than an emotional one. It’s unconventional. While it might not work for everybody, for film lovers who already enjoy pre-codes, this won’t be a waste of time to watch.
Also great for Ruth Chatterton fans, obviously!
Best for viewers who like sophisticated melodramas where romance and betrayal go hand in hand.
RELATED: 10 Best George Brent Movies of All Time
9. The Animal Kingdom (1932)
Genre: Romantic Dramedy
Starring: Ann Harding, Leslie Howard, Myrna Loy
Directed by: Edward H. Griffith
The Animal Kingdom is also one of the best underrated pre-code romance movies. While this 1932 romantic dramedy is less sensational than some of the other films on this list, its view of marriage has earned it a spot here.
This movie tells the story of publisher Tom Collier (Howard) as he is preparing to marry Cecelia Henry (Loy), despite the love and understanding of his closest friend, Daisy Sage (Harding). Daisy understands Tom intellectually and emotionally in ways that Cecelia clearly doesn’t… but is that enough for a marriage?
As Tom’s life changes, he begins to question his romantic decisions. Back when it was released, Film Daily described The Animal Kingdom as the kind of “adult fare” that David O. Selznick wanted to produce at RKO. When the film was up for reissues in 1935 and 1937, the Production Code Administration refused to approve it — likely because of its views on marriage and infidelity.
Best for fans of intelligent love triangles.
8. The Keyhole (1933)
Genre: Romantic Dramedy
Starring: Kay Francis, George Brent, Glenda Farrell, Henry Kolker, Monroe Owsley
Directed by: Michael Curtiz
In the early 1930s, Kay Francis made a wonderful career out of playing women whose romantic lives were incredibly more complicated than Hollywood would soon permit. In The Keyhole, she plays Anne Vallee Brooks, a young woman married to the wealthy Schuyler Brooks (Kolker). Things get rather complicated when her former husband, Maurice Le Brun (Owsley), resurfaces and claims that their divorce was never completed.
He begins to blackmail her. As a result, Anne tries to solve her problem by leaving the country to get this old divorce finalized. Meanwhile, her husband, Schuyler, has become suspicious, so he hires a detective, Neil Davis (Brent), to follow Anne. Against all odds, an attraction begins to develop between the detective and his subject!
In The Keyhole, we get quite a lot, including a potentially invalid second marriage, blackmail, and marital suspicion… all while a new romance unfolds. Even by pre-Code standards, that’s quite a lot of romantic drama to squeeze into about 70 minutes!
Best for viewers who enjoy romantic melodramas that feature blackmail and complicated marriages.
Related: The Top 10 Best Kay Francis Movies of All Time
7. Man Wanted (1932)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Starring: Kay Francis, David Manners, Una Merkel, Kenneth Thomson
Directed by: William Dieterle
Another Francis stunner! Man Wanted is definitely one of the best underrated pre-code romances, and it’s shocking it hasn’t become more well-known recently.
Francis plays magazine editor Lois Ames, a powerful, career-driven executive. Lois’ life gets rather interesting when she hires Tom Sheridan (Manners) as her secretary. While Lois is married to playboy Fred Ames (Thomson), Tom is engaged to Ruth Homan (Merkel). And yet, the heart wants what it wants, and the boss and secretary begin falling for each other… and all while Fred is pursuing another woman.
Man Wanted rather casually reverses the expected power structure between female boss and male secretary, which makes this romantic dramedy stand out. Furthermore, Lois isn’t in any way punished for being professionally ambitious. This film also features a storyline where marriage hasn’t prevented either spouse from developing attractions to other people.
For a movie released in 1932, Man Wanted features a gender reversal that remains surprisingly fresh!
Best for fans of workplace romances and comedies about ambitious working women.
6. Female (1933)
Genre: Romantic Dramedy
Starring: Ruth Chatterton, George Brent, Lois Wilson
Directed by: Michael Curtiz
Female takes the powerful and manipulative male executive archetype and gives it to Ruth Chatterton — and it’s absolutely riveting to behold.
This 1933 romantic dramedy follows automobile company president Alison Drake (Chatterton) as she controls both her business and her personal life with equal confidence. As many male executives have done before and after her, she routinely pursues attractive male employees, using and leaving them easily.
However, when engineer Jim Thorne (Brent) enters her life, he refuses to become yet another one of her easy conquests. Suddenly, everything has changed for her.
Though Female isn’t as radical as it could’ve been, it’s still very interesting to see this 1933 movie.
Best for viewers who love powerful female leads and reversed gender dynamics.
5. Virtue (1932)
Genre: Romantic Drama
Starring: Carole Lombard, Pat O’Brien, Ward Bond
Directed by: Edward Buzzell
Virtue’s heroine doesn’t hide behind polite euphemisms. Not at all. Carole Lombard plays Mae, a young woman who is sentenced out of the city for solicitation. Instead of leaving New York City as the judge ordered, Mae sticks around and does her best to build a legitimate life.
After an encounter with taxi driver Jimmy Doyle (O’Brien) develops into a real romance, Mae lets Jimmy believe that she’s an unemployed stenographer rather than a former prostitute.
Virtue is special for lots of reasons, mainly in part to the wonderful Carole Lombard. However, it’s perhaps most intriguing to watch today because it doesn’t treat Mae as a symbol of sexual wrongdoing — or as a “fallen woman.”
Lombard’s Mae is tough, funny, and emotionally vulnerable. She loves Jimmy and fears what will happen if he learns the truth about what she did in her past. Somehow, it’s one of the most compassionate of the underrated pre-Code romance movies here.
Best for fans of tough-but-tender romances and redemption stories.
4. Forbidden (1932)
Genre: Romantic Drama
Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Adolphe Menjou, Ralph Bellamy
Directed by: Frank Capra
Looking for an incredibly messy romantic situation? Forbidden has you covered.
In this 1932 romantic drama, librarian Lulu Smith (Stanwyck) empties her savings to take a cruise. While on the trip, she meets lawyer Bob Grover (Menjou). Their mutual attraction continues even after they return home… and even after Bob reveals that he already has a wife.
Forbidden tells a story that isn’t necessarily a morality lesson, as films after the pre-Code era would be. Instead, it creates melodrama stemming from a relationship that cannot fit within respectable society — especially when Bob Grover is ambitious in his career. Further complicating the whole thing is reporter Al Holland (Bellamy), who provides Lulu with a real romance, even if her love doesn’t lie with him.
Forbidden is full of infidelity, illegitimacy, and mistresses. Three years later, when Columbia submitted the film for reissue in 1935, the Production Code Administration refused to approve it because it treated adultery sympathetically.
Best for viewers who love sweeping melodramas and impossible affairs.
3. Merrily We Go to Hell (1932)
Genre: Dark Dramedy
Starring: Sylvia Sidney, Fredric March, Adrianne Allen
Directed by: Dorothy Arzner
Merrily We Go to Hell follows heiress Joan Prentice (Sidney) who falls in love with Chicago reporter and aspiring playwright Jerry Corbett (March), despite his reputation and alcoholism. Though the two eventually get married, Jerry’s connection to his former flame Claire (Adrianne Allen) brings drama to the “modern” marriage.
As a result, the film asks the question: If a husband refuses conventional fidelity, why should his wife remain bound by it? As Jerry reunites with Claire, Joan agrees to a “modern marriage”.
Directed by one of the first female directors, Dorothy Arzner, Merrily We Go to Hell remains a wonderfully frank examination of marital double standards, adultery, and retaliation. It explores how supposedly “modern” and sophisticated marriage arrangements can still inflict pain.
Even watching this film today, one is struck by how it portrays an interesting portrait of marriage.
For those interested, Merrily We Go to Hell is also a part of the Criterion Collection!
Best for fans of darker marriage dramas and flawed couples.
2. Midnight Mary (1933)
Genre: Romantic Drama
Starring: Loretta Young, Franchot Tone, Ricardo Cortez
Directed by: William A. Wellman
If you haven’t watched any pre-Code Loretta Young movies, you really must. Midnight Mary follows Mary Martin (Young) as she endures poverty, incarceration, and involvement with criminals. Eventually, she becomes the mistress and criminal partner to gangster Leo Darcy (Cortez). However, her life changes immensely — and for the better — when she meets wealthy lawyer Tom Mannering Jr. (Tone).
Though Tom knows Mary is involved with the criminal world, he remains interested in her. He even helps her start a new life and refuses to judge her for her past — making Midnight Mary leap ahead of later Old Hollywood films. This film is definitely one of the best underrated pre-Code romance movies!
Best for viewers who enjoy crime-infused romances and melodramas about trying to escape a troubled past.
1. Employees’ Entrance (1933)
Genre: Romantic Drama
Starring: Warren William, Loretta Young, Wallace Ford
Directed by: Roy Del Ruth
Employees’ Entrance is one of the very best pre-Code movies, regardless of what you’re looking for. It’s also one of the best underrated pre-Code romances. It definitely deserves more attention and love today.
This superb 1933 romantic drama — that also happens to have a wonderful cast — follows Kurt Anderson (William) as he runs the Franklin Monroe Department Store with absolute authority and little regard for anyone standing between him and a nice profit.
When desperate job seeker Madeline Walters (Young) encounters him after closing, Anderson uses his position to sexually exploit her before agreeing to hire her. Later, Madeline falls for salesman Martin West (Wallace Ford). However, Anderson’s control over both of their careers makes their lives increasingly difficult.
Employees’ Entrance doesn’t sugarcoat anything — and that’s what makes it so remarkable. William’s Kurt Anderson is a menace, and nothing in the film softens him or his agenda. Even more surprisingly, this movie lets Anderson get away with everything by the end — a feat indeed.
As a result, Employees’ Entrance is both a beautiful love story between Madeline and Martin, and an interesting character study of the ruthless Kurt Anderson. It’s truly a must-watch for those interested in pre-Code films.
Best for fans of morally ruthless characters and hard-edged pre-Code dramas.
Watch the Best Underrated Pre-Code Romances Today
Pre-Code romances weren’t afraid of, well, anything — and particularly not complicated women, as you can see from the films on this list. Though many of these films do eventually retreat toward conventional morality, they are still remarkable, as they allow their characters to enter territory that later Old Hollywood would never permit.
These movies are worth rediscovering. They are some of the best underrated pre-Code romance movies, in our opinion!
Hit the comments below with all your thoughts on this list! Which forgotten pre-Code romance do you think deserves another look? Comment all your opinions below! We’d love to hear them!
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