2026 TCM Classic Film Festival Pre-Code Preview
April 27, 2026
It’s time to preview the pre-Codes playing at the 2026 TCM Classic Film Festival! Pre-Codes are always a big focus for me; I cover them on my Instagram account and make them a priority at the fest. With this being the first year that Pre-Code Essentials is out in the world, there will be even more focus on the pre-Codes (if you can believe it)! In addition to the pre-Code buttons designed by my co-author Danny that we’ll be handing out, we’re also doing a signing of Pre-Code Essentials on Sunday from 4:30-5:50pm in Club TCM! Definitely very excited about that. So without further ado, below is a quick primer on the pre-Codes playing at this year’s fest.
Letty Lynton (1932)
Obviously, this is at the very top of my list this year—and it’s perhaps the biggest pre-Code story to EVER come out of TCMFF. (I literally had to double check that it wasn’t April Fool’s Day when the full schedule was posted. I’m also already mentally in line for this at the Egyptian Theater, because Letty Lynton is 100% going to sell out.) For some context, the film, a story of blackmail and murder starring Joan Crawford, Nils Asther as her scoundrel ex, and Robert Montgomery as her new lover, has been unavailable to see (legally) for 90 years due to rights issues. Basically, in 1936, it was ruled that MGM’s script was too close, content-wise, to the 1930 play Dishonored Lady without crediting the play as source material or procuring the rights. I’ve heard Letty Lynton has been one of TCM’s most requested titles over the years, and after a ton of hard work by Crawford’s grandson, Casey LaLonde, and Warner Brothers, classic film fans finally get to see this movie again—restored and on the big screen! I am INCREDIBLY excited for this.
Looking for Trouble (1934)
Looking for Trouble ranks as my #2 most anticipated pre-Code of the fest after Letty Lynton, because not only have I never seen it, I’ve never even heard of it! That happens with Fox pre-Codes often; they are usually the hardest to see or access so they don’t get much title exposure. This William Wellman-helmed picture (he was usually at Warner Brothers so this is different territory!) stars Spencer Tracy and Jack Oakie as telephone repairmen who try to prove that Constance Cummings' boss is up to no good… which lands them in the trouble mentioned in the title. Sounds like an intriguing premise, and I’m always up for a new-to-me Fox pre-Code, especially with Tracy. (Well, I’m really always up for any new-to-me pre-Code!)
Blonde Venus (1932)
Marlene Dietrich in a top hat flirting with Cary Grant and a female dancer is prime pre-Code. And so is the plot of Blonde Venus: To pay for her husband’s (Herbert Marshall) medical treatment in another country, a mother (Dietrich) returns to the stage, where she meets a rich man (Grant) who supports her so she doesn’t have to work. As one would guess, her husband doesn’t love the idea of that when he finds out, she flees with their son, and things get harder from there. I feel like this Josef von Sternberg-Marlene Dietrich collaboration flies a little bit under the radar compared to their other pre-Codes, like Shanghai Express (1932) and even Morocco (1930), so I was excited to see this film on the schedule.
The Mouthpiece (1932)
When I see Warren William in a pre-Code cast, I’m automatically in. Throw in Aline MacMahon? Can’t miss. I’ve seen a lot of William pre-Codes recently—Employees’ Entrance (1933), Three on a Match (1932), and Under 18 (1931)—and MacMahon’s too—Heat Lightning (1934) and Five Star Final (1931)—but it’s been a long time since I’ve watched The Mouthpiece, and I don’t remember it well. William plays a successful prosecutor who ends up sending an innocent man to the electric chair, which shakes him enough to switch sides and become a defense attorney for gangsters and other shady folks. Talk about a pre-Code turn of events! I got to see William in prime ruthless form in Employees’ Entrance and watching him sleaze it up was, for lack of a better word, so much fun with an audience. So this one will definitely be a treat!
Trouble in Paradise (1932)
I mean, this is an absolute pre-Code classic so I really don’t have too much to say! You have Ernst Lubitsch presiding over proceedings that find crook duo Herbert Marshall and Miriam Hopkins attempting to con perfume store owner Kay Francis… and of course a love triangle ensues. Trouble in Paradise sparkles with the Lubitsch touch—smart, sexy, and sophisticated. Put simply, this will be a ball to see on the big screen with a TCMFF crowd.
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I See a Dark Theater is a website dedicated to classic movie-going—and loving—in the City of Angels. Whether it's coverage on screenings, special presentations, or Q&As around Los Angeles that you're looking for, or commentary on the wonderful and sometimes wacky world of classic cinema, you've come to the right place for a variety of pieces written with zeal, awe, and (occasionally) wit. Enjoy.
