Pre-Code Essentials Is Officially Here!
October 28, 2025
Today’s the day! Pre-Code Essentials: Must-See Cinema from Hollywood's Untamed Era, 1930-1934, the book I co-wrote with Danny Reid, is officially out in the world. If you haven’t yet, you can get your copy HERE.
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Danny and I have been working on this book for many years. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve put together and the journey we’ve been on to get here.
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​We are so excited to celebrate Pre-Code Essentials, and the festivities begin on the West Coast with our book launch this coming Sunday, November 2 at 3pm at Book Soup in West Hollywood, where I’ll be talking about the book and the period and doing a signing as well. (All signings I do by myself will include a signed sticker from Danny, so you get both our signatures!) Then a few days later Danny, who is based in Europe right now, will be joining me on the East Coast for several events.
Pre-Code Essentials is going on tour!
We start off at AFI Silver’s Classic Film Weekend in Silver Spring, Maryland. They have a fantastic program this year, and we are happy to be introducing four movies total on Friday, November 7. Danny will be presenting The Mind Reader (1933) at 12:30pm and Okay, America! (1932) at 7pm, and I’ll be presenting Female (1933) at 2:30pm and This Day and Age (1933) at 9:15pm. We’ll also be doing signings before the 7pm and 9:15pm screenings. Several pre-Codes are on the schedule, including many rarities—several I haven’t seen!—and I’m honored to be speaking alongside distinguished speakers including David Stenn, Farran Smith Nehme, Jerry Beck, and Craig Barron. Check out their full schedule HERE.
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From the DC area, Danny and I will venture to New York, where we have two screenings and signings planned. I’m looking forward to being part of Film Forum’s Screen Deco festival celebrating the centennial of Art Deco. We’ll be introducing Madam Satan (1930) there on Monday, November 10 at 6pm, with a signing after; you can get tickets HERE. I’ve been to Film Forum several times, and I’ve taken my grandma and my mom there over the years, so it’s a treat for me to be doing an event there. The following day, Tuesday, November 11, we’ll be at Nitehawk in Prospect Park, Brooklyn for a 7:15pm screening of Night Nurse (1931) and a signing, as well. Tickets for that event are available HERE. I’m also headed to Pittsburgh that weekend for an event on November 15 that is not public yet, but it hopefully will be very soon! From there, I also have events lined up in Los Angeles on November 22 and 23 which should be announced soon, as well. Plus, we’ll be scheduling some screenings for 2026, so be on the lookout for those, too.​
Signing books at Larry Edmunds! All pre-orders from Larry Edmunds are signed. Danny designed and signed a sticker that is included with all pre-orders. (Photo by Sean Hathwell)
A big thank you to Cindy, Leah, Susan, Seta, and the rest of the wonderful teams at Running Press and TCM who have helped and guided us along the way during this process. And thank you to everyone reading this for your support over the years. I’ve been *very* excited to share the book with you and can't wait to hear what you think!
thanks for stopping by!
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.
