Jean Arthur by William A. Fraker, 1934. (Thread)

Youthful Joan Bennett, the Queen of the Pout. 📷 Preston Duncan, 1931

My Blu-ray of Letty Lynton finally arrived! Just a few months ago, I would not have expected to find myself writing that sentence, but here we are.

Sunday NIGHT NURSE in 35mm at the Los Feliz 3. @amcinematheque.bsky.social @redhairglasses.bsky.social

BUT HAVE YOU READ THE BOOK: ROMANCE EDITION drops in a little over a week and reviews are rolling in so let's make a 🧵!

Who won the World Cup? No idea, I’m on Bluesky. I only see angry ramblings about Trump where they randomly capitalize different letters in his name and skeets that reveal many people’s unhealthy parasocial codependency/repressed sexual feelings for the Muppets.

Watched HOOPLA (1933). Geez, I loved this. Clara Bow's last film and she's wonderful. She's in a carnival and seduces the manager's son for money, but she falls for him. The ending feels like a tribute to her. I want to see a decent print of it, doesn't look like it has been released on disc. 🫤

Swedish poster for THE MAYOR OF HELL (1933) Directed by Archie Mayo and an uncredited Michael Curtiz Starring James Cagney - BOTD in 1899

Just launched! My curated list of new classic film books publishing from July to December 2026. Lots of great new titles to put on your wishlist. www.outofthepastblog.com/2026/07/new-... #classicfilmbooks

Margaret Lindsay and James Cagney #botd in a still from Lady Killer (1933). Also, Fashion Friday.

The greatest screen actor in history was born Ruby Stevens, and into abject poverty in Brooklyn, 120 years ago today.

William Powell, Asta, Myrna Loy, Richard Hall, Shadow of the Thin Man (1941), up next.

Popeye made his film debut in Max + Dave Fleischer’s POPEYE THE SAILOR #OTD in 1933. My father — who grew up on the Fleischer Popeye shorts in theaters — introduced them to me in the '70s on TV. I was hooked. And ever since, old has been good, but Black & White is even better. #FilmSky #Animation

Toby Wing from a photo by George Hoyningen-Huene, 1930. #botd

Mystery pic: Busby Berkeley poses with dancers in an undated photograph. I haven’t been able to ID the film or why Ann Dvorak (4th from left) is part of the chorine ensemble. Anyone OH sleuths have the answer?

WHEN LADIES MEET (1933) — 8:00 am ET — 1h 25m (Saturday matinees) Ann Harding, Robert Montgomery, Myrna Loy; directed by Harry Beaumont A novelist doesn't realize her new friend is the wife whose husband she's trying to steal. #TCM #TCMParty

Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff in The Black Cat (1934).

THE MILLIONAIRE (1931) — 9:30 am ET — 1h 22m (TCM Daytime: Directed by John G. Adolphi) George Arliss, Florence Arliss, David Manners; directed by John G. Adolfi A bored millionaire retires from big business to open a garage. #TCM #TCMParty

What have -you- done today to show your appreciation of 1930s character actor Edward Everett Horton?

ICYMI

Adrienne Doré in an explosive Fourth of July-themed publicity portrait from my collection. Shot by Elmer Fryer to promote Doré’s last film for Warner Bros, Street of Women (1932) 🧨🎇

Happy Independence Day, from the god Jack Handey.

Madge Evans #BOTD and Robert Montgomery take a selfie on the set of Harry Beaumont’s Made on Broadway (1933)

Dames, on @tcmtv.bsky.social at 6am., features musical extravaganzas by Busby Berkeley that are among the wildest works of his gloriously dirty imagination, and its silly yet melodramatic comedy involves fusty characters named Ezra Ounce and Horace P. Hemingway:  www.newyorker.com/goings-on-ab...

JAMES CAGNEY getting his selfie skills going in a publicity photo for 'Picture Snatcher' in 1933.

Now delivery delayed to July 11. Thanks Amazon!

Pastel Universal Monsters Funko Pops. I dunno, man.

Me to myself: I am a writer who does deep research and writing on pre-Code Hollywood. I engage with it and really explore its meaning. Me on Letterboxd:

Every Tuesday night I watch a comedy from the '30s or '40s. Whole playlist on Plex. All new to me. Laurel & Hardy, Burns & Allen, Bob Hope, Will Rogers, Jack Benny. 9 out of 10 hold up. Marx Bros, W.C. Fields, Abbott & Costello, Mae West, Keaton, Chaplin, Lloyd -- all bangers. Deranged opinion.

It took me until tonight to realize that they just don’t have the big Godzilla box set in the criterion closet. Or if they do, everyone who has entered that closet is a coward

Oh to be two decades younger and actually cool -- www.etsy.com/listing/4299...

Dana Delany on the value of archiving at TCM Fest! #tcm #tcmff

First Barnes & Noble Criterion sale purchases in a while.

Every Mamdani scandal is like “he loves his mom and writes very well for a 15 year old”

Revisit "THE BOOTS ON THE WESTERN FRONT" by Thomas Biamonte, an Honorable Mention, Internet Archive’s 2026 #PublicDomain Film Remix Contest 🏅 It pairs the 1930 Best Picture "All Quiet on the Western Front" with Kipling’s 1903 poem “Boots.” Watch it ➡️ archive.org/details/all-... #PublicDomainDay

Barbara Stanwyck for The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933). Photo by William Fraker.

I tracked down a long-lost #MyrnaLoy performance and, as a result, it is now available for everyone to watch for free!

Ginger Rogers reads up on one of her idols, legendary ballet star Vaslov Nijinsky, 1934. (And yes, Ginger the notorious teetotaler loved milk...)

My pal Terry Chester Shulman plays the role of killjoy here assuring us that the delightful story of Raoul Walsh stealing John Barrymore's body to scare Errol Flynn simply isn't true. I had my doubts, and I've told the story in class before in the context of hoping it was true...

Hitchcock’s home movies in the Piazza Maggiore. It is somehow really gratifying to discover that even Hitchcock was capable of putting his thumb over the lens sometimes. #Ritrovato

Years ago I’d read about rediscovery + UCLA restoration of first sound film produced in Puerto Rico: ROMANCE TROPICAL (1934). I’ve always been eager to see it and lo and behold it's on YouTube with a joyous intro by director Juan E. Viguié’s great-granddaughter! 🇵🇷🎞️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=nssn...

A Kay Francis film is coming to Blu-ray 7/28! In Michael Curtiz's THE KEYHOLE (1933), Kay is a dancer who marries a millionaire, only to learn she's still hitched to a shady ex. George Brent investigates, and guess what happens. A zippy plot, gorgeous gowns, and Kay at her Pre-code peak! #FilmSky

I have a new book dropping this July and I’d love to remind everyone: Book me on your podcast! Radio show! YouTube channel. Book excerpts are available. Let’s work together!!

Joan Blondell in Modern Screen, Feb. 1932

Bookshop's doing an Anti-Prime sale that gets you free shipping on everything! Here's my art collection: bookshop.org/p/books/worl...

Louise by Elmer Fryer for God’s Gift to Women (1931).

Remembering Maureen O'Sullivan on the anniversary of her death (June 23, 1998)

Hmm, can't think of any reason why heroes have left the zeitgeist and been replaced by existential dread.

The next episode of Hollywood Kitchen will be on Sunday, June 21st at 10:00am pst on my Facebook page. My guest will be Dominique Breckenridge and we will discuss all things Josephine Baker and make her recipe for Spaghetti Bolognese. Tune in and join the fun! 🎶🎼🎵🍌

Mary Astor and Jean Harlow face off in Red Dust (1932).