Film Forum

(1931, William Wellman) Shady lady in the tropics Dorothy Mackaill strikes matches on her thumbnail and flames in the pants of as sinister a bunch as ever crawled out of the woodwork, in one of the sleaziest movies of the Pre-Code era. Nina Mae McKinney, in one of her few featured acting roles in a Hollywood movie, plays the hotel proprietress, itself a rarity for a Black character in the early 30s. 35mm print courtesy Library of Congress. 

Plus THE BLACK NETWORK (1936) with the Nicholas Brothers. Both 35mm. Full program approx. 93 min.

Reviews

“Seems remarkably lurid and sordid even by the loose standards that prevailed before Hollywood began enforcing the production code with vigor in 1934.”
– Dave Kehr, The New York Times