Pre-Code Crazy for September 2026

Pre-Code Crazy is the monthly series here at Shadows and Satin and over at the blog of my pal Kristina, Speakeasy, where each month we recommend a pre-Code film for you to watch on TCM – we never know what the other has selected until we post, and we try to never pick the same movie! My Pre-Code Crazy pick for this month was a no-brainer – as soon as I saw that TCM was airing The Secret of Madame Blanche (1933), my recommendation selection was secured! I’ve never seen this first-rate Irene Dunne starrer on TV or streaming; I bought it on DVD years ago from a classic film vendor, and I fell for it upon my first viewing. Dunne plays the title role of a showgirl who gets more than she bargained for when she falls for and marries a wealthy playboy (Phillips Holmes). The plot spans several years of melodrama and sacrifice, and along the way, there’s enough pre-Codiness to satisfy any fan, from gambling, prostitution, and sexual scandal to drunkenness, murder, and suicide. It’s like Madame…

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