I enjoy Pre-Code Films (1927 - early 1934), particularly those featuring Joan Blondell. Unfortunately, Jack Warner ordered all prints destroyed in 1937 when he could not screen this film under the Code. There are a few trailers and outtakes on Youtube, but the complete film is not available.

Some information from Bing Copilot about this movie:

The story revolves around a hotel in Atlantic City during a political convention. The hotel staff and guests find themselves entangled in various romantic and comedic situations. Joan Blondell plays the role of Mary, a hotel employee caught up in the chaos.

“Convention City” is notorious for its risqué content, including suggestive dialogue and scenes. It pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable in cinema at the time. Some believe that the film’s scandalous nature contributed to the enforcement of the Hays Code (also known as the Motion Picture Production Code) in Hollywood. The Hays Code aimed to regulate the content of films and maintain moral standards.

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Posted by chinese58

NELA. after 30 years in Dallas.

Member since Jun 2004

30394 posts

Posted on 4/23/24 at 1:17 pm to blueridgeTiger

Probably too realistic for that day's society. Kind of like how the NFL felt about the ESPN series 'Playmakers'.

Dick Powell and Mary Astor in it too.

33 photos from Convention City on IMDb

This post was edited on 4/23/24 at 1:23 pm

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Posted by Aeolian Vocalion

Texas

Member since Jul 2022

253 posts

Posted on 4/23/24 at 4:37 pm to blueridgeTiger

Judging from some old movie magazines I have from that era, it seems "The Story of Temple Drake" (1933) was the film that really set people off. And it is a pretty skeezy film. It was never circulating on television through the years, so it became a bit more obscure and forgotten than some others.

"Convention City" gets mentioned here and there, too. But not "Baby Face" (1933). Everyone likes to cite that one nowadays (and it is a pretty raunchy affair), but I don't seem to run into any hubbub about it from back then. But back at that pre-code time, each state had its own censor boards, so there were variations in what and how much might have gotten cut from prints screened. The majority of people seeing these hotsy-totsy films probably didn't see them in their uncut glory.

One odd thing is that we now get hi-definition transfers of a lot of these old films, if original negative elements survive. So, in the case of some musical comedies with dancing-gals in skimpy, gossamer clothing and such, with the added sharpness we sometimes actually 'see' a bit more.

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