Commentary
“Housewife” is a 1934 film starring George Brent, Ann Dvorak, and a young Bette Davis. To be accurate, all three of the lead actors are young here, but Bette is noticeably more youthful than in her later, more famous roles. Movies from the early 1930s have a distinct style, and they offer fascinating insight into this unique period of American history.
Movies from the 1930s can be divided into two definite categories: those made before the formation of the Production Code Administration (PCA) and those made after. Those made before the PCA enforced the Motion Picture Production Code during film production are called “Pre-Code.” Those made after don’t have as definite a title. Some people call them “post-Code,” but that implies after the Code, not during. I prefer to call these movies “Code films” or “Breen Era films,” since the Code was only properly enforced during the twenty years when Joseph I. Breen was in charge of the PCA (1934–1954)….