FFR 202: Hollywood in the 1930s with special guest Patricia White

Feminist Frequency Radio

The 1930s saw the introduction of sound in film, the implementation of the Hays code, and marks the beginning of the “Golden Age of Hollywood”. On this episode of our “Hollywood by the Decade” series, we’re guided by special guest Patricia White—Centennial Professor of Film and Media Studies and Coordinator of Gender and Sexuality Studies at Swarthmore College—through a discussion of the landscape of Hollywood in the 30s, including how the enforced morality of the Hays code influenced which stories were told and how, while perhaps counterintuitively creating opportunities for surprising subtext. Join us as we examine BLONDE VENUS (1932) starring Marlene Dietrich, and STELLA DALLAS (1937) starring Barbara Stanwyck.

Links Mentioned:

• Blonde Venus https://archive.org/details/blonde-venus-1932-remastered-720p
• Stella Dallas https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B08CY15HWB/

Find Patricia White:

• Check out Rebecca: BFI Film Classics - https://shop.bfi.org.uk/rebecca-bfi-film-classics-paperback.html (also available through Amazon, other book sellers, etc.)

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