The Sin of Nora Moran (1933)

Initially, the plan this morning was to see Law and Order (1932), a new-to-me pre-Code, and then fly into the Theatre 4 line for this film. But after seeing 1. How long the Theatre 4 lines were getting, 2. How many people wanted to see this film, and 3. How late so many of the movies were starting, I decided to shift my strategy. While I normally prioritize new discoveries—and a pre-Code at that!—hearing from Cora Sue Collins, the last living star from the pre-Code era, won out.  

 

I arrived almost three hours early, snagged queue card number 1… and at one point I was concerned I might not make it in! That’s the power of pre-Codes, and, especially, stars that remain from the golden days. I sat in the second row, and experiencing this film up close and on a big screen was a revelation. I’ve seen The Sin of Nora Moran several times, but the frenetic pacing, narratage editing, and innovative plotting, including characters talking about changing the narrative, reminded me how novel Poverty Row pictures could be at the time. (After all, they had to get creative on very limited budgets and schedules!)

 

I adore experiencing films I love with audiences who, for the most part, haven’t seen them, and this was one of those screenings. So much is jam packed in here that even I forgot some of the smaller yet still equally bonkers parts, and it was riveting watching the audience witness those enigmatic twists and turns. It was also so special seeing Collins, who turned 97 a few days before. I was a little bummed that she wasn’t asked about this film, but it’s incredibly divine to be in the presence of someone who knew and worked with the likes of Greta Garbo, Norma Shearer, and a host of other iconic stars. Her conversation was brief, but I’ll share highlights from it at a later time.

 

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The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)

I was excited for this witty British comedy, but unfortunately, exhaustion was setting in by this point. I’d love to watch The Lavender Hill Mob again, because Alec Guinness is a comedy genius, and I think I only managed to catch about half of it...