Before the Code: A Tale of Hollywood's Early Years

by Ariel Archer

Los Angeles, 1934. In the throes of the Great Depression, the motion picture industry is producing some blockbuster hits that will stand the test of time for a century to come. And yet, while studios like RKO, MGM, Paramount, and Warner Bros. are turning out box office smashes, Malcolm Kenilworth’s underdog Sentinel Ridge Pictures is barely making ends meet… at risk of becoming a statistic amidst the landscape of economic despair that’s gripping the country. Add to that, the looming threat of increased censorship with the upcoming rigid enforcement of the Hays Code… and it’s possible curtains (as in closed) for the one-horse production company!

But Kenilworth has an idea, and he’s up against the clock to make a picture that will take the world of entertainment by storm… before he’ll need a certificate of approval from the PCA to get films released. Can he put together a team and deliver on a promise before the July 1st deadline… before the code censors his cinematic vision?

Ariel Archer, the pop culture ringmaster who brought you spectacles such as The Last Cowgirl in Tinseltown, Sixteen Millimeter Dreams, and the Fate, Chance, and Choices Trilogy now delivers once again with a tale of Hollywood’s early years and with connections to previous works. Explore the world of silver-screen wonder and adventures that took place both on and off camera… Before the Code.

68 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 28, 2024

Reviews

[C.J. Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short but engaging! Ariel Archer's way of taking history and pop culture and blending it with fiction is too convincing at times. You really don't know at times what's fact and what's an alternate reality. Makes it all the more compelling.