Forbidden Hollywood is a monthly series hosted by STL film critic Katie Carter celebrating the Pre-Code films of the early 1930s, when movies were wild, racy, transgressive, and tons of fun.

“Single lives, twin beds, and triple bromides in the morning,” is the holy state of matrimony, modern style, according to Sylvia Sidney’s Joan Prentice in 1932’s “Merrily We Go to Hell.” The drama opens with heiress Joan’s meet-cute with alcoholic journalist Jerry Corbett (Fredric March), but their whirlwind romance quickly crumbles under the weight of Jerry’s insecurities. “Merrily We Go to Hell”— whose title was considered so scandalous most advertisements marketing the movie were unable to print it— was directed by Dorothy Arzner, the only female director working in the Hollywood studio system from the pre-Code era through the mid-1940s, and the film features her signature sharp observations on how social institutions are designed to constrict women, and how those women fight against them. Look no further than the film’s frank treatment of Joan’s insistence on an open marriage after learning of Jerry’s indiscretions: “if being a modern husband gives you privileges, then being a modern wife gives me privileges.”

Arkadin does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. However, we encourage researching titles to determine if a screening may contain content that could be upsetting to you. Please feel free to contact us for guidance on specific films. Information about content can also be found on Common Sense Media, IMDB and DoesTheDogDie.com, as well as through general internet searches.