By Vlad Zakh · May 17, 2026
Ruth Chatterton brought a commanding, sophisticated presence to early Hollywood sound film and became one of the era’s most respected dramatic actresses. Dodsworth exposes a marriage’s rift on European travels, Frisco Jenny builds an underworld figure’s life after tragedy, Female upends a powerful auto executive’s love of conquests, and Anybody’s Woman tests a cabaret performer’s marriage to a wealthy lawyer. Sarah and Son and Madame X round out the list.
01 A retired auto executive's European trip with his restless wife exposes deep cracks in their marriage.
Directed by William Wyler · 1h 41m · Rated NR
Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Rent or buy: Amazon Video
Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Apple TV Store
Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
02 Ruth Chatterton appears in this pre-Code comedy about a powerful female auto executive whose taste for romantic conquests is upended when she finally meets her match.
Directed by Michael Curtiz · 1h 00m · Rated NR
03 Kathryn Sheldon is in this pre-Code drama about a woman forced into vice after tragedy who claws her way to power, sacrificing everything for her son.
Directed by William A. Wellman · 1h 11m
04 Ruth Chatterton features in this drama about a cabaret performer whose impulsive marriage to a wealthy, troubled lawyer tests them both.
Directed by Dorothy Arzner · 1h 20m · Rated NR
Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video
Rent or buy: Amazon Video
05 Ruth Chatterton stars in this drama about a determined mother who fights a gruelling legal battle to reclaim the son taken from her at birth.
Directed by Dorothy Arzner · 1h 26m · Rated NR
06 Richard Carle appears in this early talkie about a disgraced mother who is unknowingly defended in court by the grown son she was forced to abandon.
Directed by Lionel Barrymore · 1h 35m · Rated NR
Rent or buy: Amazon Video
Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video
Rent or buy: Amazon Video
Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.
