The Criminal Code

The Criminal Code
Theatrical poster
Directed byHoward Hawks
Screenplay byFred Niblo Jr.
Seton I. Miller
Based onThe Criminal Code
1929 play
by Martin Flavin
Produced byHarry Cohn
Frank Fouce
StarringWalter Huston
Phillips Holmes
Constance Cummings
Boris Karloff
CinematographyJames Wong Howe (as James How)
Ted Tetzlaff
Edited byEdward Curtiss
Color processBlack and white
Production
company
Columbia Pictures
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release dates
  • December 31, 1930 (1930-12-31)
(Boston, MA)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Criminal Code is a 1930 American pre-Code romantic crime drama film directed by Howard Hawks and starring Walter Huston and Phillips Holmes. The screenplay, based on a 1929 play of the same name by Martin Flavin, was written by Fred Niblo Jr. and Seton I. Miller, who were nominated for Best Adaptation at the 4th Academy Awards but the award went to Howard Estabrook for Cimarron.

The film is the first of three film adaptations of the play released by Columbia Pictures. It was followed by Penitentiary (1938) and Convicted (1950).