Ann Dvorak is Well Represented in the “Blind Alley” Lobby Card Set
Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 221
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I have had this Blind Alley lobby card set for so long, that I have come to take it for granted. I look at the title card every day because it’s hanging in the hall on the way to the bathroom. Sometimes I stop for a split second and think, “hey, that’s a pretty cool card,” but most of the time it does not register.
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However, in revisiting them here today, I have to admit it’s a pretty great set. Ann Dvorak is in six of the eight cards (well, technically she’s in all eight of you count the border art), and the portrait card with her and Chester Morris is downright stunning.
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Heck, even the ones without her are pretty cool. Just look at Ralph Bellamy sizing up Chester Morris and trying to figure out when he can start using the powers of psychology to slowly drive him insane.
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And how about Joan Perry conveying sheer terror in the name of publicity?
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I bought most of these at a London shop in 2002. They had the whole set for sale and at the time I already had two of the cards, including the title card. They guy at the shop was really cool and had no problem letting me break up the set. He charged me ten pounds for each card with Ann on it, which was like 15 American dollars, quite reasonable. For the two without Ann, he only asked five pounds a piece, which is why I went ahead and bought them.
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Blind Alley was the first film of any merit Ann Dvorak made after becoming a freelancer. Sure, the film is a bit hoaky, but it’s a good yarn with a solid cast and Ann gets to be a hard-nosed dame while looking stunning. And – she showed up on most of the lobby cards.
I really like this movie. In his irreplaceable book “Death on the Cheap, The Lost B Movies of Film Noir”, author Arthur Lyons refers to it “as a superior B noir all the way”. Ann is superb here, as is most of the cast. Chester Morris & Ralph Bellamy were always welcome additions to any movie. Joan Perry would soon become Mrs. Harry Cohn. John Eldredge my favorite bad guy in the 50s tv classic “Adventures of Superman” episodes. You’re right about the script/story being a little hoaky; if I had a $1 for every time a character says “see” at the end of a sentence, I’d be a rich man (okay, slight exaggeration).
A nice collection of cards; so how much thought went in to the placement of specific cards/posters at home?
Discovering this site has certainly increased my level of fandom with Ann. Running quickly thru the list of films being shown on Ramon Navarro’s “Summer Under the Stars” day, I spotted the title “Devil May Care”, which would NOT have rung any bells just a few months ago. But it sounded familiar, and indeed, I was right. You mentioned it here in a previous post. Anyway, it’s from Ann’s early MGM period when she would make fleeting appearances uncredited. I dvr’ed the film, watched last nite, and alas, couldn’t spot her. Oh well. I thought initially she mite be one of the dancers in the Technicolor sequence, but I see the cast listing says chorine.
Aw gee, I didn’t even think to check if ‘Devil May Care’ was being aired! I don’t have cable, so I don’t pay too much attention to TCMs listings. I have never actually be able to verify if Ann is in it and have not been able to get a copy to view. I think I have it listed in the Filmography of the book, though have “unverified” noted.
At one point I threw a bunch of title cards into frames and those are some of the ones that have repeatedly been displayed in my different dwellings over the years. The cards for all three of Ann’s Columbia movies are great and feature her prominently had have a place of honor on the way to the powder room.
Sitting thru 90 minutes of a 1930 Ramon Navarro musical – I should have been rewarded with an obvious Ann sighting. I did like the scene of Ramon evading what had to be the dumbest firing squad ever.
For TCM watchers, “The Long Night” is scheduled for early Sunday morning.
“How about Joan Perry conveying sheer terror in the name of publicity?”, she asks? You’re saying that if you had someone pointing their finger at you from inside the pocket of their suit coat, it wouldn’t terrify you for real?
Excellent set of lobby cards, in any case.
Thanks for the heads-up on “The Long Night”, Mike. Agree with you about John Eldredge in the “Superman” series. With Ben Weldon a close second.
Good to see another fan of the old Superman series here, Scott. The various character actors used to play the villains makes for an impressive list. In an interview, Herb Vigran talked about frequently getting stopped and asked “are you Legs Lemmy?”.
Richard Reeves, btw, is featured in “The Long Night”.
Mike, I actually got a chance to meet Noel Neill some years back. A very classy lady. She had nothing but good things to say about co-star George Reeves, calling him a “prince of a guy”.
Yeah, from the cadre of endearing character actors playing the villains (Phil Van Zandt also comes to mind) to the cheesy, Ed Wood-like special effects, there was a lot to love about that old “Superman” series.
Don’t forget, Ann’s frequent co-star Lyle Talbot had a go at playing Lex Luthor in 1950’s “Atom Man vs. Superman” at Columbia. And looking very much like Otto Preminger in it.
Finally, if you didn’t already see it, the 2006 film “Hollywoodland”, with Ben Affleck playing George Reeves, is surprisingly good.
I had read about the Superman serials and for years looked forward to seeing them. Finally, a few years back, TCM ran them on Saturday mornings. Have to admit a little disappointed; production values even less than the tv series. At least in the tv shows, we had the chance to see George “fly”.
“Hollywoodland” was an excellent film that I thoroughly enjoyed. George Reeves, btw, was under contract to WB for a short time during the early 40s; I recall his appearances in a few Cagney films of the era.
For many guys who are currently in their 50s, 60s, the original “Adventures of Superman” was
an era defining tv series. The dvd of the first season (1951) contains a Jack Larson (Jimmy Olson) interview as a bonus feature. In it, he talks about watching the episode “Panic In the Sky” with a mesmerized Jerry Seinfeld. I completely understand Jerry’s enthusiasm. Though personally, I would have preferred watching “No Holds Barred” with original Lois Lane actress Phyllis Coates.
I envy you having had the opportunity to meet Noel Neill, though I preferred Phyllis as Lois Lane. Most fans (including me) feel that the first season of “Adventures of Superman” the best.
Mike, glad you liked “Hollywoodland”, too. Affleck was superb as George Reeves.
Yeah, I recall George appearing in the Cagney films “The Fighting 69th” and “Torrid Zone”, both released in 1940. In the latter one, he plays a character named ‘Sancho’ with an Hispanic accent!
I agree with you about the Phyllis Coates/Noel Neill Lois Lane comparison. If you’re a Phyllis phan, don’t miss her in the 1950 Bowery Boys film “Blues Busters”.