Posts in Category: News
The Encino-Tarzana Branch Library Salutes “Hometown Girl” Ann Dvorak
When I contacted the Senior Librarian over at the Encino-Tarzana Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library about doing a program devoted to Ann Dvorak’s Encino ranch house, I thought he would tell me I was an idiot for suggesting something so narrow and esoteric. Instead, he was totally on board and really excited about it. So, on February 6th at 6pm, I will be presenting “Walnuts, Sanka and a Cow Named Garbo: Ann Dvorak’s Encino Ranch.” It’ll be around an hour with a slide show packed full of every photo I have ever been able to find of that property, including ones of subsequent owners that I found in the LAPL Photo Collection. Of course, copies of Ann Dvorak: Hollywood’s Forgotten Rebel will be available for purchase. Ann Dvorak never stayed put for too long. Even when living in the same general area (ie Los Angeles, Hawaii), she tended to switch residences often. Ann and husband Leslie Fenton purchased the Encino property in 1934, had the home built, and she resided on the 35 acre walnut ranch until 1946, making it the longest she ever lived in one place. The property has significance for me because it was where I got married in 2007.
The branch was so enthusiastic about the program that they also scheduled screenings of some of Ann’s films! The showed G Men yesterday and have Scarface scheduled for January 30th,  and Three on a Match sometime in the near future. They generously let me take up prime real estate near their entrance to promote the program.
If you’re in the L.A. area on February 6th, I hope you’ll come join us in Encino to pay tribute to their “hometown girl!”
1932: Oh What a Pre-Code Year it Was!
This post is part of the Classic Movie History Project Blogathon.Â
While researching and writing Ann Dvorak: Hollywood’s Forgotten Rebel, I spent a lot of time in 1932. This was Ann’s breakout year, the year she made some of her most memorable films – and the year she torpedoed her career by walking out on Warner Bros. for that 8 month honeymoon. 1932 has also come to stand out for me as an exceptional year for pre-Code films in general. Hollywood was finally getting over its growing pains from the transition to sound and in 1932, the quality of the cinematography was matching the sophistication of many of the scripts.
The following list represents some of my personal favorite pre-Code films of 1932 and by no means is meant to serve has a comprehensive reference. My apologies in advance if I failed to mention some of your favs.
Red Headed Woman (MGM, Jack Conway)
Whenever I hear the term pre-Code, Red Headed Woman is the first film that comes to mind. Jean Harlow is sassy, shocking, yet sympathetic as Lil Andrews, a working class gal trying to get ahead the only way she knows how. Despite her many misdeeds during the course of the film, Lil comes out ahead at the end which is ok with us, though the Hays Office was probably pretty ticked!
Red Dust (MGM, Victor Fleming)
Only in the pre-Code era could Clark Gable share a steamy wet scene with Mary Astor, and end up with call-girl Jean Harlow at the end. Red Dust is full of beautiful people doing “naughty” things in a tropical setting and is fantastic. Knowing that some of Harlow’s playful scenes came on the heels of husband Paul Bern’s unexpected death makes her performance as the hooker with a heart of gold that much more impressive.
Faithless (MGM, Harry Beaumont)
Faithless is a personal favorite with Tallulah Bankhead acting her heart out as a wealthy socialite who loses everything in the crash of ’29 and eventually hits rock bottom. Robert Montgomery is her on again, off again love interest and is given much more to do than many of his other early MGM works.
Freaks (MGM, Todd Browning)
I was at a party a couple of years back where one of the guests, who was obnoxious to begin with, started spouting off how overrated Freaks is. My husband attributed his pontificating as being contrary for the sake of being contrary, and I agree. In my opinion, Freaks is unlike any film ever made, and 80+ years later there are still lessons to be learned from it. Casting people with physical abnormalities does indeed have a great deal of shock value, but their portrayal still has many elements of sympathy, even if the end is particularly brutal. The fact that the posh and glamours MGM made this film under the watchful eye of Irving Thalberg makes me love it all the more.
Horse Feathers (Paramount, Norman Z. McLeod)
I don’t think I can adequately express just how much I love the Marx Brothers. I love them as a group, I love them individually, I really love them with Zeppo, which means I especially love them in the pre-Code era. Their films with Paramount are unparalleled masterpieces of joy and madness (though I do waiver a bit on The Cocoanuts),  and Horse Feathers is included in that bunch. Building on the concept of Groucho as a university Dean, the brothers wreak their very special kind of havoc on the college’s football program. Groucho’s straight woman Margaret Dumont is missing from this one, but her shoes are more than filled by Thelma Todd as the “college widow” being wooed by one and all. Horse Feathers is such a personal favorite that lyrics from the movie’s theme song, “Everyone Says I Love You” was printed on the cover of our wedding program.
Rain (United Artists, Lewis Milestone)
This 1932 retelling of the story of Sadie Thompson, a prostitute who unwillingly drives a overzealous missionary mad was a coveted role. Howard Hughes desperately tried to secure the part for his contract player Ann Dvorak, but Sadie went to Joan Crawford. The film did not do well at the box office and was apparently too much of a departure for Crawford’s fans. Joan distanced her self from the film and delved out harsh words about it later on. In retrospect, Rain is a damn fine film, highly stylized under the direction of Lewis Milestone who actually got a very strong performance out of Crawford, not to mention costar Walter Huston.
Trouble in Paradise (Paramount, Ernst Lubitsch)
Trouble in Paradise is a wonderfully sophisticated comedy, though would we expect anything less from Lubitsch? This tale of a pair of jewel thieves who infiltrate the world of a successful business woman in order to con her only gets better each time I view it. Herbert Marshall is superb as the con artist who inadvertently falls in love with his target, and Kay Francis is equally engaging as the wealthy business owner. However, Miriam Hopkins damn near steals the film as Marshall’s jealous accomplice and is a sheer delight.
Blonde Venus (Paramount, Josef von Sternberg)
Marlene Dietrich dressed in a gorilla suite, from which she does a strip tease before donning a blonde afro wig to sing a song called “Hot Voodoo” surrounded by scantily clad men dressed as “natives.”
‘Nuff said.
And of course…
Scarface (Caddo Co., Howard Hawks)
When producer Howard Hughes hired director Howard Hawks and writer Ben Hecht in 1931, he expected an adaptation of the Armitage Trail book Scarface. The resulting film only turned out to be loosely based on the source material, but is a savage masterpiece that stands out as one of the quintessential gangster films of the day, if not all time. Even in the pre-Code era which seemed to be a filmmaking free for all, Hughes fought censorship battles that dragged on for months. The film was actually cut by September of 1931, but wasn’t released until the following March. Paul Muni can be a bit over the top as Tony Camonte, but is still effective, and George Raft, Karen Morley, and Boris Karloff are all delightful. And let’s not forget the divine Ann Dvorak, who in her credited film debit sears across the screen as the restless and doomed Cesca Camonte.
Three on a Match (Warner Bros./First National, Mervyn Leroy)
If Red Headed Woman is the first film that comes to mind when I hear the term “pre-Code,” then Three on a Match is a close second. Clocking in at around 63 minutes, this film possibly packs in more than any other. Joan Blondell and Bette Davis are featured, but at its heart is Ann Dvorak who starts off at the top of the world and then throws it all away for hot sex and drugs. Thrown in Humphrey Bogart, Warren William, Jack LaRue, Edward Arnold, Allan Jenkins, and Glena Farrell and how could you not love this film? Incidentally, Three on a Match was my introduction to Ann Dvorak many moons ago which got me started on my journey to document her life and career. So, had I not seen it when I did, I might not be writing this post right now.
The Strange Love of Molly Louvain (Warner Bros./First National, Michael Curtiz)
I have said it before, but I’ll repeat it again – Molly Louvain is not necessarily the best of the pre-Code titles, but it’s one of the few times Ann Dvorak was given a film to carry and she does a more than adequate job. As the jilted Molly, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who falls into the arms a small time crook and later a wisecracking newspaper reporter, Ann more than holds her own even in scenes opposite the high-energy Lee Tracy. Also worth noting is that co-star Leslie Fenton became Ann’s first husband mere weeks after filming Molly Louvain and their off screen chemistry shines through in their scenes together. (Unfortunately, in all my years of collecting, I have never seen a poster or lobby card from this film!)
Well, there you have it – a highlight of some of my favorite pre-Codes of 1932, but by no means all of them. Feel free to add your favorite 1932 gems in the comments.
(All images, except from Molly Louvain, courtesy of Heritage Auctions)
Ann Dvorak Pops Up in the Darnedest Places: The Photo Archive I Oversee
Yeah, I’m supposed to be giving myself a break from the blogging, but this latest development is too exciting (well, it’s exciting for me) not to share.
I have been overseeing the photo collection of the Los Angeles Public Library for almost five years. I thought I had turned over every stone looking for images of Ann, but apparently not. While looking for something unrelated I came across two photos of the “living billboard” that was erected on June 18, 1929 at the corner of Wilshire & Shatto by MGM to promote The Hollywood Revue of 1929. Those of you who have a copy of Ann Dvorak: Hollywood’s Forgotten Rebel will recognize this because there is a closer photo of the bizarre set-up in the book. You’ll have to take my work that Ann is on the first “O” in HOLLYWOOD.
I was so excited to find these in the online collection that I went to pull the hard copy and low and behold found the top photo in the folder! The focal point of the image is supposed to be Sir Jagajit Singh of India who was visiting (at least that’s the description on the photo), but look who is right there in the middle! That’s right, our beloved Ann Dvorak is right there. This was taken on the set of The Woman Racket (1930), so we also have Blanche Sweet in white and Sally Starr in black next to Ann-D.
It sure doesn’t take much to please me! Happy Sunday.
(All three photos are from the Los Angeles Public Library/Security Pacific National Bank Collection)Â
That’s a Wrap!
Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 365
At long last we have come to the 365th and final post in the Year of Ann Dvorak. And what a year it’s been! When I first decided to write a full length biography on Ann back in the late 1990s, I frequently daydreamed of the day when the book would finally be finished and out in the world. The actual release of Ann Dvorak: Hollywood’s Forgotten Rebel exceeded all those dreams of the last 15+ years and I am ok admitting that I am proud of how it turned out. At the same time, I am extremely relieved and grateful for all the positive feedback I received so far. In case you didn’t notice, all the wonderful press and reviews have been compiled onto one page, called – Press & Book Reviews.Â
As to my commitment to blog about Ann everyday for an entire year – well, that may not have been my most inspired idea. I am not sure what I hoped to accomplish by blogging daily, and now that it’s over I am not exactly sure if it really achieved much of anything. The process was rather grueling and since I was usually unable to get multiple posts queued up, every night found me uttering the phrase, “Not yet, I still have to do my blog post.” In retrospect, committing to once a week probably would have sufficed, but no one can accuse me of backing out once I set my mind on something!
For all the complaining I have done the last year over this fool’s errand, there were a handful of people who genuinely seemed to appreciate my efforts. I wanted to take a moment (or more specifically, a paragraph) to thank those who took the time to frequently comment here over the last year which reminded me that I wasn’t playing to an empty room. These fine folk included Dick P., Scott, Mike, Vienna, and JV. Your comments really fueled me to keep going! Major gratitude needs to go to the guest bloggers  who gave me a much needed break when I was finishing up the manuscript for University Press of Kentucky. Mary Mallory, Paul Petro, Daniel Nauman, Glen Creason, and Mary McCoy are the bees knees! Finally, much appreciation to Cliff Aliperti, Will McKinley, John Rabe, Danny Reid, and Kendra Bean for the many tweets and re-tweets. My sincere apologies to anyone I may have forgotten.
Finally, thanks to my husband Joshua Hale Fialkov and my daughter Gable, who thought the Ann madness had ended when I finished writing the book. Little did they know what insane heights I could rise to in the name of Ann Dvorak!
Just because the Year of Ann Dvorak is over, doesn’t mean my work here is done. I’ll still be posting news, tv airings, film screenings, etc as they come up, though I will probably take a break from writing up my random musings on Ann. Â I might add that I am still a compulsive collector who is always on the prowl for new Dvorak memorabilia. The book may be out, but I am by no means finished with Ann.
Before I end this, let’s go out on a true AD note with a This Day in Ann Dvorak History factoid: On December 31, 1931 Ann Dvorak met Leslie Fenton for the first time. In less than three months, the pair would be married and Ann’s life and career would be dramatically altered.
Happy New Year!
Leonard Maltin on “Ann Dvorak: Hollywood’s Forgotten Rebel”
Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 353
I am not too proud to admit that when I saw Leonard Maltin’s comments about Ann Dvorak: Hollywood’s Forgotten Rebel, I started crying. And not just gently weeping, but full blown bawling.
When I first encountered Ann on that fateful day in the mid-1990’s while watching Three on a Match twice in one sitting, the first thing I did when the film ended (the second time) was to consult my Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide to find out who this Ann Dvorak person was. The book had gotten wet somehow and was an expanded mess with no cover, but I was loath to replace it because I had highlighted all the movies I had seen. To have the man himself deliver such high praise nearly two decades later is surreal and beyond cool. Talk about ending the year on a high note!
I should also point out that Maltin offers a Classic Movie Guide which has been around for a few years but I was unaware of. Looks like I may be getting myself a Christmas present.
Love For Ann (and Christina) Over at the Daily Mirror
Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 351
As we enter the home stretch of the Year of Ann Dvorak, it’s nice to know that the reviews and features on Ann Dvorak: Hollywood’s Forgotten Rebel continue to roll in and continue to be extremely positive. Today’s offering is courtesy of the The Daily Mirror blog run by Los Angeles Times editor and sometimes columnist Larry Harnisch who has a taste for all things relating to L.A. history. Larry is also a big fan of the Los Angeles Public Library, and even profiled guest blogger and map librarian Glen Creason in the newspaper last year. I was thrilled when he offered to do a write up on his blog about Ann (and even picked up the tab at lunch).
Harnish is a fellow research junkie, so the bulk of our conversation revolved around the quest to find Ann Dvorak. However, he also went that extra step of purchasing and reading the book, so the end result is part feature/part book review. I especially appreciate his comments about my writing not being too academic, and the book not containing superfluous information, which were a couple of things I was very conscious about and tried to avoid.
The full piece can be found here.
Also, even though there are only 14 posts left in the Year of Ann Dvorak, if anyone is still interested in being a guest blogger, please let me know!
Ann & Christina Go Metro
Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 347
Those of you who have stuck around this site long enough already know that a big chunk of Ann Dvorak: Hollywood’s Forgotten Rebel was written during my subway commute from the Valley to Downtown Los Angeles. The folks at Metro who run the trains thought it was a pretty good story and put together, what I think, is a pretty elaborate piece for their show Metro Motion.
When I first spoke with one of their reps, I figured my story would warrant a blog post so I was really surprised when I ended up spending over 3 hours with them a couple of months back. I think the shot of me pretending to wait for the train is kind of silly, and it’s an brutal reminder that I am still a long ways off from my pre-pregnancy weight, but overall it’s pretty awesome. Plus, the hubby and daughter get to make a cameo.
The video should be kind of cued up to my segment, but if not it’s at 7:42 and runs about 4 minutes.
Ann Dvorak Honeymoon Photos on the Huffington Post
Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 345
For the last year and a half I have occasionally written articles for the Huffington Post on behalf of the Los Angeles Public Library (a list of my contributions can be found at the bottom of this page). Yesterday, they were good enough to indulge me by running a post about Ann Dvorak that I wrote. For the Dvorak faithful, it’s all pretty basic info that I am hoping will appeal to the casual reader. However, I did dive into the honeymoon scrapbook I acquired earlier in the year and scanned some of the photos. They are all unseen, including on this site or the in the book, so it’s worth checking out if just for the images which show a young and vibrant Ann with her whole life ahead of her.
Ann Dvorak and the Missing Portrait Painting
Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 342
I am thrilled to announce that today’s Honolulu Star Advertiser is running a feature about Ann Dvorak who was a resident of Hawaii the last 20 years of her life. The current issues are behind a paywall so I cannot post a link today, but hopefully it will be accessible in the very near future. I will say that it’s a fantastic write up, especially considering that the reporter had to whittle down my blathering from our hour and a half phone conversation earlier in the week.
I was happy to see the coverage in this newspaper for a couple of reasons. First off, it was Ann’s adopted home and she loved the place but resided there in such anonymity that most current day residents have no clue who she is. Hopefully this will pique the interest of at least a handful of folks on the islands. Second, I was hoping having an article in this paper might shed some light on what happened to Ann’s portrait painting of herself.
The painting, as you can see above was rather large and probably done by artist Edward School in 1933. I received confirmation from various people over the years that she had it hanging up in numerous residences, including her last apartment 1979. It’s so large, that I find it unlikely it would have been thrown away or shipped off Oahu, so I am thinking that it’s still around and hanging up in a restaurant or someone’s garage somewhere on the island.
I am hoping that the above photo ran in the hard copy of the paper, because it’s not on the Advertiser’s online version. Just in case someone reads the article and starts hitting the search engines for more info, here it is.
Fingers crossed that the painting is still around, and the owner wants to see it cared for – by me!
Pre-Code Lecture and Ann Dvorak Film Screening This Saturday
Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 340
Tomorrow, I am going to be giving a brief lecture on pre-Code cinema followed by a screening of an Ann Dvorak film. The program is going to be at Central Library where I work, and our licensing agreement with the studios prevents the film title or studio from being advertised. I am not sure if that agreement actually extends to this website, but I would rather not take any chances. So, I will just say that the lecture will be followed by a screening of a pre-Code gem starring Ann Dvorak, Joan Blondell, and Bette Davis as childhood friends who are reunited years later, causing Dvorak’s life to derail after she’s the third to light her cigarette on a match.
Start time is 2pm in the Taper Auditorium, and it’s FREE! Full details can be found here.