Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 37

In August of 1931, Ann Dvorak signed a long-term contract with Howard Hughes’ Caddo Company. This pretty much meant that she would be employed by them for a certain number of years, granted they didn’t drop her, but exercised the many options that came up. After strong performances in the Caddo-produced Scarface and Sky Devils, Hughes decided to hang onto Ann by extending her option by three months on February 6, 1932, along with giving her a modest bump in pay to $250 per week. By this time, Hughes had already launched into an exclusive loan-out deal with Warner Bros. that soon became permanent. Ann would not make another film for the Caddo Company.

Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 36

My single favorite Ann Dvorak scene comes early on in The Strange Love of Molly Louvain. Lower-class Molly (Ann) has just been jilted by her well-to-do beau and is drowning out her sorrows in Leslie Fenton’s hotel. She’s depressed, drunk, and belting out a scat version of “Penthouse Serenade” while tickling the ivories. I actually posted a You Tube clip of the scene a few years back, but unfortunately it got pulled at some point.

The scene ends with Ann singing a playing a little ditty you probably never heard of called “Gold Digger Lady.” Ann penned the song herself and because it appeared in the film, they needed to get her official permission to use it and did so with an agreement drawn up on this date in 1932. I don’t believe she actually got any extra compensation for this and I don’t know if she slipped it in the film without their initial knowledge. Either way, it’s a great cap to a great scene in a decent pre-Code film.

Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 5

On January 5, 1935, Ann Dvorak and husband Leslie Fenton arrived in the port of Los Angeles on the S.S. Lurline. They were returning from a trip to Hawaii, where they had spent two days on Oahu, and around eleven days sea. So, the couple spent both Christmas and New Year’s afloat on the Pacific.

In typical Fenton fashion, they visited the U.S. Experiment Station for sugar cane, rather than engaging in more traditional touristy activities. However, they did live it up a little by spending their two nights at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, aka the Pink Palace.

When providing information for travel, Fenton identified himself as a writer even though he was still acting and does not seem to have actually published much of anything. Ann lists her year of birth as 1913, but it was actually 1911. I get the impression Ann’s mom could never quite remember what year her daughter was born, and Ann did not confirm it until years later.

Ship Manifest from January 5, 1935 (Ancestry.com)

The stay may have been short, but the impression was deep and lasting. When Ann and her third husband, Nicholas Wade, decided to moved away from Southern California in the late 1950s, Ann choose Hawaii, and lived their until her death in 1979.

Today marks what would have been the 80th wedding anniversary of Ann Dvorak and Leslie Fenton.

On the morning of March 17, 1932, Ann and Leslie boarded a chartered plane from what is now the Bob Hope airport in Burbank, and flew to Yuma, Arizona. They were married by noon. Instead of flying back home immediately, they took a detour to the Agua Caliente resort in Mexico but did not tell anyone. When the couple did not show up at the expected time, and reports of a plane crash started appearing, the worst was feared. The newlyweds finally arrived in the early evening and were greeted by friends, family, and press photographers.

They marriage would last 14 years and during that time, Fenton would prove to have a great deal of influence over his wife. Ann’s pre-War years with Fenton did seem to be her happiest and most secure, and the day she eloped was probably one of the most memorable of her life.

Happy anniversary Ann & Leslie!

Today would have been the 99th birthday of Ann Dvorak who was born in New York City on August 2, 1911.  Happy B-Day Ann-D!

Today marks the 30th anniversary of Ann Dvorak’s passing. The actress who had appeared in over fifty films, traveled the world, and risked her life contributing to the war effort in the UK, died in obscurity in Honolulu at the age of 68.

When I first became interested in Ann, over ten years ago, I was hard pressed to find others who had heard of her, let alone seen any of her films. While Ann is still unknown to many, as more and more of her movies become available on DVD, I have noticed a greater awareness of this amazing actress, which is encouraging. Ann was sensitive about her contributions to film being forgotten, and I think she would be pleased by the rediscovery of her talents, and appreciation of her pre-Code performances.

Take a break from the madness of the holidays today, pop on a Dvorak film, and pay tribute to this talented gal.

Today would have been the 98th birthday of Ann Dvorak who was born in New York City on August 2, 1911.  Happy B-Day Ann-D!

On December 10, 1979, Ann Dvorak passed away at age 68 from complications due to stomach cancer.

At the time of her death, Ann had lived on Oahu for twenty years, and been widowed for five (she actually outlived all three of her husbands).  She had been a successful film actress, starred on Broadway, traveled the world, and survived life in London during World War II. For all her achievements, she died in relative obscurity and on a very fixed income, having had all of her money squandered by her last husband. Her ashes were spread off Waikiki Beach.

Yes,  this was a crummy end to a rather extraordinary life, but at least she left behind a tangible legacy of great film performances. Instead of pondering the sad circumstances of her final days, pop Three on a Match, G Men, or Scarface in the DVD player and enjoy the enormous talents of Ann Dvorak.

On August 2, 1911, Ann Dvorak…was born!

It was a Wednesday in New York City when the only child of vaudevillians Anna Lehr and Edwin McKim was introduced to world under the name Anna McKim. Since Ann’s birth did not make headlines, I am including a snippet of the front page of the New York Times on August 2, which reveals that there was a runaway horse buggy on Fifth Avenue and that financing was found to begin construction on the Woolworth Building.

I am currently slogging my way through chapter one of the Ann Dvorak biography (feel free to write harsh emails berating me for extreme procrastination), and have been putting together the early careers of Anna Lehr and Edwin McKim. Last night, I realized that a mere two and a half months before Dvorak was born, her mom was still performing on stage in Washington D.C. in all her pregnant glory. It’s no wonder Ann would pursue a career in showbiz, since her prenatal care included a healthy dose of audience applause.

So, If you get a chance, pop an Ann Dvorak movie in the DVD or VHS player and pay tribute to Ann on what would have been her 97th birthday!

On Wednesday March 16, 1932, Ann Dvorak wrapped up shooting on Love is a Racket and was allowed to leave Warner Brothers early. The next morning she hopped a plane to Yuma, Arizona and by the afternoon had become Mrs. Leslie Fenton. The couple then traveled to Agua Caliente, a resort in Tijuana, Mexico for a brief celebration. When reports started surfacing that a small plane had crashed near El Centro, the worst was feared, but the happy couple finally arrived safe and sound back in Los Angeles by night’s end.

Dvorak had briefly met Leslie Fenton on New Years’s Eve and a month or so later was cast opposite him in The Strange Love of Molly Louvain. At the time of their nuptials, the couple had known each other less than three months. Fenton was ten years her senior and had walked out on a very promising film career in 1929 in order to travel abroad. Three months after their wedding day, he would convince his impressionable bride to do the same, irritating her bosses at Warner Bros who had just finalized the purchase of her contract from Howard Hughes.

Although Dvorak returned to Warner Bros in mid-1933 and would act in films through 1951, the momentum her film career had in 1932 would never be equaled. While a European honeymoon sounds dreadfully romantic, I sometimes cannot help but rail at Leslie Fenton and his influencing Ann to thumb her nose at the Brothers Warner. Who knows what film roles she would have gotten had she just played nice for a couple of years! As for the Fenton union, it would last until 1946 when the divorce was made final after a two year separation.

This concludes This Day in Ann Dvorak History.