I hope no Ann Dvorak fans actually rely on me to alert them when her movies are airing, because they would have missed yesterday’s screening of A Life of Her Own on Turner Classic Movies. In my defense, I am six months pregnant and seem to be forgetting a lot of things lately, though eve I am surprised that Ann-D could slip my mind.

I have discusses this film on a couple of different posts:

“A Life of Her Own” on TCM

Divine Dvorak Death Scenes

It’s worth pointing out once again that this small role (I think she has less than ten minutes of screen time) is one of her most memorable, and I stand by my belief that this is the one film she should have gotten an Oscar nomination for.

I am deeply embarrassed to have dropped the ball on this one, and have already put safeguards in place for when Murder in the Clouds airs in May.

Housewife is going to air on Turner Classic Movies on Monday, March 15th at 10:45am PST.

Click here to see previous comments about Housewife.

Heat Lightning is going to air on Turner Classic Movies on Saturday, March 13th at 10:45pm PST.

Click here for previous comments about Heat Lightning.

Girls of the Road is going to air on Turner Classic Movies on Saturday, March 6th at 1:15am PST

Click here to see previous comments about Girls of the Road.

Crooner is going to air on Turner Classic Movies on Thursday, January 21st at 7:35 EST.

By the time she was cast in Crooner, Ann Dvorak had turned out stellar performances for Warner Bros. in the Crowd Roars, Strange Love of Molly Louvain, and Three on a Match. That the studio would give her a role as insignificant as the one in Crooner may be kind of a head scratcher, but this was actually quite typical of Warners. Top billing one day and fourth billed the next.

Despite Ann’s meager role, I actually like this goofy film in which David Manners becomes heartbreaking radio-darling of a crooner because his weak voice sounds silky smooth when he sings through a megaphone. Fame goes to his head and he becomes intolerable to his band mates and his lady love (Dvorak), and for some reason, his new-found popularity makes him really, really effeminate. The movie is so ridiculous, that it’s actually a lot of fun.

While Ann doesn’t have a whole lot to do in Crooner, she does get one big scene, telling off her prima dona boyfriend with more conviction than the film deserves. No matter how poor the role, she always gave it her all.

While Crooner had aired on TNT way back when, I don’t believe it has gotten much (if any) play on TCM, so this is a rare opportunity to check out this minor, but quirky film.

Three On a Match is going to air on Turner Classic Movies on Wednesday, December 2, at 5:30am PST.

Click here to see previous comments on Three on a Match.

If you haven’t seen this one before, do yourself a favor and set aside the 63 minutes to watch it. You won’t be sorry.

A Life of Her Own is going to air on Turner Classic Movies on Thursday, November 12, at 11:00am PST.

Click here to see previous comments on A Life of Her Own.

Merrily We Live is going to air on Turner Classic Movies on Thursday, October 22,  at 6:15am PST.

Click here to see previous comments on Merrily We Live.

Dr. Socrates is going to air on Turner Classic Movies on Saturday, October 10th at 9:15 PST.

Before we have time to recover from TCM’s Thursday screening of the glorious Girls of the Road, we are treated to another dose of Ann Dvorak on Saturday night with Dr. Socrates. This 1935 drama starring Paul Muni was the second and last time Ann shared the screen with the actor.  He’s a doctor trying to make a name for himself  in a small town. She’s the hitchhiker he takes a fancy to. They inadvertently get mixed up with a bunch of gangsters and hilarity does not ensue.

This is another one of those films I have not seen in a long time, so I don’t have too much say about it other than it’s far less memorable than their first pairing in 1932’s gangster masterpiece, Scarface. Still, any Ann-D is better than no Ann-D, so enjoy!

Girls of the Road is going to air on Turner Classic Movies on Thursday, October 8 at 11:15pm PST.

I love this film. It has everything one would expect from a movie called Girls of the Road. Yes, there’s girls and they’re on the road. They’re angry, distrustful, and hard. They get thrown in jail, turn on each other, and sometimes make bad decisions like spending money on a wedding gown instead of a train ticket out west. Lola Lane is a hard-ass, Helen Mack is weary but hopeful, and Ann Doran is kind of a hag. Ann Dvorak is their savior as the governor’s daughter who sets out to understand the plight of the female hobo by pretending to be one of them. She hits the road in a sparkling white overcoat and it’s downhill from there.

Girls of the Road was one of three films Ann made for Columbia in 1939/40 (Blind Alley and Cafe Hostess were the others). It’s only about an hour long, but packs in a lot, and who can resist lady tramps? Still not sold? Check out this endorsement on TCM’s Movie Morlocks.