Ann Hits the Tables

Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 167

I have been in Las Vegas for the last couple of days, so in honor of my trip – here is a photo of Ann Dvorak and Joseph Schildkraut hitting the casino tables in Flame of Barbary Coast.

6 Comments

  1. Mike June 16, 2013

    It was either this film or GMen that was my first introduction to Ann, and even then, I’m not sure she really connected with me at the time. Was watching because of Wayne (my very first movie hero) or Cagney. This is a Republic picture, and used to get run all the time on my local stations, but for whatever reason, haven’t seen it in the cable tv listings now for a long time. I know TCM shows other Wayne/Republic movies.

  2. admin June 18, 2013

    As far as I know, Paramount owns this one and restored it a few years back. I had the pleasure of viewing a print on their lot that was struck off the original negative and it looked great! It’s out on Blu ray. Any clue about Olive Films? I am not familiar with them. www.amazon.com/Flame-Barbary-Coast-Blu-ray-Wayne/dp/B00CFHEC00/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371574395&sr=8-1&keywords=flame+of+barbary+coast

  3. Mike June 19, 2013

    Thanks for heads up with Olive Films – I’ve discovered the landing spot for Wayne’s Republic films from the 40s. Their catalogue is impressive; it includes some rarely shown on tv items from late 40s thru mid 50s. Among them is “My Son John”, an over the top anti-Commie period piece. “No Man of Her Own” is a mid-period Stanwyck classic, and “Three Secrets” is one of the few Eleanor Parker (with WB co-stars Ruth Roman and Pat Neal) vehicles not being shown on TCM during her current “Star of the Month” celebration.

    As one who possesses the “obsessive collector’s gene”, do you have a copy of all the Ann titles currently available on dvd/blu ray?

  4. admin June 19, 2013

    I have not yet ordered “A Life of Her Own,” which came out a couple of weeks ago. Otherwise, yup, I have all of Ann’s movies that have been officially released including all her MGM chorus films that the Warner Archive has put out. I guess I’ll need to add this Flame blu ray to the mix since the copy I have on DVD was found in one of those grocery store bins for a buck!

    I was recently reading a bio on Leo McCarey which discusses “My Son John.” I had not heard of it before and am very intrigued.

  5. Mike June 19, 2013

    I’m sure you’re referring to “From Marx to McCarthy” with the McCarey bio. I got ahold of it a few years back thru a library loan program (I’ll want my own copy of HFR, though!), and sad to read how his career derailed when overly sentimental and patriotic impulses started overwhelming his films. TCM screened “My Son John” once a few years back; since then it has not reappeared on their schedule. A final note, I’ve always felt that “Going My Way” winning Best Picture over “Double Indemnity” the classic example of Oscars having little to do with the merit of a film.

  6. admin June 19, 2013

    Yes, I received a copy of the McCarey bio after doing some review work for the publisher. I just started it and it’s pretty dry, so I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get through it. At least the Dvorak book is $20 cheaper! My faith in the Oscars was shattered as a youth when E.T. didn’t win. I have never fully recovered from that. 😀

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *