Yearly Archives: 2022
Remembering Ann (1911-1979)
Ann Dvorak in Hawaii, 1971 (Jon Verzi Collection/Los Angeles Public Library)
It’s been nine years since my book, Ann Dvorak: Hollywood’s Forgotten Rebel was published, which means it’s been almost a full decade of not having the self inflicted pressure of finishing the biography hanging over me. I had first conceived of writing a book on Ann in late 1997, so I spent fifteen years as a self-proclaimed Ann Dvorak biographer while never being fully confident that I would complete the task. Not having Ann looming over me for almost a decade has been a weird adjustment, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t an ever-present part of my life. My house is FILLED with Ann and I still continue to acquire new items for the collection. I am amazed at how often I am still contacted by people who have discovered Ann and the book (thank you!) and this year I gave my presentation about Ann’s Encino ranch THREE TIMES.
This year also included a fabulous new Ann discovery. Some of you may be aware that I oversee the historic photo collection at the Los Angeles Public Library. This year, we were able to acquire an incredible collection of 35mm slides taken by Jon Verzi, a postal worker who in his spare time took photos of celebrities from the early 1960s thru the mid 1990s. The collection, which has somewhere like 12,000 slides has most people you could think of: Marilyn, Elvis, RFK, Jimi Hendrix, Andy Warhol, Harrison Ford (shirtless during his carpenter days), Gloria Swanson, Aretha Franklin, Brad Pitt, etc, etc, ETC. Amazingly, he also captured Ann.
The above photo is from 1971 in Hawaii. I have a snapshot of Ann (included in the biography) with that same fence in the background, so this means that Verzi knocked on her door and she let him in. Judging from the expressions in these photos, he seems to have been someone people responded positively to. I love this photo. Ann was just shy of 60 when it was taken, and while it’s not the Ann Dvorak of the 1930s/40s that we’re used to, it’s undeniably her with those Dvorak eyes and the mole on the left side of her upper lip. When I look at this Ann, I see the hard-earned wisdom of her six decades, but also a great deal of dignity. I have to admit that the way she is posed and looking at the camera reminds me of my Grandma Mary who was of that era, so I do have affection for these rare photos of Ann in her later tears.
Today marks forty-three years since Ann left us, so it’s a great day to watch one of her films and remember this marvelous woman and actress.
AnnDvorak.com Turns 20
In November of 2002, I was in graduate school, earning my MLIS to become a librarian while working a full time job as an Executive Secretary at the Ralphs Grocery Co. main office in Compton. I had been collecting on Ann Dvorak for around five years and had proclaimed myself to be her biographer even though I had no idea how to research and write a book. What I had done at some point was purchase the domain “anndvorak.com.” Even though I knew as much about website design as I did biography writing, I was determined to launch the world’s first website devoted to Ann Dvorak.
The first iteration of the site in 2002. That descriptor scrolled across the screen!
My computer had Microsoft FrontPage on it, so I stumbled around and managed to design a semi-coherent site devoted to the Divine Ms. Dvorak. Was it elegant? No. But I loved the Thistle-colored background and Georgia font. I amazed myself by getting the site launched in November 2002. What was even more amazing is that I was so damn proud of the site that I overcame my severe social anxiety in order to promote it. I found that I believed so strongly in Ann and wanted people to know about her, that I could promote the website to anyone, even if they were a complete stranger. And you know what? Most people were actually interested in hearing about her and my little site. Because of her, I found my voice. I even printed out AnnDvorak.com business cards and handed them out.
The 2007 WordPress update
Fast forward a handful of years and the site, while still a treasure trove of Ann, was pretty dated. When I first met my husband in 2006, I eagerly asked him what he thought of my site. “It’s looks like a website designed in Microsoft FrontPage circa 2002,” was the reply. Fair enough. A year later he helped me migrate the site onto WordPress where I could actually post updates on a regular basis via the blog feature. This ended up being key to promoting my Ann Dvorak biography via the “Year of Ann Dvorak,” where I did a fairly in-depth post for 365 days straight in 2013. Not my smartest idea!
2017 redesign
After the book came out, other writing projects sprung up, along with parenting, so there was less time to post updates. So, in 2017 I decided the site needed a fresh look with less emphasis on the posts, so that’s where we are with the current design. Even though I don’t post like I used to, I’m still mad about Ann and continue to collect on her. It’s rather stunning that the site has been up for a full two decades and even though how it’s personally functioned for me over the years has changed, it will always serve its primary function – to celebrate the fabulous Ann Dvorak!
Remembering Ann
Today marks what would have been Ann Dvorak’s 111th birthday. This year also marks my 25th year of collecting on and researching Ann. I could have never imagined back then that this woman who I never met could have such a profound impact on the course of my life, but she has and I am grateful for it. Happy Birthday to the Divine Miss D!
Ann Dvorak’s Encino Ranch Featured in Ventura Blvd Magazine
Anyone who has been acquainted with me for any length of time knows that there are two places I love above all others – the defunct (and sadly now demolished) Movieland Wax Museum in Buena Park, and “Ann Land,” which is my nickname for the parcel of property in Encino that Ann Dvorak and husband Leslie Fenton developed and lived on from 1934-1945.
I’ve written about it many times on this site, but just to recap, it was originally a 35ish-acre walnut ranch, subdivided into three parcels and sold after Ann and Fenton separated in the mid-1940s. The heart of the property, which included structures and landscaping, was sold to crooner Andy Russell and his wife Della. The rest of the land would ultimately be developed into a multi-residence neighborhood. By the time I first set foot on the property, in 2006, it had changed ownership two more times: first to Al Teeter, a music editor at Disney, and later to Dr. Arnold Scheibel who had owned the property for 47 year when I first met him. Though suffering from deferred maintenance, the property was still stunning and looked very much like it did when Ann lived there. A year later, my husband and I would have our wedding on Ann Land.
Photo by Shane O’Donnell for Ventura Blvd.
When Arne retired from his position at UCLA in 2011 and got ready to relocate to the Bay Area, my husband and I tried to figure out a way to purchase it, but two acres in Encino and the amount of repair work needed was well beyond our means. The property never went on the market but was instead sold to a neighborhood couple who Arne trusted would do their best to restore it. In 2014, Glen and Penny generously invited me to tour the acreage with them. However, they were in the midst of the renovation, so the house was stripped down to the studs and much of the garden incomplete. It was the wrong time for me to visit, and I am ashamed to admit that I burst out crying in front of them. Not a few tears, mind you, but full-blown ugly sobbing. As I tearfully departed, I felt confident that I would never return. Not only was I embarrassed by my inability to contain such a visceral reaction, but I thought returning to a place that had been so irrevocably altered would be too painful. Glen was kind enough to inform me when Arne passed away in 2017, but otherwise I thought my time with Ann Land was complete.
Photo by Shane O’Donnell for Ventura Blvd.
A couple of months back, Penny got in touch because Ventura Blvd Magazine was going to be doing a feature on the gardens, and she hoped I would be willing to speak with the reporter about Ann. I don’t have to be asked twice to talk anyone about the Divine Miz Dvorak! I was also invited to come and visit the property which I was less enthusiastic about. However, my daughter, who is almost 12 and only visited Ann Land when she was a baby, was eager to see the place she has heard so much about. I relented, and what I thought would be an hour visit, turned into a five hour one! While I still can’t say I am thrilled with some of the changes that were made to the house, the gardens are impeccable and it’s evident how much love and care they have put into the land and Ann’s memory. And ultimately, the gardens, which were so carefully curated by Ann, are the soul of the property. Arne could not have chosen better people to be the custodians of this special place, and I like to think that Ann has brought yet two more wonderful friends into my life. I especially love that the gates at street level are replicas of the original property gates. What a wonderful touch!
Photo by Shane O’Donnell for Ventura Blvd.
The issue of Ventura Blvd. hit the newsstands a couple of weeks ago featuring a breathtaking image of Ann’s greenhouse on the cover. As you can see, the photos capture the majesty of the place and the article pays such a lovely tribute Ann. It’s wonderful that her legacy lives on in so many difference ways and through so many different people.
Read the full article here: venturablvd.goldenstate.is/a-historic-estate-in-encino-gets-a-loving-makeover/
My photo of Ann Land are compiled on this page: www.anndvorak.com/cms/galleries/ann-at-home/