Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 69

When I am not writing a book about Ann Dvorak or trying to convince a toddler to g0 to bed at a decent hour, I oversee the photo collection at the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL), which includes the image morgue of the Los Angeles Herald Examiner. These photos start in the mid-1920s and go up to the time the paper folded in 1989, so to say it’s a massive collection is an understatement. While working with this collection, I am always amazed by the shots the photo-journalists would get, and the amount of access they might have to their subjects. Think of the photos you’ve probably seen of Frances Farmer or Robert Mitchum in their cells after being arrested – you would never see that nowadays. The above photo shows Ann and her dad, Edwin McKim, at the Pasadena train station right after he stepped off and was reunited with a daughter he had not seen in well over ten years. Just an intimate moment between Ann, her dad, and a wire service photographer.

If there was one thing the Herald photographers loved back in the day, it was taking pictures of notables in the courtroom. Fortunately for them, celebrities appeared in court A LOT, and for a variety of reasons, and the photographers were right there snapping away. Almost all the photos I am using in my book are from my personal collection, but I did turn to USC, UCLA, and the LAPL collection for seven photos, five of which show Ann in court. One of the images from the LAPL collection is an all time favorite, showing Ann entering the courthouse in February 1936 to battle with Warner Bros. She’s clad in fur and looking like she is ready to step onto a film set rather than the witness stand. I am holding out on you here, and saving the unveiling of these archival photos for the book.

As much as I might admire well-shot portrait by a master like George Hurrell or Clarence Sinclair Bull, coming across a news photo of Ann is always a cheap thrill. The studio portraits depicted ethereal beings, glamorous beyond comprehension, and utterly flawless. The newspaper photographers would capture these same people, but portray them as human. Both types of images serve their purpose, and even though I have six Hurrells of Ann hanging up in my living room, it’s the news photos I get really excited about.

I was inspired to write this post because yesterday I hosted a panel discussion at the library between 10 former Herald Examiner photographers from the 1960s-1980s. It was an exceptional program, which you can read all about from the Los Angeles News Group.