Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 84

For the majority of the time Ann Dvorak and Leslie Fenton were married, they were ranch dwellers. They first rented a walnut ranch on Woodman Ave. in Van Nuys for a few months before officially taking the plunge and purchasing a decent amount of anchorage in the nearby Encino neighborhood. Over the years, Ann gave plenty of quotes about how she and her husband were not “gentlemen farmers” and actually worked the land when they weren’t making movies.

The heart of the property was covered with potted plants and flowers along with a green house filled to the brim with flora. I have not doubt that Ann was responsible for these touches, but I still have my doubts that she was actually driving around in a tractor. One of Ann’s many endeavors in England during the War was as a member of the Women’s Land Army and it seems that the level of labor during this time far exceeded any farming she may have engaged in back home.

If she and Fenton really did cultivate their ranches themselves, I certainly hope Ann did so in full hair and make-up like the above photos imply and that she wielded a scythe almost as big as her.