“Our Very Own” on TCM

Our Very Own is going to air on Turner Classic movies on Sunday, September 27th at 10:00pm EST.

https://www.anndvorak.com/cms/Filmography/?directory=Our%20Very%20Own%20%281950%29&currentPic=2

Ann Dvorak’s post-war career consisted mainly of supporting parts, and while her name may have not been above the title, these lesser parts were often more interesting than her previous leading roles.  Our Very Own is a prime example of how Ann Dvorak could take a few minutes of screen time and become the most memorable part of a film.

Our Very Own is a 1950 melodrama centering on a suburban family thrown into turmoil when the oldest daughter (Ann Blyth) discovers she is adopted. Dvorak plays Blyth’s low-class birth mother who is equally affected when her daughter re-enters her life.  Though she only has a couple of scenes, Ann-D is heartbreaking as the low-rent but well meaning Gert who wants to be reunited with her daughter but needs to keep her past hidden from her husband. Donning a disheveled blond wig and padding to plump up her svelte figure, Ann is trashy, tragic, and touching.

Jane Wyatt, Farley Granger, Joan Evans, Donald Cook, and a precocious Natalie Wood round out the cast, and are all quite capable, but it’s Ann Dvorak’s melancholy presence that lingers when the credits have stopped rolling.

One Comment

  1. Richard J. Walton March 4, 2014

    Ann Dvorak is my favorite actress and in this role she was truly heartbreaking. Thanks for posting

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