Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 54

One of my favorite areas of Ann Dvorak collecting is finding photos from her uncredited MGM days. There’s a certain rush in searching through a random folder of photos at a memorabilia shop and finding an image with a 19-year-old seated at a table in the background (I guess there’s a reason I was the one destined to write the book on her).

Ann was with MGM from 1929-1931, primarily as a chorus girl and assistant choreographer. By 1931, the public had grown tired of the many musicals that had been coming out of Hollywood, so the chorus roles dried up for Ann. Instead she started getting the occasional extra role, like this one in the William Haines feature Just a Gigolo, as a nightclub guest. She became so frustrated by the lack of opportunity at MGM, that she seriously considered abandoning the movie industry altogether.

What happened next? I guess you’ll have to wait for the book…