Photo of Bette Davis & a Turkey (Because Ann Dvorak Skipped Town)
Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 332
Author Charles Tranberg posted this festive photo of Bette Davis on his Facebook page yesterday and it’s so fabulous that I am borrowing it. Plus, I do not have any comparable images of Ann Dvorak in my collection. I am guessing this one of Bette is from 1932, and if that’s the case, Ann was far from Burbank at the time because she was traipsing around Europe with husband Leslie Fenton. Had Ann stayed home that year, I would imagine the pilgrim costume and turkey would have been thrown her way for some equally celebratory Thanksgiving pics. But, she did skip town which resulted in a woeful dearth of Ann Dvorak/turkey photos in this world. Still, I think Bette makes a nice substitute.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Collection Spotlight: My First Ann Dvorak Photo
Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 331
As you thumb through your copy of Ann Dvorak: Hollywood’s Forgotten Rebel and come across this photo, some of you may be wondering why I did not select one of the more shocking ones  from Three on a Match showing a disheveled, drug-addicted Ann getting ready to throw herself through a window. Yes, one of the images from later on in the film may have been more visually arresting, but I felt very strongly about including this photo with Warren William because it was the first piece of Ann I ever owned. This photo is what got me started on this crazy journey.
A few months back I detailed how my friend Darin introduced me to the world of memorabilia collecting by giving me a photo of Ann Dvorak he just happened to have at home. This was that photo. At this time I was unaware that a working class kid like myself could own vintage movie memorabilia, so to be handed an original still of one of my favorite actresses in one of my favorite films was a revelation. Sixteen years later I have A LOT of Dvorak memorabilia to show for it and along with a published book about the lady herself.
I think including this photo in the book was a fitting homage to Darin, Ann, and that fateful date in 1997 that changed the course of my life.
Confessions of an Ann Dvorak Biographer: Glaring Omission
Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 330
Yesterday, I posted a photo I wished I could have used in the book. Today, I have to confess to a glaring omission within the text of Ann Dvorak: Hollywood’s Forgotten Rebel.Â
On most nights for the last few weeks, my 3-year-old daughter has insisted that I read my book to her at bedtime. Sure, it’s probably just a ploy to get me to agree to let her stay up a bit later, but it works. As I was reading the part about about Anna Lehr’s (Ann’s mom) film career, I was horrified to discover that I had left out her most significant movie which is Laughing Bill Hyde, primarily known for being Will Rogers’ first film. I completely failed to mention it! I deliberately did not include the above photo in the book because it has been published in other volumes. In retrospect, I doubt too many people reading about Ann Dvorak would have actually encountered the image before and it possibly would have elevated Lehr’s reputation for the reader. Instead, I did not use the photo and somehow erased the film from my mind entirely while writing.
Maybe it does not seem like a big deal, but this was Anna Lehr’s only notable film and I am kicking myself for omitting it. Hopefully this will be the only major mistake.
Ann Dvorak & Leslie Fenton in Uniform
Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 329
This photo of Ann Dvorak and Leslie Fenton in uniform was included in the amazing stash of Ann’s personal belongings I acquired in the 11th hour of publishing Ann Dvorak: Hollywood’s Forgotten Rebel. Since the items arrived at the last possible moment, I did not include this photo in the book because of the missing corner. It was only after I sent everything off that a friend commented she could have fixed it digitally in mere minutes. Sigh! Had I known someone could do it so easily for me, I would have used this wonderful portrait showing Ann in her Mechanised Transport Corps uniform and Fenton in his Royal Navy digs.
Silent Sunday: Anna Lehr in “Valley of Doubt” Part II
Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 328
I am going to be heading out the door soon to go and present on Ann Dvorak for the first time. In the meantime, here is a photo of Ann’s mom, Anna Lehr from 1920 feature Valley of Doubt costarring Arline Pretty. Amazingly, I have another photo from this film that I posted a few months back. However, I decided to use this one in the book because I think Anna (left) looks undeniably like Ann Dvorak’s mom here.
Happy Sunday!
Reminder – Tomorrow is the Inaugural Ann Dvorak Book Talk!
Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 327
Just a reminder to those of you in the Los Angeles area that tomorrow I will be presenting my first ever lecture on Ann Dvorak! The event is being sponsored by the Los Angeles Visionaries Association (LAVA) and is FREE. On top of all that, the legendary Hollywood bookstore Larry Edmunds will be sponsoring the book sale where you can get your personally inscribed copy of Ann Dvorak: Hollywood’s Forgotten Rebel.
I am nervous as all get out about this, so I would love to see some friendly faces. Full details are here.
Candid Ann
Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 326
This scan is off an original negative I own. I considered using it in the book, since it is an unseen candid and Ann Dvorak looks just lovely in her mid-1940s attire. However, the condition of the negative is not fantastic and I am not well versed in any sort of online photo editing. Plus, I have another 1940s candid neg that was an alternative and can be seen on page 223 of Ann Dvorak: Hollywood’s Forgotten Rebel. I am guessing she is coming out of some swanky Hollywood restaurant and that may be Igor Dega (hubby #2) holding the door for her. Despite the defects of the physical object, it’s such a great photo that it shouldn’t be hidden away in my filing cabinet.
Enjoy!
Ann Dvorak is “Molly Louvain”
Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 325
I’m still hard at work preparing for my first Ann Dvorak talk on Sunday. In the meantime, here is a lovely photo of Ann from The Strange Love of Molly Louvain in a silly blonde wig.
Ann Dvorak Sells A “3-Way Medicinal Treatment” For Hair!
Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 324
One aspect of Ann Dvorak that has not been discussed on this site is advertisements with Ann endorsing products. I am not sure how this worked back in the day, but I am guessing these types of ads were worked into studio contracts as opposed to the multi-million dollar deals that modern day celebs make independently. Please correct me if I am wrong.
I don’t have too many Ann Dvorak ads, and this is definitely the most colorful one. I love how “Mange Medicine” is so elegantly listed. Was that a major problem in humans in the 1940s? I also like that Glover’s 3-Way Medicinal Treatment could cure one of “annoying scalp” and “excessive falling hair.” But hey, if Ann Dvorak says it’s good stuff then it must be, right?
Reviews, Reviews, Reviews (And Good Ones at That)!
Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 323
I have been frantically trying to get my act together for my big “Finding Ann Dvorak” presentation this coming Sunday, which is one reason why the daily posts have been abbreviated as of late. Plus, my day job at the library has been in overload as well. Hoping to get back to some truly Ann-centric posts next week.
In the meantime, here is a recently acquired photo of Miss D around the time of G Men. Ann frequently posed for these fashion-type images where the snipes on the back would spend just as much time describing her outfit as her latest film.
I am also happy to share that in the past two days, three more reviews of Ann Dvorak: Hollywood’s Forgotten Rebel  have been posted at Journeys in Classic Film, A Person in the Dark, and The Hollywood Review. All three reviews are very positive and with the good vibes that have been coming my way the last two weeks, I am finally sleeping well again.