Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 281

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I think I’ve mentioned before that one of the reasons I love living in Los Angeles is because of the tangible movie history that surrounds us if we know where to look. Take for instance the northwest corner of Burbank Boulevard and Fulton Avenue in the Van Nuys neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley. While most may see the lot as a rather mundane space with a mostly unoccupied food court building sitting next to the Orange Line thoroughfare that once housed Southern Pacific Railroad tracks – I see a parcel of land that Ann Dvorak owned as an investment property in the mid-1930s.

Like many members of the movie colony in the 1920s and 30s, Ann Dvorak dipped her toe into real estate and owned a number of different properties over the years in places like Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Malibu, and the Valley. Unfortunately, these holdings, which would have paid off handsomely had she held on to them, were unloaded prematurely and mainly by her third husband. This particular property in Van Nuys was sold in 1936 when Ann was under suspension by Warner Bros. while fighting them in court.

Leave it to Ann to give me a cheap thrill every time I pass this corner while cruising down Burbank Blvd.

Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 277

So we’ve finally gotten to my favorite Ann Dvorak location in all of Los Angeles, and one of my favorite places in general. 5070 Libbit Ave was the address of Ann and Leslie Fenton’s walnut ranch, and what now remains of the property is at 16231 Morrison St. It cannot be seen from the street, so I am not going to bother with a Google Street view.

This was the place where I was married in October 2007, and it’s where I wish I could live, but two acres in Encino is beyond my bank balance. The man who had owned the place for over fifty years sold it in 2011 for under market value to a buyer who would restore it, and that does seem to be taking place.

I posted loads of photos of the property on a couple of older posts (here and here), and instead of re-writing a history of the house which I had done for our wedding program, I am including a scan  which I think sums up what I have come to call “Ann Land” quite nicely. The only inaccuracy on the history I wrote six years ago is that Ann subdivided the ranch, not Andy Russell.

Enjoy.

Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 273

Yesterday, my dear friend Darin treated me and my daughter to a matinee of the live Wizard of Oz at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre. After the show, we could not help but make the quick trip over to Ann Dvorak’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located on the north side of the street, between Vine & Ivar.

I’ve been asked a few times if Ann was present for her dedication ceremony. The answer would be no – because there never was a celebration just for her. Ann was actually included in the inaugural 1,500+ stars that were laid between 1960/61. I’m not sure what Ann thought of the honor, though her mother, Anna Lehr, was impressed and made mention of her daughter’s “GOLD star” in a letter to a family member.

With a career spanning twenty years (forty-five, counting the three movies she made as a kid), and comprised of over fifty films, I think it’s safe to say that Ann deserves her place on Hollywood Blvd., next to the adult theater that boasts “100’s of beautiful girls and 3 ugly ones” (just how disappointed are tourists when they visit Hollywood?).  Also, I am very relieved to not have to launch a campaign and raise $30,000 to get Ann a star.