Search Results for: heat lightning
“The Long Night” on TCM
The Long Night is going to air on Turner Classic Movies on Friday, March 20th at 8:00pm EST
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By the late 1940s, Ann Dvorak had pretty much been relegated to supporting roles. While she generally no longer had the name above the title, these later films gave her the opportunity to play some colorful characters which resulted in memorable performances. In the Long Night she plays an assistant to the domineering magician Maximilian (Vincent Price). She has a soft spot for blue collar Joe (Henry Fonda) whose romance with a fragile girl (Barbara Bel Geddes) causes him to cross the temperamental magician.
Her character, Charlene, is hardened but sympathetic and Ann more than holds her own while sharing the screen with Price and Fonda. She was a naturally talented actress, but always benefited from working with strong directors (Howard Hawks, Mervyn LeRoy, George Cukor) and Anatole Litvak is no exception.
The Long Night is a gritty, but stylish noir thriller, and even though Ann Dvorak does not have a lot of screen time, it’s still worth watching.
“Mrs. O’ Malley and Mr. Malone” on TCM
Mrs. O’ Malley and Mr. Malone is going to air on Turner Classic Movies on Thursday, April 17 at 1:00am EST.
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By 1950, Ann Dvorak has been a freelance actress for 14 years and her days in Hollywood were winding down. During this later part of her career, Ann tended to have supporting roles, but she is usually pretty effective (A Life of Her Own, Our Very Own, Walls of Jericho). I have only sat through Mrs. O’ Malley and Mr. Malone once, and have never had the urge to revisit it. As I recall, Ann has very little to do and this role is not nearly as memorable as the aforementioned titles. Even though the film is only 69 minutes, this comedy/murder mystery set on a train feels much longer. If one is a fan of Marjorie Main or James Whitmore, then this is probably enjoyable enough, but from an Ann Dvorak standpoint, I recommend tuning into TCM the following day for Heat Lightning instead.
Interestingly, I just realized that Norma Taurog directed this film. He had directed Ann 17 years prior in 1933’s The Way to Love.
Filmography
Films
The Uncredited Years
- Ramona (1916)
- Man Hater, The (1917)
- Five Dollar Plate, The (1920)
- So this is College (1929)
- Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929)
- Doll Shop, The (1929 Short)
- Manhattan Serenade (1929 Short)
- It’s a Great Life (1929)
- Devil May Care (1929) – IMDB
- Chasing Rainbows (1930)
- Pirates (1930 Short)
- Flower Garden, The (1930 Short)
- Song Writers’ Revue, The (1930 Short)
- Woman Racket, The (1930)
- Lord Byron of Broadway (1930)
- Free and Easy (1930)
- Children of Pleasure (1930)
- Our Blushing Brides (1930)
- Way Out West (1930)
- Good News (1930)
- Love in the Rough (1930)
- March of Time, The (1930)
- Snappy Caballero, The (1930 Short)
- Dance, Fools, Dance (1931)
- Just a Gigolo (1931)
- Politics (1931)
- This Modern Age (1931)
- Guardsman, The (1931)
- Tailor Made Man, (1931)
- Son of India (1931)
- Phantom of Paris. The (1931)
- Great Meadow, The (1931)
On the Brink of Stardom
- Sky Devils (1932)
- Scarface (1932)
- Crowd Roars, The (1932)
- Strange Love of Molly Louvain, The (1932)
- Love is a Racket (1932)
- Stranger in Town (1932)
- Crooner (1932)
- Three on a Match (1932)
- Way to Love, The (1933)
- College Coach (1933)
- Midnight Alibi (1934)
- Friends of Mr. Sweeney (1934)
- Housewife (1934)
- Side Streets (1934)
- Murder in the Clouds (1934)
- Massacre (1934)
- I Sell Anything (1934)
- Heat Lightning (1934)
- Gentlemen Are Born (1934)
- Trip Thru a Hollywood Studio, A (1934)
- Sweet Music (1935)
- ‘G’ Men (1935)
- Dr. Socrates (1935)
- Thanks a Million (1935)
- Bright Lights (1935)
- We Who Are About to Die (1936)
- Racing Lady (1936)
- Case of the Stuttering Bishop, The (1937)
Actress for Hire
- Manhattan Merry-Go-Round (1937)
- She’s No Lady (1937)
- Midnight Court (1937)
- Gangs of New York (1938)
- Merrily We Live (1938)
- Stronger Than Desire (1939)
- Blind Alley (1939)
- Cafe Hostess (1940)
- Girls of the Road (1940)
- This Was Paris (1942)
- Squadron Leader X (1943)
- Escape to Danger (1943)
- There’s a Future in It (1944)
- Flame of Barbary Coast (1945)
- Masquerade in Mexico (1945)
- Abilene Town (1946)
- Bachelor’s Daughters, The (1946)
- Out of the Blue (1947)
- Private Affairs of Bel Ami, The (1947)
- Long Night, The (1947)
- Walls of Jericho, The (1948)
- Our Very Own (1950)
- Return of Jesse James, The (1950)
- Mrs. O’Malley and Mr. Malone (1950)
- Life of Her Own, A (1950)
- I Was an American Spy (1951)
- Secret of Convict Lake, The (1951)
Stage
- Eve of Saint Mark (1943)
- Respectful Prostitute, The (1948)
- People Like Us (1949)
- Anna Lucasta (1949)
Flame of Barbary Coast 3-Sheet
Year of Ann Dvorak: Day 16
Image Courtesy of Heritage Auctions
Today’s entry is for long-time commenter Paul who requested I post an image of the Flame of Barbary Coast 3-sheet I mentioned last week.
If you’re actually following my day-to-day Ann Dvorak odyssey, you’ll recall I have absolutely no memory of purchasing this poster, which I recently found in a drawer while looking for something else. I went back and looked up the auction info, and in my defense I bought this a month after my daughter was born. This gives me a free pass on many levels, including paying $131.45 for it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful poster and at this point in her career Ann usually wasn’t so prominently featured. However, I’m pretty sure I would not have paid that much if I wasn’t in a postpartum, sleep-deprived state! What really stings is that another copy sold a year later for $26, though it was in lousy condition whereas mine is in tip top shape.
Since I have committed to blog about Ann Dvorak for the next 349 days, please let me know if there is some area of Dvorakiana you would like me to discuss, please let me know! Otherwise, you are going to be getting a lot of posts about the items in my collection.