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Tag Archives: Ann Dvorak
“The trouble with Hollywood is everybody is crazy for money.” — Ann Dvorak
Anna McKim chose “Ann Dvorak” as her stage name. She chose a challenging name to pronounce (for American audiences, that is) over her easily-pronounceable real name. Who does that?? Well, she does. It says a lot. It’s mischievous. I love … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Movies, On This Day
Tagged Aline MacMahon, Ann Dvorak, Howard Hawks, Mervyn LeRoy, Pre-Code
8 Comments
August 2021 Viewing Diary
Pig (2021; d. Michael Sarnoski) I wish I could write at length about some of these. I just don’t have the time these days. I absolutely loved Pig, about an isolated woodsman-truffle-hunter (Nicolas Cage) whose beloved truffle pig is stolen. … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television
Tagged Aline MacMahon, Ann Dvorak, backting, Belgium, Bette Davis, comedy, documentary, drama, film noir, France, Golshifteh Farahani, Howard Hawks, James Cagney, Jean Arthur, Jim Jarmusch, Joan Blondell, Marion Cotillard, Mervyn LeRoy, musicals, Nicolas Cage, Nicole Kidman, Pre-Code, Richard Linklater, Robert Mitchum, Supernatural, surfing, William Carlos Williams
44 Comments
She’s got legs. And she knows how to use them.
The Crowd Roars (1932) Viva Las Vegas (1964) Joan Blondell – whose legs we see in the first grab – lived long enough to appear – very entertainingly – in an Elvis movie (Stay Away Joe, 1968). She and Elvis … Continue reading
Posted in Movies
Tagged Ann Dvorak, Ann-Margret, Elvis Presley, Howard Hawks, James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Pre-Code, Viva Las Vegas
5 Comments
July 2021 Viewing Diary
Sally, Mary and Irene (1925; d. Edmund Goulding) For some reason, I forgot to include this gem in my June viewing diary. Considered lost forever, it is one of Joan Crawford’s earliest films – and one where she is actually … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television
Tagged Alfred Hitchcock, Ann Dvorak, Bette Davis, Billy Wilder, Bong Joon-Ho, comedy, dance movies, documentary, drama, France, Fred MacMurray, Fredric March, Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Jack Lemmon, Japan, Jimmy Stewart, Joan Blondell, Joan Crawford, Juliette Binoche, Marilyn Monroe, Mervyn LeRoy, Miriam Hopkins, Pre-Code, Shirley MacLaine, silent films, thrillers
16 Comments
The Great Escape (1963), Possessed (1947), Three on a Match (1932)
The Great Escape Directed by John Sturges I saw this for the first time on the big screen, at a packed showing at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago. It’s meant to be seen large. It’s meant to be seen … Continue reading
Posted in Movies
Tagged Ann Dvorak, Bette Davis, drama, Humphrey Bogart, Joan Blondell, Joan Crawford, John Sturges, Mervyn LeRoy, Pre-Code, reviews, war movies
11 Comments
Ann Dvorak’s “Edgy Elegance”
A fantastic in-depth piece by Imogen Smith about this restless talented pre-Code actress. There is still much I have not seen, but her performance in Three On a Match is burned in my brain. That’s a fantastic movie, anyway, the … Continue reading
Ann Dvorak: Glamour
John has chosen Ann Dvorak for his “Monday Glamour” series. Go check it out. I love this series of his – and I was excited to read his take on Ann Dvorak, especially because I’m reading the Howard Hawks biography … Continue reading

