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My name is Jacqueline T. Lynch, author of Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star.,
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Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Our Very Own - sheet music

Pictured here is the sheet music for the title tune of the movie Our Very Own (1950).  Where soundtracks of blockbuster movies may come to us today in mp3 form or CDs, there was a time when a popular film could generate brisk sales of sheet music.  The 1950s may have heralded the end of the timeline for this bit of movie merchandise.

Ann Blyth starred as a high school senior about to graduate, who discovers through the angry taunt of her sister that she was adopted. This rocks her world, and she must unravel not only the truth but how she feels about it. It's a gentle, intelligent movie, with strong support by Farley Granger, Jane Wyatt, Donald Cook, Joan Evans, Ann Dvorak, and a very young Natalie Wood.  We discussed the movie in depth here at my Another Old Movie Blog.

The tune, "Our Very Own" is heard in the film's opening credits, but only as an instrumental.  Below we have some wonderful singers treating us to the lyrics.  Have a listen to Jo Stafford, Vaughn Monroe, and Sarah Vaughan. 

Jo Stafford


Vaughn Monroe


Sarah Vaughan



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The audio book for Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star. is now for sale on Audible.com, and on Amazon and iTunes.


Also in paperback and eBook from Amazon.


Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Mildred Pierce - An Oscar-Winning Visit


It's time again for another visit with that notorious Mildred Pierce.  Here Ann Blyth pays a visit to Joan Crawford to celebrate the night Joan Crawford won the Academy Award.

As part of its month-long celebration of "31 Days of Oscar", Turner Classic Movies is showing Oscar-winning and Oscar-nominated films, this year in alphabetical order.  We're up to the "M's", and that means Mildred Pierce (1945).

Joan Crawford did not attend the awards ceremony that night, due to illness, or what she claimed was illness but may have been a severe care of nerves.  Here Ann visits her bedside, and we have a glimpse of the off-screen affectionate rapport between the big star and the newcomer that was so important to their riveting chemistry on screen.  Their relationship began when Joan Crawford volunteered to do Ann's screen test with her.  From my book on Ann Blyth's career:

"Ann felt that Joan’s making the test with her was very generous, as testing with newcomers was not a normal chore for a star...

She played with me… She tried to do everything in my favor.  And that wasn’t just in the test.  It was all through the picture.

Joan Crawford returned the admiration in an article for the Saturday Evening Post in November 1946:
 
Ann, as the daughter, was perfect. I loved every scene with her except where I had to slap her and she had to slap me…After I slapped Ann, I burst into tears and found myself apologizing frantically. Later, it wasn’t quite so hard to have Ann slap me, but my hand was shaking so the scene faded out, and then it was Ann who was remorsefully apologizing."


Mildred Pierce will be shown this coming Friday, February 17th at 1.pm. on Turner Classic Movies.

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The audio book for Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star. is now for sale on Audible.com, and on Amazon and iTunes.


Also in paperback and eBook from Amazon.

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Ann Blyth Paper Dolls


Today we have a fun and a different sort of collection of Ann Blyth images: a book of paper dolls.  Once a mainstay of playtime for little girls, paper dolls are still popular with collectors, especially from Hollywood's golden age.  Ann Blyth received the paper doll treatment in the early 1950s as her career was booming.  Here from my book, Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star.:


...the peak of her popularity surely typified by the book of paper dolls published by Merrill Publishing. According to American Paper Doll from an article by David Wolfe, it was “…one of the most beautiful paper doll books ever produced by Merrill Publishing.”


This paper doll book has actually been re-issued as a reproduction of the original.  While not as valuable to collectors, it is still an interesting piece of movie memorabilia, and is much more affordable, of course, than an original item.  Above we have the two doll figures to dress.  The other smaller illustrations of Ann on the page you will probably recognize from various publicity photos.


 You'll recognize as well the costumes from Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (1949) and from her role as the princess in The Golden Horde (1951).  Since this book of paper dolls came out before her MGM musicals, we unfortunately don't have any representations of Rose Marie or The Student Prince, or Kismet, but most of the outfits were chosen with the idea in mind that the girls would like to imagine playing the life of the famous young actress, and not necessarily the characters she played.


To that end, there are a lot of selections of dresses and accessories that fit the part of a busy young starlet.


And the glamorous world of Hollywood society.


Including skiing, evidently.


What adventures did the paper wardrobe inspire in the children who matched each accessory by number?


And how many girls' interest in clothes was first inspired by a shoebox full of paper doll outfits?
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The audio book for Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star. is now for sale on Audible.com, and on Amazon and iTunes.


Also in paperback and eBook from Amazon.