Ann Blyth Halloween Photo Shoot

Ann Blyth in a rather surreal Halloween-themed publicity pose from the fertile mind of, probably, Ray Jones at the Universal publicity stills department.  Ann's just a teen in this photo, so it may have been one of her earliest during her seven-year contract.

Keeping their stable of talent in the public eye was the main job of the publicity stills department, and in an era of a hundreds of print magazines and newspapers, Hollywood was only too happy to keep them supplied with filler.

Ann Blyth - print ad for Whitman's chocolates

Here Ann Blyth is promoting Whitman's Sampler as well as her current film All the Brothers Were Valiant, and it is 1953.  The image of Ann is an illustration rather than a photograph; hand-drawn illustrations were commonly used in print ads of the day, which is part of why advertising from this period seems so stylish and glamourized.  Despite the very glamorous studio photography of the era, it seems there was something even more effective in the use of what was then termed commercial art: It focused the image towards message of the product.  And the product is the star; the Hollywood star is the supporting player.

We can find images of Hollywood stars advertising an array of products from those decades, from cigarettes to soup.  Were they effective?  Did sales soar?  Perhaps.  These kinds of print ads are like looking through a scrapbook of American pop culture.

Ann Blyth - portrait in profile

Another stunning example of the light-sculpted glamorous portrait photos for which Hollywood publicity departments were famous.  Ann Blyth, like other stars, spent hours in front of the still cameras as well as the movie cameras.  This was taken in 1948 during her Universal studio period, quite likely by the master, Ray Jones.

From my book, Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star.:


Black and white photography perhaps reached its zenith as creative art form in the Hollywood studios—but especially still photography that sculpted the stars images with light and shadow and glamorized them as persons of almost supernatural beauty.  One of the very best of the artists was photographer Ray Jones, head of the Stills Photo unit of the Publicity Department at Ann’s home studio of Universal...

There were three dressing rooms in his studio where the stars were prepared for their photo shoots: for body makeup, for face and hair, and for clothes.  Grips worked under Jones’ direction to set the lights and enormous 8 x 10 view camera....

Ann Blyth recalled for the author that photo sessions usually lasted all day, and along with other stars, complimented Ray Jones on his ability to put his subjects at ease, to inspire their confidence.  They were placing their image, and whatever insecurity or doubtfulness they brought with them to the photo shoot, in his capable hands.

Sewing pattern - gown from Katie Did It (1951)

This is a dress pattern copying a design for a gown Ann Blyth wore in Katie Did It (1951).  The gown was designed by Rosemary Odell for Ann to wear in the movie, and was reproduced as a sewing pattern for the Advance company.  It's an interesting promotional tool for both the movie, produced by Universal-International, and the Advance Pattern Company, which sold the sewing pattern through the J.C. Penney stores.

It was an era, after all, where people, we may assume principally women, sewed their own clothing more than they do now.  Sewing at home now for many is likely mainly a craft hobby, but when the Advance brand patterns were sold from 1933 to 1966, (afterward the company was sold to Puritan Fashions), sewing was considered to be a common domestic art, as much as a money-saving tactic to add to our wardrobes.

Today, afficianados of retro and vintage clothing can still find these patterns, either originals or reproductions.

back of the pattern envelope

As part of the promotion for both the movie, Katie Did It, and the sewing pattern, Photoplay magazine carried this feature in December 1950 as its "Pattern of the Month."

In the movie, Ann plays a New England librarian who helps her rascal uncle, played by Cecil Kellaway, to get out of debt by agreeing to pose for a New York commercial artist, played by Mark Stevens.  The gown promoted by the Advance sewing pattern is seen really only very briefly in the movie.  We see it first on a mannequin in a shop window, admired by Ann, who is window shopping with Mark Stevens.

Next he surprises her by buying the dress for her, and they go out to dinner in a swank restaurant.  That's all we see of the dress.

In most of the film, Ann wears very prim and proper suits and dresses, and in its more famous moments, she wears a bathing suit as a model for Stevens.  Her cheesecake image will be reproduced on billboards, causing her character, Katie Standish, no end of embarrassment.  Since Ann Blyth, unlike many young starlets, refused to do cheesecake shots to promote her career, the bathing suit scenes and the promotion that got on lobby cards and posters probably is what people remember most about Katie Did It -- unfortunately, many probably do not remember the movie at all, as it has been out of circulation a long time.  Except for the odd black market copy, it's not available on DVD, nor has it been shown on Turner Classic Movies.  At least for the time being, you can see it here on YouTube.

From my book Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star.:

Katie Did It (1951) is the first of four films to be released in 1951.  In the timeline of Ann’s movie career, Katie Did It is sandwiched between two big hits: the drama Our Very Own (1950), and the musical, The Great Caruso (1951).  It seems to have been obscured by them both.  It’s a shame, because Katie is a pleasant comedy, that, while not a demanding challenge for its talented cast, nevertheless is quite enjoyable, provides Ann with another shot at demonstrating her comedic skills, and most rare—allows her to sing a bit.  Also, it allows us to see the star, famed for refusing to do cheesecake photos, posing for a painting in a bathing suit.  Thus, intentionally or unintentionally, the film pokes fun at Ann’s own real-life modesty as much as it does her prim New England librarian character.

We also discussed Katie Did It here at my Another Old Movie Blog.