Ann Blyth- noir portrait

This stunning 1940s studio portrait photo of Ann Blyth serves to remind us that Universal once branded her a noir queen, and in her first such role, that of the sociopath Veda in Mildred Pierce (1945), she walked away with an Oscar nomination.  

Universal started her, however, in light teen musicals, and later shifted her to comedy.  MGM re-branded her in several lavish musicals, but she was to conclude her film career in drama.  One wonders if the studio system was not always appreciative of such versatility, but her fans certainly were and still are. 

Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star.

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Ann Blyth 1950s studio portrait

Here is a studio portrait of Ann Blyth from the early 1950s.  In this decade she would launch several new phases of her career with a switch in home studio from Universal to MGM, nightclub concert dates, and television guest appearances.  Despite this versatility, her film career would come to a close toward the end of the decade.  From my book Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star.:

This woman had been the flavor of the month all through the late 1940s and most of the 1950s, on enough magazine covers to choke a horse, and as famous in her day as any young star could be.  Today, she is nowhere to be seen in that kitschy souvenir shop universe where classic film fans can easily snag T-shirts and coffee cups and posters of Clark Gable and The Three Stooges, Mae West and Betty Boop, and, of course, the ever-exploitable Marilyn Monroe.   

Where was Ann Blyth?  She never retired from performing.  She had, unlike most other stars of that era, performed in all media from radio to TV to stage, and was successful in all of them.    Far, far more talented than any other 1950s glamour girl, yet she is not as well known today among younger classic film fans. 

Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star.

eBook edition (Amazon)

print edition

audiobook edition

Also available in eBook at:

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Barnes & Noble

Apple iBooks

Killer McCoy - Ann Teams with Mickey Rooney

Killer McCoy (1947) proved to be something of a comeback for Mickey Rooney, having returned from the service after the war, and for Ann Blyth, just getting the momentum of her career moving again in the period after her disastrous accident in which she had fractured her spine.

It's an MGM picture, and though a boxing story, we can see the MGM gloss in the beautiful cinematography, especially the glamorous treatment Ann Blyth receives.  For more on Killer McCoy, have a look here at my Another Old Movie Blog.

Turner Classic Movies is showing Killer McCoy on this coming Tuesday, November 22nd, at 9 a.m. Eastern Time.

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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.