Babes on Swing Street poster

This noisy and eye-catching poster for Babes on Swing Street (1944) captures the diverting nature of both the somewhat chaotic plot of the merry tale and the stream of bouncy teen talent that makes up our cast.  From my book Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star.:

Though MGM grabbed the “lion’s” share of attention when it came to so-called “backyard musicals,” it was really Universal that produced more teenage talent.  When Deanna Durbin abandoned Hollywood, the void was filled not by a single replacement, but by a cadre of young adults.  The ritzy sopranos listed above were joined by Grace MacDonald, Donald O’Connor, and Peggy Ryan, and The Jivin’ Jacks and Jills. 


Babes on Swing Street (a cheeky coincidence but no relation to MGM’s Babes in Arms, Babes on Broadway, etc.), starred Peggy Ryan and Ann... Except for the old one-reeler comedies with Zasu Pitts and Thelma Todd, it was uncommon for a female buddy team to carry a movie and be given top billing together.  To be sure, this was low budget rather than A list, and the predominantly youthful cast and focus on ambitious teens “making good”...



Directed by Edward C. Lilley, the movie lasts just over an hour, and though brief, is stuffed with songs, gags, and a plot somewhere in there if one looks hard enough.  Peggy Ryan is the president of kids’ club at the local settlement house where teens meet to play ping pong and get off the streets.  They are also all very talented singers, musicians, and tap dancers, and want to “make good.”  A music academy (headed by Ian Wolfe) will give ten of them partial scholarships if they can come up with the rest of the tuition.

Ann hangs out at the settlement house, too, but she’s a rich girl who lives with a domineering aunt, played by Alma Kruger, and befuddled uncle, played by Leon Erroll.  Her attempts to help the kids are constantly rebuffed by the resident heartthrob played by Billy Dunn, who resents her for her wealth.  Why she’s stuck on this unpleasant boy, and why he suddenly turns around and falls for her at the end is never really clear.  He just does, probably because she’s the soprano...

The Merry Monahans - lobby cards

Ann Blyth's second movie was The Merry Monahans (1944), one of a string of four musicals released by Universal-International in 1944.  These lobby cards, which were issued in a series for advertisement in theater lobbies, show different scenes from the film.  The scene above shows Ann in a backstage dressing room in an awkward dramatic moment with Rosemary DeCamp, who plays her mother, and John Miljan, who plays their conniving and controlling vaudeville partner and manager intending to complete his control by marrying her mother.  Ann doesn't like him, and is caught between a rock and a hard place.

We are given a glimpse into Ann's ability to convey a range of emotions in a dramatic setting, and such scenes inevitably stand out in what were really stories of light fluff.

Donald O'Connor, Jack Oakie, Peggy Ryan

These other lobby cards shown here serve to really promote the film to an audience who were already familiar with Jack Oakie, Donald O'Connor, and Peggy Ryan.  They were the heavy hitters of the movie on whose shoulders the publicity department placed the weight of promoting the film.  

Donald O'Connor,  Peggy Ryan, and Jack Oakie

This Ann Blyth newcomer, whose image was starting to crop up on lobby cards and movie posters, she would be a talent whose ability to carry the promotion of a film would soon grab the attention of the Universal publicity department in a big way, and would become one of the lead stars of the studio.  In her case, I'm not sure it was the result of being groomed by the studio, as was the case with many contract players, or if it simply happened. Kismet, you might say.

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

Here, Ann is not the breezy and self-confident sophisticate she was in Chip off the Old Block.  She’s playing closer to her own age, looks younger with the World War I-era long ringlets and old-fashioned clothing, and she immediately draws our sympathy for her anxiety over performing, of not being good enough and not pleasing her mother and Mr. Miljan, who coaches her.  She has to make good because they have to eat; otherwise, she’s not sure she belongs in this world of theatre—just a sad, sweet girl, doing her best to keep up, though she is overwhelmed.

We see at once that Ann Blyth has, in her second film, already established her ability to appear completely different to her previous movie role.  Her versatility, the most striking and notable feature of her acting career, is a quality she came in with from day one.  As we will see, this very talent of simply being versatile could be useful in exploiting new opportunities; but it could also hold one back in an industry that seemed always to hire based on type.

Peggy Ryan

For more on The Merry Monahans, have a look at this post on my Another Old Movie Blog.

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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.

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Chip Off the Old Block Poster

Here's a "full sheet" poster for Chip Off the Old Block (1944), which was Ann Blyth's first film.

We discussed the movie in this post at my Another Old Movie Blog.  Ann's first four movies were a string of musicals for Universal, which signed her to a seven-year contract when she was 14 years old.  She had been on tour with the play Watch on the Rhine, when she was spotted by Universal execs when the drama played in Los Angeles.

Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan were a most dynamic duo, when Ann's arrival turned them into a trio.  Universal showcased the talent of many teens in that period during the late 1930s and early 1940s, even more than the other studios, Deanna Durbin undoubtedly foremost among them.

The "full sheet" posters are huge, of course, about 41 inches tall by 27 inches wide, spectacular for display if you have the room.  It's not always easy to come by them in pristine condition these days, but now and again you hear of someone discovering a stash of classic film posters discovered in some theater storage space, or possibly in the home of a collector who had a connection with one of the great old downtown movie houses. 

Most of the posters were an attempt to summarize the story and yet not give anything away, but in their way, I think they were more creative and entertaining, and storytelling, than today's slicker posters, which are less about plot tags and more about "branding" an image for merchandising.

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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.

The Merry Monahans - Lobby Card with Cast

A charming "parade of years" musical, The Merry Monahans (1944) was Ann Blyth's second film.

Pictured in this lobby card are costars Rosemary DeCamp, Jack Oakie, Peggy Ryan, and Donald O'Connor.

They lead us into the world of vaudeville, with its highs and lows, and hijinks and shenanigans. We discussed it a bit in this post on my Another Old Movie Blog.

It is one of Ann's Universal pictures that has not been released in DVD or, I believe, VHS, and is not shown on Turner Classic Movies, so it's a bit tough to find. 

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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.