Ann and Barry Fitzgerald between takes

Ann Blyth and co-star Barry Fitzgerald enjoy each other's company off-set in this candid photo during the filming of Top O' the Morning (1949).  The movie is a fun choice for St. Patrick's Day.  From my book on Ann's career, Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star.:

"Barry Fitzgerald plays the village constable.  His re-match with Bing Crosby, a partnership that first brought success to both of them in Going My Way (1945), is the focus of the film.  Mr. Fitzgerald is a crusty, pompous codger, has no idea how truly innocent he is, and holds the reins of authority in this village only in his own mind.  The villagers, even his own daughter, acknowledge that he is not taken seriously and that solving the crime of the stolen Blarney Stone might finally get him the respect he craves... 

"Ann plays the daughter of Barry Fitzgerald.  She keeps house, feeds Da porridge for breakfast, and keeps track of how many times she has been kissed in her life.  She longs for her true romance, and falls for Bing Crosby...she gives us the perfect dream-image of a lovely and spirited Irish lass."

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

For more on Top O' The Morning and background on the production, have a look at my book, Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star.

eBook edition (Amazon)

print edition available at Amazon and also my Etsy shop.

audiobook edition

Also available in eBook at:

Kobo

Barnes & Noble

Apple iBooks

For more on my other books and plays, please see my website: JacquelineTLynch.com  

Also, have a look at this post on my Another Old Movie Blog.

Ann Blyth on Lux Radio Theater - Thunder on the Hill

 

Ann Blyth is seen in this photo appearing on Lux Radio Theater, reprising her role what was then her most current film, Thunder on the Hill (1951).  The radio show was broadcast September 24, 1951, and the episode was called "Movietime USA" and was a roundup of eight currently released movies with scenes enacted by their stars.  Ann performed on the show with her co-star, Claudette Colbert.

In the movie, Ann plays a convict condemned to execution and about to be hanged, but when she and the police detective and prison matron are stranded in a remote hilltop convent because of storms and flooding, a scrappy nun played by Colbert stumbles upon hidden truths among several others who are stranded in the convent and also have ties to her case.  It's a race against time, and floodwaters, in this mystery.

For more on Thunder on the Hill and background on the production, have a look at my book, Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star.

eBook edition (Amazon)

print edition available at Amazon and also my Etsy shop.

audiobook edition

Also available in eBook at:

Kobo

Barnes & Noble

Apple iBooks

For more on my other books and plays, please see my website: JacquelineTLynch.com

Ann Blyth and Edmund Purdom between scenes in The Student Prince (1954)

This is a candid shot between scenes with Ann Blyth and newcomer Edmund Purdom in The Student Prince (1954).  From my book Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star. -- Purdom recalls the influence she had on him:

Purdom’s opinions of Ann Blyth are quoted in an issue of Movie Secrets from 1955:

 He said, a long time ago, that Ann Blyth was the only actress he’d worked with in Hollywood who seemed to know exactly what she was doing, and why… “She’s one of the most wonderful people, and one of the few really good people, I have ever known.”

You can watch The Student Prince this afternoon on TCM.

eBook edition (Amazon)

print edition available at Amazon and also my Etsy shop.

audiobook edition

Also available in eBook at:

Kobo

Barnes & Noble

Apple iBooks

For more on my other books and plays, please see my website: JacquelineTLynch.com