Ann Blyth on radio - "There's No Escape"

 

Ann Blyth performed on radio many times.  Here Ann stars in an episode of the program Proudly We Hail, which was a production of the U.S. Army Recruiting Service that ran from 1946 to 1957.  The program produced comedies, dramas, musical episodes, and included promotional spots for U.S. Army recruitment.  

Ann appears in "There's No Escape," a suspense story released for broadcast April 17, 1949.  The shows were "transcribed," meaning they were not performed live, but rather recorded on a disk in the studio, as you may infer from the image of the record label above.

The episode can be heard or downloaded from the Internet Archive website, or have a listen here on YouTube:

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Looking for a gift a classic film fan?Have a look at my book -- Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star.

eBook edition (Amazon)

print edition available at Amazon and also my Etsy shop.

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Also available in eBook at:

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...and a variety of other online shops!

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

"Lynch’s book is organized and well-written – and has plenty of amusing observations – but when it comes to describing Blyth’s movies, Lynch’s writing sparkles." - Ruth Kerr, Silver Screenings

"Jacqueline T. Lynch creates a poignant and thoroughly-researched mosaic of memories of a fine, upstanding human being who also happens to be a legendary entertainer." - Deborah Thomas, Java's Journey

"One of the great strengths of Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star. is that Lynch not only gives an excellent overview of Blyth's career -- she offers detailed analyses of each of Blyth's roles -- but she puts them in the context of the larger issues of the day."- Amanda Garrett, Old Hollywood Films

"Jacqueline's book will hopefully cause many more people to take a look at this multitalented woman whose career encompassed just about every possible aspect of 20th Century entertainment." - Laura Grieve, Laura's Miscellaneous Musings''

"Jacqueline T. Lynch’s Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star. is an extremely well researched undertaking that is a must for all Blyth fans." - Annette Bochenek, Hometowns to Hollywood

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 Robert Stack on radio - 1953

Here is a studio portrait of Ann Blyth from 1953.  She had transitioned from her longtime contract at Universal and had begun her new contract at M-G-M.  Her first film for them was released this year, All the Brothers Were Valiant.  She was still doing quite a bit of radio at this time, with at least half a dozen radio guest appearances in 1953.  One of these was a dramatic episode of Family Theater titled "Round Trip."  From the listing in my book Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star.:

Family Theater.  March 25, 1953.  “Round Trip.”  Ann and Robert Stack play former lovers whose chance meeting on a commuter train brings back memories of their pre-war romance.  Jack Bailey is host.  Interesting script by Martha Wilkerson, and well-acted by the two-person cast in a presentation that is thought provoking and intimate.

You can listen to the episode here, and even download it to your computer from the site, Old Time Radio Downloads.

Ann Blyth in "Shadow of a Doubt" - twice!

Ann Blyth performed in "Shadow of a Doubt," based on Alfred Hitchcock's classic film, twice on the radio.

The first time was for The Ford Theater broadcast February 18, 1949, and her co-star as the sinister Uncle Charlie was played by Ray Milland.  You can listen to the show here.  Fletcher Markle, Canadian writer, producer, director in radio, TV and films, helmed the show.  Though her name is not credited, I believe the young actress playing the role of Louise Finch, the waitress in the bar, is Mercedes McCambridge, who married Mr. Markle the following year.  She would also win the 1949 Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for All the Kings Men (1949).  Have a listen and let me know if you also think it's McCambridge.

The second time Ann Blyth appeared on radio in "Shadow of a Doubt" was for Hollywood Sound Stage, broadcast on January 10, 1952, and her co-star playing Uncle Charlie for this occasion was Jeff Chandler.  You can listen to that show here.

"Old Time Radio" or OTR is as chock-full of favorite film actors from days gone by as the movies were, and provided a second career for many of them.  For more on Ann's radio performances, have a look at my book on her career, Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star.

Ann Blyth sings for Charlie McCarthy

Among Ann Blyth’s many radio appearances, her guest spot as a foil for Charlie McCarthy is particularly delightful—not only does she get into comedy skits, but here you have a chance to hear her lovely singing voice.  The Charlie McCarthy Show aired April 25, 1954 on CBS radio.  Ann performs two songs on the show.  First up is “Young at Heart.”

Charlie flirts with Ann, but she reminds him she’s now married to a doctor.

Edgar Bergen, Charlie’s “alter ego” (or is that the other way around?), is called to jury duty, so Charlie helms the show by himself (along with Mortimer Snerd, Jack Kirkland, Paul Frees, and Ray Noble and his Orchestra) and offers a speed-view spoof of an entire day of radio programming, including fake commercials.  Ann joins in on the fun in a soap opera, as a commercial announcer, and in a take on “From Here to Eternity.” She also takes the part of cooking show host with a fluttery ladies club voice, and is a game show contestant with a completely different tone of voice, more like a Brooklyn telephone operator—demonstrating her remarkable vocal range and her skill at comedy.

Speaking of vocal range, Ann next launches into a really lovely rendition of “It’s a Grand Night for Singing.”  The announcer Bill Baldwin reminds us that Ann Blyth can now be seen in the motion picture The Student Prince.

The half-hour program, now in public domain, can be heard at this link here.

For a selected list of Ann’s radio performances, see the appendices of my book, Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star.

Ann Blyth on radio in All About Eve

Ann Blyth played the notorious Eve Harrington in "All About Eve," an episode of Lux Radio Theater.  It's a fine performance, with the wonderful Claire Trevor as Margo Channing.  William Conrad, whom many Old Time Radio fans will recall did a lot of radio work and was splendid as radio's Matt Dillon in the original Gunsmoke plays Margo's lover Bill.  He's great in the part, battling and butting heads and throwing wisecracks.  Eve attempts to seduce him (only one of her many conquests, attempted or successful).   Here's the blurb from my book Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star.:

Lux Radio Theater.  November 23, 1954.  “All About Eve.”  Adaptation of the hit film about a conniving woman with ambitions for an acting career, no matter who she has to stab in the back.  Ann Blyth as Eve, with Claire Trevor, Don Randolph, William Conrad, Betty Lou Gerson, Carleton Young, Ruth Perrott, Eileen Robin, Herb Butterfield, and Edward Marr.

Conrad, Trevor, and Ann are terrific in this tightly-written adaptation for radio.  At the very end of the show, host Irving Cummings brings Ann and Claire Trevor out to the mic for a closing chat, and when Mr. Cummings marvels at Ann's work as an evil character, Claire remarks, "I'll never forget Ann's performance as the daughter in Mildred Pierce."  They joke a bit, and then Claire adds her congratulations to Ann for being chosen as the Most Popular Actress of the Year by Modern Screen magazine.

Now you can listen to the episode here on YouTube: Lux Radio Theater - All About Eve.

An Easter Radio Episode from 1950

For those who celebrate Easter, try a little OTR (Old Time Radio) and have a listen to Ann Blyth in "The Arbutus Bonnet," a dramatic episode of Hallmark Playhouse, hosted by author James Hilton, in a script adapted by Jean Holloway.  A nostalgic love story, a separation of lovers, a crisis of faith that comes to a climax one Easter Sunday.

It was broadcast April 6, 1950.  Scroll down to episode #62 - "50-04-06" and download or listen.