Behind the scenes on KATIE DID IT

A few weeks ago we linked to the charming Katie Did It (1951) on YouTube. Here is a behind-the-scenes shot from 1950, Photoplay magazine, with Ann Blyth with co-star Mark Stevens and director Fred De Cordova.  

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

Another mark of a spirited girl under the guise of prim librarian, is the scene when, parking the town “bookmobile” van by a secluded stream tucked into a wooded area, Ann takes a break from her duties on this hot summer day to strip and take a swim.  Of course, it isn’t long before the visitor from New York [Mark Stevens], with his fishing tackle, strolls by and notices the pile of women’s garments on the rock, topped by the hat he purchased.  Bemused, he sits down at her swimming hole to fish, and she is aghast, ordering him away.  He does not ogle her, or threaten to take her clothes, or any of the usual pranks of having the upper hand in this situation.  He teases her only a moment, then leaves with, “I’ll leave you with the hope that I’ll be seeing more of you.”

Ann Blyth Borrows Joan Crawford's Oscar

Ann Blyth once confiscated Joan Crawford's Oscar award for a scavenger hunt.

Above, we have a photo of Ann congratulating Joan for her Best Actress win when director Michael Curtiz, Ann, other movie friends and a lot of press brought the statue to Joan's sickbed (as she claimed to have missed the ceremony due to illness) to celebrate.

With the Academy Awards fast approaching, let's take a moment for a footnote in the glamourous careers of Joan Crawford and Ann Blyth -- for a nutty and classy episode of their friendship.  As reported in Photoplay magazine in April 1949, Ann recalled for friends who hoped she would win an Oscar one day that she already had one, for an evening, at least.

"Her task in a Scavenger Hunt had been to bring back Joan Crawford's Oscar won for 'Mildred Pierce.'  And since Ann had played Joan's daughter in that film, the star handed over the Oscar, assuring Ann that no one else in the world could pry it away from her.

'And I was so afraid something would happen to it, I kept it beside me on the pillow all night."

Ann Blyth on Most Beautiful Women in Hollywood List

Ann Blyth was featured on a list of "The 12 Most Beautiful Women in Hollywood" by Photoplay magazine in December 1951.  It's an interesting list, and she appears in the number 2 slot after Ava Gardner.  The rest, in order behind her are Elizabeth Taylor, Arlene Dahl, Linda Darnell, Joan Crawford, Mona Freeman, Loretta Young, Marlene Dietrich, Susan Hayward, Rita Hayworth, and Deborah Kerr.

Though articles involving "experts" panels, even among photographers, more likely reflect popularity contests among the fans or effective barracking by the studios, we do see a reflection of what made for popular appeal in 1951 (though classic film fans today would regard glamour as timeless, surely).

From the article by Vicky Riley:

"Ann Blyth has flawless facial attributes," said one photographer, "but it is something beyond her bone structure and her exquisite, dusky coloring that makes her a great beauty -- an inner spiritual beauty which illumines her face."

Another said, "Ann symbolizes the dream of all of us.  Sher personifies everything that girls of her age want to be.  She is the girl boys desire for a wife.  And she is the girl parents want for a daughter."

She was also a photographer's dream.

Ann Blyth - Winner of Star of the Year - 1954

Ann Blyth was chosen as the Most Popular Actress of the Year by the readers of Modern Screen magazine for 1954, as Claire Trevor noted in a chat on the Lux Radio Theater episode we covered last week.  Above is a photo at the party handing out the awards, published in the February 1955 edition of Modern Screen.  Rock Hudson was chosen as Most Popular Actor that year.  Syndicated columnist Louella Parsons joins Ann and Rock in the above photo.

In her column for the magazine that month, Louella described the festivities at the Crown Room of Romanoff's restaurant.  She wrote:

Ann Blyth, looking like a big, beautiful doll in a blue taffeta cocktail dress with a slight bustle effect, and good-looking Rock Hudson in the proverbial black suit, were the center of attention, naturally.

Other guests at the party included Howard Keel, Tony Curtis, Tab Hunter, Shirley Jones, June Allyson and Dick Powel, Ann Sothern, and many others.  Barbara Stanwcyk was awarded  special "Star of Stars" award.

Have a look at this page from Modern Screen that lists the famous runners-up whom Ann beat out for the top honors of 1954:

Not too shabby company.  This issue of Modern Screen, and many others, are available online for viewing at the wonderful Internet Archive website.  Have a look at this link and enjoy browsing around a year's worth of issues from December 1954 to December 1955.

(Thanks to my pal, Ellen, for digging up this story for me.)

Signing Autographs

For the celebrity, autograph hounds are a part of life, even if they are not part of the job.  Here's Ann Blyth signing for three teenaged boys in a photo taken from Hollywood Life Stories of 1954, one of the many fan magazines of the day.  She would have been about 25 years old in this photo.

She was reportedly a patient and agreeable signer of autographs throughout her career.

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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.