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...

Mildred Pierce (1945) - Poster and Lobby Card

The above full-sheet poster for Mildred Pierce (1945) was part of the original publicity for the movie.  It tells us in bold imagery that Joan Crawford is the star attraction of the film: not only is her name at the top, but there are two images of her on the poster.  The full body image of her posed with a gun entices the observer with a tease on the story line.  But the overwhelming image on the poster is of the face that takes up half the sheet.  The face is not Mildred Pierce -- Mildred is the full-body image -- the face is Joan.  We are going to see Joan.  She is the selling point of the movie.

However, in this follow-up colorized lobby card, we see the focus is not Joan Crawford.  There are three people in the image, the fateful triangle that makes up the story's intrigue and tragedy: Mildred, her playboy second husband, and her daughter, Veda.

Ann Blyth rates fifth billing in the movie, and a smaller credit on the large poster.  She isn't even mentioned on the lobby card-- but she is now an image used for publicity.  This is on the strength of her performance--which was praised by critics even before the film was released.  She earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, the youngest person at the time (16 years old) to be so honored.

Mildred Pierce is running again on Turner Classic Movies tomorrow at 8 a.m. Eastern.  Go see what all the fuss was about.

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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.

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.

Top o' the Morning - St. Patrick's Day

This poster is, of course, from Top O' The Morning (1949), which we covered here on my Another Old Movie Blog.

Set in Ireland, Ann plays the daughter of Barry Fitzgerald, and Bing Crosby is an American insurance investigator looking into the theft of the famous Blarney Stone.

Wishing you a Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

Mildred Pierce - Watch on TCM

 

This striking poster in French and German is one of my favorites of Mildred Pierce (1945), which we covered on my Another Old Movie Blog here, and more extensively in my book, Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer. Star.

 

It serves as our reminder that TCM is broadcasting Mildred Pierce tomorrow, March 9th, at noontime, as part of an afternoon of Joan Crawford films.