Ann Blyth

Ann Marie Blyth (born August 16, 1928) is an American actress and singer. For her performance as Veda in the 1945 Michael Curtiz film Mildred Pierce, Blyth was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She is one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Ann Blyth
Blyth in August 1954 for Modern Screen Magazine.
Born	Ann Marie Blyth August 16, 1928 Mount Kisco, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, singer
Years active	1933–1985
Spouse(s)	James McNulty ​ ​ (m. 1953; died 2007)​
Children	5
Family	Dennis Day (brother-in-law)

Life and career

Early life

Blyth was born August 16, 1928, in Mount Kisco, New York, to Harry and Nan Lynch Blyth.[1] After her parents separated, she, her mother and sister moved to a walk-up apartment on East 31st Street in New York City, where her mother took in ironing.[2] Blyth attended St. Patrick's School in Manhattan.

Watch on the Rhine

Blyth performed on children's radio shows in New York for six years, making her first appearance when she was five.[3][4] When she was nine, she joined the New York Children's Opera Company.[5]

Her first acting role was on Broadway in Lillian Hellman's Watch on the Rhine (from 1941 until 1942). She played the part of Paul Lukas's daughter, Babette. The play ran for 378 performances,[6] and won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award. After the New York run, the play went on tour, and while performing at the Biltmore Theatre in Los Angeles, Blyth was offered a contract with Universal Studios.[5]

Universal

Blyth began her acting career initially as "Anne Blyth", but changed the spelling of her first name back to "Ann" at the beginning of her film career. She made her film debut in 1944, teamed with Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan in the teen-age musical Chip Off the Old Block (1944).[3]

She followed it with two similar films: The Merry Monahans (1944) with O'Connor and Ryan again, and Babes on Swing Street (1944) with Ryan. She had a support role in the bigger budgeted Bowery to Broadway (1944), a showcase of Universal musical talent.[7]

On loan to Warner Brothers, Blyth was cast "against type" as Veda Pierce, the scheming, ungrateful daughter of Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce (1945). Her dramatic portrayal won her outstanding reviews, and she received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.[1] Blyth was only 16 when she made the Michael Curtiz film.[3] (Crawford won the Best Actress award for that film.)

After Mildred Pierce, Blyth sustained a broken back while tobogganing in Snow Valley,[8] and was not able to fully capitalize on the film's success.

She recovered and made two films for Mark Hellinger's unit at Universal: Swell Guy (1946), with Sonny Tufts, and Brute Force (1947) with Burt Lancaster.[9] During this time her father died.[5]

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer borrowed her to play the female lead in Killer McCoy (1947), a boxing film with Mickey Rooney that was a box office hit.[10]

Back at Universal she did a film noir with Charles Boyer and Jessica Tandy, A Woman's Vengeance (1948), affecting a convincing British accent. She was then cast in the part of Regina Hubbard in Lillian Hellman's Another Part of the Forest (1948), an adaptation of the 1946 play where Regina had been played by Patricia Neal. The play was a prequel to The Little Foxes.

Blyth followed it with Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (1948) with William Powell. She was top billed in Red Canyon (1949), a Western with Howard Duff.

Paramount borrowed Blyth to play the female lead in Top o' the Morning (1949), a daughter of Barry Fitzgerald who is romanced by Bing Crosby. It was the first time she sang on screen.[11]

Back at Universal she was teamed with Robert Montgomery in Once More, My Darling (1949), meaning she had to drop out of Desert Legion.[12] She did a comedy with Robert Cummings, Free for All (1949).

In April 1949, Universal suspended her for refusing a lead role in Abandoned (1949). Gale Storm played it.[13]

Sam Goldwyn borrowed her to star opposite Farley Granger in Our Very Own (1950). Universal gave her top billing in a romantic comedy, Katie Did It (1951).

Blyth was borrowed by MGM for The Great Caruso (1951) opposite Mario Lanza which was a massive box office hit.

She made Thunder on the Hill (1951) with Claudette Colbert and had the female lead in The Golden Horde (1951) with David Farrar.

20th Century Fox borrowed her to star opposite Tyrone Power in I'll Never Forget You (1952), a last minute replacement for Constance Smith.[14] She appeared on TV in Family Theater in an episode called "The World's Greatest Mother" alongside Ethel Barrymore.

Universal teamed Blyth with Gregory Peck in The World in His Arms (1952). She was top billed in the comedy Sally and Saint Anne (1952) and was borrowed by RKO for One Minute to Zero (1952), a Korean War drama with Robert Mitchum where she replaced Claudette Colbert who came down with pneumonia.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

MGM had been interested in Blyth since The Great Caruso. In December 1953, Blyth left Universal and she signed a long-term contract with MGM.[15]

She was the leading lady in All the Brothers Were Valiant (1953) with Stewart Granger and Robert Taylor, stepping in for Elizabeth Taylor who had to drop out due to pregnancy.[16]

On television she was in a version of A Place in the Sun for Lux Video Theatre alongside John Derek.

Back at MGM Blyth had the lead in the remake of Rose Marie (1954) with Howard Keel, which earned over $5 million but lost money due to high costs.[10] Plans to make other Nelson-Eddy films (The Girl from the Golden West) were discussed[11] but did not work out.

She was meant to be reteamed with Lanza in The Student Prince (1954) but he was fired from the studio and was replaced in the picture by Edmund Purdom;[17] the film did well at the box office.

Blyth and Purdom were reunited on a swashbuckler, The King's Thief (1955). She was teamed again with Keel on the musical Kismet (1955). Despite strong reviews the film was a financial flop.[10]

She was named for the female lead in The Adventures of Quentin Durward (1955) but was eventually not cast in the film.[18]

MGM put Blyth in Slander (1957) with Van Johnson.

Final features

Sidney Sheldon cast Blyth in The Buster Keaton Story (1957) with O'Connor at Paramount.

Warner Bros then cast her in the title role of The Helen Morgan Story (1957) directed by Michael Curtiz with Paul Newman. Blyth reportedly beat 40 other actors for the part.[19] Even though her voice was more like the original Helen Morgan, her vocals were dubbed by Gogi Grant. That soundtrack was much more successful than the film itself. Blyth made no further films.

In 1957, she sued Benedict Bogeaus for $75,000 for not making the film Conquest.[20]

Theatre and television

From the late 1950s into the 1970s, Blyth worked in musical theater and summer stock, starring in the shows The King and I, The Sound of Music, and Show Boat.[21][22] She also appeared sporadically on television, including co-starring opposite James Donald in the 1960 adaptation of A.J. Cronin's novel, The Citadel.

She guest starred on episodes of The DuPont Show with June Allyson, The Dick Powell Theatre, Saints and Sinners, The Christophers, Wagon Train (several episodes), The Twilight Zone ("Queen of the Nile"),[23] Burke's Law, Kraft Suspense Theatre, Insight, and The Name of the Game. Several of these appearances were for Four Star Television with whom Blyth signed a multi-appearance contract.[24]

Blyth also became the spokesperson for Hostess Cupcakes.

Her last television appearances were in episodes of Switch and Quincy, M.E. in 1983 and Murder, She Wrote in 1985 (the year she officially retired).

For her contributions to the film industry, Blyth has a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6733 Hollywood Boulevard.[25]

Personal life

In the December 1952 edition of Motion Picture and Television Magazine, Ann Blyth stated in an interview that she was a Republican who had endorsed Dwight D. Eisenhower for president, the month before during the 1952 presidential election.[26]

In 1955, an armed man who had written her fan letters was arrested near her house.[27]

In 1953, Blyth married obstetrician James McNulty, brother of singer Dennis Day, who had introduced them. The bridesmaids were actresses Joan Leslie, Jane Withers, and Betty Lynn. The couple received special commendation from the Pope.[28]

After her marriage, Blyth took somewhat of a reprieve from her career to focus on raising their five children, Timothy Patrick (born June 10, 1954); Maureen Ann (born December 14, 1955); Kathleen Mary (born December 23, 1957); Terence Grady (born December 9, 1960); and Eileen Alana (born April 10, 1963).[29][30]

In 1973, she and McNulty, both devout Catholics, were accorded the honorific rank of Lady and Knight of the Holy Sepulchre in a ceremony presided over by Terence Cardinal Cooke.[31] McNulty died on May 13, 2007, in La Jolla, California.[31]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1944	Chip Off the Old Block	Glory Marlow III
	The Merry Monahans	Sheila DeRoyce
	Babes on Swing Street	Carol Curtis
	Bowery to Broadway	Bessie Jo Kirby
1945	Mildred Pierce	Veda Pierce Forrester	Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Nomination
1946	Swell Guy	Marian Tyler
1947	Brute Force	Ruth
	Killer McCoy	Sheila Carrson
1948	A Woman's Vengeance	Doris Mead	Alternative title: The Gioconda Smile
	Another Part of the Forest	Regina Hubbard
	Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid	Lenore the Mermaid
1949	Red Canyon	Lucy Bostel
	Top o' the Morning	Conn McNaughton
	Once More, My Darling	Marita Connell
	Free for All	Ann Abbott
1950	Our Very Own	Gail Macaulay
1951	Katie Did It	Katherine Standish
	The Great Caruso	Dorothy Park Benjamin
	Thunder on the Hill	Valerie Carns	Alternative title: Bonaventure
	I'll Never Forget You	Helen Pettigrew / Martha Forsyth	Alternative titles: The House in the Square (USA) Man of Two Worlds
	The Golden Horde	Princess Shalimar	Alternative title: The Golden Horde of Genghis Khan
1952	The World in His Arms	Countess Marina Selanova
	Sally and Saint Anne	Sally O'Moyne
	One Minute to Zero	Mrs. Landa Day
1953	All the Brothers Were Valiant	Priscilla "Pris" Holt
1954	Rose Marie	Rose Marie Lemaitre
	The Student Prince	Kathie Ruder
1955	The King's Thief	Lady Mary
	Kismet	Marsinah
1957	Slander	Connie Martin
	The Buster Keaton Story	Gloria Brent
	The Helen Morgan Story	Helen Morgan	Alternative titles are Both Ends of the Candle and Why Was I Born? Vocals dubbed by Gogi Grant

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1954	Lux Video Theatre	Angela	Episode: "A Place in the Sun"
1958–1963	The Christophers		2 episodes
1959	The DuPont Show with June Allyson	Martha	Episode: "Suspected"
1959–1963	Wagon Train	Nancy Winters / Eve Newhope / Clementine Jones / Martha Barham / Jenny / Phoebe Tannen	5 episodes
1960	The Citadel	Christine	Television movie
1962	The Dick Powell Show	Lizzie Hogan	Episode: "Savage Sunday"
1963	Saints and Sinners	Edith Berlitz	Episode: "The Year Joan Crawford Won the Oscar"
1964	The Twilight Zone	Pamela Morris / Constance Taylor	Episode: "Queen of the Nile"
1964–1965	Burke's Law	Deidre DeMara Valerie	2 episodes
1965	Kraft Suspense Theatre	Lady Mei	Episode: "Jungle of Fear"
1969	The Name of the Game	Kay Martin	Episode: "Swingers Only"
1975	Switch	Miriam Estabrook	Episode: "Mistresses, Murder and Millions"
1979–1983	Quincy, M.E.	Velma Whitehead Dorothy Blake	2 episodes
1985	Murder, She Wrote	Francesca Lodge	Episode: "Reflections of the Mind", (final appearance)

Radio appearances

Year	Program	Episode/source
1948	Lux Radio Theatre	A Woman's Vengeance[32]
1952	Family Theater	The Presentation[33]
1952	Lux Radio Theatre	Top o' the Morning[34]
1953	Family Theater	The Finding in the Temple[35]

Award nominations

Year	Award	Result	Category	Film
1946	Academy Award	Nominated	Best Supporting Actress	Mildred Pierce
1958	Laurel Awards		Top Female Musical Performance	The Helen Morgan Story

References

1. "Ann Blyth", Turner Classic Movies
2. "Anne Blyth on Personal Faith" Guideposts, December 1952
3. King, Susan (August 12, 2013). "Ann Blyth gets a TCM salute for her birthday". Los Angeles Times.
4. "Ann Blyth an Actress Since She Was 5". Chicago Daily Tribune. Jan 29, 1950. p. G3.
5. WILLIAM BROWNELL (Oct 12, 1952). "THE BLYTH SPIRIT: Show Business Still Stimulating to Ann Blyth, Youthful But Veteran Trouper". New York Times. p. X5.
6. "Watch on the Rhine". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved 2015-08-09.
7. Schallert, Edwin (Apr 22, 1944). "Metro to Split Garson, Pidgeon Combination: 'The Bullfighter,' Latin-American Yarn, Chosen as Subject for Laurel and Hardy". Los Angeles Times. p. 5.
8. Blyth, Ann, "My Career Took a Toboggan Ride", in Peale, Norman Vincent (ed.) Faith Made Them Champions. Carmel, New York: Guideposts Associates, Inc., 1954, pp. 114–117.
9. "The Life Story of ANN BLYTH". Picture Show. 53 (1389). London. Nov 12, 1949. p. 12.
10. The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
11. Hopper, Hedda (June 6, 1954). "Ann Blyth: Success Without an Enemy". Los Angeles Times. p. E1.
12. "ANN BLYTH SHIFTS ROLE AT U-I STUDIO". New York Times. Feb 4, 1949. p. 31.
13. THOMAS F. BRADY (May 3, 1949). "GIL LAMB TO HEAD RKO VARIETY FILM: ' Make Mine Laughs' Scheduled the Studio -- U-I Suspends Ann Blyth From Salary". New York Times. p. 31.
14. "Notes for I'll Never Forget You (1951)". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 6 February 2010.
15. THOMAS M. PRYORS (Dec 4, 1952). "ANN BLYTH LEAVING UNIVERSAL DEC. 20: Seen Signing M-G-M Contract -- May Play Lead in New Version of 'Rose Marie'". New York Times. p. 47.
16. Schallert, Edwin (12 February 1953). "'Caesar' Pioneer to Do Gauguin; Adventuress Bids for Mala Powers". Los Angeles Times. p. A11.
17. Ronald Bergan (January 24, 2009). "Edmund Purdom (obituary)". The Guardian. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
18. Hopper, Hedda (July 25, 1953). "Ann Blyth, Taylor Named as Costars". Los Angeles Times. p. A7.
19. Hopper, Hedda (June 9, 1957). "40 Tested, but Ann Blyth Won". Los Angeles Times. p. F1.
20. "Ann Blyth Seeks $75,000 in Suit". Los Angeles Times. Jan 1, 1957. p. B1.
21. Amador, Tavo (July 17, 2006). "The Real Veda Pierce: A Serene Ann Blyth". Bay Area Reporter.
22. "Memories of Melody Top: Remembering Milwaukee's Summer Stock Theatre". DGP. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
23. "Ann Blyth Stars Los Angeles Times". Oct 22, 1963. p. F13.
24. "Multiple Contract Signed by Ann Blyth". Los Angeles Times. June 21, 1962. p. C11.
25. "Hollywood Walk of Fame – Ann Blyth". walkoffame.com. Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
26. Motion Picture and Television Magazine, December 1952, page 28, Ideal Publishers
27. "Armed Man Seized Near Home of Ann Blyth: Police Report Finding Spring-Blade Knife, Two Shotguns, Rifle and Blackjack in Auto". Los Angeles Times. Sep 13, 1955. p. 4.
28. "Ann Blyth Wed as 600 Watch Church Service: ANN BLYTH MARRIED". Los Angeles Times. June 28, 1953. p. 1.
29. "Daughter Born to Ann Blyth". Los Angeles Times. Apr 11, 1963. p. 30.
30. Anderson, Nancy (August 22, 1974). "Ann Blyth has Cake and Eats it". Lodi News-Sentinel.
31. "Ann Blyth Profile". Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
32. "Boyer, Blyth Play Original Roles on 'Lux'". Harrisburg Telegraph. March 20, 1948. p. 22. Retrieved August 8, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
33. Kirby, Walter (December 28, 1952). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. p. 36. Retrieved June 5, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
34. Kirby, Walter (March 16, 1952). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. p. 44. Retrieved May 23, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
35. Kirby, Walter (January 11, 1953). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. p. 42. Retrieved June 19, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.

Further reading

• Dye, David. Child and Youth Actors: Filmography of Their Entire Careers, 1914–1985. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co., 1988, p. 22-23.

External links

• * Come Holy Ghost, Creator Blest, Ann Blyth
• Ann Blyth at the Internet Broadway Database
• Ann Blyth at IMDb
• Ann Blyth at AllMovie
• Ann Blyth "Women's International Centre" biography and more recent photograph
• Photographs of Ann Blyth