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{{short description|American actress}}{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}}

factoids

| birth_place = Mount Kisco, New York, U.S.| occupation = Actress, singer| years_active = 1933–1985Mildred Pierce (film)>Mildred PierceJames McNulty2007|end=d.}}| children = 5| family = Dennis Day (brother-in-law)}}Ann Marie Blyth (born August 16, 1928) is an American retired 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 cinema, and became the earliest living acting Academy Award nominee upon the death of Angela Lansbury in 2022.

Life and career

Early life

Anne Marie Blythe (she later dropped the “e” from her first name and surname) was born in Mount Kisco, New York, on August 16, 1928.WEB, Charles, John, Ann Blyth,www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/17988%7C13189/Ann-Blyth/#biography, TCM, Turner Classic Movie, January 3, 2022,web.archive.org/web/20210814073751/https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/17988%7C13189/Ann-Blyth/#biography, August 14, 2021, After her father left the family, Anne, her elder sister (Dorothy) and their mother moved to a walk-up apartment on East 31st Street in New York City, where her mother took in ironing.“Anne Blyth on Personal Faith” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161004204728www.guideposts.org/faith-in-daily-life/guideposts-classics-ann-blyth-on-personal-faith?nopaging=1 |date=October 4, 2016 }}, Guideposts, December 1952.Watch on the Rhine“>

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.NEWS, Ann Blyth an Actress Since She Was 5, January 29, 1950, Chicago Daily Tribune, G3, When she was nine, she joined the New York Children’s Opera Company.NEWS, THE BLYTH SPIRIT: Show Business Still Stimulating to Ann Blyth, Youthful But Veteran Trouper, WILLIAM BROWNELL, New York Times, October 12, 1952, X5, Blyth’s 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,WEB,www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=1091, Watch on the Rhine, Internet Broadway Database, August 9, 2015, 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 Los Angeles, Blyth was offered a contract with Universal Studios.

Universal

(File:Ann Blyth 1948.JPG|thumb|left|Blyth in 1948)Blyth began her acting career initially as “Anne Blyth”, but changed the spelling of her first name 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 teenager musical Chip Off the Old Block (1944). 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 supporting role in the bigger-budgeted Bowery to Broadway (1944), a showcase of Universal musical talent.NEWS, Metro to Split Garson, Pidgeon Combination: ‘The Bullfighter,’ Latin-American Yarn, Chosen as Subject for Laurel and Hardy, Schallert, Edwin, April 22, 1944, Los Angeles Times, 5, 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. Blyth was only 16 when she made the Michael Curtiz film.NEWS,articles.latimes.com/2013/aug/12/entertainment/la-et-mn-ann-blyth-classic-hollywood-20130812, King, Susan, Ann Blyth gets a TCM salute for her birthday, Los Angeles Times, August 12, 2013, (Crawford won the Best Actress award for that film).After Mildred Pierce, Blyth sustained a broken back while tobogganing in Snow Valley in the Southern California mountainsBlyth, 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. 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 Jules Dassin’s Brute Force (1947) with Burt Lancaster.NEWS, The Life Story of ANN BLYTH, Picture Show, London, 53, 1389, November 12, 1949, 12, Universal lent her to MGM to play the female lead in Killer McCoy (1947), a boxing film with Mickey Rooney that was a box-office hit.{{Citation |title=The Eddie Mannix Ledger |publisher=Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study |place=Los Angeles}}.Back at Universal, Blyth did a film noir with Charles Boyer and Jessica Tandy, A Woman’s Vengeance (1948), affecting a 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 wherein 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.Universal lent Blyth to Paramount Pictures to play the female lead in Top o’ the Morning (1949), as Barry Fitzgerald’s daughter, who is romanced by Bing Crosby. Back at Universal, she was teamed with Robert Montgomery in Once More, My Darling (1949), meaning she had to drop out of Desert Legion.NEWS, ANN BLYTH SHIFTS ROLE AT U-I STUDIO, New York Times, February 4, 1949, 31, She did a comedy with Robert Cummings, Free for All (1949). In April 1949, Universal suspended her for refusing a lead role in the baby adoption ring crime noir Abandoned (1949). Gale Storm played it.NEWS, GIL LAMB TO HEAD RKO VARIETY FILM: ‘ Make Mine Laughs’ Scheduled the Studio -- U-I Suspends Ann Blyth From Salary, THOMAS F. BRADY, New York Times, May 3, 1949, 31, Universal lent her to Samuel Goldwyn Productions 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. Back at Universal 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.WEB,www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=78984&category=Notes, Notes for I’ll Never Forget You (1951), February 6, 2010, Turner Classic Movies, 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, wherein she replaced Claudette Colbert, who came down with pneumonia.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

(File:Studio publicity Ann Blyth.jpg|thumb|Blyth in 1952)Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer had been interested in Blyth since she worked at the studio on The Great Caruso. In December 1952, she left Universal and signed a long-term contract with MGM.NEWS, ANN BLYTH LEAVING UNIVERSAL DEC. 20: Seen Signing M-G-M Contract -- May Play Lead in New Version of ‘Rose Marie’, THOMAS M. PRYORS, New York Times, December 4, 1952, 47, 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.NEWS, ‘Caesar’ Pioneer to Do Gauguin; Adventuress Bids for Mala Powers, Schallert, Edwin, Los Angeles Times, February 12, 1953, A11, On television, Blyth appeared in The Lux Video Theatre version of A Place in the Sun with John Derek and Marilyn Erskine. 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. Plans to remake other MacDonald-Eddy films (such as The Girl of the Golden West) were discussed,NEWS, Ann Blyth: Success Without an Enemy, Hopper, Hedda, June 6, 1954, Los Angeles Times, E1, but did not work out.Blyth was meant to be reteamed with Lanza in The Student Prince (1954), but he was fired from the studio and replaced in the picture by Edmund Purdom;WEB,www.theguardian.com/film/2009/jan/05/edward-purdom-obituary, Edmund Purdom (obituary), Ronald Bergan, January 24, 2009, The Guardian, February 11, 2019, the film did well at the box office. Blyth and Purdom were reunited in a swashbuckler, The King’s Thief (1955), with David Niven. She was teamed again with Keel on the musical Kismet (1955); despite strong reviews, the film was a financial flop. She was named as the female lead in The Adventures of Quentin Durward (1955), but Kay Kendall was cast in the film, instead.NEWS, Ann Blyth, Taylor Named as Costars, Hopper, Hedda, July 25, 1953, Los Angeles Times, A7, For her final picture at the studio, MGM put Blyth in Slander (1957) opposite 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.NEWS, 40 Tested, but Ann Blyth Won, Hopper, Hedda, June 9, 1957, Los Angeles Times, F1, 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.NEWS, Ann Blyth Seeks $75,000 in Suit, January 1, 1957, Los Angeles Times, B1,

Theatre and television

File:Ann Blyth MGM 1954.jpg|thumb|Blyth in August 1954 for Modern Screen MagazineModern Screen MagazineFrom 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.NEWS, Amador, Tavo, The Real Veda Pierce: A Serene Ann Blyth,www.ebar.com/arts_&_culture/movie227729/the_real_veda_pierce:_a_serene_ann_blyth, Bay Area Reporter, July 17, 2006, WEB, Memories of Melody Top: Remembering Milwaukee’s Summer Stock Theatre, http:www.memoriesofmelodytop.com/1970s.html, DGP, April 18, 2018, 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, Wagon Train (several episodes), The Twilight Zone (“Queen of the Nile“),NEWS, Ann Blyth Stars Los Angeles Times, October 22, 1963, F13, 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 multiple-appearance contract.NEWS, Multiple Contract Signed by Ann Blyth, June 21, 1962, Los Angeles Times, C11, Blyth became a 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. She then officially retired.For her contributions to the film industry, Blyth has a motion picture star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6733 Hollywood Boulevard.WEB,www.walkoffame.com/ann-blyth, Hollywood Walk of Fame – Ann Blyth, walkoffame.com, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, November 21, 2017,

Live performance

Blyth performed live in concert tours for many years with Harper MacKay serving as her accompanist and music director.NEWS,www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-06-08-mn-10799-story.html, Harper MacKay; Composer, Arranger of Music for Films, TV, Los Angeles Times, June 8, 1995, NEWS,www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-10-14-va-50141-story.html, Playing Their Songs : Concert by John Raitt and Ann Blyth will target a crowd that craves ‘hummable’ music, Libby Slate, October 14, 1994, Los Angeles Times, NEWS,www.nytimes.com/1992/11/03/arts/pop-and-jazz-in-review-210592.html, Pop and Jazz in Review, The New York Times, Stephen Holden, November 3, 1992,

Personal life

In the December 1952 edition of Motion Picture and Television Magazine, 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.Motion Picture and Television Magazine, December 1952, page 28, Ideal PublishersIn 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 a special commendation from the Pope.NEWS, Ann Blyth Wed as 600 Watch Church Service: ANN BLYTH MARRIED, June 28, 1953, Los Angeles Times, 1, After her marriage, Blyth took a hiatus from her career to focus on raising their five children.NEWS, Daughter Born to Ann Blyth, Los Angeles Times, April 11, 1963, 30, NEWS, Anderson, Nancy,news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2245&dat=19740822&id=jWwzAAAAIBAJ&pg=6743,4832134&hl=en, Ann Blyth has Cake and Eats it, Lodi News-Sentinel, August 22, 1974, In 1955, an armed man who had written her fan letters was arrested near her house.NEWS, Armed Man Seized Near Home of Ann Blyth: Police Report Finding Spring-Blade Knife, Two Shotguns, Rifle and Blackjack in Auto, September 13, 1955, Los Angeles Times, 4,

Honors

In 1973, McNulty and she, both Roman Catholics were accorded the honorific rank of Lady and Knight of the Holy Sepulchre in a ceremony presided over by Cardinal Cooke.In 2003, Blyth was the recipient of the Living Legacy Award by the Women’s International Center.WEB,www.glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com/show/30/Ann+Blyth/index.html, Ann Blyth Profile, Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen, April 14, 2014,

Later years

Blyth was widowed when Dr. McNulty died on May 13, 2007, in La Jolla, California, aged 89.

Filmography

Film{| class=“wikitable”

! Year! Title! Role! Notes1944| 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|| 1945Mildred Pierce (film)>Mildred Pierce| Veda Pierce Forrester| Nominated - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress | 1946| Swell Guy| Marian Tyler|1947Brute Force (1947 film)>Brute Force| Ruth|| Killer McCoy| Sheila Carrson|1948| A Woman’s Vengeance| Doris Mead| Alternative title: The Gioconda SmileAnother Part of the Forest (film)>Another Part of the Forest| Regina Hubbard|| Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid| Lenore the Mermaid|1949Red Canyon (1949 film)>Red Canyon| Lucy Bostel|Top o’ the Morning (1949 film)>Top o’ the Morning| Conn McNaughton|| Once More, My Darling| Marita Connell|Free for All (film)>Free for All| Ann Abbott|| 1950Our Very Own (1950 film)>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: BonaventureI’ll Never Forget You (film)>I’ll Never Forget You| Helen Pettigrew / Martha Forsyth| Alternative titles: The House in the Square (USA) Man of Two WorldsThe Golden Horde (film)>The Golden Horde| Princess Shalimar| Alternative title: The Golden Horde of Genghis Khan1952| 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|1954Rose Marie (1954 film)>Rose Marie| Rose Marie Lemaitre|The Student Prince (film)>The Student Prince| Kathie Ruder|1955| The King’s Thief| Lady Mary|Kismet (1955 film)>Kismet| Marsinah|1957Slander (1956 film)>Slander| Connie Martin|| The Buster Keaton Story| Gloria Brent|| The Helen Morgan StoryHelen Morgan (singer)>Helen Morgan| Alternative titles are Both Ends of the Candle and Why Was I Born?Vocals dubbed by Gogi Grant

Television{| class=“wikitable”

! 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| 1960The Citadel (1960 American miniseries)>The Citadel| Christine| Television movie| 1962| The Dick Powell Show| Lizzie Hogan| Episode: “Savage Sunday”| 1963Saints and Sinners (1962 TV series)>Saints and Sinners| Edith Berlitz| Episode: “The Year Joan Crawford Won the Oscar”| 1964| The Twilight Zone| Pamela Morris / Constance TaylorQueen of the Nile (The Twilight Zone)>Queen of the Nile”| 1964–1965Burke’s Law (1963 TV series)>Burke’s Law| Deidre DeMaraValerie| 2 episodes| 1965| Kraft Suspense Theatre| Lady Mei| Episode: “Jungle of Fear”| 1969The Name of the Game (TV series)>The Name of the Game| Kay Martin| Episode: “Swingers Only”| 1975Switch (American TV series)>Switch| Miriam Estabrook| Episode: “Mistresses, Murder and Millions”| 1979–1983| Quincy, M.E.| Velma WhiteheadDorothy Blake| 2 episodes| 1985| Murder, She Wrote| Francesca Lodge| Episode: “Reflections of the Mind”, (final appearance)“>

Radio appearances{| class“wikitable”

! Year !! Program !! Episode/sourceLux Radio Theatre >A Woman’s VengeanceBOYER, BLYTH PLAY ORIGINAL ROLES ON ‘LUX’ NEWSPAPER=HARRISBURG TELEGRAPH PAGE=22 NEWSPAPERS.COM >ACCESS-DATE=AUGUST 8, 2015, Family Theater >The PresentationKIRBY TITLE=BETTER RADIO PROGRAMS FOR THE WEEK NEWSPAPER=THE DECATUR DAILY REVIEW PAGE=36 ACCESS-DATE=JUNE 5, 2015, {{Open access}}Lux Radio Theatre >Top o’ the Morning (1949 film)>Top o’ the MorningKIRBY >FIRST1=WALTER URL=HTTPS://WWW.NEWSPAPERS.COM/CLIP/2470060/THE_DECATUR_DAILY_REVIEW/ DATE=MARCH 16, 1952 VIA=NEWSPAPERS.COM, May 23, 2015, {{Open access}}Family Theater >The Finding in the TempleKIRBY TITLE=BETTER RADIO PROGRAMS FOR THE WEEK NEWSPAPER=THE DECATUR DAILY REVIEW PAGE=42 ACCESS-DATE=JUNE 19, 2015, {{Open access}}“>

Award nominations{| class“wikitable”

! style="background:#B0C4DE;” | Year! style="background:#B0C4DE;” | Result! style="background:#B0C4DE;” | Category! style="background:#b0c4de;“|Film! style="background:#B0C4DE;” | Award|1946|Academy AwardAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actress>Best Supporting Actress|Mildred Pierce|{{nom}}|1958|Laurel Awards|Top Female Musical Performance|The Helen Morgan Story| {{nom}}

References

{{Reflist|2}}

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

{{Commons}}

• Come Holy Ghost, Creator Blest, Ann Blyth
• {{IBDB name}}
• {{IMDb name|0001955}}
• {{rotten-tomatoes-person|ann_blyth}}
• {{Amg name|6922}}
• Ann Blyth “Women’s International Centre” biography and more recent photograph
• Photographs of Ann Blyth

{{Authority control}}