Ann Dvorak and John Wayne, Flame of Barbary Coast
One of my absolute favorite old Hollywood actresses, Ann Dvorak, is pictured here with a Cowboy I’m fairly sure you know so well you even know his nickname (John Wayne, the Duke… of course!).
I chose these photos and the movie they made (Flame of Barbary Coast) intentionally to shine a light on something that both intrigues and frustrates me as an old Hollywood fan. I’ve talked about it so often on Hollywood Yesterday that you probably already know where I’m heading with this…. why is it that some stars are, to this day, household names while others – just as talented, beautiful, intriguing, and every bit as important to classic cinema – are mostly forgotten, except among those of us who walk the streets of old Hollywood daily.
Ann Dvorak’s lack of name-recognition is one of the ones that saddens and bewilders me the most. She was a dynamic actress with a screen quality very few had – yes, even the household names. She stood out in every one of her films, whether they were excellent movies or less than stellar. She always left an impression and, quite frankly, OFTEN stole scenes right from under the bigger stars – those very well known to this day.
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Ann Dvorak and John Wayne, Flame of Barbary Coast
Ann Dvorak is the perfect example that the brightest stars aren’t always the ones that shine the longest. But if you ask me, that kind of makes them all the more rare and precious. You can watch them on the screen and bask in their light while it did shine brightly.
Then you can go to Twitter (or X, I guess it calls itself now?), Instagram, or your local grocery store and talk about this rare star… introducing them to new audiences and doing your part to make spark the flames and allow them to shine brightly once again!
Speaking of which, I’m off to Twitter (X) and Instagram to talk nonstop about Ann Dvorak right now. See you there! ~ Joi (“Joy”)
P.S. Happy birthday Ann, I love you muchly!
