Ann Sheridan | Hollywood Yesterday

Ann Sheridan, Beautiful “It All Came True” Publicity Photo

February 11, 2022 By Joi

Ann Sheridan

The beautiful Ann Sheridan publicity picture, above, is for her 1940 film, It All Came True (directed by Lewis Seiler ). The fun comedy/drama has an outstanding cast – Ann Sheridan, Humphrey Bogart, Jeffrey Lynn, Zasu Pitts, Una O’Connor… is it any wonder it’s as good as it is?!

You can find It All Came True on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.

Amazon also has a beautiful “Window Card” for the film, featuring beautiful Ann Sheridan (pictured below).

It All Came True Window Card (Amazon link)

Ann Sheridan and Errol Flynn, Silver River (1948)

August 4, 2021 By Joi

Ann Sheridan and Errol Flynn, Silver River

Ann Sheridan and Errol Flynn team up in the wonderful 1948 western Silver River. I’m not sure why, but the fact that these two had so much chemistry kind of took me off guard. I’m not sure what I expected but I honestly didn’t expect them to be quite THIS good together. I know they’re perfect with other stars and they’re two of my favorites… and, yet, they still blew me away when I first saw them together.

Again, I have no idea why!

You can find Silver River on dvd (Amazon link). It’s really, really good!

Ann Sheridan and Errol Flynn

Dennis Morgan and Ann Sheridan, Shine on Harvest Moon

June 15, 2021 By Joi

Dennis Morgan and Ann Sheridan

Ann Sheridan, Dennis Morgan, Irene Manning, and S.Z. Sakall star in the 1944 biographical-musical Shine on Harvest Moon, directed by David Butler. The movie tells the story of early 20th century Broadway stars Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth (Sheridan and Morgan).

While the entire film was originally planned to be filmed in Technicolor, it didn’t pan out this way. In fact, the final Harvest Moon number was shot in Technicolor while the rest of the film was black and white. The reason was due to shortages of material needed for color stock due to the war.

Studios used their limited color stock for their top films. 16mm television prints were in B&W and the Technicolor sequence was not restored until the 1980s.

Ann Sheridan and James Cagney, Angels with Dirty Faces (Perfect Picture of the Day)

June 2, 2021 By Joi

Ann Sheridan and James Cagney

Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) is one of James Cagney’s best-known and revered films and for good reason – the movie is extraordinary and the cast… the purest of gold.

In addition to the great James Cagney and beautiful and talented Ann Sheridan, the cast includes Pat O’Brien, Humphrey Bogart, George Bancroft, and (of course) The Dead End Kids. Director Michael Curtiz made a lot of wonderful films – this is absolutely one of his best.

You can buy the iconic movie on dvd (Angels with Dirty Faces on Amazon) or watch the movie on Prime Video.

Ann Sheridan and Sterling Hayden, Take me to Town

May 28, 2021 By Joi

Sterling Hayden and Ann Sheridan

Two stars I grow fonder of every time I see them are Sterling Hayden and Ann Sheridan. They were phenomenal in everything they ever did, including the 1953 comedy romance Take Me to Town. Ann Sheridan is a saloon girl who escapes the law and hides in Hayden’s small town. The fun really starts when his young sons (who desperately want their dad to remarry) set their sites on Ann’s character as mother material!

I can’t seem to find this movie on dvd or prime video yet, but I certainly hope to soon. I need it for my Ann Sheridan collection!

Olivia de Havilland, Ann Sheridan, and Errol Flynn, Dodge City (1939)

April 21, 2021 By Joi

Olivia de Havilland and Errol Flynn in Dodge City

Three of old Hollywood’s greatest stars (Olivia de Havilland, Ann Sheridan, and Errol Flynn) starred in a 1939 western you don’t hear nearly enough about today – Dodge City. Directed by the great Michael Curtiz, this is one I highly, highly recommend.

When I first saw it, I wasn’t sure how I’d like Errol Flynn (who I’d only known as a swashbuckler and Robin Hood at the time) in a western, but he fit the role and the genre so well, I found myself VERY much wishing he’d made more westerns.

Olivia de Havilland, Errol Flynn, and Ann Sheridan

You can find Dodge City on Amazon (link to the dvd) or watch the movie on Prime Video.

Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland

Pictures of the Day from Angels with Dirty Faces: Ann Sheridan and James Cagney

December 31, 2020 By Joi

Ann Sheridan and James Cagney, Angels with Dirty Faces

I recently rewatched a movie I hadn’t seen in probably eight years, Angels with Dirty Faces. I kept wondering to myself, “Why have you waited so long to revisit this masterpiece?!” I had no answer that would hold water, so I quit asking the question. The iconic movie stars James Cagney, beautiful and talented Ann Sheridan, Pat O’Brien, Humphrey Bogart, and George Bancroft.

The acting in this film is absolutely phenomenal. When one sits down to watch it, their eyes are often (understandably, after all he was one of the greatest to ever live) on James Cagney and James Cagney, alone. But if you veer over to the other stars, you’ll realize they were every bit as great as the great Cagney, himself. Their roles were simply different than his and called for a different level of emotion.

The cast is one of the best ever assembled and director Michael Curtiz did a bang up job with each and every scene… each and every word of dialogue.

I guarantee it won’t be another eight years before I revisit this one again. Great acting is one of my favorite things to devour in a film and this one is absolutely delicious.

You can buy Angels with Dirty Faces on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.

Ann Sheridan and James Cagney

Ann Sheridan in Nora Prentiss (Pictures of the Day)

May 11, 2020 By Joi

Ann Sheridan, Nora Prentiss

It seems almost impossible, but it’s the absolute truth – You can spend your life absorbed in old movies and still find new stars who blow you away. Maybe you had seen them in a movie or two but they hadn’t had the moment to truly shine in the ones you’d seen… and it’s not until you see them in their finest hour that you truly appreciate them.

If we’re being honest, this phenomenon is one of my favorite things about watching classic movies and television shows… meeting fascinating stars along the way!

Naturally, over the years, I’ve seen the gorgeous Ann Sheridan in movies. However, it was usually as a supporting character (such as the case with Castle on the Hudson, to name one). It wasn’t until recently, when I saw her in a few starring roles that I truly came to appreciate that Sheridan magic.

And did she ever have it?!

She is always a strong force to be reckoned with when she’s a supporting actress, but when the lady takes the lead, you’d better hang onto something.

If you’ve never seen the following movies, I wholeheartedly recommend them to you.

Nora Prentiss (DVD on Amazon)

Woman on the Run (Movie on Prime)

King’s Row (Movie on Prime)

Getting to Know… Ann Sheridan

March 11, 2020 By Joi

Ann Sheridan, Thank Your Lucky Stars

Ann Sheridan was Clara Lou Sheridan on February 21, 1915 in Denton, Texas. Nicknamed the “Oomph Girl,” Ann’s beautiful sultry looks may have helped her break into movies (she won the “Search for Beauty” contest which awarded her a Paramount screen test) but her undeniable talent kept her there.

She was signed to a contract at the young age of 18. While she was racked up a number of small roles under her real name of Clara Lou Sheridan, in 1945, her name was changed to Ann.

In 1936, after several dozen films, she went to Warner Brothers. It was here when she received her nickname the “Oomph Girl” – a name she absolutely despised.

She was dropped by Warner Bros. in 1948, but came back in Howard Hawks’ hilarious comedy I Was a Male War Bride (1949) with Cary Grant.

“I used to go to Grauman’s Chinese or Pantages and sit there waiting to see my faceless body on the screen. Texas began to look awfully near and awfully good, and “Clara Lou” had a sweet sound to my ears.” ~ Ann Sheridan

Fast Facts About Ann Sheridan

Height: 5′ 5½”
Was named Max Factor’s Girl of the Year in 1939.
While at Paramount, she was used as a body double (hands, legs, shoulders).
She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7024 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960.
After making San Quentin (1937) with Humphrey Bogart, the two became friends and began referring to each other as “Sister Annie” and “Brother Bogie”.
According to an article in The Newark Evening News, she spent her off-time during the 1941 strike from Warner Brothers rebuilding abandoned cars at a friend’s garage!
She had a noticeable gap between her front teeth, so she wore a porcelain cap when having her picture taken.
Ann Sheridan passed away on January 21, 1967, a month away from what would have been her 52nd birthday on February 21.
She was considered for the role of Isla (Casablanca) and Scarlett (Gone with the Wind).

Humphrey Bogart, Ann Sheridan, and George Raft – They Drive by Night

A Few Recommended Ann Sheridan Movies

Nora Prentiss (DVD on Amazon)

Woman on the Run (Movie on Prime)

King’s Row (Movie on Prime)

Pistols and Petticoats (Movie on Prime)

It All Came True (Movie on Prime)

Castle on the Hudson (Movie on Prime)

They Drive by Night (DVD on Amazon) or Prime

Thank Your Lucky Stars (Blu-Ray on Amazon)

Ann Sheridan Quote About…. Ann Sheridan (Love This One!)

January 11, 2020 By Joi

Ann Sheridan, Nora Prentiss Promotional Photo

“I can whistle through my fingers, bulldog a steer, light a fire with two sticks, shoot a pistol with fair accuracy, set type, and teach school . . .” ~ Ann Sheridan