Ann Blyth, Who Played Joan Crawford’s Daughter in ‘Mildred Pierce,’ Dies at 98
Ann Blyth, who drew a 1946 Oscar nomination for her memorable performance as the spoiled, selfish daughter of Joan Crawford’s hard-working, devoted title character in the classic film “Mildred Pierce,” died Wednesday. She was 98.
KABC’s George Pennachio reported her death.
The dark beauty was also noted for her roles in prison drama “Brute Force” (1947), Mario Lanza vehicle “The Great Caruso” (1951) and 1957’s “The Helen Morgan Story” with Paul Newman.
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In an interstitial recorded many decades later for Turner Classic Movies, Blyth recalled shooting “Mildred Pierce” with Crawford and declared that despite their characters’ fraught relationship on screen, she and Crawford got along very well, and it was hard for her to slap Crawford for one of the movie’s pivotal scenes.
Crawford won the best actress Oscar for “Mildred Pierce,” which was also nominated for best picture, among other categories.
“Mildred Pierce,” based on the James M. Cain novel, was remade by Todd Haynes as an HBO miniseries in 2011 that starred Kate Winslet, with Evan Rachel Wood playing the ungrateful daughter Veda.
While briefly on vacation from filming “Danger Signal,” in 1945, Blyth broke her back in a sledding accident, and she spent a year and a half convalescing in a back brace, after which Universal used her in the excellent prison drama “Brute Force,” starring Burt Lancaster, while she was still confined to a wheelchair. After she recovered, Universal gave Blyth her first starring role in “Swell Guy.” She also starred opposite Mickey Rooney in the film noir “Killer McCoy.”
The actress had an interesting and challenging role in 1948’s “Another Part of the Forest,” a prequel to Lillian Hellman’s “The Little Foxes” in which she played a younger version of the Regina Hubard character immortalized on film by Bette Davis.
In 1950 melodrama “Our Very Own,” she played an adopted child searching for her birth mother, and Blyth played a woman wrongly convicted of murder in “Thunder on the Hill.” She was wife to Mario Lanza’s Enrico Caruso in 1951’s “The Great Caruso,” and she also appeared in lighter fare such as “Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid” and “Katie Did It.” In 1952 she starred opposite Gregory Peck in “The World in His Arms,” her last film for Universal.
At MGM she appeared in a series of operettas, including “Kismet,” but the era of the grand film musicals was ending, and she was not the only star whose career suffered as a result.
Going out on a high note, she played the tragic title character in 1957’s “The Helen Morgan Story,” about an alcoholic torch singer; strangely, her singing voice was dubbed.
Ann Marie Blyth was born in Mount Kisco, New York. She was young when her parents split, and her mother moved Blyth and her sister to New York City.
For a time aiming for an opera career, Blyth trained with the San Carlo Opera Company.
She made her single Broadway appearance in the original production of Lillian Hellman’s WWII drama “Watch on the Rhine” in 1941-42. She toured with the show in Los Angeles, where she was noticed and given a screen test at Universal.
The young actress made her big screen debut in 1944’s swing-era teen musical “Chip Off the Block,” a B musical starring Donald O’Connor in which she got to show off her pipes. Roles in similar fare followed: “The Merry Monahans” and “Babes on Swing Street,” also 1944 films. But she didn’t really get noticed until her role in Warner Bros.’ “Mildred Pierce” in 1945.
The devout Catholic focused on family after her film career essentially ended in 1957 as well as musical theater, appearing in “The Sound of Music,” “The King and I,” “Carnival,” “Bittersweet,” “South Pacific,” “Show Boat” and “A Little Night Music.”
Blyth had started making occasional appearances on television in the 1950s, appearing, for example, in a “Lux Video Theatre” adaptation of “A Place in the Sun” in 1954, on “The DuPont Show With June Allyson” in 1959 and “The Dick Powell Theatre” in 1962. She made several appearances on the TV Western “Wagon Train” in the early 1960s and starred in the “Queen of the Nile” episode of “Twilight Zone” in 1964. Later she appeared a couple of times on “Quincy, M.E.” before her final television appearance on “Murder, She Wrote” in 1985.
The actress was married to Dr. James McNulty from 1953 until his death in 2007. They had five children, 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Jump to Comments Loading comments...Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price subsidising their life by livestreaming
Venezuela Fury and her husband Noah Price look to be making their own way in the world by raking it in from their lucrative social media accounts.
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury, 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year.
Since getting married and moving in together the couple have been earning thousands of pounds a month, livestreaming their life as newlyweds in their static caravan in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
And fans can't get enough of their regular life updates on TikTok and Kick, which have proved to be very profitable for the pair.
They look to be supporting themselves after Noah denied that he was given £5million by Venezuela's family as a wedding gift.
Despite his wife's huge family wealth, an estimated combined £160 million, Noah recently told his Kick followers that he 'pays for everything' for the couple.
Making light of the claims about Venezuela's millionaire financial status, Noah said: 'I actually pay for everything unfortunately. You'd expect the millionaire to pay for it wouldn't you.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price are earning thousands livestreaming their caravan life - after her new groom insisted he pays all the bills and denied he had £5m handout from her dad
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury , 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year
Venezuela then asked their fans: 'Do you think I am a millionaire?'
Noah joked: 'She isn't a secret millionaire guys', before she broke into song and sang: 'But I live like a millionaire!'
But it seems according to estimated calculations from their social media work, Noah and Venezuela can more than afford to support themselves.
Noah has been livestreaming on platforms such as Kick and TikTok, where viewers can send paid gifts or donations.
He was previously encouraging viewers to send gifts on his honeymoon during livestreams, suggesting this is one revenue stream.
Both Noah and Venezuela have built substantial followings on Instagram and TikTok. They can potentially earn money through sponsored posts, brand collaborations, affiliate links and creator payouts.
Kick allows its creators to take home 95 per cent of the £4.99 subscription cost that fans pay.
Streamers keep 100 per cent of direct tips and donations, minus minor standard payment processing fees.
It is unclear how many subscribers Noah currently has because this information is hidden, but he does have 7,200 followers which is publicly viewable.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million
In one video on their honeymoon, Noah asked his followers if they'd give them some more gifts now that they were married.
In a TikTok live viewed by 20,000 he said: 'Keep liking our videos people, keep sending gifts.'
After saying thank you to several of his followers he joked they should stick around on the livestream and 'watch Venezuela punch me in the mouth'.
The other half of the honeymooning couple said: 'I am, honestly!'
Noah previously confirmed that the pair don't share their finances after they were asked whether they have a shared bank account.
'She earns her money, I earn mine,' said Noah, as Venezuela joked: 'Yeah, what you gonna do about it.'
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'.
Meanwhile Venezuela is being eyed up by executives for a fly on the wall TV series.
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'
Boasting 1.3 million TikTok followers, Venezuela is already entertaining fans with her honest musings and candid moments, from cooking to kitting out her and Noah's static caravan home.
And following the success of the Netflix series At Home With The Furys, it is no wonder bosses are wanting to draw on the Fury popularity.
A TV insider said: 'The couple are not A-list celebrities but everyone has become obsessed with their love story.
'People are genuinely intrigued by them. Whether it’s the fact they have married so young, Venezuela’s famous family or their gypsy lifestyle, they have the ‘X factor'.
'Several TV executives think a proper fly-on-the-wall series following their lives as newlyweds in the gypsy community would be fascinating,' they told The Sun.
It is thought Netflix would be likely to produce the series due to their already established relationship with the Furys.
Venezuela's representatives told The Daily Mail: 'We have many offers on the table regarding Venezuela which we are discussing.'
