Ann Harding

Ann Harding (August 7, 1902 – September 1, 1981). In 1929, she made her film debut in Paris Bound, with Fredric March. A story about Jim Hutton and Mary Archer, who are happy to remain faithful to each other in spirit only.

They are married with the bride believing that each should be allowed to do do what they want to do. Among the wedding guests is the young composer Richard Parrish, who is also in love with the bride, and Noel Farley, who is in love with Jim.

After they have their first child, Jim travels to Europe on a business trip, Mary declines to accompany him. Noel, who owns a villa at Antibes, lures Jim into a rendezvous. Menawhile, Mary has an affair with Richard. Learning of Jim's rendezvous, she considers a Paris divorce so as to marry Richard. When Jim unexpectedly returns, he tells Mary of his affair with a French woman. Mary is devastated, for she would never believe that her husband would actually sleep with another woman. In the end their mutual love is confirmed, and they decide to adopt traditional marriage morals and remain monogamous.

Fun Facts:

In 1931, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for, Holiday.

Harding, was RKO studio's 'answer' to MGM's superstar Norma Shearer.

Harding's second film was, Her Private Affair.

During this period, she was considered to be one of cinema's most beautiful women, with her long waist-length blonde hair as one of her most noted attributes.

Her films during her peak include: The Animal Kingdom, Peter Ibbetson, When Ladies Meet, The Flame Within, and Biography of a Bachelor Girl.

Harding, became stereotyped as the innocent, self-sacrificing young woman. She eventually quit making movies when she married the conductor, Werner Janssen in 1937. She later returned in 1942 to make the film, Eyes in the Night and to take secondary roles in other movies. In 1956, she again starred with Fredric March, this time in, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit.

It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947).

It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947). Comedy, directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring Victor Moore, Ann Harding, Don DeFore and Gale Storm. The film received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Story.

On New York City's Fifth Avenue, a tour bus guide points out the boarded-up townhouse of Michael O'Connor, the world's second richest man. A middle-aged drifter and his faithful dog Sam, come out of hiding and enter the O'Connor house through a loose board in the fence.

Meanwhile, O'Connor evicts the tenants of one of his city apartment houses in order to build an eighty story building. One of his tenants, Jim Bullock, has no where to go ends up sleeping on a park bench, where he meets, "Mac.". Who, invites Jim to stay with him at O'Connor's townhouse, where he has lived for the last three winters.

As O'Connor, makes plans to buy the deserted army camp Kilson, he learns that his daughter Trudy, has run away from school. When Trudy shows up at the townhouse, Jim, feeling sorry for her lets her stay. For now Trudy, wants to keep her identity a secret. When the patrole men come to check on the house, Mac tells everyone to hide and then feels forced to tell them that he really is a trespasser.

Later, Jim meets two friends from the service, Hank and Whitey and their families who are living in a car and invites them to stay with them. Mac, Jim, Whitey and Hank, begin making plans to build housing project and decide to bid on Camp Kilson.

When O'Connor arrives, he finds Trudy leaving for her new job at a music shop, he orders her to go back to school. She insists that she wants to be with, Jim. Now, O'Connor wants to meet Jim and poses as a drifter to hide his idenity and Trudy and Jim convince Mac to allow O'Connor to move into the mansion.

It is not long before O'Connor, has had enough of everyone living in his house and threatens to call the police. Trudy sends for her mother, who years before divorced O'Connor because his business came first. On Christmas Eve, Mary and O'Connor rekindle their love.

When Mary, finds out that O'Connor, outbid Jim on Camp Kilson and then tried to give him a job in Bolivia, to take him away from Trudy. Mary, has a change of heart.

O'Connor, wanting to please his family lets Jim buy the camp. On New Year's Eve, the house guests all celebrate and O'Connor tells Mary that next November, Mac will be coming through the front door.

Video: Celebrating Christmas....



It Happened on 5th Avenue, will tug at your heart strings and may become one of your favorite Christmas films. It has a wonderful line, "A man without friends is the most serious form of poverty".

Dorothea Kent (21 June 1916 – 23 August 1990). She performed in 42 films between 1935 and 1948. In addition to her credited roles, she also had roles in 6 other films, including her last role in the 1948 film. The Babe Ruth Story.

Happy Birthday Ann Harding

Ann, born Dorothy Gatley, spent most of her childhood as an "army brat" constantly moving around before the family finally settled in New York. Ann first appeared on the stage while she spent a year attending Bryn Mawr College. She became a clerk and freelance script reader with a film company before she made her stage debut in Greenwich Village.

From there she went to Broadway, and when pictures needed actors who could walk and talk, she went to Hollywood. She was signed by Pathe and made her debut, with Fredric March in Paris Bound (1929). She became a leading lady, and the roles that she played were always the same, but her co-stars changed.

She was the gentle refined heroine as in The Animal Kingdom (1932), when she played Daisy, the rejected fiancee of Leslie Howard.

By 1933, her popularity started to decline as she appeared in a parade of tearjerkers - always ready to sacrifice herself for good of others. She quit films in 1937 when she married conductor Warner Janssen.

She came back five years later in Eyes In The Night (1942). Her roles after that were mature character roles for the next five years.

Another break, another 3 films and then in 1956, she appeared once again with Fredric March the man with whom she started her career in The Man In The Gray Flannel Suit (1956).

She continued to appear sporadically on TV in the 1960's and died at age 80 in 1981.