The wide-eyed, square jawed, petite Hollywood leading lady of dramas and musicals Ann Blyth (16th August 1928) turns 80!!!Ann, a devouted Roman Catholic, made her movie debut, displaying her warbling talent in Universal Picture's "Chip Of The Old Block" (1944), starring the great musical team of Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan. Following this in the same year, she again supported them in "The Merry Monahans".
Then came her much-talked about role, as Veda, the vicious, spiteful daughter of Joan Crawford in the heavy dramatic Warner Bros "Mildred Pierce" (1945). She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress Oscar for that role, but lost to Anne Revere. Her first starring role was in the 1946 "Swell Guy" with Sunny Tufts. Mickey Rooney was her leading man in the boxing flick, "Killer McCoy" (1947) and she did a prequel to Lillian Hellman's "Little Foxes"- "Another Part Of The Forest" (1948), playing Bette Davis's Regina in the former movie as her younger years. To add a little sensuality, she was given the role of a mermaid in 1948's "Mr Peabody And The Mermaid", a 
comedy opposite the very much older William Powell. She was then given much older leading men again 1949, Bing Crosby in "Top O' The Morning" and Robert Montgomery in "Once More My Darling".
comedy opposite the very much older William Powell. She was then given much older leading men again 1949, Bing Crosby in "Top O' The Morning" and Robert Montgomery in "Once More My Darling". By the early 1950's, she is now a full throttled star of her own right starring in operettas, comedies and drama. She went searching for the birth mother in "Our Very Own" (1950) and a wrongly convicted murderess hiding out in a convent hospital "Thunder On The Hill" (1951), with Claudette Colbert.
"Loveliest Night Of The Year" is a song that will always be a Lanza song, but it was Ann Blyth who sang it in MGM's "The Great Caruso" (1951), showcasing Mario Lanza's voice. Ann played Mrs Caruso. The studio's colour remake of "Rose Marie" (1954), gave Ann a few good songs to warble opposite Howard Keed. Then came Sigmund Romberg's "The Student Prince". She played Kathie the barmaid who falls for Prince Karl Franz, travelling and studying incognito, played by Edmund Purdom, mouthing to the singing voice of Mario Lanza 
when Lanza was forced out of the part due to weight gain. The lack lustre Broadway musical adaptation of "Kismet" (1955) with Howard Keel, Vic Damone and Dolores Grey, again gave her the opportunity to display her vocals. She went on to appear in many television series, among them "The Twilight Zone" (1964), "Switch" (1975) and her last "Murder, She Wrote" (1985). The still beautiful Ann Blyth was the recipient of the Living Legacy Award by the Women's International Center in 2003.
when Lanza was forced out of the part due to weight gain. The lack lustre Broadway musical adaptation of "Kismet" (1955) with Howard Keel, Vic Damone and Dolores Grey, again gave her the opportunity to display her vocals. She went on to appear in many television series, among them "The Twilight Zone" (1964), "Switch" (1975) and her last "Murder, She Wrote" (1985). The still beautiful Ann Blyth was the recipient of the Living Legacy Award by the Women's International Center in 2003. Happy 80th Birthday and Many Happy Returns"
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