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Ann Harding

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For the Australian economist, seeAnn Harding (economist).

Ann Harding
Ann Harding in 1930
Born
Dorothy Walton Gatley

(1902-08-07)August 7, 1902
San Antonio,Texas, U.S.
DiedSeptember 1, 1981(1981-09-01)(aged 79)
Los Angeles, California
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park – Hollywood Hills
OccupationActress
Years active1921–1965
Spouses
​
​
(m.1926;div.1932)​
​
​
(m.1937;div.1963)​
Children1

Ann Harding(bornDorothy Walton Gatley;August 7, 1902 – September 1, 1981) was an American theatre, motion picture, radio, and television actress. Harding was a regular onBroadwayand on tour in the 1920s. In the 1930s Harding, was one of the first actresses to gain fame in the new medium of "talking pictures,"and she was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Actressin 1931 for her work inHoliday.

Harding was born Dorothy Walton Gatley and was the daughter of a prominentUnited States Armyofficer. She was raised primarily inEast Orange, New Jerseyand graduated fromEast Orange High School.Having gained her initial acting experience in school drama classes, she decided on a career as an actress and moved across the Hudson River to New York City. Due to her father's opposition to her career choice, she adopted the stage name Ann Harding.

After initial work as a script reader, Harding began to win roles on Broadway and in small semiprofessional theaters, primarily in Pennsylvania. Around the late 1920s she moved to California to begin working in motion pictures, which were just beginning to include sound.

Her work in plays had given her notable diction and stage presence, and she was quickly tapped for leading lady roles. By the late 1930s, she was becoming stereotyped as the beautiful, innocent, self-sacrificing woman, and film work became harder for her to obtain. After marrying conductorWerner Janssenin 1937, she worked only sporadically, with three notable roles coming inEyes in the Night(1942),It Happened on Fifth Avenue(1947) andThe Man in the Gray Flannel Suit(1956).

She worked occasionally in television between 1955 and 1965, and she appeared in two plays in the early 1960s, returning to the stage after an absence of over 30 years, including the lead inThe Corn is Greenin 1964 at the Studio Theater inBuffalo, New York.

After her 1965 retirement, she resided inSherman Oaks, California,where she would die in 1981, and she was interred atForest Lawn Memorial Park–Hollywood Hills.

Early years

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Harding was born Dorothy Walton Gatley atFort Sam HoustoninSan Antonio,Texas toGeorge G. Gatley,a career army officer, and Elizabeth "Bessie" Walton (Crabb) Gatley.[1]After travelling often during her early life because of her father's military career, she grew up inEast Orange, New Jersey,graduated fromEast Orange High School,[2]and attendedBryn Mawr College.[1]Her father "violently opposed her profession," so Harding changed her name when she began her acting career.[1]

Career

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Harding's initial employment in the entertainment industry began as ascript analyst.She then began acting and made herBroadwaydebut inLike a Kingin 1921.[3]Three years later she found her "home theater" in Rose Valley, Pennsylvania, after being directed byHedgerow Theatrefounder Jasper Deeter[4]inThe Master Builder.Over the years she returned to Hedgerow to reprise several of her roles. She soon became a leading lady; she kept in shape by using the services ofSylvia of Hollywood.[5]She was a prominent actress inPittsburgh theatrefor a time, performing with the Sharp Company and later starting the Nixon Players withHarry Bannister.[6]In 1929, she made her film debut inParis Bound,oppositeFredric March.[7]In 1931, she purchased the Hedgerow Theatre building from Deeter for $5,000 and donated it to the company.

Leslie Howard and Ann Harding inThe Animal Kingdom,1932

First under contract toPathé,which was subsequently absorbed byRKO Pictures,Harding was promoted as the studio's 'answer' toMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer's superstarNorma Shearer.[8]She co-starred withRonald Colman,Laurence Olivier,Myrna Loy,Herbert Marshall,Leslie Howard,Richard Dix,andGary Cooper,and was often on loan to other studios, such as MGM andParamount.At RKO, Harding, along withHelen TwelvetreesandConstance Bennett,comprised a trio who specialized in the "women's pictures" genre.

Harding's performances were often heralded by the critics, who cited her diction and stage experience as assets to the then-new medium of "talking pictures."In Harding's second film,Her Private Affair,she portrayed a wife of questionable morality, and the film was a commercial success. During this period, she was generally considered to be one of cinema's most beautiful actresses, with her waist-length blonde hair being one of her most noted physical attributes. Films during her peak includeThe Animal Kingdom,Peter Ibbetson,When Ladies Meet,The Flame Within,andBiography of a Bachelor Girl.Harding, however, eventually became stereotyped as the innocent, self-sacrificing young woman. Following lukewarm responses by both critics and the public to several of her later 1930s films,[contradictory]she eventually stopped making movies after she married the conductorWerner Janssenin 1937. She returned to the big screen in 1942 to makeEyes in the Nightand to take secondary roles in other films. She played "Mary," the estranged wife of Charlie Ruggles, in the Christmas filmIt Happened on Fifth Avenuein 1947. In 1956, she again starred with Fredric March inThe Man in the Gray Flannel Suit.

The 1960s marked Harding's return to Broadway after an absence of decades—having last appeared in 1927. In 1962, she starred inGeneral Seeger,directed by and co-starringGeorge C. Scott,and in 1964 she appeared inAbraham Cochrane( "her last New York stage appearance" ).[7]Both productions had brief runs, with the former play lasting a mere three performances (including previews). Harding made her final acting performance in 1965 in an episode of television'sBen Caseybefore retiring.

Personal life

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Harding was married twice, her husbands being:

  • Harry Bannister,[4]an actor. They married in 1926 and divorced in 1932 inReno, Nevada.ANew York Timesarticle (May 8, 1932) about the divorce stated that the actress still loved her husband and only agreed to a divorce to help Bannister's stymied career. "The proceedings were among the most unusual in the history of Nevada's liberal divorce laws," the newspaper reported. "Only through dissolution of their marriage could he escape, they said, from being overshadowed by Miss Harding's rise to stardom." The divorce also resulted in what was described as "a bitter court fight... over custody of their daughter",[9]Jane Harding (1928–2005, married name Jane Otto). According to an interview with Harding's biographer, Scott O'Brien, Jane Harding said, "I had a terrible childhood. I hated my nurse. I never saw mother. She was always busy."[10]
  • Werner Janssen,the conductor.[11]Harding and Janssen married in 1937 and divorced in 1963, with Harding claiming that her husband had controlled her throughout their marriage, keeping her from her friends and isolating her from the world. By this marriage, Harding had two stepchildren, Alice and Werner Jr.[12]

Among Harding's romances was the novelist and screenwriterGene Fowler.In the early 1960s, Harding began living with Grace Kaye, an adult companion, later known as Grace Kaye Harding. Ann Harding referred to Kaye as her daughter.[13]

Harding campaigned for the reelection of PresidentHerbert Hooverin 1932.[14]

Death

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On September 1, 1981, Harding died at the age of 79 inSherman Oaks, California.[9]

She was survived by a daughter, named Jane Otto, and four grandchildren.[9]

Recognition

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A plaque memorializing Ann Harding, photographed insideHedgerow Theatreon October 7, 2023.

Harding was honored with a block in the forecourt ofGrauman's Chinese Theatreon August 30th, 1930.[15]

Harding was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best ActressforHolidayin 1931.[16]

For her contributions to the motion picture and television industries, Harding has two stars on theHollywood Walk of Fame—one in the Motion Pictures section at 6201Hollywood Boulevardand one in the Television section at 6850 Hollywood Boulevard. The ceremony for both stars was held on February 8, 1960.[17]

As of October 7, 2023, there is a plaque memorializing Ann Harding insideHedgerow Theatre.

Broadway stage credits

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Date Production Role
October 3, 1921 – Oct 1921 Like a King Phyllis Weston
October 1, 1923 – May 1924 Tarnish Letitia Tevis
September 8, 1924 – September 1924 Thoroughbreds Sue
October 7, 1925 – December 1925 Stolen Fruit Marie Millais
March 23, 1926 – April 1926 Schweiger Anna Schweiger
September 28, 1926 – March 1927 The Woman Disputed Marie-Ange
September 19, 1927 – October 1927 The Trial of Mary Dugan Mary Dugan
February 28, 1962 – March 1, 1962 General Seeger Rena Seeger
February 17, 1964 – February 17, 1964 Abraham Cochrane Myra Holliday

Filmography

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Films

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Year Film Role Notes
1929 Paris Bound Mary Hutton
Her Private Affair Vera Kessler Co-starredHarry Bannister
Condemned Madame Vidal US reissue title:Condemned to Devil's Island,Co-starredRonald Colman
1930 Holiday Linda Seton Nominated –Academy Award for Best Actress
The Girl of the Golden West Minnie
1931 East Lynne Lady Isabella The film was nominated for aBest PictureOscar
Devotion Shirley Mortimer co-star Leslie Howard
1932 Prestige Therese Du Flos Verlaine
Westward Passage Olivia Van Tyne Allen Ottendorf Co-starredLaurence Olivier
The Conquerors Caroline Ogden Standish US reissue title:Pioneer Builders
The Animal Kingdom Daisy Sage UK Title:The Woman in His House,Co-starredLeslie Howard
1933 When Ladies Meet Claire Woodruff Co-starredMyrna Loy
Double Harness Joan Colby Co-starredWilliam Powell
The Right to Romance Dr. Margaret "Peggy" Simmons Co-starredRobert Young
1934 Gallant Lady Sally Wyndham
The Life of Vergie Winters Vergie Winters aka Virginia Wood
The Fountain Julie von Marwitz
The Hollywood Gad About Herself Short subject
1935 Biography of a Bachelor Girl Marion Forsythe
Enchanted April Mrs. Lotty Wilkins
The Flame Within Doctor Mary White
Peter Ibbetson Mary, Duchess of Towers Co-starredGary Cooper
1936 The Lady Consents Anne Talbot
The Witness Chair Paula Young
1937 Love from a Stranger Carol Howard US title:A Night of Terror,Co-starredBasil Rathbone
1942 Eyes in the Night Norma Lawry StarredEdward Arnold
1943 Mission to Moscow Mrs. Marjorie Davies
The North Star Sophia Pavlova US recut version:Armored Attack
1944 Nine Girls Gracie Thornton
Janie Lucille Conway
1945 Those Endearing Young Charms Mrs. Brandt (Captain)
1946 Janie Gets Married Lucille Conway
1947 It Happened on 5th Avenue Mary O'Connor
Christmas Eve Aunt Matilda Reed US reissue title:Sinner's Holiday
1950 The Magnificent Yankee Fanny Bowditch Holmes Co-starredLouis Calhern
Two Weeks with Love Katherine Robinson
1951 The Unknown Man Stella Mason US title:The Bradley Mason Story
1956 The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit Helen Hopkins StarredGregory PeckandJennifer Jones
I've Lived Before Miss Jane Stone
Strange Intruder Mary Carmichael

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1955 Crossroads Hulda Lund Season 1 Episode 4: "With All My Love"
Studio 57 Martha Halstead Season 2 Episode 9: "Vacation with Pay"
1956 Front Row Center Grammie Season 2 Episode 2: "Strange Suspicion"
G.E. Summer Originals Season 1 Episode 9: "Great Lady"
1959 The DuPont Show with June Allyson Naomi Season 1 Episode 1: "Ruth and Naomi"
1961 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Sarah Hale Season 7 Episode 12: "A Jury of Her Peers"
1963 The Defenders Helen Bernard Season 2 Episode 28: "A Taste for Vengeance"
Burke's Law Annabelle Rogers Season 1 Episode 2: "Who Killed Mr. X?"
1964 Dr. Kildare Mae Priest Season 3 Episode 18: "Never Too Old for the Circus"
1965 Ben Casey Edith Sommers Season 5 Episode 5: "Because of the Needle, the Haystack was Lost"

References

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  1. ^abcAaker, Everett (2013).George Raft: The Films.Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 127.ISBN978-0-7864-6646-7– viaGoogle Books.
  2. ^Percy, Eileen."Durante Will Be Made an M. G. M. Star; 'Schnozzle; Has Set Record for Saving Pictures."ArchivedMay 12, 2016, at theWayback Machine,The Milwaukee Sentinel,October 26, 1932. "Ann Harding began hers 15 years ago in a dramatic class at East Orange High School."
  3. ^"Like a King cast".Playbill Vault.RetrievedJuly 13,2016.
  4. ^ab"They Done Her Wrong".Oakland Tribune.California, Oakland. February 10, 1935. p. 55.RetrievedJuly 12,2016– viaNewspapers.com.Open access icon
  5. ^Hollywood Undressed: Observations of Sylvia As Noted by Her Secretary (1931) Brentano’s.
  6. ^Conner, Lynne (2007). Pittsburgh In Stages: Two Hundred Years of Theater. University of Pittsburgh Press. pp. 105–106.ISBN978-0-8229-4330-3.Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  7. ^abMonush, Barry (2003).Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors: From the silent era to 1965.Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 308–309.ISBN9781557835512.RetrievedSeptember 23,2017.
  8. ^Carman, Emily (2015).Independent Stardom: Freelance Women in the Hollywood Studio System.University of Texas Press.ISBN9781477307335.RetrievedSeptember 23,2017.
  9. ^abcLawson, Carol (September 4, 1981)."Ann Harding, Actress Hailed for Roles as Elegant Women".The New York Times.Archived fromthe originalon September 23, 2017.RetrievedSeptember 23,2017.
  10. ^"Streamline | the Official Filmstruck Blog – Ann Harding: A Q & A with Biographer Scott O'Brien".Archived fromthe originalon February 12, 2017.RetrievedMarch 21,2018.
  11. ^Lawson, Carol (September 4, 1981)."Ann Harding, Actress Hailed for Roles as Elegant Women".The New York Times.
  12. ^O'Brien, Scott.Ann Harding: Cinema's Gallant Lady,p. 465 (Bear Manor, 2010).
  13. ^O'Brien, Scott.Ann Harding: Cinema's Gallant Lady,pp. 499-510 (Bear Manor, 2010)
  14. ^"Editorial".The Napa Daily Register.November 2, 1932. p. 6.
  15. ^"Graumanschinese.org / Forecourt Honoree / Ann Harding".www.graumanschinese.org.
  16. ^"(" Ann Harding "search results)".Academy Awards Database.RetrievedSeptember 23,2017.[permanent dead link]
  17. ^"Ann Harding".Hollywood Walk of Fame.Archived fromthe originalon September 23, 2017.RetrievedSeptember 23,2017.
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