Ann Hovey (August 29, 1911 – August 25, 2007) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

chorus girl A chorus line is a large group of dancers who together perform synchronized routines, usually in musical theatre. Sometimes, singing is also performed. Chorus line dancers in Broadway musicals and revues have been referred to by slang terms s ...

and minor

film actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lite ...

of the 1930s, primarily in

B-movies A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double featur ...

Life and career

Born Ann Jacques Hovey in

Mount Vernon, Indiana Mount Vernon is a city in and the county seat of Posey County, Indiana, United States. Located in the state's far southwestern corner, within of both the southernmost or westernmost points, it is the westernmost city in the state. The southernmo ...

, Hovey was born into a wealthy and prominent family. A descendant of Alvin Peterson Hovey, a

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

officer during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

and the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

from 1888 to 1891, Hovey's mother had been a part of the

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

high society scene until marrying Hovey's father, a prominent banker. At the age of seven, Hovey was involved in an automobile accident which caused temporary loss of sight in her left eye. Eventually the injury healed and her sight in the eye returned. She attended "Indiana High School", and after graduation she pursued a career as a chorus girl. On a minor contract with

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

, Hovey began appearing in films in 1933, her first being as an uncredited chorus girl in '' 42nd Street'' with

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

and

Warner Baxter Warner Leroy Baxter (March 29, 1889 – May 7, 1951) was an American film actor from the 1910s to the 1940s. Baxter is known for his role as the Cisco Kid in the 1928 film ''In Old Arizona'', for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor at ...

, which would be Ginger Rogers' breakthrough movie. Hovey's first credited role was in the 1933 film ''Private Detective'', starring

William Powell William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 – March 5, 1984) was an American actor. A major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the ''The Thin Man (film), Thin Man'' series based on the Nick and Nora Cha ...

. She appeared in six films that year, two of which were credited. In 1934 she appeared in three films, one of which was credited, but was selected as one of thirteen girls to be "

WAMPAS Baby Stars The WAMPAS Baby Stars was a promotional campaign sponsored by the United States Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers, which honored 13 (15 in 1932) young actresses each year whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom. ...

", the last year that "WAMPAS" made those selections. Wampas Baby Stars 1934

In 1935, Hovey appeared in only one film, '' Circus Shadows'', but was still receiving attention due to her "WAMPAS Baby Star" title. Dark haired and pretty, Hovey eventually caught the attention of studios after appearing in several films as a chorus girl and in minor acting roles, and in 1936 she signed a contract with

RKO RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheu ...

. That year she appeared in only one film, but it would be her most memorable, placing her in a supporting role to cowboy film star Tom Keene and

Joan Barclay Joan Barclay (born Mary Elizabeth Greear; August 31, 1914 – November 22, 2002) was an American film actress of the 1930s and 1940s, starring mostly in B-movies and cliffhangers, with her career starting during the silent film era. Biography ...

in the

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

'' The Glory Trail''. She would have roles in five films in 1937, three of which were credited; then, in 1938 she would have a minor role in '' Flirting with Fate'', which would be her last. That year she married William Crowell of the Crowell Publishing Company, and retired from acting.

Later years and death

She and Crowell later divorced, and she married Robert Husey, a press agent, to whom she would remain married until his death. During the mid-1990s, when informed that she was being sought after by fans of her films, Hovey commented, "I'm surprised. I never thought I was any good." She and Husey had moved to

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, where she was residing at the time of her death, only four days shy of her 96th birthday, on August 25, 2007.

Partial filmography

*'' 42nd Street'' (1933) (uncredited) *''

Gold Diggers of 1933 ''Gold Diggers of 1933'' is a pre-Code Warner Bros. musical film directed by Mervyn LeRoy with songs by Harry Warren (music) and Al Dubin (lyrics), staged and choreographed by Busby Berkeley. It stars Warren William, Joan Blondell, Aline ...

'' (1933) (uncredited) *''

Wild Boys of the Road ''Wild Boys of the Road'' is a 1933 pre-Code Depression-era American drama film directed by William Wellman and starring Frankie Darro, Rochelle Hudson, and Grant Mitchell. It tells the story of several teens forced into becoming hobos. The s ...

'' (1933) *'' Easy to Love'' (1934) (uncredited) *''

Kiss and Make-Up ''Kiss and Make-Up'' is a 1934 romantic comedy film starring Cary Grant as a doctor who specializes in making women beautiful. Genevieve Tobin and Helen Mack play his romantic entanglements. The film was based on the play ''Kozmetika'' by (credi ...

'' (1934) *'' Young and Beautiful'' (1934) *''

Annapolis Salute ''Annapolis Salute'' is a 1937 film. A few scenes were shot at William Paca House. Cast * James Ellison as Bill J. Martin * Marsha Hunt as Julia Clemens * Harry Carey as Chief Martin * Van Heflin as Clay V. Parker * Ann Hovey as Bunny Oliver ...

'' (1937) *''

Danger Patrol ''Danger Patrol'' is a 1937 American drama film directed by Lew Landers from a screenplay by Sy Bartlett based on a story by Helen Vreeland and Hilda Vincent. Produced and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, it was released on December 3, 1937 ...

'' (1937) *'' Flirting with Fate'' (1938)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hovey, Ann 1911 births 2007 deaths People from Mount Vernon, Indiana Actresses from Indiana American film actresses Warner Bros. contract players 20th-century American actresses Place of death missing WAMPAS Baby Stars 21st-century American women