- Joan Blondell, The Crowd Roars, 1931. When he changed his mind about the MGM’s Dorothy Mackail, director Howard Hawks chose Joan Blondell for Lee opposite his lover Dvorak (almost aclone of his wife, Athole Shearer)as Anne. They weren’t happy and he switched their roles… with nary a word to the brothers Warner!
- Joan Crawford, Rain, 1931. Until Crawford fought hard for it, United Artists had chosen Dvorak for Sadie Thompson in the second of three Hollywood versions. Crawford hated it – due to it flopping, rather than her decidedly poor performance. Co-star Walter Catlett made clear his contempt: “Listen, fishcake, when Jeanne Eagels died, Rain died with her.”
- Adrienne Dorer, The Rich Are Always With Us, 1931. Suddenly Dvorak was out and Dorer in as Allison Afair as Ruth Chatterton divorced George Brent but never left his life. They wed after the shoot . Their co-star, Bette Davis, would eventually make ten other films with Brent. They also squeezed in a two year love affair.
- Patricia Ellis, The St Louis Kid, 1934. The usual musical chairs of regular Cagney partners.Margaret Lindsay was in hospital. Dvorak was named but it was Pat’s turn. Again. Lindsay was back for the nextone -and shared the one afterthat with Dvorak.
- Kay Francis, Wonder Bar, 1933. Another of the Warner musicals that broke every rule in the book – before the book, the Will Hays Productin Code, was writ. From a Busby Berkeley S&M (and murder) dance routine to another called ‘Going To Heaven On A Mule’ featuring Al Jolson, St Peter and angels in black-face.
- Gloria Stuart, Here Comes The Navy, 1933. With Margaret Lindsay still recovering from from appendix surgery, Dvorak and Stuart were next in the Dorothy loop. Filmed on the USS Arizona (sunk at Pearl Harbour arbour on December 7, 1941), this was the first of eight pairings for James Cagney and his buddy Pat O’Brien.
- Martha Tibbetts, Ceiling Zero, 1935. Even director Howard Hawks had to admit that Mary was not an important enoughfor his current mistress…
- Donna Reed, It’s A Wonderful Life, 1946.
- Anne Baxter, Angel On My Shoulder, 1946. Ann or Anne? Two years earlier, producer Charles R Rogers wanted Dvorak as his star. UA preferred Baxter – about the only one in the cast not to fall victim to influenza like Paul Muni, Claude Rains, etc.
Birth year: 1912Death year: 1979Other name: Casting Calls: 9